History YMMV / CommandAndConquerRedAlert

* UnintentionallyUnwinnable: It's technically extremely difficult to actually ''fail'' the first Soviet mission, as the bridge that connects your small base to the rest of the map that has anything even remotely threatening is destroyed at the start of the mission. The closest thing you can usually do is sell off your buildings, but even then you'll be left with one soldier trapped in the corner of the map, and you can only lose if ''all'' of your units are exterminated. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLDNqN2gaow This video]] does show that it ''is'' possible to fail the mission, through some meticulous planning.

* UnwinnableByInsanity: It's technically extremely difficult to actually ''fail'' the first Soviet mission, as the bridge that connects your small base to the rest of the map that has anything even remotely threatening is destroyed at the start of the mission. The closest thing you can usually do is sell off your buildings, but even then you'll be left with one soldier trapped in the corner of the map, and you can only lose if ''all'' of your units are exterminated. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLDNqN2gaow This video]] does show that it ''is'' possible to fail the mission, through some meticulous planning.

** Was Nadia's "punishment" by Kane in the Soviet campaign ending because he was concerned she was TheStarscream. Again, this is Similar to Seth's underhanded scheming in ''Tiberian Dawn''. Her poison tea seems to suggest this as a possibility and perhaps Kane was concerned about a backstabber in his ranks.

** Was Nadia's "punishment" by Kane in the Soviet campaign ending because he was concerned she was TheStarscream. This would be like Kilian Quatar in "Tiberium Wars", only much more overt. Her poison tea seems to suggest this as a possibility and perhaps Kane was concerned about a backstabber in his ranks.

** Was Nadia's "punishment" by Kane in the Soviet campaign ending because he was concerned she was TheStarscream. This would be like Kilian Quatar in "Tiberium Wars". Her poison tea seems to suggest this as a possibility and perhaps Kane was concerned about a backstabber in his ranks.

** Was Nadia's "punishment" by Kane in the Soviet campaign ending because he was concerned she was TheStarscream like Kilian Quatar in "Tiberium Wars"? Her poison tea seems to suggest this as a possibility and perhaps Kane was concerned about a backstabber in his ranks.

** The Allied equivalent is arguably even more potent thanks to their Light Tank costing $700 vs $950 for the Soviet Heavy Tank, and being very quick for a tank, letting a platoon of them rush past the frontline and pummel vital targets with their light-but-rapid cannons (Rocket Soldiers have higher DPS but being {{Glass Cannon}}s and very slow, don't see much use). [[note]]A well-timed V2 rocket or Artillery shell can one-shot an entire squad[[/note]] The Medium Tank is also available when more staying power is needed, and while it only has a single cannon, it is still faster and less expensive than the Soviet Heavy. ($800) With the addition of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqgcyPXSFVA queued movement]] in ''Remastered'', Allied tanks can better exploit their tanks' quick speed by firing on the move after target acquisition.

** The Allied equivalent is arguably even more devastating thanks to their Light Tank costing $700 vs $950 for the Soviet Heavy Tank, and being very quick for a tank, letting a platoon of them rush past the frontline and pummel vital targets with their light-but-rapid cannons (Rocket Soldiers have higher DPS but being {{Glass Cannon}}s and very slow, don't see much use). [[note]]A well-timed V2 rocket or Artillery shell can one-shot an entire squad[[/note]] The Medium Tank is also available when more staying power is needed, and while it only has a single cannon, it is still faster and less expensive than the Soviet Heavy.

** Super weapons affecting only one unit. After this game they always affect a group of units rather than a single one, and (in the case of the Chronosphere) can be used on enemy units to dick around with them. This is also the only game where the Chronosphere spawns an invincible, permanent Chrono Vortex. That being said, using Chronoshift on a key target like an [=MCV=] can be very useful for surprise attacks behind enemy lines via proxy War Factories and/or Barracks, even allowing Thieves to steal credits and recoup your investment.

** Super weapons affecting only one unit. After this game they always affect a group of units rather than a single one, and (in the case of the Chronosphere) can be used on enemy units to dick around with them. This is also the only game where the Chronosphere spawns an invincible, permanent Chrono Vortex.

* ScrappyWeapon: The Nuclear Missile Strike can be performed multiple times by Allies or Soviets, unlike in Tiberian Dawn, but the power of the Missile is much weaker than it was before, having [[SlapOnTheWristNuke barely enough yield]] to take out a pair of power plants, or "vaporize" a group of infantry. Its lack of a warning does not help offset the fact it'll only scorch the paint on a group of tanks and you still need to [[AwesomeButImpractical wait for a missile to be readied for launch.]] and spend 2500 credits to build the silo [[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert2 The sequel]] overhauled superweapons into more fearsome effects while giving the Allies their own unique Weather Machine to create violent storms that rival Nuclear weapons, making superweapons much more useful for breaking stalemates.

* ScrappyWeapon: The Nuclear Missile Strike can be performed multiple times by Allies or Soviets, unlike in Tiberian Dawn, but the power of the Missile is much weaker than it was before, having [[SlapOnTheWristNuke barely enough yield]] to take out a pair of power plants, or "vaporize" a group of infantry. Its cost of 2500 credits and lack of a warning does not help offset the fact it'll only scratch the paint on a group of tanks and you still need to [[AwesomeButImpractical wait for a missile to be readied for launch.]] [[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert2 The sequel]] overhauled superweapons into more fearsome effects while giving the Allies their own unique Weather Machine to create violent storms that rival Nuclear weapons.

