| “ | Lock it down! - Peacekeeper ordered to lock down the Structure |
” |
Garrisoning is a tactic used in urban combat. As high ground and cover are both effective measures to protect infantry, commanders often choose to send their troops inside buildings whenever possible, vastly increasing their survivability. A trained group of infantry can easily turn a civilian structure into a makeshift fortress, keeping them safe, at least as long as the structure stands. The number of infantry that can be garrisoned inside a building depends upon the building's size.
Starting from Red Alert 2, infantry units may garrison friendly or civilian structures to use as makeshift defenses.
Red Alert 2 & Yuri's Revenge
Only basic infantry, such as conscripts and GIs are prepared to garrison buildings, as while their more advanced contemporaries were receiving training in advanced weapons systems, they were being trained to make the most of basic automatic weapons.
The Allies fielded the Battle Fortress during the Psychic Dominator Disaster, which was effectively a mobile garrison that could contain a much wider variety of infantry within it. These troops could fire out of the vehicle while remaining protected by its armor.
The Soviets were also capable of building Battle Bunkers, a garrisonable structure that only requires a Construction Yard. Aside from being buildable, these structures also had the added bonus of being stable enough to allow infantry to remain within until it was completely destroyed.
Yuri's forces can not only garrison their Initiates, but they can also build tank bunkers which allow a single vehicle to be garrisoned. Though not for defense, garrisoning a bio reactor will increase the power supply for the base.
Nevertheless, garrisoning is an extremely useful defensive tactic. While individually weak, a large number of garrisoned soldiers can make short work of almost anything, Apocalypse tanks included.
However, garrisoning is not a flawless strategy. First, units with extremely long range, such as the V3 rocket launcher can strike a garrisoned building from long range, allowing it to be untouchable by the defenders. Also, garrisoning troops are not equipped to deal with airborne threats; given the time, any aircraft can destroy a garrisoned building. Finally, failing any other strategy, even the most tightly defended garrison will fall if enough tanks roll in for engagement. Luckily, engineers can repair it.
When a building's health dips below a certain threshold, all infantry currently within it will be evacuated. Just like garrisoned structures, however, engineers can fully repair the structure.
- Garrisoning infantry
- Garrisonable structures
- Soviet Battle bunker (five soldiers)
- Yuri Tank bunker (garrisoning one vehicle)
- Garrisonable vehicles
- Allied Infantry Fighting Vehicle (one soldier)
- Allied Battle Fortress (five soldiers)
Technicalities
In Red Alert 2 (not Yuri's Revenge) units do not actually fire, the BuildingType they garrison does; promotion- and crate bonuses have no effect unless the BuildingType itself was close to a firepower crate.
Each garrisonable BuildingType has a Primary and Secondary weapon set, the number and type of infantry garrisoned decides which one is used.
For each garrisoned Conscript, another instance of the Secondary, SovietOccupyW, will be allowed to fire by the BuildingType. GIs allow the Primary, AlliedOccupyW to be used, so players are advised to keep garrisons as filled as possible, preferable with GIs.
In some missions, normally-garrisonable buildings may be modified to become ungarrisonable, and in that event it's logical to ClearAllWeapons of that BuildingType. Westwood forgot doing that at least once.
In YR the system was changed to accommodate the Initiate as a garrisonable InfantryType, and as a result InfantryTypes now do the actual firing, so promotion bonuses on the Infantry are applied properly, and may even be promoted.
However, crate powerups are still not applied to the infantry, but the building. When a garrison is in range of a crate, it is the building itself receiving the powerup; for example the firepower bonus is only in effect if troops are inside that very same building, regardless if they were the same infantry garrisoned when the powerup crate was collected or not.
With the Yuri Tank Bunkers, it is the actual unit in the bunker receiving the crate powerups.
Generals & Zero Hour
The garrison mechanic has been modified such that each infantry immediately receives any promotion should they be slated to gain one, and their status on the building's interface updates to show it.
A trained group of infantry, other than GLA Angry Mobs, can easily turn a civilian structure into a makeshift fortress, keeping them safe, at least as long as the structure stands; in order to increase the longevity of a building, generals may order their construction dozers or workers to repair and maintain it.
Any unoccupied civilian building can be garrisoned by all factions. Usually, up to 8 (Generals) or 10 (Zero Hour) soldiers can occupy one building. Larger buildings are generally sturdier and can sustain more damage, as well as allowing occupants to cover more ground. Smaller buildings usually accommodate fewer infantry, some as few as 4.
Units with stealth capabilities, such as GLA's expert mercenary, Jarmen Kell, and the American Pathfinders could garrison a building without being noticed.
When garrisoned, the building will take damage instead of its occupants, until it has 1/3 of its original health left, then it will no longer available garrisoned until repaired enough, and the occupants will evacuate the building with half of their original health. Units garrisoned in buildings are immune to the Pathfinder or Jarmen Kell's sniping attack, as well as residual Fire, Radiation, and Toxin damage as long as the building is still standing.
