Sidebar



The term “Sidebar” refers to a unique real time strategy (RTS) control interface designed by Westwood studios for it’s various RTS franchises. As it’s name implies, the sidebar interface is a vertical bar display that is usually located on the right side of the game screen. It serves a variety of functions, most notably the queing of buildings and units.

=='''Description '''== The term “sidebar” has two separate meanings that are interconnected. On one hand, it refers to a unique command interface that takes the form of button laden bar on the side of the game screen. On the other hand, it refers to a unique system of gameplay that was founded by Westwood studios for RTS games, a system commonly called “the sidebar system.”

Command and Conquer games that make use of sidebars typically have them placed on the far right of the game screen. In most cases, the sidebar itself will have the following interface details starting from top to bottom:


 * Radar
 * Repair button (right side)
 * Sell button (left side)
 * Building Queue
 * Defensive Building Queue (Red Alert 2 and onwards)
 * Unit Queue
 * Infantry Queue (Red Alert 2 and onwards)
 * Vehicle Queue (Red Alert 2 and onwards)
 * Power Meter

==='''Purchasing/Construction '''=== The various “buttons” on a queue will commonly display a unique building or unique unit, depending on which queue the button is listed under. Clicking a button will divert funds from a player’s bank account, draining the funds until the building/unit is fully purchased.

Once a building is fully purchased, the player can select a place to put it on the game map, though the radius in which buildings can be placed is typically centered on a Construction Yard or a Construction Yard equivalent. Notable exceptions to this rule include buildings captured by Engineers, which boast a small radius in which buildings can be placed. Once a buildings’ location is selected, the building will instantly sprout up from the ground, adding it’s own abilities/attributes to a players’ greater base.

The purchasing of game units differs slightly from the purchasing of buildings. Like with buildings, the clicking of a “button” on a unit queue will divert funds from a players account until the unit’s cost is fully paid. However, unlike buildings, units do not require placement on the battlefield once they are fully purchased. Instead, the unit will automatically emerge from a unit producing building, should the player have one constructed. If a player has more than one unit producing building that can produce the unit in question, the unit, and all other units from that queue, will emerge from that building at a faster rate than if there were fewer buildings like it. In other words, the more producing buildings a player has, the faster the units will be produced. The building in which units emerge is called a “primary building.”

Building and unit production differ in another significant way. Whereas the construction of a building under a specific queue will render all other building buttons unusable until the building is finished, the selection of a unit for construction will not. Multiple units can be purchased at any time, even if another unit is under construction. Construction will then follow the order in which the unit types were selected; when all of the units of a specific type are purchased and deployed, the units of the next type will be deployed afterwards.

==='''Repairing '''=== Above the building/unit queues are the repair/sell buttons. Repair buttons typically have a wrench symbol emblazoned on them, while the sell buttons have a dollar sign.

Selecting the repair button will change the game cursor from the standard pointer to the “repair” pointer. Afterwards, any friendly damaged building selected by the pointer will slowly repair over time, while at the same time diverting funds from a player’s account for each hit point restored to that building. Buildings that are being repaired will display a wrench symbol above them until the building is fully repaired.

==='''Selling '''=== Next to the “repair” button is the “sell” button. The sell button, when selected, will change the standard pointer to the “sell” pointer, similar to the repair button. Any friendly building selected by the player will instantly de-construct, with a portion of it’s cost being refunded to the player’s account.

==='''Radar '''=== At the top of the sidebar is the radar screen, a square display that serves a variety of functions. During campaign missions, the radar screen can serve as an in-game video screen, displaying character interactions and crucial story points that can’t be shown with the game engine alone. In all game modes, the radar screen serves to display all locations visited by units controlled by the player. Various items of interest, like resource deposits, topography, units, and buildings are all displayed here for the player to better coordinate his forces. Forces belonging to different armies, both friendly, allied, and enemy, will often be color coded for better discrimination.

Radar screens are typically dependent on a radar building of some sort to be constructed by the player in order for them to work. When a radar building is not constructed or functional, the radar screen will deactivate, displaying the player’s affiliated faction symbol instead. Once a radar building is restored, the screen will display radar again.

==='''Power '''=== The power needs of a player’s base are displayed on the far left side of the sidebar, commonly as a thin vertical meter. Power consumption is shown as a red series of lights rising up past a green/yellow series of lights. Should the red overtake the green/yellow, the base’s power needs will be exceeded, with new power supplies needing to be constructed/repaired in order for power to be restored.

When a base loses, power, unit and building construction will slow down significantly, sometimes coming to a complete halt depending on the game.

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