Late-breaking news on the Macintosh TA
gaming front
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10/09/2003: I've decided to release a pre-alpha version of Anni. Check out the Annihilator project status page for more information.
07/30/2002: I've been
sidetracked a little into creating a GAF Exporter (a work in
progress). If all goes well, it should be able to extract any
selected (or all) images from a GAF file, like the
cursors from the game.
07/03/2002: I've made some progress recently on getting Anni to use less memory. Check out the Annihilator project status page for some updates.
06/30/2002: Yahoo! Summer holidays are here and work on Annihilator is set to resume again!
02/13/2002: I regret to report that the
TA Map CD set offer has been terminated. I
am no longer accepting requests for these CD's so you need not bother
asking for them. While I've enjoyed being a "good-will" ambassador in
distributing these maps to Mac TA players, it has put me out of
pocket a good deal of money (more than anticipated). With recently
buying a house (and possibly starting my master's degree), I just
don't have the time either. There are other issues surrounding the
termination, but all things considered, it seems like a convenient
time to terminate the no-obligation offer.
One thing I will say is this: Since day one of the availability of the CD's I've made it clear: "Consider this set to be a gift. We are not requiring that you pay us anything." Some people still seem to take issue with my stance on this.
With respect to working on Anni, I'm trying to get going on that once the house move is complete. In fact, I'd even like to fix many of the bugs that exist in the PC version that have been brought to my attention (thanks Datanut). I've tracked a couple of these down.
01/01/2002: Let's cut to the chase: I've been out of it on the TA front -- getting married sure makes up for it though. However, the TA Map CD set has been updated to CD #6, and I'm now busy clearing the backlog of requests for that. Work on Annihilator is also set to resume this month.
06/18/2001: Well, here's the latest: I'm getting married this summer to a beautiful young woman named Marilyn. So, with the planning of all of that and working a full-time job, Total Annihilation has rightfully taken the back seat. I have a list of about a dozen people to send TA Map CD sets to, and some work to do on Annihilator which is on the back burner for now (sorry folks!). Some of you have been pestering me; I trust that you can be understanding -- Bruce.
|
02/09/2001: OH BABY! The public beta of Total Annihilation has finally been made available. This is such good news, as GameRanger support is now included, as is a new maximum unit limit. I would suggest that you run (do not walk) over to Westlake's site to download the TA update 3.1.2b6. Remember, though, that this is a "pubic (sic) beta"; as such, all bug reports must be posted at comp.sys.mac.games.strategic. |
|
02/04/2001: I just finished up a preliminary build of HPIDump for the Mac that took a couple of hours to do. Basically, it's a means to tear apart a UFO or HPI file to get at the guts of it and do some nefarious things like alter an AI, and then put the thing back together with HPIPack. (Shall I dare mention that Nephew Jeff has tinkered with his Nuke Silos to have them build within a game tick or two?)
01/12/2001: My leisure reading is partially comprised of Cryptonomicon, which is quite a heady and lengthy but good piece of fiction. The book starts off with a little haiku not unlike this...
Anni, come pronto
clock ticking, latent fingers
howling gamers cry
01/04/2001: Some of you have been asking about a Mac version of Uberhack which has been mentioned recently in the MGL's TA Map of the Week reviews. You can now download a Mac-saavy version of the newly-released Uberhack 3.0. It's a 9.2mb download of a revised REV31.GP3 file for Total Annihilation that has been very well received in the PC realm, and the subject of much discussion.
Say what... another 600+mb of maps?
01/01/2001: It's now official...
check out the latest addition to the TA Map CD
set which now includes TAMEC2000.hpi, an updated database,
and many Atlantis maps...
The other day, I also discovered the Total Annihilation Top 100 list of web sites.
|
Be sure to check here (or click on the animation) for regular updates/screenshots of the project's progress. |
TA is on the Clan MacGaming's Mac OS X Game Compatibility List as a game that will run within the "classic" environment. Good news.
Total Annihilation recently appeared on MacGamer's Top-10 List of Games that "DON'T Need an Über-3D Card to Enjoy"... cool.
