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Total Annihilation Maps
The number of custom maps and downloads for Total Annihilation is huge. There are thousands. If you only play the original game and decide not to get into custom mods, at least get into the maps. Maps alone have kept the game going far beyond its initial run; if anything, the custom units and maps are far more interesting and engaging than the original game. Of the small selection of real time strategy games covered by RTSC, TA comfortably exceeds its rivals in the number additional stuff you can add to it and many die hard fans probably prefer to play a revved up version of TA with the customs than the original game.
TAMEC (Total Annihilation Map Evaluation Centre) has become the de facto standard for custom maps and custom third party tile sets for building your own. Having said that, TAMEC ain't quite what it used to be, but there's still a vast range there in a huge database, as well as a comprehensive repository of mapmaking, tile making, unit building and other utilities. Unfortunately, everything downloadable from TAMEC now goes through that delightfully horrendous experience known as FilePlanet. But there are other map sites: you can peruse the alternative map sites from the TA Map Links page. Unfortunately, Total Annihilation was open ended but not intended for editing by the public. Installing custom maps and mods can lead to problems so a quick round up of the major file types you might lock horns with is required. It IS worth it.
The primary file format in TA is the .ufo file. This is a compressed file format that combines a great load of smaller files and data folders (much like a .zip archive) that the game reads when it first boots. .ufo files can contain everything from map and unit information right through to the arrangement and graphics of the build menu buttons. So when downloading maps, you'll find most of them will be in .ufo format. All .ufo files live in the main TA folder regardless of what they contain. Sometimes a .ufo map will contain its own custom AI and even its own custom units, which will conflict with existing custom units and AI's already installed in the game. You really have no idea what lurks inside an .ufo file - you'll need to grab some of the third party TA utilities (HPI Manager is one) so you can actually open a .ufo and see all those different game elements in their own sub directories inside. Generally though, most downloads come with a readme to let you know what lurks within. Its quite possible for a map to not only have its own AI data, but also unit data as well! But this is very unusual, unless the map itself requires them. (This would apply to a few "epic" class maps - maps that are so huge they give the original game engine real problems, so hacked replacements to the original units are added to compensate.)
Occasionally, you'll find some older maps that appear as a pair of .tnt and .ota files. These are the components of a .ufo distributed separately. .tnt and .ota files are kept in a Maps directory that you may have to create. The .tnt component is the actual map itself, while the .ota component is an AI file specific for that map and that map alone. If you use an .hpi viewer to examine a .ufo map file, you will see that it contains the .tnt and .ota components within. TA Maps can be sizeable downloads: despite using tilesets on a 3D mesh some still somehow manage to bloat in file size, hovering around 1 to 3Mb, especially when using custom tilesets. Really large custom maps using completely unique graphics and no tilesets can even climb as high as 25Mb! That's probably not much compared to some modern 3D FPS maps these days, but for a 1997 RTS like TA its massive.
You'll find them in TAUniverse's FileUniverse Features section here.
Some map types rely on the Core Contingency expansion being present. If you can, try and buy the Core Contingency or better still, the Commander Pack that bundles everything together. Unfortunately, I've yet to see any signs of these extras being available commercially. I think technically its abandonware, although you'd probably get into trouble so as a stopgap you may want to download the CC features (and lots of other relevant stuff) at TA Fansite or Artificial Intelligence. The rev31.gp3 file is the 3.1 patch. I'm not entirely certain what the significance of the .gp3 suffix is (General Patch #3?), but as far as players are concerned its yet another form of the .ufo file that contains all the bug fixes and extra commands found in Cavedog's last official patch. Like all the other data files, the fact that it lives in the main TA game directory means it will be read and used when the game boots. You'll find custom mods that claim to "bugfix" TA and add extra features (like extra hotkeys) all use their own version of the rev31.gp3 file that replaces the original. Any mod that doesn't come with its own rev31.gp3 file is using the default TA game engine, bugs and all.
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Last polished Wed, Mar 30 2005 by Lindsay Fleay.
