User:Twilight (renamed)/Article/Total Annihilation: Twilight
| Total Annihilation: Twilight | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Twilight |
| Engine | Total Annihilation |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS |
| Release | (March 18, 2007) |
| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer |
Total Annihilation: Twilight (abbreviated TA: Twilight or TA:T) is an in-depth and comprehensive modification/extension of the computer game Total Annihilation.
Introduction
Total Annihilation: Twilight tries to address many perceived problems with the original Total Annihilation, including adjusting and balancing over-powered units and units that did not seem worth building, as well as adding additional units to fill certain strategic and tactical niches. This has all been done with the goal of making sure every unit is worth building in at least some, if not most, situations, while keeping the same "feel" of the original Total Annihilation, as though Total Annihilation were still being patched by Cavedog (The maker of Total Annihilation).
Background and History
Total Annihilation: Twilight (named for its creator, Twilight) descended from the TA mod Absolute Annihilation (abbreviated AA), itself descended from the Uberhack mod, one of the first and most popular TA mods. Twilight was an avid player of Absolute Annihilation, and was actively involved in the forums discussions on Absolute Annihilation's balance and gameplay. In 2005, Caydr, the maker of Absolute Annihilation, decided to cease work on the TA version of AA, and focus on releasing new versions of AA only for the Spring engine. Twilight requested permission to continue development on new versions AA for Total Annihilation, which Caydr granted.
Starting in November 2005, Twilight began releasing "Twilight betas" of Absolute Annihilation which continued to address balance issues and fix problems observed in the last "official" version of AA, version 6.0. On January 30th, 2007, Caydr posted an announcement to the front page of his website, wherein he said that he was too busy to keep maintaining the site, and planned on allowing it to lapse. The "Twilight betas" had made substantial changes to gameplay and balance compared to AA v6.0 and Twilight wanted to prevent people from confusing the latest "Twilight beta" (beta 5.7), released on February 13th, 2007, with the final "official" AA version released for TA nearly two years earlier, in the summer of 2005. Because of this, combined with Caydr's announcement, Twilight had been wanting to abandon the "Beta" naming convention and just give the now noticeably different mod its own name and identity. And so, what was originally to be "AA Twilight Beta v5.8" was released as "Total Annihilation: Twilight v1.0" in March of 2007. TA: Twilight is currently at version 1.6, released in December of 2008.[1]
Features
The features page on the TA: Twilight website lists the following feature summary (along with a paragraph detailing each one):[2]
* Original Total Annihilation Feel * Well Balanced Units, Structures, and Overall Gameplay * Great Strategic and Tactical Depth * Hundreds of Carefully Balanced New Units to Fill Strategic/Tactical Roles * Improved Models * Newly Added Sounds * Errors and Bugs Fixed * Single Player Campaigns Enabled * Balanced Expressly for Multiplayer * AI Built From the Ground Up * Customizable AI Profiles * Multi-Directional Factories * Improved Loading and Unloading for Transports * Nano Turrets and Fortification Turrets * Larger, More "Naval" Feel to Ships * Devastating Nuclear Weapons Worthy of the Name
* New Experimental Gantry Units On Both Sides