The Prisoner's Dilemma and RTS Balancing (Red Alert 3) | Game Design Analysis

Channel:
XYHC
Subscribers:
9,620
Published on ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSY1Zi3JuVs


Game:
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (2008)
Duration: 20:26
39,555 views
1,722

The Golden Balls video clip: https://youtu.be/S0qjK3TWZE8

Intro - 0:00
Transitive Balancing - 1:23
Intransitive Balancing - 5:48
Exploiting Prisoner's Dilemma - 13:30
A Proposal - 16:16

Welcome to another C&C game design analysis video! Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 offers a perfectly unique competitive experience, but also presents a perfectly quirky issue with multiplayer gameplay balance: Online ladder statistics seem to indicate that all three factions inside this Real-Time Strategy game (Allies, Soviet, Empire of Rising Sun) have close-to-equal usage and win rates, especially among higher-skilled pros. It's been a constant debate whether C&C: RA3 really is as balanced as many believe.
In today's video, I will analyze RA3's balance (especially the OP Allied faction) using game design principles / game economy theories, including transitive (cost & benefit) mechanics, intransitive counter systems (between units & build orders), as well as Nash Equilibrium (when player choices fit into a Prisoner's Dilemma scenario, and an optimal strategy exists that limits their opponent's options), and reveal how each factor is specifically applied to the RTS genre. (ft. Cryo Rush, Turret Base Push, Cryocopter, Vindicator, tons of cheese)

The following music was used for this media project:
Dama-May by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3580-dama-may
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Music: Space Jazz by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/8328-space-jazz
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://incompetech.com

Corruption by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3555-corruption
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Music: Waltz Primordial (feat. Alexander Nakarada) by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7929-waltz-primordial-feat-alexander-nakarada
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://incompetech.com



Other Videos By XYHC


2023-03-26I miss Carville now 👀 | RA3 Online Stream
2023-03-25Pushing on RA3 Ladder w/ Random Match-making! (new RA3BattleNet server officially launched)
2023-03-18Soviet Infantry Cheese Build Order | Red Alert 3
2023-02-28Unit Guide: MCV | Red Alert 3
2023-02-26New King Sputnik update with major changes! Testing my Balance Mod | King Sputnik 0.6.3
2023-01-14Playing RA3 with Kikematamitos!
2023-01-05If I build a Refinery, the stream ends (No Stream Snipe pls) (RA3 Online)
2022-12-31If I fail Cryo Rush, the stream ends (No Stream Snipe pls) (RA3 Online)
2022-12-11Soviet Cheeeese
2022-11-13Replaying RA2 Allied Campaign (to gather footage for the next design analysis video)
2022-10-25The Prisoner's Dilemma and RTS Balancing (Red Alert 3) | Game Design Analysis
2022-10-09Command & Conquer Memes vol. #6
2022-09-11Unit Guide: Prospector / Ore Collector / Imperial Harvester | Red Alert 3
2022-08-25Soviet Infantry Quotes in 8 Languages | Red Alert 2
2022-06-11Unit Guide: Nanocore | Red Alert 3
2022-04-26Rocket Angels Won The Game! | Red Alert 3
2022-04-08Cryocopter = Allied Kirov
2022-04-03When Your Harvester Got Banned | Red Alert 3
2022-03-13Testing Ban Mode 2.0 (ft. Andrey)
2022-03-05Some Ban Mode Commentaries | Red Alert 3
2022-02-25Unit Guide: Sea-Wing / Sky-Wing | Red Alert 3


Other Statistics

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Statistics For XYHC

Currently, XYHC has 2,145,147 views for Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 across 105 videos. Roughly 2 days worth of Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 videos were uploaded to his channel, or 51.42% of the total watchable video on XYHC's YouTube channel.