Hey everyone,

I have been quiet this week for two primary reasons:

1. I've been hard at work at getting our new RedAlert3.com website up which is now up for you to enjoy, for all you Red Alert comrades out there... and

2. I've been internally working with our team on the Kane's Wrath patch - among a million other things.

Below is our 1st pass at a Final Version of the Kane's Wrath patch balance notes. You'll notice it is extensively longer than my last post because after reviewing your feedback and extensive testing, we've noticed there are a lot of other minor changes that need to happen in order for this to be effective across all 9 factions. Please do not worry about the extent of these changes, and as you'll see below, we've provided explanation for almost every one.

If a sentence is in ITALIACS, that means its an explanation. If it's not, it's likely a change and it should be obvious if so.

Alright, the flood gates are open, time is short for feedback, but we are listening and reading, so please go ahead. I hope you like this list.

We are locking in on completion of the patch and it's currently in the beginning stages of testing, i'll keep you posted, but we're trying to bypass some processes so we can get this to you quicker.

This patch is going to resurge the community, and ignite our ladder season. It's the first step to re-igniting the Tiberium Wars community. I hope you agree, cause it's gonna happen.

Economy revamp:
All refinery values increased to 3000 credits, 30 seconds of build time, and 15 power

--Tiberium Spike cap gain decreased to 500, value per second decreased to 10

--Harvester cost/build time for all factions increased to 2000/20

--Most faction harvester health increased 4000->5000, steel talon/black hand harvester health increased to 5200

--Unit production structures (war factory, airfield) have had their build radius removed, this does not include meta-unit production facilities

--All conyards have had their build radii increased to compensate (360 to 450)

After significant review of the numbers, we found that players under a reduced-speed economy would increase harvester and refinery production to achieve the previous level of income, then transfer the harvester load over to a new expansion and quickly mine it out. The goal of these changes is to produce the same lengthening of the early game that resulted from a change in harvester load, while simultaneously increasing the opportunity cost of increasing the player’s economy at any stage in the game. A short eco boom phase will still occur, due to the nature of tiberium fields, though it will occur later in the game (an inherent buff to scouting and countering tactics) and will be of a smaller magnitude (due to a large portion of the funds being diverted to resource acquisition). The player must now also make a more conscious choice of when to expand, as both the difficulty of expanding and the cost to expand have increased. The gameplay now more closely fits into set phases: buildup/scouting/harassment, unit production, assault, expand, repeat (rather than all options at once). Due to the increased incentive for harassment, cost, and build time of harvesters, harvester health has been increased.

Advanced infantry structures:

--All advanced infantry upgrade centers (stasis chamber, secret shrine, armory) now provide a basic infantry unit when sold or destroyed

This fixes several issues, including cheap ravagers/shock troopers, and reduces the number of available shadow teams in the early game for Nod players.

Other structures:

--Cost of all silos reduced to 100 credits

Go ahead, make a silo!

All GDI:

--GDI Power Plant upgrade now provides 20 power (increase from 10)

--GDI Power Plant cost/build time reduced to 700/7 (from 800/8)

GDI power production and usage are now more closely aligned with the other factions.

--Grenadier range and EMP grenade range increased 240 to 260, grenade speed increased 120 to 180, scatter increased 15-20 versus infantry, blast radius increased 20 to 30

Grenadiers are now more effective at taking out large squads of low-hp infantry.

--Mammoth speed increased 40 to 45

Mammoth tanks can now more easily keep up with an assaulting army

--Packed Rig HP Increased 1500 to 2000, pack and unpack rates reduced to 3s from 5s, repair drone leash distance increased 150 to 200

The Rig can now be more effectively used in combat as it can deploy (more quickly) behind front-line troops and heal them during micromanagement.

--Zone Trooper/Raider autoinjectors health bonus increased 130% to 150%

Upgrade use is now more closely aligned with cost

--Pitbull damage increased 160 to 200, vs. air scalar reduced 200% to 150%

Pitbulls are more closely aligned with bikes and seekers in terms of harassment ability, anti-air attack power remains approximately equivalent

Subfaction- specific:

--ZOCOM and Steel Talons Bloodhound power cost increased to 3000 (from 2k/2.5k)

Bloodhounds no longer allow for cheaper unit production.

