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'Total Annihilation' Successor 'Supreme Commander' Unveiled

by Rainier on June 17, 2005 @ 1:57 p.m. PDT

The newest PC Gamer issue reveals what is called the spiritual successor to Cavedog's Total Annihilation. Chris Taylor went on to form Gas Powered Games, who are now working on Supreme Commander, to be published by THQ. We unearthed a presentation document outlining what was called once TA2. We can only assume this is the same, albeit renamed, product after Chris Taylor was unable to obtain the license back from Atari, so the info might not be 100% up to date.

UPDATE : Here are some scans of the PC Gamer article.

Total Annihilation 2 will re-define the RTS genre by magnifying the battle experience to a planetary scale, presenting the struggle as one continuous global war, and creating a campaign system that dynamically reacts to your play style. Wrap it all up into a very cinematic in-your-face environment and interface, and you've got the next generation of RTS.

You will control armies on multiple battle fronts as your forces wage war across an entire world! From the moment your troops touch-down on the planet's surface to the destruction of the last enemy outpost, your struggle for control will be continuous until only one dominating force remains on the planet. And since the campaign dynamically changes depending on how you command your forces, the replayability experiences are endless! Total Annihilation 2 will also be the most immersive gaming experience you've ever had! As the Commander, hear the sounds of tank treads crushing the ground, jet engines flying overhead, and laser fire shredding your metal body! This game will not only make the war seem real, but will also put you right there alongside your troops on the battlefield!

  • Real Physics Real Physics – When explosions occur, they don’t just destroy…they create blast waves. Any units near these explosions are susceptible to forces that may cause them to rock, topple or fly through the air. Also, real physics means vehicles react the way you’
  • Multiple Points-of-View – Not only will you get a global, commander view of the war, but we’ll give you the opportunity to see the war from the perspective of any unit on the battlefield. Picture-in-picture technology will allow you a window through the eyes of your kbots, flash tanks, and stealth fighters without taking away your strategic view. Even launch a nuke and watch from its perspective as it travels across the globe to its destination.
  • Deformable Terrain – Tank treads and wheels will carve paths as they travel. Blasted debris will impact the ground with so much force that they’ll create craters and long trenches with ground piling high behind them. Terra-forming units will even mold the earth to the commander’s liking.
  • Dynamic Pathing – This will allow units to find alternate routes to their destinations as the battlefield around them is completely changed through impact craters and terra-forming units.
  • Smart Recording and Playback – We’ll give you the opportunity to watch a battle you’ve just played…or just see the most interesting highlights. Our smart recording & playback will be able to recognize the moments of conquest that are most visually appealing. You’ll even be able to watch the replay of a battle from a single unit’s perspective. Plus, highlights generated while participating in the online galactic war can automatically be uploaded for use in CORE and ARM newsletters and war briefs.
  • Persistent Online Battle Support – Our online galactic war will be the most ambitious multiplayer community venture ever. Gamers from all over the world will choose sides and battle for control of multiple planets across a galaxy. War highlights, commander orders, and army newsletters are only a fraction of the things we’ll use to make the player feel that the struggle for domination is real.
  • Unit Creation and Customization Toolset – Units and commanders alike will be constructed and customized from tools within the game. No separate executables. It’s all contained in-game. We’ll even make importation of 3rd-party model files a snap.

Already in development since 2004, SC has a tentative release date set for April 2006.

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