* ScrappyWeapon: The Nuclear Missile Strike can be performed multiple times by Allies or Soviets, unlike in Tiberian Dawn, but the power of the Missile is much weaker than it was before, having [[SlapOnTheWristNuke barely enough yield]] to take out a pair of power plants, or "vaporize" a group of infantry. Its cost of 2500 credits and lack of a warning does not help offset the fact it'll only scratch the paint on a group of tanks and you still need to [[AwesomeButImpractical wait for a missile to be readied for launch.]] [[CommandAndConquerRedAlert2 The sequel]] overhauled superweapons into more fearsome effects while giving the Allies their own unique Weather Machine to create violent storms that rival Nuclear weapons.

* ScrappyWeapon: The Nuclear Missile Strike can be performed multiple times by Allies or Soviets, unlike in Tiberian Dawn, but the power of the Missile is much weaker than it was before, having [[SlapOnTheWristNuke barely enough yield]] to take out a pair of power plants, or "vaporize" a group of infantry. Its cost of 2500 credits and lack of a warning does not help offset the fact it'll only scratch the paint on a group of tanks and you still need to [[AwesomeButImpractical wait for a missile to be readied for launch.]] [[CommandAndConquerRedAlertII The sequel]] overhauled superweapons into more fearsome effects while giving the Allies their own unique Weather Machine to create violent storms that rival Nuclear weapons.

** The Allied equivalent is arguably even more devastating thanks to their Light Tank costing $700 vs $950 for the Soviet Heavy Tank, and being very quick for a tank, letting a platoon of them rush past the frontline and pummel vital targets with their light-but-rapid cannons (Rocket Soldiers have higher DPS but being {{Glass Cannon}}s, don't see much use). [[note]]A well-timed V2 rocket or Artillery shell can one-shot an entire squad[[/note]] The Medium Tank is also available when more staying power is needed, and while it only has a single cannon, it is still faster and less expensive than the Soviet Heavy.

* ZergRush:
** A popular tactic among Soviet players is to build nothing but a massive force of heavy tanks and overwhelm their opponent.
** The Allied equivalent is arguably even more devastating thanks to their Light Tank costing $700 vs $950 for the Soviet Heavy Tank, and being very quick for a tank, letting a platoon of them cruise past the frontline and pummel vital targets with their light-but-rapid cannons (bazookas have higher DPS but being {{Glass Cannon}}s,[[note]]A well-timed V2 can one-shot an entire squad[[/note]] don't see much use).

* HarsherInHindsight: Watching [[spoiler: Stalin's deaths become that much harder after Gene Dynarski's passing]] in February 2020, literally months before the release of ''Remastered''.

* CommonKnowledge: The yelling drill sergeant in "Hell March" is widely reported to be saying (in German) "Die waffen, legt an", but a look at the relevant [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YVUA7_2ayU samples]] from the sound library Frank Klepacki used indicates it's in English, not German (though there is disagreement on what, precisely, is being said.)

** The Allied equivalent is arguably even more devastating thanks to their Light Tank costing $700 vs $950 for the Soviet Heavy Tank, and being very quick for a tank, letting a platoon of them cruise past the frontline and pummel vital targets with their light-but-rapid cannons.

** Having to severely bust up a building before you could capture it with an engineer can be seen as rather pointless by some. It didn't help that computer players would often sell a structure as it reached the red, meaning all that work would be for nothing. This would be the first, last and only game in the series to have this mechanic.

** When playing as the Soviets: Apache helicopters. Because the Soviets dominate the air, the Allies are the ones who have good AntiAir units in the form of Rocket Soldiers & Destroyers. The Soviets, however, only have one mobile AA unit: the [[AwesomeButImpractical Mammoth Tank]], whose missiles are actually specialized to kill infantry, and thus aren't that effective against Apaches. This is especially noticeable in the mission "Liability Elimination" where you face Apaches for the first time in the campaign but you only get 2 Mammoth Tanks with no way to build more.

** In the Soviet campaign, did [[spoiler:General Kukov]] truly botch the Chronosphere intelligence or did he purposely withhold info in a UriahGambit to make you fail your mission and be executed and out of his hair. This would make them like TheStarscream [[spoiler:Seth]] in ''Tiberian Dawn'' who attempted to dispose of the player by sending them on potential suicide missions but ultimately got executed by Kane for his attempt to send you to attack The Pentagon. It's notable how [[spoiler: Kukov]] encourages you with "Advancement in the Soviet Army can be rapid. Continue to accumulate victories and the future is yours." after he's done admiring his medals of honor. This may bring to mind [[spoiler: Seth's]] similar line "...power shifts quickly in the Brotherhood." [[Spoiler: Seth]] sarcastically congratulates you on your victories after each mission but really wants you out of the way.

** In the Soviet campaign, did [[spoiler:General Kukov]] truly botch the Chronosphere intelligence or did he purposely withhold info in a UriahGambit to make you fail your mission and be executed and out of his hair. This would make them like TheStarscream [[spoiler:Seth]] in ''Tiberian Dawn'' who attempted to dispose of the player by sending them on potential suicide missions but ultimately got executed by Kane for his attempt to send you to attack The Pentagon. It's notable how Kukov encourages you with "Advancement in the Soviet Army can be rapid. Continue to accumulate victories and the future is yours." after he's done admiring his medals of honor. This may bring to mind [[spoiler: Seth's]] similar line "...power shifts quickly in the Brotherhood." Seth sarcastically congratulates you on your victories after each mission but really wants you out of the way.