--Hardpoint-upgraded firehawk AA missiles now fire as fast as unupgraded missiles

Bug fix, the missile travel speed and firing timing are now aligned with the pre-upgrade speed/timing.

-- Titan crush level increased to 3 (only epic units can now crush the mighty titan)

Because Mammoths crushing Titans looks silly.

--Shatterer and Zone Shatterer radius increased 3 to 10, range 250 to 325, pre- attack and clip reload delay reduced to 0.1s from 0.3 s

--Zone Shatterer Overload Beam radius increased 4 to 10

Both the Shatterer and Zone Shatterer should now feel significantly more responsive. Both units can now hit opposing unit masses before being hit themselves, though they are still countered harshly by air units and high-hp units such as the Mammoth.

--Titan damage increased 400 to 450, railgun damage increased 572 to 625

The Titan is now, per cost, more closely in line with the Predator Tank.

-- Composite armor build time increased to 60 seconds (from 20)

Opposing players can now reach and produce tier2 infantry counters in line with the completion of composite armor.

--Tiberium Field Suits build time and cost increased to 2000/60s from 1000/30s, armor vs cannon increased 6 to 12 for all affected squads

ZOCOM infantry are less resilient to stormriders, shatterers, etc. These changes bring Zocom Field Suits in line with Composite Armor, with additional Tiberium defense.

--ZOCOM Orca weapon damage increased 750 to 1000

The ZOCOM Orca is more effective at destroying large, slow-moving masses of units, providing ZOCOM with a counter to heavy vehicles

--Steel Talon Behemoth acquisition/weapon range increased 500 to 600, hp 5000 to 5500

The Behemoth is now more closely in-line with the Juggernaut and the base GDI late-game units not available to the Steel Talons

All Scrin:

--Lightening spike power cost increased to 1500

This power was incredibly cost-effective, which increased with the economic changes. Cost more closely approximates value.

--Shock Trooper plasma disc and blink pack upgrade numbers swapped, plasma discs are now the more expensive upgrade (1000/30s and 2000/60s)

Upgrades are more closely aligned with relative power and usage.

--Devastator range increased 550 to 625, type changed from cannon to grenade

This change brings the devastator in line with the 1.09 TW unit

--Reaper and Traveler Stormrider health normalized to vanilla Scrin 3200 to 2800, all stormrider costs normalized to 1500/15

These units erroneously used older HP values, HP normalized along with cost across all factions

--Seeker armor vs cannon reduced 10% (100 to 110), vs gun reduced 25% (25 to 50)

Seekers no longer cost-effectively defend versus Scorpion tanks and are no longer able to stand toe-to-toe with early game infantry unupgraded

--Disintegrator range increased 100 to 150

Disintegrators are now much more effective at damaging enemy units as the entire squad can now fire at range

--Mechapede disintegrator segment range reduced 300 to 150, damage 135 to 70, corrupter segment range decreased 200 to 150, disc segment changed to anti-air only, range of disc segment increased 300 to 325

The mechapede disintegrator segment now requires that the mechapede get up close and personal, and no longer trumps all anti-vehicle units in terms of damage. Cost-effectiveness brought in-line with the Devourer. Corrupter segment range decreased to make base destruction less effective. Disc segment range increased to increase anti-air effectiveness without necessarily putting the mechapede head into harm’s way. The mechapede is a very powerful anti-air unit.

--Corrupter range 100 to 150, speed 60 to 70

Corrupters now more effectively approach and fire on enemy infantry squads and thus take less in-transit damage. Corrupter healing is slightly easier to micromanage.

-- Overlord’s Wrath damage reduced 10000 to 4500

Overlord’s wrath no longer one-shots tier 3 units but will often destroy or severely damage all lower tier units in the blast radius. Extra tip: unlike the TVBomb, Overlord’s Wrath does cannon damage, making it more effective against vehicles.

