Spring - User contributions [en]

Balanced Annihilation:Chat

2008-01-18T18:02:41Z

ZellSF: article should be up to date now, if incomplete

'''[[Using_Spring|<--Back to Using Spring]]'''

==Chat, Cheats, and Text Commands==

Pressing ENTER will bring up a "say:" prompt which you can use to communicate with other players or issue "Text Commands". To send a message to all who are connected, type your message and press ENTER. To send a message only to your allies, preface your message with "a:". To send a message to any spectators, type "s:" then your message and press ENTER. There are also keybindings for all/ally/spec chat messaging:

Enter -> send to <send type>

Ctrl+Enter -> send to All (and sets <send type> to all)

Alt+Enter -> send to Allies (and sets <send type> to allies)

Shift+Enter -> send to Spectators (and sets <send type> to spectators)

<nowiki> To enter a Text Command, simply type the command and press ENTER.</nowiki>

===Basic Text Commands===

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr>

<th>Command</th><th>Effect</th>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/info #</td><td>Shows you what colour each player is, its CPU usage percentage and their ping delay in the bottom right corner of the screen. This is on by default. Arguments:<ol>

<li>Sorts by allies</li>

<li>Sorts by TeamID</li>

<li>Sorts by name</li>

<li>Sorts by CPU Usage</li>

<li>Sorts by Ping</li>

</ol></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/clock</td><td>Shows you the elapsed game time in minutes and seconds in the upper right corner of the screen. This is on by default.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/fps</td><td>Shows FPS counter in the upper right corner of the screen.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/gameinfo</td><td>Shows game information. Game version, actual game speed, commander ends, gravity, tidal, min wind, max wind, map size, map name and mod name.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.kick <name></td><td>Kicks a player, only works for hosts.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.kickbynum #</td><td>Kicks a player, only works for hosts.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.take</td><td>Places all allied units that are owned by players who have lost connection to the server under your control. It is generally considered polite to consult with any still-connected allies before doing this. In a Commander Dies, Game Ends game, a player only loses once they have lost ''all'' their Commanders, and this mechanism will give them a second one.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.setmaxspeed #</td><td>Changes the maximum speed multiplier (default is 3.0)</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.setminspeed #</td><td>Changes the minimum speed multiplier (default is 0.3)</td>

</tr>

</table>

===Cheat Codes===

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr><th>Cheat Command</th><th>Effect</th></tr>

<tr>

<td>'''.cheat'''</td><td>'''enable cheats - Cheats don't work in multiplayer until the host types this'''</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.nocost</td><td>Insta-build; everything is built immediatly. (doesn't work on things already under construction, only on new ones)</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.spectator</td><td>Allows you to see the entire map... but you lose control of your units</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.team #</td><td>Change player</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.give [amount] <unitName> [team] @x,y,z (.give ARMCOM, .give 10 CORKROG, .give all, etc.)</td><td>Place 1 or specified number of specified unit. Valid units are the internal names of units as specified in the unit definition. Use the "all" switch to get ALL the units in the current mod. Putting a number after the unit name will give those units to the specified team.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.atm</td><td>gain 1000 extra energy and metal.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.godmode [0|1]</td><td>If set to 1, everybody (including specs) can control and view all units.</td>

</tr>

</table>

===Graphic Settings===

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr>

<th>Command</th><th>Effect</th>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/advshading [0|1]</td><td>Disables/enables advanced shading (reflective units, more?).</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/grounddecals [0|1]</td><td>Disables/enables ground decals (immune to tab complete?).</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/maxparticles #</td><td>Sets maximum amount of particles. Accepted values are between 1000 and 20000.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/shadows [0|1] #</td><td>Sets shadows to on or off, supports a second argument for shadow quality (1024, 2048, 4096 or 8192). Note that shadows are a massive performance hit</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/vsync [0|1]</td><td>Disables/enables vsync.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/water #</td><td>Sets water quality:<ol start=0>

<li>Basic water, no performance hit.</li>

<li>Reflective, Pretty, not a too large performance hit.</li>

<li>Dynamic, Very pretty, MASSIVE performance hit and buggy on some hardware.</li>

<li>Reflective + Refractive, Prettier than reflective and pretty much the same performance hit, slightly buggy on some hardware.</li>

</ol></td>

</tr>

</table>

===Misc===

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr>

<th>Command</th><th>Effect</th>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/cmdcolors <filename></td><td>Loads specified cmdcolors.txt.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/ctrlpanel <filename></td><td>Loads specified ctrlpanel.txt</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/luaui</td><td>Access LuaUI commands provided by widgets. Use /luaui reload if LuaUI crashes. You can also use disable/enable arguments.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/echo <text></td><td>Prints a message to the console.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/say <text></td><td>Specifies that you want to say something to the other players, useful for telling them how to do something with a / command without running it yourself. For example /say /luaui reload.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/specfullview #</td><td>Sets spectator viewing and selection options:<ol start=0>

<li>No special abilities.</li>

<li>view-all.</li>

<li>select-all.</li>

<li>view-all and select-all.</li>

</ol></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/volume #</td><td>Sets volume, accepted values are between 0 and 1.</td>

</tr>

</table>

===Keybindings===

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr>

<th>Command</th><th>Effect</th>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/bind <keyset> <action></td><td>Binds a key or key combination.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/unbind <keyset> <action></td><td>Unbinds a key or key combination.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/unbindaction <action></td><td>Unbinds all keybinds that uses <action>.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/unbindkeyset <keyset></td><td>Unbinds all bindings that uses <keyset>.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/unbindall</td><td>Unbinds all keys except the chat keybinding.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/keysym <name> <keycode></td><td>Adds a custom key symbol, The defaults can not be overridden. Name must start with a letter, and only contain letters, numbers, and '_'</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/keyset <name> <keyset></td><td>Specifies a named keyset. Name must start with a letter, and only contain letters, numbers, and '_'. Named keysets may be accessed by prepending the '&' character to the name.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/fakemeta <keysym></td><td>Assigns an auxiliary key for the meta modifier ("space" is a good choice. Use fakemeta none to disable this feature</td>

</tr>

</table>

'''[[Using_Spring|<--Back to Using Spring]]'''

[[category:Using Spring]]

Altaric's Lobby Client

2008-01-18T17:44:37Z

ZellSF:

Altaric's Lobby Client is an alternative lobby client developed by Altaric. Its features are added on top of the basic client, rather than as a complete reimplementation, so you can (for the most part) use it just like the basic client. Most of the additional features are contained in "AltaMod" tabs.

The client's nicest feature is a system of macros that makes hosting battles much easier. You can configure administration permissions for these macros for individual users, and even use them to run automated dedicated hosts.

The extra options are found in three places: the Options pane (accessible by clicking the Options button from the main window), the Battle Screen, and the Map Picker.

==Installation==

Download it from: [http://membres.lycos.fr/altaric2/TASpring_modified_client.zip here].

Place all three files from the zip file to your TASpring directory. Then run the modified lobby client program. Creating a shortcut to it on your desktop or in your start menu would probably be a good idea.

==AltaMod Options==

These options are divided into tabs, for easy reference.

===General===

There's only one option here: "Open Links in Default Browser". Turning it on means that links will be opened in your system browser - IE, Firefox, Opera, whatever. Turning it off means that Altaric's Lobby Client will use its own internal web browser to open links.

===Sounds===

This panel controls AltaMod's sound effects. The right column toggles on and off sound effects for specific events. All are self-explanatory.

===Chat Alert===

This panel lets you configure "chat alerts", basic triggers that respond to chat events. The large text field is where you enter the text you want to search for. Each line specifies a single thing to search for. The "Activate" box turns chat alerts on and off.

The four boxes immediately below the Activate box configure the matching process. "Search in Names" allows you to specify whether or not the name of the user speaking should be searched. This lets you handle messages from specific users (or even users in specific clans) specially. Ring, Highlight, and Log specify the response to a matching chat alert. Ring plays an audio effect, Highlight recolors the text (using the color configured by clicking on the "color" box), and "Log" outputs the line to a file.

The three lower options allow you to configure where chat alerts are watched for. "Channels" watches for chat alerts in global chat channels, like #main. "Privates" watches for chat alerts in private messages. "Battles" watches for chat alerts in battle chat.

===Banlist===

A feature I'm sure we've all been waiting for, Banlist allows you to prevent disruptive players from joining your games. Tired of people who keep rejoining and spamming messages when you're trying to organize a game? Now you can just ban them from your games!

The "Activate Ban List" checkbox lets you toggle your banlist on and off. If it's off, it simply won't be enforced.

Each line in the textbox should be the name of a player to ban. Note that names are case-sensitive, so make sure you get the spelling right! The easiest way to do this is to use the "Ban" button in the Battle [[#Player Control|Player Control]] view. When a banned player tries to join one of your games, they'll get a message telling them that they're banned and they'll be immediately kicked.

===Admin===

This is how you configure privileges for the ALC Macros. Each line in the textbox here should be a player name followed by a : followed by a number. That number is the maximum "rights level" that player has. For example, if I have:

:<nowiki>*</nowiki>:0
:Altaric:2
:egarwaen:5

In my admin tab, Altaric can use any macro that requires rights 2 or less, I can use anything that requires rights 5 or less, and anyone can use any rights 0 macro.

One of the first things you'll want to do before hosting a battle is add yourself to the admin list with a high rights value. This will let you use any macros.

===Friends and Foes===

The Friends and Foes tabs allow you to build a list of players you consider to be "Friends" or "Foes". Each tab has a text field, which should hold a list of players, one per line. Note that case ''does'' matter here, so type carefully. Players you consider to be friends will be moved to the top of the client players list, and players you consider to be foes will be moved to the bottom.

===Rights===

The Rights tab lets you configure the rights level associated with a particular macro. Users will then have to have at least this level of rights to execute this particular macro.

For a description of what each macro command does, please see [[#Macro Commands|Macro Commands]].

==AltaMod Battle==

Like the Option dialog contents, these commands are divided into tabs, for easy reference.

===Player Control===

The same as the Player Control panel for the default lobby client, except it adds a ban button. This button adds the selected player to the banlist and immediately expels them from the current game.

===Team Balancer===

This tab's great for those that prefer games with approximately balanced teams. It provides you with a list of teams, and the number of players and total rank of each. While this won't guarantee a fair game, it can be used to prevent the teams from being fantastically stacked.

===Rules===

This tab lets you define some rules for the game. The "MOTD" button copies the MOTD from the next tab into the rules. The "Generate" button automatically generates a nice description of the rules based on the game parameters, including things like mod, map, wind/tidal energy levels, map size, and victory condition. The "Post" button is currently broken, but once it's fixed, it'll echo the rules to the in-game chat.

The .NoCost button lets you turn on the NoCost cheat from the start.

The min/max speed panel lets you set the minimum and maximum in-game speed. Any player can change the speed to anything between these two values. "Active" is the same as the old "Lock Speed" option, and prevents the speed from being set to anything but 1. "Script Lock" allows you to set a minimum speed and maximum speed to anything you want.

===MOTD===

This tab lets you set a "Message of the Day" for your battle, which can easily be pasted into the [[#Rules|Rules]] field using the MOTD button. The text field up at the top lets you specify a message to be sent to players when they join. You can choose to either send it in the in-battle chat or as a PM. A %n in the message will get expanded to the player's name, and a %r to their [[#Rights|Rights]] level, as set in the [[#Admin|Admin]] tab.

===Host Filters===

This tab lets you set some filters to control who can play in the game. "Min CPU" is the minimum CPU speed, measured in MHz, that you want to allow into your game. Note that this is 1000 times the value given in the player list. "Min Rank" is a value from 1-5, and is the minimum player rank that will be permitted into your game. "bot listens to host only" makes it so that only the actual host can use [[#Macro Commands|Macro Commands]].

===Other===

This tab gives you a number of other miscellaneous information and options. The players in game list provides you with a list of the players currently in-game in an active game, which is possibly handy for a dedicated host. "Relay Chat" relays any chat from the Battle window into the in-game chat, but is currently broken.

==Map Picker==

A much better map selection interface than the default one. This provides you with more information about your maps at a glance, including:

* A properly-proportioned minimap.
* The map's name, description, size, and number of starting positions.
* The map's gameplay parameters: gravity, tidal/wind power level, and metal level/extractor radius.

Note that you need to make the cache (using the "Make Cache" button) before you can use the map picker, and have to manually update the cache (using the "Update Cache" button) when you add or delete maps. When you first open the picker, you need to use the "Load Cache" button to load the map data.

The Map Cache is also used for the main battle screen. If the cache is valid, the lobby client will load the minimap from there instead of decompressing the map every time. This is significantly faster than the old way of doing things.

"Make Cache" completely erases and rebuilds the cache folder. This is necessary if you delete a map.

==/ Commands==

These commands can be used in any chat window, though you won't always be allowed to execute them. Many are the same as those used by the official client. These are mostly documented in the "Page 3" tab under the Help Button.

===/me===

Performs an "action" instead of sending a chat message. Also found in the official client.

Example Usage: /me does a dance of shame.

===/join===

Joins a chat channel. Also found in the official client.

Example Usage: /join #noob - Join the channel designated for newbie questions.

===/part===

Closes the current channel or private chat window. Also found in the official client.

===/channels===

Displays a list of open channels. Also found in the official client.

===/rename===

Changes the username of an account. Also found in the official client.

Example Usage: /rename Batman - Changes to my secret identity for crime-fighting purposes.

===/ring===

This can only be used by the host of a battle. It's used to "ring" players to let them know, for example, that the battle's full and they should ready up so it can start. Also found in the official client.

Example Usage: /ring altaric - Play a sound on Altaric's computer so he knows to come back and join in the fun.

===/ping===

Tells you the lag between you and the ''lobby server''. This will ''not'' tell you the lag between you and the host of a game! Also found in the official client.

===/msg===

Send a private message to a user. You can also double-click on their name in a user list to do this. Also found in the official client.

Example Usage: /msg Altaric Nice client, man! - Send Altaric a message of congratulation for all his hard work.

===/ignore===

Stop receiving messages from a player. Prevents them from PMing you, and prevents you from seeing their text in chat channels. I believe these only last for one session, so they'll go away once you log out.

Example Usage: /ignore SomeLamer - Stop hearing anything SomeLamer says.

===/befriend===

Adds someone to your [[#Friends and Foes|Friends]] list.

Example Usage: /befriend Altaric - Add Altaric to your friends list.

==Macro Commands==

These commands can be used in the Battle Chat to control the 'bot' that AltaClient runs.

===!help===

PMs you the contents of help.txt. This file must be located in the same directory as the Lobby Client program.

===!helpall===

Prints the contents of help.txt to the Battle Chat. Like !help, this needs the file to be in the same directory as the Lobby Client program.

===!metal===

Sets the starting metal level for the game. Takes one parameter, the level of metal.

Example Usage: !metal 1000 - Sets the starting metal level to 1000, a reasonable default for most mods.

===!energy===

Sets the starting energy level for the game. Takes one parameter, the level of energy.

Example Usage: !energy 1000 - Sets the starting energy level to 1000, a reasonable default for most mods.

===!units===

Sets the maximum number of units per player. Takes one parameter, the maximum number of units.

Example Usage: !units 500 - Sets the maximum number of units per player to 500, a reasonable default for most mods.

===!limit===

Can be used to limit D-Gun or Metal Maker usage.

!limit dgun - Toggles "Limit D-Gun" on or off.

!limit mm - Toggles "Diminishing Metal Maker Returns" on or off.

===!gameend===

Toggles whether or not a player is eliminated when their Commander dies. Takes one parameter - 0 for "Commander Dies, Game Continues" or 1 for "Commander Dies, Game Ends".

===!map===

Sets the map for the game. Takes one parameter, the map name. This should be as the map's displayed in !listmaps.

Example Usage: !map Green Comet Basic - Sets the server to use the map Green Comet Basic.

===!rect===

Draw start boxes on the map. There are two ways to use this command:

!rect reset - Erase all start boxes from the map.

!rect x1 y1 x2 y2 - Draw a start box from (x1, y1) to (x2, y2)

Most of the time, it's better to use [[#!corner|!corner]] or [[#!split|!split]].

===!position===

Sets whether players are assigned to fixed starting locations, random starting locations, or can choose their starting location within a start box.

!position 0 or !position fixed - Fixed starting locations.

!position 1 or !position random - Random starting locations.

!position 2 or !position choose - Choose starting location.

Using [[#!split|!split]], [[#!corner|!corner]], or [[#!rect|!rect]] automatically sets the game to "Choose starting location". "[[#!rect|!rect]] reset" automatically sets the game to "Fixed starting locations".

===!split===

Splits the map into three segments: a start box for team 1, an unoccupied middle area, and a start box for team 2. This is the most useful start option for most maps and player arrangements, as you'll generally want to start with a team of players on one side of the map facing off against a team of players on the other side of the map.

!split v p - Creates vertical (up-and-down) start boxes that extend p% of the way across the map. So !split v 10 would create two start boxes, at the east and west ends of the map, each stretching 10% of the way across the map. This is for East VS West maps.

!split h p - Exactly the same as above, but splits horizontally rather than vertically. This is for North VS South maps.

===!corner===

Creates four square start boxes, one in each corner. Their width and height are specified as a single argument.

Example Usage: !corner 15 - Each of the four start boxes will be 15% of the map wide and 15% of the map tall.

===!start===

Starts the game. All players must have readied up before this can be used!

===!force===

Forces the game to start. This is exactly the same as the host hitting ctrl-enter in-game. Note that you'll need to alt-tab to use this, and Spring currently has a bad habit of crashing when you alt-tab, so it's not very useful right now.

===!kick===

Kick a player from the game. Takes one argument, the name of the player to kick. Note that kicking the host of the game is impossible.

Example Usage: !kick egarwaen - Kicks me from a game.

===!ban===

Kick a player from a game and ban them, adding them to the server's ban list. Note that banning the host of the game is impossible.

Example Usage: !ban egarwaen - Bans me from a game. Not sure why you'd want to.

===!closebattle===

Closes the battle. Note that if this is used on a dedicated server, the owner of the server will need to manually re-open the battle.

===!exit===

Ends the game. This makes the host exit the game.

===!changeright===

Changes the rights needed to use a given command. Takes the command name and the new rights level. This effectively modifies the contents of the [[#Rights|Rights]] tab. Be careful when using changeright on changeright, as you can render yourself unable to make further changes without the intervention of the host.

Example Usage: !changeright map 17 - You now require a rights level of 17 to use the map command.

===!welcome===

Sets the message displayed to players when they join the battle. This is the same thing that you can set in the [[#MOTD|MOTD]] tab.

Example Usage: !welcome - Clears the welcome message.
Example Usage: !welcome Hi, %n - Prints "Hi, egarwaen" when I join the game, or "Hi, Altaric" when Altaric joins.

===!welcometype===

Sets the type of the welcome message to PM or chat. Using this command will toggle the welcome type. So if it's set to Chat, !welcometype will set it to PM, and if it's set to PM, !welcometype will set it to Chat.

===!mincpu===

Sets the minimum CPU speed, in MHz, to allow in the game. Note that this is 1000 times the speed shown in the player list.

Example Usage: !mincpu 2210 - Don't allow anyone with a CPU less than 2.21 GHz into the game.

===!minrank===

Sets the minimum rank of player to allow in the game.

Example Usage: !minrank 2 - Don't allow anyone below rank 2 into the game.

===!listmaps===

Prints a list of maps available on the server. To avoid spamming everyone in a battle, this list gets PMed to you, so check your main window after typing this command.

===!lockspeed===

Sets the locked game speed. Can be used in one of several ways:

!lockspeed n - locks the game at speed n.

!lockspeed min max - locks the game between the given minimum and maximum speeds.

Using lockspeed will toggle whether or not the game speed is locked.

===!rights===

PMs you the contents of the [[#Admin|Admin]] Tab.

===!cmdrights===

PMs you the contents of the [[#Rights|Rights]] Tab.

===!ghosted===

Toggles the "Ghosted Buildings" setting. If this is on, once one of your units has seen an enemy structure, that structure will be permanently marked on your map.

===!ring===

Lets you ring a player. This works the same way as the [[#/ring|/ring]] command, but it can be used by people other than the host if they have sufficient rights.

===!ally===

Forcibly changes the alliance of a player. Use is !ally name ally. Note that the name is case-sensitive!

Example Usage: !ally egarwaen 3 - Force me on to team 3.

===!gameinfo===

Displays the amount of time since the game began. May eventually display more information. Only usable in the lobby of an active game.

Altaric's Lobby Client

2008-01-18T17:44:04Z

ZellSF:

OUTDATED - WILL NOT WORK ON CURRENT MAIN SERVER

Altaric's Lobby Client is an alternative lobby client developed by Altaric. Its features are added on top of the basic client, rather than as a complete reimplementation, so you can (for the most part) use it just like the basic client. Most of the additional features are contained in "AltaMod" tabs.

The client's nicest feature is a system of macros that makes hosting battles much easier. You can configure administration permissions for these macros for individual users, and even use them to run automated dedicated hosts.

The extra options are found in three places: the Options pane (accessible by clicking the Options button from the main window), the Battle Screen, and the Map Picker.

==Installation==

Download it from: [http://membres.lycos.fr/altaric2/TASpring_modified_client.zip here].

Place all three files from the zip file to your TASpring directory. Then run the modified lobby client program. Creating a shortcut to it on your desktop or in your start menu would probably be a good idea.

==AltaMod Options==

These options are divided into tabs, for easy reference.

===General===

There's only one option here: "Open Links in Default Browser". Turning it on means that links will be opened in your system browser - IE, Firefox, Opera, whatever. Turning it off means that Altaric's Lobby Client will use its own internal web browser to open links.

===Sounds===

This panel controls AltaMod's sound effects. The right column toggles on and off sound effects for specific events. All are self-explanatory.

===Chat Alert===

This panel lets you configure "chat alerts", basic triggers that respond to chat events. The large text field is where you enter the text you want to search for. Each line specifies a single thing to search for. The "Activate" box turns chat alerts on and off.

The four boxes immediately below the Activate box configure the matching process. "Search in Names" allows you to specify whether or not the name of the user speaking should be searched. This lets you handle messages from specific users (or even users in specific clans) specially. Ring, Highlight, and Log specify the response to a matching chat alert. Ring plays an audio effect, Highlight recolors the text (using the color configured by clicking on the "color" box), and "Log" outputs the line to a file.

The three lower options allow you to configure where chat alerts are watched for. "Channels" watches for chat alerts in global chat channels, like #main. "Privates" watches for chat alerts in private messages. "Battles" watches for chat alerts in battle chat.

===Banlist===

A feature I'm sure we've all been waiting for, Banlist allows you to prevent disruptive players from joining your games. Tired of people who keep rejoining and spamming messages when you're trying to organize a game? Now you can just ban them from your games!

The "Activate Ban List" checkbox lets you toggle your banlist on and off. If it's off, it simply won't be enforced.

Each line in the textbox should be the name of a player to ban. Note that names are case-sensitive, so make sure you get the spelling right! The easiest way to do this is to use the "Ban" button in the Battle [[#Player Control|Player Control]] view. When a banned player tries to join one of your games, they'll get a message telling them that they're banned and they'll be immediately kicked.

===Admin===

This is how you configure privileges for the ALC Macros. Each line in the textbox here should be a player name followed by a : followed by a number. That number is the maximum "rights level" that player has. For example, if I have:

:<nowiki>*</nowiki>:0
:Altaric:2
:egarwaen:5

In my admin tab, Altaric can use any macro that requires rights 2 or less, I can use anything that requires rights 5 or less, and anyone can use any rights 0 macro.

One of the first things you'll want to do before hosting a battle is add yourself to the admin list with a high rights value. This will let you use any macros.

===Friends and Foes===

The Friends and Foes tabs allow you to build a list of players you consider to be "Friends" or "Foes". Each tab has a text field, which should hold a list of players, one per line. Note that case ''does'' matter here, so type carefully. Players you consider to be friends will be moved to the top of the client players list, and players you consider to be foes will be moved to the bottom.

===Rights===

The Rights tab lets you configure the rights level associated with a particular macro. Users will then have to have at least this level of rights to execute this particular macro.

For a description of what each macro command does, please see [[#Macro Commands|Macro Commands]].

==AltaMod Battle==

Like the Option dialog contents, these commands are divided into tabs, for easy reference.

===Player Control===

The same as the Player Control panel for the default lobby client, except it adds a ban button. This button adds the selected player to the banlist and immediately expels them from the current game.

===Team Balancer===

This tab's great for those that prefer games with approximately balanced teams. It provides you with a list of teams, and the number of players and total rank of each. While this won't guarantee a fair game, it can be used to prevent the teams from being fantastically stacked.

===Rules===

This tab lets you define some rules for the game. The "MOTD" button copies the MOTD from the next tab into the rules. The "Generate" button automatically generates a nice description of the rules based on the game parameters, including things like mod, map, wind/tidal energy levels, map size, and victory condition. The "Post" button is currently broken, but once it's fixed, it'll echo the rules to the in-game chat.

The .NoCost button lets you turn on the NoCost cheat from the start.

The min/max speed panel lets you set the minimum and maximum in-game speed. Any player can change the speed to anything between these two values. "Active" is the same as the old "Lock Speed" option, and prevents the speed from being set to anything but 1. "Script Lock" allows you to set a minimum speed and maximum speed to anything you want.

