SupCom?

[A.D.]

I've been paying close attention to this game ever since it was announced that it was in development. I'm a huge Total Annihilation fan (anyone else ever play that?) and this is supposed to be it's spiritual successor, and it just looks badass...

This is the reason why I'm getting a new computer come 2007..

http://media.pc.gamespy.com/media/755/75...ids_1.html

[Joshy]

I've been a huge TA fan since the first day the game ever came out i simply cant wait until this shows up on the shelves.

[A.D.]

Right on Josh, TA = The best RTS ever.

The resource management is just so awesome, I wish we could see it implimented in more games these days. There can be something said about a game that still has a large following ever since it was released in 1997. Starcraft may be more popular, but TA has a sort of charm that SC doesn't.

[hellsing293]

you're getting a new computer just for one game? wow this game must be awesome.

does spirtitual successer mean that its the sequal but just isn't like TA2?

[Bloodangel26]

this probably should have gone in the "other pc games" forum

[A.D.]

Yeah, guess I should have posted it in the PC section.. Move if if you want.

To answer your question hellsing, Chris Taylor was the head deisgner of the origional TA. He helped make the exansion 'Core Contingency' Before he left cavedog entertainment. Afterwards Cavedog made another lackluster expansion pack (Battle Tactics) and later a game using the TA engine called 'TA:Kingdoms' that failed miserably.

Some obscure still-functional software company still holds the name rights to TA2 so Christ Taylor is just making a SupCom using the same design fundementals that TA was built on.

If you are interested in TA the only place you can really grab a copy anymore is Ebay. It still functions on XP but the installers for the expansion packs don't function, thankfully there are a few sites that have walkthroughs on how to get it up and running and also gives you all the essential files.

[Bloodangel26]

i cant move it...a super will if they see it and feel the need. looks like a pretty cool game...is it RTS?

[A.D.]

RTS yes. SupCom in a nutshell: SupCom has massive maps, huge unit limits, and unlimited resources. You can zoom in to single unit views or pan out all the way to sattelite views where enemies are represtend as little blips (as demonstrated on the video). The have long range artillery that can fire across maps, they have nukes that can fire anywhere on the map (of course you'll be able to create anti nukes). From what they say alot of the game will be trying to find your enemy, sonar/radar towers/jammers are going to be a big part of the game. Resource management is split into two things : Energy and Mass, both of which have no limits on how much you can harvest. There are air, land, and sea units (and those that go inbetween). The game revolves around a single superunit that you start out with, the Commander. Typically when the commander dies you loose so protect him with everything you've got. There are three factions, the UEF (united earth federation, humans), the Cybrans (cyborgs) are pictured in the video, and the third race, the Aeon, are humans that were given 'powers' from a now extinct alien race.

[Bloodangel26]

dang that does sound cool...i dont think either of my comps can handle it though

[A.D.]

It is cool. Like I said, for me not having to micro your resources is awesome.. just a basic idea how it worked in TA..

Your commander gives you a +1 metal and +20 energy to start out with. You full capacity of metal&energy is 1000 and it starts full. So without any additional resource structures you gain one metal and twenty energy every second until it reaches the full meter.

Lets say you build a solar collector. It puts a -3.5 drain on metal and a -120 drain on your energy until the structure's energy/metal construction cost are met. Once completed the solar collector typically (it differs from planet to planet) gives you a +60 to your energy, so now you have +1 to metal and +80 energy.

Going into more detail, lets say you have a total negative drain on your metal, meaning your construction cost drains more then your capable of producing. Eventually your metal reaches zero. You can still quene up more units or start construction on other buildings, but its going to be much slower as the metal you gain per second is going to be divided among everything currently under construction. There is a way to counterbalance this, as most construction units have a 'reclaim' feature that allows you to extract metal/energy one-shot bonuses from each object reclaimed. These can be structures of yours you destroy for metal, these can be large rocks/or plantlife whatever that you find on the terrain, or more commonly you can take metal from the old destroyed husks on the battlefield.

A major tactic in TA was to control the wreckage fields to help curb your drain, as most good players will NEVER have a full metal bar, but will NEVER have one completely empty. its a very very delicate balancing act that sounds like alot to handle, but this helps you so much --

Unlimited order queneing. For instance, i can take a construction plane, and order him to Reclaim several old husks, build a mine, build several defensive towers, assist constructing a nuclear silo, and then have it 'patrol' over your army, where it will automatically repair things/assist construction/etc. You execute all these orders holding down the shift key, and it will execute those orders in the order you gave them, thus axing alot of micromanagement. You can even do certian orders on factories that will have every unit bulit there automatically go to a rally point and then execute a patrol.. It was just amazing what unlimited order quening could do.