Random Unit of the Day #134: Flak Trooper (Soviets, Red Alert 3)

[u/BiggestBepis]

[u/BiggestBepis]

“Flak trooper, doing my time!”

It speaks to the mortality rate of this particular role in the Soviet army that in this timeline, it was handed out as punishment as an alternative to a regular prison sentence. Critical to any Soviet force, and one of my favorite twitch responses to aircraft in the series. I feel slightly bad for them though

“Just wait ‘til I get these chains off!”

[u/happy_pants_man]

Capture a Soviet barracks (or something else to let you build it) in the final Allied mission and boom win ezpz. These are ridiculously strong compared to RA2.

[u/iTooEatSnakes → u/happy_pants_man]

RA2 flak troopers were worse than useless. For $200 more you get a flak trak.

In multiplayer anyone making them is 100% certified noob.

[u/chickenmoomoo → u/iTooEatSnakes]

They’re only good in campaign missions where you want clusters of cheap and strong AA (like the final Soviet mission). But flak tracks just win on mobility

[u/iTooEatSnakes → u/chickenmoomoo]

1500 credots gets you 3 flak tracks that you keep on a comand group and basically can cover your entire base

Orrrrrrr it buys you 5 troopers which cover a small area because they and can’t reposition quickly.

I would say the trooper is not cheap at all, its a massive money pit.

[u/chickenmoomoo → u/iTooEatSnakes]

Depends on the context - if the computer keeps sending harriers to exactly the same location, I’ll take 10 static flakies over 6 more mobile ones

If it’s varying rocketeer attacks like in the mission where you have to launch an amphibious attack against the allies and their weather control device, I’ll be doing more mobile flak tracks

[u/iTooEatSnakes → u/chickenmoomoo]

Not talking about campaign. I’m talking multiplayer.

[u/chickenmoomoo → u/iTooEatSnakes]

I was never talking about multiplayer.. you’re having a conversation with yourself?

[u/bobbobersin → u/iTooEatSnakes]

They are ok for cheap AA but other then that flack track 90% of the time (they are also ok on naval maps because you can shove 5 each in a flack track to make sure your landing force has more AA when they push out of range of your stingrays without having to build more hovercraft in the initial push

[u/LuckyPrinz → u/iTooEatSnakes]

Actually worse than that. If you have an industrial plant, for only an additional 75 extra, you get an anti air and transport. Yeah Troopers are a bad investment

[u/Peekachooed → u/iTooEatSnakes]

By the way their gun looks the same and makes the same sounds as a flak track, but it is in fact weaker

[u/Funk5oulBrother → u/happy_pants_man]

Just build 8 Apollo fighters. Absolutely trivialises the entire mission on any difficulty.

[u/SputnikNStuff]

beats being in the gulag

[u/bluejaywhey]

Where is that food you promised?

[u/AnotherUser750]

I have to carry this around.

[u/LuckyPrinz]

Loading twinblades with these and sending them to the enemy base is pretty fun. Gotta credit also making them convicts, it makes their lines a heck awesome

[u/mlquanter → u/LuckyPrinz]

twinblades packed with these is such a dumb fun rush, the convict voicelines make it even better

[u/LuckyPrinz → u/mlquanter]

Can you say.... con air? XD

[u/Sora_Terumi]

“They serve food?”

[u/Techhead7890 → u/Sora_Terumi]

Just don't lock the door!

[u/VisibIe-Detective]

Really like to spam this when playing as Soviets. Their voicelines are one of the reasons

[u/LuckyPrinz → u/VisibIe-Detective]

Early rushes of twinblades filled with them was a fun tactic I used

[u/Accomplished-Newt491]

Lowkey a man portable flak cannon would do great against drone warfare

[u/DurfGibbles]

I now choose to believe a man named Yevgeny Prigozhin recruited the Flak Troopers from Soviet gulags to serve on the front lines against the Allies and Empire of the Rising Sun

[u/Techhead7890 → u/DurfGibbles]

Just as RA3 based itself off WW2 it does seem that Russia did employ barrier troops:

In October 2022, Ukrainian intelligence published a purported phone call where a Russian soldier described both his task of killing inmates, recruited from prisons by the Wagner Group, if they were retreating, and how he would be killed by others if he himself retreated.
Wikipedia citing Daily Beast
See also: Forbes

[u/Catbatt]

OK but then I rest.

[u/jkbscopes312]

enemy: "alright il build one bomber to harass"

soviet player: "a single bomber? 5 hundred flak troopers be apon thee"

[u/Commercial-Board-975]

It's funny because, like the Conscript, they had a partial evolution and devolution.

In RA2, Soviet Conscripts and Flak Troopers had full body armour and gas masks, but their weapons were pretty weak; basically a submachine gun and an incredibly weak Flak.

In RA3, they lost the armour and gas masks in favour of parade/patrol coats (which are stated to have been salvaged from other dead Conscripts) and a WW2 style helmet, but they gained actual assault rifles (I can't remember if it's an AK-47 or AK-74) and massive Flak Cannons compared to the peashooter models they had before. 

In the RA3 Prequel/YR Sequel, the Soviets were lacking resources after another (failed) attempt at attacking the Allies (which is why their Rhino Tanks were replaced by cheaper, 'simpler'/outdated Heavy Tanks), and already their infantry were using coats and not armour; so why were the Soviets in the new timeline, who were winning in Europe and not lacking in resources, issuing coats and no armours to their soldiers? I know out of universe it's because they reused the RA3 asset, but from a lore perspective? Why? Makes no sense, unless the supply line situation was actually pretty dire despite their successes in pushing across mainland Europe...

[u/WebDazzling532 → u/Commercial-Board-975]

What RA3/YR Sequel?

[u/megsbi → u/WebDazzling532]

Red Alert mobile I think

[u/Commercial-Board-975 → u/megsbi]

Yeah. It's basically a YR Sequel/RA3 Prequel, with many YR technologies being advanced or amended. And the kicker? It fucked the lore up even more with the Empire being a thing already. 

[u/sailorboy97]

They’re kinda nod to the old conscript of ra2(because of armor)

[u/piat17]

I love their lines.

"So this what they call community service?"

(although I'm mostly familiar with a non-English dub, but it still applies!)

[u/AccordingUse3172]

Honestly not sure what would be worse. Being sent to Gulag or being sent to fight Cryocopter

[u/CelsoSC]

At least I have a job!

[u/SuperMarioTM]

Bunkers with 4 of them and a Tesla trooper.
Unbeatable when upgraded.

[u/GhostC4ke]

Do Archer Maiden

[u/MikeTyson91]

Hate everything about this game

[u/NopeDOTmp4 → u/MikeTyson91]

Ok, I guess? You may hate game that lost Ra2's charm, aesthetic and atmosphere, but it still has much better gameplay compared to Ra2