Table Of: I. Installing The Game ..................................... 5

I. Installing the Game .....................................
5
1. System requirements ......................................... 5
2. Installing Total Annihilation ............................... 5
Standard Installation ......................................... 5
Installation without Autoplay ............................ 6
Multiplayer Spawn Installation .......................... 6
Installing Direct X .............................................. 6
DirectX Troubleshooting .................................... 7
Uninstalling Total Annihilation ........................... 7
3. Improving Game Performance ........................... 7
Adjusting Your System ....................................... 8
Adjusting Game Options ................................... 8
Installation Troubleshooter ................................ 9
I. INSTALLING TOTAL ANNIALATION
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
II. Starting a New Game ............................... 10

1. The Galactic War ............................................. 10
2. Game Overview .............................................. 11
3. New Game Options ........................................ 11
4. Starting a New Single Player Game ................. 12
New Campaign ............................................... 13
Skirmish .......................................................... 13
Game Options ................................................. 14
5. Starting a New Multiplayer Game ................... 25
Choosing the Right Connection Method .......... 25
Serial Games ................................................... 25
Modem Games ............................................... 25
Network (LAN) Games .................................... 26
Playing on the Internet .................................... 26
Selecting a Multiplayer Game .......................... 27
Creating a New Multiplayer Game .................. 28
The Battle Room ............................................. 28
Customizing Multiplayer Games ...................... 29
3
III. Playing the Game .................................... 31

1. Game Components ......................................... 31
Metal .............................................................. 31
Energy ............................................................ 31
Structures ....................................................... 32
Units ............................................................... 32
2. Game Interface ............................................... 33
Choosing the mouse interface ......................... 33
Main Battle Screen .......................................... 33
Battle Map ...................................................... 34
Mini-map ........................................................ 34
Resource status bar ......................................... 35
Unit status bar ................................................ 35
3. The Build and Orders Menus ........................... 36
The Build Menu ............................................... 36
Building Structures .......................................... 37
Building Units ................................................. 37
The Orders Menu ............................................ 37
Firing Orders ................................................... 38
Movement Orders ........................................... 38
Immediate Orders ........................................... 38
Commanders Handbook .............................. 40
IV. Structures and Units ................................ 42
Common Units and Structures ......................... 42
ARM Units ...................................................... 48
CORE Units ..................................................... 57
IV. Customer Services
Technical Support Information .............. 67
Technical Support (U.S. & Canada) .................. 70
Technical Support (Europe) .............................. 71
Ordering Our Products .................................... 72
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Minimum
Single Play
Pentium 100 (133 Recommended) with 16 MB RAM (24
Mb recommended), Microsoft or fully compatible
mouse, 4X CD ROM drive, Windows 95, 35 MB hard
drive space, 100% SoundBlaster compatible sound card,
VGA 256 color or better video.
Multiplayer
Up to 4 Players: Pentium 133, 24 MB RAM
NOTE
Its good practice to
have some free
space on your hard
drive at all timespreferably at least
10% of your hard
drive capacity.
I. INSTALLING
THE GAME
INSTALLING
TOTAL ANNIHILATION
Standard Installation
1. Place the Total Annihilation CD 1 in your
CD-ROM drive.
2. Wait for the installation menu to appear. When it
does, click the Regular Install button, then follow the
on-screen instructions.
NOTE
3. Insert Total Annihilation CD 1 to start a single player

game.
Make sure to check

out the README file
for the latest information about the
game. Youll see its
icon in the Total
Annihilation folder/
shortcut menu.
Installation without AutoPlay

If you do not see the installation screen appear automatically after inserting CD 1 into your CD ROM drive,
follow these steps:
1. After inserting Total Annihilation CD 1 into your CD
ROM drive, double-click the My Computer icon on
your desktop.
2. Double-click the CD ROM icon.
3. Double-click the SETUP.EXE icon. This launches the
installation program.
Multiplayer Spawn Installation
NOTE
Almost all video and
sound cards on the
market support
DirectX. However, if
you have an older
video or sound card,
this may not be the
case. Contact your
video/audio card
manufacturer to
obtain updated drivers compatible with
DirectX.
This installation program installs Total Annihilation for

multiplayer games only. It enables you to play Total Annihilation against human opponents without having the
game CD (Total Annihilation CD 1) in your CD ROM
drive if youre not hosting the game. You will need: One
disc 1 for 3, two disc 1s for 6 and three disk 1s for
10.
Installing DirectX 5
Total Annihilation has been designed to take advantage
of Microsofts DirectX 5 video and audio drivers. You
need to install DirectX 5 for optimum game performance.
To install DirectX 5 and/or to check whether you
have DirectX 5 already on your system, click on the Install DirectX button in the installation menu. The DirectX
5 installation program will check your system for earlier
DirectX versions and report what it finds.
If no DirectX components are found, the installation
program will automatically install DirectX 5 on your
system.
DirectX Troubleshooting
If you run into any video/audio problems following the
installation of DirectX 5, but have earlier versions of
DirectX installed which work fine, you may restore your
original DirectX drivers by following these steps:
1. Double-click on the My Computer icon on your
desktop.
NOTE
2. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. Youll

see a list of programs that are present on your system, including DirectX.
The Uninstall program does not remove DirectX 5 from

your system. To remove DirectX or
restore your previous version of
DirectX, refer to the
DirectX Troubleshooting section in
this manual.
3. Click on the DirectX entry, and then on the Add/Remove button in the lower right hand corner. Youll see
a list of DirectX components on your system.
4. Click on the Restore Drivers button. This will restore
your previous DirectX drivers.
Uninstalling Total Annihilation
If earlier versions of DirectX are found, youll see

them listed with the version numbers. Click on the
Re-Install DirectX button to update your DirectX drivers to version 5.
If you ever want to remove Total Annihilation from your

system, use the Uninstall program included with the
game. Youll see the Uninstall icon (a bone) below the
game icon in the Windows 95 shortcut menu.
Do not uninstall the game simply by dragging the
Total Annihilation folder to the Recycling Bin. This will
leave some of the games components still installed on
your system.
Improving Game Performance

Large numbers of units and structures can considerably
slow down the game. You can try to improve performance by common-sense adjustments to your system,
or by adjusting the game options.
G A M E
N E W
A
S T A R T I N G
Adjusting Your System

1. Close all other applications.
2. Check your system for programs running in the background (for example, virus detection programs). These
can not only slow the game down, but also result in
lockups.
3. Change the resolution to 640 x 480. The higher the
resolution, the slower the game.
4. Run Scandisk and Disk Defragmenter (provided
within Windows 95).
5. Check the Startup menu for applications loading automatically whenever you boot up your system.
Adjusting Game Options

You can improve game performance by adjusting the
following options:
I I .
1. Turning off CD music in the Game Options screen.

2. Turning off or reducing unit sounds and chat through
the Sound and Interface buttons in the Game Options
screen.
3. Turning off shading, anti-aliasing, and shadows
through the Visuals button in the Game Options
screen. This will result in less impressive graphics.
4. Slowing down the game speed with the slider available through the Interface button in the Game Options screen.
In addition, in Skirmish and Multiplayer games, you
can do the following to improve performance:
1. Reduce the number of computer opponents (Skirmish
mode).
2. Select a smaller map (both Skirmish and Multiplayer).
3. Choose Permanent LoS (Line of Sight; both Skirmish
and Multiplayer).
4. Restrict the number of units that can be built
(Multiplayer only).
5. Disable Cheat Codes (Multiplayer only).
Game wont run

Check whether you have any free space left on your
hard drive, and whether the CD ROM is working properly. Check for programs running in the background.
Ensure you have DirectX installed. Try choosing the lowest resolution possible (640 x 480), and set the display
to 256 colors.
G A M E
N E W
A
Check whether you have enough space on your hard

drive, and whether the CD ROM drive is working properly.
S T A R T I N G
Game doesnt install
I I .
INSTALLATION
TROUBLESHOOTER
G A M E
N E W
A
S T A R T I N G
I I .
II. STARTING A
NEW GAME
THE GALACTIC WAR
Long ago, the galaxy was a paradise of peace and tranquility. A galactic governing body known as CORE ruled
this paradise with the quest for scientific advancement
as its governing philosophy.
Paradoxically, the troubles started when science won
the biggest victory of them all-a victory over death itself.
The invention of a process called patterning allowed
the transfer of human consciousness, of the human
mind, into machines. This electronic duplication of brain
matrices was made mandatory for all the citizens of the
galaxy. Effectively, it meant immortality; but there were
many who were unwilling to toss their bodies aside so
casually, and others that regarded patterning as a
straightforward atrocity.
The rebels fled from the rule of CORE and hid in the
outer edges of the galaxy. With time, they formed an
organization known as ARM. A murderous war began.
ARM developed high-powered combat suits for its soldiers; CORE transferred the minds of its finest soldiers
into deadly machines, duplicating its best fighters thousands of times over. ARM countered this by using cloning. The war raged on, consuming the resources of the
entire galaxy, and leaving most of it a scorched wasteland.
After four thousand years of fighting, both sides
came to stalemate. Their vast military complexes were
smashed; their economies were ruined. The once-mighty
armies of CORE and ARM were reduced to a few scattered survivors. But they continued to battle on ravaged
worlds, their mutual hatred as strong as ever.
For each side, the only acceptable outcome was the
total annihilation of the other.
10
Total Annihilation is a blast, but it is also a complex

