Play some classic RTS with a new test release of OpenRA

Closing in on a big new stable release, the OpenRA project to play the classic Command & Conquer real time strategy games has a new test release that needs more people to try out. This fresh update builds upon the test release launched late last year, and they expect it to be the final one before a new stable release is out for everyone.

Here's what's new and needing testing:

• A new Handicap option to adjust the difficulty for individual players in Skirmish and Multiplayer
• A new “Pause Menu Background” option in the display settings
• One more mission (“Shock Therapy” from the Aftermath) for Red Alert
• A new “Oil Spill” minigame map for Red Alert
• Additional community balance refinements for Tiberian Dawn
• A collection of audio and explosion changes to match the original games
• Fixes for downstream Linux packaging
• Fixes for bugs and crashes reported in playtest-20201213
• A new Mod SDK Release for community mods

Can't quite contain my excitement on this one. The classic C&C / Red Alert were games of my childhood, with many great memories from them and OpenRA plays them very nicely now with great online play support. Do give it a try!

If you wish to ensure the next release is a good one, do download the test build and report your findings to them. You can download on the official site which gives an AppImage for both the stable and testing builds to make it easy to get going on Linux. No external assets needed, since OpenRA downloads the freely available classics which EA put up years ago.