Playing with Total Annihilation-style metal maps
Once upon a time, there was a game called Total Annihilation. It was very much like Supreme Commander, except the models were simpler and mass was metal, oh and there were no annoying Jehova’s Witness aliens with overpowered tech 1 tanks. Anyway, while the economy was much more unforgiving to those who failed Resource Management 101, there was a map type where metal extractors could be built on any land spot, some even under water. These were the much vaunted metal maps, and they were praised by newbies and pros alike for their unique ability to eliminate the constant struggle for metal points. This way, less attention needed be paid to the difficult and time consuming resource struggle and more could be given to building massive attack forces to swarm your opponent. On the whole, it provided not only a healthy change of pace for veterans battle weary from adept metal managing to relax, but also an outlet for the newer players to get used to the concept of the game.
Now, years later, with TA a member of the senior citizens brigade and Supcom at the vanguard of RTSs, metal maps have fallen by the wayside. That is, until a certain nostalgic modder decided to bring sexy back. Once again, people old and new can enjoy the luxury of being able to build mass/metal points anywhere on the map and they can revel in the rapture of not having to worry about fighting over the spiderbot on Seton’s Clutch or securing the unoccupied islands on Roanoke Abyss. I myself and the circle of friends I play with, have thoroughly enjoyed this mod and use it as a means to satisfy such desires as having 200 plus SCUs at any given time or being able to drop Mavors in under 20 minutes. It’s all good fun really and has provided us with countless hours of unbridled experimental-unit warfare, but there are some “hidden costs.”
After all, it’s only common sense to realize that when one eliminates core resource necessities, one also dulls the blade of resource managerial skills. For example, after going on week-long binges of metal mod, I played a few 1v1 ranked games. Needless to say, the results were less than favorable, cataclysmic even. I suffered from a syndrome I have henceforth referred to as “Acute Metalurgic Modification Skillitis.” The symptoms of this disease are troubling indeed and include, but are not limited to, blatant disregard of the tech one and two tiers, delusions of having 2000+ mass and constant attempts at building mass extractors adjacent to fusion reactors. I and my posse have long been plagued with this infirmity and have been forced to endure not only the jeers from rude players in custom games, but the far worse bane of dropping whole 300 places in rank.
In spite of these consequences, my colleagues and I still and will always herald this mod as a breath of fresh air in the harsh and cold world of RTS resource management. Besides, unlike most deadly ailments, this one has a relatively simple cure. No, not abusing anti-depressants, rather just avoiding the urge to toggle the mod and playing the way Chris Taylor intended us to play. While resource management is arguably the most challenging concept to grasp in Supcom, it is not easily forgotten once attained and not even over-playing this mod to the point of extinction can totally expunge your hard earned experience.
All in all, I’m overjoyed that someone went out of their way to bring back an aspect of TA that many had forgotten about or never even heard of and, when used in moderation, it can really add a whole new element of play to our growing repertoire. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to tending to my fleet of 500 CZARs.
By the way, if you are by chance interested in downloading the mod, you can get it here Just extract everything in the zip file into your mods folder.
Ed. note by Cyde Weys: This mod was previously covered in passing when the map Metal Heck was released for Supreme Commander.
August 3rd, 2007 at 11:13 am
I wouldn’t really call Aeon tanks overpowered. Yes, they do go over water while other factions’ do not, but they are rather weak, and get ripped to shreds by equal numbers of highly-maneuverable mantii.
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Metal maps were a lot of fun in TA, but I’m not so sure they transfer as well to SupCom. In TA, the resource war was all important. In SupCom it is too, but as has already been discussed, the mass fabricators take over the end game, and just like an extractor on a TA metal map, they can be placed anywhere.
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:13 pm
It seems to me it would be easier to make a mod that was simply a resource multiplier. Instead of the 2x mod, just have a 10x mod, or a 30x mod. The end result would be the same, it would just take a bit of the hassle out of building tons of mass extractors. Also, though I don’t quite agree as emphatically as many that mass fabs break the game, the people who make that point will probably be against this mod.
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:21 pm
Game description of a game I entered on GameSpy years ago
Metal Heck
“10k/10k
30 minute build time
I’m good.”
I’ll tell you about the game one day.
August 4th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
@Baddox: Such mods already exist – one that I have occasionally used increases mass exponentially, so that you start with very little mass and by the end (when you need it) you have +2000 mass.
August 6th, 2007 at 5:48 am
Actually the metal maps were a lot harder to play on as you had to focus even more on your resource management. It eliminates the raiding of metal patches and forces you to into a resource race. Also trying to keep up with your resources by building units and plants is hardly relaxing.
Metal games are a lot faster and demanding than playing on non metal maps.
Unless your both porcing noobs off-course, but then all maps play relaxed. ;)
June 26th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
I agree with NERDsFist, that metal maps make the game a bigger challenge. Not only are you producing 20+ Krogoths, or Monkeylords in Supcom ,but your enemy is too, supposing they are the Core or, in Supcom, the Cybrans. So it leads to some pretty intense games unless both guys decide to spend the entire game building bases and trying to outgun the other’s anti-nukes. Especially on the smaller metal maps like Metal Heck or, to a lesser extent, Over Crude Water.