Okay, this thread is about battle plans you guys came up to win a "Skirmish" campaign mode.

Right now, I don't have a great strategy.

I used to play Command & Conquer as a micromanage general. I like to set up my buildings and gather as much resources then attack in full force. This plan is scrapped in C&C3 because aerial and land attacks are so common you don't have time to build up your buildings and resources.

Next thing I noticed, how can the other factions (A.I. players) come out with so many attack units when I'm still building my first ore facility after building my first power generator? I mean I only have two standing buildings but these factions already have units bombing my base. I get so pissed off in just about the first 2 minutes into a game.

So, I tried building a barrack first bad idea you ran out of "ore credits" so quickly that building anything takes forever and while you are waiting you get clobbered again by enemy attacks. FRUSTRATING. I can't win.

Now, I'm going to suggest some tactics:
- Avoid building too many buildings in the first minute of the game.
- Building a barrack or airbase watch your "ore credits."
- Air defense and land defense are very helpful build as many as quickly as you can.
- If you can afford attack the enemy quick. Use the cheapest models. Sometimes I miss the mouse because the control isn't really quick enough for the game.
- This game is vicious do not focus only against one enemy attack as many different A.I. enemy players. Please, remember this attack as equally as you can if not you are going to end up facing a well-funded and well-militarized enemy after you beat one.

Start with the max amount of cash that's available, build an air base and overwhelm the enemy base with air units. A best defence is a good offence.

Target their production facilities, and build up your defences while attacking.

I have a way to overcome your problem.

I always start the game with building 2 power plants shortly followed by 2 ore refinery's. this keeps the money coming in, even if it is slow
now go about building your stuff but build more ore refinery
E.G - build barracks then build reactor then build war factory then build ore refinery this leveling out your ore credits. once you have got a barracks up, build engineers and send them off to scout for some buildings to capture.. these can all help with ore problems. Also Top Tip - Keep an eye out for those Boxes they can upgrade units or produce you with more ore.
Final part of strategy is Build your commander and air defense is always good. also first one to get the Master Weapon online has the upper hand.

what i do is basicaly turtle,

there is an achievement on the xbox where you go against all 3 enemies, all medium and all are on the same team, the best i done was 2 mediums and an easy, i defended like hell with tesla coils and aa guns (i was soviets) when i was ready i sent 3 kirovs to bomb the enemy's con yard, war factory, naval yard and barracks, thats how i won but as soon as i go it on 3 medium i get pwned and also i built my super weapons early so i wouldnt struggle for credits later

doesn't matter what kind of strat i employ, once my unit have eliminated most of what can harm them the con yards & in the soviet case crane, might as well have a giant red X saying "attack here"...i go for con yards & war factories first, that way, even if u loose your attack force, u have severely cripple your enemies capabilities

also note, if the enemy happens to be relying a lot on air power, target the war factory anyway, that way they cant build another MCV even if they have the money, then with your next attack, have plenty of AA, which u should have anyway if your enemy is favoring air units

plus, don't rely entirely on base defenses, there are units with longer ranges, plus base defenses require power, if possible try to defend your base with units, and here is why,
1. units require no power
2. units are mobile and can mass where your enemy attacks, making for a quicker resolution to the attack, (just be wary of attacks intended to be distractions, only send ALL of your units if they are really needed)
3. units get promoted, which in turn makes them more powerful, which can be used for better defense, or to make your opponent feel the sting when you attack yourself

quote Vassy

once you have got a barracks up, build engineers and send them off to scout for some buildings to capture..

i see what your getting at, but scouting with engineers is dangerous to say the least, and can be expensive, if its a map you're unfamiliar with, scout with your basic infantry, they are cheap, plus they are good versus early game units...
though i find less of a need to scout in RA3 since u can send engineers into buildings without removing the shroud, so scouting becomes more about finding out what your enemy is up to

yes scouting is done by war bears, dogs and burst drones as they are fast, easy to build and cheap,

quote Cypher8492

1. units require no power
2. units are mobile and can mass where your enemy attacks, making for a quicker resolution to the attack, (just be wary of attacks intended to be distractions, only send ALL of your units if they are really needed)
3. units get promoted, which in turn makes them more powerful, which can be used for better defense, or to make your opponent feel the sting when you attack yourself