As a downside, units cannot be manually controlled while within a building and therefore lose any potential strategic advantages posed by them; Missile Defenders cannot use laser locking ability while inside a building, Pathfinders and Black Lotus will also lose their stealth detection capability, Hackers, Black Lotus, Worker, Terrorist, Hijacker, Saboteurs also becomes useless, thus garrisoning for them should be used as temporary protection rather than long term defense.
Red Guards, Tank Hunters and Mini Gunners cannot gain a horde bonus when garrisoned, but they will keep the horde bonus they had when entering a building. Thus, it is advantageous to gather them around the building and put them in all at once before the horde bonus fades. They still need to exit and reenter the building to get the bonus from nationalism or patriotism if the upgrade is fully researched while they are inside.
Military structures
When civilian structures are not available, all factions can build its own structures for garrison. The US can build Fire Bases (houses 4 infantry and has a built-in cannon), China can build Bunkers or Fortified Bunkers (houses 5 or 10 infantry, respectively), while GLA can build Palaces (houses 5 infantry).
The Chinese Internet Center and GLA Tunnel Network and Toxin Network can also be garrisoned. However, the former is used for hacking, and the latter two are used for transport and healing/repairing rather than defense, and does not allow garrisoned troops to fire from inside. Additionally, the Internet Center only allows Hackers to enter it (who have no main attack).
Compared to civilian structures, these specifically built fortifications are sturdier, and can keep its occupants inside until it is destroyed. Bunkers, Fortified Bunkers, Palaces, Tunnel Network and Toxin Network are also equipped with ABC (atomic, biological, chemical) defense and can shield its occupants from anything other than Bunker Busters-equipped aircraft and Chinese Neutron Shells. Fire Bases, however, are open and leave their occupants vulnerable. Regardless, the Fire Base's cannon can keep firing even when the garrisoned troops are killed.
Counters
Though garrisoning a building is an effective defense certain units like the Dragon Tank will be a serious problem to it unless it is destroyed quickly.
| “ | Anybody home? - Ranger |
” |
The simplest method to deal with occupants is to destroy the building itself. This prevents the enemy from ever using the building again, but the escaped infantry can scatter and keep fighting, or enter another nearby building. To quickly eliminate the infantry or keep the building for future use, specific weapons must be deployed.
There are a variety of counters to garrisoning. For the USA, Rangers can instantly clear a building when upgraded with Flash-Bang Grenades. They can also conduct a combat drop from a Chinook, rappelling from the helicopter into the building and eliminating all occupants in the process; the Rangers will then themselves garrison the structure. The Microwave Tank can burn the garrisoned infantry without damaging the building. Also, the Stealth Fighter can damage or even kill garrisoned forces when upgraded with Bunker Busters, even units garrisoned in Tunnel Networks. Chinese Dragon Tanks and GLA Toxin Tractors can eliminate all infantry inside a building with fire or toxins. The Chinese can also deploy Nuke Cannons upgraded with Neutron Shells, which clear out not only garrisoned infantry but vehicle crews from anything unfortunate enough to be too close to the blast radius.
Any artillery unit could outrange and destroy the building with no fear of retaliation (unless the infantrymen vacate the building). The GLA also had a few extra vehicles that possessed the extreme range necessary for the task; Rocket Buggies, though not technically artillery, could launch volleys of missiles into a structure until it collapsed.
Anti-Garrison Weapons
USA
- Ranger armed with Flash-Bang Grenades
- Can be garrisoned and attack from Humvee, Combat Chinook or other nearby structures
- Microwave Tank
- Chinook/Combat Chinook rappelling Rangers (Trades a Ranger for each garrisoned infantry)
- Stealth Fighter with Bunker Busters upgrade, also works against Military Structures, including Tunnel Network and Toxin Network.
China
- Dragon Tank (direct attack)
- Nuke Cannon armed with Neutron Shells, also works against Military Structures other than Tunnel Network and Toxin Network.
GLA
- Toxin Tractor (direct attack)
- Toxin Rebel (Dr. Thrax only)
- Can be garrisoned and attack from Battle Buses or other nearby structures.
- Toxin Network (Dr. Thrax only)
- Booby Traps (Set on buildings prior to its garrison, Vanilla GLA or General Juhziz only)
Stationary Bunkers
- American Firebases (four infantrymen)
- Chinese Bunkers (five infantrymen)
- Fortified Bunkers (ten infantrymen)
- Chinese Internet Centers (eight infantrymen; hackers or their variants only)
- GLA Tunnel Networks (ten ground units)
- Toxin Networks (ten ground units)
- GLA Palaces (five infantrymen)
Mobile Bunkers
| “ | Get out there and take care of business! - Helix, unloading |
” |
Several vehicles are also capable of holding infantry and allows them to fire from the inside.