game. If you are new to real-time strategy games, make
sure you know the structures and units at your disposal.
Its a very good idea to have some knowledge of the
units and structures at your enemys disposal, too. Its
worth your while to take the trouble to learn the structure and unit hierarchy. Section IV of this manual provides hierarchy charts for ARM and CORE structures and
units.
Total Annihilation features 3D terrain. Treat it as you
do terrain in the real world, because thats how it affects your units. If you choose True Line of Sight in the
Game Options, terrain features will affect what your
units can see and what they cant.
G A M E
N E W
A
You must not only make all the right moves; you
must make them fast. Even a not so good move made
promptly is better than a brilliant one made too late.
S T A R T I N G
Total Annihilation is a real-time strategy game. You win

by making the right strategic choices in structure and
unit management, and you play in real time, without
taking turns.
I I .
GAME OVERVIEW
Finally, Total Annihilation is a game in which both

winning and losing are fun. Dont worry about winning
too much when youre fresh to the game. Just play, and
have fun!
NEW GAME OPTIONS

The Main Menu screen presents you with four options.
11
G A M E
* SINGLE starts a new single player

game.
N E W
* EXIT takes you back to the desktop.
I I .
S T A R T I N G
* INTRO replays the opening movie,

showing an intense battle between
ARM and CORE.
* MULTI starts a new multiplayer

game.
NOTE
There is no clear-cut
advantage to either
ARM or CORE. The
two armies have
corresponding units
in each unit class:
every unit has an
enemy equivalent.
However, there are
subtle differences
between the corresponding units on
both sides. Part of
the fun in the game
consists of discovering these differences, and putting
them to good use.
One general comment: on the whole
CORE units are
slightly more heavily
armored, but slower
than their ARM
counterparts.
STARTING A NEW SINGLE

PLAYER GAME
Choosing SINGLE from the New Game screen gives
you a new set of options.
NEW CAMPAIGN will start a new

campaign game.
SKIRMISH will set up a battle between you and up to three computer
opponents on the multiplayer map
of your choice.
OPTIONS takes you to the Game
Options screen. This presents you
with a set of choices, discussed in a
separate section.
LOAD GAME loads a previously
saved game.
12
Which side to play, ARM or CORE;

The difficulty level: Easy, Medium, or
Hard. This varies the starting forces
available to you and your opponent.
Players new to real-time strategy
should choose Easy; players new to
TA should choose Medium; really
tough guys should choose Hard.
Skirmish
G A M E
N E W
A
Selecting New Campaign takes you to the Campaign

Screen. Once there, youll choose:
S T A R T I N G
If you are new to real-time strategy gaming, it will be to

your advantage to begin with the ARM campaign and
try the SKIRMISH mode only after youve played a few
missions. There is also a tutorial walk through in this
manual. Using the tutorial will give you a clear indication how to gather and manager your metal and energy
resources.
I I .
New Campaign
Play the SKIRMISH mode after you have played enough

missions to feel comfortable with the game. Selecting
SKIRMISH will launch a game in which you play against
up to three computer opponents.
Traditionally, this is good training ground for later
multiplayer games, but youll probably fight a better
Campaign game, too. The Skirmish mode gives you instant access to the games most sophisticated units,
whereas the Campaign is arranged in a learning curve.
The Skirmish screen also gives you an opportunity to
customize your game. The panel on the left lets you set
starting conditions for yourself and up to three computer opponents. You can adjust the number of players,
type of army under each command, army color, and
starting amounts of metal and energy. Higher amounts
of metal and energy result in sophisticated weapons
appearing within a shorter time frame.
13
The Game Options screen accessed through the OPTIONS button presents a wide variety of choices. Many
of these affect game performance.
I I .
S T A R T I N G
N E W
G A M E
GAME OPTIONS
The Game Options screen can also be accessed during the game with the F2 key.
SOUND opens a menu with Sound
Options. Turning Unit Sounds off or
down improves game performance.
MUSIC opens a menu with Music
Options. Turning CD music off improves game performance.
INTERFACE leads to a menu with
Interface Options. Slowing the game
speed, reducing the number of text
lines, and turning off or reducing
Unit Text all improve performance.
The Interface button within the Interface Options menu lets you
choose between left and right-click
mouse interface. This choice is discussed in Section III-please see Table
of Contents.
VISUALS opens a menu with
Graphic Options. The Gamma slider
regulates the brightness of the
screen, and the Screen Size sliderthe resolution. Turning Shading,
Anti-Aliasing, and Shadows off improves game performance.
14
THE MAP:
You start in the middle bottom of the map. The Galactic
Gate is located in the upper section of the map in a big
caldera. Core units are scattered across the map to
stop you from gaining control of the Gate.
THE STRATEGY:
Select all units and use them as one. You can do this by
clicking and dragging the box over all of your units on
the screen or by using the Ctrl-A keys. By using all your
units to attack one unit you mass their firepower and
can take out enemy units faster with less damage incurred to your own units (very important since you have
no capabilities to repair units in this level). Keep an eye
on your radar screen (upper left hand corner) this will
show your units in blue dots, a green exposed area that
you can see as green, uncovered territory as black, explored territory that is out of sight as gray and enemy
units as red dots.
G A M E
N E W
A
The objective of this mission is to secure your Galactic

Gate from a Core threat. To do this you must regain
control of your Galactic Gate.
S T A R T I N G
THE OBJECTIVE:
I I .
ARM MISSION 1:
A HERO RETURNS
Click on the upper left-hand corner of your game

line-of-site screen. All of your units will start moving up
and to the left. Your units will start moving across the
terrain at different rates. If you are trying to mass your
firepower onto enemy units, its important to keep all of
your units together, so keep an eye on them and dont
let them get too spread out.
15
G A M E
N E W
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S T A R T I N G
I I .
16
Enemy units should be popping up very quickly.

Now click on one of the Core K-bots that have come
into sight. All of your units will start to converge and
attack that unit. That unit shouldnt last long and will
explode. Now click on the next enemy unit to attack on
the screen, again all your units turn to attack that one
targeted Core aggressor. Continue doing this until
there are no more enemy units to be seen.
Now, look up on the radar-scope (upper left) and
you might see some red dots, those are enemy units.
Move your massed units in their direction and attack. If
you dont see any units, continue moving up the map to
the left. You should encounter more enemy units, attack
them as you come across them. When you reach the
top of the screen move along to the right. You will skirt
the top of the caldera that contains the Galactic Gate.
Once you reach the upper right-hand corner start moving back down to where you started.
You should have taken out all the Core units, for this
mission, its time to reclaim your Galactic Gate. Move
all your units up and into the caldera containing the
Galactic Gate. This will end the mission.
Establish a base by building metal extractors, solar collectors, defensive systems and a K-Bot manufacturing
facility and then destroy all Core units or just the Core
K-Bot lab.
THE MAP:
The map is comprised of two land masses separated by
a river with two crossing points. The Core side has the
larger L shaped portion of the map from the mid-left,
around the lower left to the lower right. The Arm units
start in the middle of the upper right-hand section of
the map. The two crossing points are towards the left
and the bottom right of where you start. Just to your
right is a small cliff where some Core units will attack
from in the beginning of the mission. If you travel to
the upper right side of the screen you will see a canyon
opening where patrolling Core units will come out of, be
prepared if you go there. The Core K-Bot facility is located almost directly down from your starting position.
G A M E
N E W
A
S T A R T I N G
THE OBJECTIVE:
I I .
ARM MISSION 2:
CORE K-BOT BASE,
DESTROY IT
THE STRATEGY:
You have started this mission with a new unit, your
Commander! Hes a very powerful asset and you only
have one of them. Protect him at all costs! Dont
worry, you have plenty of time before you get attacked
and your Commander is in danger, but be aware.
First, you need to build resource generators. Select
your Commander and then pick the Solar Generator
Plant from the Build Menu, on the left-hand side of the
screen. Your cursor will change into a green square
when you move it back onto your line-of-site screen if it
17
G A M E
N E W
A
S T A R T I N G
I I .
is over a suitable spot to build one. Select a spot and

