3.1 Patch

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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.

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

Total Annihilation highly recommends for those interested in playing multiplayer (Boneyards Galatic War, Beta) to download and run the Boneyards Patch and TA Version 3.1 Combo (8 MB):

• Download from Boneyards
  

For those only interested in playing singleplayer, Total Annihilation recommends downloading and running TA1x-31.exe (8.1 MB):

• Download from Cavedog Entertainment
  
• Multiplay mirror, Australia
  

In addition, Total Annihilation recommends updating to DirectPlay 6.1a (233k).
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).
  

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Total Annihilation Version History

Version 3.0

Features/Fixes

• Four bonus units.
  
• Upgrades .dll files for improved gameplay via online gaming services.
  
• Added automated sharing of map info and resources for multiplayer games.
  
• Added ability to see queued orders for all construction units simultaneously.
  
• Added shortcut keys and other keyboard commands to improve gameplay.
  
• Miscellaneous fixes.
  

Version 2.0 Beta 1

Features/Fixes

• Multiplayer AI -- Total Annihilation now offers an AI opponent feature in multiplayer mode. In the Battle Room, click on any PLAYER button to toggle between UNUSED, BLOCKED and AI player slots. The AI player name will reflect the name of the player who added the AI opponent. Each player can add one AI player. There is no AI option in Deathmatch. NOTE: Build restrictions can affect an AI's performance in a multiplayer game. For optimal performance, it is suggested that you do not impose a build restriction in a multiplayer game featuring an AI opponent.
  
• Teams -- The Battle Room has an added TEAM column. If you want to ally with an AI player, you must use the buttons in the TEAM column to form this alliance. Teams work just like alliances, with the exception that Teams cannot be broken once the game has started. When forming a Team, "Allied Victory" is automatically set.
  
• The AI and new units -- The AI will now build any new units you have downloaded and installed on your machine.
  
• +shootall -- This new option sets your units to shoot all enemy units and structures they encounter. Type +shootall in the game chat box to toggle this command on and off.
  
• Queuing units -- Holding the shift key while queuing up units to be built from a factory will now add five units per mouse click.
  
• Skirmish -- The AI has been further tuned for Skirmish mode.
  
• ICQ Support -- Challenging your friends to battle just got easier.
  
• The ability for construction units to swap build menus has been eliminated.
  
• Loading a unit already in the process of self-destructing will no longer cancel the self-destruct order.
  

Version 1.2 BETA 1

Features/Fixes

• Downloadable Units -- Version 1.2 BETA 1 allows you to add downloadable units to your game. Install this patch before installing a downloaded unit.
  
• Taerrors.txt -- If a crash occurs, the game will output a text file called Taerrors.txt into your Total Annihilation directory. Cavedog can use this to help isolate the crash bug. This text can be entered into the bug-entry section of the Web site.
  
• Standing Order Maneuver Bug -- When a unit's standing orders are set to maneuver, the unit will now attack its target until the target is destroyed. Before this fix, the unit would return back to its starting location after firing once if its target was farther then one screen away.
  
• Multiplayer Scorecard -- While playing in multiplayer mode, the scorecard kill count now reflects the number of enemy Commanders you have killed, as well as tracking how any times your Commander has been killed.
  
• Miscellaneous fixes.
  

Version 1.1

Features/Fixes

• A fix for the invisible-unit bug.
  
• Two modifications can be made to remedy sound problems or crashes relating to old or non-DirectX-compatible sound-card drivers.
  
• A fix allowing different languages to play multiplayer against each other.
  
• An AI tweak making the enemy Commander less likely to rush your base, unless provoked.
  
• Adjustments to the Skirmish mode difficulty settings, making the differences between easy, medium and hard more distinct.
  
• A fix for the NT sound bug.
  
• Miscellaneous improvements.
  
• Shortcut keys for sending messages in multiplayer.
  
• F4 or spacebar will now bring up the scorecard in Skirmish as well as in multiplayer.
  
• Typing "+switchalt" in the message bar will change the squad select from alt (#1-9) to (#1-9).
  
• This changes the unit menu call from (#1-9) to alt (#1-9).
  

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ICQ Support

How To Set It Up

So you want to challenge your friend to a game of Total Annihilation over ICQ? With the latest patch, there’s nothing simpler.

• Open ICQ and from the main ICQ button, choose Preferences.
  
• Select the tab Internet Phone/Games/Chat and click on the New External button. External Application Name is Total Annihilation, the External Application Executable is c:\cavedog\totala\totala.exe (assuming that you’ve installed to the default directory), and under Command Line, enter -N1:%i.
  
• Hit the Client-Server Application button. Your External Application Server Executable is the same as your External Application Executable (c:\cavedog\totala\totala.exe, most likely) but your Server Command Line should be -N1:%i -HMy_Game.
  
• You can substitute your own game name rather than My_Game (e.g. "-HJohn’s_ICQ_Game"), but you can’t use spaces or the following characters: ! - %.
  
• Press OK to close the dialog box.
  

How to Use It

• After you have selected an opponent, the person who has been appointed the server should right-click on their opponent and choose Internet Phone/Games.
  
• Next select Server, enter a message if you wish and select Send.
  
• The Client will recieve notification and can choose to accept, decline, or decline by stating they do not own the game.
  
• If you are the server, you will go straight to the Battleroom.
  
• If you’re the Client, you’ll be placed at the Select Game screen. You might have to hit Update a few times until the server is up, then just join the game normally.
  
• If you have any problems getting this ICQ feature working, please make sure you have the most current version of ICQ, .98a beta.
  

What It All Means

• The command line option -N1:[an ip address] will start the game just as though you had started the game normally, selected "Multi", "Internet TCP/IP" and then entered that IP address into the game.
  
• You'll begin in the Select Game screen, connected to that IP address.
  
• The -H[my game name] does the same thing, but sets you up as the game’s Host (Server), creates the game for you and places you in the Battle Room.