Total Annihilation Graphics Engine (2012)
The article details Jon Mavor's work on Total Annihilation's graphics engine, overcoming hardware limitations and implementing optimizations like caching units as sprites and improving image quality. Mavor's dedication and technical insights are well-received.
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The post discusses the development of the graphics engine for Total Annihilation (TA) by Jon Mavor. He joined the team in 1996 and faced challenges due to hardware limitations and the use of fixed-point math in the engine. Mavor worked on improving unit rendering performance, image quality, and adding new features. He implemented techniques like caching 3D units as sprites, splitting buildings for animation efficiency, and handling shadows differently for units and buildings. Mavor also addressed image quality issues by anti-aliasing buildings and optimizing texture mapping. Despite encountering some bugs, he managed to enhance the rendering process significantly. The post reflects on the complexities faced during the development process and highlights Mavor's dedication to refining the graphics engine for TA. Additionally, it mentions his interest in continuing to explore similar game development challenges in the future. The comments from readers express appreciation for the insights shared by Mavor regarding the technical aspects of game development.
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11 commentshttps://www.beyondallreason.info/
Also the entire game is open-source on GitHub.
I think I still own the CD-ROMs and the very awesome soundtrack is playable on a CD Player, as it used track 1 for data and the rest for audio, just like Sega Saturn games.
BTW the plot from Total Annihilation would make for a very good TV Show, I wish someone picked up the rights.
I worked on an open-source TA successor game way back when, and I figured mapping a texture off of a big atlas of different textures to each quad of your model was just how old games did things. I am just now realizing that this level of jank was unusual.
No I can't say I ever noticed that... and I've probably played thousands of hours, including playing through the entire campaign for both sides...
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