As usual, be sure to check out the MGL's TA Map of the Week for a new review of a third-party map every TA Tuesday.
Westlake Interview -- MGL interviews Phil Sulak about the Sims, but also answers pertinent questions about the TA 3.1.2 update. Phil (on page 4) notes how "working on Total Annihilation was a real treat" and that he considers it "the most fun game that I've ever had the pleasure to port."
MacGamer's Ledge (MGL) has posted information on the unofficial Switeck patch.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TAMEC --
a Mac-friendly repository of great third-party maps and TA
information
Mac TA Forum -- drop by, ask or answer a
question, or just add your 0.02 worth
TAMEC Forums -- general discussion, strategies,
tactics, units, etc...
MacGamer's
Ledge -- a great Mac gaming site that hosts all manner of
items related to Mac TA
Tips and Tricks -- pick up some Mac-specific tips
and tricks about third-party maps, units, etc...
FAQ &_Walkthrough -- repackaging of Andrew
Griffin's work
Planet Annihilation -- a great third-party site for TA-related stuff
GameWinners -- cheats, codes, hints for the Mac version of TA
Inside Mac Games -- some cheat codes for the
game
Game Reviews -- various reviews of the Macintosh
version of TA
IMG Sneak Peak -- a preview of the (then)
upcoming game for the Mac
IMG Review -- " TA is an RTS done right -- fast,
furious, explosive, and with tremendous attention to detail"
MacWorld Magazine -- "Total Annihilation is still
a terrific, if belated, title for Mac gamers" [rated: 4/5]
The Mac Observer -- " ...we know it will remain
on our hard drives for a very long time." [rated: 4/5]
alt.games.total-annihil -- a newsgroup
for TA general discussion (often PC/Mac generic)
comp.sys.mac.games.strategic -- a likely
starting point for TA (real-time strategy) mac gaming
Cavedog
Entertainment -- creators of the original Total Annihilation
for the PC
Clothing -- so how much of a TA fan are you --
really?
Hints -- some hints and strategies for the first
five campaigns of the game.
MacSoft -- the Macintosh publishers of the
game
Total Annihilation page -- information on the
retail version of the game
Technical Information Page -- troubleshooting and
FAQ page (now at Infrogrames)
Varcon Systems -- the developers originally contracted to do the port by Macsoft
Westlake Interactive -- the best little porting house in Texas
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TAMEC --
a Mac-friendly repository of great third-party maps and TA
information
TAMEC2000 -- the download page for the required
third-party map feature add-on
Emperor Dracula's site - he is famous (infamous?) for his very large Epic-class maps
MacGamer's
Ledge -- a great Mac gaming site that hosts all manner of
items related to Mac TA
TA Map of the Week -- weekly review by yours
truly and his brother
Tips and Tricks -- pick up some Mac-specific tips
and tricks about third-party maps, units, etc...
Mac 3-CD Map Pack -- a unofficial compilation by the Payan brothers of the best TAMEC maps
Mac Map Editor -- a sneak-peak of an ongoing project to port the Annihilator TA Map editor
MacHPIPack -- a
popular map and unit-packing utility ported over to the Mac.
MacHPIDump -- a popular
file extraction utility ported over to the Mac.
alt.games.total-annihil.editing -- should be a hot newsgroup once the Mac map editor is finished ;-)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cavedog units -- The six units (Frak, Flea, Scarab, Hedgehog, Necro, and Immolator) that Cavedog released since the PC version 3.1. They are in self-extracting EXE (*PC*) format, so beware. Do not despair -- these are actually included in the Macintosh Total Annihilation 3.1.2 update.
MacGamer's
Ledge -- a great Mac gaming site that hosts all manner of
items related to Mac TA
MGL unit pack -- compiled by
Joe Newhouse
(download the
pack and the
guide)
Tips and Tricks -- pick up some Mac-specific tips
and tricks about third-party maps, units, etc...
