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Total Annihilation by FABIO 05/17/2005, 12:55am PDT
Though in theory RTS games would be all about combat, there's a reason why they include resource gathering and a limited amount of those resources. The resources are there as an incentive to attack and capture & hold points on the map. The resources are limited so the players will place a value on their units and not just fling them blindly into suicide meatgrinders.


Like Red Alert 2, Total Annihilation technically has a bunch of different units you could come up with a bunch of different tactics for. In fact it may have close to Starcraft levels of tactical options.

But like Red Alert 2, 90% of it matters dick and the most effective option by far is unit spamming and rushing. In fact it blows RA2 out of the water in terms of mass unit flingling. You have an income rate and your goal is to spend resources faster than you make them. The game might as well scream at you for not having multiple factories pumping out units non-stop. Pump out all the units you want and do whatever with them; resources are limitless.


Like Emperor: Battle for Dune, and every Age of Empires/Empire Earth/Rise of Nations game ever made, there's a bunch of sneaky shit you could technically pull off, but that would distract you from constantly clicking on all your factories to mass produce more units, and that means you lose.

The quantity over quality mentality extends over to the unit types as well. Starcraft only had about 9 units per side, but they were so well thought out that you didn't need any more. Each one carried out a role and none were useless. You'll only use about a third of the available stuff in TA there's so many redundant units. I remember one reviewer back then wowing over how many new units were available for download or were excluded in the expansion pack. Then a review of Starcraft: Brood War expressed disapointment over how there were "only" two new units per side. Never was it mentioned that those 2 units filled in vital gaps for each side and managed to make it a totally new game. Meanwhile TA gave you "medium tank #3, halfway between light and medium tank, slightly heavier than heavy tank". Idiot.

But this was the game some people claimed was better than Starcraft back in the day? It feels like one of those "me too" attempts when the RTS genre was a breakout hit and every company was tripping over themselves to get one out the door. It looks like shit (though I guess some of the unit and building animations were good for the time). The interface is awkward. Crtl + number to hotkey unit groups, then alt + number to select them instead of just hitting the number? It might not sound like much but it's annoying as hell when you're trying to toggle through units during a fight (which you shouldn't really bother with because your factories need more clicking).

The system of moving projectiles vs. generic instant attack animation deserves special mention. If there's one thing I miss from the original C&C days, it's definately the fact that the game assumes my units have no concept of leading their targets, and having them constantly miss a moving vehicle unless I step in and tell them to force fire on the spot it'll be at by the time my amazingly slow missile gets there. Fuck that.

What on earth made this game so appealing? Must have been the music, which I hear is great. But for some reason I can't get it or any sound (aside from menu button pressing sound effects and cutscene movies) working (read that it played music directly off the CD tracks. Tried disabling my CD-rom so my phantom drive would be the primary, didn't work). With all the aural splendor stripped away, this game is damn damn boring.