left-click. Your Commander will start building. If you
look to the top of the screen you will see two bars, one
is your Metal and the other is your Energy, they will
start to go down from 1000 as you build the Solar Generator. If you move the cursor over unit being built and
look at the bottom of the screen, you will be able to
track the progress of the construction.
Once you have built the Solar Generator, build a
Metal extractor. You can build Metal Extractors anywhere, but on top of a silver metal deposit is best, there
are three to choose from, pick the one closest to the top
of the screen. Once its built, order your Commander to
build another Solar Generator. Next, have him build a
Metal Extractor on the ore patch furthest right. As soon
as this is completed have him build a laser tower next
to the Metal Extractor you just built. Doing this will
help to protect you from patrolling Core AKs that might
wander into your camp from the Canyon. Continue to
build a Solar Generator . While the Solar Generator is
being built, select another Metal Extractor to be built
from the left-hand menu. Now, move your cursor over
the line-of-site map, hold down the Shift key and left
click the green build box over the last metal deposit.
There should now be a green box over the metal deposit. If this is done right, as soon as your Commander
finishes building the Solar Generator, he should start
building a Metal Extractor. Select a K-Bot lab from the
left-hand menu and move the cursor over a patch of
land that you can build it on and again, holding down
the shift key left click. Another green box should appear, larger then the first.
Since you have your base being built, its time to
start attacking the enemy. Select all of your K-Bots.
You can either, click and drag a box over them or hold
down the shift key and select each unit individually
with the left mouse button. As you select them a green
box should appear around the unit. Once all the units
have been selected, a green box should be around all of
your K-Bots, not including your Commander (You dont
18
G A M E
N E W
A
S T A R T I N G
Your commander should be finished building the KBot Lab by now, if not then fill out your registration card
while you wait for him to complete the project. Once
he has finished move him to the center of the base to
build another Solar Generator and select the K-Bot lab.
Once you select the K-Bot lab you notice a new build
menu appears with K-Bots on it. Move your cursor over
the units you can build (ones you cant are grayed out)
and look at the bottom title bar. As you do so you will
see the cost of metal and energy to manufacture the
unit. Click on the Jethro 4 times. You should see a +4
superimposed over the Jethro icon. This means your KBot lab will build 4 Jethros before stopping production.
We dont want to stop there, click 4 times each on a
Hammer, Rocko and PeeWee. This should start the
building of a small assault force. As units nanolathe
they walk off the platform, move them to a clear patch
of land to wait until all the other units have been produced. If you didnt have time to fill out the registration
card before, you do now.
I I .
want to use him in battle yet). With all of your K-Bots

selected press the CTRL-1" key. When you have the
unit health bars on (toggled by the ~ key) a number
1 should now appear under all selected units, they
now been grouped together and call all be reselected by
using ALT-1". Move them to the top of the screen.
When they have reached the top of the screen order
them to move to the right. You will see a green area at
the mouth of a Canyon and encounter enemy units
there. As with the previous mission attack in strength,
mass your firepower against one Core unit at a time.
Stop the units at the mouth of the Canyon, they will
finish up any Core units that try to come through there.
Once all the units have been manufactured highlight/select the whole group of 16 K-Bots by either
Shift-click or click/drag and do a CTRL-2" too set
them as ALT-2" group. Move them down to the right,
you might encounter some Core units on your side of
the water. Frag them as you go. Hold your units on
your side of the River. You should be able to see the
shallow crossing point in the river from there. Once all
19
G A M E
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A
S T A R T I N G
I I .
20
of your units have gathered at the banks of the river

click on the other side. They should start fording the
river. As your first unit reaches the other side it should
start taking fire from a laser on the top of the ridge in
front of you. Click your units towards that laser tower.
As soon as you can see the ridge crest, click on it. You
can click on the laser tower to attack as soon as you
see it, but its on higher ground and your fire will not be
as effective. Run your units to the ridge top and then
attack the laser. It shouldnt take long.
You will start encountering more enemy units once
you have reached the top of the ridge. Attack them in
force as youve been doing. You will start to see structures a Radar Tower, an Energy Storage Unit and a Solar
Generator (all Core). Destroy them, but keep attacking
the Core units attacking you as soon as you see them.
None of those structures can kill you but the K-Bots
can! Once you have destroyed all the buildings and
arent being attacked by roving Core units move just a
little bit up to the left. You should be able to see the
Core K-Bot lab. Attack and destroy it. That will end the
level.
Save at least one Spider by returning it to your base.
MAP:
The map consists of three land masses separated by a
Y in a river. Your commander and units start at the
lower right side of the Y. The spiders are located at
the very top center of the map at the summit of a steep
hill.
STRATEGY:
G A M E
T H E
P L A Y I N G
OBJECTIVE:
I I I .
MISSION 3:
SPIDER
TECHNOLOGY
The key to this mission is time. Build up your base with

a some energy generators, a metal extractor and a
couple laser towers for defense (Placed on the outside
of the Dragon Teeth). If you start running low on resources, use your Commander to reclaim trees for energy and rocks for metal. Build a manufacturing plant
of some sort and start cranking out units. Slowly advance up the map to the Spiders. If you stay on your
side of the river its easier. Once youve cleaned out a
path for the Spiders to get to your base, select them and
walk them on down. You might have to walk them
around the base a little to complete the mission.
21
G A M E
N E W
A
S T A R T I N G
I I .
MISSION 4:
CORE
CONTAMINATION
SPREADS...
OBJECTIVE:
Eliminate all core units and structures from this map.
MAP:
For this map you start the mission in the lower right
hand corner. The enemy base is located in the center
left side of the map. There is a hill in the left center of
the map that is very heavily defended by Core units and
laser towers, beware.
Strategy:
Units in the beginning of this map are few, conserve
them, don't send them off to attack everything. Build
your base as normal, balancing your energy and metal
extraction. Use a couple laser towers to bolster your
defensive parameter. Slowly expand gaining metal resources and space to build while protecting structures
with laser towers. A Radar Tower will give you early
warning if enemy units are approaching, even if you
haven't explored the territory.
As your units start to see action they will become
damaged. You can repair them with your Commander,
or any construction vehicle, by selecting the "Repair"
button from the orders menu or by selecting your Commander, pressing the "R" key and then select the unit
you want to repair. The Commander will move over to
him and start repairing him. If you have a lot of damaged units you can select the unit you want to do the
repairing and then select Patrol ( the "P" key) and click
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G A M E
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S T A R T I N G
Keep your eye out for enemy units attacking from

the top along the right hand side of the map and from
the lower left.
I I .
a point in the that makes the unit walk around the

damaged units. As the Commander or Construction
Vehicle moves around on patrol and they encounter
damaged units they will stop and repair them, then continue patrolling for more damaged units.
23
G A M E
N E W
A
Capture the Core Galactic Gate.
I I .
OBJECTIVE:
S T A R T I N G
MISSION 5:
THE GATE TO
THALASSEAN
MAP:
This map is mostly land from the center left all the way
to the right, with water on the left side and a well defended island in the lower Left that has the gate on it.
You start in the top center and there is an extensive
Core base facility from the lower center bottom to the
lower right bottom.
STRATEGY:
Build enough structures to support a line of laser towers
from where you start on towards the right. Space them
about 6 inches apart and keep expanding that direction
until you hit the side of the map. As you move along
you will find ore deposits to get metal from. Keep
building energy production facilities as you go along
and the occasional radar tower. Build a K-bot lab and a
Vehicle Plant when you can, along the way. Once
you've built either a K-bot lab or Vehicle plant make a
couple construction vehicles to help you repair, build
and reclaim metal hulks as you go. Start moving down
the right side of the map taking out Core patrols as you
go. Make an at least one advanced plant (vehicle, so
you can build amphibious tanks). As you start producing advanced units add them to your ranks and keep
attacking down the right side. Once you've reached the
bottom start moving to the left. This way you will finish
off all the land units and be able to concentrate on taking the Island and the Gate. Move on the island with
24
The Choose Connection screen will appear, giving

you the following connection options.
IPX Connection for Direct Play. This is the option usually used for games over a LAN.
Internet TCP/IP Connection for Direct Play. This is the
option for games over the Internet.
Modem Connection for Direct Play. Choose this if you
want your computer connected directly to the other
computer via modem.
Serial Connection for Direct Play. Choose this when
your computer is connected to the other computer
with a null modem cable.
G A M E
N E W
A
To play Total Annihilation against human opponents,

click on the Multi button on the New Game screen.
S T A R T I N G
STARTING A NEW
MULTIPLAYER GAME
I I .
about 6-10 amphibious tanks and you should be able to

take out everything on the Island. Then bring your
Commander out to the Island and capture the gate.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT

CONNECTION METHOD
Serial Games
If your computer is connected to another computer with
a serial cable, select the Serial Connection for Direct
Play option this will allow you to play Total Annihilation
via the serial port. Choosing a Serial Connection will
take you to the Serial Connection screen.
Modem Games
If you have a modem connected to your computer,
you can host or join a game over the telephone. Choosing Modem Connection will give you the option of calling to join a game, or hosting a game by answering a
call.
25
If you have a Local Area Network (LAN) installed,

choose the IPX Connection for Direct Play option. This
takes you to the Choose Game screen.
Internet Games
I I .
S T A R T I N G
N E W
LAN Games
G A M E
The Modem Connection screen keeps a list of the

names and phone numbers of people you play.
If you have a LAN that supports TCP/IP, or if you want to

play over the Internet, choose the Internet TCP/IP connection for Direct Play option. Remember that to play
over the Internet, you must first connect to your Internet
service provider.
You will have to input the number your computer
uses as its address when connected to the Internet. If
you are playing over a LAN, leave this field blank.
To obtain your computers address number: once
you are connected, run a program called winipcfg.exe,
located in your Windows directory. A typical address
consists of four groups of three digits each, separated
by periods (for example, 156.132.084.120).
Playing on the Internet

