Tesla coil (Red Alert 1)

	For other iterations of this device, see Tesla coil.

“

The Tesla Coil automatically directs bolts of lightning at enemy ground units, reducing men to ash and tanks to molten steel in seconds.
- Red Alert manual^(src)

”

The Tesla Coil was a Soviet defensive structure that first saw combat production in Second World War. It used a combination of electricity generation and atmosphere ionization to hurl artificial lightning bolts at hostile attackers.

Background[]

The construction of the Tesla coil was based upon practical blueprints created by Nikola Tesla. Its ability to throw its electricity at specific targets was a feature that was added by USSR military scientists. The device proved so reliable that it would see combat in all three of the following world wars, albeit in the form of new models with substantial upgrades.

Second World War[]

The Tesla coil saw widespread use in the Second World War, going so far as to become one of the staples of the Soviet military installation. The standard coil stood about forty feet tall and was surmounted with a bulbous electric diode, typically one brimming with excess electricity. The base of the coil hid a small underground control bunker that contained a single operator, usually a Soviet technician, whose purpose was to direct the coils attacks at enemy targets. This would be done by ionizing the air between the coil's diode and the target, completing the circuit and creating a lightning bolt. This bolt was devastating against infantry, usually killing them instantly, and proved almost as effective on most vehicles.

Tesla coils were typically installed near reinforced walls and defenses, though it was not unheard of for them to be grouped together to form a solid defense on their own merits. It was still much more tactically accepted to place them near walls though, as the coil's were considerably fragile and could be destroyed quite quickly by a well ordered tank force. The device soon became the most feared sight of any Allied attack party, as it usually signified that some would most definitely lose their lives in the assault; it was simply a matter of who was reduced to ashes first.

The Tesla coil was established on nearly every major Soviet base during the war, and proved a superb anti-ground weapon. Despite what the Red Army preferred to believe however, the device was not impregnable; it had no ability to strike airborne targets due to the fact they were non-grounded and therefore immune to lightning strikes, and it only had the ability to attack one target at a time due to its power needs. In fact, power itself was a major weakness of the Tesla coil; if power were cut off from the base it was defending, the unit would go dead and become useless. This tactic was commonly used by the Allies to circumvent the towers' deadly force.

Nevertheless, the Tesla coil and its "children", the Tesla tank and the Shock trooper, were easily among of the pinnacle technologies of the Second World War, and would see duty in the coming conflicts with added modifications.

Game building[]

Tesla Coils are the advanced base defense for the Soviets. Their lightning bolts deal horrifying consistent damage against all surface targets while being pinpoint accurate. They can outrange most weapons except those from the Cruiser and Missile Submarine. They seem to attack infantry and light targets much faster than armored vehicles and tanks, in which case they take a while to charge up to unleash a focused blast for maximum damage. Just a few of these towers can instill fear on their foes as they make quick work of almost anything on the ground (and to some extent, sea). Even the heaviest armored regular vanilla buildings and vehicles like the Construction Yard and the Cruiser can sustain only a few focused bolts before they are destroyed.

Their power is counterbalanced by their high cost, lack of attack speed and the need for the base to have sufficient available power from the power grid to keep it online which a significant amount is needed to power each tesla coil. Commanders would usually destroy enough power plants to bring them offline and rendering them completely useless. Also they are completely defenseless against aircraft. Since Tesla coils are only able to damage one unit at a time, the commander makes it very easy to overwhelm them with large groups of Light tanks or Medium tanks.

The Tesla coil can be easily swarmed by large groups of Rifle Infantry units as the Tesla coil only attacks one target at a time and has slow attack speed.

Legacy[]

The Tesla Coil was modified and upgraded to have additional capacity to be powered by the Tesla Troopers for a boost in attack power. Moreover, enough Tesla Troopers can power up an inactive Tesla Coil that is short on power.

Competitive play[]

The Tesla Coil is often used into the mid-late game of a match to deter tank attacks. Tesla Coils are effective at controlling ore/gem fields and choke points where it is hard for tanks to reach the Tesla Coil. They are often considered a waste of time on low money maps as they do not improve your tank production or economy and is part of the reason they got a health upgrade in Aftermath.

Trivia[]

The Red Alert manual mentions that the Soviet Tech Center is required in order for player to access the Tesla Coils, while in the game it's the War Factory which is actually required to do so. This is true in the 0.09c beta version though, where the Tech Center is Tesla Coil's prerequisite.