* Modem, serial cable, or network card is required for multiplayer.
Recommended system:
* Pentium 133Mhz or greater
* 24 Mb RAM
* 4x CD-ROM
* DirectX compatible sound and video card
* Microsoft compatible Mouse
* Windows 95
* Modem, serial cable, or network card is required for multiplayer.
The game may install without a sound card but it will not run properly.
2. MULTIPLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
2.1 RECOMMENDED MINIMUM SYSTEM FOR MULTIPLAYER GAMES
Total Annihilation runs optimally when each player meets or exceeds the minimum requirements for the specified number of players.
* Up to 4 players P133 w/24 MB RAM
* Up to 8 players P166 w/32 MB RAM
* Up to 10 players P200 w/ 64 MB RAM
2.2 MULTIPLAYER/SKIRMISH MAPS
Each map specifies a minimum amount of memory to run correctly. If you experience difficulties, please insure that you have met the minimum system requirements. If you are playing a large multiplayer game you may need above the minimum system requirements in order to run the game properly.
2.3 MULTIPLAYER GAME SPAWNING
Total Annihilation allows you to install spawned copies onto other computers for multiplayer games. At least one person needs to have the multiplayer CD in the drive according to following chart.
* 1 game CD can support up to 3 players.
* 2 game CD's can support up to 6 players.
* 3 game CD's can support up to 10 players.
3. THERE IS NO 3
4. ADDED FEATURES
4.1 KEY COMMANDS
F4 Brings up a scorecard tallying the kills and losses for each player. The scorecard will update to reflect the status of the game as it progresses. The player with the highest kill count will appear at the top of the scorecard list.
CTRL V Select all aircraft.
CTRL B Select all construction units except the Commander.
CTRL F5 - F7 Applies a map bookmark to specified locations on the battlefield.
F5 - F7 Centers the screen on a map bookmark.
SPACEBAR Activate the game status bar displaying the game time, number of units, maximum units, and the game speed.
4.2 CURSORS
When targeting an enemy unit, your attack cursor may sometimes appear as a circle with a diagonal line through it. This denotes that either the enemy unit you are targeting is out of range or that the attacking unit lacks the resources to fire.
4.3 CONSTRUCTION FACILITIES
Clicking the orders button sets the default standing orders of any unit produced.
The destination of each unit produced from a Construction Facility can be set by clicking the move button on the Facilities' immediate orders menu and selecting a location on the battle screen or radar map.
4.4 CONSTRUCTION UNITS
Construction units can reclaim metal and energy from various sources including healthy units, wreckage, trees and rocks Any construction unit set on patrol will automatically reclaim energy and metal from available sources and heal your damaged units as needed.
4.5 ALL UNITS
Multiple commands can be queued up by simply holding down the shift key while giving commands. A transparent cursor or green build square will appear to show the command and it's location.
5. KNOWN INCONSISTENCIES
Visit www.cavedog.com for possible fixes and patches for the inconsistencies listed below.
* CUSTOM MUSIC TRACKS
The custom track "victory" and "defeat" functions are not currently implemented.
* IN-GAME MISSION BRIEF
Reviewing the in-game mission brief without a game CD in the drive may result in the game exiting back to Windows.
* UNABLE TO START MULTIPLAYER GAME
If a player leaves and quickly re-enters the Battleroom, DirectX may not recognize the player and subsequently prevent the game from starting even though that all players are in the Battleroom and 'clicked' in. To solve this problem, the player that left and re-entered must leave and re-enter again after waiting 5 seconds or more.
* NOT ENOUGH HARD DRIVE SPACE
If, while installing Total Annihilation, you receive a warning that you do not have enough hard drive space and you choose to continue the installation process, it is likely that the game will exit out to Windows. Check your hardware specs prior to installation.
* SKIPPING MISSIONS
Skipping back to play previous missions can cause you to replay all missions from that point forward. To avoid this problem it is suggested that all missions be played in order. It is OK to skip a mission that proves too difficult, just do move back in the list.
6. MODEM PLAY INFO
For optimal Internet and modem play we recommend that you turn off modem compression when playing since the game performs it's own packet compression. To do this, bring up the Control Panel (Start button/Settings/Control Panel), double-click the "Modems" icon, click on the "Properties" button and then the "Connection" tab. Select the "Advanced..." button, then uncheck the "compress data" check box.
Many applications perform better when using modem compression, so rather than switching back and forth you may want to add a second, duplicate modem entry which is always configured as being uncompressed. This entry will still access the same physical modem, but you would use it instead for creating connections to other modems or the Internet for playing Total Annihilation or any other game for which modem compression is not desirable.
7. DIRECTX INFO
For the most recent information on DirectX 5, contact Microsoft directly or visit the Microsoft DirectX Support Home Page at http://www.microsoft.com/support/products/home/directx
If you encounter any problems installing DirectX on your computer, please contact Microsoft directly.