===MOTD===

This tab lets you set a "Message of the Day" for your battle, which can easily be pasted into the [[#Rules|Rules]] field using the MOTD button. The text field up at the top lets you specify a message to be sent to players when they join. You can choose to either send it in the in-battle chat or as a PM. A %n in the message will get expanded to the player's name, and a %r to their [[#Rights|Rights]] level, as set in the [[#Admin|Admin]] tab.

===Host Filters===

This tab lets you set some filters to control who can play in the game. "Min CPU" is the minimum CPU speed, measured in MHz, that you want to allow into your game. Note that this is 1000 times the value given in the player list. "Min Rank" is a value from 1-5, and is the minimum player rank that will be permitted into your game. "bot listens to host only" makes it so that only the actual host can use [[#Macro Commands|Macro Commands]].

===Other===

This tab gives you a number of other miscellaneous information and options. The players in game list provides you with a list of the players currently in-game in an active game, which is possibly handy for a dedicated host. "Relay Chat" relays any chat from the Battle window into the in-game chat, but is currently broken.

==Map Picker==

A much better map selection interface than the default one. This provides you with more information about your maps at a glance, including:

* A properly-proportioned minimap.
* The map's name, description, size, and number of starting positions.
* The map's gameplay parameters: gravity, tidal/wind power level, and metal level/extractor radius.

Note that you need to make the cache (using the "Make Cache" button) before you can use the map picker, and have to manually update the cache (using the "Update Cache" button) when you add or delete maps. When you first open the picker, you need to use the "Load Cache" button to load the map data.

The Map Cache is also used for the main battle screen. If the cache is valid, the lobby client will load the minimap from there instead of decompressing the map every time. This is significantly faster than the old way of doing things.

"Make Cache" completely erases and rebuilds the cache folder. This is necessary if you delete a map.

==/ Commands==

These commands can be used in any chat window, though you won't always be allowed to execute them. Many are the same as those used by the official client. These are mostly documented in the "Page 3" tab under the Help Button.

===/me===

Performs an "action" instead of sending a chat message. Also found in the official client.

Example Usage: /me does a dance of shame.

===/join===

Joins a chat channel. Also found in the official client.

Example Usage: /join #noob - Join the channel designated for newbie questions.

===/part===

Closes the current channel or private chat window. Also found in the official client.

===/channels===

Displays a list of open channels. Also found in the official client.

===/rename===

Changes the username of an account. Also found in the official client.

Example Usage: /rename Batman - Changes to my secret identity for crime-fighting purposes.

===/ring===

This can only be used by the host of a battle. It's used to "ring" players to let them know, for example, that the battle's full and they should ready up so it can start. Also found in the official client.

Example Usage: /ring altaric - Play a sound on Altaric's computer so he knows to come back and join in the fun.

===/ping===

Tells you the lag between you and the ''lobby server''. This will ''not'' tell you the lag between you and the host of a game! Also found in the official client.

===/msg===

Send a private message to a user. You can also double-click on their name in a user list to do this. Also found in the official client.

Example Usage: /msg Altaric Nice client, man! - Send Altaric a message of congratulation for all his hard work.

===/ignore===

Stop receiving messages from a player. Prevents them from PMing you, and prevents you from seeing their text in chat channels. I believe these only last for one session, so they'll go away once you log out.

Example Usage: /ignore SomeLamer - Stop hearing anything SomeLamer says.

===/befriend===

Adds someone to your [[#Friends and Foes|Friends]] list.

Example Usage: /befriend Altaric - Add Altaric to your friends list.

==Macro Commands==

These commands can be used in the Battle Chat to control the 'bot' that AltaClient runs.

===!help===

PMs you the contents of help.txt. This file must be located in the same directory as the Lobby Client program.

===!helpall===

Prints the contents of help.txt to the Battle Chat. Like !help, this needs the file to be in the same directory as the Lobby Client program.

===!metal===

Sets the starting metal level for the game. Takes one parameter, the level of metal.

Example Usage: !metal 1000 - Sets the starting metal level to 1000, a reasonable default for most mods.

===!energy===

Sets the starting energy level for the game. Takes one parameter, the level of energy.

Example Usage: !energy 1000 - Sets the starting energy level to 1000, a reasonable default for most mods.

===!units===

Sets the maximum number of units per player. Takes one parameter, the maximum number of units.

Example Usage: !units 500 - Sets the maximum number of units per player to 500, a reasonable default for most mods.

===!limit===

Can be used to limit D-Gun or Metal Maker usage.

!limit dgun - Toggles "Limit D-Gun" on or off.

!limit mm - Toggles "Diminishing Metal Maker Returns" on or off.

===!gameend===

Toggles whether or not a player is eliminated when their Commander dies. Takes one parameter - 0 for "Commander Dies, Game Continues" or 1 for "Commander Dies, Game Ends".

===!map===

Sets the map for the game. Takes one parameter, the map name. This should be as the map's displayed in !listmaps.

Example Usage: !map Green Comet Basic - Sets the server to use the map Green Comet Basic.

===!rect===

Draw start boxes on the map. There are two ways to use this command:

!rect reset - Erase all start boxes from the map.

!rect x1 y1 x2 y2 - Draw a start box from (x1, y1) to (x2, y2)

Most of the time, it's better to use [[#!corner|!corner]] or [[#!split|!split]].

===!position===

Sets whether players are assigned to fixed starting locations, random starting locations, or can choose their starting location within a start box.

!position 0 or !position fixed - Fixed starting locations.

!position 1 or !position random - Random starting locations.

!position 2 or !position choose - Choose starting location.

Using [[#!split|!split]], [[#!corner|!corner]], or [[#!rect|!rect]] automatically sets the game to "Choose starting location". "[[#!rect|!rect]] reset" automatically sets the game to "Fixed starting locations".

===!split===

Splits the map into three segments: a start box for team 1, an unoccupied middle area, and a start box for team 2. This is the most useful start option for most maps and player arrangements, as you'll generally want to start with a team of players on one side of the map facing off against a team of players on the other side of the map.

!split v p - Creates vertical (up-and-down) start boxes that extend p% of the way across the map. So !split v 10 would create two start boxes, at the east and west ends of the map, each stretching 10% of the way across the map. This is for East VS West maps.

!split h p - Exactly the same as above, but splits horizontally rather than vertically. This is for North VS South maps.

===!corner===

Creates four square start boxes, one in each corner. Their width and height are specified as a single argument.

Example Usage: !corner 15 - Each of the four start boxes will be 15% of the map wide and 15% of the map tall.

===!start===

Starts the game. All players must have readied up before this can be used!

===!force===

Forces the game to start. This is exactly the same as the host hitting ctrl-enter in-game. Note that you'll need to alt-tab to use this, and Spring currently has a bad habit of crashing when you alt-tab, so it's not very useful right now.

===!kick===

Kick a player from the game. Takes one argument, the name of the player to kick. Note that kicking the host of the game is impossible.

Example Usage: !kick egarwaen - Kicks me from a game.

===!ban===

Kick a player from a game and ban them, adding them to the server's ban list. Note that banning the host of the game is impossible.

Example Usage: !ban egarwaen - Bans me from a game. Not sure why you'd want to.

===!closebattle===

Closes the battle. Note that if this is used on a dedicated server, the owner of the server will need to manually re-open the battle.

===!exit===

Ends the game. This makes the host exit the game.

===!changeright===

Changes the rights needed to use a given command. Takes the command name and the new rights level. This effectively modifies the contents of the [[#Rights|Rights]] tab. Be careful when using changeright on changeright, as you can render yourself unable to make further changes without the intervention of the host.

Example Usage: !changeright map 17 - You now require a rights level of 17 to use the map command.

===!welcome===

Sets the message displayed to players when they join the battle. This is the same thing that you can set in the [[#MOTD|MOTD]] tab.

Example Usage: !welcome - Clears the welcome message.
Example Usage: !welcome Hi, %n - Prints "Hi, egarwaen" when I join the game, or "Hi, Altaric" when Altaric joins.

===!welcometype===

Sets the type of the welcome message to PM or chat. Using this command will toggle the welcome type. So if it's set to Chat, !welcometype will set it to PM, and if it's set to PM, !welcometype will set it to Chat.

===!mincpu===

Sets the minimum CPU speed, in MHz, to allow in the game. Note that this is 1000 times the speed shown in the player list.

Example Usage: !mincpu 2210 - Don't allow anyone with a CPU less than 2.21 GHz into the game.

===!minrank===

Sets the minimum rank of player to allow in the game.

Example Usage: !minrank 2 - Don't allow anyone below rank 2 into the game.

===!listmaps===

Prints a list of maps available on the server. To avoid spamming everyone in a battle, this list gets PMed to you, so check your main window after typing this command.

===!lockspeed===

Sets the locked game speed. Can be used in one of several ways:

!lockspeed n - locks the game at speed n.

!lockspeed min max - locks the game between the given minimum and maximum speeds.

Using lockspeed will toggle whether or not the game speed is locked.

===!rights===

PMs you the contents of the [[#Admin|Admin]] Tab.

===!cmdrights===

PMs you the contents of the [[#Rights|Rights]] Tab.

===!ghosted===

Toggles the "Ghosted Buildings" setting. If this is on, once one of your units has seen an enemy structure, that structure will be permanently marked on your map.

===!ring===

Lets you ring a player. This works the same way as the [[#/ring|/ring]] command, but it can be used by people other than the host if they have sufficient rights.

===!ally===

Forcibly changes the alliance of a player. Use is !ally name ally. Note that the name is case-sensitive!

Example Usage: !ally egarwaen 3 - Force me on to team 3.

===!gameinfo===

Displays the amount of time since the game began. May eventually display more information. Only usable in the lobby of an active game.

Mods, and their strategies/tactics

2008-01-18T17:25:31Z

ZellSF:

*[[Absolute_Annihilation#Strategy|Absolute Annihilation]]
*[[Final Frontier]]
*[[SWTA#Strategy|Star Wars TA]]
*[[Expand & Exterminate]]

Maps

2008-01-18T17:13:22Z

ZellSF: /* Map formats */

=== Map formats ===
Currently (spring version 0.76b1) spring supports 2 map formats:
* SMF format is older and most maps are still in that format.
* SM3 is a newer and a better format, but there's not so many maps available yet in this format.

As a player, you don't need to care about formats, but if you want to make maps yourself, you need to choose.

=== Download maps ===
All spring maps can be found on [http://www.unknown-files.net/spring/category/13/Maps/ Unknown Files]. There, you can either browse the map list, or just type part of the map name to the Quick Search editbox on the right. Ok, forget browsing, Quick Search owns. If you make your own maps, upload them to UF if you want others to be able to play them.

Before UF the de facto filehost for spring maps was [http://www.fileuniverse.com/?page=listing&ID=121 FileUniverse], but you don't need to care about it anymore.

=== Install maps ===
Maps are either .sd7 or .sdz files. You just need to download them, and put them into C:\Program Files\Spring\maps\ on windows, or ~/.spring/maps/ on linux.
If you don't use the default directories, you can also figure out where to put them. Do not try to unpack the files, the game might not see them then.

If you are already in battleroom, TASClient has a 'reload map list' button that you can press, so you don't need to quit/rejoin at all.

After getting a new map, next time when you start TASclient, it will cache some information about the new maps, and it takes some time. For the same reason, the next time you run spring itself, it's going to spend some time to update it's maplist. And finally, when you actually play a new map the first time, spring caches pathing information for that map, and this will take some time.

=== Map Information ===
*[[ Top 5 Maps]]: Popular maps
*[[Map reviews]]: Map reviews galore
*[[Suggested maps for 1v1]]

=== Making Maps ===
*[[Map development]]

----
TIPS:

A useful tip, on almost every map in a 1v1 you will start opposite your opponent unless you choose your position. this is because random order simply randomly distributes players at the default start points which in almost every map are opposite each other. One exception that I know of is flooded desert where you both start on the left hand island.
----
[[Category:Map making]]
[[Category:Content]]
[[Category:Development]]

Maps

2008-01-18T17:12:22Z

ZellSF: linked to map development article rather than duplicating the info in it

=== Map formats ===
Currently (spring version 0.75b1) spring supports 2 map formats:
* SMF format is older and most maps are still in that format.
* SM3 is a newer and a better format, but there's not so many maps available yet in this format.

As a player, you don't need to care about formats, but if you want to make maps yourself, you need to choose.

=== Download maps ===
All spring maps can be found on [http://www.unknown-files.net/spring/category/13/Maps/ Unknown Files]. There, you can either browse the map list, or just type part of the map name to the Quick Search editbox on the right. Ok, forget browsing, Quick Search owns. If you make your own maps, upload them to UF if you want others to be able to play them.

Before UF the de facto filehost for spring maps was [http://www.fileuniverse.com/?page=listing&ID=121 FileUniverse], but you don't need to care about it anymore.

=== Install maps ===
Maps are either .sd7 or .sdz files. You just need to download them, and put them into C:\Program Files\Spring\maps\ on windows, or ~/.spring/maps/ on linux.
If you don't use the default directories, you can also figure out where to put them. Do not try to unpack the files, the game might not see them then.

If you are already in battleroom, TASClient has a 'reload map list' button that you can press, so you don't need to quit/rejoin at all.

After getting a new map, next time when you start TASclient, it will cache some information about the new maps, and it takes some time. For the same reason, the next time you run spring itself, it's going to spend some time to update it's maplist. And finally, when you actually play a new map the first time, spring caches pathing information for that map, and this will take some time.

=== Map Information ===
*[[ Top 5 Maps]]: Popular maps
*[[Map reviews]]: Map reviews galore
*[[Suggested maps for 1v1]]

=== Making Maps ===
*[[Map development]]

----
TIPS:

A useful tip, on almost every map in a 1v1 you will start opposite your opponent unless you choose your position. this is because random order simply randomly distributes players at the default start points which in almost every map are opposite each other. One exception that I know of is flooded desert where you both start on the left hand island.
----
[[Category:Map making]]
[[Category:Content]]
[[Category:Development]]

FAQ

2008-01-18T17:09:53Z

ZellSF: TA Spring reference

==General information==

===What is Spring?===
Spring is a project to create the best RTS ever (no joke). There are three principle goals which we hope to achieve.

# Reach a stage where TA Spring can flawlessly execute most of Total Annihilation's original gameplay, with its original units in their original format.
// This goal has been achieved, Multiple TA-style mods are now around ranging from [[BOTA]] which is Basically OTA, to [[CA]] which rebalances most of the units and roles while keeping then graphical style. A bunch of non-TA mods are also available, such as; [[Kernel Panic]], [[Gundam Annihilation]], and [[1944: Spring]]

# Add new features as we see fit, fix bugs, and release new versions when we feel it is appropriate to do so.

# Support the mod community as we see fit.
// A quite robust modding system is implemented allowing ease of modding or just making a mutator for an existing mod. This can be done either mod or map side, allowing special buildings to be included in a map.

# Improving the already fine original TA Interface in a way that the Players will have more tactical Options, more Control, more Comfort and still don`t get lost, as long as they are willing to learn.
//There has recently been added support for LUA widgets and gadgets which will help you customize the interface to your needs. The UI is personal again.

The goals might need an update.. -- Tim Blokdijk

===Is Spring free?===
The core game is released under GPL License. Fortunately as of now, there are also two mods which have been released under the GNU/GPL, and several more which do not have clear licence terms (owned by their modder).

However, there are also several mods for which some parts are still under copyright of Atari. For these you need to own the original TA game if you want to play.

===Why can I edit this page?===
This page, and several others, are located in the Spring [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki Wiki]. The link gives a full explanation of what it is, but in short it is a way of letting anyone who wants to contribute to the page content. This can of course be abused, but even while it is easy for someone to vandalise the page, it is just as easy for someone to restore it, since the wiki saves all previous versions of a page.

===Why can't I edit this page?===
You need to be [[Special:Userlogin|logged in]] to edit our wiki because people were vandalizing and/or being morons too much, so they had to lock it down.

===I want to help, what can I do?===
Please look at the Messageboard. There are lots of things you can do according to your skills. Particularly important is to create viable and pleasing free alternatives to copyrighted material, mainly sounds and units.

===I want to donate.===
People have made clear their desire to donate to the project, and so far, we have been fairly reluctant about accepting donations. Our main concern? While we certainly hope to have something on the level of a commercial release in the near future, there is no guarantee that it will ever happen. Unforeseen events arise, and it would be most unfortunate if everyone who donated felt swindled because the project did not turn out as they had hoped.

We do not plan to be more or less productive solely based upon the quantity and frequency of donations received. The Spring project is here only because we view this as an enjoyable hobby.

===I read all that and I still want to donate.===
Very well then! You can find the required details [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/donate.php here]. It will be much appreciated. :)

----

==Technical==

===What port numbers does Spring use?===
Game uses port 8452 UDP by default, which can be changed in the lobby. If you are behind a router, and are having problems hosting, try forwarding the correct port and also make sure the firewall is not blocking it.

===What APIs does Spring use?===
The Windows version of the program (Which is the Binary that can be downloaded from this site) uses: OpenGL for rendering, DirectSound for sound, and Winsock for networking.

The Linux port, see [[Linux Page]] with more info below, uses SDL/OpenGL for rendering, OpenAL for sound (which will connect to DirectSound on Windows and OSS or ALSA on Linux), BSD sockets for networking.

===I am having really bad framerates (fps) on my dual core! What am i doing wrong?===
Currently spring does not like dual/quad cores, you will get really bad framerates. To solve this, you have to restrict it to run on one core. Download the file from http://www.robpol86.com/pages/imagecfg.php follow the instructions, and make all of the spring exe files (spring.exe, TASClient.exe, all others) run on one core. It will run much faster.

===I am having really bad framerates (fps) on my brand new nvidia graphics card! What am i doing wrong?===
Turn off 'threaded optimizations' for Spring in the nvidia control panel.

===What language is Spring written in?===
The spring game engine is written in C and C++. The Windows lobby client is written in Delphi, the lobby server is java. Of multiplatform lobby clients, SpringLobby is in C++ and AFLobby in java.

===Is Spring open source?===
Yes, it is. Go to the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/download.php downloads] section of the site to download the source code.

===Is there any documentation for the source code?===
Yes, doxygen is used to automatically generate the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/doxygen/ documentation]

===Is Spring a Portable Application?===

At present, I play Spring at my college by using my IPOD as a portable bit of storage for the game, so yes, it does appear to be portable. Also, I managed to run AFLobby from the IPOD as well.

If both of those can run off a bleedin' IPOD, they can run off of anything, in my opinion.

If I'm wrong, edit.

See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_application] for more information about portable applications.

- Sangue

Spring needs the registry settings moved to an ini file.
Then, it will be fully portable.

TASClient will run from anywhere as well...and I believe springlobby is the same way.

==Requirements==

===What platforms will Spring run on?===
At the moment, it runs on Windows, Linux and basically on [[Spring_on_MacOSX |Mac OS X.]]

===What sort of a system do I need to run Spring?===
You need a 3D graphics card to run Spring, which will probably require at least a a GeForce4 MX and the latest driver supported. Minimum CPU requirements are a little more complex. A more powerful CPU will have the capability to support larger maps and a greater maximum unit limit. A 1 GHz CPU should be able to support an estimated 500 units. The needed memory will also vary with unit count and map size, and Spring has been known to have worked with 256 MB of Ram (albeit with lowest detail levels).

For further details and tested Systems check the [[Requirements]] page.

===Spring says I need the GL_ARB_texture_env_combine extension, what can I do?===

This error can be caused by various things:

'''1:''' Old video Hardware.

'''2:''' Old drivers.

'''2:''' Bad installed Drivers.

'''3:''' Bad game settings.

If your hardware is old check [http://www.delphi3d.net/hardware/extsupport.php?extension=GL_ARB_texture_env_combine THIS] list, if you cant find your video card then, sorry, you have to buy a new video card.

If your hardware is in the above list or you are sure that your video card support this opengl extension download [http://www.realtech-vr.com/glview/download.html THIS] software. Intall, run, and check if under the ''Report'' tab there is the ''GL_ARB_texture_env_combine'' string.
If the string is present then the problem resides in your Spring settings, try lower screen resolution and disable all graphics effect.
If the string is not present and your hardware is in the list the problem are your video card drivers. To solve this '''UNINSTALL ALL PREVIOUS DRIVERS''' and install last stable drivers for your video card. Usually the problem shows when there are uninstalled old video drivers on the system.

'''NOTE:''' ATI drivers for Windows Vista does not support OpenGL right now so Spring will not run on systems with Vista and ATI Cards.

'''NOTE:''' Use '''glxinfo''' on a Linux system. You don't need to download any third party application because most if not all systems with x11 should have that program already.
----

==Getting into a game==

===People talk about 'Single Player'. How do I start a single player game?===
Simply start a game in the lobby, and enter a password, so that nobody can join. Then click ready, and start and away you go !

Alternatively, you can get [http://spring.unknown-files.net/file/2012/Spring_Single_Player_Launcher_v0.8/ Spring Single Player], a handy tool that lets you create single player games without cluttering up the lobby, as well as watch replays easily.

It's also very easy to set up singleplayer games using SpringLobby. Just click on the singleplayer tab, add some bots, and play. You can grab it from the [http://springlobby.info SpringLobby website].

===When I try to make a single player game, it gives me an error.===
Your graphics card probably can't support Spring. If you read the requirements it did say GeForce 3 or better. Go to the settings file in your Spring directory and lower some of the options. Sometimes that works.

===Does Spring support AI Players?===
Yes, see [[AI]] You can also use the [[random_enemies]] script, which spawns units out of thin air and sends them to attack you.

===How do I join an Internet multiplayer game?===
Run the "TA Spring multiplayer battleroom" from the Start menu or the TASClient.exe from your installation folder. In the "Server" tab change the server to "Official Host". Hit "Apply and close". Re-open the TA Spring client. Create an account on the "Account" tab.

===When I try to connect to the lobby it gives me an error.===
There could be 3 problems. Either you don't have an account, the server is down, or you have not configured your router/firewall correctly. If you don't have an account, make one. If the server is down, you'll just have to wait (this doesn't happen often, though). If you have a router/firewall read below. Have a look at this website's News page and/or the Messageboard, it is likely that you will get some information there in the eventuality that the server is down.

Also make sure that you don't have any spaces in your username.

===I have a router and I don't seem to be able to get a game===

If you are using a router you may have other problems. Explanations of [http://www.portforward.com/routers.htm how to forward ports] has instructions for every router.

===Where can I download more maps?===
As for most Spring downloads [http://unknown-files.net/spring/home/ Unknown Files] is the place to be! The [http://unknown-files.net/spring/category/13/Maps/ map category] has a nice overview.

===How do I install downloaded maps?===
Most maps are released as .sdz or .sd7 files. These can be put directly into the "maps" folder inside the Spring folder. If they are compressed into another type of archive you will have to unpack them first. Just unzip them into your spring maps folder. Some map files use newer (smaller) file formats such as .rar or .7z, to unzip these newer formats, you'll need to download 7-Zip [http://www.7-zip.org/ http://www.7-zip.org/] or Zip-genius [http://downloads.zipgenius.it/ http://downloads.zipgenius.it/]. They both handle almost all formats and are totally free. There is also now a map browser in the TASClient lobby software, click the more maps button in a battle screen to access it.

===Sometimes when I try to join games it gives me an error.===
The host is behind a firewall that has not opened the correct ports for Spring.

===When a multiplayer game starts I never make it past the loading screen.===
This indicates a problem with your video card. Once again the best way to deal with this situation is to make sure your video card has the latest driver updates and that all Spring video features are on the lowest settings.

===When a multiplayer game starts, I make it past the loading screen, but when I get into the game it says, "Waiting for Host", and does a 10 second countdown. It always reaches zero and boots me out, what gives?===
This is a firewall issue. There are three things you can do to fix this. First, make sure your windows firewall is either off, or is not blocking the TA: Spring application. Secondly, if you are behind a router, you can forward the ports that the host is using (especially if you are the host), and it usually fixes the problem. To do this you must go to your router configuration page. You can see what port 'you' are using (as the host), by hosting a multiplayer game in the Spring Lobby. You must make this your trigger port, and make sure that it is open for both TCP and UDP. Thirdly, if none of the aforementioned worked. The easiest thing to do (assuming you are behind a router) is to set the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). This means your computer will be completely exposed to the internet, which will make you vulnerable to any unknown or unpatched exploits in windows. All you have to do is find the personal IP if the computer you are using and add it to your router's DMZ list. Please only try this last option if you can't get the others to work.
Good Luck

===I got into the game, but some people didn't.===
The host may have reached the number of players it has set.
Or the players may be experiencing firewall or video card difficulty. That is not your fault. Please ask them too leave if they are still there when you get into the 'game lobby'. Some people have problem connecting to "hole punching" hosts.

===I got into a game but my name is red, nobody can hear me speak, and eventually I get disconnected===
This is to do with how long it takes the game to start up (the "load time"). If it takes too long you will see this problem. The load time can be reduced by changing the game graphics settings to lower quality. In particular try setting texture quality to lowest.

===What do all those icons mean in the server list?===
Server status icons inform you, at a quick glance, what the server is doing at the moment, and what state it's in (password protected, locked, open, full, etc). Read all about the server status icons and what they mean [[Server Status|here]].

----

==Playing==

===What is with this weird right-click mode? I'm 'bout to break my keyboard.===
Sorry, you'll just have to get used to it. As of now it can't be changed.

===Why is somebody else also controlling my units?===
In the 'game lobby' there are two sets of teams. There are the 'Teams' and the 'Ally Teams'. If you are on the same 'Team', then you both get the same commander, and can control the same units. If you are on 'Ally Teams', then you both get different commanders and can't control each others units.

