|
The 3.1
Patch for Total Annihilation
The 3.1 Patch adds many new features to Total
Annihilation and will upgrade any previous version of Total
Annihilation.
Players with non-Intel computers running Windows
(e.g. Cyrix, AMD-K6) should also download and install the Non-Intel
Update Patch found below.
Patch
Notes
- This patch will update only the newest
totala.exe file in your Total Annihilation game directory or
subdirectories. Problems may occur if you have upgraded to
version 3.0 and then installed the The Core Contingency
expansion pack.
- Version 3.1 incorporates all of the fixes and
features previously released as listed in the version
history.
- Saved games from previous versions will not be
compatible with version 3.1.
- Users with 3.x versions cannot play
multiplayer games against players with earlier versions.
- For more information, please refer to the
readme31.txt included in the download.
Features
and Fixes
- Shortcut keys:
CTRL + P selects all aircraft with weapons. CTRL + R selects all
radar, radar jammers, sonar and sonar jammers. CTRL + W selects
all mobile units with weapons except the Commander.
- Multiplayer sharing:
Control the resources you share with your teammates and allies
using the following commands. These commands can be used in
multiplayer by hitting ENTER to bring up the message bar on the
Main Battle Screen and typing in any of the following phrases
(toggles on/off):
| +shareenergy |
Shares energy |
| +sharemetal |
Shares metal |
| +sharemapping |
Shares map information |
You can also control the amount of metal and
energy shared to your teammates and allies by modifying these
commands slightly with a numerical value. X indicates the amount
of resource left in your reserve. For example, +setsharemetal
5000 will only share metal if you have at least 5,000 in
reserve. You cannot set the amount of resources you want to
keep/reserve any higher than your current storage capacity. Make
sure you leave a space between the command and the numerical
value.
| +setshareenergy X |
Shares energy while keeping X amount
for yourself |
| +setsharemetal X |
Shares metal while keeping X amount
for yourself |
- Shift + construction units:
While placing your cursor over any construction unit and then
holding down the SHIFT key, square outlines may appear on the
map. Green squares represent the build orders for the unit
currently selected. Blue squares represent the build orders for
all other construction units. These squares can be used as a
guideline when queuing up build orders for a construction unit.
- Shift + cloakable units:
Placing your cursor over a cloaked unit and then holding down
the SHIFT key will display a white circle. This circle
represents that unit's minimum cloaking radius. When an enemy
unit moves into that radius, the cloaked unit becomes visible.
- Factories and squads:
Select a factory and assign it a squad number. This can be done
by pressing CTRL+1 through 9. All units produced by that factory
will automatically be assigned to that same squad.
- Select any mission:
In version 3.1 the previous "drdeath" cheat has been
enabled permanently but the bone has been removed. This function
has been added to the New Campaign button. When the New Campaign
button is pushed a player can now select any campaign and play
any mission within that campaign.
- Feature vanishing:
The disappearing of features with some user-made maps when games
are saved then loaded back up has been fixed.
- The Phalanx:
The reload time for the Arm Phalanx has been properly set.
- AI Pathfinding:
AI pathfinding in Total Annihilation has been modified for the
new environments and situations people are experiencing since
the release of Total Annihilation: The Core Contingency. The
problem is a combination of four factors.
| 1. Average map size has increased
since the original Total Annihilation was released. |
| 2. Maze-type maps have been added. |
| 3. Maps with more complex and, in
general, more surface features have been added. |
| 4. The unit number limit has been
increased from the original 200 units. |
All of these factors by themselves do not cause
a performance issue, but combined they will cause unit
pathfinding to become a problem. We have instituted different
pathfinding filters that will be run as the demand for
pathfinding increases. The more units that need paths, the less
complex the filter. In other words, the more units you try to
move, their path will become more varied. In most situations,
this will increase performance and movement efficiency. This
will not solve the problem for ALL situations. If you are
experiencing problems with AI and pathfinding after applying
this patch, try modifying some of the four variables listed
above. "Sector 410b" and "Steel Jungle,"
both Core Contingency maps, are examples of maps where this fix
will not improve gameplay unless the unit number limit is
lowered.
- Other miscellaneous fixes.
Download
Instructions
Download and run TA1x-31.exe (8.1 MB):
Non-Intel Patch (for users running non-Intel
Windows systems such as Cyrix and AMD-K6).
In addition, Microsoft has released an update to
the DirectX drivers called DirectPlay5.0a.
We highly recommend that you download
this.
Sound-related
problems
Most sound problems and scrashes are a result of
old or non-DirectX compatible sound-card drivers. This patch
provides two .INI and two command-line options to help solve these
problems. You must have the latest patch to take advantage of these
options.
- UseWindowsSound:
(or -w on the command line) Uses the standard Windows multimedia
interface for playing sounds. Setting this to 1 will play only
one sound at a time.
- NoDirectSound:
(or -s on the command line) Disables the use of DirectSound.
Setting to 1 will turn off all sound.
- Download
the totala.ini text file to make use of these options and to
get detailed instructions. Place the totala.ini text file inside
your Total Annihilation directory on your hard drive (default is
C:\Cavedog\Totala).
|
