History YMMV / CommandAndConquerRedAlert

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:
** 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.
** Also in the Soviet story, was [[spoiler:General Gradenko]] as incompetent as he appeared or was he secretly sympathizing with the Allies, only screwing up just slightly enough to appear incompetent? Was Nadia's poison tea for actual incompetence or did she finally see through his act? Finally, was General Kukov calling him a traitor post mortem a figure of speech or did he also see through his sabotage in disguise?

* ThatOneLevel: Allied Mission 10. After the defection of Major Kosygin, Stalin decides to launch four nukes at various European capitals. What follows is a two part mission to capture the Soviet nuclear launch command centre and disable the nukes. The first part starts off okay with a traditional base building mission until the command centre is revealed (usually when the GPS satellite is launched) and Von Esling briefs the player, telling them they have one hour to complete the mission. From there, the timer starts and the player must capture the command centre with Engineers. The second part of the mission commences immediately after. The player has limited time (as in whatever was left on the clock when the command centre was captured), three engineers, two spies, a medic, and a handful of riflemen with which to capture the four control terminals. The Soviets have the base staffed with mostly riflemen, but there are dogs and grenadiers at strategic points, who can tear through your squad in no time and there's a flame turret at the northwest corner and a tank hanger at the far south. The spies are practically dead weight, as there's no buildings for them to infiltrate and the dogs will tear through them (unless you cheat and arm them, which turns the mission into a joke) and the engineers are required to complete the mission, as they're the ones needed to operate the computers. Even SaveScumming can only help so much.
** The second half of the mission becomes significantly easier if you know that [[spoiler:sending a unit to the room at the very bottom of the map filled with Mammoth tanks will give you access to Tanya.]]

** The Allied Thief was maligned for how difficult it is to use them without resorting to outlandish tactics such as an Engineer rush followed by placing a Barracks to start training the Thieves. As a result, in ''VideoGame/RedAlert2'' the Spy was given the Thief's ability to raid credits in addition to their other skills, making the Spy even more valuable and allowing theft to also be stealthy.

** The Allied Artillery cannon has a number of problems keeping it from fulfilling its intended purpose. Its range is considerably shorter than that of the V2 Rocket Launcher, having the advantage of being able to fire faster. This doesn't really help when a bug makes the Artillery unit engage its target like a tank rather than fire from afar, far enough to outrange base defenses. Instead, it ends up getting destroyed by said base defenses.

--->'''Nadia''':Thank you, I made it myself.[[note]]This is well-remembered exchange between Nadia and anyone she served poisoned tea to. Fans joke that the poisoned tea only works when she says that line (and if there's a table they can crawl over)[[/note]]

** 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) [[note]] 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, making them even more threatening. [[/note]]

* GuideDangIt:
** The second-last Soviet mission requires the player to capture the Chronosphere within the Allied base and prevent its subsequent destruction. Except capturing the Chronosphere produces the comically frustrating "Objective Reached. Mission Failed." voiceover, presumably due to a bug where the game counts the Chronosphere falling out of Allied hands in any way - even capturing like the game tells you to do - just the same as if you blew the thing up. The only way to progress is through a roundabout solution that essentially requires you to capture an Allied Barracks and then use your combined units to KillEmAll.
** Many of the infiltration missions have a huge number of event flags that trigger the programmed death of powerful enemies, spawn reinforcements or open up new sections of the map (in one case only an event trigger can let you move on; the unit you use despawns and respawns in a separate part of the map). Combined with their huge maze-like layouts and low visibility of your units, it often boils down to either looking up a guide or trial and error.

** Soviet mission 7 "Core of the Matter" diverts you from the European theater to deal with an Allied infiltration of a Soviet nuclear reactor. The reactor is about to meltdown and you must restore cooling to avert the disaster.

** Allied mission 7, "Sunken Treasure" is a follow-up to the previous mission where you set back the Soviet Iron Curtain project. A transmission was traced back to a submarine base and you are to infiltrate a Radar Dome and take out the Sub Pens. While this presumably is a key setback to the Soviet Submarine presence, the mission feels like a side quest that diverts you from key events like the Allied Chronosphere test and the pressing issue of the Soviet Nuclear program.

** Soviet attack dogs. While they are [[FragileSpeedster Fragile Speedsters]] and can be killed quite easily, they have the ability to OneHitKill any infantry unit. Rile infantry can handle them without a problem ''if'' they are standing still, but since infantry can't shoot while moving, attack dogs can pretty much pick them off while they're doing so. And, the attack dogs really become problematic in the Allied campaign missions where you must keep Tanya alive. Since Tanya must be ''manually'' told to attack (instead of automatically firing on units that get close), she can be easily killed by attack dogs while you're preoccupied with other things or just simply trying to target the dogs since they're so fast.

