Rise of the Reds Update: Supporting the War Effort Options

[MARS]

After the destruction and economic demise of the Middle East in the late 2020s, the Russian Federation became the largest exporter of fossil fuel, making it the greatest energy superpower in the entire world with its triad of oil, gas and coal. During this period of the early 21st century, the world started feeling the effects of global climate change. The ancient permafrost soil of north-eastern Siberia began to thaw, producing unknown quantities of natural gas, crude oil and coal which further boosted the nation's unparallelled energy potential. This turned out to be both a blessing and a curse: While the Federation's energy exports grew exponentially during the reconstruction of Europe and Central Asia under President Suvorov, vast swathes of Siberia were left ecologically devastated and the overabundance of fossil fuels discouraged the country's development of sustainable alternatives, leaving Russia's 'green' technology sector severely underdeveloped compared to the likes of the US, Europe and South America. For the foreseeable future, the combination of oil, gas and coal would provide enough power to keep the furnaces of the Bear's industry burning and while most of the Russian homeland receives its energy from an elaborate network of nuclear and natural gas power plants, the Russian Army continues to rely on simple coal generators to power its facilities, as their fuel can be easily transported by trucks and trains.

As part of our modernisation of the Russian models, the old Supply Warehouse has also been given a nice make-over, complete with a glass canopy above the loading bay.

The Construction Crane is Russia's go-to building vehicle. It should be noted that unlike the combat engineering units of America, Europe and China, the cranes are not equipped to clear minefields, necessitating the use of MTLBM 'Mishka' utility crawlers for detection and disposal.

The Arms Suppliers form the secondary backbone of the Russian quartermasters corps. As a general rule, conscripts are expected to keep their state-issued gear and weaponry in good condition and use them to the point of exhaustion, but those who wish to spend their own precious pay on a brand-new Kalashnikov, a fresh set of boots or wartime luxuries like cigarettes and vodka can do so at the Arms Supplier, granting an additional source of income to Russian battlefield commanders. As the Third World War dragged on, some of the more 'resourceful' officers even turned a blind eye to their quartermasters selling weaponry to auxiliary personnel from eastern Europe or even local paramilitaries with little distinction between friend and foe, marking a creeping decay of morale and order as the fighting continued into its fourth year.

We would also like to use this opportunity to thank everyone who voted for Rise Of The Reds in this year's MOTY competition on ModDB. Your support has allowed us to achieve a very respectable third place in the ranking. As a special 'thank you' gift to all of you, here's two bonus renders of two new infantry units that'll be introduced in the upcoming Version 1.85. Whilst much of our design goals for the factions have been finalised a few years ago, we still implement spontaneous ideas every once in a while, with these being to of them. We hope that you all enjoyed the holidays and already wish you a happy transition into 2014!

Ever since the first use of neutron weapons in early 2048, the Russo-European War has escalated out of control, with ECA forces throwing themselves into a relentless counter-offensive against the decimated and fatigued forces of the Federation. Both sides took excessive precautions, for the threat of a tactical nuclear strike from one of the warring parties now loomed over every engagement that strayed too far from its initial battle plan. Being prepared for the worst and experienced enough to deal with it, the Russian Army has deployed sizeable contingents of its RBC (Radiation, Chemical and Biological) Protection Troops to the frontline. The Chemical Troops were among the first to reach the sites of the French nuclear bombings to rescue what few survivors there were but they also played a vital role in combat ever since: Their standard weapon is the Shmel incendiary rocket launcher whose thermobaric munitions make short work of infantry in the open as well as in cover. The Troopers can also fire a non-lethal smoke rocket to create an impromptu diversion for their comrades in the field. Their multi-layered protection suits make them more resistant to radiation, toxins, flames and other hazards. Furthermore, Russian commanders should be advised that Shmel rockets will no longer be issued to RPG Conscripts after a series of fatal accidents and excessive expenditures of ordnance on minor targets.

The European Combat Pioneers are highly trained specialists that are deployed for a variety of support tasks. Their primary weapon is the MP57 personal defence weapon, a rugged submachine gun which fires the smaller 28mm length version of the ECA's standard 5,7x50mm assault rifle round. In addition, they pack some serious firepower in the form of a portable 81mm infantry mortar, which can be loaded with three types of ammunition once properly deployed and calibrated: General purpose high-explosive rounds, airbursting canister shells for use against massed infantry and non-lethal tear gas canisters to irritate and disorient the enemy. Thanks to their advanced weapon training, the Pioneers are able to fire a quick barrage of ten explosive grenades without having to fortify their position, if the circumstances prohibit proper entrenchment. Rounding off this useful combination of ranged fire support and self-defence, the Pioneers can also plant a powerful shaped charge anti-vehicle mine to shatter enemy tanks.

Finally, we would like to conclude with a special teaser for our very next update: