Game Modes System

In Red Alert 2 a system of customizable 'Game Modes' was introduced. The parent INI MPModes(md).ini configures the available modes, and under what player arrangement each mode is available, while also specifying which INI to load for the main characteristics of each respective mode. New modes can be defined, but they must fall under specific hardcoded categories, which will be detailed below.

Any multiplayer maps that list a mode in GameMode= under [Basic], will be shown to the player in the game lobby, when that mode is selected as a map filter. Unfortunately, the current crop of map editors don't handle new game modes perfectly, and they can be lost when re-saving a map using them.

Getting Started

The first thing to understand is that game mode INIs, are like selective rules(md).ini overrides, they cannot override art(md).ini or ai(md).ini in any way. This means you can fiddle with the unit properties, or the ownership of buildings, but you can't add new cameos, nor can you tell it to load new voxels in place of existing units, unless that art is already defined in art(md).ini.

When you play a specific game mode in RA2, the game will load the rules(md).ini first, then it will load the game mode INI contents, changing existing values or adding new tags as specified. For example, in a game mode, you may have just a single entry:

[E1]
Strength=200

In this case, the difference between a normal game and your new game mode is that the GI has 75 extra strength.

If you look at the MP mode ini files that come with Yuri's Revenge you will see how the various game modes are defined. For example, MPMW(md).ini (Megawealth) contains the ini override settings necessary to disable the Refineries and Ore Miners, and change the prerequisites of the other structures in the game (which normally require a Refinery before they can be built).

Finally, it seems that all MP game modes must have the following entry except 'Free For All':

[MultiplayerDialogSettings]
AlliesAllowed=yes

Beyond that, any override settings are up to you. Just make sure you follow the normal procedures for rules entries. It is a good idea to base your mode file(s) on similar mode files already present.

Notes

This needs testing

Defining a weapon in the rules(md).ini and then giving it to a unit in a game mode INI only, will cause an Internal Error. All weapons must be parsed by a unit in the main rules file.

To alleviate this, create a dummy unit with TechLevel=-1 in the rules(md).ini first and give the weapon to that unit, or give it to an existing dummy unit such as [XCOMET].

The Multiplayer Mode

The MPModes(md).ini file defines all the multiplayer game modes that are present in the game.

There are 5 multiplayer mode categories, that all game modes must fall into:

[Battle]	This is a standard battle mode for multiplayer/skirmish maps.
[ManBattle]	The human-only mode to be played in network and internet games. AI players are not allowed.
[FreeForAll]	A mode where players may not ally with each other, and every AI is an enemy to each other.
[Unholy]	The Unholy Alliance mode allowing all factions access to all Sides structures and units.
[Cooperative]	The Cooperative mode for PvE is in this section.

It is not known if all modes have to be defined in their appropriate section. For example, 'players may not ally with one another' is a setting defined in the 'Free For All' mode INI, but the mode may not have to be defined in the [FreeForAll] section for it to work? However, there is no reason not to define each mode in its appropriate section anyway.

Let's take a look at the 'Free For All' mode.

2=GUI:FreeForAll, STT:ModeFreeForAll, MPFreeForAllMD.ini, standard, true

It is the basic free-for-all mode, where everyone is everyone elses enemy, but otherwise has no special rules, and hence it is defined in the [FreeForAll] section.

The first parameter defined in this mode is its slot position in the list of available modes when you choose the mode, and map you are going to play on. The 'Free For All' mode is the second one in the list because its index is 2. Looking at the other modes defined in MPModes(md).ini, notice how the mode whose index number is 3, is the third one in the list of modes in game.

It is recommended to never leave out an index number. If you define a mode with an index of 15, you must have first defined a mode with an index of 14, skipping numbers will still be playable, but the selected mode will revert back to mode '1' after playing.

The second parameter defined is the name of the multiplayer mode. In the string table, the entry 'GUI:FreeForAll' (in the GUI section) will have a value of 'Free For All'. This is the title that is displayed in the map selection window.

The third parameter defined is the description of the multiplayer mode. This description appears in the bar at the bottom of the screen when selecting a multiplayer mode. In the string table ra2(md).csf, the entry STT:ModeFreeForAll (in the STT section) will contain the description of the 'Free For All' mode.

The fourth parameter defined is the name of the INI defining all the specific changes to the base game in this mode. MPFreeForAll(md).ini contains the 'Free For All' rules, while MPMeat(md).ini will contain rules for 'Meat Grinder' mode.

The fifth parameter defined is the type of map that this mode may be used with. Map types include 'standard', 'teamgame', 'megawealth', 'duel', 'meatgrind', 'navalwar' and 'cooperative'. The type(s) of a map is set in the map editor and a map may be more than one type. Some modes like 'Free For All' may be used with any 'standard' map, since it doesn't alter the fundamental gameplay in ways suitable only for a map designed specifically for it. 'Mega Wealth' is one such mode that does require unique maps versions.

The final parameter decides whether this mode is applicable in the random map generator, either true (allowed) or false (disallowed).

Bugs/Side-Effects/Unexpected Limitations

There are a few strange bugs with game mode INI files that can cause some undesireable rules overrides. In many cases it is safer to add the entire object/section rules(md).ini code to the game mode INI, so that re-stating just a few tags will not reset others to defaults, but where it is safe to do so, like changing TechLevel, the bare minimum can be added.

Pip= & OccupyPip=
Let's take the GI as an example. We are going to edit the GI as follows:

[E1]
Strength=200

When in-game, we will find that both the colour and shape of the GI's pip (when inside a transport or occupying a building) have been changed or corrupted. And the same applies to any infantry unit modified this way. To fix this problem, the Pip and/or OccupyPip will have to be restated for every infantry unit mentioned in the game mode INI.

Example:

[E1]
Strength=200
Pip=white
OccupyPip=PersonBlue

PrismSupportModifier=
When you add the [General] section to a map, in order to modify any of the tags under it, the PrismSupportModifier value gets reset. It causes a supported Prism Tower to do instant-kill damage to its target, unless the tag is also added along with the changes.

Example:

[General]
SecretInfantry=SNIPE,DESO,TERROR,YURI,MYNEWUNIT
PrismSupportModifier=150%

InfantryType + DeploysInto
Also you should be aware of the really awkward Internal Error that is listed as #14 in the known causes for internal errors list (redefining an infantry that has (Un-)DeploysInto= set causes an IE when a human player scrolls the map to the AI war factory).

Image=
Using Image to override or replace TechnoType image in game mode file can come with couple of unwanted side effects, listed below.

1. Any tags in the original art entry (the one referred to from main rules file) that are not not found and thus overwritten in the new replacement one, will be carried over. This is prone to cause display issues, for example when the two art entries have different amount of animations attached to them.
2. Some tags do not get overridden even if they are specified in the new art entry.

This page is originally based on the Multiplayer Mode INI Tutorial by Marshall