===Is there a way that I can play music directly through TA-Spring, with alternating tracks for building/attacking like in the original Total Annihilation?===
Yes, there is. It is an addon (GroupAI) you have to download separately:
http://unknown-files.net/spring/file/3407/AFs_Dynamic_Background_Music_GroupAIv3/

There is also an ingame sound-volume-slider you might find usefull (lua-script):
http://unknown-files.net/spring/file/2239/LuaUI_Volume_Slider/

===Then why would I want to be on the same 'Team' as somebody?===
Because it's fun to just drive around units and not have to worry about commanding. (Assuming that one of the people on the team is commanding.)
Most importantly, however, you can split tasks, such as base building, and troops management.

===How do I talk to my allies only?===
You must type 'a:' before you speak. Here's an example: a: Now I am talking to my allies only. 

===Help! After I'm finished driving a unit, the camera is all insane! This is nuts! How do I fix it?===
Whoa now. Calm down. Just press ctrl + mouse button 3 to change camera modes. If your unit is destroyed in FPS mode, you will stay in FPS mode until you change camera modes. Also, the camera will stay in "free look" when FPS mode is disengaged, press middle-mouse or J to switch to normal scrolling.

===After I'm finished driving a unit, where what used to be my mouse pointer is now a crosshair. Why?===
-This is a special 'view mode' that allows you to move around the screen much faster. It's good for viewing the battle or getting screenshots. Simply press on your third mouse button or 'delete' to revert back to your mouse pointer.

===But I don't have a third mouse button!===
The key 'J' works in the same way as the 'middle mouse button' does. So where you would use ctrl + middle mouse button to change camera modes, ctrl + j does the same thing. Pressing J once will also switch you from 'crosshair mode' to 'pointer mode' and vice versa.

===IÃ‚Â´ve managed to get stuck in this weird camera mode and my perspective is all messed up. How do I switch to the overhead (OTA style) camera?===
Shift+Backspace (or Shift+J or Shift+MiddleMouseClick) switches between the fps style, total war style and OTA style cameras. Use it to get your camera back to normal in this situation.

===People are cheating! How do I stop it?!===
Well currently, you can't.

Only the host can "activate" the cheat codes. After that, any player can do almost all cheats.

The best thing to do is just not play with the cheaters anymore. But with new spring version cheats are disabled in multiplayer, so that paragraph is hopefully now irrelevant.

===Well how do you cheat?===

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr><th>Cheat Command</th><th>Effect</th></tr>

<tr>
<td>'''.cheat'''</td><td>'''enable cheats - Cheats don't work in multiplayer until the host types this'''</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.nocost</td><td>instabuild (doesn't work on things already under construction, only on new ones)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.setmaxspeed 50</td><td>Changes the maximum speed multiplier (default is 3.0)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.setminspeed 0</td><td>Changes the minimum speed multiplier (default is 0.3)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.spectator</td><td>Allows you to see the entire map... but you lose control of your units</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.team 0, .team 1, etc.</td><td>Change player</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.give ARMCOM, .give 10 CORKROG, etc.</td><td>Place 1 or specified number of specified unit. Valid units are the internal names of units as specified in the unit definition.</td>
</tr>

</table>
You can use auto-completion in the spring console if you don't remember the internal unit name. To do that type:
".give arm" and then press your '''TAB key'''
A list of all matching units will be shown.

===In Game Commands===
The following ''non-cheating'' commands are also available in game:

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr>
<th>Command</th><th>Effect</th>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>/info</td><td>Shows you what colour each player is and their ping delay in the bottom right corner of the screen.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>/clock</td><td>Shows you the elapsed game time in minutes and seconds in the upper right corner of the screen</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.take</td><td>Pulls all allied units, that are owned by players who have lost connection to the server, to your team.</td>
</tr>

</table>

===How do I ally or unally in game?===
I'm pretty sure you can't. Yet.

===How do I give somebody units or metal or energy?===
Press the 'H' key. Then select the amount of metal and/or energy to share. Then select the receiving player and press OK.

When sharing units, you must first select the units to share, then press 'H' key. Tick share units checkbox and choose a receiving player.

===How do I continually give somebody metal and/or energy after a certain point (i.e. Original TA commands +setshare..., +shareall)?===
You'll notice that on your metal and energy bars (top of screen), there are two red bars. You have to put them wherever you want your metal and energy to be shared after.

===This game is different than TA, the units HP and damage are not the same===

There were several third party "balance" mods for the original TA game.

One of those mods were xTA, and was developed by the same clan (SY) that has brought life back to TA, making Spring.

This balance mod is what is bundled by default with the spring engine, and is the mod that was ready to play when Spring was released.

Now are several mods available, install the mod of your choice.

[http://unknown-files.net/spring/category/14/Mods/ get mods here]

===XTA? OTA? AA? OMFGLAMO? WTF do those abbreviations mean?===
zwzsg maintains a handy dandy FAQ about TA, and the abbreviations that relate to Spring too, of course.
[http://www.tauniverse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27309 click here]. See also the Spring [[Glossary]], which contains brief explanations for all non-standard words and phrases.

===Why am I destroyed so easily by long range assaults?===
This is a realistic feature of Spring. Units will automatically attack 'radar blips' (units that they can not actually see, but that are indicated on radar). However, the accuracy is very bad while shooting at radar blips until:
* Your unit kills a lot of units and gets experience
* You get a targeting facility.

===Can I kick people from my 'game lobby' or my game?===
First of all, you have to be the host to kick. Use the good old ".kick playernamehere" command. Works in-game too, use it wisely.

===When I'm 'driving' my commander, why can't I use my laser?===
The Spring team will most likely add a way for you to use your commander's laser soon.

===I hate driving around with the 'arrow keys'. Is there any way I can use the 'W-A-S-D' controls (the controls most First Person Shooters use) anymore?===
Go into your Spring directory and edit the uikeys file. Keep in mind that 'S' is originally a 'hot-key' that will stop your units and that 'D' is a 'hot-key' for your commander's D-Gun. You might want to change those too.

===I turned the shadows feature on; I still don't see shadows. What gives?===
Your graphics card can't handle shadows, so Spring automatically turns them off.

===I can't go backwards when I am 'driving' a unit. Why not?===
Because TA units were never intended to go backwards. Sorry, but you just cant.

===I'm in an Unreal Tournament kind of mood. How do I strafe?===
You can only strafe in 'brawler type' ships, such as the brawler, rapier, and light gunships.

===How can I record and watch demos/replays?===
From version 0.62 onwards recordings of all the games you play are easily available for replay via the Replays button in the TASclient.

You can use the Speed up/Slow down game keys while watching the replay, along with other in-game commands like .team

From version 0.60b1 onwards, demos are automatically recorded in the "demos" folder, underneath your Spring folder (default is C:\Program Files\Spring\demos), named for the date and map they were played on. If you play multiple games in the same day on the same map, the games will also be numbered to prevent them from overwriting each other.

From version 0.62 onwards, to view a demo from the Windows file manager you can just double click the file name.

===Sometimes when I play get "not sync" "delayed synch" errors===

Thats caused because of lag. One of the players in the game is having some lag issues. Ask him/her to free up its bandwidth for the game to use.

Alternatively you can use the pause key and wait till the connection gets more stable.

Lag is the seccond number showed when you use the .info command ingame, numbers bigger than 40 are not usual in a normal game and are a signal of lag.

----

==Content==

===Do Spring maps need a "ground"?===
Spring maps do require a ground. We have had many requests to have space maps, however, a "true" (ala Homeworld) space setting is not likely. It would have to wait until a much later stage. This does not mean that TA's style of "space" maps won't be possible, (see the Final Frontier TC for examples of this).

===You stated that Spring uses the TA unit format.===
Spring does use the Total Annihilation unit format. However, there is also a new format dubbed '.s3o' which uses a UV mapped texture instead of 3do's per face texturing system, as well as other improvements.

===How powerful will Spring's custom format be?===
Total Annihilation's unit format was extremely limited. Most of these limitations will either be expanded or non-existent in Spring's custom unit format. One of the most exciting improvements is the introduction of an entirely new method of scripting, with nearly complete control over every aspect of a unit's actions and behaviors.

===Does Spring have a limited number of weapons?===
No. Unlike Total Annihilation, Spring's weapon IDs will be unlimited. Meaning it will be possible to add as many third-party units as you want. However, the current model format limits 16 weapons to each unit.

===Does Spring have a limited number of unique units?===
No. Unit IDs, like weapon IDs, will be unlimited.

===Will units have a maximum of 3 unique weapons?===
Total Annihilation had a limitation that permitted a maximum of 3 unique weapons per unit. Spring currently has a way to have 16 weapons per unit. (Replace Primary, Secondary, Tertiary by 1 2 3 ...16). More can be made possible by modifying the source if there's a sufficient demand by mod makers.

===I'm curious as to the per-unit polygon limit.===
The engine itself does not have a polygon count limit. The limit is that of the processing power of today's computers. Since Spring requires a 3D card, the maximum polygon count per unit will be several times higher than Total Annihilation's. That means for your average mod, 300 polygons for common units and 700 for the more expensive ones is quite reasonable. (But don't waste polies unnecessarily!)

===Will units be able to perform basic terraforming?===
Total Annihilation units probably won't have any terrain editable functionality. Future units may be endowed with such functionality, but it's more of a gameplay issue and has not been decided upon yet. However construction units can restore ground, and certain weapons (especially explosive ones) can be used to deform the ground.

===Will tunnel building be possible?===
Subterranean areas of any sort is impossible. However, it is possible to heavily deform the ground with explosives.. Which is great fun!

===Will the ground's water retention be editable?===
No. Water will always collect when a piece of land has a height below sea level.

===Does Spring have a limit on the number of races?===
Spring has no limit on the total number of sides/races.

===What are the sizes of the biggest and smallest units?===
Static units (buildings, defenses, etc.) have no size limitations in the engine. Technically, neither do mobile units, but units with a footprint larger than 4x4 "squares" (an arbitrary size standard created by Cavedog) might have problems pathfinding.

===What is going to be the maximum possible sea depth?===
For all practical purposes, it will be unlimited. The depth values are stored as "float variables", so it is doubtful that maps would ever be made which even come close to approaching the limit.

===Will Spring support campaigns?===
Basic Map scripting has been implemented, using a Lua scripting engine. From that, it would be possible to make a basic campaign, but for ease of use a better way of selecting scripts and an improved Single player menu is needed.

See [[Mission development]] for more details.

===How big are the Spring files?===
Spring will be as small as however much content is included with it. The "essential" files are only be several megabytes large. Content (such as maps and units) will add considerable size to the Spring download. Currently, the file size is roughly 30 MB.

===How will Spring render sound effects?===
Sound is rendered 3D, meaning that the volume and direction (assuming a multi-speaker setup) vary with the location of the camera from the sound "emitter". What this translates into gameplay terms means that the closer you are to a unit making a sound or motion, the louder the sound will be. Additionally, the sound will be heard differently depending on which way the camera is facing relative to units making sound.

===Will Spring have ambient sound?===
There is no ambient sound, and we haven't planned on adding it thus far.

===Will there be an AI or a "skirmish" mode?===
We have created an interface for artificial intelligences (AIs), and several are currently under development. Information on these can be found at the [[AIs]] wiki page.

===Will a "possess" or a FPS option be present?===
Yes, it is possible to fully control a unit from the first person view. It is more of a gimmick, but it still allows for a nice diversion once in a while. Instructions on its use are in the [[Using_Spring#FPS_.22Mode.22_.28C.29|Using Spring]] article.

===How do I create maps?===
See the [[Map development]] page for all the map info.

===How do I create units/mods?===
See the [[Mod_and_Unit_development#Mod_devlopement|Mod and Unit development]] page on creating units/ mods.

[[Category:Content]]

FAQ

2008-01-18T17:08:45Z

ZellSF: broken link fix

==General information==

===What is Spring?===
Spring is a project to create the best RTS ever (no joke). There are three principle goals which we hope to achieve.

# Reach a stage where TA Spring can flawlessly execute most of Total Annihilation's original gameplay, with its original units in their original format.
// This goal has been achieved, Multiple TA-style mods are now around ranging from [[BOTA]] which is Basically OTA, to [[CA]] which rebalances most of the units and roles while keeping then graphical style. A bunch of non-TA mods are also available, such as; [[Kernel Panic]], [[Gundam Annihilation]], and [[1944: Spring]]

# Add new features as we see fit, fix bugs, and release new versions when we feel it is appropriate to do so.

# Support the mod community as we see fit.
// A quite robust modding system is implemented allowing ease of modding or just making a mutator for an existing mod. This can be done either mod or map side, allowing special buildings to be included in a map.

# Improving the already fine original TA Interface in a way that the Players will have more tactical Options, more Control, more Comfort and still don`t get lost, as long as they are willing to learn.
//There has recently been added support for LUA widgets and gadgets which will help you customize the interface to your needs. The UI is personal again.

The goals might need an update.. -- Tim Blokdijk

===Is Spring free?===
The core game is released under GPL License. Fortunately as of now, there are also two mods which have been released under the GNU/GPL, and several more which do not have clear licence terms (owned by their modder).

However, there are also several mods for which some parts are still under copyright of Atari. For these you need to own the original TA game if you want to play.

===Why can I edit this page?===
This page, and several others, are located in the Spring [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki Wiki]. The link gives a full explanation of what it is, but in short it is a way of letting anyone who wants to contribute to the page content. This can of course be abused, but even while it is easy for someone to vandalise the page, it is just as easy for someone to restore it, since the wiki saves all previous versions of a page.

===Why can't I edit this page?===
You need to be [[Special:Userlogin|logged in]] to edit our wiki because people were vandalizing and/or being morons too much, so they had to lock it down.

===I want to help, what can I do?===
Please look at the Messageboard. There are lots of things you can do according to your skills. Particularly important is to create viable and pleasing free alternatives to copyrighted material, mainly sounds and units.

===I want to donate.===
People have made clear their desire to donate to the project, and so far, we have been fairly reluctant about accepting donations. Our main concern? While we certainly hope to have something on the level of a commercial release in the near future, there is no guarantee that it will ever happen. Unforeseen events arise, and it would be most unfortunate if everyone who donated felt swindled because the project did not turn out as they had hoped.

We do not plan to be more or less productive solely based upon the quantity and frequency of donations received. The Spring project is here only because we view this as an enjoyable hobby.

===I read all that and I still want to donate.===
Very well then! You can find the required details [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/donate.php here]. It will be much appreciated. :)

----

==Technical==

===What port numbers does Spring use?===
Game uses port 8452 UDP by default, which can be changed in the lobby. If you are behind a router, and are having problems hosting, try forwarding the correct port and also make sure the firewall is not blocking it.

===What APIs does Spring use?===
The Windows version of the program (Which is the Binary that can be downloaded from this site) uses: OpenGL for rendering, DirectSound for sound, and Winsock for networking.

The Linux port, see [[Linux Page]] with more info below, uses SDL/OpenGL for rendering, OpenAL for sound (which will connect to DirectSound on Windows and OSS or ALSA on Linux), BSD sockets for networking.

===I am having really bad framerates (fps) on my dual core! What am i doing wrong?===
Currently spring does not like dual/quad cores, you will get really bad framerates. To solve this, you have to restrict it to run on one core. Download the file from http://www.robpol86.com/pages/imagecfg.php follow the instructions, and make all of the spring exe files (spring.exe, TASClient.exe, all others) run on one core. It will run much faster.

===I am having really bad framerates (fps) on my brand new nvidia graphics card! What am i doing wrong?===
Turn off 'threaded optimizations' for Spring in the nvidia control panel.

===What language is Spring written in?===
The spring game engine is written in C and C++. The Windows lobby client is written in Delphi, the lobby server is java. Of multiplatform lobby clients, SpringLobby is in C++ and AFLobby in java.

===Is Spring open source?===
Yes, it is. Go to the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/download.php downloads] section of the site to download the source code.

===Is there any documentation for the source code?===
Yes, doxygen is used to automatically generate the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/doxygen/ documentation]

===Is Spring a Portable Application?===

At present, I play Spring at my college by using my IPOD as a portable bit of storage for the game, so yes, it does appear to be portable. Also, I managed to run AFLobby from the IPOD as well.

If both of those can run off a bleedin' IPOD, they can run off of anything, in my opinion.

If I'm wrong, edit.

See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_application] for more information about portable applications.

- Sangue

Spring needs the registry settings moved to an ini file.
Then, it will be fully portable.

TASClient will run from anywhere as well...and I believe springlobby is the same way.

==Requirements==

===What platforms will Spring run on?===
At the moment, it runs on Windows, Linux and basically on [[Spring_on_MacOSX |Mac OS X.]]

===What sort of a system do I need to run Spring?===
You need a 3D graphics card to run Spring, which will probably require at least a a GeForce4 MX and the latest driver supported. Minimum CPU requirements are a little more complex. A more powerful CPU will have the capability to support larger maps and a greater maximum unit limit. A 1 GHz CPU should be able to support an estimated 500 units. The needed memory will also vary with unit count and map size, and Spring has been known to have worked with 256 MB of Ram (albeit with lowest detail levels).

For further details and tested Systems check the [[Requirements]] page.

===Spring says I need the GL_ARB_texture_env_combine extension, what can I do?===

This error can be caused by various things:

'''1:''' Old video Hardware.

'''2:''' Old drivers.

'''2:''' Bad installed Drivers.

'''3:''' Bad game settings.

If your hardware is old check [http://www.delphi3d.net/hardware/extsupport.php?extension=GL_ARB_texture_env_combine THIS] list, if you cant find your video card then, sorry, you have to buy a new video card.

If your hardware is in the above list or you are sure that your video card support this opengl extension download [http://www.realtech-vr.com/glview/download.html THIS] software. Intall, run, and check if under the ''Report'' tab there is the ''GL_ARB_texture_env_combine'' string.
If the string is present then the problem resides in your Spring settings, try lower screen resolution and disable all graphics effect.
If the string is not present and your hardware is in the list the problem are your video card drivers. To solve this '''UNINSTALL ALL PREVIOUS DRIVERS''' and install last stable drivers for your video card. Usually the problem shows when there are uninstalled old video drivers on the system.

'''NOTE:''' ATI drivers for Windows Vista does not support OpenGL right now so Spring will not run on systems with Vista and ATI Cards.

'''NOTE:''' Use '''glxinfo''' on a Linux system. You don't need to download any third party application because most if not all systems with x11 should have that program already.
----

==Getting into a game==

===People talk about 'Single Player'. How do I start a single player game?===
Simply start a game in the lobby, and enter a password, so that nobody can join. Then click ready, and start and away you go !

Alternatively, you can get [http://spring.unknown-files.net/file/2012/Spring_Single_Player_Launcher_v0.8/ Spring Single Player], a handy tool that lets you create single player games without cluttering up the lobby, as well as watch replays easily.

It's also very easy to set up singleplayer games using SpringLobby. Just click on the singleplayer tab, add some bots, and play. You can grab it from the [http://springlobby.info SpringLobby website].

===When I try to make a single player game, it gives me an error.===
Your graphics card probably can't support Spring. If you read the requirements it did say GeForce 3 or better. Go to the settings file in your Spring directory and lower some of the options. Sometimes that works.

===Does Spring support AI Players?===
Yes, see [[AI]] You can also use the [[random_enemies]] script, which spawns units out of thin air and sends them to attack you.

===How do I join an Internet multiplayer game?===
Run the "TA Spring multiplayer battleroom" from the Start menu or the TASClient.exe from your installation folder. In the "Server" tab change the server to "Official Host". Hit "Apply and close". Re-open the TA Spring client. Create an account on the "Account" tab.

===When I try to connect to the lobby it gives me an error.===
There could be 3 problems. Either you don't have an account, the server is down, or you have not configured your router/firewall correctly. If you don't have an account, make one. If the server is down, you'll just have to wait (this doesn't happen often, though). If you have a router/firewall read below. Have a look at this website's News page and/or the Messageboard, it is likely that you will get some information there in the eventuality that the server is down.

Also make sure that you don't have any spaces in your username.

===I have a router and I don't seem to be able to get a game===

If you are using a router you may have other problems. Explanations of [http://www.portforward.com/routers.htm how to forward ports] has instructions for every router.

===Where can I download more maps?===
As for most Spring downloads [http://unknown-files.net/spring/home/ Unknown Files] is the place to be! The [http://unknown-files.net/spring/category/13/Maps/ map category] has a nice overview.

===How do I install downloaded maps?===
Most maps are released as .sdz or .sd7 files. These can be put directly into the "maps" folder inside the Spring folder. If they are compressed into another type of archive you will have to unpack them first. Just unzip them into your spring maps folder. Some map files use newer (smaller) file formats such as .rar or .7z, to unzip these newer formats, you'll need to download 7-Zip [http://www.7-zip.org/ http://www.7-zip.org/] or Zip-genius [http://downloads.zipgenius.it/ http://downloads.zipgenius.it/]. They both handle almost all formats and are totally free. There is also now a map browser in the TASClient lobby software, click the more maps button in a battle screen to access it.

===Sometimes when I try to join games it gives me an error.===
The host is behind a firewall that has not opened the correct ports for Spring.

===When a multiplayer game starts I never make it past the loading screen.===
This indicates a problem with your video card. Once again the best way to deal with this situation is to make sure your video card has the latest driver updates and that all Spring video features are on the lowest settings.

===When a multiplayer game starts, I make it past the loading screen, but when I get into the game it says, "Waiting for Host", and does a 10 second countdown. It always reaches zero and boots me out, what gives?===
This is a firewall issue. There are three things you can do to fix this. First, make sure your windows firewall is either off, or is not blocking the TA: Spring application. Secondly, if you are behind a router, you can forward the ports that the host is using (especially if you are the host), and it usually fixes the problem. To do this you must go to your router configuration page. You can see what port 'you' are using (as the host), by hosting a multiplayer game in the Spring Lobby. You must make this your trigger port, and make sure that it is open for both TCP and UDP. Thirdly, if none of the aforementioned worked. The easiest thing to do (assuming you are behind a router) is to set the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). This means your computer will be completely exposed to the internet, which will make you vulnerable to any unknown or unpatched exploits in windows. All you have to do is find the personal IP if the computer you are using and add it to your router's DMZ list. Please only try this last option if you can't get the others to work.
Good Luck

===I got into the game, but some people didn't.===
The host may have reached the number of players it has set.
Or the players may be experiencing firewall or video card difficulty. That is not your fault. Please ask them too leave if they are still there when you get into the 'game lobby'. Some people have problem connecting to "hole punching" hosts.

===I got into a game but my name is red, nobody can hear me speak, and eventually I get disconnected===
This is to do with how long it takes the game to start up (the "load time"). If it takes too long you will see this problem. The load time can be reduced by changing the game graphics settings to lower quality. In particular try setting texture quality to lowest.

===What do all those icons mean in the server list?===
Server status icons inform you, at a quick glance, what the server is doing at the moment, and what state it's in (password protected, locked, open, full, etc). Read all about the server status icons and what they mean [[Server Status|here]].

----

==Playing==

===What is with this weird right-click mode? I'm 'bout to break my keyboard.===
Sorry, you'll just have to get used to it. As of now it can't be changed.

===Why is somebody else also controlling my units?===
In the 'game lobby' there are two sets of teams. There are the 'Teams' and the 'Ally Teams'. If you are on the same 'Team', then you both get the same commander, and can control the same units. If you are on 'Ally Teams', then you both get different commanders and can't control each others units.

===Is there a way that I can play music directly through TA-Spring, with alternating tracks for building/attacking like in the original Total Annihilation?===
Yes, there is. It is an addon (GroupAI) you have to download separately:
http://unknown-files.net/spring/file/3407/AFs_Dynamic_Background_Music_GroupAIv3/

There is also an ingame sound-volume-slider you might find usefull (lua-script):
http://unknown-files.net/spring/file/2239/LuaUI_Volume_Slider/

===Then why would I want to be on the same 'Team' as somebody?===
Because it's fun to just drive around units and not have to worry about commanding. (Assuming that one of the people on the team is commanding.)
Most importantly, however, you can split tasks, such as base building, and troops management.

===How do I talk to my allies only?===
You must type 'a:' before you speak. Here's an example: a: Now I am talking to my allies only. 

===Help! After I'm finished driving a unit, the camera is all insane! This is nuts! How do I fix it?===
Whoa now. Calm down. Just press ctrl + mouse button 3 to change camera modes. If your unit is destroyed in FPS mode, you will stay in FPS mode until you change camera modes. Also, the camera will stay in "free look" when FPS mode is disengaged, press middle-mouse or J to switch to normal scrolling.

===After I'm finished driving a unit, where what used to be my mouse pointer is now a crosshair. Why?===
-This is a special 'view mode' that allows you to move around the screen much faster. It's good for viewing the battle or getting screenshots. Simply press on your third mouse button or 'delete' to revert back to your mouse pointer.

===But I don't have a third mouse button!===
The key 'J' works in the same way as the 'middle mouse button' does. So where you would use ctrl + middle mouse button to change camera modes, ctrl + j does the same thing. Pressing J once will also switch you from 'crosshair mode' to 'pointer mode' and vice versa.

===IÃ‚Â´ve managed to get stuck in this weird camera mode and my perspective is all messed up. How do I switch to the overhead (OTA style) camera?===
Shift+Backspace (or Shift+J or Shift+MiddleMouseClick) switches between the fps style, total war style and OTA style cameras. Use it to get your camera back to normal in this situation.

