Build time

Build time refers to the minimum time it takes build a unit or structure, assuming sufficient credits are available.
While in most Command and Conquer games build time and credits both serve as a limit to fielding assets, in Tiberian Twilight, the removal of the resource collection system means that the significantly increased build time becomes the main restriction to fielding units.
==Calculation by Game==
===Emperor: Battle for Dune===
Every 32 units of build time equals about 1 second of real-time with the game speed set at 4.
===Red Alert 1===
According to the rules.ini, it takes 0.8 minutes to build something that costs 1000 credits.
When construction or training begins, a translucent overlay will be added to indicate how much time remains until completion. That image (clock.shp) consists of 55 frames (the first frame happens instantly, so its 54 frames technically) and the game never skips those frames - meaning that the minimum build speed is always 54 frames of game time and the time to build something is always a multiple of 54. The original Red Alert had a few rounding errors, while the remastered version fixed some of them, so the build speeds might differ slightly between games. A good example is that two barracks are needed to build Rocket Soldiers at the maximum speed, while in the remastered version it takes 3 barracks.
INT(Cost * 204 + 128) / 256) * 230 + 128) / 256) / Factory / 54) = Frames per clock image update.
where Factory is the amount of Barracks, War Factories, Naval Yards, etc. the player has (since it uses integers only, it rounds down). This formula was taken directly from the executable file. Aftermath limits the Factory bonus to two.
A build speed spreadsheet can be found here.
=== Red Alert 2 ===
In Red Alert 2, the build time of an object scales off of its cost.
=== Generals, Tiberium Wars, Red Alert 3 ===
From Command and Conquer: Generals onward, build times are individually declared and are independent from the cost, and in Tiberium Wars and Red Alert 3, are displayed on the construction button on the UI. As with previous Command and Conquer games, being low on power will increase the build time, and the value displayed on the UI will be correspondingly updated to reflect this.
Having multiple factories of the same type on the field no longer increases build time. Instead, they each run a separate build queue and are independent of each other, meaning that multiple assets can be constructed or trained at the same time, albeit at a standard or (if low on power) substandard rate.
== See Also ==
* Credits
* Power
Category:Command & Conquer gameplay