The Select Connection screen offers several ways to
quickly begin Internet play.
GET MPLAYER installs Mplayer
files from Total Annihilation CD Disc
1. You will then be led with onscreen instructions through the connection phase.
GET HEAT offers to install HEAT
Katalyst 1.2
GET KALI You must first connect to
your Internet service provider (ISP
for short). Once you are, this option
will download software that lets you
access the KALI server.
DWANGO To use this option, you
must also be connected to your ISP.
This option will connect you to the
26
SELECTING A MULTIPLAYER
GAME
If you have chosen a LAN or an Internet-base, you are
taken to the Select Game screen. This screen gives you
information about available multiplayer games, and the
option to create a game yourself.
The Select Game screen features the following options:
NAME opens a field in which you
enter your callsign. This field must
be filled in before you can join or
create a multiplayer game.
G A M E
N E W
A
GET WIREPLAY [UK] Installs

Wireplay files from Total Annihilation
CD 1.
S T A R T I N G
Play Free on TEN You need to connect to your ISP first. This option will
connect you to TEN, and lead you
through the connection setup.
I I .
DWANGO server, and give you more

information on DWANGO Internet
gaming.
PASSWORD opens a field that has

to be filled in only if attempting to
join a password-protected game.
NEW lets you host your own
multiplayer game, and brings up the
Create New Game Screen.
UPDATE refreshes the multiplayer
games list.
WATCH allows you to watch games
in progress. Hosts can turn this option off.
JOIN lets you join a selected game,
and takes you to the Battle Room.
27
G A M E
The Battle Room

The Battle Room is where you and others choose sides,
teams, and army colors. If youre hosting the game, this
is where you set the game rules.
I I .
After choosing New in the Select Game screen, you will

be asked to provide the game name, your own name,
and a password (if you want to set up a password-protected game). Your choices will subsequently appear on
the Battle Room screen.
S T A R T I N G
N E W
CREATING A NEW
MULTIPLAYER GAME
Whether you host or join a game, the Battle Room

asks you for Player Information:
NAME: Your chosen name.
SIDE: Choose ARM or CORE .
COLOR: Army colors.
ALLY: Alliances can be proposed,
accepted, and rejected by players
both here and later, during play.
TEAM: For Skirmish mode games
only. Lets you ally with selected
computer players. This alliance cannot be broken later, during the
game.
28
SELECT MAP: Allows the host to

change the map to be played on.
METAL: Host can set starting metal
between 0 and 10000 in increments
of 100.
ENERGY: Host can set starting energy between 0 and 10000 in increments of 100
DEAD COMMANDER: This setting
alters the effect of a dead Commander. Choices are: Game Ends,
Contiues, and Deathmatch (Restarts
Player).
G A M E
T H E
Customizing Multiplayer Games
P L A Y I N G
GO?: Everybody, including you,

clicks on this button when theyre
ready to play. Once everyone has
done so, the host can start the
game.
I I I .
PING: Time, in milliseconds, that the

connected computers take to relay
information. In other words, the
delay.
LOCATION: Starting positions can

be Fixed, or Random.
LOS: The Line of Sight setting can
be turned to True, Circular, or Permanent. True: terrain features block a
units line of sight, and the fog of
war is active. Circular: units see everything within spotting range, regardless of terrain; active fog of war.
Permanent: units see everything
within spotting range, regardless of
terrain; but there is no fog of war.
MAP: Displays the mapping setting.
Mapped: map is revealed from the
start. Unmapped: map has to be
explored.
CHEAT CODES: Toggles the availability of cheat codes.
29
G A M E
N E W
A
S T A R T I N G
I I .
WATCHING: Toggles whether or not

game can be watched by non-participants.
STATUS: Toggles the game between
Open (others can join in) and Closed
(no players can join).
MAX UNITS: Sets the total number
of units per player (up to 250).
BUILD RESTRICTIONS: Brings up a
list of all the units available in Total
Annihilation (includes downloaded
new units). Host can ban the building of any unit in the game.
START: Starts the game.
Skirmish Games
Single player Skirmish games start with the same options as when hosting a multiplayer game. However
youre facing multiple computer opponents instead of
real people. This means you can set the difficulty level to
Easy, Medium, or Hard.
For more information on Skirmish games, please
refer to the Starting a New Single Player Game section.
30
The game features two resources: energy and metal.

These are used to build structures and units.
Metal
You can obtain metal in several ways:
Mining. You can harvest metal by building a Metal
Extractor over silver pockets of metal found on the
planets surface. On CORE planets that are made of
metal, place a Metal extractor anywhere.
G A M E
T H E
GAME COMPONENTS
P L A Y I N G
This section discusses the game components-featured

resources, structures, and units-and how to control
them through the games interface.
I I I .
III. PLAYING
THE GAME
Converting Energy into metal. Build a Metal Maker.

This will delete portions of your energy supply and
convert it into metal.
Reclaiming. This can only be done with the Commander, Construction Kbots and Construction Vehicles. Youll see the RECLAIM button on the selected
units Orders menu.
By gathering the lumps of ore scattered on many
planetary landscapes (they look like clusters of shiny
lumps or rocks). Again, this can only be done through
the RECLAIM function of construction-capable units.
Its important to maintain stocks of metal. Building
Metal Storage structures can be helpful. Once youve
progressed into the game, additional ways of obtaining
metal become available.
Energy
Building anything also requires energy. Like metal, energy can be obtained in several ways:
31
G A M E
SOLAR COLLECTORS gather the

suns energy.
TIDAL GENERATORS generate
energy by the ocean tide.
I I I .
P L A Y I N G
T H E
WIND GENERATORS create energy

by the wind. (If there is no wind on a
barren planet, the blades will not
turn)
GEOTHERMAL PLANTS. These
can only be built over steaming
vents youll find on certain worlds.
HARVESTING VEGETATION
(patches of moss, shrubs, bushes,
trees) with the exception of grass.
Its important to store energy in anticipation of

needs. You cannot build anything without sufficient energy even if you have a large storage of metal. Building
Energy Storage structures is helpful. As you progress
into the game, additional ways of producing energy become available.
Structures
There are several types of structures in Total Annihilation. Some give you metal and energy, as explained in
the preceding sections. Many produce units, including
both combat and construction units which in turn can
build higher-level structures. Other structures perform
strictly combat roles: youll build them for defensive and
offensive purposes.
Section IV of this manual contains hierarchy charts
for units and structures, as well as a short description of
every Level 1 and Level 2 structure found in the game.
As you progress, additional units and structures may
become available...
Units
Total Annihilation features probably the widest selection
of land, sea, and air units featured in any real-time
strategy game. In addition, additional units are available
at www.cavedog.com.
32
Reclaiming metal and energy.

Construction units can build higher level structures.
For instance, a Construction Vehicle built in a Vehicle
Plant is able to build an Advanced Vehicle Plant, which
in turn can build an Advanced Construction Vehicle. The
Commander is the only unit that combines combat and
construction capabilities.
THE GAME INTERFACE

Total Annihilation is played almost exclusively with the
mouse. You can configure your mouse to use a left-click
or right click interface, as you prefer.
T H E
Repairing structures and units.
P L A Y I N G
Building new structures. Note that several construction units can work on a single structure at the same
time. This significantly shortens construction time. To
assign an additional construction unit to a project,
order it to repair the building under construction.
I I I .
Construction units have several functions:
G A M E
The units in the game break down into combat units

and construction units.
Choosing the Mouse Interface

You choose your favored mouse interface through the
Options menu, which displays an Interface button.
The left-click mouse interface uses the left mouse button for selecting units and giving them orders. The
right mouse button is used to deselect units, and to
find a location within the Mini-Map.
The right-click mouse interface uses the left mouse
button to select units, but the right mouse button to
give them orders. The left mouse button is also used
to deselect units, and within the Mini-Map.
The Main Battle Screen

Once you have completed game setup and started a
game of Total Annihilation, you are taken to the Main
Battle Screen. Most of it is taken up by the Battle Map,
where the action takes place.
33
G A M E
T H E
P L A Y I N G
I I I .
To the side of the Battle Map is a panel containing a

mini-map of the battlefield, and the Build/Orders menu.
The top and bottom of the Main Battle Screen feature
status bars showing you the state of your resources
(top), and the state of the selected unit (bottom; you
have to place the mouse cursor over the selected unit to
activate this feature).
The Battle Map