===People are cheating! How do I stop it?!===
Well currently, you can't.

Only the host can "activate" the cheat codes. After that, any player can do almost all cheats.

The best thing to do is just not play with the cheaters anymore. But with new spring version cheats are disabled in multiplayer, so that paragraph is hopefully now irrelevant.

===Well how do you cheat?===

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr><th>Cheat Command</th><th>Effect</th></tr>

<tr>
<td>'''.cheat'''</td><td>'''enable cheats - Cheats don't work in multiplayer until the host types this'''</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.nocost</td><td>instabuild (doesn't work on things already under construction, only on new ones)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.setmaxspeed 50</td><td>Changes the maximum speed multiplier (default is 3.0)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.setminspeed 0</td><td>Changes the minimum speed multiplier (default is 0.3)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.spectator</td><td>Allows you to see the entire map... but you lose control of your units</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.team 0, .team 1, etc.</td><td>Change player</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.give ARMCOM, .give 10 CORKROG, etc.</td><td>Place 1 or specified number of specified unit. Valid units are the internal names of units as specified in the unit definition.</td>
</tr>

</table>
You can use auto-completion in the spring console if you don't remember the internal unit name. To do that type:
".give arm" and then press your '''TAB key'''
A list of all matching units will be shown.

===In Game Commands===
The following ''non-cheating'' commands are also available in game:

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr>
<th>Command</th><th>Effect</th>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>/info</td><td>Shows you what colour each player is and their ping delay in the bottom right corner of the screen.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>/clock</td><td>Shows you the elapsed game time in minutes and seconds in the upper right corner of the screen</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.take</td><td>Pulls all allied units, that are owned by players who have lost connection to the server, to your team.</td>
</tr>

</table>

===How do I ally or unally in game?===
I'm pretty sure you can't. Yet.

===How do I give somebody units or metal or energy?===
Press the 'H' key. Then select the amount of metal and/or energy to share. Then select the receiving player and press OK.

When sharing units, you must first select the units to share, then press 'H' key. Tick share units checkbox and choose a receiving player.

===How do I continually give somebody metal and/or energy after a certain point (i.e. Original TA commands +setshare..., +shareall)?===
You'll notice that on your metal and energy bars (top of screen), there are two red bars. You have to put them wherever you want your metal and energy to be shared after.

===This game is different than TA, the units HP and damage are not the same===

There were several third party "balance" mods for the original TA game.

One of those mods were xTA, and was developed by the same clan (SY) that has brought life back to TA, making Spring.

This balance mod is what is bundled by default with the spring engine, and is the mod that was ready to play when Spring was released.

Now are several mods available, install the mod of your choice.

[http://unknown-files.net/spring/category/14/Mods/ get mods here]

===XTA? OTA? AA? OMFGLAMO? WTF do those abbreviations mean?===
zwzsg maintains a handy dandy FAQ about TA, and the abbreviations that relate to Spring too, of course.
[http://www.tauniverse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27309 click here]. See also the Spring [[Glossary]], which contains brief explanations for all non-standard words and phrases.

===Why am I destroyed so easily by long range assaults?===
This is a realistic feature of Spring. Units will automatically attack 'radar blips' (units that they can not actually see, but that are indicated on radar). However, the accuracy is very bad while shooting at radar blips until:
* Your unit kills a lot of units and gets experience
* You get a targeting facility.

===Can I kick people from my 'game lobby' or my game?===
First of all, you have to be the host to kick. Use the good old ".kick playernamehere" command. Works in-game too, use it wisely.

===When I'm 'driving' my commander, why can't I use my laser?===
The TA: Spring team will most likely add a way for you to use your commander's laser soon.

===I hate driving around with the 'arrow keys'. Is there any way I can use the 'W-A-S-D' controls (the controls most First Person Shooters use) anymore?===
Go into your Spring directory and edit the uikeys file. Keep in mind that 'S' is originally a 'hot-key' that will stop your units and that 'D' is a 'hot-key' for your commander's D-Gun. You might want to change those too.

===I turned the shadows feature on; I still don't see shadows. What gives?===
Your graphics card can't handle shadows, so Spring automatically turns them off.

===I can't go backwards when I am 'driving' a unit. Why not?===
Because TA units were never intended to go backwards. Sorry, but you just cant.

===I'm in an Unreal Tournament kind of mood. How do I strafe?===
You can only strafe in 'brawler type' ships, such as the brawler, rapier, and light gunships.

===How can I record and watch demos/replays?===
From version 0.62 onwards recordings of all the games you play are easily available for replay via the Replays button in the TASclient.

You can use the Speed up/Slow down game keys while watching the replay, along with other in-game commands like .team

From version 0.60b1 onwards, demos are automatically recorded in the "demos" folder, underneath your Spring folder (default is C:\Program Files\Spring\demos), named for the date and map they were played on. If you play multiple games in the same day on the same map, the games will also be numbered to prevent them from overwriting each other.

From version 0.62 onwards, to view a demo from the Windows file manager you can just double click the file name.

===Sometimes when I play get "not sync" "delayed synch" errors===

Thats caused because of lag. One of the players in the game is having some lag issues. Ask him/her to free up its bandwidth for the game to use.

Alternatively you can use the pause key and wait till the connection gets more stable.

Lag is the seccond number showed when you use the .info command ingame, numbers bigger than 40 are not usual in a normal game and are a signal of lag.

----

==Content==

===Do Spring maps need a "ground"?===
Spring maps do require a ground. We have had many requests to have space maps, however, a "true" (ala Homeworld) space setting is not likely. It would have to wait until a much later stage. This does not mean that TA's style of "space" maps won't be possible, (see the Final Frontier TC for examples of this).

===You stated that Spring uses the TA unit format.===
Spring does use the Total Annihilation unit format. However, there is also a new format dubbed '.s3o' which uses a UV mapped texture instead of 3do's per face texturing system, as well as other improvements.

===How powerful will Spring's custom format be?===
Total Annihilation's unit format was extremely limited. Most of these limitations will either be expanded or non-existent in Spring's custom unit format. One of the most exciting improvements is the introduction of an entirely new method of scripting, with nearly complete control over every aspect of a unit's actions and behaviors.

===Does Spring have a limited number of weapons?===
No. Unlike Total Annihilation, Spring's weapon IDs will be unlimited. Meaning it will be possible to add as many third-party units as you want. However, the current model format limits 16 weapons to each unit.

===Does Spring have a limited number of unique units?===
No. Unit IDs, like weapon IDs, will be unlimited.

===Will units have a maximum of 3 unique weapons?===
Total Annihilation had a limitation that permitted a maximum of 3 unique weapons per unit. Spring currently has a way to have 16 weapons per unit. (Replace Primary, Secondary, Tertiary by 1 2 3 ...16). More can be made possible by modifying the source if there's a sufficient demand by mod makers.

===I'm curious as to the per-unit polygon limit.===
The engine itself does not have a polygon count limit. The limit is that of the processing power of today's computers. Since Spring requires a 3D card, the maximum polygon count per unit will be several times higher than Total Annihilation's. That means for your average mod, 300 polygons for common units and 700 for the more expensive ones is quite reasonable. (But don't waste polies unnecessarily!)

===Will units be able to perform basic terraforming?===
Total Annihilation units probably won't have any terrain editable functionality. Future units may be endowed with such functionality, but it's more of a gameplay issue and has not been decided upon yet. However construction units can restore ground, and certain weapons (especially explosive ones) can be used to deform the ground.

===Will tunnel building be possible?===
Subterranean areas of any sort is impossible. However, it is possible to heavily deform the ground with explosives.. Which is great fun!

===Will the ground's water retention be editable?===
No. Water will always collect when a piece of land has a height below sea level.

===Does Spring have a limit on the number of races?===
Spring has no limit on the total number of sides/races.

===What are the sizes of the biggest and smallest units?===
Static units (buildings, defenses, etc.) have no size limitations in the engine. Technically, neither do mobile units, but units with a footprint larger than 4x4 "squares" (an arbitrary size standard created by Cavedog) might have problems pathfinding.

===What is going to be the maximum possible sea depth?===
For all practical purposes, it will be unlimited. The depth values are stored as "float variables", so it is doubtful that maps would ever be made which even come close to approaching the limit.

===Will Spring support campaigns?===
Basic Map scripting has been implemented, using a Lua scripting engine. From that, it would be possible to make a basic campaign, but for ease of use a better way of selecting scripts and an improved Single player menu is needed.

See [[Mission development]] for more details.

===How big are the Spring files?===
Spring will be as small as however much content is included with it. The "essential" files are only be several megabytes large. Content (such as maps and units) will add considerable size to the Spring download. Currently, the file size is roughly 30 MB.

===How will Spring render sound effects?===
Sound is rendered 3D, meaning that the volume and direction (assuming a multi-speaker setup) vary with the location of the camera from the sound "emitter". What this translates into gameplay terms means that the closer you are to a unit making a sound or motion, the louder the sound will be. Additionally, the sound will be heard differently depending on which way the camera is facing relative to units making sound.

===Will Spring have ambient sound?===
There is no ambient sound, and we haven't planned on adding it thus far.

===Will there be an AI or a "skirmish" mode?===
We have created an interface for artificial intelligences (AIs), and several are currently under development. Information on these can be found at the [[AIs]] wiki page.

===Will a "possess" or a FPS option be present?===
Yes, it is possible to fully control a unit from the first person view. It is more of a gimmick, but it still allows for a nice diversion once in a while. Instructions on its use are in the [[Using_Spring#FPS_.22Mode.22_.28C.29|Using Spring]] article.

===How do I create maps?===
See the [[Map development]] page for all the map info.

===How do I create units/mods?===
See the [[Mod_and_Unit_development#Mod_devlopement|Mod and Unit development]] page on creating units/ mods.

[[Category:Content]]

FAQ

2008-01-18T17:05:03Z

ZellSF: removed link to outdated article

==General information==

===What is Spring?===
Spring is a project to create the best RTS ever (no joke). There are three principle goals which we hope to achieve.

# Reach a stage where TA Spring can flawlessly execute most of Total Annihilation's original gameplay, with its original units in their original format.
// This goal has been achieved, Multiple TA-style mods are now around ranging from [[BOTA]] which is Basically OTA, to [[CA]] which rebalances most of the units and roles while keeping then graphical style. A bunch of non-TA mods are also available, such as; [[Kernel Panic]], [[Gundam Annihilation]], and [[1944: Spring]]

# Add new features as we see fit, fix bugs, and release new versions when we feel it is appropriate to do so.

# Support the mod community as we see fit.
// A quite robust modding system is implemented allowing ease of modding or just making a mutator for an existing mod. This can be done either mod or map side, allowing special buildings to be included in a map.

# Improving the already fine original TA Interface in a way that the Players will have more tactical Options, more Control, more Comfort and still don`t get lost, as long as they are willing to learn.
//There has recently been added support for LUA widgets and gadgets which will help you customize the interface to your needs. The UI is personal again.

The goals might need an update.. -- Tim Blokdijk

===Is Spring free?===
The core game is released under GPL License. Fortunately as of now, there are also two mods which have been released under the GNU/GPL, and several more which do not have clear licence terms (owned by their modder).

However, there are also several mods for which some parts are still under copyright of Atari. For these you need to own the original TA game if you want to play.

===Why can I edit this page?===
This page, and several others, are located in the Spring [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki Wiki]. The link gives a full explanation of what it is, but in short it is a way of letting anyone who wants to contribute to the page content. This can of course be abused, but even while it is easy for someone to vandalise the page, it is just as easy for someone to restore it, since the wiki saves all previous versions of a page.

===Why can't I edit this page?===
You need to be [[Special:Userlogin|logged in]] to edit our wiki because people were vandalizing and/or being morons too much, so they had to lock it down.

===I want to help, what can I do?===
Please look at the Messageboard. There are lots of things you can do according to your skills. Particularly important is to create viable and pleasing free alternatives to copyrighted material, mainly sounds and units.

===I want to donate.===
People have made clear their desire to donate to the project, and so far, we have been fairly reluctant about accepting donations. Our main concern? While we certainly hope to have something on the level of a commercial release in the near future, there is no guarantee that it will ever happen. Unforeseen events arise, and it would be most unfortunate if everyone who donated felt swindled because the project did not turn out as they had hoped.

We do not plan to be more or less productive solely based upon the quantity and frequency of donations received. The Spring project is here only because we view this as an enjoyable hobby.

===I read all that and I still want to donate.===
Very well then! You can find the required details [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/donate.php here]. It will be much appreciated. :)

----

==Technical==

===What port numbers does Spring use?===
Game uses port 8452 UDP by default, which can be changed in the lobby. If you are behind a router, and are having problems hosting, try forwarding the correct port and also make sure the firewall is not blocking it.

===What APIs does Spring use?===
The Windows version of the program (Which is the Binary that can be downloaded from this site) uses: OpenGL for rendering, DirectSound for sound, and Winsock for networking.

The Linux port, see [[Linux Page]] with more info below, uses SDL/OpenGL for rendering, OpenAL for sound (which will connect to DirectSound on Windows and OSS or ALSA on Linux), BSD sockets for networking.

===I am having really bad framerates (fps) on my dual core! What am i doing wrong?===
Currently spring does not like dual/quad cores, you will get really bad framerates. To solve this, you have to restrict it to run on one core. Download the file from http://www.robpol86.com/Pages/imagecfg.php follow the instructions, and make all of the spring exe files (spring.exe, TASClient.exe, all others) run on one core. It will run much faster.

===I am having really bad framerates (fps) on my brand new nvidia graphics card! What am i doing wrong?===
Turn off 'threaded optimizations' for Spring in the nvidia control panel.

===What language is Spring written in?===
The spring game engine is written in C and C++. The Windows lobby client is written in Delphi, the lobby server is java. Of multiplatform lobby clients, SpringLobby is in C++ and AFLobby in java.

===Is Spring open source?===
Yes, it is. Go to the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/download.php downloads] section of the site to download the source code.

===Is there any documentation for the source code?===
Yes, doxygen is used to automatically generate the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/doxygen/ documentation]

===Is Spring a Portable Application?===

At present, I play Spring at my college by using my IPOD as a portable bit of storage for the game, so yes, it does appear to be portable. Also, I managed to run AFLobby from the IPOD as well.

If both of those can run off a bleedin' IPOD, they can run off of anything, in my opinion.

If I'm wrong, edit.

See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_application] for more information about portable applications.

- Sangue

Spring needs the registry settings moved to an ini file.
Then, it will be fully portable.

TASClient will run from anywhere as well...and I believe springlobby is the same way.

==Requirements==

===What platforms will Spring run on?===
At the moment, it runs on Windows, Linux and basically on [[Spring_on_MacOSX |Mac OS X.]]

===What sort of a system do I need to run Spring?===
You need a 3D graphics card to run Spring, which will probably require at least a a GeForce4 MX and the latest driver supported. Minimum CPU requirements are a little more complex. A more powerful CPU will have the capability to support larger maps and a greater maximum unit limit. A 1 GHz CPU should be able to support an estimated 500 units. The needed memory will also vary with unit count and map size, and Spring has been known to have worked with 256 MB of Ram (albeit with lowest detail levels).

For further details and tested Systems check the [[Requirements]] page.

===Spring says I need the GL_ARB_texture_env_combine extension, what can I do?===

This error can be caused by various things:

'''1:''' Old video Hardware.

'''2:''' Old drivers.

'''2:''' Bad installed Drivers.

'''3:''' Bad game settings.

If your hardware is old check [http://www.delphi3d.net/hardware/extsupport.php?extension=GL_ARB_texture_env_combine THIS] list, if you cant find your video card then, sorry, you have to buy a new video card.

If your hardware is in the above list or you are sure that your video card support this opengl extension download [http://www.realtech-vr.com/glview/download.html THIS] software. Intall, run, and check if under the ''Report'' tab there is the ''GL_ARB_texture_env_combine'' string.
If the string is present then the problem resides in your Spring settings, try lower screen resolution and disable all graphics effect.
If the string is not present and your hardware is in the list the problem are your video card drivers. To solve this '''UNINSTALL ALL PREVIOUS DRIVERS''' and install last stable drivers for your video card. Usually the problem shows when there are uninstalled old video drivers on the system.

'''NOTE:''' ATI drivers for Windows Vista does not support OpenGL right now so Spring will not run on systems with Vista and ATI Cards.

'''NOTE:''' Use '''glxinfo''' on a Linux system. You don't need to download any third party application because most if not all systems with x11 should have that program already.
----

==Getting into a game==

===People talk about 'Single Player'. How do I start a single player game?===
Simply start a game in the lobby, and enter a password, so that nobody can join. Then click ready, and start and away you go !

Alternatively, you can get [http://spring.unknown-files.net/file/2012/Spring_Single_Player_Launcher_v0.8/ Spring Single Player], a handy tool that lets you create single player games without cluttering up the lobby, as well as watch replays easily.

It's also very easy to set up singleplayer games using SpringLobby. Just click on the singleplayer tab, add some bots, and play. You can grab it from the [http://springlobby.info SpringLobby website].

===When I try to make a single player game, it gives me an error.===
Your graphics card probably can't support Spring. If you read the requirements it did say GeForce 3 or better. Go to the settings file in your Spring directory and lower some of the options. Sometimes that works.

===Does Spring support AI Players?===
Yes, see [[AI]] You can also use the [[random_enemies]] script, which spawns units out of thin air and sends them to attack you.

===How do I join an Internet multiplayer game?===
Run the "TA Spring multiplayer battleroom" from the Start menu or the TASClient.exe from your installation folder. In the "Server" tab change the server to "Official Host". Hit "Apply and close". Re-open the TA Spring client. Create an account on the "Account" tab.

===When I try to connect to the lobby it gives me an error.===
There could be 3 problems. Either you don't have an account, the server is down, or you have not configured your router/firewall correctly. If you don't have an account, make one. If the server is down, you'll just have to wait (this doesn't happen often, though). If you have a router/firewall read below. Have a look at this website's News page and/or the Messageboard, it is likely that you will get some information there in the eventuality that the server is down.

Also make sure that you don't have any spaces in your username.

===I have a router and I don't seem to be able to get a game===

If you are using a router you may have other problems. Explanations of [http://www.portforward.com/routers.htm how to forward ports] has instructions for every router.

===Where can I download more maps?===
As for most Spring downloads [http://unknown-files.net/spring/home/ Unknown Files] is the place to be! The [http://unknown-files.net/spring/category/13/Maps/ map category] has a nice overview.

===How do I install downloaded maps?===
Most maps are released as .sdz or .sd7 files. These can be put directly into the "maps" folder inside the Spring folder. If they are compressed into another type of archive you will have to unpack them first. Just unzip them into your spring maps folder. Some map files use newer (smaller) file formats such as .rar or .7z, to unzip these newer formats, you'll need to download 7-Zip [http://www.7-zip.org/ http://www.7-zip.org/] or Zip-genius [http://downloads.zipgenius.it/ http://downloads.zipgenius.it/]. They both handle almost all formats and are totally free. There is also now a map browser in the TASClient lobby software, click the more maps button in a battle screen to access it.

===Sometimes when I try to join games it gives me an error.===
The host is behind a firewall that has not opened the correct ports for Spring.

===When a multiplayer game starts I never make it past the loading screen.===
This indicates a problem with your video card. Once again the best way to deal with this situation is to make sure your video card has the latest driver updates and that all Spring video features are on the lowest settings.

===When a multiplayer game starts, I make it past the loading screen, but when I get into the game it says, "Waiting for Host", and does a 10 second countdown. It always reaches zero and boots me out, what gives?===
This is a firewall issue. There are three things you can do to fix this. First, make sure your windows firewall is either off, or is not blocking the TA: Spring application. Secondly, if you are behind a router, you can forward the ports that the host is using (especially if you are the host), and it usually fixes the problem. To do this you must go to your router configuration page. You can see what port 'you' are using (as the host), by hosting a multiplayer game in the Spring Lobby. You must make this your trigger port, and make sure that it is open for both TCP and UDP. Thirdly, if none of the aforementioned worked. The easiest thing to do (assuming you are behind a router) is to set the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). This means your computer will be completely exposed to the internet, which will make you vulnerable to any unknown or unpatched exploits in windows. All you have to do is find the personal IP if the computer you are using and add it to your router's DMZ list. Please only try this last option if you can't get the others to work.
Good Luck

===I got into the game, but some people didn't.===
The host may have reached the number of players it has set.
Or the players may be experiencing firewall or video card difficulty. That is not your fault. Please ask them too leave if they are still there when you get into the 'game lobby'. Some people have problem connecting to "hole punching" hosts.

===I got into a game but my name is red, nobody can hear me speak, and eventually I get disconnected===
This is to do with how long it takes the game to start up (the "load time"). If it takes too long you will see this problem. The load time can be reduced by changing the game graphics settings to lower quality. In particular try setting texture quality to lowest.

===What do all those icons mean in the server list?===
Server status icons inform you, at a quick glance, what the server is doing at the moment, and what state it's in (password protected, locked, open, full, etc). Read all about the server status icons and what they mean [[Server Status|here]].

----

==Playing==

===What is with this weird right-click mode? I'm 'bout to break my keyboard.===
Sorry, you'll just have to get used to it. As of now it can't be changed.

===Why is somebody else also controlling my units?===
In the 'game lobby' there are two sets of teams. There are the 'Teams' and the 'Ally Teams'. If you are on the same 'Team', then you both get the same commander, and can control the same units. If you are on 'Ally Teams', then you both get different commanders and can't control each others units.

===Is there a way that I can play music directly through TA-Spring, with alternating tracks for building/attacking like in the original Total Annihilation?===
Yes, there is. It is an addon (GroupAI) you have to download separately:
http://unknown-files.net/spring/file/3407/AFs_Dynamic_Background_Music_GroupAIv3/

There is also an ingame sound-volume-slider you might find usefull (lua-script):
http://unknown-files.net/spring/file/2239/LuaUI_Volume_Slider/

===Then why would I want to be on the same 'Team' as somebody?===
Because it's fun to just drive around units and not have to worry about commanding. (Assuming that one of the people on the team is commanding.)
Most importantly, however, you can split tasks, such as base building, and troops management.

===How do I talk to my allies only?===
You must type 'a:' before you speak. Here's an example: a: Now I am talking to my allies only. 

===Help! After I'm finished driving a unit, the camera is all insane! This is nuts! How do I fix it?===
Whoa now. Calm down. Just press ctrl + mouse button 3 to change camera modes. If your unit is destroyed in FPS mode, you will stay in FPS mode until you change camera modes. Also, the camera will stay in "free look" when FPS mode is disengaged, press middle-mouse or J to switch to normal scrolling.

===After I'm finished driving a unit, where what used to be my mouse pointer is now a crosshair. Why?===
-This is a special 'view mode' that allows you to move around the screen much faster. It's good for viewing the battle or getting screenshots. Simply press on your third mouse button or 'delete' to revert back to your mouse pointer.

===But I don't have a third mouse button!===
The key 'J' works in the same way as the 'middle mouse button' does. So where you would use ctrl + middle mouse button to change camera modes, ctrl + j does the same thing. Pressing J once will also switch you from 'crosshair mode' to 'pointer mode' and vice versa.

===IÃ‚Â´ve managed to get stuck in this weird camera mode and my perspective is all messed up. How do I switch to the overhead (OTA style) camera?===
Shift+Backspace (or Shift+J or Shift+MiddleMouseClick) switches between the fps style, total war style and OTA style cameras. Use it to get your camera back to normal in this situation.

===People are cheating! How do I stop it?!===
Well currently, you can't.

Only the host can "activate" the cheat codes. After that, any player can do almost all cheats.

The best thing to do is just not play with the cheaters anymore. But with new spring version cheats are disabled in multiplayer, so that paragraph is hopefully now irrelevant.

===Well how do you cheat?===

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr><th>Cheat Command</th><th>Effect</th></tr>

<tr>
<td>'''.cheat'''</td><td>'''enable cheats - Cheats don't work in multiplayer until the host types this'''</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.nocost</td><td>instabuild (doesn't work on things already under construction, only on new ones)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.setmaxspeed 50</td><td>Changes the maximum speed multiplier (default is 3.0)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.setminspeed 0</td><td>Changes the minimum speed multiplier (default is 0.3)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.spectator</td><td>Allows you to see the entire map... but you lose control of your units</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.team 0, .team 1, etc.</td><td>Change player</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.give ARMCOM, .give 10 CORKROG, etc.</td><td>Place 1 or specified number of specified unit. Valid units are the internal names of units as specified in the unit definition.</td>
</tr>

</table>
You can use auto-completion in the spring console if you don't remember the internal unit name. To do that type:
".give arm" and then press your '''TAB key'''
A list of all matching units will be shown.

===In Game Commands===
The following ''non-cheating'' commands are also available in game:

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr>
<th>Command</th><th>Effect</th>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>/info</td><td>Shows you what colour each player is and their ping delay in the bottom right corner of the screen.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>/clock</td><td>Shows you the elapsed game time in minutes and seconds in the upper right corner of the screen</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.take</td><td>Pulls all allied units, that are owned by players who have lost connection to the server, to your team.</td>
</tr>

</table>

===How do I ally or unally in game?===
I'm pretty sure you can't. Yet.

===How do I give somebody units or metal or energy?===
Press the 'H' key. Then select the amount of metal and/or energy to share. Then select the receiving player and press OK.