Other DirectX support pages are available through the Cavedog Entertainment website at http://www.cavedog.com
8. GAME SERVICE PROVIDERS
* AT&T WorldNet Service support/contact information:
Please see the "read-win.txt" file in the \Internet\WorldNet directory on the installation CD for additional information about the AT&T WorldNet Service. Currently, the AT&T WorldNet Service area is limited to the Continental U.S., Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Whether online or off-line, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, AT&T will provide World Class technical expertise and fast reliable responses to your questions. To reach AT&T WorldNet Customer Support, call 1-800-400-1447. Help on the web is available at http://www.att.net
* MPLAYER SUPPORT/CONTACT INFORMATION:
Mplayer home page: http://www.mplayer.com
Help on the web: http://www.mplayer.com/help/help-home.html
Tech support on the web: http://www.mplayer.com/help/help-home.html
Mplayer tech support line: 415-429-3100 (3pm to 10pm PST)
Support via e-mail: support@mplayer.com
* KALI SUPPORT/CONTACT INFORMATION:
Kali home page: http://www.kali.net
Support on the web: http://www.kali.net/js/support/index.html
Support via e-mail: support@kali.net
* TEN SUPPORT/CONTACT INFORMATION:
Toll-free support #: 1-800-8040-TEN
Support on the web: http://www2.ten.net/support
General Assistance: customersupport@ten.net
Technical Assistance: technicalsupport@ten.net
* HEAT SUPPORT/CONTACT INFORMATION:
For questions or technical support regarding the HEAT network please call
1-888-262-HEAT or e-mail tekhelp@heat.net. Also, feel free to check out
the 24 hour chat with technical assistance representatives available
Telephone: 0345 577 577 10am to 10pm 7 days a week (UK)
Support via e-mail: support@wireplay.com
Website support: http://www.wireplay.com
* DWANGO SUPPORT/CONTACT INFORMATION:
Tech support on the web: http://www.dwango.com/html/frequently_asked_questions.html
Help Desk: (318)425-5252 - 9AM until Midnight CST
Support via e-mail: help@dwango.com
9. TROUBLESHOOTING
9.1 PERFORMANCE
If your game performance seems to be less than optimal, experiment with any one of the following suggestions. All suggestions have been known to improve game performance.
* Confirm that you have no other Windows applications running in the background while playing the game.
* Adjust the game simulation speed by using the '+' and '-' keys on your keyboard.
* If your multiplayer game seems slow, confirm that you and your opponents all meet the minimum system recommendations for the number of players in your game. If one person's machine specifications falls below these recommendations, it may affect game performance for everyone.
* Confirm that your machine specifications meet the recommended minimums for the multiplayer map chosen and number of players.
* Experiment with your game options. Turning off shading, shadows, anti-aliasing or using stereo rather than 3D sound may improve performance.
* If you experience performance slowdown while running in higher resolutions you may need to return to 640x480 mode. If you experience problems in higher resolutions it is possible that your video card is not fully DirectX compatible in these modes.
9.1 MISSING FILE
If you see the message "A required file DPLAYX.DLL was not found" when you run Total Annihilation this means that you have an older version of Microsoft DirectX on your machine. To correct this you will need to install the version of Microsoft DirectX included on the Total Annihilation installation CD.
9.2 Windows NT
This version of Total Annihilation has not been tested with Windows NT. A version of Windows NT with support for DirectX release 5 was not commercially available during production.
9.3 IP addresses
If you are using a modem to connect to the Internet and you want to host a game using the "Internet TCP/IP Connection for DirectPlay" we recommend you always enter the IP address of the dial-up adapter when requested to enter the IP address.
Typically an IP address is dynamically assigned each time you connect to your Internet service provider (ISP). To get the IP address of the dial-up adapter run winipcfg.exe using the Start button's "Run" option. winipcfg.exe is installed with Windows 95 into the main Windows directory (typically c:\windows). The combo box in the middle shows the IP addresses. If you have a PPP connection, look for the one that says "PPP adapter". This procedure is especially important if you have multiple IP addresses configured which might be the case if you have a network interface adapter card installed in addition to the dial-up adapter.
10. CD-ROM MUSIC PLAYER
Total Annihilation allows you to play music from the game CD-ROM or any other audio CD. To do this you must have the game CD in the drive until the mission is loaded. Once loaded, eject the game CD-ROM and insert the music CD. It will automatically start playing.
You may cutomize the game to play selected CD music tracks depending on the action during gameplay by using the music options menu. To customize the music first select a track then using the options button above, associate an event to the track. Step through each track of your CD associating an event with each.
11. WEBSITE
Visit www.cavedog.com for last minute information, downloadable units and maps, and news about tournaments and other special events.
12. CONTACTING CAVEDOG ENTERTAINMENT
If you require technical assistance please visit our technical support web page on http://www.cavedog.com. This will provide you with the most accurate and up to date information concerning Total Annihilation. If you require additional assistance, please feel free to contact using one of the methods below.
*No game play hints will be given from the Technical Support number*
Prior to contacting us, please have the following information ready:
* A description of the problem
* The name of the computer manufacturer
* The speed and type of CPU
* How much RAM is installed in the computer
* Type of sound card
* Type of video card
Technical Support
Phone (716) 871-4393
Fax (425) 806-0480
Internet Mail:
support@cavedog.com
U.S. Mail:
Technical Support
Cavedog Entertainment
13110 NE 177th Place
Suite B101 #180
Woodinville, WA 98072-9965
Online
http://www.cavedog.com
Copyright (c) 1997 Humongous Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.