The Battle Map shows the battlefield from an overhead
3D perspective. New games typically start with an unexplored map; you have to explore it with your units to
reveal the battlefield and find the enemy. You can only
see what your units and structures can see at any
given time. Unexplored areas are black. Areas that were
explored by your units, but are not currently under your
observation will show as gray on the map.
Note that units or structures selected on the Battle
Map show their health bars. A green bar indicates good
health; yellow, some damage; red, serious damage.
Units selected on the Main Map may be given orders using the Mini-Map, and the other way around. For
example, you can click on a unit on the Main Map and
move it to a new location by clicking on it in the MiniMap.
The Mini-Map
The upper left corner of the Battle Screen features a
small map of the entire battlefield. This little map is useful for keeping track of the situation, and for quickly
34
Units can be given orders within the Mini-Map, just

like on the Main Map. This is particularly convenient
when moving a unit a long distance, or conducting
long-range bombardment.
The Resources Status Bar
G A M E
I I I .
At the top of the Main Battle Screen youll see a status

bar informing you about the stocks, production, and
usage of your resources. Make a habit of checking the
numbers for production (+) and usage (-).
T H E
To quickly jump to a location, click on it within the

Mini-Map. You can also scroll within the Mini-Map by
clicking and holding the appropriate mouse button. This
depends on your choice of the mouse interface.
P L A Y I N G
jumping from one area to another. You can also move

units and order them to fire on the Mini-Map, just like
on the main Battle Map.
Note that maximum storage can change, depending

on whether you build storage facilities.
The Unit Status Bar

The Unit Status Bar appears at the bottom of the Main
Battle Screen. To access it, hold the mouse cursor over a
unit. You will be told what type of unit it is, and how
many enemy units it has killed. Units with more than 5
kills become veterans, which very slightly improves their
combat capabilities. Each subsequent 5 kills result in
another small improvement in the units battlefield performance. Use your construction units to repair veteran
units often.
35
G A M E
T H E
P L A Y I N G
I I I .
The horizontal bar is the units health bar. When

green from end to end, the unit is 100% healthy. The
bar starts showing red when the unit is damaged; more
red means more damage.
The figures to the right of the health bar show the
units metal/energy production/consumption. They will
change when you order a construction unit or the Commander to build or repair something. Note that the
Commander produces a small amount of energy.
THE BUILD AND ORDERS

MENUS
There are two buttons under the Mini-Map when a unit
is selected: Build and Orders. Use them to toggle between Build and Orders menus. To issue a command
from either menu, you first have to select the unit or
units you want to give orders. The Orders menu is different for construction units and different for combat
units, reflecting the selected units capabilities.
The Build Menu

The Build menu is the one used for construction units
and your Commander.
When you click the Build button, a set of building
icons will appear. Note that only six icons are shown at
any one time. To view all possible building choices, use
the left/right scroll arrows located under the building
icons.
36
Note that you can order construction of multiple

buildings of the same kind. Shift-click (SHIFT key +
mouse-click) on all the building sites, and the construction unit will build the same structure in sequence in all
chosen locations.
Building Units
To build a unit, click on the appropriate unit-producing
structure, then left-click on the desired units icon in the
Build menu. Multiple clicks will form a production
queue. Note that you can queue up units of different
types.
T H E
P L A Y I N G
After youve chosen the building site, click to start

the construction process.
I I I .
To build a structure, select the construction unit and

click on the appropriate icon in the Build menu. When
you move the mouse cursor over the Battle Map, youll
see an outline of the intended structure. A red outline
means you cannot build in the selected location; green
means you can.
G A M E
Building Structures
To cancel building a unit, right-click on the units

icon in the Build menu.
The Orders Menu

When you select a unit, a menu automatically appears
Build and Orders buttons. This menu reflects the capabilities of the selected unit. Combat units will have different Orders menus from construction units.
The choices available in the Orders menu can be
grouped into firing orders, movement orders, and immediate orders.
37
G A M E
T H E
P L A Y I N G
I I I .
Combine firing and movement orders to make units

behave the way you want them. Note that a construction units automatically repairs any damaged unit it
comes across, and can be given appropriate movement
orders.
Firing Orders
There are three options, from aggressive to passive:
FIRE AT WILL. The unit will open
fire on any enemy unit/structure
within range.
RETURN FIRE. The unit will only
open fire after being fired on.
HOLD FIRE. The unit will not open
fire unless ordered to do so. This is
useful when trying to capture an
enemy structure or unit, or for avoiding friendly fire casualties.
Movement Orders
There are three movement options, from passive to active:
HOLD POSITION. The unit will not
move from its assigned position no
matter what happens.
MANEUVER. A unit will maneuver
in self-defense or in order to attack
a nearby enemy, but only within a
short radius of its assigned position.
ROAM. Unit has freedom to move
wherever it likes. This means it will
follow enemy units it has engaged in
combat.
Immediate Orders
In addition to general movement and firing orders, a
unit can also be given immediate orders. Note that orders can be queued up: you can order a unit to perform
a sequence of tasks.
Many immediate orders are signaled by a changed
cursor, as indicated:
38
GUARD. Tells the unit to guard an

another, selected unit. In practice,
attaches one unit to another.
ATTACK. Tells the unit to attack a
selected enemy unit or structure.
CAPTURE. Only the Commander
can capture enemy units and structures. The larger and more heavily
armored the target, the longer it
takes to capture.
G A M E
T H E
MOVE. Tells the unit to relocate to a

new position; doesnt change units
general movement orders.
P L A Y I N G
REPAIR. Applies only to construction units and the Commander. Unit

will repair another selected unit, or
join another construction unit in
building a structure.
I I I .
RECLAIM. This order can only be

issued to construction units and the
Commander. The unit reclaims metal
or energy from the selected location.
STOP. This command cancels all

previous commands issued to the
unit.
PATROL. Lets you set a patrol route
for the unit.
LOAD/UNLOAD. This order may
only be issued to transport units.
D-GUN. Only the Commander has
the Disintegrator Gun. It works just
as advertised, but uses lots of energy.
Note that the cursor changes to reflect a units immediate orders only if you have selected the left-click
mouse interface.
39
G A M E
T H E
P L A Y I N G
I I I .
COMMANDERS
HANDBOOK
Keyboard Commands
ESC .................... cancels the current command before
it is executed
CTRL1-CTRL9 ..... Assign the currently selected units
to a squad
ALT1-ALT9 .......... Activate (select) the previously assigned squad
B ........................ Select the build menu for that unit
O ........................ Select the Order menu for that unit
1-9 ..................... Select the menu for the current unit
, (Comma) ............ Select the previous menu for that
unit
. (period) .............. Select the previous menu for that
unit
~ (tilde) ................ toggle on/off the damage bars for
the units
PAUSE ................ pause the game
F1 ...................... Display information on the selected
unit
F2 ...................... Bring up the options menu
F3 ...................... Go to the unit that last reported
information
F9 ...................... Screen capture, will Print screen to
file SHOT ####.pcx
F12 .................... Clear all chat messages
CTRL+ A ............ Select all of your units
40
CTRL + Z ............ Select all units of they same type

A ........................ Give and Attack order
G ........................ Give a Guard order
M ....................... Give a Move order
P ........................ Give a Patrol order
T H E
G A M E
CTRL + S ............ Select all units currently on the screen
P L A Y I N G
CTRL + D ........... Self-destruct selected units
I I I .
CTRL + C ............ Center screen and select your Commander
S ........................ give a Stop order (cancel any previous

orders)
D ........................ Use the Disintegrator gun
C ........................ Give a Capture Order
R ........................ Give a Repair order
E ........................ Give a Reclaim order
H ........................ Share resources with another player
N ........................ Scroll to the next unit off screen
T ........................ Track the selected unit
- ......................... Reduce the game speed
+ ........................ Increase the game speed
SHIFT ................. Hold down to queue up multiple commands
ENTER ................ Activate the message bar
41
U N I T S
A N D
S T R U C T U R E S
COMMON UNITS AND

STRUCTURES
I V .
IV.
STRUCTURES
AND UNITS
Commander
Common units and structures are those that can be

built by both ARM and CORE. Note that the cost of the
same item may differ between the two armies.
CONSTRUCTION UNITS
You will start many missions with a
Commander. Armed with the Disintegrator gun and the best nanolathe in
the game, the Commander builds and kills - like no other unit. Use your
Commander cautiously, losing him
often means losing the game.
Construction Kbot
ARM: 120 metal, 2410 energy
CORE: 130 metal, 2540 energy
The Level 1 Construction Kbot can
build Level 1 and 2 structures as well
as an Advanced Kbot Lab. It is a slow
builder, so using two or three on individual construction jobs is highly recommended.
Construction Vehicle
The Level 1 Construction Vehicle can
build Level 1 and 2 structures, as well
as an Advanced Vehicle Plant. This
vehicle has much better armor than
the Construction Kbot.
42
Construction Aircraft
The Level 1 Construction Aircraft can
build Level 1 and 2 structures as well
as an Advanced Aircraft Plant. Use this
unit to build defensive structures on
unscalable hilltops, and set up supplementary bases or complexes in faraway spots.
Advanced Construction Kbot
U N I T S
A N D
The Level 1 Construction Ship can

build some Level 1 and 2 structures as
well as an Advanced Shipyard. This
unit plays an important role since its
the only naval vessel that can build
torpedo launchers and repair other
ships.
S T R U C T U R E S

I V .
Construction Ship

The Advanced Construction Kbot can
build top secret Level 3 structures. It
builds faster than a Construction Kbot;
however, its fragile and a slower
mover.
Advanced Construction Vehicle

