My Experience of Plantary Annilihation

I just thought I'd add something here.

I'm a big fan of Total Annihilation and was annoyed when I found outI could only play the basic game (without the 2 expansion discs) on Windows 8, so I was overjoyed when I found out about this new game. (if there is a way of playing TA along with the expansions on Windows 8, please let me know)

My version of PA arrived on Friday 20th June, and since then I have been trying to get to grips with it.

Great game!!! My only moan is trying to establish yourself on a planet. People (in multiplayer) and the AI (in Galatic war) don't give you enough time to build your base and battle vehicles before they attack! Also, in Galatic war do I only have acess to level 1 vehicle factory and no others?
So far, the quickest I've been killed is 8 minutes and the longest is 36 minutes (which was a good game as everyone was new except one, who knew what they were doing. I think you can guess who won). This game has only just been released in the UK, so please give us a chance.

Hopefully, I will get better at this game wont get killed off so quickly.

M

As you progress in Galactic War, you'll get more tech. It tips things in your favor by quite a bit, if you can get something good, like sub-commanders or economic efficiency.

For multiplayer, just keep playing. Get a factory very early on and get a small force of military units; nobody in their right mind would send an attack force at the five minute mark.

Your commander can also use an Uber cannon. It's assigned to "Alt Fire;" you can either click on it on the right sidebar or use the hotkey. It has a large AoE and should be able to kill almost any early-game force headed your way, although it'll prove less useful later on in the match.

Well I consider myself very lucky in that case! I am in the UK and have been playing it for months!

In GW, by default you start off just vehicles. You can defeat faction leaders for a chance to get a different start option, artillery, or air, or all t1 without turrets, or others. You can also, in-war, discover tech and add to your slots to unlock use of it, so you can unlock air even if you start vehicle or unlock t2 vehicles to go with your t1 or unlock artillery or orbital themselves.

The game is fairly unique played, in the sense that you build tons of stuff as far as you can as fast as you can. 1 mex, 1 power, 1 mex, 1 factory, 4-6 builders and AA and then some raiding units. THOSE builders go and build 3-6 NEW mex fields and factories and armies, and THOSE armies raid and build atop of NEW mex fields, all added to this working with multiple planets because getting planetary first gives you more a grip on-planet.

I guess the only pro-tip i'd give you, is as an easy anti-air method, to build a single air factory and let that build hummingbird fighters, and set the factory itself on area-drag patrol in a circle around your base. The fighters will build and immediately follow the area patrol off factory. Simple AA. Feel like you got enough later on, power off factory until you need more.

A more advanced tip, is for any streaming eco game, is treat a factory as a "constant cost" and do so by setting it to "infinite build" on it's sidebar. Set a vehicle factory (or 5), set it to build 2 tanks and an AA, set the sidebar to build infinite, and that factory will spend your metal/energy so you don't waste it. If you have too much metal/energy, just build another factory and let it build idle units, you can always use those bulk units later. You can stockpile units but you can't stockpile metal/energy unspent.

Things like that you can learn by watching other players.

Welcome to you and other UK/EU players who just got this game at the stores it is just recently available at!

Judging by OP's use of the word 'arrived' I'd guess he bought the boxed edition off Amazon

Hello all,

Thanks for the advice. I'm lasting a bit longer in the Galatic War (although I'm still not winning!) I have another bash at the multiplayer soon.

Please keep advice coming, any tips would be gratefully received.

W

Did you read this yet? https://forums.uberent.com/threads/quick-tips.61273/

PA is much faster than TA and forces you to change your tactics.
The reason that you don't have time to build a base is because you aren't supposed to be building a base.
PA is anti-turtle, instead of building defensive bases focus on unit production. Lines of factories with supporting mex and power gens. You should be able to build more units in 10 minutes than the unit cap on TA.
Never stop building, spam everything. Focus on your opponent and keep attacking from all angles to starve your opponent and expose their commander.

Also, the multiplayer AI will give you better practice than that of the GW AI.

Also only build tanks, because bot are UP.

(For now...)