When sharing units, you must first select the units to share, then press 'H' key. Tick share units checkbox and choose a receiving player.

===How do I continually give somebody metal and/or energy after a certain point (i.e. Original TA commands +setshare..., +shareall)?===
You'll notice that on your metal and energy bars (top of screen), there are two red bars. You have to put them wherever you want your metal and energy to be shared after.

===This game is different than TA, the units HP and damage are not the same===

There were several third party "balance" mods for the original TA game.

One of those mods were xTA, and was developed by the same clan (SY) that has brought life back to TA, making Spring.

This balance mod is what is bundled by default with the spring engine, and is the mod that was ready to play when Spring was released.

Now are several mods available, install the mod of your choice.

[http://unknown-files.net/spring/category/14/Mods/ get mods here]

===XTA? OTA? AA? OMFGLAMO? WTF do those abbreviations mean?===
zwzsg maintains a handy dandy FAQ about TA, and the abbreviations that relate to Spring too, of course.
[http://www.tauniverse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27309 click here]. See also the Spring [[Glossary]], which contains brief explanations for all non-standard words and phrases.

===Why am I destroyed so easily by long range assaults?===
This is a realistic feature of Spring. Units will automatically attack 'radar blips' (units that they can not actually see, but that are indicated on radar). However, the accuracy is very bad while shooting at radar blips until:
* Your unit kills a lot of units and gets experience
* You get a targeting facility.

===Can I kick people from my 'game lobby' or my game?===
First of all, you have to be the host to kick. Use the good old ".kick playernamehere" command. Works in-game too, use it wisely.

===When I'm 'driving' my commander, why can't I use my laser?===
The TA: Spring team will most likely add a way for you to use your commander's laser soon.

===I hate driving around with the 'arrow keys'. Is there any way I can use the 'W-A-S-D' controls (the controls most First Person Shooters use) anymore?===
Go into your Spring directory and edit the uikeys file. Keep in mind that 'S' is originally a 'hot-key' that will stop your units and that 'D' is a 'hot-key' for your commander's D-Gun. You might want to change those too.

===I turned the shadows feature on; I still don't see shadows. What gives?===
Your graphics card can't handle shadows, so Spring automatically turns them off.

===I can't go backwards when I am 'driving' a unit. Why not?===
Because TA units were never intended to go backwards. Sorry, but you just cant.

===I'm in an Unreal Tournament kind of mood. How do I strafe?===
You can only strafe in 'brawler type' ships, such as the brawler, rapier, and light gunships.

===How can I record and watch demos/replays?===
From version 0.62 onwards recordings of all the games you play are easily available for replay via the Replays button in the TASclient.

You can use the Speed up/Slow down game keys while watching the replay, along with other in-game commands like .team

From version 0.60b1 onwards, demos are automatically recorded in the "demos" folder, underneath your Spring folder (default is C:\Program Files\Spring\demos), named for the date and map they were played on. If you play multiple games in the same day on the same map, the games will also be numbered to prevent them from overwriting each other.

From version 0.62 onwards, to view a demo from the Windows file manager you can just double click the file name.

===Sometimes when I play get "not sync" "delayed synch" errors===

Thats caused because of lag. One of the players in the game is having some lag issues. Ask him/her to free up its bandwidth for the game to use.

Alternatively you can use the pause key and wait till the connection gets more stable.

Lag is the seccond number showed when you use the .info command ingame, numbers bigger than 40 are not usual in a normal game and are a signal of lag.

----

==Content==

===Do Spring maps need a "ground"?===
Spring maps do require a ground. We have had many requests to have space maps, however, a "true" (ala Homeworld) space setting is not likely. It would have to wait until a much later stage. This does not mean that TA's style of "space" maps won't be possible, (see the Final Frontier TC for examples of this).

===You stated that Spring uses the TA unit format.===
Spring does use the Total Annihilation unit format. However, there is also a new format dubbed '.s3o' which uses a UV mapped texture instead of 3do's per face texturing system, as well as other improvements.

===How powerful will Spring's custom format be?===
Total Annihilation's unit format was extremely limited. Most of these limitations will either be expanded or non-existent in Spring's custom unit format. One of the most exciting improvements is the introduction of an entirely new method of scripting, with nearly complete control over every aspect of a unit's actions and behaviors.

===Does Spring have a limited number of weapons?===
No. Unlike Total Annihilation, Spring's weapon IDs will be unlimited. Meaning it will be possible to add as many third-party units as you want. However, the current model format limits 16 weapons to each unit.

===Does Spring have a limited number of unique units?===
No. Unit IDs, like weapon IDs, will be unlimited.

===Will units have a maximum of 3 unique weapons?===
Total Annihilation had a limitation that permitted a maximum of 3 unique weapons per unit. Spring currently has a way to have 16 weapons per unit. (Replace Primary, Secondary, Tertiary by 1 2 3 ...16). More can be made possible by modifying the source if there's a sufficient demand by mod makers.

===I'm curious as to the per-unit polygon limit.===
The engine itself does not have a polygon count limit. The limit is that of the processing power of today's computers. Since Spring requires a 3D card, the maximum polygon count per unit will be several times higher than Total Annihilation's. That means for your average mod, 300 polygons for common units and 700 for the more expensive ones is quite reasonable. (But don't waste polies unnecessarily!)

===Will units be able to perform basic terraforming?===
Total Annihilation units probably won't have any terrain editable functionality. Future units may be endowed with such functionality, but it's more of a gameplay issue and has not been decided upon yet. However construction units can restore ground, and certain weapons (especially explosive ones) can be used to deform the ground.

===Will tunnel building be possible?===
Subterranean areas of any sort is impossible. However, it is possible to heavily deform the ground with explosives.. Which is great fun!

===Will the ground's water retention be editable?===
No. Water will always collect when a piece of land has a height below sea level.

===Does Spring have a limit on the number of races?===
Spring has no limit on the total number of sides/races.

===What are the sizes of the biggest and smallest units?===
Static units (buildings, defenses, etc.) have no size limitations in the engine. Technically, neither do mobile units, but units with a footprint larger than 4x4 "squares" (an arbitrary size standard created by Cavedog) might have problems pathfinding.

===What is going to be the maximum possible sea depth?===
For all practical purposes, it will be unlimited. The depth values are stored as "float variables", so it is doubtful that maps would ever be made which even come close to approaching the limit.

===Will Spring support campaigns?===
Basic Map scripting has been implemented, using a Lua scripting engine. From that, it would be possible to make a basic campaign, but for ease of use a better way of selecting scripts and an improved Single player menu is needed.

See [[Mission development]] for more details.

===How big are the Spring files?===
Spring will be as small as however much content is included with it. The "essential" files are only be several megabytes large. Content (such as maps and units) will add considerable size to the Spring download. Currently, the file size is roughly 30 MB.

===How will Spring render sound effects?===
Sound is rendered 3D, meaning that the volume and direction (assuming a multi-speaker setup) vary with the location of the camera from the sound "emitter". What this translates into gameplay terms means that the closer you are to a unit making a sound or motion, the louder the sound will be. Additionally, the sound will be heard differently depending on which way the camera is facing relative to units making sound.

===Will Spring have ambient sound?===
There is no ambient sound, and we haven't planned on adding it thus far.

===Will there be an AI or a "skirmish" mode?===
We have created an interface for artificial intelligences (AIs), and several are currently under development. Information on these can be found at the [[AIs]] wiki page.

===Will a "possess" or a FPS option be present?===
Yes, it is possible to fully control a unit from the first person view. It is more of a gimmick, but it still allows for a nice diversion once in a while. Instructions on its use are in the [[Using_Spring#FPS_.22Mode.22_.28C.29|Using Spring]] article.

===How do I create maps?===
See the [[Map development]] page for all the map info.

===How do I create units/mods?===
See the [[Mod_and_Unit_development#Mod_devlopement|Mod and Unit development]] page on creating units/ mods.

[[Category:Content]]

Balanced Annihilation:Camera Control

2008-01-18T16:55:06Z

ZellSF: /* General Function Keys */

'''[[Using_Spring|<--Back to Using Spring]]'''

==Camera Controls==

Pressing Ctrl and one of the first five F buttons (F1-F5) will change your camera to that view. You can also use CTRL Middle Mouse Button.

===Camera Modes===

There are five different camera modes in Spring. Everyone likes a different one. Try them all out to decide what you like best.

====Classic Overhead(TA) Style====
The default view, very similar to the view OTA had. Use the arrow keys or move the mouse to the edge of the screen to pan around the map. The scroll wheel zooms in and out. Ctrl Scrolling will tilt the camera. Free look mode (click the middle mouse button) also pans around the map. It always "faces" straight north.

This is the easiest view for OTA players to use. It functions exactly the same as the OTA camera, so no new tricky controls are needed to properly enjoy the game. This view has recently had camera tilt added (see above), but still does not really show off the full glory of the Spring engine, as you are limited to one compass direction. It is the favorite view mode for most people, as most people played OTA or other similar RTS games with a traditional top-down view.

Insider note: there is also a (upside-down) flipped camera, type /viewtaflip to use it.

====Total War Style====
The same camera system used in the Total War series of games. It runs at a fixed height above the ground, which cannot be changed. Use the arrow keys or move the mouse to the edge of the screen to pan around the map. Scrolling the scroll wheel tilts the camera. Putting the mouse in the top corners of the screen rotates the view. Free look mode (click the middle mouse button) pans around the map.

This mode is good for those familiar with the Total War games. Like the OTA camera, it does not allow for full freedom of movement, so it does not show off the engine as much as it could.

====FPS Style====
In this view the camera is controlled just like in a first person shooter. Use arrow keys to fly forward/backward and strafe left/right. Hold the middle mouse button to aim the camera. Use the scroll wheel to zoom in and out.

This is the easiest camera to position. However, it can get quite tedious trying to control the camera in the middle of a battle. Its good for screenshots and FPS junkies.

====Rotatable Overhead Camera====

This is a new camera system invented by the SY's. You can change the camera height by scrolling. Use the arrow keys to pan around the map. The scroll wheel moves the camera up and down vertically. Free look mode (click the middle mouse button) lets you aim the camera from its current position.

This is perhaps the best camera, as it allows for totally free movement and aiming, but with some handy restrictions on the height. It is the second most popular view besides the OTA view. It's useful for both screenshots and actual gameplay.

====Free Camera====

Otherwise known as the smooth camera. Its primary control interface is the
keyboard, and it really isn't intended to be used for gameplay (although it may
be if the controls get improved, especially with respect to minimap view
setting). It has smooth motion, and should make for better video captures. It is
not included in the default toggle list for CTRL MiddleMouseButton control.

The main controls are the arrow keys, with the following modifiers:

ALT: side scrolling
CTRL: up/down tilting
SHIFT: up/down scrolling
META: speedup

It will switch to a special mode if you are tracking a unit. The right/left
arrow keys then control the angular rotation about the unit, and the
up/down key control the speed of motion towards the unit. The further
away you are from the unit, the faster you will move towards it. It will
also always face the unit, so that you'll see ground shakes rather then
unit shakes.

There are 3 different modes for handling the ground.

1. CamFreeGroundOffset == 0
- the camera can move anywhere

2. CamFreeGroundOffset < 0
- the camera is always offset from the ground height by -CamFreeGroundOffset

3. CamFreeGroundOffset > 0
- the camera can be "locked" to the ground by using SHIFT UP_ARROW.
(and will use CamFreeGroundOffset as the offset). To release the lock,
simply press SHIFT DOWN_ARROW

If the camera is locked to the ground, then the CamFreeAutoTilt and
CamFreeGravity parameters come into play. AutoTilt will point the camera
in the direction of the ground's slope. Gravity will be used if you jump off
of a ground ramp.

/luaui cam
- list available parameters

/luaui cam <param>
- show current value of <param>

/luaui cam <param> <value>
- set <param> to <value>

====FPS "Mode" (C)====
Press 'C' to toggle "First Person Shooter Mode".

Controls:
*Up Arrow: Move in the direction the unit's base (legs or tracks) is facing
*Left Arrow: Rotate Legs to the left
*Right Arrow: Rotate Legs to the right
*Mouse: Aim default gun. The gun will lock on to any targets the cursor moves close to, making tracking and firing at targets much easier.
*Left Mouse Button: Shoot whatever guns the engine has decided to let you shoot at the current target.
*Right Mouse Button: Click to enter Free Fire Mode. In this mode, the AI will aim and fire for you as you move.

===Zooming Changes===
Starting in version 0.72b1 there were some changes made to the zooming controls.

====Mousepoint Zooming====
When you zoom out the camera will move back from the center of the screen in such a way as to expand your view. When you zoom back in, however, the camera will shift focus towards the mouse pointer as your new center.

====Tab Zooming====
Pressing the TAB key will zoom you out to the point where the entire map will be visible from a special top-down perspective(in future versions this view will be [[CustomUnitIcons|iconified with CustomUnitIcons]]), then pressing the TAB key again with zoom you back to the same height and angle of view you were at before, but again, using your mouse pointer position as the new center.

===General Function Keys===

For the most part, the function keys control what the camera sees, so they are listed here for lack of a better place for them.

*'''F1''': Toggles Contour Markings On/Off. These color coded contour markings represent the height of the map. One iteration through the colors (ie: red-green-blue-red) indicates a height difference of 32.
*'''F2''': Toggles Path map On/Off. The path map works the following way:
**'''Mobile Unit Selected''': If you have a mobile unit selected, then the pathmap shows where that specific unit can move (green) and where it cant (red). The greener the map, the better the unit can walk on that area. Zones that can't be walked or driven on are always solid red.
**'''Builder Selected''': When you have a builder selected and have clicked on a building in its build menu (i.e. a Kbot lab), the path map will show you where you can build that building. Its fairly easy to understand, with the green zones representing buildable areas, and the red zones representing the areas where you cannot build. Note that the marks represent the "center-point" of the build, so if your mouse cursor is over green, you can build there, even if there's red within the building's border.
*'''F3''': Moves the camera to the position of the last message. Messages can be from units or alerts placed on the minimap by your allies.
*'''F4''': Toggles Metal Map On/Off. If the map is green, there is metal there. If the map is black, there is no metal. If the map is white, there is lots of metal and it would be a good strategic place to hold. The camera automatically switches to Metal Map mode when placing Metal Extractor structures, and switches back when you stop placing these structures.
*'''F5''': Toggles the GUI On/Off. Good for taking screenshots.
*'''F6''': Toggles Sound On/Off. Self-explanatory.
*'''F7''': Toggles the Dynamic sky. If the game is running slowly, try turning this off to speed it up a little bit.
*'''Ctrl+Shift+F8''': Save the Game. Not currently supported.
*'''F9''': Show/Hide Unit Status. Unit Status bars are: Health, Building percentage, experience, and group numbers.
*'''Ctrl+Shift+F10''': Video Capture. After pressing spring will jump to the deskop and will ask with which codec to record. When selected it will jump back in spring, if it doesn't just click on it! The video capture will unpause if the game was paused and start record. You may experience low FPS though after you stop recording by pressing F10 or exiting Spring it will save video in the original Spring Folder at a normal speed!
*'''F11''': Toggle Lua widget selector with what you can turn on/off lua scripting widgets. Ctrl F11 is lua widget tweak mode.
*'''F12''': Screenshots. Takes a screenshot and saves it to Spring/Screenshots/Screenshot###.jpg, where ### is the number of the screenshot.
*''';/L''': These commands toggle visible Fog of War and Radar Coverage areas. L toggles visible line of sight while ; controls radar and jammer coverage viewing within the Fog of War mode. All Radar and Line of Sight is impeded or helped by terrain; placing a radar/jammer on a hill will allow you to view/jam most of the area; placing either in a pit will not allow you to view/jam beyond the pit. Sonar coverage is included in these overlays.
**'''Color Key (OUTDATED!)''':
***'''Light Green''' = Radar and LOS
***'''Green''' = Aerial LOS and Radar
***'''Dark Green''' = Radar only
***'''Normal''' = LOS only
***'''Grey''' = Aerial LOS only
***'''Dark Grey''' = No coverage in that area
***'''Light Red''' = Jammed with LOS
***'''Red''' = Jammed with Aerial LOS
***'''Dark Red''' = Jammed with no LOS
***'''Light Yellow''' = Jammed, LOS and Radar
***'''Yellow''' = Jammed, Radar, and Aerial LOS
***'''Dark Yellow''' = Jammed and Radar
**'''Important''': Areas with Aerial LOS permit viewing only of air units, projectiles, and certain graphics such as smoke and shields. A perfect base would have light yellow everywhere. Due to lack of code optimization, the LOS/Fog of War overlay is updated about once every two seconds (?), so it would be unwise to rely upon it to give you coverage information about fast moving units such as Peepers and Eagles.

*'''TAB''': Toggles "[[Using_Spring#Tab_Zooming|Tab Zoom]]"
*'''Pause/Break''': Pauses the game. While the game is paused, you can still scroll around the map and issue orders, but nothing actually happens until the game's unpaused.

===Snapping/Panning Camera to a Specific View===
Middle click(MOUSE3) on the mini-map to snap the center of the view to that point on the map. Click and drag the middle mouse button to move the camera around the map. (Right click, formerly used to move the camera on the minimap, now gives orders).

Press F3 to snap the camera view to the point of the last "message" ("Unit is under attack", "player 1 has placed a point: look here!").

Press T to lock the camera to track the currently selected units. The camera will move so that the selected units are always centered. Move the camera manually to stop the tracking.

'''[[Using_Spring|<--Back to Using Spring]]'''

[[category:Using Spring]]

Balanced Annihilation:Camera Control

2008-01-18T16:45:27Z

ZellSF: New keybindings for 0.76b1, taspring reference...

'''[[Using_Spring|<--Back to Using Spring]]'''

==Camera Controls==

Pressing Ctrl and one of the first five F buttons (F1-F5) will change your camera to that view. You can also use CTRL Middle Mouse Button.

===Camera Modes===

There are five different camera modes in Spring. Everyone likes a different one. Try them all out to decide what you like best.

====Classic Overhead(TA) Style====
The default view, very similar to the view OTA had. Use the arrow keys or move the mouse to the edge of the screen to pan around the map. The scroll wheel zooms in and out. Ctrl Scrolling will tilt the camera. Free look mode (click the middle mouse button) also pans around the map. It always "faces" straight north.

This is the easiest view for OTA players to use. It functions exactly the same as the OTA camera, so no new tricky controls are needed to properly enjoy the game. This view has recently had camera tilt added (see above), but still does not really show off the full glory of the Spring engine, as you are limited to one compass direction. It is the favorite view mode for most people, as most people played OTA or other similar RTS games with a traditional top-down view.

Insider note: there is also a (upside-down) flipped camera, type /viewtaflip to use it.

====Total War Style====
The same camera system used in the Total War series of games. It runs at a fixed height above the ground, which cannot be changed. Use the arrow keys or move the mouse to the edge of the screen to pan around the map. Scrolling the scroll wheel tilts the camera. Putting the mouse in the top corners of the screen rotates the view. Free look mode (click the middle mouse button) pans around the map.

This mode is good for those familiar with the Total War games. Like the OTA camera, it does not allow for full freedom of movement, so it does not show off the engine as much as it could.

====FPS Style====
In this view the camera is controlled just like in a first person shooter. Use arrow keys to fly forward/backward and strafe left/right. Hold the middle mouse button to aim the camera. Use the scroll wheel to zoom in and out.

This is the easiest camera to position. However, it can get quite tedious trying to control the camera in the middle of a battle. Its good for screenshots and FPS junkies.

====Rotatable Overhead Camera====

This is a new camera system invented by the SY's. You can change the camera height by scrolling. Use the arrow keys to pan around the map. The scroll wheel moves the camera up and down vertically. Free look mode (click the middle mouse button) lets you aim the camera from its current position.

This is perhaps the best camera, as it allows for totally free movement and aiming, but with some handy restrictions on the height. It is the second most popular view besides the OTA view. It's useful for both screenshots and actual gameplay.

====Free Camera====

Otherwise known as the smooth camera. Its primary control interface is the
keyboard, and it really isn't intended to be used for gameplay (although it may
be if the controls get improved, especially with respect to minimap view
setting). It has smooth motion, and should make for better video captures. It is
not included in the default toggle list for CTRL MiddleMouseButton control.

The main controls are the arrow keys, with the following modifiers:

ALT: side scrolling
CTRL: up/down tilting
SHIFT: up/down scrolling
META: speedup

It will switch to a special mode if you are tracking a unit. The right/left
arrow keys then control the angular rotation about the unit, and the
up/down key control the speed of motion towards the unit. The further
away you are from the unit, the faster you will move towards it. It will
also always face the unit, so that you'll see ground shakes rather then
unit shakes.

There are 3 different modes for handling the ground.

1. CamFreeGroundOffset == 0
- the camera can move anywhere

2. CamFreeGroundOffset < 0
- the camera is always offset from the ground height by -CamFreeGroundOffset

3. CamFreeGroundOffset > 0
- the camera can be "locked" to the ground by using SHIFT UP_ARROW.
(and will use CamFreeGroundOffset as the offset). To release the lock,
simply press SHIFT DOWN_ARROW

If the camera is locked to the ground, then the CamFreeAutoTilt and
CamFreeGravity parameters come into play. AutoTilt will point the camera
in the direction of the ground's slope. Gravity will be used if you jump off
of a ground ramp.

/luaui cam
- list available parameters

/luaui cam <param>
- show current value of <param>

/luaui cam <param> <value>
- set <param> to <value>

====FPS "Mode" (C)====
Press 'C' to toggle "First Person Shooter Mode".

Controls:
*Up Arrow: Move in the direction the unit's base (legs or tracks) is facing
*Left Arrow: Rotate Legs to the left
*Right Arrow: Rotate Legs to the right
*Mouse: Aim default gun. The gun will lock on to any targets the cursor moves close to, making tracking and firing at targets much easier.
*Left Mouse Button: Shoot whatever guns the engine has decided to let you shoot at the current target.
*Right Mouse Button: Click to enter Free Fire Mode. In this mode, the AI will aim and fire for you as you move.

===Zooming Changes===
Starting in version 0.72b1 there were some changes made to the zooming controls.

====Mousepoint Zooming====
When you zoom out the camera will move back from the center of the screen in such a way as to expand your view. When you zoom back in, however, the camera will shift focus towards the mouse pointer as your new center.

====Tab Zooming====
Pressing the TAB key will zoom you out to the point where the entire map will be visible from a special top-down perspective(in future versions this view will be [[CustomUnitIcons|iconified with CustomUnitIcons]]), then pressing the TAB key again with zoom you back to the same height and angle of view you were at before, but again, using your mouse pointer position as the new center.

===General Function Keys===

For the most part, the function keys control what the camera sees, so they are listed here for lack of a better place for them.

*'''F1''': Toggles Contour Markings On/Off. These color coded contour markings represent the height of the map. One iteration through the colors (ie: red-green-blue-red) indicates a height difference of 32.
*'''F2''': Toggles Path map On/Off. The path map works the following way:
**'''Mobile Unit Selected''': If you have a mobile unit selected, then the pathmap shows where that specific unit can move (green) and where it cant (red). The greener the map, the better the unit can walk on that area. Zones that can't be walked or driven on are always solid red.
**'''Builder Selected''': When you have a builder selected and have clicked on a building in its build menu (i.e. a Kbot lab), the path map will show you where you can build that building. Its fairly easy to understand, with the green zones representing buildable areas, and the red zones representing the areas where you cannot build. Note that the marks represent the "center-point" of the build, so if your mouse cursor is over green, you can build there, even if there's red within the building's border.
*'''F3''': Moves the camera to the position of the last message. Messages can be from units or alerts placed on the minimap by your allies.
*'''F4''': Toggles Metal Map On/Off. If the map is green, there is metal there. If the map is black, there is no metal. If the map is white, there is lots of metal and it would be a good strategic place to hold. The camera automatically switches to Metal Map mode when placing Metal Extractor structures, and switches back when you stop placing these structures.
*'''F5''': Toggles the GUI On/Off. Good for taking screenshots.
*'''F6''': Toggles Sound On/Off. Self-explanatory.
*'''F7''': Toggles the Dynamic sky. If the game is running slowly, try turning this off to speed it up a little bit.
*'''Ctrl+Shift+F8''': Save the Game. Not currently supported.
*'''F9''': Show/Hide Unit Status. Unit Status bars are: Health, Building percentage, experience, and group numbers.
*'''Ctrl+Shift+F10''': Video Capture. After pressing spring will jump to the deskop and will ask with which codec to record. When selected it will jump back in spring, if it doesn't just click on it! The video capture will unpause if the game was paused and start record. You may experience low FPS though after you stop recording by pressing F10 or exiting Spring it will save video in the original Spring Folder at a normal speed!
*'''F11''': Toggle Lua widget selector with what you can turn on/off lua scripting widgets. Ctrl F11 is lua widget tweak mode.
*'''F12''': Screenshots. Takes a screenshot and saves it to Spring/Screenshots/Screenshot###.jpg, where ### is the number of the screenshot.
*''';/L''': These commands toggle visible Fog of War and Radar Coverage areas. L toggles visible line of sight while ; controls radar and jammer coverage viewing within the Fog of War mode. All Radar and Line of Sight is impeded or helped by terrain; placing a radar/jammer on a hill will allow you to view/jam most of the area; placing either in a pit will not allow you to view/jam beyond the pit. Sonar coverage is included in these overlays.
**'''Color Key''':
***'''Light Green''' = Radar and LOS
***'''Green''' = Aerial LOS and Radar
***'''Dark Green''' = Radar only
***'''Normal''' = LOS only
***'''Grey''' = Aerial LOS only
***'''Dark Grey''' = No coverage in that area
***'''Light Red''' = Jammed with LOS
***'''Red''' = Jammed with Aerial LOS
***'''Dark Red''' = Jammed with no LOS
***'''Light Yellow''' = Jammed, LOS and Radar
***'''Yellow''' = Jammed, Radar, and Aerial LOS
***'''Dark Yellow''' = Jammed and Radar
**'''Important''': Areas with Aerial LOS permit viewing only of air units, projectiles, and certain graphics such as smoke and shields. A perfect base would have light yellow everywhere. Due to lack of code optimization, the LOS/Fog of War overlay is updated about once every two seconds (?), so it would be unwise to rely upon it to give you coverage information about fast moving units such as Peepers and Eagles.

