tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762329947181200306.post9157399229316323879..comments2023-06-15T02:19:40.790-07:00Comments on Ton of Clay: TA-ncient History #2: The Non-Story StoryClayton Kauzlarichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927179401748707980noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762329947181200306.post-43572999109429671892011-05-14T21:17:05.761-07:002011-05-14T21:17:05.761-07:00I liked your story better since it made sense. Th...I liked your story better since it made sense. They fled to the outer arm of the galaxy.<br /><br />Changing that to the insanely ridiculous "millions of worlds" being decimated, is unfortunate. It'd take time to use up all the resources of just one entire planet, but millions of planets, makes no sense at all.Thomas Prewitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06520552892971115191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762329947181200306.post-57559857678044852742009-03-02T03:14:00.000-08:002009-03-02T03:14:00.000-08:00First of all, thanks for answering. As an old time...First of all, thanks for answering. As an old time fan of TA, getting a direct answer from a central developer about a question that has been bugging me for a while - is quite awesome.<BR/><BR/>I gotta say though, the lore part never really bothered me. The intro to TA is like one of those things in my life that has left a great great impression on me. I can still remember when I watched it over and over and over again with my friend. I remember we loved the scene with the peewee and the bomber especially. How the scout viechle in the beginning dodges the obstacles. And all of this coupled with an awesomely poetic intro speech (really, its like the best ever. If you meet up with this Grossman dude again, give him a pat on the back), and an even more awesome sountrack. It kicked ass, basically. The lore had this kind of aesthetic simplicity to it.<BR/><BR/>It's interesting to hear that at one point, there wheren't no lore at ALL.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for clarifying though. I totally understand the argument about "many units equals many outcomes", though. Not to mention how easy it is to mod it. :) Another gripe in that department was how some units could make others useless at times. But that was never such a big a deal for my sake. It actually became a lot more apparent in SupCom.<BR/><BR/>Oh and the chess argument kinda makes sense, doesn't it?<BR/><BR/>Anyways, thanks again for answering, and keep on posting TA related articles!Johanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02531346520804396540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762329947181200306.post-17285430779611790752009-03-02T03:09:00.000-08:002009-03-02T03:09:00.000-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Johanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02531346520804396540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762329947181200306.post-4870338688883152742009-01-05T10:05:00.000-08:002009-01-05T10:05:00.000-08:00For much of TA's development, we just didn't care ...For much of TA's development, we just didn't care about the back story. Our outlook was that gameplay came first. We actually went through a short phase where Chris and I decided to have NO story whatsoever in the game. Ron Gilbert convinced us otherwise, so I had to whip up our thin excuse for a universe. We probably only had a quarter or one third of the units built at that point, but we were already pretty well set on building (mostly) equivalent sides for TA.<BR/><BR/>We didn't have the time or money to create the clone story, so the "One Type of Robot Hates the Other Type of Robot" premise had to suffice + a glorified slide show + narration.<BR/><BR/>As for the similarity of the factions in TA, again, time and resources limited our ability to create, tune and balance completely diverse factions. We figured if the sides were basically identical, but the choice of units pretty immense, then players could still surprise each other, and devise interesting strategies from that heap of units.<BR/><BR/>Chris and I joked that chess works out pretty well as a strategy game with completely mirrored sides. We knew that was a facile comparison, given how RTS differs from a turn based board game, but we were confident we'd made the right call, especially given our options and what our engine could do.Clayton Kauzlarichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17927179401748707980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762329947181200306.post-78343079379532993932009-01-05T01:04:00.000-08:002009-01-05T01:04:00.000-08:00Most interesting.Interesting because one of the (v...Most interesting.<BR/><BR/>Interesting because one of the (very) few things I never really liked was the uniqueness of the faction gameplay-mechanics. It seemed almost coincidental. The story of the warring clones kinda answers this. As if you guys designed the units, factions and gameplay-mechanics before coming up with the final lore outline. <BR/><BR/>I have always been in awe of Starcraft and Warcraft3(though not a big fan), and how they had such different, yet balanced, factions. This didn't really apply to TA. Both factions where so alike in so many ways (except lore of course).<BR/><BR/>To my eyes, it looks like you guys designed the units before you designed the lore. There's nothing about the design (both looks and mechanics) that really reflects their role in the history, in my honest opinion.