The Advanced Construction Vehicle
can build secret Level 3 structures. Its
a relatively quick builder, and noticeably better armored than the Advanced Construction Kbot. However, it
cannot get to all the spots a Kbot can.
43
U N I T S
A N D
S T R U C T U R E S
I V .
Advanced Construction Aircraft

The Advanced Construction Aircraft
can build top secret Level 3. This is the
most expensive construction unit in
the game. Terrain is no obstacle to this
unit, which hovers above ground while
building.
UNIT-PRODUCING
BUILDINGS
Kbot Lab
The Kbot Lab builds all Level 1 Kbots,
including the Construction Kbot.
Vehicle Plant
The Vehicle Plant builds all Level 1
vehicles, including the Construction
Vehicle.
Aircraft Plant
The Aircraft Plant builds all Level 1
aircraft, including the Construction
Aircraft.
Shipyard
The Shipyard builds all Level 1 naval
ships, including the Construction Ship.
44
Advanced Vehicle Plant

The Advanced Vehicle Plant builds all
Level 2 vehicles, including the Advanced Construction Vehicle.
Advanced Aircraft Plant

The Advanced Aircraft Plant builds all
Level 2 aircraft, including the Advanced Construction Aircraft.
Advanced Shipyard
U N I T S
A N D
The Advanced Kbot Lab builds all Level

2 Kbots, including the Advanced Construction Kbot.
S T R U C T U R E S

I V .
Advanced Kbot Lab

The Advanced Shipyard builds all Level
2 naval ships, and the Construction
Ship.
COMMON LEVEL 1
STRUCTURES
Radar Tower
The Radar Tower gives you information on your enemies location within
a small radius. Detected enemy units
and structures show up as a dot (of a
different color than your own) on the
Mini-Map.
45
U N I T S
A N D
S T R U C T U R E S
I V .
Sonar Station
The Sonar Station has a large radius
sonar range to detect enemy submarines. Detected craft show up on the
Mini-Map.
Metal Extractor
The Metal Extractor is used to exploit
metal deposits. The amount of metal it
extracts depends on the size of the
deposit - larger deposits make it spin
quicker.
Metal Maker
These structures can be built to fabricate metal using excess energy. 60
energy converts into 1 metal.
Metal Storage
This structure increases your maximum
metal storage by 1000 units.
Solar Collector
A Solar Collector is the most reliable
form of energy production. Each Collector generates 20 energy.
Wind Generator
The amount of energy a Wind Generator outputs varies constantly. On planets with no wind these are completely
useless!
46
Light Laser Tower

The L.L.T. fires a short-range rapidfire laser that is effective against
lightly armored Level 1 units.
COMMON LEVEL 2
STRUCTURES
Geothermal Powerplant
Geothermal Powerplants can only be
built on top of geothermal vents. Their
output is 250 energy.
U N I T S
A N D
This structure increases your maximum

energy capacity by 3000 energy.
S T R U C T U R E S

I V .
Energy Storage
Tidal Generator
Tidal Generators collect an amount of
energy dependent on the strength of
the tides; these are different on every
world.
Torpedo Launcher
Cost: 804 metal, 2658 energy
These launch torpedoes at enemy
ships and submarines. Their sonar has
longer range than that of subs.
Dragons Teeth
These spiked barriers block enemy
units, and are useful in base defense.
47
U N I T S
A N D
S T R U C T U R E S
I V .
Heavy Laser Tower

ARM Sentinel: 584 metal, 5398 energy
CORE Gaat Gun: 589 metal, 5443 energy
A Heavy Laser Tower fires twin medium-range lasers at enemy units. It is
effective against all unit types except
aircraft. Each shot also requires 75
energy.
Missile Tower
ARM Defender: 79 metal, 843 energy
CORE Pulverizer: 76 metal, 805 energy
Missile Towers are most effective
against aircraft - they fire mediumrange guided missiles.
Heavy Plasma Cannon

ARM Guardian 1946 metal, 7687 energy
CORE Punisher1887 metal, 7585 energy
The Heavy Plasma Cannon fires powerful long-range plasma projectiles
from two barrels. Its the most durable
Level 2 defensive structure, effective
against both enemy units and structures. Its long range makes it good for
coastal defense.
ARM UNITS
LEVEL 1 KBOTS
Peewee Infantry Kbot
Equipped with good sensors, the Peewee is designed primarily for armed
reconnaissance.
It isnt well armed or armored, but
boasts a good rate of fire. Have groups
of Peewees scout out the battlefield,
and patrol approaches to your base.
48
Rocko Rocket Launcher Kbot

The Rocko Kbot has the toughest armor among the Level 1 Kbots. Its rockets have a respectable range, and can
also hit aircraft. The Rocko is a versatile weapon, equally good at offense
and defense. Groups of Rockos can be
lethal, even when thrown against relatively sophisticated enemy units.
Jethro Anti-Air Missile Kbot

U N I T S
A N D
The Hammers medium range cannon

fires high-energy plasma rounds; it can
hit targets hidden behind ridges and
other obstacles. The Hammers punch
makes it very useful, but its light armor means it needs to be protected by
tougher units.
S T R U C T U R E S
I V .
Hammer Artillery Kbot
The Jethros guided missiles are most

effective against aircraft; they pack
much less punch against Kbots or vehicles. Only lightly armored, Jethros
are most effective when used to protect other units from aerial attacks.
LEVEL 2 KBOTS
Zipper Fast Scouting Kbot
The quickest Kbot in the game, the
Zipper is agile enough to avoid a lot of
the enemys gunfire. Its medium laser
is only an average weapon, but used
in groups, Zippers are devastating at
hit-and-run attacks.
49
U N I T S
A N D
S T R U C T U R E S
I V .
Fido Four Legged Kbot

The four legged Fido is better
equipped to deal with steep terrain
than other Kbots. Its well armored,
and packs a medium range Gauss
cannon that is very effective against
ground units and structures.
Zeus Lightning Kbot

This speedy unit is ARMs most effective close combat Kbot - its powerful
lightning gun is very effective against
COREs slower tanks. However, its
weapons short range often exposes
this unit to enemy artillery.
Invader Crawling Bomb

The blast created by a detonating Invader destroys or damages everything
within a large radius. Invaders can be
used to soften up enemy defenses
before major base assaults, or for surgical strikes against selected targets.
Eraser Radar Jammer

The Eraser makes your units and structures invisible to enemy radar. When
using an Eraser, assign other units to
guard it as it has no weapons, and is
only lightly armored.
LEVEL 1 VEHICLES
Jeffy Fast Attack Vehicle
The speedy, inexpensive Jeffy is a good
reconnaissance tool. Able to cover
large distances quickly, a Jeffy can
effectively patrol large perimeters.
Armed with only a light laser and
weak armor, it isnt well suited for
intense combat.
50
Samson Surface-to-Air Missile

Launcher
The Samsons is the best mobile AA
weapon in the ARM arsenal. Capable
of defending against even Level 2
aircraft, the Samson requires protection of its own as its light armor cant
take much damage. Team up Samsons
with stronger tanks to provide protection for both.
Stumpy Medium Assault Tank
U N I T S
A N D
The Flash is ARMs primary recon tank.

Groups of Flash tanks can destroy
undefended enemy buildings, but their
weak armor makes them unsuitable
for confronting enemy tanks. The Flash
is most useful in the early stages of
the game, before the stronger Level 2
tanks appear.
S T R U C T U R E S
I V .
Flash Fast Assault Tank

Armed with a medium plasma cannon
and medium armor, the Stumpy is a
well-balanced Level 1 tank. It serves
as the backbone of ARMs tank forces
until the appearance of the Bulldog
Heavy Tank.
LEVEL 2 VEHICLES
Bulldog Heavy Assault Tank
The Bulldog is the heaviest ARM battle
tank. While slower than a Stumpy, it
has stronger armor and a more powerful plasma cannon. Use Bulldogs primarily in open terrain where they can
close on the enemy easily.
51
U N I T S
A N D
S T R U C T U R E S
I V .
Triton Amphibious Tank

The lightly armored Triton is ARMs
only amphibious tank. While underwater, Tritons dont appear on enemy
radar - their arrival on an enemy
beach will catch your enemy by surprise. If faced with superior resistance,
Triton tanks can always escape back
into the water.
Jammer Mobile Radar Jammer

As its name indicates, this vehicle
jams enemy radar. The Jammer is fairly
fast, capable of concealing large tank
columns on the move. Like the Eraser
Kbot, the Jammer is unarmed and clad
in light armor - armed units should be
assigned to guard it.
Luger Mobile Artillery

The Lugers anti-sliver shells are the
most potent ARM weapon - lethal
against units and structures alike. It is
most effective when firing from a distance, since its light armor makes it
very vulnerable to enemy fire.
Merl Mobile Rocket Launcher

The Merl is capable of firing powerful
long range rockets. Since the rockets
are unguided, they are only effective
against enemy structures and stationary units. Keep AA units near your
Merls, as they are defenseless against
aircraft.
52
Seer Mobile Radar