*'''TAB''': Toggles "[[Using_Spring#Tab_Zooming|Tab Zoom]]"
*'''Pause/Break''': Pauses the game. While the game is paused, you can still scroll around the map and issue orders, but nothing actually happens until the game's unpaused.

===Snapping/Panning Camera to a Specific View===
Middle click(MOUSE3) on the mini-map to snap the center of the view to that point on the map. Click and drag the middle mouse button to move the camera around the map. (Right click, formerly used to move the camera on the minimap, now gives orders).

Press F3 to snap the camera view to the point of the last "message" ("Unit is under attack", "player 1 has placed a point: look here!").

Press T to lock the camera to track the currently selected units. The camera will move so that the selected units are always centered. Move the camera manually to stop the tracking.

'''[[Using_Spring|<--Back to Using Spring]]'''

[[category:Using Spring]]

The Secret Front

2008-01-18T16:41:38Z

ZellSF: ...

Possibly the least employed strategy in Spring, due to structural difficulties, the concept is as thus - one keeps his or her actions completely unknown, striking in secrecy and indeed having no easily targetable structures or units.

Cloaking, stealth, quick wits - this overhead strategy requires many tactical concessions to achieve.

It will not be viable in most mods due to the lack of stealthed or cloakable resource structures... however, try it out as ARM in Absolute Annihilation... or URC in Expand & Exterminate.

Balanced Annihilation:Chat

2008-01-18T16:39:04Z

ZellSF: Added tons of commands

This Page Needs [[The_Talking_Changelog|Updating]]

- Added .godmode [0|1] -- allows all players (even specs) to control all units

'''[[Using_Spring|<--Back to Using Spring]]'''

==Chat, Cheats, and Text Commands==

Pressing ENTER will bring up a "say:" prompt which you can use to communicate with other players or issue "Text Commands". To send a message to all who are connected, type your message and press ENTER. To send a message only to your allies, preface your message with "a:". To send a message to any spectators, type "s:" then your message and press ENTER. There are also keybindings for all/ally/spec chat messaging:

Enter -> send to <send type>

Ctrl+Enter -> send to All (and sets <send type> to all)

Alt+Enter -> send to Allies (and sets <send type> to allies)

Shift+Enter -> send to Spectators (and sets <send type> to spectators)

<nowiki> To enter a Text Command, simply type the command and press ENTER.</nowiki>

===Basic Text Commands===

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr>

<th>Command</th><th>Effect</th>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/info #</td><td>Shows you what colour each player is, its CPU usage percentage and their ping delay in the bottom right corner of the screen. This is on by default. Arguments:<ol>

<li>Sorts by allies</li>

<li>Sorts by TeamID</li>

<li>Sorts by name</li>

<li>Sorts by CPU Usage</li>

<li>Sorts by Ping</li>

</ol></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/clock</td><td>Shows you the elapsed game time in minutes and seconds in the upper right corner of the screen. This is on by default.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/fps</td><td>Shows FPS counter in the upper right corner of the screen.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/gameinfo</td><td>Shows game information. Game version, actual game speed, commander ends, gravity, tidal, min wind, max wind, map size, map name and mod name.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.kick <name></td><td>Kicks a player, only works for hosts.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.kickbynum #</td><td>Kicks a player, only works for hosts.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.take</td><td>Places all allied units that are owned by players who have lost connection to the server under your control. It is generally considered polite to consult with any still-connected allies before doing this. In a Commander Dies, Game Ends game, a player only loses once they have lost ''all'' their Commanders, and this mechanism will give them a second one.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.setmaxspeed #</td><td>Changes the maximum speed multiplier (default is 3.0)</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.setminspeed #</td><td>Changes the minimum speed multiplier (default is 0.3)</td>

</tr>

</table>

===Cheat Codes===

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr><th>Cheat Command</th><th>Effect</th></tr>

<tr>

<td>'''.cheat'''</td><td>'''enable cheats - Cheats don't work in multiplayer until the host types this'''</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.nocost</td><td>Insta-build; everything is built immediatly. (doesn't work on things already under construction, only on new ones)</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.spectator</td><td>Allows you to see the entire map... but you lose control of your units</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.team #</td><td>Change player</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.give [amount] <unitName> [team] @x,y,z (.give ARMCOM, .give 10 CORKROG, .give all, etc.)</td><td>Place 1 or specified number of specified unit. Valid units are the internal names of units as specified in the unit definition. Use the "all" switch to get ALL the units in the current mod. Putting a number after the unit name will give those units to the specified team.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.atm</td><td>gain 1000 extra energy and metal.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>.godmode [0|1]</td><td>If set to 1, everybody (including specs) can control and view all units.</td>

</tr>

</table>

===Graphic Settings===

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr>

<th>Command</th><th>Effect</th>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/advshading [0|1]</td><td>Disables/enables advanced shading (reflective units, more?).</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/grounddecals [0|1]</td><td>Disables/enables ground decals (immune to tab complete?).</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/maxparticles #</td><td>Sets maximum amount of particles. Accepted values are between 1000 and 20000.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/shadows [0|1] #</td><td>Sets shadows to on or off, supports a second argument for shadow quality (1024, 2048, 4096 or 8192). Note that shadows are a massive performance hit</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/vsync [0|1]</td><td>Disables/enables vsync.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/water #</td><td>Sets water quality:<ol start=0>

<li>Basic water, no performance hit.</li>

<li>Reflective, Pretty, not a too large performance hit.</li>

<li>Dynamic, Very pretty, MASSIVE performance hit and buggy on some hardware.</li>

<li>Reflective + Refractive, Prettier than reflective and pretty much the same performance hit, slightly buggy on some hardware.</li>

</ol></td>

</tr>

</table>

===Misc===

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr>

<th>Command</th><th>Effect</th>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/cmdcolors <filename></td><td>Loads specified cmdcolors.txt.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/ctrlpanel <filename></td><td>Loads specified ctrlpanel.txt</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/luaui</td><td>Access LuaUI commands provided by widgets. Use /luaui reload if LuaUI crashes. You can also use disable/enable arguments.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/echo <text></td><td>Prints a message to the console.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/say <text></td><td>Specifies that you want to say something to the other players, useful for telling them how to do something with a / command without running it yourself. For example /say /luaui reload.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/specfullview #</td><td>Sets spectator viewing and selection options:<ol start=0>

<li>No special abilities.</li>

<li>view-all.</li>

<li>select-all.</li>

<li>view-all and select-all.</li>

</ol></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/volume #</td><td>Sets volume, accepted values are between 0 and 1.</td>

</tr>

</table>

===Keybindings===

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr>

<th>Command</th><th>Effect</th>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/bind <keyset> <action></td><td>Binds a key or key combination.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/unbind <keyset> <action></td><td>Unbinds a key or key combination.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/unbindaction <action></td><td>Unbinds all keybinds that uses <action>.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/unbindkeyset <keyset></td><td>Unbinds all bindings that uses <keyset>.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/unbindall</td><td>Unbinds all keys except the chat keybinding.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/keysym <name> <keycode></td><td>Adds a custom key symbol, The defaults can not be overridden. Name must start with a letter, and only contain letters, numbers, and '_'</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/keyset <name> <keyset></td><td>Specifies a named keyset. Name must start with a letter, and only contain letters, numbers, and '_'. Named keysets may be accessed by prepending the '&' character to the name.</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>/fakemeta <keysym></td><td>Assigns an auxiliary key for the meta modifier ("space" is a good choice. Use fakemeta none to disable this feature</td>

</tr>

</table>

'''[[Using_Spring|<--Back to Using Spring]]'''

[[category:Using Spring]][[category:Out of Date]]

Glossary

2008-01-18T16:30:28Z

ZellSF: added BA and CA

===Intro===

Can't find what you're looking for? Please edit this page and add an entry for the word/phrase you don't understand, with the text "what's this?" (click the "Edit Page" link at the bottom to begin). Secondly, have a look to see if there are any "what's this?" entries that you know the answer to, and fill them in.

Please keep this page in alphabetical order, and remember it is just a glossary not an encyclopedia - brief descriptions only please! Thank you.

===Glossary===

;AA
:"Anti Air" - units which are good against aircraft.
:Also see [[Absolute Annihilation]]. "Balancing mod" with lots of extra units, based on [[UH]].

;assist-build
:see "build-assist"

;BA
:[[Balanced Annihilation]]. The most popular Spring mod.

;balancing mod
:changes the stats, abilities, or build menus of existing units, may add extra units

;BB
:"Big Bertha", which is a "VLRPC".

;BSR
:"Brave Sir Robin" - producer of [[UH]]

;build-assist
:speeding up unit/building construction with extra con units

;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_plus_plus C++]
:A computer language. Spring is written in this language.

;CA
:[[Complete Annihilation]]. Constantly in development Total Annihilation based mod experimenting with new graphics and gameplay ideas.

;[[CVS]]
:"Concurrent Version System", allows the developers to work together; it contains the Spring source code.
:"[[SVN]]" (Subversion) is another system for the same task.

;comm
:"commander", the unit you start the game with.

;comm bomb
:"self-D"ing your commander in an enemy base to destroy it.

;commnap
:Snatching an opponent's commander with a transport unit (usually an air transport such as an Atlas/Valkyrie), with the intent of selfdestructing it in the enemy's base.

;con
:"construction", e.g. "con air"/"air con" is a construction aircraft.

;DD
:What's this?

;[http://www.doxygen.org doxygen]
:source code documentation system used on spring. Generates [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/doxygen/ documentation] directly from code.

;Drama
:Forum colloquialism for emotional infighting, especially when emotions begin to flare and people move from logical discussion to name calling and defensiveness. Comes from the stereotype that goths/emo-kids tend to over-dramatize their lot in life.

;[[FAQ]]
:Answers to "Frequently Asked Questions"

;LOS
:Line Of Sight (of your units)

;LRPC
:"Long Range Plasma Cannon.
:See also "VLRPC" (Very -""-)

;mex (mexes)(mohomex)
:Metal Extractor(s)

;[[MiniSpring]]
:[[Mods|Mod]] with all the unit sizes scaled down by a factor of 2.

;[[Mods|mod]]
:Modification to the game which changes the units, see [[Mods]].

;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_.NET .NET]
:A software development platform used by Spring.

;[[OTA]]
:Original Total Annilation, refering to the unmodified TA units.

;Phoenix Works
:A game [[lobby]] and persistent campaign system supporting Spring [[XTA]] as well as several (mainly rebalancing) mods for [[OTA|original TA]].

;Porcing
:Playing defensively and not expanding (Small and Good Defense, like a Porcupine); term from an old [[CaveDog]] Strategy Article.

;PW
:See "Phoenix Works".
:Can also stand for "PeeWee"s

;rebalance
:See "balancing mod"

;rush
:Early attack, see [[Rushing]]

;self-D
:"self destruct" - All units can do this ([CTRL]+[D] to activate/cancel).

;[http://sf.net SourceForge]
:The [[open source]] website used for the development of the source code.

;[[SVN]]
:Subversion, used by the developers, it contains the [[Spring]] programming code. Considered superior to [[CVS]].

;[[SWTA]]
:Star Wars "total conversion" [[Mods|mod]]

;[[SY]]s
:"Swedish Yankspankers" - the guys who started the whole [[Spring]] thing 8)

;[[TA]]
:Total Annihilation, the name of the game.

;[[TA-WD|TAWD]]
:"Total Annihilation: World Domination" - a quality World War 3 [[TC]].

;TC
:See "total conversion"

;total conversion
:A [[Mods|mod]] which replaces the entire unit set, and often every other aspect(graphics, sound, etc.) of a game.

;[[UH]]
:"[[UberHack]]" - Perhaps the most widely acclaimed "balancing mod" - produced by "BSR".

;unit stats
:The amount of armour, max speed, etc. that a unit has.

;[[UTASP]]
:A truly massive unofficial unit pack expansion for [[TA]].

;VLRPC
:"Very Long Range Plasma Cannon"
:See also "LRPC"

;[[XTA]]
:The [[SY]]'s radical "rebalance mod," the standard gametype for [[Spring]].

=== See also ===
* "[http://www.tauniverse.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=435301#post435301 Abbreviations]" entry in the [http://www.tauniverse.com tauniverse.com] forum

[[edrama]]

[[Category:Playing]]

Read Me First

2008-01-18T16:25:15Z

ZellSF: altaric's client is outdated, iirc, and Satirik's lobby client is default now. Maybe edit in mentions of AFLobby and SpringLobby later

{{lang | Germany | Zuerst lesen | Zuerst Lesen}}

 <center>'''The following will answer the most commonly-asked questions about Spring from newcomers, especially those confused by the differences between the way Total Annihilation handles things and the way Spring handles things.'''</center> 

===About Spring===
Spring is an open source project. This means everyone with programming knowledge can contribute in the project. It also means this is made in free time. 
Spring is currently in a Beta stage. This means it isn't done yet. Therefore, some things may be unclear or not user-friendly yet. (Like the GUI, which doesn't exist.) That said, Spring is still totally playable with many fan-made mods to choose from. 

===Installation (on Windows)===
* For installation on Linux, [[SetupGuide|go here]]
# Get The installer here: http://spring.clan-sy.com/download.php
# Spring and Total Annihilation are two completely different programs. Their files are not in any way interchangeable.
# As such, they should be installed to different directories. Spring is usually installed at C:\Program Files\Spring
# Make sure you have the latest version of Spring. The current version is [[CurrentVersion]]
# Spring it self is an engine, the program that runs the content. The content itself (the buildings, units, sounds, images) are packed in mod files. There are several mods you can play with Spring. They all have different play styles. The installer is a web installer with a list of mods you can download and play.

===Playing===
# To play a game of Spring, you must run the TASClient.exe program. Spring itself, at this time, cannot be run directly very well.
# You can start TASClient through the start menu link it creates or by running TASClient.exe in the directory you installed Spring in.
# It is possible to play a single player game. Of course, this requires an AI to fight against. Take a look at the Bots section of this article.
 
# To chat with allies, type "a:" (without quotemarks) before your message
# Another useful commands: "s:" (chatting only with spectators).
 
# press F1 for seeing the heightmap (because some buildings cannot be built anywhere).
# press F2 when you want to see where the builder can build the selected unit.
# press F3 for seeing last action in the game.
# press F4 for seeing metal map (where to build metal extractors).
# press F6 to disable sounds.
# press F9 to disable units health bars.
# press F12 to take a screenshot with average JPG quality.
For more information Check Keyboard Key Layout:
[http://img108.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=03721_PK06A_Compact_Keyboard_ProdImage_Black_V2_122_972lo.jpg Spring Keyboard Layout Image]
 
# press left mouse button to select an unit.
# press left mouse button and drag, to select multiple units.
# press right mouse button to move selected units in that position where mouse is.
# press left mouse button on nothing to do nothing and deselect selected units (when selected units).

===Using Mods===
# A list of all mods can be found at: [[Mods]]
# You can download most mods from [http://www.unknown-files.net/spring/home/ Unknown Files] You should probably bookmark this page.
# To install a mod ("data set") to Spring, you just simply put the ".sd7" or ".sdz" file (or files) into your "Spring\Mods\" directory.
# Some mods have multiple files to them. For example, "Absolute Annihilation" currently contains the base mod file, then extra files for the given version being played and the desired 'mutator'. Place all these into the mod folder.
# Once a mod has been installed, restart the Spring Client, or click on the "Refresh mod list" when hosting a game. It then will appear as an option when you start a game ("Battle Screen") in TASClient.

===Using Maps===
# Maps can be found at [http://www.unknown-files.net/spring/home/ Unknown Files]. 
# This files are also ".sd7" or ".sdz" files. They may be zipped with WinZip or WinRar, to reduce the size. In that case, unzip them before placing them in the "Maps" directory in the Spring folder. 
# In the Battle Screen, use the "Reload Map list" button to use the new maps. 
# The Client can also automatically download the required map. In the Battlescreen go to "More Maps" and select a new map from the list. 

===Client===
# The purpose of TASClient is similar to the Microsoft Zone lobby, only not as pretty. You can go there to chat, start games, download maps, and basically anything Spring related.
# Private messaging is also supported through TASClient by double-clicking a person's name on the list on the right-hand side of the screen. To exit a private messaging window, right-click that person's name at the top of your screen. (next to something like "#main")
# To host a game, go to "Battle Screen" and click the "Host battle" buton. A small window pops up, allowing you to chose the mod and other settings.
# If you're in a battle, but have 'lost' your battle screen, you can get it back by hitting the "Battle Screen" button on the top-left of the main Client window. This is also where you host games from.

===Bots===
Bots are AI controlled players. There are several AI projects in development. Most of them are at a playable stage. 

There are bots packed with Spring, so you should already have several AI to fight against. Installing other AIs or new versions is simple as using new mods or maps. 
# Unpack the downloaded file, and place the dll files in \Spring\ai\bot-libs. Note that some AIs require additional folders/files to work properly so read their install instructions carefully 
# Restart Spring Client if it was running. 
# Or use [http://www.unknown-files.net/spring/3672/SpringSP_v091beta1/ SpringSP], a small program that easily sets up a singleplayer game. 

A list of AIs can be found at: [[AIs]] 

Your question not answered here? Got problems? Read the [[FAQ|Frequently Asked Questions]]. 

===The Spring Forum===
[[Forum_Etiquette|Guidelines For Forum Etiquette]]

[[Category:Playing]]

Using Spring

2008-01-18T16:23:57Z

ZellSF: minor typo

{|border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="10" width="100%"
|width="100%" valign="top" style="background: #e6e6fa; border: 1px #aaa solid;"|
===Using Spring===

This is a fairly exhaustive description of controls, interface and features. For basic information, check the most current readme [[Readme|here]] or [[Read_Me_First|Read me first]]. For an introduction to the strategy and overall gameplay in XTA (and most mods based on the original Cavedog units) check out the [[Spring_guide%21|Spring Guide!]]. Other mods should have more specific documentation on their web sites or on the Wiki. Please see the links in the [[Mods]] section.

For more advanced/current information check the most recent [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/changelog.txt changelog] or the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/ Spring Forums].
|}

{|border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="10" width="100%"
|width="100%" valign="top" style="background: #e6e6fa; border: 1px #aaa solid;"|

===Articles===

[http://quickstart.unknown-files.net/ Quickstart - Tutorial about Spring and standard Lobby]

'''[http://img108.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=03721_PK06A_Compact_Keyboard_ProdImage_Black_V2_122_972lo.jpg Spring default Keyboard layout]

'''[[Using_Camera | Using the Cameras]]'''

'''[[Using_Selections|Selections/Groups/Group Commands/Group AI]]'''

'''[[Using_Orders|Issuing Orders]]'''

'''[[Using_chat|Chat, Cheats, and Text Commands]]'''

'''[[Using_doodles|Map drawing/doodles]]'''

'''[[Using_custom_keys| Customized key shortcuts/bindings and the key/selection editor]]'''

'''[[Spring on a LAN]]'''

''' [[Main_Page|<- Back to Main page page]]'''

[[Category:Playing]]

FAQ

2008-01-18T16:23:19Z

ZellSF: taspring reference...

==General information==

===What is Spring?===
Spring is a project to create the best RTS ever (no joke). There are three principle goals which we hope to achieve.

# Reach a stage where TA Spring can flawlessly execute most of Total Annihilation's original gameplay, with its original units in their original format.
// This goal has been achieved, Multiple TA-style mods are now around ranging from [[BOTA]] which is Basically OTA, to [[CA]] which rebalances most of the units and roles while keeping then graphical style. A bunch of non-TA mods are also available, such as; [[Kernel Panic]], [[Gundam Annihilation]], and [[1944: Spring]]

# Add new features as we see fit, fix bugs, and release new versions when we feel it is appropriate to do so.

# Support the mod community as we see fit.
// A quite robust modding system is implemented allowing ease of modding or just making a mutator for an existing mod. This can be done either mod or map side, allowing special buildings to be included in a map.

# Improving the already fine original TA Interface in a way that the Players will have more tactical Options, more Control, more Comfort and still don`t get lost, as long as they are willing to learn.
//There has recently been added support for LUA widgets and gadgets which will help you customize the interface to your needs. The UI is personal again.

The goals might need an update.. -- Tim Blokdijk

===Is Spring free?===
The core game is released under GPL License. Fortunately as of now, there are also two mods which have been released under the GNU/GPL, and several more which do not have clear licence terms (owned by their modder).

However, there are also several mods for which some parts are still under copyright of Atari. For these you need to own the original TA game if you want to play.

===Why can I edit this page?===
This page, and several others, are located in the Spring [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki Wiki]. The link gives a full explanation of what it is, but in short it is a way of letting anyone who wants to contribute to the page content. This can of course be abused, but even while it is easy for someone to vandalise the page, it is just as easy for someone to restore it, since the wiki saves all previous versions of a page.

===Why can't I edit this page?===
You need to be [[Special:Userlogin|logged in]] to edit our wiki because people were vandalizing and/or being morons too much, so they had to lock it down.

===I want to help, what can I do?===
Please look at the Messageboard. There are lots of things you can do according to your skills. Particularly important is to create viable and pleasing free alternatives to copyrighted material, mainly sounds and units.

===I want to donate.===
People have made clear their desire to donate to the project, and so far, we have been fairly reluctant about accepting donations. Our main concern? While we certainly hope to have something on the level of a commercial release in the near future, there is no guarantee that it will ever happen. Unforeseen events arise, and it would be most unfortunate if everyone who donated felt swindled because the project did not turn out as they had hoped.

We do not plan to be more or less productive solely based upon the quantity and frequency of donations received. The Spring project is here only because we view this as an enjoyable hobby.

===I read all that and I still want to donate.===
Very well then! You can find the required details [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/donate.php here]. It will be much appreciated. :)

----

==Technical==

===What port numbers does Spring use?===
Game uses port 8452 UDP by default, which can be changed in the lobby. If you are behind a router, and are having problems hosting, try forwarding the correct port and also make sure the firewall is not blocking it.

===What APIs does Spring use?===
The Windows version of the program (Which is the Binary that can be downloaded from this site) uses: OpenGL for rendering, DirectSound for sound, and Winsock for networking.

The Linux port, see [[MultiplatformSpring]] with more info below, uses SDL/OpenGL for rendering, OpenAL for sound (which will connect to DirectSound on Windows and OSS or ALSA on Linux), BSD sockets for networking.

===I am having really bad framerates (fps) on my dual core! What am i doing wrong?===
Currently spring does not like dual/quad cores, you will get really bad framerates. To solve this, you have to restrict it to run on one core. Download the file from http://www.robpol86.com/Pages/imagecfg.php follow the instructions, and make all of the spring exe files (spring.exe, TASClient.exe, all others) run on one core. It will run much faster.

===I am having really bad framerates (fps) on my brand new nvidia graphics card! What am i doing wrong?===
Turn off 'threaded optimizations' for Spring in the nvidia control panel.

===What language is Spring written in?===
The spring game engine is written in C and C++. The Windows lobby client is written in Delphi, the lobby server is java. Of multiplatform lobby clients, SpringLobby is in C++ and AFLobby in java.

===Is Spring open source?===
Yes, it is. Go to the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/download.php downloads] section of the site to download the source code.

===Is there any documentation for the source code?===
Yes, doxygen is used to automatically generate the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/doxygen/ documentation]

===Is Spring a Portable Application?===

At present, I play Spring at my college by using my IPOD as a portable bit of storage for the game, so yes, it does appear to be portable. Also, I managed to run AFLobby from the IPOD as well.

If both of those can run off a bleedin' IPOD, they can run off of anything, in my opinion.

If I'm wrong, edit.

See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_application] for more information about portable applications.

- Sangue

Spring needs the registry settings moved to an ini file.
Then, it will be fully portable.

TASClient will run from anywhere as well...and I believe springlobby is the same way.

==Requirements==

===What platforms will Spring run on?===
At the moment, it runs on Windows, Linux and basically on [[Spring_on_MacOSX |Mac OS X.]]

===What sort of a system do I need to run Spring?===
You need a 3D graphics card to run Spring, which will probably require at least a a GeForce4 MX and the latest driver supported. Minimum CPU requirements are a little more complex. A more powerful CPU will have the capability to support larger maps and a greater maximum unit limit. A 1 GHz CPU should be able to support an estimated 500 units. The needed memory will also vary with unit count and map size, and Spring has been known to have worked with 256 MB of Ram (albeit with lowest detail levels).

For further details and tested Systems check the [[Requirements]] page.

===Spring says I need the GL_ARB_texture_env_combine extension, what can I do?===

This error can be caused by various things:

'''1:''' Old video Hardware.

'''2:''' Old drivers.

