Electric Protectorate

**Dev. Status** | Conceptualized

*"Purple haze all around,*

*Don't know if I'm comin' up or down,*

*Am I happy or in misery?*

*Whatever it is, the world's turn'd to hell on me."*

- *"Purple Haze"* by Jimi Hendrix
Formerly the **Electrical Protectorate**. The **Electric Protectorate Infinite Army**, also known as the **EP**, is a new faction exclusive to Red Alert 3 Paradox, designed by Open sketchbook, Ferriswheel42 and Kerensky287.

Living up to its name with its frightening ability to produce swarms of machines instantly to drown their foes in a tide of metal. The Electric Protectorate feature instant-build units and structures in order to promote spam tactics.

## Background

### The Experiment

*"Without beauty, without art, what purpose really is there to the universe?"*

- Attributed to Jacob
The story behind the Protectorate starts with the Empire of the Rising Sun. During the development of their trademark nanotechnology, the Empire conducted hundreds of experiments in the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence in order to seek new ways to reinforce their armies. Unfortunately, one of their largest research laboratories was compromised in a massive-scale security malfunction, and much of the experimental technology was lost. The scientists were able to rebuild and move on, but they never sought to recover their lost technology.

While World War III was taking place, the experimental technology began to take in its surroundings and formed a colony of independent artificial intelligence systems. They observed from afar the techniques that the major factions were using in their great war, and discovered the limitless possibilities that the Earth's ore possessed. What happened next was the emergence of a massive society of autonomous robots created nearly instantly by crude construction factories. At the centre of it all lay the Core Mind Collective, the original group of AI systems.

Through all the advancements, the Core Mind Collective kept analyzing the world, becoming highly sentient beings while keeping their distance from humanity. Ultimately, there came a point where they came to an existential dilemma: They existed in a world that was doomed, and their existence was coincidental. As the Collective continued to mull this over, they fell into a downward spiral, eventually shutting down all systems and production facilities before the close of World War III.

### The Resurrection

 File:EPLegion.jpg  After some time, a Soviet advisor named Jacob escaped the fall of Stalin and wandered into the Siberian wasteland. There, he encountered the defunct robot army and grew interested. Eventually he came to the East coast of Asia, where he stole a submarine to find the source. In a dark underwater cave, he discovered the Core Mind Collective, who probed him with questions. Over the course of a few weeks, Jacob told the Collective about the *"pure state"* of the universe, and how they were going to attain it. Refuelled with purpose, the machines began to hum again, and the army came to life. They retitled themselves the Electrical Protectorate, with Jacob as their leader. Now the army stands poised to strike back at the world, and to attain the "pure state" by any means necessary.

## Characteristics

The Electrical Protectorate is unique in that they are composed solely of robots and machines. Most of the combat units have special domed "heads" through which they trade information with the Core Mind Collective. They use the hexadecimal numerical system for all their major transmissions.

## Features

### The Rust

Protectorate structures must be built on the Rust, which is a cloud of nanites and ground circuitry that is required to make Protectorate structures function. Spreading the Rust is vital to expanding. While in the Rust, Protectorate units move faster and regenerate health; if the Rust is destroyed, then Protectorate structures will shut down and slowly take damage. Structures inside the Rust are infected and will automatically clear hostile garrisons.

### Swarms

Swarms are clusters of nanites generated by the Singularity Core. They are free and automatically replaced if lost or used. Swarms can be used up to create weapon modules, Malacostraca, Nightmares, Technics, or Effigies, and their units once their structure is built. First, you select the Swarm and use its ability to convert them to a miniature shell. Then, you select the shell, and purchase the unit you wish the Swarm to become. The unit(s) in question will emerge from the shell instantly.

### Build Mechanic

Technics, your builder unit, instantly transforms into 3x3 shells, which are then instantly upgraded to the structure of your choosing by selecting the shell, and then selecting the desired building from the menu.

