- Soviet Vehicles - Confidential briefing from Premier Romanov, Leader of the United Soviet Empire: Comrade, once you see what we have done to our Soviet armor I am sure you will have a smile as wide as my own. With these forces at your disposal, victory in battle is all but assured!

War Miner Our superior Soviet technology has replaced the internal motors of the War Miner with more efficient versions, resulting in a miner which is less costly to produce ($1000 vs. $1400 previously), and which cannot be crushed. Sadly, this new miner is not promotable. Taken together with a streamlined building process which lets War Factories produce War Miners faster than their cost would indicate, and you will find that it is now no burden at all to roll additional miners out of your War Factory. But be very careful, my dear Comrade - these new War Miners will explode violently when destroyed. The $400 reduction in price of a War Miner is reflected in an identical $400 reduction in the price of an Soviet Ore Refinery. New effects: War Miners now generate an engine sound when they begin to move, and will emit yellow smoke when damaged.

Rhino Tank The Allies have increased the effectiveness of their puny Grizzly against armor. Yuri has added more armor plating to his inferior Lasher. Have we been standing still? No Comrade we have not. We have applied our Soviet efficiency to the Rhino production process, so that despite its higher cost, it can be built in the same amount of time that our enemies can build their basic tanks. The Soviet Union will never be outtanked! Graphical enhancement: The tank shot now appears to fire from the correct location.

Flak Track No changes have been ordered for this inexpensive and versatile unit at this time.

Terror Drone Our Terror Drones no longer easily fall victim to the Allied Mirage Tank - neither to its fire nor to its disguise. This change alone should make our Drones much more valuable to our Soviet commanders. The ability to penetrate disguises also serves to make the Terror Drone able to serve as anti-Spy defense. In addition, we have installed a self-repairing mechanism in our Drones, allowing them to self-heal. It is not clear if this particular improvement will prove to be very useful, since TD's tend not to survive very long anyway.

Soviet Amphibious Transport I am aware that you have become weary of building a shipyard and the forces required to properly defend it, when all that you may need is an Amphibious Transport or two. So I have ordered that our transports are to built from the War Factory instead. To reduce build option clutter, Amphibious Transports are now side-specific. When playing as Soviets, the Soviet Amphibious Transport is the only hover transport you will be able to build. This unit can be built from any of the 3 War Factory types. Note that all these changes only apply in multiplayer/skirmish games. In single-player campaigns, the Soviet Amphibious Transport is still built from the Soviet Shipyard.

Tesla Tank - Russia's Special Unit  Russian commanders have often complained that building Tesla Tanks was simply not worth the money that they cost. Upon review I find I must agree, and through Soviet efficiency we have reduced its price to just $1000 (vs. $1200 previously). But I thought the tank was still lacking, so I set my engineers to work, and what magic they have worked! The tank's armor has been improved slightly, it can fire more frequently, and its weapon range is increased to equal that of a Rhino Tank as well! What is more, even newly-manufactured Telsa Tanks can attack targets on the other side of walls. However, each weapon charge does do a bit less damage than before, but the other improvements do more than make up for this, making the unit markedly improved overall. That being said, it is worth noting that the scattered shrapnel bolts of elite Tesla Tanks are somewhat more damaging. But all these changes pale in comparison to the most effective change of all: the ability to fire while on the move.

Demolition Truck - Libya's Special Unit  Yuri's mind-controlling abilities have made the deployment of this weapon of destruction a risky proposition indeed. Changes were sorely needed, and they have been made. First, the cost of the truck has been reduced ($1000 vs. $1500 previously). Its strength has been increased, and so has its speed. It is immune to both mind-control and radiation. What is more, its creation announcement is no longer heard. But that is not all! We have increased the size of the truck, so it could carry a larger payload. The yield of the Demo Truck's nuclear bomb has been enhanced so it is more likely to destroy enemy buildings, particularly base defenses. The explosion will tend to destroy nearby walls as well. It's also a dirtier bomb, leaving radiation which will poison units in the area for a longer time. Comrade, sometimes I wonder about the massive Soviet bureacracy we have created. Some paper-pusher in one of our government ministries mandated that the Demo Truck must sound a warning siren whenever it is in motion... some foolishness about 'safety concerns'. Can you imagine? Well, I am the Premier, and I will see to it that this silly mandate is repealed in short order! In the meantime, should you find yourself facing a traitorous Libyan faction on the battlefield, listen carefully and you might be able to hear their Demo Trucks approaching. Note: Demo Trucks now can be detonated at any time with the "deploy" command. Graphical enhancement: Demo Trucks are larger, complete with nuke symbols mounted on their sides, and will emit green smoke when damaged.