<BR/><BR/>So I just have to ask this: why did you make the gameplay mechanics and the units of the factions so alike?Johanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02531346520804396540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762329947181200306.post-61411799629660692972006-10-14T09:59:00.000-07:002006-10-14T09:59:00.000-07:00Then, clearly, AMRAAM, we have vastly differing ta...Then, clearly, AMRAAM, we have vastly differing tastes and clientele.:PAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762329947181200306.post-88621162804877306372006-10-07T21:17:00.000-07:002006-10-07T21:17:00.000-07:00Had Total Annihilation started with more than an i...Had Total Annihilation started with more than an intriguing premise, I would not have written a TA fanfic. I will not write a fanfic for SupCom, for example, in spite of what looks like a great setup, because its characters are established. Not for free, anyway. <br /><br />--AMRAAMJeannettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05173018722064535156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762329947181200306.post-89920136111062299992006-10-07T08:07:00.000-07:002006-10-07T08:07:00.000-07:00There was a PC action game called Wargasm that cam...There was a PC action game called Wargasm that came out in 1998ish wasn't there? Remember reading about it in a magazine.<br /><br />To tell a good story in videogames you have to do it through the gameplay. In Mario you can see the castle in the background when you're on the 3rd last stage. Then on the 2nd last stage you're outside it. Last stage you're in the castle jumping over lava. There's no need to tell you at the start that the princess is kidnapped, or some baddie has stolen your chaos emeralds or whatever. <br /><br />Problem with most modern game stories is they're too plot heavy. And they have to use loads of dialogue and cutscenes to fill in all the exposition. And in an interactive artform you're losing people when you do that.<br /><br />Better to leave lots of gaps, and let the player fill in the rest with their imagination. <br /><br />I'm surprised how close the concept drawings look to Jim and Bert. Damn, I sure wish I could draw properly.Molloyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02557780241256476087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762329947181200306.post-70625645372533033432006-10-02T19:35:00.000-07:002006-10-02T19:35:00.000-07:00It's amazing to see how this evolved, it would hav...It's amazing to see how this evolved, it would have been so, so wrong to stay with the cartoony storyboard.<br /><br />The movies and lack of any in-depth story actually add an air of mystery and leave it all up to the imagination.<br /><br />The intro movie I could watch over and over again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762329947181200306.post-15619684871423549462006-10-01T13:26:00.000-07:002006-10-01T13:26:00.000-07:00The War Stories Board was what got me into the TA ...The War Stories Board was what got me into the TA community. My mom and I actually met several of the people from those days in person. In fact, we published a novel by AMRAAM (under the pen name J.D. Isaacs) called <i>The MacPherson Criticality</i>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762329947181200306.post-36936032298165143142006-10-01T07:21:00.000-07:002006-10-01T07:21:00.000-07:00Some nice story ideas there, but I can see why you...Some nice story ideas there, but I can see why you went away from test tubes :D<br /><br />Maulmachine, aren't you meant to be working on the TA:Reloaded Story? An idea of mine to carry the TA story on by adding level 3. May get round to finishing that eventually. Got to add the Wargasm to The Darkstar superweapon :D<br /><br />-1Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762329947181200306.post-44123606703844885032006-09-15T17:25:00.000-07:002006-09-15T17:25:00.000-07:00Yeah, and like you said, the fanfiction community ...Yeah, and like you said, the fanfiction community for TA has really taken off. Even as we speak, I'm writing a 150-page novella on the game, and it's only part three of a series. :D<br /><br />http://www.uploadthis.co.uk/uploads/MaulMachine/War_to_end_all_wars.doc <-- very old draftAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762329947181200306.post-11344185389654629382006-09-15T11:30:00.000-07:002006-09-15T11:30:00.000-07:00Thanks, deltablast. That's pretty damn funny. I ki...Thanks, deltablast. That's pretty damn funny. I kinda wish we'd put it in the game now.Clayton Kauzlarichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17927179401748707980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762329947181200306.post-19236238660083357162006-09-15T11:29:00.000-07:002006-09-15T11:29:00.000-07:00"Wargasm" is from a book of military slang that Ch..."Wargasm" is from a book of military slang that Chris bought when the project was getting underway.Clayton Kauzlarichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17927179401748707980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762329947181200306.post-27924111321852927752006-09-15T01:47:00.000-07:002006-09-15T01:47:00.000-07:00someone (Gnome) actually did :D
http://www.supcom...someone (Gnome) actually did :D<br /><br />http://www.supcomuniverse.com/forum/showpost.php?p=15995&postcount=17Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762329947181200306.post-69138142682341178462006-09-14T23:32:00.000-07:002006-09-14T23:32:00.000-07:00The only thing that really saved you guys was the ...The only thing that really saved you guys was the really awesome narrating voice and the epic music (but mostly the voice :p). Better bring it back on SupCom ;)<br /><br />Would've loved to see them fighting over test tubes tho :D<br /><br />It's just a matter of time untill someone makes a mod that replaces nanolathe with space-pee and D-gun with wargasm... XDAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762329947181200306.post-82267412206179602122006-09-14T20:13:00.000-07:002006-09-14T20:13:00.000-07:00I love the buttons. "Wargasm"? XD I guess I shou...I love the buttons. "Wargasm"? XD I guess I should expect it from the same guy who brought us Voodoo Vince.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com