FreeUnit: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 17:25, 2 July 2025

Flag:	FreeUnit
File(s):	rules(md).ini
Values:	Strings: Normal text. (Limited to: VehicleTypes)
Default:	<none>
Applicable to:	BuildingTypes

Specifies the vehicle that should appear beside this building when it is placed after being constructed by the player (the unit comes free with the building). In the unmodded games, this logic is only used by Tiberium/Ore Refineries to spawn free Harvesters/Miners.

The FreeUnit Cost is not taken into account when the building is sold. In Red Alert 2 and Yuri's Revenge, the building's Soylent is based on the Cost of the building only, so you need to set the Soylent for the building manually. In the case of the Ore Refinery, Soylent is set to 300 because the Ore Refinery has Cost=2000 and its FreeUnit has Cost=1400 (in the unmodded game, you get 50% refund when you sell a building).

FreeUnit and Industrial Plant Logic

As far as Industrial Plant logic is concerned, 'free units' are not actually free. In the case of the Ore Refinery (Cost=2000), the game thinks you are paying for a 1400 credit ore miner and a 600 credit Ore Refinery at the same time.

Assuming the original Industrial Plant settings are used, VehicleTypes prices are reduced to 75% and BuildingTypes prices are not reduced. Therefore the price of the Ore Refinery becomes:

(0.75 x 1400) + 600 = 1650

If the Industrial Plant is set so that BuildingTypes prices were reduced to 50% as well (or made a new Industrial Plant), then the price of the Ore Refinery would become:

(0.75 x 1400) + (0.5 x 600) = 1350

Note that multiple Industrial Plants stack their bonuses. For example, owning two Industrial Plants would cause the price of the Ore Refinery to become:

(0.75 x (0.75 x 1400)) + 600 = 1387.5

Bugs/Side-Effects/Unexpected Limitations

If the Cost of the FreeUnit is higher than the Cost of the building, then the price of the building will be overridden to match the Cost of the FreeUnit. For example, if you have a building with Cost=500 and its FreeUnit has Cost=2000 then the building will actually cost 2000 in-game. However, the construction speed of the building is not affected by this change in price.

If the player owns an Industrial Plant that reduces the cost of vehicles and/or buildings, using a very small multiplier, such as 0.01, then FreeUnit logic will cease to function on all other buildings. The free unit will not be created.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-FreeUnit= is a building tag that takes a value from the [[VehicleTypes]] list to tell the game that this unit should appear beside the building when it is constructed.
+{{Flag
-This logic is used for the Ore Refinery.
+|name={{PAGENAME}}
+|values={{Values|Strings|[[VehicleTypes]]}}
+|default=<none>
+|types={{Categ|BuildingTypes}}
+|ts=yes
+|fs=yes
+|hp=yes
+|ra2=yes
+|yr=yes
+|ares=yes
+}}
+Specifies the [[VehicleType|vehicle]] that should appear beside this [[BuildingTypes|building]] when it is placed after being constructed by the player (the '''unit''' comes '''free''' with the building). In the unmodded games, this logic is only used by Tiberium/Ore Refineries to spawn free Harvesters/Miners.
-You cannot have a building that costs less than the FreeUnit.
+The {{f|FreeUnit}} {{f|Cost|link}} is not taken into account when the building is sold. In {{ra2}} and {{yr}}, the building's {{f|Soylent|link}} is based on the {{f|Cost}} of the building only, so you need to set the {{f|Soylent}} for the building manually. In the case of the Ore Refinery, {{f|Soylent}} is set to 300 because the Ore Refinery has {{f|Cost|2000}} and its {{f|FreeUnit}} has {{f|Cost|1400}} (in the unmodded game, you get 50% refund when you sell a building).
-If the Cost= value of the FreeUnit is higher than the cost of the building, the cost of the building will be overridden to match the cost of the vehicle.<br>
-Example:<br>
-Building Cost=500<br>
-FreeUnit Cost=2000<br>
-In-game, the building will actually cost 2000.<br>
-Selling the building will give you the normal refund amount (the FreeUnit cost is not taken into account), so you need to set the [[Soylent]]= for the building manually.
+== FreeUnit and Industrial Plant Logic ==
-In the case of the Ore Refinery, [[Soylent]] is set to 300 because the Ore Refinery cost is 2000 and the FreeUnit cost is 1400 (by normal rules, you get 50% refund when you sell a building).
+As far as [[FactoryPlant|Industrial Plant logic]] is concerned, 'free units' are not actually free.
+In the case of the Ore Refinery ({{f|Cost|2000|link}}), the game thinks you are paying for a 1400 credit ore miner and a 600 credit Ore Refinery at the same time.
+Assuming the original Industrial Plant settings are used, VehicleTypes prices are reduced to 75% and BuildingTypes prices are not reduced. Therefore the price of the Ore Refinery becomes:
+ (0.75 x 1400) + 600 = 1650
-== FreeUnit and Industrial Plant logic ==
+If the Industrial Plant is set so that BuildingTypes prices were reduced to 50% as well (or made a new Industrial Plant), then the price of the Ore Refinery would become:
+ (0.75 x 1400) + (0.5 x 600) = 1350
-As far as Industrial Plant logic is concerned, 'free units' are not actually free.
+Note that multiple Industrial Plants stack their bonuses. For example, owning two Industrial Plants would cause the price of the Ore Refinery to become:
-In the case of the Ore Refinery (Cost=2000), the game thinks you are paying for a 1400 credit Ore Miner and a 600 credit Ore Reinery at the same time.
+ (0.75 x (0.75 x 1400)) + 600 = 1387.5
-Assuming the original Industrial Plant settings are used, Vehicle costs are reduced to 0.75 and building costs are not reduced.
-Therefore the cost of the Ore Refinery would become:
-(0.75 x 1400) + 600 = 1650
-If you changed the Industrial Plant so that building costs were reduced to 0.5 as well (or made a new FactoryPlant building), then the cost of the Ore Refinery would become:
+=={{Bugs}}==
-(0.75 x 1400) + (0.5 x 600) = 1350
+If the {{f|Cost|link}} of the {{f|FreeUnit}} is higher than the {{f|Cost}} of the building, then the price of the building will be overridden to match the {{f|Cost}} of the {{f|FreeUnit}}. For example, if you have a building with {{f|Cost|500}} and its {{f|FreeUnit}} has {{f|Cost|2000}} then the building will actually cost 2000 in-game. However, the construction speed of the building is not affected by this change in price.
-When changing bonuses in Yuri's Revenge, don't forget that the Allied Ore Processor gives 25% ore bonus, which is sort of equivalent to a FactoryPlant with 0.75 cost multipliers for Infantry, Vehicles, Aircraft and Buildings. Yuri's [[Cloning]] Vats give an equivalent cost multiplier of 0.5 to Infantry.
+If the player owns an Industrial Plant that reduces the cost of vehicles and/or buildings, using a very small multiplier, such as 0.01, then {{f|FreeUnit}} logic will cease to function on all other buildings. The free unit will not be created.
-Also note that multiple Industrial Plants and/or Cloning Vats stack their bonuses.
+[[Category:General_Editing_Information]]
-EG: Two Factory Plants for a Flak Track would result in:
+[[Category:INI_Flags]]
-.75 x 0.75 x 500 = 281.25
-Similarly, the [[Ore_Purifier]] bonus stacks so that building more ore purifiers results in more credits per bail returned by the ore miner.