'''2:''' Bad installed Drivers.

'''3:''' Bad game settings.

If your hardware is old check [http://www.delphi3d.net/hardware/extsupport.php?extension=GL_ARB_texture_env_combine THIS] list, if you cant find your video card then, sorry, you have to buy a new video card.

If your hardware is in the above list or you are sure that your video card support this opengl extension download [http://www.realtech-vr.com/glview/download.html THIS] software. Intall, run, and check if under the ''Report'' tab there is the ''GL_ARB_texture_env_combine'' string.
If the string is present then the problem resides in your Spring settings, try lower screen resolution and disable all graphics effect.
If the string is not present and your hardware is in the list the problem are your video card drivers. To solve this '''UNINSTALL ALL PREVIOUS DRIVERS''' and install last stable drivers for your video card. Usually the problem shows when there are uninstalled old video drivers on the system.

'''NOTE:''' ATI drivers for Windows Vista does not support OpenGL right now so Spring will not run on systems with Vista and ATI Cards.

'''NOTE:''' Use '''glxinfo''' on a Linux system. You don't need to download any third party application because most if not all systems with x11 should have that program already.
----

==Getting into a game==

===People talk about 'Single Player'. How do I start a single player game?===
Simply start a game in the lobby, and enter a password, so that nobody can join. Then click ready, and start and away you go !

Alternatively, you can get [http://spring.unknown-files.net/file/2012/Spring_Single_Player_Launcher_v0.8/ Spring Single Player], a handy tool that lets you create single player games without cluttering up the lobby, as well as watch replays easily.

It's also very easy to set up singleplayer games using SpringLobby. Just click on the singleplayer tab, add some bots, and play. You can grab it from the [http://springlobby.info SpringLobby website].

===When I try to make a single player game, it gives me an error.===
Your graphics card probably can't support Spring. If you read the requirements it did say GeForce 3 or better. Go to the settings file in your Spring directory and lower some of the options. Sometimes that works.

===Does Spring support AI Players?===
Yes, see [[AI]] You can also use the [[random_enemies]] script, which spawns units out of thin air and sends them to attack you.

===How do I join an Internet multiplayer game?===
Run the "TA Spring multiplayer battleroom" from the Start menu or the TASClient.exe from your installation folder. In the "Server" tab change the server to "Official Host". Hit "Apply and close". Re-open the TA Spring client. Create an account on the "Account" tab.

===When I try to connect to the lobby it gives me an error.===
There could be 3 problems. Either you don't have an account, the server is down, or you have not configured your router/firewall correctly. If you don't have an account, make one. If the server is down, you'll just have to wait (this doesn't happen often, though). If you have a router/firewall read below. Have a look at this website's News page and/or the Messageboard, it is likely that you will get some information there in the eventuality that the server is down.

Also make sure that you don't have any spaces in your username.

===I have a router and I don't seem to be able to get a game===

If you are using a router you may have other problems. Explanations of [http://www.portforward.com/routers.htm how to forward ports] has instructions for every router.

===Where can I download more maps?===
As for most Spring downloads [http://unknown-files.net/spring/home/ Unknown Files] is the place to be! The [http://unknown-files.net/spring/category/13/Maps/ map category] has a nice overview.

===How do I install downloaded maps?===
Most maps are released as .sdz or .sd7 files. These can be put directly into the "maps" folder inside the Spring folder. If they are compressed into another type of archive you will have to unpack them first. Just unzip them into your spring maps folder. Some map files use newer (smaller) file formats such as .rar or .7z, to unzip these newer formats, you'll need to download 7-Zip [http://www.7-zip.org/ http://www.7-zip.org/] or Zip-genius [http://downloads.zipgenius.it/ http://downloads.zipgenius.it/]. They both handle almost all formats and are totally free. There is also now a map browser in the TASClient lobby software, click the more maps button in a battle screen to access it.

===Sometimes when I try to join games it gives me an error.===
The host is behind a firewall that has not opened the correct ports for Spring.

===When a multiplayer game starts I never make it past the loading screen.===
This indicates a problem with your video card. Once again the best way to deal with this situation is to make sure your video card has the latest driver updates and that all Spring video features are on the lowest settings.

===When a multiplayer game starts, I make it past the loading screen, but when I get into the game it says, "Waiting for Host", and does a 10 second countdown. It always reaches zero and boots me out, what gives?===
This is a firewall issue. There are three things you can do to fix this. First, make sure your windows firewall is either off, or is not blocking the TA: Spring application. Secondly, if you are behind a router, you can forward the ports that the host is using (especially if you are the host), and it usually fixes the problem. To do this you must go to your router configuration page. You can see what port 'you' are using (as the host), by hosting a multiplayer game in the Spring Lobby. You must make this your trigger port, and make sure that it is open for both TCP and UDP. Thirdly, if none of the aforementioned worked. The easiest thing to do (assuming you are behind a router) is to set the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). This means your computer will be completely exposed to the internet, which will make you vulnerable to any unknown or unpatched exploits in windows. All you have to do is find the personal IP if the computer you are using and add it to your router's DMZ list. Please only try this last option if you can't get the others to work.
Good Luck

===I got into the game, but some people didn't.===
The host may have reached the number of players it has set.
Or the players may be experiencing firewall or video card difficulty. That is not your fault. Please ask them too leave if they are still there when you get into the 'game lobby'. Some people have problem connecting to "hole punching" hosts.

===I got into a game but my name is red, nobody can hear me speak, and eventually I get disconnected===
This is to do with how long it takes the game to start up (the "load time"). If it takes too long you will see this problem. The load time can be reduced by changing the game graphics settings to lower quality. In particular try setting texture quality to lowest.

===What do all those icons mean in the server list?===
Server status icons inform you, at a quick glance, what the server is doing at the moment, and what state it's in (password protected, locked, open, full, etc). Read all about the server status icons and what they mean [[Server Status|here]].

----

==Playing==

===What is with this weird right-click mode? I'm 'bout to break my keyboard.===
Sorry, you'll just have to get used to it. As of now it can't be changed.

===Why is somebody else also controlling my units?===
In the 'game lobby' there are two sets of teams. There are the 'Teams' and the 'Ally Teams'. If you are on the same 'Team', then you both get the same commander, and can control the same units. If you are on 'Ally Teams', then you both get different commanders and can't control each others units.

===Is there a way that I can play music directly through TA-Spring, with alternating tracks for building/attacking like in the original Total Annihilation?===
Yes, there is. It is an addon (GroupAI) you have to download separately:
http://unknown-files.net/spring/file/3407/AFs_Dynamic_Background_Music_GroupAIv3/

There is also an ingame sound-volume-slider you might find usefull (lua-script):
http://unknown-files.net/spring/file/2239/LuaUI_Volume_Slider/

===Then why would I want to be on the same 'Team' as somebody?===
Because it's fun to just drive around units and not have to worry about commanding. (Assuming that one of the people on the team is commanding.)
Most importantly, however, you can split tasks, such as base building, and troops management.

===How do I talk to my allies only?===
You must type 'a:' before you speak. Here's an example: a: Now I am talking to my allies only. 

===Help! After I'm finished driving a unit, the camera is all insane! This is nuts! How do I fix it?===
Whoa now. Calm down. Just press ctrl + mouse button 3 to change camera modes. If your unit is destroyed in FPS mode, you will stay in FPS mode until you change camera modes. Also, the camera will stay in "free look" when FPS mode is disengaged, press middle-mouse or J to switch to normal scrolling.

===After I'm finished driving a unit, where what used to be my mouse pointer is now a crosshair. Why?===
-This is a special 'view mode' that allows you to move around the screen much faster. It's good for viewing the battle or getting screenshots. Simply press on your third mouse button or 'delete' to revert back to your mouse pointer.

===But I don't have a third mouse button!===
The key 'J' works in the same way as the 'middle mouse button' does. So where you would use ctrl + middle mouse button to change camera modes, ctrl + j does the same thing. Pressing J once will also switch you from 'crosshair mode' to 'pointer mode' and vice versa.

===IÃ‚Â´ve managed to get stuck in this weird camera mode and my perspective is all messed up. How do I switch to the overhead (OTA style) camera?===
Shift+Backspace (or Shift+J or Shift+MiddleMouseClick) switches between the fps style, total war style and OTA style cameras. Use it to get your camera back to normal in this situation.

===People are cheating! How do I stop it?!===
Well currently, you can't.

Only the host can "activate" the cheat codes. After that, any player can do almost all cheats.

The best thing to do is just not play with the cheaters anymore. But with new spring version cheats are disabled in multiplayer, so that paragraph is hopefully now irrelevant.

===Well how do you cheat?===

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr><th>Cheat Command</th><th>Effect</th></tr>

<tr>
<td>'''.cheat'''</td><td>'''enable cheats - Cheats don't work in multiplayer until the host types this'''</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.nocost</td><td>instabuild (doesn't work on things already under construction, only on new ones)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.setmaxspeed 50</td><td>Changes the maximum speed multiplier (default is 3.0)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.setminspeed 0</td><td>Changes the minimum speed multiplier (default is 0.3)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.spectator</td><td>Allows you to see the entire map... but you lose control of your units</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.team 0, .team 1, etc.</td><td>Change player</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.give ARMCOM, .give 10 CORKROG, etc.</td><td>Place 1 or specified number of specified unit. Valid units are the internal names of units as specified in the unit definition.</td>
</tr>

</table>
You can use auto-completion in the spring console if you don't remember the internal unit name. To do that type:
".give arm" and then press your '''TAB key'''
A list of all matching units will be shown.

===In Game Commands===
The following ''non-cheating'' commands are also available in game:

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr>
<th>Command</th><th>Effect</th>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>/info</td><td>Shows you what colour each player is and their ping delay in the bottom right corner of the screen.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>/clock</td><td>Shows you the elapsed game time in minutes and seconds in the upper right corner of the screen</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.take</td><td>Pulls all allied units, that are owned by players who have lost connection to the server, to your team.</td>
</tr>

</table>

===How do I ally or unally in game?===
I'm pretty sure you can't. Yet.

===How do I give somebody units or metal or energy?===
Press the 'H' key. Then select the amount of metal and/or energy to share. Then select the receiving player and press OK.

When sharing units, you must first select the units to share, then press 'H' key. Tick share units checkbox and choose a receiving player.

===How do I continually give somebody metal and/or energy after a certain point (i.e. Original TA commands +setshare..., +shareall)?===
You'll notice that on your metal and energy bars (top of screen), there are two red bars. You have to put them wherever you want your metal and energy to be shared after.

===This game is different than TA, the units HP and damage are not the same===

There were several third party "balance" mods for the original TA game.

One of those mods were xTA, and was developed by the same clan (SY) that has brought life back to TA, making Spring.

This balance mod is what is bundled by default with the spring engine, and is the mod that was ready to play when Spring was released.

Now are several mods available, install the mod of your choice.

[http://unknown-files.net/spring/category/14/Mods/ get mods here]

===XTA? OTA? AA? OMFGLAMO? WTF do those abbreviations mean?===
zwzsg maintains a handy dandy FAQ about TA, and the abbreviations that relate to Spring too, of course.
[http://www.tauniverse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27309 click here]. See also the Spring [[Glossary]], which contains brief explanations for all non-standard words and phrases.

===Why am I destroyed so easily by long range assaults?===
This is a realistic feature of Spring. Units will automatically attack 'radar blips' (units that they can not actually see, but that are indicated on radar). However, the accuracy is very bad while shooting at radar blips until:
* Your unit kills a lot of units and gets experience
* You get a targeting facility.

===Can I kick people from my 'game lobby' or my game?===
First of all, you have to be the host to kick. Use the good old ".kick playernamehere" command. Works in-game too, use it wisely.

===When I'm 'driving' my commander, why can't I use my laser?===
The TA: Spring team will most likely add a way for you to use your commander's laser soon.

===I hate driving around with the 'arrow keys'. Is there any way I can use the 'W-A-S-D' controls (the controls most First Person Shooters use) anymore?===
Go into your Spring directory and edit the uikeys file. Keep in mind that 'S' is originally a 'hot-key' that will stop your units and that 'D' is a 'hot-key' for your commander's D-Gun. You might want to change those too.

===I turned the shadows feature on; I still don't see shadows. What gives?===
Your graphics card can't handle shadows, so Spring automatically turns them off.

===I can't go backwards when I am 'driving' a unit. Why not?===
Because TA units were never intended to go backwards. Sorry, but you just cant.

===I'm in an Unreal Tournament kind of mood. How do I strafe?===
You can only strafe in 'brawler type' ships, such as the brawler, rapier, and light gunships.

===How can I record and watch demos/replays?===
From version 0.62 onwards recordings of all the games you play are easily available for replay via the Replays button in the TASclient.

You can use the Speed up/Slow down game keys while watching the replay, along with other in-game commands like .team

From version 0.60b1 onwards, demos are automatically recorded in the "demos" folder, underneath your Spring folder (default is C:\Program Files\Spring\demos), named for the date and map they were played on. If you play multiple games in the same day on the same map, the games will also be numbered to prevent them from overwriting each other.

From version 0.62 onwards, to view a demo from the Windows file manager you can just double click the file name.

===Sometimes when I play get "not sync" "delayed synch" errors===

Thats caused because of lag. One of the players in the game is having some lag issues. Ask him/her to free up its bandwidth for the game to use.

Alternatively you can use the pause key and wait till the connection gets more stable.

Lag is the seccond number showed when you use the .info command ingame, numbers bigger than 40 are not usual in a normal game and are a signal of lag.

----

==Content==

===Do Spring maps need a "ground"?===
Spring maps do require a ground. We have had many requests to have space maps, however, a "true" (ala Homeworld) space setting is not likely. It would have to wait until a much later stage. This does not mean that TA's style of "space" maps won't be possible, (see the Final Frontier TC for examples of this).

===You stated that Spring uses the TA unit format.===
Spring does use the Total Annihilation unit format. However, there is also a new format dubbed '.s3o' which uses a UV mapped texture instead of 3do's per face texturing system, as well as other improvements.

===How powerful will Spring's custom format be?===
Total Annihilation's unit format was extremely limited. Most of these limitations will either be expanded or non-existent in Spring's custom unit format. One of the most exciting improvements is the introduction of an entirely new method of scripting, with nearly complete control over every aspect of a unit's actions and behaviors.

===Does Spring have a limited number of weapons?===
No. Unlike Total Annihilation, Spring's weapon IDs will be unlimited. Meaning it will be possible to add as many third-party units as you want. However, the current model format limits 16 weapons to each unit.

===Does Spring have a limited number of unique units?===
No. Unit IDs, like weapon IDs, will be unlimited.

===Will units have a maximum of 3 unique weapons?===
Total Annihilation had a limitation that permitted a maximum of 3 unique weapons per unit. Spring currently has a way to have 16 weapons per unit. (Replace Primary, Secondary, Tertiary by 1 2 3 ...16). More can be made possible by modifying the source if there's a sufficient demand by mod makers.

===I'm curious as to the per-unit polygon limit.===
The engine itself does not have a polygon count limit. The limit is that of the processing power of today's computers. Since Spring requires a 3D card, the maximum polygon count per unit will be several times higher than Total Annihilation's. That means for your average mod, 300 polygons for common units and 700 for the more expensive ones is quite reasonable. (But don't waste polies unnecessarily!)

===Will units be able to perform basic terraforming?===
Total Annihilation units probably won't have any terrain editable functionality. Future units may be endowed with such functionality, but it's more of a gameplay issue and has not been decided upon yet. However construction units can restore ground, and certain weapons (especially explosive ones) can be used to deform the ground.

===Will tunnel building be possible?===
Subterranean areas of any sort is impossible. However, it is possible to heavily deform the ground with explosives.. Which is great fun!

===Will the ground's water retention be editable?===
No. Water will always collect when a piece of land has a height below sea level.

===Does Spring have a limit on the number of races?===
Spring has no limit on the total number of sides/races.

===What are the sizes of the biggest and smallest units?===
Static units (buildings, defenses, etc.) have no size limitations in the engine. Technically, neither do mobile units, but units with a footprint larger than 4x4 "squares" (an arbitrary size standard created by Cavedog) might have problems pathfinding.

===What is going to be the maximum possible sea depth?===
For all practical purposes, it will be unlimited. The depth values are stored as "float variables", so it is doubtful that maps would ever be made which even come close to approaching the limit.

===Will Spring support campaigns?===
Basic Map scripting has been implemented, using a Lua scripting engine. From that, it would be possible to make a basic campaign, but for ease of use a better way of selecting scripts and an improved Single player menu is needed.

See [[Mission development]] for more details.

===How big are the Spring files?===
Spring will be as small as however much content is included with it. The "essential" files are only be several megabytes large. Content (such as maps and units) will add considerable size to the Spring download. Currently, the file size is roughly 30 MB.

===How will Spring render sound effects?===
Sound is rendered 3D, meaning that the volume and direction (assuming a multi-speaker setup) vary with the location of the camera from the sound "emitter". What this translates into gameplay terms means that the closer you are to a unit making a sound or motion, the louder the sound will be. Additionally, the sound will be heard differently depending on which way the camera is facing relative to units making sound.

===Will Spring have ambient sound?===
There is no ambient sound, and we haven't planned on adding it thus far.

===Will there be an AI or a "skirmish" mode?===
We have created an interface for artificial intelligences (AIs), and several are currently under development. Information on these can be found at the [[AIs]] wiki page.

===Will a "possess" or a FPS option be present?===
Yes, it is possible to fully control a unit from the first person view. It is more of a gimmick, but it still allows for a nice diversion once in a while. Instructions on its use are in the [[Using_Spring#FPS_.22Mode.22_.28C.29|Using Spring]] article.

===How do I create maps?===
See the [[Map development]] page for all the map info.

===How do I create units/mods?===
See the [[Mod_and_Unit_development#Mod_devlopement|Mod and Unit development]] page on creating units/ mods.

[[Category:Content]]

FAQ

2008-01-18T16:22:14Z

ZellSF: oops

==General information==

===What is Spring?===
Spring is a project to create the best RTS ever (no joke). There are three principle goals which we hope to achieve.

# Reach a stage where TA Spring can flawlessly execute most of Total Annihilation's original gameplay, with its original units in their original format.
// This goal has been achieved, Multiple TA-style mods are now around ranging from [[BOTA]] which is Basically OTA, to [[CA]] which rebalances most of the units and roles while keeping then graphical style. A bunch of non-TA mods are also available, such as; [[Kernel Panic]], [[Gundam Annihilation]], and [[1944: Spring]]

# Add new features as we see fit, fix bugs, and release new versions when we feel it is appropriate to do so.

# Support the mod community as we see fit.
// A quite robust modding system is implemented allowing ease of modding or just making a mutator for an existing mod. This can be done either mod or map side, allowing special buildings to be included in a map.

# Improving the already fine original TA Interface in a way that the Players will have more tactical Options, more Control, more Comfort and still don`t get lost, as long as they are willing to learn.
//There has recently been added support for LUA widgets and gadgets which will help you customize the interface to your needs. The UI is personal again.

The goals might need an update.. -- Tim Blokdijk

===Is Spring free?===
The core game is released under GPL License. Fortunately as of now, there are also two mods which have been released under the GNU/GPL, and several more which do not have clear licence terms (owned by their modder).

However, there are also several mods for which some parts are still under copyright of Atari. For these you need to own the original TA game if you want to play.

===Why can I edit this page?===
This page, and several others, are located in the Spring [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki Wiki]. The link gives a full explanation of what it is, but in short it is a way of letting anyone who wants to contribute to the page content. This can of course be abused, but even while it is easy for someone to vandalise the page, it is just as easy for someone to restore it, since the wiki saves all previous versions of a page.

===Why can't I edit this page?===
You need to be [[Special:Userlogin|logged in]] to edit our wiki because people were vandalizing and/or being morons too much, so they had to lock it down.

===I want to help, what can I do?===
Please look at the Messageboard. There are lots of things you can do according to your skills. Particularly important is to create viable and pleasing free alternatives to copyrighted material, mainly sounds and units.

===I want to donate.===
People have made clear their desire to donate to the project, and so far, we have been fairly reluctant about accepting donations. Our main concern? While we certainly hope to have something on the level of a commercial release in the near future, there is no guarantee that it will ever happen. Unforeseen events arise, and it would be most unfortunate if everyone who donated felt swindled because the project did not turn out as they had hoped.

We do not plan to be more or less productive solely based upon the quantity and frequency of donations received. The Spring project is here only because we view this as an enjoyable hobby.

===I read all that and I still want to donate.===
Very well then! You can find the required details [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/donate.php here]. It will be much appreciated. :)

----

==Technical==

===What port numbers does Spring use?===
Game uses port 8452 UDP by default, which can be changed in the lobby. If you are behind a router, and are having problems hosting, try forwarding the correct port and also make sure the firewall is not blocking it.

===What APIs does Spring use?===
The Windows version of the program (Which is the Binary that can be downloaded from this site) uses: OpenGL for rendering, DirectSound for sound, and Winsock for networking.

The Linux port, see [[MultiplatformSpring]] with more info below, uses SDL/OpenGL for rendering, OpenAL for sound (which will connect to DirectSound on Windows and OSS or ALSA on Linux), BSD sockets for networking.

===I am having really bad framerates (fps) on my dual core! What am i doing wrong?===
Currently spring does not like dual/quad cores, you will get really bad framerates. To solve this, you have to restrict it to run on one core. Download the file from http://www.robpol86.com/Pages/imagecfg.php follow the instructions, and make all of the spring exe files (spring.exe, TASClient.exe, all others) run on one core. It will run much faster.

===I am having really bad framerates (fps) on my brand new nvidia graphics card! What am i doing wrong?===
Turn off 'threaded optimizations' for Spring in the nvidia control panel.

===What language is Spring written in?===
The spring game engine is written in C and C++. The Windows lobby client is written in Delphi, the lobby server is java. Of multiplatform lobby clients, SpringLobby is in C++ and AFLobby in java.

===Is Spring open source?===
Yes, it is. Go to the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/download.php downloads] section of the site to download the source code.

===Is there any documentation for the source code?===
Yes, doxygen is used to automatically generate the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/doxygen/ documentation]

===Is Spring a Portable Application?===

At present, I play Spring at my college by using my IPOD as a portable bit of storage for the game, so yes, it does appear to be portable. Also, I managed to run AFLobby from the IPOD as well.

If both of those can run off a bleedin' IPOD, they can run off of anything, in my opinion.

If I'm wrong, edit.

See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_application] for more information about portable applications.

- Sangue

Spring needs the registry settings moved to an ini file.
Then, it will be fully portable.

TASClient will run from anywhere as well...and I believe springlobby is the same way.

==Requirements==

===What platforms will Spring run on?===
At the moment, it runs on Windows, Linux and basically on [[Spring_on_MacOSX |Mac OS X.]]

===What sort of a system do I need to run Spring?===
You need a 3D graphics card to run Spring, which will probably require at least a a GeForce4 MX and the latest driver supported. Minimum CPU requirements are a little more complex. A more powerful CPU will have the capability to support larger maps and a greater maximum unit limit. A 1 GHz CPU should be able to support an estimated 500 units. The needed memory will also vary with unit count and map size, and Spring has been known to have worked with 256 MB of Ram (albeit with lowest detail levels).

For further details and tested Systems check the [[Requirements]] page.

===Spring says I need the GL_ARB_texture_env_combine extension, what can I do?===

This error can be caused by various things:

'''1:''' Old video Hardware.

'''2:''' Old drivers.

'''2:''' Bad installed Drivers.

'''3:''' Bad game settings.

If your hardware is old check [http://www.delphi3d.net/hardware/extsupport.php?extension=GL_ARB_texture_env_combine THIS] list, if you cant find your video card then, sorry, you have to buy a new video card.

If your hardware is in the above list or you are sure that your video card support this opengl extension download [http://www.realtech-vr.com/glview/download.html THIS] software. Intall, run, and check if under the ''Report'' tab there is the ''GL_ARB_texture_env_combine'' string.
If the string is present then the problem resides in your Spring settings, try lower screen resolution and disable all graphics effect.
If the string is not present and your hardware is in the list the problem are your video card drivers. To solve this '''UNINSTALL ALL PREVIOUS DRIVERS''' and install last stable drivers for your video card. Usually the problem shows when there are uninstalled old video drivers on the system.

'''NOTE:''' ATI drivers for Windows Vista does not support OpenGL right now so Spring will not run on systems with Vista and ATI Cards.

'''NOTE:''' Use '''glxinfo''' on a Linux system. You don't need to download any third party application because most if not all systems with x11 should have that program already.
----

==Getting into a game==

===People talk about 'Single Player'. How do I start a single player game?===
Simply start a game in the lobby, and enter a password, so that nobody can join. Then click ready, and start and away you go !

Alternatively, you can get [http://spring.unknown-files.net/file/2012/Spring_Single_Player_Launcher_v0.8/ Spring Single Player], a handy tool that lets you create single player games without cluttering up the lobby, as well as watch replays easily.

It's also very easy to set up singleplayer games using SpringLobby. Just click on the singleplayer tab, add some bots, and play. You can grab it from the [http://springlobby.info SpringLobby website].

===When I try to make a single player game, it gives me an error.===
Your graphics card probably can't support Spring. If you read the requirements it did say GeForce 3 or better. Go to the settings file in your Spring directory and lower some of the options. Sometimes that works.

===Does Spring support AI Players?===
Yes, see [[AI]] You can also use the [[random_enemies]] script, which spawns units out of thin air and sends them to attack you.

