Thoughts from my first skirmish since alpha

So I got around to try PA again today to see whats new. Tried it in one of the first closed alpha games and I liked it then and I like it now.

Though there is a lot of things I'm missing I feel confident PA can leave its Beta-state in half a year or something. What did you say? It's already released?
But then I'm confused...

Where is the plasma shields, the long-range anti-air missiles, the Experimentals, fusion powerplants, Annihilators Laser Defense, Radar K-Bot, Radar Jammers, Anti-Ballistic Countermessures, Nuke-Bomberplanes, Metal Makers, Geomethrial Power plants, Anti-Air K-Bots, Zippers, D-Gun, Rocket-Defenses, Wind Generators, Naval, Big Planets, Jet Fighters and so fourth.

I mean, at the moment PA have about the same or even less than TA 1.0 had if you count units. But since TA 1.0 looots of things have been added. In the expansion packs, updates, TA Spring, SupCom and so on. Lots of things that have added to the game, each with it's own place on the battlefield.

As it stands now you have more tactical freedom in any of the older TA/TA-based games and at the end of the day, isn't that whats important? Not being able to blow up fictitious planets with space-lazorz but in each battle decide how and when you will annihilate your opponents?

I'd like this post twice if I could.
Lacking unit variety and missing iconic units/units with 'soul' are a common complaint and always have been since the game has been playable.
I don't necessarily agree that we need experimentals (the Krogoth was a gimmick in TA), but we definitely need cooler units.

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Moderator: Removed inappropriate comment.​

I'm just saying what they have done, is great. Nice graphics and cool effects. But the core of what made me like TA, what made me spend hours on LAN with my friends as the ARM Commander, what made me play TA before Age of Empires, Command & Conquer and other games was the unit-variety.

One game i could go all flying, sending me some scoutplanes and radar-planes to find out about the enemy then sending my strategic bombers to take out some of his lesser defended targets. Then he whould retaliate and my Brawlers whould make short work of his tanks. I could then send me a bunch of even bigger bomber-planes to attack his primary targets. Meanwhile my commander and some construction-planed was out on the ocean bulding a second base with some underwater fusion-reactors and floating airbase that could be my backup-base if the enemy decided to launch its ICMB's.

And then another-game i could focus on K-Bots and the diffrent ways you could use those. Like the combat-repair bots, the radar/jammer bots, long-range missile bots and the fast agile attack-bots. That was then followed up by the heavier raw-electricity based Zeus.

I mean, you could play TA/TA-Spring/Supcom in so many ways, there was such variety. You didn't have to run every game about the same as in other RTS's. And yes, there is still some of that in PA but not nearly on the same level as an updated/patched version of TA Core Contingency witch I think is a shame!

Except in PA you have *more layers* to play with. There's plenty of options if your creative

I agree, the number of units in each category is lower- but then I don't think just throwing them all in is a good plan either. TA matured over *years* and the units weren't just added at random- if you want evidence for why *not* to do that then just go play Tech Annihilation in Spring (apologies if there are any Tech Annihilation fans on here), I just don't think it offers anything meaningful over TA tbh. Balanced Annihilation on the other hand has *carefully* added *a few* units over the TA formula, and lots of things have been tried and rejected over it's development.

I guess what I'm saying is given Uber time to expand on the game carefully and allow PA to mature. SupCom 1 lacked many things that were in a fully patched version of TA as well- these things take time to do well.

In the mean time, you have the ability to attack by land (both kbots and vecs and these function quite differently now which I like), sea and air and orbital Couple that with creating surprise attacks using gates (and btw gates of the same planet can be truly devastating if used well) you've got lots of variety already. If you *really really* want / need more units then I suggest you download PAMM (PA Mod Manager, available in the mods sub forum) and use that to install either the Statera mod (intended to make the game more TA like and adds *lots* of units) or the RCBM (Real Balance Mod) that aims to adjust the balance of PA and adds a few new units as well.

Not all of the things you mentioned are meant to be in the game. On shields there have been countless threads. Many things that were specific to TA, will probably remain just that. Did SupCom ever have wind turbines, solar panels and tidal generators? Just as an example.

This game was never quite meant to be everything that TA and SupCom were, and more. Heck, even official direct sequels often fail on this point for various reasons.

But sure, I too would like to see more of the kinds of units TA had. Eventually. Not so much SupCom. PA units are already a little too generic – a problem inherited from SupCom if you ask me.

PA still needs its naval game sorted out; they've been slacking on this point. All that said, it's really not fair to compare just-released PA to a fully mature TA.

Mod PA. Play with variety. 2 step solution.

Might I recommend Statera? Actually, you talk TA a lot, perhaps RCBM?

Thx, I will try that!

People complaining about too few units annoy the hell out of me. How about you start asking for more units once the CORE mechanics are finally done and the units we have work properly (naval, orbital)?!

Let's go over what Planetary Annihilation isn't:
Total Annihilation
Total Annihilation 2
Total Annihilation Remastered
Total Annihilation HD
Total Annihilation: Planetary Annihilation

The game is not TA. If you want to play TA go play TA. I'm sick of seeing this "Where is x it was in TA" mentality.

Some of the stuff you've mentioned is in the game anyway. Did you actually play or look at the Store page on Steam?

You're very good at stating the obvious.

I know.

Where exactly did he say he wanted to play TA?

By constantly referring to it and its contents.

WE DON`T NEED EXPERIMENTALS.
WE DON´T NEED SHIELDS.
Both would be stepbacks...
...what we need is evolution, like RadarScammerFields, (you see those fields, but you don´t see the insight) OrbitalNukers, CounterMissileLauncher, MultiUnitOrbitalTransporter and CommanderHullUnits!

Oh, and of course we need a UnitCannon!

Maybe thats because we were told this game would be a spiritual successor to TA?

Moderator: Edited​

Oh you mean you just made it up yourself for some reason?

Yeah. Spiritual successor doesn't mean sequel - but it also doesn't mean *keep two ideas and throw out the rest*

it also isnt
supreme commander
supreme commander forged alliance
and sure as hell isnt
supreme commander 2

neither is it supreme commander bfg eddition .... though it has quite the bfg in it ...

Haha this is the bitchiest thread I have read in a while. Miss these. Havnt been around too much lately with thread ban hammer so in before that happens. Out of the 20 or so list 15 are in TA. I'm sure they are in supcom etc too but think 15 is high enough to merit a statement like aces.