V3 Launcher This unit was unarguably our biggest disappointment. The V3 rocket was simply too slow, too fragile, and the launcher took far too long to reload and launch. We have achieved massive improvements by switching to a much lighter rocket. While its explosive payload is less than half what it was previously, we now have a rocket which can be raised from the launcher much more quickly, and it travels at a much higher speed to its target. This virtually guarantees the rockets will get past any AA defenses, and a new rocket will be ready to fire before the enemy can repair the damage done by the first volley. As a bonus, the launcher itself has been strengthened a bit. Given the reduced damage of the rockets, you will find that a single V3 is almost useless. But if used in groups of 4 or more, you should see extremely good results. At last the Soviet Union has an effective, land-based, long-range base-cracker! I am sad to say that these improvements are not cheap, Comrade. This new V3 Launcher is more expensive ($1100 vs. $800 previously), and you must have a Soviet Battle Lab before you can build them. The V3 Launcher is now a high-tech weapon. Graphical enhancements: V3 Launchers no longer 'morph' when launching missiles; missile firing origin and initial missile tilt settings tweaked to produce a seamless launching animation.

Apocalypse Tank When our Rhino Tanks are not enough, there is always the mighty Apocalypse Tank. No more will our proudest armor be brought down by mere infantry. The Apoc's pair of rockets has been recalibrated to target infantry and Terror Drones, as well as air units. These rockets are quite effective at these tasks, I assure you. Its powerful tank shot has been given a very modest range increase, and the tank itself can unshroud the battlefield at greater distances. A change you will find to be even more effective is the added ability of Apocs to fire while they are moving. Their slow speed will seem less of a hindrance when you see they do not need to stop in order to destroy any resistance they encounter! And the Apoc's armor has been strengthened besides. Nothing will stop the Soviet juggernaut now, eh Comrade? Graphical enhancements: Missing muzzle firing animation for rookie Apocs enabled, vehicles hit by Apoc's tank shells will rock from the impact, and elite Apocs will fire red-trailed missiles.

Soviet Base Expansion Vehicle - New Unit! The technology of the Soviet Union is always moving forward and this is our latest development - the Base Expansion Vehicle. In the same manner as an MCV, this vehicle is unarmed, and its purpose is to deploy it into a building: The Base Expansion Node. There are good reasons to build this unit rather than another MCV. First, an Expansion Vehicle is half the price ($1500). Second, the resulting Expansion Node has a very small footprint, allowing it to be set up in cramped areas where full-sized MCVs cannot deploy. The prerequisites for building these new vehicles is the same as for building MCVs: You need an Soviet War Factory and an Soviet Repair Facility. This vehicle is ideal for setting up remote ore refining operations, erecting defenses at strategic locations, and establishing bases close to the front lines. But be aware that the Expansion Vehicle can only be deployed ONCE. Once deployed, the Expansion Node building CANNOT be repacked. Make sure the Expansion Vehicle is where you want it to be when you give the order to deploy, since you won't get a second chance. Note: The Soviet Base Expansion Vehicle, and the Soviet Base Expansion Node, are only available in multiplayer/skirmish games.

Soviet Construction Vehicle Our MCVs are now 50% stronger. This matches the strength increase afforded to our Construction Yards.

YAK-24K Transport - New Unit! We have long needed an air transport vehicle, and now we have one! We opted for an unarmed design in order to increase carrying capacity. The YAK-24K Transport will carry up to 8 infantry anywhere on the battlefield, and does not appear on enemy radar screens. It is somewhat sturdier than the Allied Nighthawk, and self-heals. In order to build the YAK-24K, you must have a Soviet War Factory. The price is $1000 each.