** 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.
** Also in the Soviet story, was [[spoiler:General Gradenko]] as incompetent as he appeared or was he secretly sympathizing with the Allies, only screwing up just slightly enough to appear incompetent. Was Nadia's poison tea for actual incompetence or did she finally see through his act. Finally, was General Kukov calling him a traitor post mortem a figure of speech or did he also see through his sabotage in disguise?
** And, for the Soviet ending, was [[spoiler:Stalin really going to reward the player when he said he would "personally see to it" that they were "well taken care of"? '''OR''', was Stalin planning to have the player purged or ReassignedToAntarctica just like he did in [[TruthInTelevision real life]] when he demoted Soviet general [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgy_Zhukov Georgy Zhukov]] after the Battle of Berlin in World War 2.]]
** Was Nadia's "punishment" by [[spoiler:Kane]] in the Soviet campaign ending because he was concerned she was TheStarscream. Again, this is Similar to [[spoiler: Seth's]] underhanded scheming in ''Tiberian Dawn''. Her poison tea seems to suggest this as a possibility and perhaps [[spoiler:Kane]] was concerned about a backstabber in his ranks.

* CommonKnowledge: The yelling drill sergeant in "Hell March" is widely reported to be saying (in German) "Die waffen, legt an" (roughly, "Weapons ready!"), 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.)

* GoodBadBugs: If you tell a grenadier to change targets halfway through his throwing animation, he can throw his grenade a ridiculously long way, especially in the MS-DOS version of the game. With the use of radar, you could get him to throw it ''across the map''.

** The Allies Gap Generator (as well as its mobile equivalent). They just simply hide structures and units by creating artificial black shroud on the map. That being said, they don't fool human players or the A.I. at all. If a smart opponent has a powerful enough attack force, the Gap Generators are a minor annoyance at best and any "ambushes" can be swept aside with ease. Gap Generators also consume a lot of power. That being said, in a long high-level match, one of these is the only way to create a FogOfWar to conceal what you're building out of your main factory, allowing you to switch tactics in secret, unless you get scouted.

** ''"Nadia, this tea is excellent."'' On this note, some viewers have noted in some form that Nadia's tea is so good, it's to die for.
--->'''Nadia''':Thank you, I made it myself. [[note]]This is well-remembered exchange between Nadia and anyone she served poisoned tea to.[[/note]]

** ''"Their weakness is power, black-out the base and nothing will stop you."'' [[note]]Stravos, giving a big hint on how to beat the first Allied mission.[[/note]]

** The fact that Tanya must be manually told to attack units and she won't fire on units that get near her unless they attack first. This makes her a '''very''' easy target for Soviet attack dogs that can OneHitKill her if you're not paying attention or if you cannot get her to kill the dogs herself in time. [[note]]Their fast speed makes them difficult to target. [[/note]]This can be ''very'' problematic in the Allied campaign missions where you have to keep Tanya alive and you end up failing due to a random cheap kill from a dog.

** The second half of the mission becomes significantly easier if you know that [[spoiler: sending a unit to the room at the very bottom of the map filled with Mammoth tanks will give you access to Tanya.]]

** ''"Their weakness is power, black-out the base and nothing will stop you."'' [[note]]Stratos, giving a big hint on how to beat the first Allied mission.[[/note]]

** ''"Their weakness is power, black out the base and nothing will stop you."'' [[note]]Stratos, offering a big hint on how to beat the first Allied mission.[[/note]]

** Beware of gaining the recognition of ruthless leaders. Sure, you may gain promotions and prestige, or may be thrown under a bus when you least expect it. Your fellow coworkers may be just as hazardous to your health, plotting their own advancement.

** Beware of gaining the recognition of ruthless leaders. They may give you promotions and prestige, or may throw you under a bus when you least expect it. Your fellow coworkers may be just as hazardous to your health, plotting their own advancement.

* AccidentalAesop: [[https://youtu.be/6sdHVO6W5I8 Smoking is bad for your health.]]

** Was Nadia's "punishment" by Kane in the Soviet campaign ending because he was concerned she was TheStarscream. Again, this is Similar to [[spoiler: 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.

** ''"The foreseeable future? Comrade chairman ''I am'' the future."'' [[note]]Kane's only audible line, used as the final line in the Soviet ending.[[/note]]

--->'''Nadia''':Thank you, I made it myself. [[note]]A well-remembered dialog between Nadia and anyone she served poisoned tea to.[[/note]]

-->'''Nadia''':Thank you, I made it myself. [[note]]A well-remembered dialog between Nadia and anyone she served poisoned tea to.[[/note]]

** ''"Nadia, this tea is excellent."'' On this note, some viewers have noted in some form that "Nadia's tea is so good, it's to die for."

** ''"Nadia, this tea is excellent."''

*** On that note, some viewers have noted in some form that "Nadia's tea is so good, it's to die for."

-->'''Nadia''':Thank you, I made it myself.
-->[[note]]A well-remembered dialog between Nadia and anyone she served poisoned tea to.[[/note]]
** ''"The foreseeable future? Comrade chairman ''I am'' the future."''
[[note]]Kane's only audible line, used as the final line in the Soviet ending.[[/note]]

** ''Red Alert'' has its share of memorable lines:
-->'''(Anyone)''':Nadia, this tea is excellent.

[[note]]A well-remembered dialog between Nadia and the person she served poisoned tea to.[[/note]]

** -->'''(Anyone)''':Nadia, this tea is excellent.