The Seer is equipped with powerful
radar thats useful in locating the enemy. Deployed in defense, the Seer can
alert you to approaching enemy
forces. It can also be employed offensively, as a spotter for your artillery.
LEVEL 1 SHIPS
Skeeter PT Boat
U N I T S
A N D
The Spiders stun gun and terrain capability make it a unique unit in the
game. Its gun paralyzes targets momentarily - rendering them completely
defenseless. In addition, Spiders can
be deployed through any terrain; no
grade is too steep for a Spider.
S T R U C T U R E S
I V .
Spider All Terrain Attack Vehicle
The Skeeter is the fastest and least

expensive ARM ship. Its guided missiles are effective against aircraft, but
its light laser is no match against enemy ships. Skeeters are the only ARM
Level 1 ship with AA capabilities.
Crusader Destroyer
The Crusaders biggest assets are its
sonar and depth charges. Its anti-submarine (ASW) capabilities make this
ship useful even after Level 2 ships
appear.
Lurker Submarine
The Lurker excels at sinking enemy
surface ships. Armed with heavy unguided torpedoes, Lurkers are capable
of sinking any ship in seconds - they
remain useful throughout the game.
53
U N I T S
S T R U C T U R E S
The unarmed Hulk can carry six

ground units. Hulks are slow and unarmed, making them favorite targets
of enemy submarines; a destroyer escort is always necessary when transporting units with your Hulk.
LEVEL 2 SHIPS
I V .
A N D
Hulk Amphibious Transport
Ranger Missile Ship
Piranha Attack Submarine

Faster than Level 1 subs and armed
with small guided torpedoes, the Piranha is designed to hunt down other
submarines. The Piranhas smaller torpedo warheads do significantly less
damage to surface ships.

The Ranger is ARMs best naval AA
unit. In addition to guided AA missiles,
the Ranger can launch heavy rockets
at coastal targets and other ships.
While better than the Skeeter against
aircraft and other ships, the Ranger is
just as defenseless against sub attacks
and needs a sonar-equipped escort.
Conqueror Cruiser
The Conqueror is the best ARM ship
for land bombardments. Though it
cannot take as much damage as a
Millenium Battleship, it can enter shallower waters, and its plasma cannon
has greater range. In addition, its sonar and depth charges can protect it
and your other capital ships from enemy subs.
54
Colossus Light Carrier

The Colossus can repair any aircraft on
its decks, and the on-board fission
reactor produces energy. It also has
radar sensors to facilitate air strikes
and naval bombardments. Escort your
carriers at all times as they have no
weapons of their own.
LEVEL 1 AIRCRAFT
Peeper Scout
U N I T S
A N D
The Millenium Battleship is ARMs

most effective weapon against enemy
surface vessels. While it is clad in very
heavy armor, the Millenium is defenseless against subs and should always
be accompanied by other, sonarequipped ships.
S T R U C T U R E S
I V .
Millenium Battleship

The Peeper is a good unit for aerial
reconnaissance. Inexpensive and fast,
this scout ship can often outrun
guided missiles. Its high speed also
enables it to patrol large distances
very quickly.
Freedom Fighter Fighter

The most inexpensive fighter available
to the ARM forces, the Freedom
Fighter is best suited for intercepting
enemy bombers. You can also employ
this versatile fighter to support your
Kbots and vehicles against COREs
level 1 ground units.
55
U N I T S
A N D
S T R U C T U R E S
I V .
Thunder Bomber
The Thunder is a slow and lightly armored bomber. It cant survive strong
AA fire; limiting it to one pass over a
target is a good policy. The Thunders
lack of air-to-air weaponry makes it
very vulnerable to enemy Level 2
fighters.
Atlas Transport
The Atlas is useful in delivering units
to inaccessible regions of the map islands and high hilltops for example.
Relatively slow and unarmed, this
transport plane is very vulnerable, so
provide an escort of a pair of fighters.
If shot down, the Atlas and its cargo
are destroyed.
LEVEL 2 AIRCRAFT
Brawler Gunship
Able to hover over its target, the
Brawler can be used to attack air,
ground, as well as naval units. Its dual
EMGs - though not very powerful have a very high rate of fire. In addition, The Brawler is clad in heavy armor that protects it well against enemy AA weapons.
Hawk Stealth Fighter

The Hawks stealth technology makes
it invisible to enemy radar. Equipped
with dual guided missile launchers, it
is a great bomber killer. The Hawk can
hold its own against CORE Level 2
fighters, too.
56
Lancet Torpedo Bomber

The Lancets torpedoes are good
against naval targets. It doesnt have
sonar, but with another unit spotting
for it, the Lancet can even destroy
submarines.
CORE UNITS
LEVEL 1 KBOTS
U N I T S
A N D
The Phoenix is ARMs most powerful

bomber. Armed with heavy armor and
defensive lasers, it is able to defend
itself against enemy fighters and survive tough AA defenses. Its a good
idea to repair these expensive bombers after every sortie.
S T R U C T U R E S
I V .
Phoenix Strategic Bomber
A.K. Infantry Kbot

COREs primary infantry Kbot, the A.K.
is a more powerful unit than its ARM
counterpart, the Peewee. It is only
equipped with light armor, but because of its quickness and low price
tag, the A.K. remains useful even after
Level 2 Kbots appear.
Crasher AA Kbot
The Crasher is armed with light guided
missiles. While good against enemy
aircraft, its missiles inflict only minor
damage to ground units. Five or six
patrolling Crashers can protect an
entire base from Level 1 aircraft.
57
U N I T S
A N D
S T R U C T U R E S
I V .
Storm Rocket Launcher Kbot

The Storms armor can take twice the
damage of any other CORE Level 1
Kbot. While its rockets are only moderately effective, its durability makes it a
good offensive unit. Lead attacks with
Storms to draw fire away from your
artillery.
Thud Artillery Kbot

The Thuds long range plasma cannon
is the most powerful weapon among
COREs Level 1 Kbots. Try to keep them
away from enemy fire, however - their
armor is very weak.
LEVEL 2 KBOTS
Pyro Flame Thrower Kbot
The Pyros flamethrower, while lethal,
is only effective at close range. Use
Pyros to ambush slower tanks and
Construction Kbots.
Roach Crawling Bomb

The Roach is a walking anti-matter
bomb capable of blowing up many
enemy targets at once. Great at softening up base defenses, Roaches
should be kept clear of your other
units!
The Can Heavy Kbot

Although quite slow, the Can is the
most heavily armored Kbot available
to CORE. It is also well armed with a
heavy laser. Use the Can to provide
your other, speedier units with support.
58
LEVEL 1 VEHICLES
Weasel Scout vehicle
The Weasel is the quickest and most
inexpensive CORE vehicle; useful for
exploring early in the game. Weakly
armed or armored, the Weasel doesnt
fare very well in combat.
U N I T S
The Spectre is COREs only countermeasures Kbot - its jamming radius

roughly approximates a Radar Towers.
Speedy but unarmed, this fairly inexpensive unit should be guarded by
other units.
A N D
S T R U C T U R E S
Spectre Radar Jammer

The small Instigator is very quick and
maneuverable. Its quick-firing laser is
good against both units and structures, particularly at leveling undefended metal extractors and solar collectors. Keep in mind that its light
armor makes the Instigator unsuitable
for intense combat.
I V .
Instigator Light Recon Tank
Slasher Mobile Missile Launcher

The Slasher provides more AA firepower than a Crasher Kbot. One or
two Slashers are capable of defending
a large base from aerial assaults.
Slashers are also good at defending
your moving units from enemy gunships.
59
U N I T S
A N D
S T R U C T U R E S
I V .
Raider Medium Assault Tank

The Raider is the only Level 1 Tank
suitable for close combat. Its medium
armor and plasma cannon are sufficient when attacking Level 1 and 2
base defenses. The Raider is inexpensive and reliable, making it useful even
when more sophisticated tanks become available.
LEVEL 2 VEHICLES
Mobile Artillery
The Mobile Artillery lobs high explosive shells at distant enemy targets. It
isnt very accurate, and the blast affects a large area. Use mobile radar,
preferably mounted on aircraft, to spot
for Mobile Artillery; if you use land
units, chances are theyll be destroyed.
Reaper Heavy Assault Tank

The Reaper is a very valuable unit. This
versatile tank is well armored, heavily
armed and isnt as slow as the
Goliath. Reapers make short work of
structures but require AA protection
from enemy aircraft.
Crock Amphibious Tank

The Crock tank is fully submersible,
and able to cross large bodies of water. Their moderate armor makes them
incapable of withstanding much punishment but unlike other tanks, Crocks
can submerge to escape enemy fire.
60
Informer Mobile Radar

The Level 2 Informers radar range is
smaller than a Radar Towers. Its a
small and fast unit, great at reconnaissance and at spotting for your long
range guns.
Deleter Radar Jammer