- American Humvee; when destroyed, the infantry inside is also killed
- American Combat Chinook; infantry garrisoned in humvees inside can also fire from its ports, when destroyed, the unit inside is also killed
- Chinese Overlord tank; when upgraded with Bunker, when destroyed, the infantry inside is also killed
- Chinese Helix/Assault Helix; when upgraded with Bunker, when destroyed, the infantry inside is also killed
- Chinese Assault Troop Transport; ejects infantry with half health when destroyed
- Chinese Listening Outpost; ejects infantry with half health when destroyed
- Chinese Attack Outpost; ejects infantry with half health when destroyed
- GLA Combat Cycle; gains unique weapons when garrisoned by different infantry, when destroyed, the infantry inside is also killed
- GLA Battle Bus; when first destroyed, becomes immobile and infantry can leave with half health, self destructs when all infantry left; when destroyed for the second time, the units inside is also killed
Tiberium Wars
Unlike in Red Alert 2 and Generals, garrisoned buildings in Tiberium Wars are unable to be repaired and since infantry are deployed in squads, garrisonable structures can only hold a maximum of 3 units compared to 10 in the aforementioned games. Some vehicles like epic units, Hammerheads, APCs and deployed Reckoners can carry any type of infantry which will fire out of the vehicle. The Brotherhood's Reckoners will deploy into bunkers that can't be cleared or bombed by Commandos. GDI's riflemen can dig up foxholes that can prove to be very effective while being on the defensive. Epic units such as the MARV can garrison up to 4 troops but cannot be evacuated once troops entered it.
There are a variety of counters to garrisoning. GDI trains its Grenadier squads exceptionally well, and their grenades have minimal AI to further guarantee a hit; they are capable of killing any infantry squad that garrisons itself by lobbing grenades through the windows if they can get to it. Similarly, Nod's Flame tanks, the Avatar's Flamethrower, Purifiers and Black Hand troopers are well trained in urban combat scenarios, and their flamethrowers can quickly incinerate every room in the building, along with the helpless soldiers inside. The Marked of Kane lacks flame weaponry, but their Tiberium troopers are able to fill in the same role with its tiberium gun which will spray Tiberium gas to poison every room in the building. During the Scrin invasion, Buzzers have been known to enter structures and shred troops holed up inside. Corrupters can flood the structure with Tiberium sludge and kill the troopers inside. Also, massive damage to the building will force the infantry out of hiding to avoid dying in a structural collapse.
Certain large infantry units, such as the Zone Raider and Zone Trooper are unable to easily maneuver around the inside of a building and cannot garrison them. Scrin are foreign to the concept of urban warfare and so do not garrison buildings, with the exception of their adaptable Buzzer swarms and formerly-human Cultists.
Interestingly, Nod is the only faction that can garrison their heavy infantry (Black Hand/Tiberium Trooper) whereas GDI and ZOCOM zone troopers and zone raiders cannot garrison structures.
- Anti-garrison units (against garrisonable structures)
- GDI Grenadier squads
- Nod Black Hand troopers
- Nod Flame tanks
- Nod Avatar's flamethrower (when upgraded)
- Black Hand Purifiers
- Nod Redeemer's tiberium spray/flamethrower (when garrisoned properly)
- Scrin Buzzers
- Scrin Corrupters
- Garrisonable structures
- GDI Foxhole (two squads; only one squad before patch 1.05)
- Garrisonable vehicles
- GDI Guardian APC (one squad)
- Steel Talons Mobile Repair Transport (one squad)
- GDI Hammerhead (one squad)
- GDI Mammoth Armored Reclamation Vehicle (four squad hardpoints)
- Steel Talons Heavy Harvester (one squad)
- Nod Reckoner (two squads; three when deployed)
- Nod Redeemer (two squad hardpoints)
- Scrin Eradicator hexapod (three squad hardpoints)
Red Alert 3
| “ | Make room for Mother Russia! - Conscript throwing Molotov Cocktails into garrisons |
” |
Like in Tiberium Wars, garrisoned structures cannot be repaired by engineers.
Combat engineers may create battle bunkers for Soviet troops to gain the advantage against Peacekeepers. All infantry except dogs or bears can garrison structures and the Garrisons will hold between 1 to 10 infantry.
Conscripts will throw Molotov Cocktails into buildings while Peacekeepers and the Imperial warriors must get up close to clear the building. Per every Peacekeeper or Imperial warrior that clear infantry out of the garrison, the trooper dies but clears one infantry. Conscripts must hit the garrison with 2 or more cocktails to clear them. The Desolator of Uprising can also clear garrisons.
Civilian Buildings cannot be repaired and again certain long range destructive units are known to level those Garrisons from a safe distance.
The Soviet Desolator Airstrike and the Conscripts' Molotov Cocktails will clear even garrisoned structures and manned Multigunner turrets.
Peacekeepers have the advantage against those conscripts.
To deal with Garrisons destroy the Structure, use Molotov cocktails, Rush Imperial Warriors or Peacekeepers into it.
Tiberian Twilight
Widows can garrison several Spider tanks and their capacity can be upgraded. Achievements can be earned if the player kills multiple units with garrisoned units.
In Tiberian Twilight, unlike all pervious games, garrisoning structures are respawned/repaired after destruction. The number of times a garrison will restore itself is either truly infinite or so high it can't be reached within a reasonable match or mission. All buildings will only allow three infantry to garrison inside.
See also
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