Total Annihilation: Kingdoms

• Platform: IBM PC Compatible
• Release Date: July 01, 1999
• Genre: Strategy
• Style: 3D Real-Time Strategy
• Similar Games: Total Annihilation (IBM PC Compatible), Total Annihilation: The Core Contingency (IBM PC Compatible), Total Annihilation: Battle Tactics (IBM PC Compatible)

Game Description

For generations, peace held sway over the mythical kingdom of Darien because of the strong and heroic leadership of the First Mage Emperor Garacaius who was responsible for the restoration and tranquility of this chaotic world. He divided the kingdom equally between his four children, two sons and two daughters, and ensured continuity by bestowing a sacred relic of great power and immortality on each. Unfortunately, Garacaius disappeared under mysterious circumstances and now, several hundred years later, peace is grinding to a halt as his offspring bicker and fight among themselves for control of Darien.

In Total Annihilation: Kingdoms, four equal but dramatically diverse factions vie for supremacy as they strive to conquer the Land of Darien through the use of magic, armed aggression and real-time strategy. The elementally-based protagonists include the lands of Aramon (earth), Veruna (water), Zhon (air) and Taros (fire). The two forces representing good, earth and water, are aligned against the evil forces of fire and air.

Total Annihilation: Kingdoms includes both single-and multi-player maps and missions. The game features an innovative single-player campaign approach in which the player actually changes allegiance and experiences gameplay as all four civilizations during the 48 missions. Multi-player action is free at the Cavedog Entertainment Boneyard Internet site. Periodically, the designers will offer free downloads of new units at the site as well.

The game ships with Cartographer, a map, mission and scripting editor, for fans eager to expand gameplay by devising and creating new missions and scenarios. The world of Darien is vast and consists of many varied 3D environments such as swamps, forests and hills to name just a few. Resource management in Total Annihilation: Kingdoms centers on the commodities of time and mana. As a real-time strategy game, both elements come into play and affect results of conjuring new units from the more than 100 available.

The interface is almost entirely mouse driven with some keyboard shortcuts available. Gameplay includes features such as fog of war, where units can only "see" units and structures within their line of sight, darkened maps that are revealed slowly as units explore territories and battle maps shown in overhead 3D perspective. Other game components include a system of unit advancement that relies on experience, divergent units postured with offensive, defensive or passive proclivities, dynamic mana generation and a large contingent of more than 50 monsters and non-playing characters.

Roots & Influences

Total Annihilation: Kingdoms is the second full game of the Total Annihilation series. Both the Battle Tactics and The Core Contingency releases were tied to the original game and served as add-ons or expansion packs. All three of those titles preceeded Total Annihilation: Kingdoms. Cavedog Entertainment created an online Internet environment for all players who enjoy multi-player mayhem linked to Total Annihilation products.

Review: Overall

For the legions of fans who found Total Annihilation to be an intriguing and refreshing entry in the real-time strategy genre and were counting on Total Annihilation: Kingdoms to provide more of the same, the changes inherent in this follow-on title will be a considerable surprise. Whether that's good or bad news will depend entirely upon each individual's taste and expectations.

For me, the most exciting quality of Total Annihilation: Kingdoms is the decision by the designers to eschew the safe path to guaranteed success by resisting the temptation to simply clone the original product, and, instead, dare to be different. There is no doubt that picayunish gripes will surface regarding certain areas of gameplay or structure but few games near perfection and this one is no exception to that rule. However, viewed as a product designed to give the consumer a high return for a relatively small investment, many game designers would benefit the industry greatly by trying to emulate the creative thinking and innovations found in Total Annihilation: Kingdoms.

The incredibly smooth manner in which the 48 missions of the game are enmeshed to create a masterful single campaign that follows a detailed and superbly developed storyline makes one question why this seemingly obvious and intuitive approach hasn't been an industry standard up to this point. With luck, that will change with the release of Total Annihilations: Kingdoms acting as a catalyst. Prior to this title, most major entries in the RTS genre have centered on campaigns or missions being singular in nature in terms of following or controlling one faction's perspective during each full playing of the game.

The concept of guiding a player through a diverse and exciting plot by basing action on four separate and distinctly modeled in-game perspectives, seamlessly integrated, is a startling breakthrough in game design. Knowledge of and appreciation for each faction's attributes, ideology and approach to magic and/or combat builds slowly as the player is literally forced to deal with each component directly. Through a series of 48 missions, each introduced by a significant, interesting and well produced cut scene, the player must become familiar with the various viewpoints, strengths and weaknesses of each side of the forces vying for supremacy within the land of Darien.