Crazy Phantom's TA Warehouse -- Many, many units are here
Unit collections hosted by Fade2Gray :
UberHack Community Pack: Version 10 of the UHCP
Pack
Tech 4 Units: Tech 4 level units that generally
go along with UberHack
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
AI Central - has many AI-based resources for use
with TA
NB: to
make use of these resources, you'll likely need copies of
HPIDump and
HPIPack
But let's be honest -- we're still figuring out how these AI's
work in the Mac version of TA. In the meantime, do a search on the
'net for "Queller AI", "Fleabowl AI", and "Bloodthirsty AI" as these
are often spoken of in the PC realm.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Uberhack -- a popular third-party
modification in the PC realm that modifies gameplay heavily
Uberhack 3.0 for Mac -- check the MGL news clip
here
Uberhack 2.0 for Mac -- the previous version
TAEC -- Total Annihilation Evaluation Center --
check it out for Uberhack resources
Switeck patch [v1.4] -- another popular
third-party mod that focuses on many
bug fixes rather than gameplay
NB: the Switeck
patch [v1.4] is included in the
MGL Unit Pack or download
here separately.
MacGamer's
Ledge -- a great Mac gaming site that hosts all manner of
items related to Mac TA
TA Modifications -- how-to-guide on customizing
the Mac version of TA
MGL Unit Pack -- a Mac-saavy Unit Pack for TA
(includes Switeck patch)
Switeck patch -- stand-alone
download and info on the unofficial patch that
does
all sorts of wonderful things
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TAMEC -- a Mac-friendly repository of great third-party maps and TA information
MacHPIPack -- a
popular map and unit-packing utility ported over to the Mac.
MacHPIDump -- a popular
file extraction utility ported over to the Mac.
Mac Map Editor -- a
sneak-peak of an ongoing project to port the Annihilator TA Map
editor
HPIUtilLib --a Mac shared library project for all
TA programming enthusiasts
Source code -- lend a hand porting something
from here to the Mac!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TA Update 3.1.2 -- (public beta) fixes a host of gameplay and networking bugs
MacSoft -- the Macintosh publishers of the
game (Infrogrames)
FTP site for patches -- there is an OS9-specific
patch
(TA Update 3.1.1) that fixes a disc-swapping
bug (NB: this update is now obsolete).
Product art -- artwork for Total Annihilation by
Macsoft
Mac TA Demo -- download a demo from Inside Mac Games (or from MacGameFiles)
MacHPIPack -- a
popular map and unit-packing utility ported over to the Mac.
MacHPIDump -- a popular
file extraction utility ported over to the Mac.
Apple GameSprockets 1.7.5 -- are highly recommended for your system
GameRanger -- download this software to meet Mac gamers online
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MacSoft -- the Macintosh publishers of the
game
01/21/1999
- Macsoft comments on delay
Westlake Interactive -- the best little
porting house in Texas
01/19/99 -
News first breaks -- Westlake officially
announces that they're porting the game
03/04/99 -
First playable -- Westlake announces the
first-playable version of TA
04/13/99 -
Alpha -- TA goes alpha
08/02/99 -
Beta -- Westlake announces the long-awaited beta
version of TA
09/15/99 -
Gold -- Yahoo! -- The game is sent to the
publisher
06/14/00 -
Phil Sulak
tells all about the TA update (on page 4) in this
interview about The Sims
Game Reviews -- various reviews of the Macintosh
version of TA
IMG Sneak Peak -- a preview of the (then)
upcoming game for the Mac
IMG Review -- " TA is an RTS done
right&emdash;fast, furious, explosive, and with tremendous attention
to detail"
MacWorld Magazine -- "Total Annihilation is still
a terrific, if belated, title for Mac gamers" [rated: 4/5]
The Mac Observer -- " ...we know it will remain
on our hard drives for a very long time." [rated: 4/5]
MGL's Top 10 List of games that "DON'T Need an
Über-3D Card to Enjoy"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
T.A.M.E. by Kargoth (last updated 12/29/00)
Web site by StarFreeze (last updated 05/29/01)
Web site by Koolham (last updated 11/13/99)
Web site by Tyler (last updated 11/02/99)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bruce Payan -- I am on GameRanger regularly as the user "zzyzy".