Kirov Airship I was puzzled as to how a blimp could be a high-tech unit. Sadly my investigation again discovered corruption in our ranks. At this rate I fear that the Siberian mines will be worked entirely by former Soviet officers! But these are my problems, Comrade, not yours. It was my wish to increase the speed of the Kirov Airship, but my engineers tell me we cannot overcome a problem having something to do with the volume of the zeppelin's airframe and the resistance of the air... I do not understand it but that is what I am told. What we have done is to boost the efficiency of the buoyancy pumps, so the Kirov can now change altitude much more quickly. You will find this very useful when your Kirovs must pass over cities with many tall buildings, and when they must climb over cliffs and similar obstructions. Depending on the circumstances, the resulting reduction in travel time can be significant. Its sight range has been increased slightly as well. And, in line with our bettered efficiency, Kirovs take a little less time to build. Perhaps even more importantly, the mighty Kirov Airship can now be produced immediately after building Soviet Radar (Battle Lab no longer needed). The Kirov is now a mid-tech unit. Graphical enhancement: Elite Kirov bomb explosions create blue light flashes.

Siege Chopper We have lost many Siege Choppers in battle due to them being destroyed while moving to a position to deploy. This condition has changed. The Siege Chopper will now accelerate faster, move into position faster, turn faster, and will land and take off much faster. This reduces the amount of time it is vulnerable to enemy AA fire. Its deploy/undeploy procedure has been streamlined and made more efficient, so it now requires only half the time required in the past. And the improvements continue! The Siege Chopper's cannon is no longer the laughable weapon that it was before. Infantry and lightly-armored vehicles will not last long when targeted by these cannon rounds. And the Chopper itself has been strengthened, and been given the Self-Healing ability. You will find that this new Siege Chopper has a much higher survival rate. How have we achieved these improvements? A good question. In order to make the Siege Chopper faster and more maneuverable, we had to reduce the weight of the payload it carries. This means each artillery shot does less damage than before. This is of little concern, because at the same time its range was increased modestly. Additionally, the technology required to build this unit requires our superior Battle Lab rather than any side's Battle Lab. All things considered, you will find this to be a very nice unit now, my good Comrade! Build many, and bring victory to the Motherland!

Attack Sub Our Attack Subs have been improved also. While their speed is unchanged, their maneuvering is far more responsive, allowing them to change course more quickly. This may not seem like a large improvement, but in battle you will appreciate the difference. We have also fitted our subs with new torpedoes. These torpedoes are designed to penetrate ship hulls before exploding. The end result is exactly the same as the old style torpedoes, unless fired against living targets (Dolphins, Squid, and amphibious infantry). Under these conditions the torpedo's explosive charge would not be contained within a ship hull, so its damage would then spread across a small area. Other nearby living units can be damaged or even killed by this splash damage. On rare occasions, these explosions may also damage or even destroy infantry and lightly-armored land vehicles positioned right at the water's edge. Graphical enhancement: Infantry units killed by torpedo explosions will be blown to bits.

Sea Scorpion The faithful Sea Scorpion fills its niche quite well, and therefore your wise Premier has decided to not make any changes to this vessel. Graphical enhancement: Sea Scorpions will sink when detroyed rather than simply blowing up.

Giant Squid A naval commander who takes advantage of all the options the Soviet Navy has to offer will see his victories assured. But how many actually make use of our mighty Squid? This saddens me, so to aid in this regard, we have applied more efficient control device implantation techniques, so that Squids may be produced more quickly. Also, you should be advised that Yuri seems to have suffered some sort of design problem concerning his Boomer Submarines - you will find your Giant Squids can now grapple them. We are not sure what has happened to bring about this happy situation, but we are certainly not going to complain about it!

Dreadnought Like our V3 rockets, Dreadnought missiles can now "see" a little, so the process of bombardment also unshrouds, and their range has improved slightly, so our cowardly enemies cannot escape us by building far from the shoreline. Additionally, the missiles have been made resistant to radiation, so that they cannot be made to explode on the deck of the vessel. And to compensate for the fact that the Dreadnought cannot adequately defend itself, its strength has been increased by 25%.

You must forgive your Premier for talking so overly long, but I think you will understand my enthusiasm for our current achievements. Is there any question that the Soviets represent the mightiest force on the face of the earth? Victory is all but ours - you need only snatch it for us! Now get out there and use these tools I am giving you, to rid us of the traitor Yuri and the cowardly Allies!

Continue the tour of CannisRules with the Yuri's Army side briefing by Yuri himself, right here.