Furthermore, the designers have intelligently structured the difficulty of the missions and unit availability to increase sensibly as the story unfolds, requiring the player to form a solid understanding of all units, not just the high-end components needed for a quick knock out of his or her opponents. In fact, the interaction of units with both friendly and hostile forces becomes more relevant as the war rages and functionality increases or decreases in the face of the enemy. Even the uneasy alliances required between the two "good" forces (traditionally-based) who remain cognizant of the potentially destructive nature of magic and that of the two "evil" forces (magically inclined) reflect the specific synergy of particular units.

Beyond the innovative game structure that relies on the real-time mix of diverse perspectives, Total Annihilation: Kingdoms contains an impressive array of other positive features. For example, each of the four factions is clearly personified by individualistic approaches to unit makeup and philosophical differences in the processes of waging war even though each has the same ultimate goal. The downsized reliance on time necessary to investigate, develop and manage vast repositories of varied resources results in a welcome and streamlined approach allowing for concentration on tactical and strategic combat requirements.

Visually, Total Annihilation: Kingdoms represents a nearly total change from terrain and units seen in the original title. Even more noticeable are the brilliant connective features that help one landscape merge with the next. With the focus of a more fantasy-based realm, terrain features blend subtly and add definition to the panoramic scenery with a subsequent feeling of reality, rather than employing a sharp dividing line between areas. This being the case, it's puzzling as to why the designers didn't expand this virtue to individual units. As in any fantasy-based game that relies on the potentially capricious nature of designed participants, the demand for stylish characters is paramount. Unfortunately, in some instances Total Annihilation: Kingdoms occasionally disappoints in this area as units engaged in melee combat can often be difficult to distinguish from one another.

Far from being a fatal flaw, however, this lack of definition is sporadically encountered and can be viewed as a minor annoyance and is, in fact, somewhat offset by impressive designs of larger non-human units, such as ships or flying machines. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for sound effects. If Total Annihilation: Kingdoms contains an inherently major shortcoming, in my view it is the lack of prominent and arresting ambient sounds. Most units and battles do have individualized aural qualities but lack any consistency of depth or excellence. This shouldn't be confused with the voiceovers within the cut scenes, however, as the quality evident in that area is quite admirable.

Gameplay is smooth and although the game lacks a tutorial per se, there are instructions pertaining to some aspects of the various modes of play, especially the thoughtful "Play the Machine" option. This differs from the lengthy campaign mode in that the player can launch a game against up to seven computer opponents and invoke the skirmish option that provides instant access to all units, regardless of size or ability. This is undoubtedly the best way to practice for multi-player action because of the opportunity to customize the game to your liking in terms of starting conditions, strength and number of opponents, combat conditions, battle parameters and more.

In addition to the hefty number of maps and missions available for both the single- and multi-player modes, a powerful map, mission and scripting editor is available for creation and design purposes. With the designer's Total Annihilation: Kingdoms web site and promise of new units, Cavedog's dedicated multi-player site Boneyards www.boneyards.com and user links for trading and exchanging maps, missions and scenarios, hard drive longevity seems assured.

Review: Enjoyment

A truly memorable experience in light of the wonderfully integrated single-player 48-mission campaign replete with the shifting of player perspective as the action moves from one monarchy to the other. Missions start off fairly easy but build in complexity as the game progresses. The simple but effective transitions from one mission to the next add greatly to the flavor of the game and create a suspenseful environment by offering new and varied objectives and player-controlled forces, resulting in a definite "what next?" interest level for the player.

Review: Graphics

Although some individual units can blend together during melee combat, overall the game's look and atmospheric environment is enhanced by the 3D quality of the various landscapes. Color is vibrant, maps are well constructed and terrain is beautifully rendered. Use of a high-end machine is recommended for smooth viewing with all customizable features toggled on, however, the very existence of customization options should allow enjoyment even at the minimum requirement and resolution levels.

Review: Sound

A mixed bag but not as high a rating as it could be. Quality of specific unit sounds seems listless and uninspired while the lack of significant battle sounds detracts from the overall experience. The music, on the other hand, is inspired and complements the game admirably.

Review: Replay Value

With the map, mission and scripting editors plus the many multi-player options provided, the game is guaranteed significant replay value. The 48-mission campaign game for single-player notwithstanding, the customizable options for the "Play the Machine" and skirmish modes assures longevity.

Review: Documentation

The designers give marvelous attention to the background story and history behind the land of Darien and its inhabitants in terms of preparing the player for the intricate and cogent plot. The manual describes the various types of characters, warriors and structures found within the four Tiers of each of the four monarchies but fails to deliver even a rudimentary chart containing individual unit abilities, attributes or strengths in numerical terms which might have been handy. Even with the oversight, documentation is still formidable.

Production Credits

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