Subfaction-Specific:

--Reaper-17 attenuated forcefields upgrade cost increased to 2000 from 1000

Upgrade is more closely aligned with relative power

-- Advanced Articulators cost/build time increased to 2000/60 from 500/15

Upgrade is more closely aligned with relative power and timing now provides opposing players with a chance to scout and counter effectively

--Traveler cultist squad member hp decreased 320 to 250

These units are now slightly easier to kill with anti-mass and anti-infantry units

-- Hexapod recycler radius 300 to 450

This ability now extends nearly the length of the Hexapod attack range and should be much more useful/usable

-- Devourer tank uncharged damage increased 500 to 650, charged dmg 750 to 800

Uncharged devourer tank is now in line, per cost, with the Predator and Scorpion tank. Upgraded devourer is more closely in-line with upgraded Scorpion tanks and the new Shatterer.

-- Shardwalker upgraded with blue shards now fires as fast as unupgraded version (decrease in clip reload by 50%, increase in clip size from 4 to 5)

Blue-shard upgraded shardwalkers no longer lose effectiveness against large, low-hp infantry squads.

--Reaper 17 conversion reserves now provide the stated increase in tiberium hold capacity

Bug fix.

All Nod:

--Catalyst missile radius decreased to 100

The Catalyst missile has been rebalanced to the new refinery cost

--Dozer Blades upgrade increased to 2000/60s from 1000/30s

Cost more closely approximates power and usefulness, build time allows opposing player to more effectively build counter units

--Beam cannon range increased 500 to 600

Intended 1.09 change that never made it :o)

--Avatar and Purifier main beam weapon damage increased 850 to 900

The Avatar and Purifier are more closely aligned with the Mammoth and Tripod

--Fanatic damage increased 325 to 700, radius 40 to 50

Fanatic relative power increased to 1.09 TW levels

--Flame tank cannon penalty reduced 200 to 150

Flame tanks are now more resilient when used against a mixed army

--Rage generator hallucination time 20s to 3s

Still fun, but not army-destroying fun

Subfaction- Specific:

--Shadow Team summon power cost increased to 2500

Shadow teams can no longer be acquired per-cost with this ability, this also increases the opportunity cost of an early Shadow Team rush

--Black disciples upgrade increased from 1500/30s to 2000/60s

Cost and build time brought more closely in line with relative power

-- Purifying flame cost/build time increased to 3000/90s from 2000/45s

Cost and build time brought more closely in line with relative power

--Commandeered Beam Cannon damage increased 600 to 900

Commandeering is now, in terms of power per cost, 10% more effective than building a second avatar, but once he goes down, so do all of your weapons!

--Flame tank damage with purifying flame increased 216 to 300

Purify them!

--Purifier flame damage with purifying flame reduced 750 to 300

Purifier no longer deals absurd amounts of damage to everything and more closely aligned with other flame weapons.

--Supercharged particle shredder turret damage decreased 150 to 90

Supercharged turret is no longer more effective versus vehicles than the laser turret

--Charged particle shredder turret damage decreased 100 to 80

Charged turret is no longer more effective versus vehicles than the laser turret

-- Shadow team explosive charge damage reduced 2000 to 1500

Now requires 3 teams to take down a power plant, 7 teams to take down a refinery, brought more in- line with increased refinery cost and the slower economy

--Mantis range increased 275 to 300

Mantis can now engage air units more effectively without incurring significant damage

--Confessor cabal cost/buildtime increased 300/3 to 400/4, damage increased 4 to 6

Confessor cabal is less easily spammable and brought more closely in line with cost of final upgraded form, early-game damage increased to compensate

--Laser-upgraded buggy now deals more damage than unupgraded (75 to 100)

--Laser-upgraded laser turret now deals more damage than unupgraded (140 to 210)

The upgrade produces a beneficial result, instead of a negative one. Good thing.

--Vertigo disruption pods now subtract the appropriate 500 credits on use

Bug fix.

Neutral:

--Mutant marauder damage increased 6 to 9, speed increased 40 to 60

Mutant marauders can now keep up with/cost-effectively deal with unupgraded infantry. They’ll fight for you!