The Golden Balls video clip:    • golden balls. the weirdest split or s...  

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 RealTime Strategy game (Allies, Soviet, Empire of Rising Sun) have closetoequal usage and win rates, especially among higherskilled 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:
DamaMay by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song...
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

Music: Space Jazz by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/8328space...
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standardlicense'>https://filmmusic.io/standardlicense
Artist website: https://incompetech.com'>https://incompetech.com

Corruption by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song...
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

Music: Waltz Primordial (feat. Alexander Nakarada) by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7929waltz...
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standardlicense'>https://filmmusic.io/standardlicense
Artist website: https://incompetech.com'>https://incompetech.com