Verdict: Use the CD in your car stereo, not your PC.
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Total Annihilation by FABIO 05/17/2005, 12:55am PDT NEW
    Incredible by Arbit 05/17/2005, 2:06am PDT NEW
        Re: Incredible by FABIO 05/17/2005, 4:41am PDT NEW
    Re: Total Annihilation by bombMexico 05/17/2005, 8:00pm PDT NEW
        that was Mischief Maker by FABIO 05/17/2005, 9:09pm PDT NEW
            I find it unbelievable that you're judging the game... by Cainen 05/30/2007, 4:51am PDT NEW
                Psh, a BABIES mindgames would blow Fabio's out of the water. by Jerry Whorebach 05/30/2007, 5:32am PDT NEW
                    Lying outside the water, mind blown by Flavio 05/30/2007, 9:54pm PDT NEW
                Good point. I find ending a post title in an ellipsis is awesome because... by bombMexico 05/31/2007, 12:01am PDT NEW
                    Re: Good point. I find ending a post title in an ellipsis is awesome because... by Cainen 05/31/2007, 7:57pm PDT NEW
                        Re: Good point. I find ending a post title in an ellipsis is awesome because... by motherfuckerfoodeater 05/31/2007, 8:47pm PDT NEW
                            Re: Good point. I find ending a post title in an ellipsis is awesome because... by Cainen 05/31/2007, 8:56pm PDT NEW
                                Hey I hear this Total Annihilation game sucks. NT by Jhoh Cable o_O 05/31/2007, 9:17pm PDT NEW
                                Re: Good point. I find ending a post title in an ellipsis is awesome because... by motherfuckerfoodeater 05/31/2007, 9:56pm PDT NEW
                                    Re: Good point. I find ending a post title in an ellipsis is awesome because... by Cainen 05/31/2007, 10:17pm PDT NEW
                                        Re: Good point. I find ending a post title in an ellipsis is awesome because... by motherfuckerfoodeater 05/31/2007, 10:34pm PDT NEW
                                            Re: Good point. I find ending a post title in an ellipsis is awesome because... by Cainen 05/31/2007, 11:21pm PDT NEW
                                                Re: Good point. I find ending a post title in an ellipsis is awesome because... by motherfuckerfoodeater 06/01/2007, 9:26am PDT NEW
                                                    Re: Good point. I find ending a post title in an ellipsis is awesome because... by Anonymous 06/26/2007, 12:24am PDT NEW
                            YOUR POINT: WORTHLESS! by Introduction to Communications 05/31/2007, 9:50pm PDT NEW
                                Re: YOUR POINT: WORTHLESS! by Cainen 05/31/2007, 9:53pm PDT NEW
                                    mindful bashing by Ray of Light 05/31/2007, 10:24pm PDT NEW
                                        Nerds and TA/SC by Flavio 06/01/2007, 6:18am PDT NEW
                                        please post log by Flavio 06/02/2007, 4:39pm PDT NEW
                                            yes that's the one NT by Ray of Light Presents 06/02/2007, 6:39pm PDT NEW
                                online players by Flavio 05/31/2007, 10:30pm PDT NEW
                                    Re: online players by Cainen 05/31/2007, 10:52pm PDT NEW
                                        I'm glad System Shock 2, Xenosaga, and Patch Adams finally have some new company NT by Flavio 06/01/2007, 4:10am PDT NEW
    Tom Chick weighs in by Flavio 06/02/2007, 7:16am PDT NEW
        Re: Tom Chick weighs in by Cainen 06/02/2007, 2:16pm PDT NEW
            Are you going to answer Ray's question, or what? NT by motherfuckerfoodeater 06/02/2007, 3:48pm PDT NEW
                Re: Are you going to answer Ray's question, or what? by Cainen 06/02/2007, 8:51pm PDT NEW
                    Probing Q seeks deeply satisfying A for socratic relationship. Send answer first NT by Ray of Light Presents 06/02/2007, 8:58pm PDT NEW
                    Satisfying answer = beating off after reading it? NT by Jhoh Cable o_O 06/02/2007, 9:50pm PDT NEW
                        And splurting out the question, whatever it might be. NT by motherfuckerfoodeater 06/02/2007, 11:02pm PDT NEW
                            I think in this case, there is no question, the guy just wants an answer. by Jhoh Cable o_O 06/02/2007, 11:20pm PDT NEW
                                Re: I think in this case, there is no question, the guy just wants an answer. by Cainen 06/02/2007, 11:36pm PDT NEW
                                    You've spent way too much time sobbing in this thread for us to buy that. by motherfuckerfoodeater 06/02/2007, 11:38pm PDT NEW
                                    You are stage 4. by Cainen 06/03/2007, 1:35am PDT NEW
                            Re: And splurting out the question, whatever it might be. by Quentin Beck 01/23/2008, 4:24am PST NEW
                    This game is totally fucking awesome. by Motherhead 06/02/2007, 11:11pm PDT NEW
 
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