yes but cypher you have got to think on what you enemy is plotting, i astonishingly managed to do the 3 mediums vs me using defences, i put them all giles the allied air force person, and i put aa gun after aa gun after aa gun, it worked but any ships/amphibious veichles i built were immediately targeted by him, if your playing AI build defences and attack with the best air units you have (in my case kirovs ) but if your going againts humans use tactics such as, is he going to that empty ore field?
or are they going to attack from behind, but all i say is experiment with you battle plan, which ever one you deem to be safe and successful, use it

well thats the big difference, a computer can think and act faster than you, me or anyone could ever hope to, but, the AI is programed with sub-routines, in other words, if u have a good memeory, the AI will use pattern style attacks, and designated threats, the AI is predictable, a human while only slightly slower, can be unpredictable, i dont ever recall seeing the AI use misdirection, or true pincer attacks and such, if it happens its likely b/c their units got split up on the way, lol

that shouldnt go to say u should under estimate the AI however, esspecially the brutals, an opponent that can out think u with double the income u have? sounds like a real challenge, & if ur not careful, you will loose..

true cypher, but you still need to deploy a battle plan to counter the AI, example if you go against giles, you would want to build a lot of AA while still focusing on defence. So what im really saying, even though the AI can be predictable, they can still catch you off guard. So yeah basically you just need to do some skirmish modes against easy then slowly work your way up the difficulty using and testing the strategy you feel comfortable with, if it is ineffective, change and experiment, even with human opponents you can test your battle plan on them and adapt you techniques that beat the humans to your techniques so they will eventually beat the AI
And Cypher, love the banner hehe

I'm having problems with "Against All Odds" too. I tried playing a Soviets against a team of three Gileses. I built air defences, after air defences, while getting an invasion force of flak troopers to the first Giles' base. Out of the 45 or so (set to aggressive), only a few made it to his base alive, and soon. Meanwhile, the other two Gileses overwhelmed my base defences, with Vindicators and Century bombers.

Another time I tried playing against Naomis, as the Empire. I easily killed off one, but the other two killed my troops, then proceeded to assault my base, overwhelmed my defences and, well, that was pretty much that.

quote Coi Cki

I'm having problems with "Against All Odds" too. I tried playing a Soviets against a team of three Gileses. I built air defences, after air defences, while getting an invasion force of flak troopers to the first Giles' base. Out of the 45 or so (set to aggressive), only a few made it to his base alive, and soon. Meanwhile, the other two Gileses overwhelmed my base defences, with Vindicators and Century bombers.

it is best to be done in the water as you have a lot of resources available, and since he mostly uses air, there is little, but still a chance, concern of getting attacked by land/sea units, but yeah, just build migs, bullfrogs aa guns and defend like hell, then when your ready build kirovs and send them along using group move to the enemies base, so basically, your kirovs will be protected by all the aa, that they should make it to their destination

And with all 3 naomi, bad idea, she is very skilled and will soon start to crank out the shogun battleships, think of it, she build 6 with me as an ally, so basically, 6shoguns per naomi, 3 naomis, 6 X 3 = 18-and a undeserved death

Allrighty. I'll try to really get my base well defended. What map would you recommend?

quote Coi Cki

Allrighty. I'll try to really get my base well defended. What map would you recommend?

Death acquatic- the large 4 player map where you start in the corners and there are 4 islands in the middle with ore mines, then 4 more in the water its self , build a crusher crane then pack up the mcv and send it to the middle, so you can still build while u wait

No joy... Right after I set up the mcv in the middle, I got a s**tload of cryocopters attacking there. Must've been 40-45, ALL targeting my Const. Yard, then coming to my corner of the map... My AA was destroyed faster than I could built them, and I had 5 cranes building 'em.. They were picking off my flak troopers as they came out of my 3 barracks...

So that didn't work out well, I had no chance against them.

hard luck mate. try and just keep practicing, try it with 3 easy, then 1 medium 2 easy and work your way up

I've just about had it with this game... Once again, I tried to beat the team of EASY Gileses. After three minutes from the start, my base was wiped out by about fifty Vindicators.

Dunno if it's just me, but the skirmish mode seems a lot harder than it should.

I've played on easy before, and all I've had to deal with, have been infantry, and the occasional light vehicle.