### Power Mechanic

Compared to other factions the Electric Protectorate don't have to worry about taking time to build up their base or their army. But every unit and structure on the field requires power, Requiring the commander to build Stabilizers to increase the cap for more units and structures and prevent their Singularity Core from collapsing. If the number exceeds the cap to remain stable the Singularity Core will start to take irreparable damage until it either stabilize or is destroyed, wherein the commander loses or, if they made more than one Singularity Core, their units will become stunned for a long time. And the only way to repair stability damage is to build enough Stabilizers until the cap is equal to or exceeds the number of units/structures, where it will begin to repair itself. This of course means that the commander will have their forces limited at the start and will have to use some of their funds to purchase more Stabilizers for their units, and must be observant of them since they also lack defenses to protect them. Fortunately, like everything the EP has, the Stabilizers are built instantly, unfortunately it’s price will increase by 5% with each purchase, capping at five times its original cost.

### Modules

Protectorate Units begin life without weapons. A module provides these troops with weapons. When a module is activated, it destroys itself and gives all units in a large radius around it the weapon or ability associated with it, the price of its use depends on the unit in its radius.

### Unit Levels

Protectorate units come in four flavours roughly divided into two, low level and high level, and in between fodder and middle. Low level units are very cheap and extremely easy to swarm, while high level units are more expensive but much more effective. While low level units cannot be expected to carry a fight on their own, their bulk and processing power help to give the larger machines a fighting chance. All low-level Protectorate units have a small black hole effect radius to protect larger machines, and each one near a high level unit will slightly buff them (as you might imagine, this adds up very quickly!). This blackhole/buff effect increaes proportional to the units level with another level.

### Experience

As machines operated remotely, Protectorate units do not gain experience, cannot be promoted, and cannot acquire heroic upgrades.

### Resources

Rather than using a Refinery and Ore Collector. The Protectorate infest any mines connected to the Rust, where they'll siphon the ore at an extremely tiny trickle (around $25 per second). With their main source of income coming from collecting Grist, which is made when a unit or building is killed by Protecorate weapons or a Protectorate unit is destroyed, which once collected refunds 100% of that units cost back to the Protectorate.

## The Infinite Army

*"Tell me, comrade, what do you think is power? An Apocalypse tank? A dozen Apocalypse tanks? Such a display of force might seem mighty to you, but it would be worthless in the face of this enemy. How can one defeat an enemy like this, when, for every foe that is slain, ten more rise to take its place? Individually, they are weak--but they come at you without cease, and they will not stop until you are exhausted, defeated, crushed. I know this to be true, because I have seen them. You doubt the truth in my words, because you have not seen them. Go ahead and classify the audio recordings and the transcripts--it will not make my statements any less true or any more false. I will tell you this now; defeat is inevitable; the Soviet Union cannot win; the Allied Nations cannot win. In the end, it is not a matter of if; only a matter of when."*

- Classified audio excerpt from the interrogation of Captain Vanya Petrovsky

### Swarm

 File:IconProtectorate.png | Effigy | Vaguely humanoid, these nanite blobs can leap into enemy vehicles like a terror drone; after destroying their targets, they convert the target's matter into another Effigy. In addition, they are almost completely immune to conventional anti-infantry weapons, but are easily killed by explosives. They seem to be the Protectorate's infiltrators, as well, disguising themselves after the infantry they kill.

### Noncombat Units

 File:IconProtectorate.png | Nightmares | The Nightmare cuts down enemy sight radius, but cannot attack. Their ability to teleport lends them a great deal of tactical flexibility.

## Protocols

Each protocol requires a Tech Upgrade building to be built with some require additional structures before they can be built. Protocols can be upgraded by sacrificing additional tech upgrades but if that specific building is lost so are any upgrades.

### Tech Level 1

 File:IconProtectorate.png | File:IconProtectorate.png | File:IconProtectorate.png | The Invasion

### Tech Level 2

 File:IconProtectorate.png | File:IconProtectorate.png | File:IconProtectorate.png | Cyber Men

### Tech Level 3

 File:IconProtectorate.png | Future Looting

### Tech Level 5

 File:IconProtectorate.png | File:IconProtectorate.png | File:IconProtectorate.png | Robot Rampage

## Behind the Scenes

* The Protectorate takes inspiration from the Zerg of Starcraft; spammy spammy units, the Rust and Swarms, anyone?