The jamming radius of the Deleter is
relatively small; one wont protect
your entire base. Send Deleters out to
conceal important installations. If you
attach a Deleter to an assault team,
the enemy will have no warning of
your approach.
U N I T S
A N D
The Diplomat is the ultimate building

killer. It can fire its powerful unguided
rockets from long range, and can
quickly eliminate any stationary target. Slow and weakly armored, these
units should be kept behind a protective screen of tanks and Kbots.
S T R U C T U R E S
I V .
Diplomat Mobile Heavy Rocket

Launcher
Goliath Super Heavy Tank

No tank on the battlefield is as strong
as a Goliath. In teams, the Goliath is
capable of overrunning top secret,
sophisticated defensive structures - its
armor can withstand a lot of pounding. The most expensive tank in the
game, the Goliath is still a bargain
when compared to some Level 2 ships
and aircraft.
61
U N I T S
A N D
S T R U C T U R E S
I V .
LEVEL 1 SHIPS
Searcher Scout Ship
While quick and maneuverable, the
Searcher is inadequate for fighting sea
battles because of its light armor. The
Searcher has better spotting range
than other ships, making it an ideal
scout. You can also use it to protect
your more expensive ships - it is the
only Level 1 ship with AA missiles.
Enforcer Destroyer
The Enforcer is the only Level 1 surface ship with anti-submarine weaponry. Its medium plasma cannon and
armor are strong by Level 1 standards.
With the appearance of Level 2 Cruisers, your Enforcers should be re-assigned to escort your more expensive
capital ships.
Snake Submarine
The Snake is COREs ship-killing submarine. Armed with heavy unguided
torpedoes, a Snake can sink even a
battleship in seconds. Remember that
Snakes have very thin armor - it will
buckle quickly under depth charge
attacks.
Envoy Transport Ship

The slow, lumbering Envoy can transport six ground units inside. Use them
when islands need to be exploited for
their resources or strategic location.
Guard this unarmed transport; if it
goes down, the units on board are
also lost.
62
The Shark is specially designed to hunt

other submarines - its smaller torpedo
home in on their target with the help
of the Sharks enhanced sonar. Use
Sharks to intercept ARM Lurkers before they can get near your expensive
capital ships.
Missile Frigate
The Missile Frigates powerful guided
missiles are the best naval defense
against enemy aircraft. Two or three
Hydras are a good investment, as they
can quickly eliminate fragile Torpedo
Bombers. Youll need to protect the
Missile Frigate with ASW ships, as they
have no anti-sub weapons of their
own.
U N I T S
A N D
S T R U C T U R E S
Shark Sub Killer
I V .
LEVEL 2 SHIPS
Executioner Cruiser
The Executioner is COREs prime fighting ship. Designed for heavy combat,
this cruiser has heavy armor and a
long range plasma cannon that can hit
sea and ground targets. Additionally
armed with depth charges, the Executioner can also tackle enemy submarines.
Warlord Battleship
With the most powerful naval plasma
cannon and the heaviest armor in the
game, the Warlord specializes in destroying surface ships and coastal
structures. The Warlord, however, lacks
anti-aircraft or anti-sub weaponry.
63
U N I T S
A N D
S T R U C T U R E S
I V .
Hive Light Carrier

The unarmed Hive provides transport
and repair bays for two aircraft. The
Hive is unique to COREs fleet in that
it has a fission reactor, which produces
useable energy. It is also equipped
with radar, letting you coordinate air
strikes and coastal bombardments.
LEVEL 1 AIRCRAFT
Fink Scout
The small Fink has longer spotting
range than other CORE aircraft, making it ideal for exploring the map in
the early stages of a game. Assigned
to patrol duty, the Fink can alert you
to enemy activity even if the enemy
fields radar jammers.
Avenger Fighter
The Avenger is a basic fighter, designed to intercept ARM aircraft.
Weakly armed and armored, the
Avenger is most useful when escorting
Level 1 bombers to their targets.
Shadow Bomber
The Shadow bomber is best used very
early in the game when AA defenses
are nonexistent or weak. Too slow to
dodge AA fire, the Shadow also has no
air-to-air weaponry, making it very
vulnerable to enemy fighters.
64
LEVEL 2 AIRCRAFT
Rapier Gunship
Overall, the Rapier is the most versatile of all CORE aircraft. Sporting
heavy armor and guided rockets, the
Rapier is effective against both air and
ground targets.
Vamp Stealth Fighter

U N I T S
A N D
The Valkyrie can transport one ground

unit anywhere regardless of terrain.
Remember that it is slow and unarmed; when transporting units it is
always a good idea to provide
Valkyries with an escort. If shot down,
both the plane and its cargo are destroyed.
S T R U C T U R E S
I V .
Valkyrie Air Transport
Though scantily armored, the Vamp

Stealth Fighter is armed with twin airto-air missile launchers and is invisible
to enemy radar. Effective as they are
against enemy aircraft, Vamps are very
vulnerable to AA fire.
Hurricane Strategic Bomber

The Hurricane is a powerful bomber
that can level buildings and wipe out
units with equal ease. It is armed with
a secondary light laser that helps fight
off enemy fighters. Remember to repair your Hurricanes between sorties,
as they are a big investment.
65
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If you're logged in, go directly to "Support" page,
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otherwise you can find the game you're looking for
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Choose the game that you have problem with,
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If not, go to the "Contact us" page,
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Fill all the required fields with proper data please enter as much details as you can,
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All your messages and our replies will appear
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U N I T S
A N D
S T R U C T U R E S
I V .
Titan Torpedo Bomber

Designed for sub hunting, the Titan is
armed with powerful unguided torpedoes. To hit enemy subs, a naval unit
with sonar must spot for the Titan. Its
prudent to keep these fragile bombers
away from the enemys anti-aircraft
weaponry.
Cavedog Entertainment
13110 NE 177th Place
Suite # B101, Box 180
Woodinville, WA 98072-996
Attn: Customer Service
Please be sure to include the exact name of the product you
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you are calling outside of the US or Canada, youll need to speak to
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handling charges. This is not a Technical Support line.
Defective Disk
Very often, customers just need some technical support in order to
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For phone assistance, call Cavedog Entertainments Tech Support at
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Warranty
66

Table Of: I. Installing The Game ..................................... 5

Uploaded by

Table Of: I. Installing The Game ..................................... 5

Uploaded by

I. Installing the Game .....................................

I. INSTALLING TOTAL ANNIALATION

II. Starting a New Game ............................... 10

I. INSTALLING TOTAL ANNIALATION

III. Playing the Game .................................... 31

I. INSTALLING TOTAL ANNIALATION

I. INSTALLING TOTAL ANNIALATION

3. Insert Total Annihilation CD 1 to start a single player

Make sure to check

Installation without AutoPlay

Multiplayer Spawn Installation

This installation program installs Total Annihilation for

2. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. Youll

The Uninstall program does not remove DirectX 5 from

Uninstalling Total Annihilation

I. INSTALLING TOTAL ANNIALATION

If earlier versions of DirectX are found, youll see

If you ever want to remove Total Annihilation from your

Improving Game Performance

Adjusting Your System

Adjusting Game Options

1. Turning off CD music in the Game Options screen.

Game wont run

Check whether you have enough space on your hard

Game doesnt install

Total Annihilation is a blast, but it is also a complex

Total Annihilation is a real-time strategy game. You win

Finally, Total Annihilation is a game in which both

NEW GAME OPTIONS

* SINGLE starts a new single player

* EXIT takes you back to the desktop.

* INTRO replays the opening movie,

* MULTI starts a new multiplayer

STARTING A NEW SINGLE

NEW CAMPAIGN will start a new

Which side to play, ARM or CORE;

Selecting New Campaign takes you to the Campaign

If you are new to real-time strategy gaming, it will be to

Play the SKIRMISH mode after you have played enough

The objective of this mission is to secure your Galactic

Click on the upper left-hand corner of your game

Enemy units should be popping up very quickly.

is over a suitable spot to build one. Select a spot and

want to use him in battle yet). With all of your K-Bots

of your units have gathered at the banks of the river

Save at least one Spider by returning it to your base.

The key to this mission is time. Build up your base with

Keep your eye out for enemy units attacking from

a point in the that makes the unit walk around the

Capture the Core Galactic Gate.

The Choose Connection screen will appear, giving

To play Total Annihilation against human opponents,

about 6-10 amphibious tanks and you should be able to

CHOOSING THE RIGHT

If you have a Local Area Network (LAN) installed,

The Modem Connection screen keeps a list of the

If you have a LAN that supports TCP/IP, or if you want to

Playing on the Internet

GET WIREPLAY [UK] Installs

DWANGO server, and give you more

PASSWORD opens a field that has

The Battle Room

After choosing New in the Select Game screen, you will

Whether you host or join a game, the Battle Room

SELECT MAP: Allows the host to

Customizing Multiplayer Games

GO?: Everybody, including you,

PING: Time, in milliseconds, that the

LOCATION: Starting positions can

WATCHING: Toggles whether or not

The game features two resources: energy and metal.

This section discusses the game components-featured

Converting Energy into metal. Build a Metal Maker.

SOLAR COLLECTORS gather the

WIND GENERATORS create energy

Its important to store energy in anticipation of