===How do I join an Internet multiplayer game?===
Run the "TA Spring multiplayer battleroom" from the Start menu or the TASClient.exe from your installation folder. In the "Server" tab change the server to "Official Host". Hit "Apply and close". Re-open the TA Spring client. Create an account on the "Account" tab.

===When I try to connect to the lobby it gives me an error.===
There could be 3 problems. Either you don't have an account, the server is down, or you have not configured your router/firewall correctly. If you don't have an account, make one. If the server is down, you'll just have to wait (this doesn't happen often, though). If you have a router/firewall read below. Have a look at this website's News page and/or the Messageboard, it is likely that you will get some information there in the eventuality that the server is down.

Also make sure that you don't have any spaces in your username.

===I have a router and I don't seem to be able to get a game===

If you are using a router you may have other problems. Explanations of [http://www.portforward.com/routers.htm how to forward ports] has instructions for every router.

===Where can I download more maps?===
As for most Spring downloads [http://unknown-files.net/spring/home/ Unknown Files] is the place to be! The [http://unknown-files.net/spring/category/13/Maps/ map category] has a nice overview.

===How do I install downloaded maps?===
Most maps are released as .sdz or .sd7 files. These can be put directly into the "maps" folder inside the Spring folder. If they are compressed into another type of archive you will have to unpack them first. Just unzip them into your spring maps folder. Some map files use newer (smaller) file formats such as .rar or .7z, to unzip these newer formats, you'll need to download 7-Zip [http://www.7-zip.org/ http://www.7-zip.org/] or Zip-genius [http://downloads.zipgenius.it/ http://downloads.zipgenius.it/]. They both handle almost all formats and are totally free. There is also now a map browser in the TASClient lobby software, click the more maps button in a battle screen to access it.

===Sometimes when I try to join games it gives me an error.===
The host is behind a firewall that has not opened the correct ports for Spring.

===When a multiplayer game starts I never make it past the loading screen.===
This indicates a problem with your video card. Once again the best way to deal with this situation is to make sure your video card has the latest driver updates and that all Spring video features are on the lowest settings.

===When a multiplayer game starts, I make it past the loading screen, but when I get into the game it says, "Waiting for Host", and does a 10 second countdown. It always reaches zero and boots me out, what gives?===
This is a firewall issue. There are three things you can do to fix this. First, make sure your windows firewall is either off, or is not blocking the TA: Spring application. Secondly, if you are behind a router, you can forward the ports that the host is using (especially if you are the host), and it usually fixes the problem. To do this you must go to your router configuration page. You can see what port 'you' are using (as the host), by hosting a multiplayer game in the Spring Lobby. You must make this your trigger port, and make sure that it is open for both TCP and UDP. Thirdly, if none of the aforementioned worked. The easiest thing to do (assuming you are behind a router) is to set the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). This means your computer will be completely exposed to the internet, which will make you vulnerable to any unknown or unpatched exploits in windows. All you have to do is find the personal IP if the computer you are using and add it to your router's DMZ list. Please only try this last option if you can't get the others to work.
Good Luck

===I got into the game, but some people didn't.===
The host may have reached the number of players it has set.
Or the players may be experiencing firewall or video card difficulty. That is not your fault. Please ask them too leave if they are still there when you get into the 'game lobby'. Some people have problem connecting to "hole punching" hosts.

===I got into a game but my name is red, nobody can hear me speak, and eventually I get disconnected===
This is to do with how long it takes the game to start up (the "load time"). If it takes too long you will see this problem. The load time can be reduced by changing the game graphics settings to lower quality. In particular try setting texture quality to lowest.

===What do all those icons mean in the server list?===
Server status icons inform you, at a quick glance, what the server is doing at the moment, and what state it's in (password protected, locked, open, full, etc). Read all about the server status icons and what they mean [[Server Status|here]].

----

==Playing==

===What is with this weird right-click mode? I'm 'bout to break my keyboard.===
Sorry, you'll just have to get used to it. As of now it can't be changed.

===Why is somebody else also controlling my units?===
In the 'game lobby' there are two sets of teams. There are the 'Teams' and the 'Ally Teams'. If you are on the same 'Team', then you both get the same commander, and can control the same units. If you are on 'Ally Teams', then you both get different commanders and can't control each others units.

===Is there a way that I can play music directly through TA-Spring, with alternating tracks for building/attacking like in the original Total Annihilation?===
Yes, there is. It is an addon (GroupAI) you have to download separately:
http://unknown-files.net/spring/file/3407/AFs_Dynamic_Background_Music_GroupAIv3/

There is also an ingame sound-volume-slider you might find usefull (lua-script):
http://unknown-files.net/spring/file/2239/LuaUI_Volume_Slider/

===Then why would I want to be on the same 'Team' as somebody?===
Because it's fun to just drive around units and not have to worry about commanding. (Assuming that one of the people on the team is commanding.)
Most importantly, however, you can split tasks, such as base building, and troops management.

===How do I talk to my allies only?===
You must type 'a:' before you speak. Here's an example: a: Now I am talking to my allies only. 

===Help! After I'm finished driving a unit, the camera is all insane! This is nuts! How do I fix it?===
Whoa now. Calm down. Just press ctrl + mouse button 3 to change camera modes. If your unit is destroyed in FPS mode, you will stay in FPS mode until you change camera modes. Also, the camera will stay in "free look" when FPS mode is disengaged, press middle-mouse or J to switch to normal scrolling.

===After I'm finished driving a unit, where what used to be my mouse pointer is now a crosshair. Why?===
-This is a special 'view mode' that allows you to move around the screen much faster. It's good for viewing the battle or getting screenshots. Simply press on your third mouse button or 'delete' to revert back to your mouse pointer.

===But I don't have a third mouse button!===
The key 'J' works in the same way as the 'middle mouse button' does. So where you would use ctrl + middle mouse button to change camera modes, ctrl + j does the same thing. Pressing J once will also switch you from 'crosshair mode' to 'pointer mode' and vice versa.

===IÃ‚Â´ve managed to get stuck in this weird camera mode and my perspective is all messed up. How do I switch to the overhead (OTA style) camera?===
Shift+Backspace (or Shift+J or Shift+MiddleMouseClick) switches between the fps style, total war style and OTA style cameras. Use it to get your camera back to normal in this situation.

===People are cheating! How do I stop it?!===
Well currently, you can't.

Only the host can "activate" the cheat codes. After that, any player can do almost all cheats.

The best thing to do is just not play with the cheaters anymore. But with new spring version cheats are disabled in multiplayer, so that paragraph is hopefully now irrelevant.

===Well how do you cheat?===

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr><th>Cheat Command</th><th>Effect</th></tr>

<tr>
<td>'''.cheat'''</td><td>'''enable cheats - Cheats don't work in multiplayer until the host types this'''</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.nocost</td><td>instabuild (doesn't work on things already under construction, only on new ones)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.setmaxspeed 50</td><td>Changes the maximum speed multiplier (default is 3.0)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.setminspeed 0</td><td>Changes the minimum speed multiplier (default is 0.3)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.spectator</td><td>Allows you to see the entire map... but you lose control of your units</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.team 0, .team 1, etc.</td><td>Change player</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.give ARMCOM, .give 10 CORKROG, etc.</td><td>Place 1 or specified number of specified unit. Valid units are the internal names of units as specified in the unit definition.</td>
</tr>

</table>
You can use auto-completion in the spring console if you don't remember the internal unit name. To do that type:
".give arm" and then press your '''TAB key'''
A list of all matching units will be shown.

===In Game Commands===
The following ''non-cheating'' commands are also available in game:

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr>
<th>Command</th><th>Effect</th>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>/info</td><td>Shows you what colour each player is and their ping delay in the bottom right corner of the screen.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>/clock</td><td>Shows you the elapsed game time in minutes and seconds in the upper right corner of the screen</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.take</td><td>Pulls all allied units, that are owned by players who have lost connection to the server, to your team.</td>
</tr>

</table>

===How do I ally or unally in game?===
I'm pretty sure you can't. Yet.

===How do I give somebody units or metal or energy?===
Press the 'H' key. Then select the amount of metal and/or energy to share. Then select the receiving player and press OK.

When sharing units, you must first select the units to share, then press 'H' key. Tick share units checkbox and choose a receiving player.

===How do I continually give somebody metal and/or energy after a certain point (i.e. Original TA commands +setshare..., +shareall)?===
You'll notice that on your metal and energy bars (top of screen), there are two red bars. You have to put them wherever you want your metal and energy to be shared after.

===This game is different than TA, the units HP and damage are not the same===

There were several third party "balance" mods for the original TA game.

One of those mods were xTA, and was developed by the same clan (SY) that has brought life back to TA, making Spring.

This balance mod is what is bundled by default with the spring engine, and is the mod that was ready to play when Spring was released.

Now are several mods available, install the mod of your choice.

[http://unknown-files.net/spring/category/14/Mods/ get mods here]

===XTA? OTA? AA? OMFGLAMO? WTF do those abbreviations mean?===
zwzsg maintains a handy dandy FAQ about TA, and the abbreviations that relate to Spring too, of course.
[http://www.tauniverse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27309 click here]. See also the Spring [[Glossary]], which contains brief explanations for all non-standard words and phrases.

===Why am I destroyed so easily by long range assaults?===
This is a realistic feature of Spring. Units will automatically attack 'radar blips' (units that they can not actually see, but that are indicated on radar). However, the accuracy is very bad while shooting at radar blips until:
* Your unit kills a lot of units and gets experience
* You get a targeting facility.

===Can I kick people from my 'game lobby' or my game?===
First of all, you have to be the host to kick. Use the good old ".kick playernamehere" command. Works in-game too, use it wisely.

===When I'm 'driving' my commander, why can't I use my laser?===
The TA: Spring team will most likely add a way for you to use your commander's laser soon.

===I hate driving around with the 'arrow keys'. Is there any way I can use the 'W-A-S-D' controls (the controls most First Person Shooters use) anymore?===
Go into your Spring directory and edit the uikeys file. Keep in mind that 'S' is originally a 'hot-key' that will stop your units and that 'D' is a 'hot-key' for your commander's D-Gun. You might want to change those too.

===I turned the shadows feature on; I still don't see shadows. What gives?===
Your graphics card can't handle shadows, so Spring automatically turns them off.

===I can't go backwards when I am 'driving' a unit. Why not?===
Because TA units were never intended to go backwards. Sorry, but you just cant.

===I'm in an Unreal Tournament kind of mood. How do I strafe?===
You can only strafe in 'brawler type' ships, such as the brawler, rapier, and light gunships.

===How can I record and watch demos/replays?===
From version 0.62 onwards recordings of all the games you play are easily available for replay via the Replays button in the TASclient.

You can use the Speed up/Slow down game keys while watching the replay, along with other in-game commands like .team

From version 0.60b1 onwards, demos are automatically recorded in the "demos" folder, underneath your Spring folder (default is C:\Program Files\TASpring\demos), named for the date and map they were played on. If you play multiple games in the same day on the same map, the games will also be numbered to prevent them from overwriting each other.

From version 0.62 onwards, to view a demo from the Windows file manager you can just double click the file name.

===Sometimes when I play get "not sync" "delayed synch" errors===

Thats caused because of lag. One of the players in the game is having some lag issues. Ask him/her to free up its bandwidth for the game to use.

Alternatively you can use the pause key and wait till the connection gets more stable.

Lag is the seccond number showed when you use the .info command ingame, numbers bigger than 40 are not usual in a normal game and are a signal of lag.

----

==Content==

===Do Spring maps need a "ground"?===
Spring maps do require a ground. We have had many requests to have space maps, however, a "true" (ala Homeworld) space setting is not likely. It would have to wait until a much later stage. This does not mean that TA's style of "space" maps won't be possible, (see the Final Frontier TC for examples of this).

===You stated that Spring uses the TA unit format.===
Spring does use the Total Annihilation unit format. However, there is also a new format dubbed '.s3o' which uses a UV mapped texture instead of 3do's per face texturing system, as well as other improvements.

===How powerful will Spring's custom format be?===
Total Annihilation's unit format was extremely limited. Most of these limitations will either be expanded or non-existent in Spring's custom unit format. One of the most exciting improvements is the introduction of an entirely new method of scripting, with nearly complete control over every aspect of a unit's actions and behaviors.

===Does Spring have a limited number of weapons?===
No. Unlike Total Annihilation, Spring's weapon IDs will be unlimited. Meaning it will be possible to add as many third-party units as you want. However, the current model format limits 16 weapons to each unit.

===Does Spring have a limited number of unique units?===
No. Unit IDs, like weapon IDs, will be unlimited.

===Will units have a maximum of 3 unique weapons?===
Total Annihilation had a limitation that permitted a maximum of 3 unique weapons per unit. Spring currently has a way to have 16 weapons per unit. (Replace Primary, Secondary, Tertiary by 1 2 3 ...16). More can be made possible by modifying the source if there's a sufficient demand by mod makers.

===I'm curious as to the per-unit polygon limit.===
The engine itself does not have a polygon count limit. The limit is that of the processing power of today's computers. Since Spring requires a 3D card, the maximum polygon count per unit will be several times higher than Total Annihilation's. That means for your average mod, 300 polygons for common units and 700 for the more expensive ones is quite reasonable. (But don't waste polies unnecessarily!)

===Will units be able to perform basic terraforming?===
Total Annihilation units probably won't have any terrain editable functionality. Future units may be endowed with such functionality, but it's more of a gameplay issue and has not been decided upon yet. However construction units can restore ground, and certain weapons (especially explosive ones) can be used to deform the ground.

===Will tunnel building be possible?===
Subterranean areas of any sort is impossible. However, it is possible to heavily deform the ground with explosives.. Which is great fun!

===Will the ground's water retention be editable?===
No. Water will always collect when a piece of land has a height below sea level.

===Does Spring have a limit on the number of races?===
Spring has no limit on the total number of sides/races.

===What are the sizes of the biggest and smallest units?===
Static units (buildings, defenses, etc.) have no size limitations in the engine. Technically, neither do mobile units, but units with a footprint larger than 4x4 "squares" (an arbitrary size standard created by Cavedog) might have problems pathfinding.

===What is going to be the maximum possible sea depth?===
For all practical purposes, it will be unlimited. The depth values are stored as "float variables", so it is doubtful that maps would ever be made which even come close to approaching the limit.

===Will Spring support campaigns?===
Basic Map scripting has been implemented, using a Lua scripting engine. From that, it would be possible to make a basic campaign, but for ease of use a better way of selecting scripts and an improved Single player menu is needed.

See [[Mission development]] for more details.

===How big are the Spring files?===
Spring will be as small as however much content is included with it. The "essential" files are only be several megabytes large. Content (such as maps and units) will add considerable size to the Spring download. Currently, the file size is roughly 30 MB.

===How will Spring render sound effects?===
Sound is rendered 3D, meaning that the volume and direction (assuming a multi-speaker setup) vary with the location of the camera from the sound "emitter". What this translates into gameplay terms means that the closer you are to a unit making a sound or motion, the louder the sound will be. Additionally, the sound will be heard differently depending on which way the camera is facing relative to units making sound.

===Will Spring have ambient sound?===
There is no ambient sound, and we haven't planned on adding it thus far.

===Will there be an AI or a "skirmish" mode?===
We have created an interface for artificial intelligences (AIs), and several are currently under development. Information on these can be found at the [[AIs]] wiki page.

===Will a "possess" or a FPS option be present?===
Yes, it is possible to fully control a unit from the first person view. It is more of a gimmick, but it still allows for a nice diversion once in a while. Instructions on its use are in the [[Using_Spring#FPS_.22Mode.22_.28C.29|Using Spring]] article.

===How do I create maps?===
See the [[Map development]] page for all the map info.

===How do I create units/mods?===
See the [[Mod_and_Unit_development#Mod_devlopement|Mod and Unit development]] page on creating units/ mods.

[[Category:Content]]

FAQ

2008-01-18T16:21:41Z

ZellSF: aww, come on, someone here doesn't know the difference between left and right?

==General information==

===What is Spring?===
Spring is a project to create the best RTS ever (no joke). There are three principle goals which we hope to achieve.

# Reach a stage where TA Spring can flawlessly execute most of Total Annihilation's original gameplay, with its original units in their original format.
// This goal has been achieved, Multiple TA-style mods are now around ranging from [[BOTA]] which is Basically OTA, to [[CA]] which rebalances most of the units and roles while keeping then graphical style. A bunch of non-TA mods are also available, such as; [[Kernel Panic]], [[Gundam Annihilation]], and [[1944: Spring]]

# Add new features as we see fit, fix bugs, and release new versions when we feel it is appropriate to do so.

# Support the mod community as we see fit.
// A quite robust modding system is implemented allowing ease of modding or just making a mutator for an existing mod. This can be done either mod or map side, allowing special buildings to be included in a map.

# Improving the already fine original TA Interface in a way that the Players will have more tactical Options, more Control, more Comfort and still don`t get lost, as long as they are willing to learn.
//There has recently been added support for LUA widgets and gadgets which will help you customize the interface to your needs. The UI is personal again.

The goals might need an update.. -- Tim Blokdijk

===Is Spring free?===
The core game is released under GPL License. Fortunately as of now, there are also two mods which have been released under the GNU/GPL, and several more which do not have clear licence terms (owned by their modder).

However, there are also several mods for which some parts are still under copyright of Atari. For these you need to own the original TA game if you want to play.

===Why can I edit this page?===
This page, and several others, are located in the Spring [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki Wiki]. The link gives a full explanation of what it is, but in short it is a way of letting anyone who wants to contribute to the page content. This can of course be abused, but even while it is easy for someone to vandalise the page, it is just as easy for someone to restore it, since the wiki saves all previous versions of a page.

===Why can't I edit this page?===
You need to be [[Special:Userlogin|logged in]] to edit our wiki because people were vandalizing and/or being morons too much, so they had to lock it down.

===I want to help, what can I do?===
Please look at the Messageboard. There are lots of things you can do according to your skills. Particularly important is to create viable and pleasing free alternatives to copyrighted material, mainly sounds and units.

===I want to donate.===
People have made clear their desire to donate to the project, and so far, we have been fairly reluctant about accepting donations. Our main concern? While we certainly hope to have something on the level of a commercial release in the near future, there is no guarantee that it will ever happen. Unforeseen events arise, and it would be most unfortunate if everyone who donated felt swindled because the project did not turn out as they had hoped.

We do not plan to be more or less productive solely based upon the quantity and frequency of donations received. The Spring project is here only because we view this as an enjoyable hobby.

===I read all that and I still want to donate.===
Very well then! You can find the required details [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/donate.php here]. It will be much appreciated. :)

----

==Technical==

===What port numbers does Spring use?===
Game uses port 8452 UDP by default, which can be changed in the lobby. If you are behind a router, and are having problems hosting, try forwarding the correct port and also make sure the firewall is not blocking it.

===What APIs does Spring use?===
The Windows version of the program (Which is the Binary that can be downloaded from this site) uses: OpenGL for rendering, DirectSound for sound, and Winsock for networking.

The Linux port, see [[MultiplatformSpring]] with more info below, uses SDL/OpenGL for rendering, OpenAL for sound (which will connect to DirectSound on Windows and OSS or ALSA on Linux), BSD sockets for networking.

===I am having really bad framerates (fps) on my dual core! What am i doing wrong?===
Currently spring does not like dual/quad cores, you will get really bad framerates. To solve this, you have to restrict it to run on one core. Download the file from http://www.robpol86.com/Pages/imagecfg.php follow the instructions, and make all of the spring exe files (spring.exe, TASClient.exe, all others) run on one core. It will run much faster.

===I am having really bad framerates (fps) on my brand new nvidia graphics card! What am i doing wrong?===
Turn off 'threaded optimizations' for Spring in the nvidia control panel.

===What language is Spring written in?===
The spring game engine is written in C and C++. The Windows lobby client is written in Delphi, the lobby server is java. Of multiplatform lobby clients, SpringLobby is in C++ and AFLobby in java.

===Is Spring open source?===
Yes, it is. Go to the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/download.php downloads] section of the site to download the source code.

===Is there any documentation for the source code?===
Yes, doxygen is used to automatically generate the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/doxygen/ documentation]

===Is Spring a Portable Application?===

At present, I play Spring at my college by using my IPOD as a portable bit of storage for the game, so yes, it does appear to be portable. Also, I managed to run AFLobby from the IPOD as well.

If both of those can run off a bleedin' IPOD, they can run off of anything, in my opinion.

If I'm wrong, edit.

See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_application] for more information about portable applications.

- Sangue

Spring needs the registry settings moved to an ini file.
Then, it will be fully portable.

TASClient will run from anywhere as well...and I believe springlobby is the same way.

==Requirements==

===What platforms will Spring run on?===
At the moment, it runs on Windows, Linux and basically on [[Spring_on_MacOSX |Mac OS X.]]

===What sort of a system do I need to run Spring?===
You need a 3D graphics card to run Spring, which will probably require at least a a GeForce4 MX and the latest driver supported. Minimum CPU requirements are a little more complex. A more powerful CPU will have the capability to support larger maps and a greater maximum unit limit. A 1 GHz CPU should be able to support an estimated 500 units. The needed memory will also vary with unit count and map size, and Spring has been known to have worked with 256 MB of Ram (albeit with lowest detail levels).

For further details and tested Systems check the [[Requirements]] page.

===Spring says I need the GL_ARB_texture_env_combine extension, what can I do?===

This error can be caused by various things:

'''1:''' Old video Hardware.

'''2:''' Old drivers.

'''2:''' Bad installed Drivers.

'''3:''' Bad game settings.

If your hardware is old check [http://www.delphi3d.net/hardware/extsupport.php?extension=GL_ARB_texture_env_combine THIS] list, if you cant find your video card then, sorry, you have to buy a new video card.

If your hardware is in the above list or you are sure that your video card support this opengl extension download [http://www.realtech-vr.com/glview/download.html THIS] software. Intall, run, and check if under the ''Report'' tab there is the ''GL_ARB_texture_env_combine'' string.
If the string is present then the problem resides in your Spring settings, try lower screen resolution and disable all graphics effect.
If the string is not present and your hardware is in the list the problem are your video card drivers. To solve this '''UNINSTALL ALL PREVIOUS DRIVERS''' and install last stable drivers for your video card. Usually the problem shows when there are uninstalled old video drivers on the system.

'''NOTE:''' ATI drivers for Windows Vista does not support OpenGL right now so Spring will not run on systems with Vista and ATI Cards.

'''NOTE:''' Use '''glxinfo''' on a Linux system. You don't need to download any third party application because most if not all systems with x11 should have that program already.
----

==Getting into a game==

===People talk about 'Single Player'. How do I start a single player game?===
Simply start a game in the lobby, and enter a password, so that nobody can join. Then click ready, and start and away you go !

Alternatively, you can get [http://spring.unknown-files.net/file/2012/Spring_Single_Player_Launcher_v0.8/ Spring Single Player], a handy tool that lets you create single player games without cluttering up the lobby, as well as watch replays easily.

It's also very easy to set up singleplayer games using SpringLobby. Just click on the singleplayer tab, add some bots, and play. You can grab it from the [http://springlobby.info SpringLobby website].

===When I try to make a single player game, it gives me an error.===
Your graphics card probably can't support Spring. If you read the requirements it did say GeForce 3 or better. Go to the settings file in your Spring directory and lower some of the options. Sometimes that works.

===Does Spring support AI Players?===
Yes, see [[AI]] You can also use the [[random_enemies]] script, which spawns units out of thin air and sends them to attack you.

===How do I join an Internet multiplayer game?===
Run the "TA Spring multiplayer battleroom" from the Start menu or the TASClient.exe from your installation folder. In the "Server" tab change the server to "Official Host". Hit "Apply and close". Re-open the TA Spring client. Create an account on the "Account" tab.

===When I try to connect to the lobby it gives me an error.===
There could be 3 problems. Either you don't have an account, the server is down, or you have not configured your router/firewall correctly. If you don't have an account, make one. If the server is down, you'll just have to wait (this doesn't happen often, though). If you have a router/firewall read below. Have a look at this website's News page and/or the Messageboard, it is likely that you will get some information there in the eventuality that the server is down.

Also make sure that you don't have any spaces in your username.

===I have a router and I don't seem to be able to get a game===

If you are using a router you may have other problems. Explanations of [http://www.portforward.com/routers.htm how to forward ports] has instructions for every router.

===Where can I download more maps?===
As for most Spring downloads [http://unknown-files.net/spring/home/ Unknown Files] is the place to be! The [http://unknown-files.net/spring/category/13/Maps/ map category] has a nice overview.

===How do I install downloaded maps?===
Most maps are released as .sdz or .sd7 files. These can be put directly into the "maps" folder inside the Spring folder. If they are compressed into another type of archive you will have to unpack them first. Just unzip them into your spring maps folder. Some map files use newer (smaller) file formats such as .rar or .7z, to unzip these newer formats, you'll need to download 7-Zip [http://www.7-zip.org/ http://www.7-zip.org/] or Zip-genius [http://downloads.zipgenius.it/ http://downloads.zipgenius.it/]. They both handle almost all formats and are totally free. There is also now a map browser in the TASClient lobby software, click the more maps button in a battle screen to access it.

===Sometimes when I try to join games it gives me an error.===
The host is behind a firewall that has not opened the correct ports for Spring.

===When a multiplayer game starts I never make it past the loading screen.===
This indicates a problem with your video card. Once again the best way to deal with this situation is to make sure your video card has the latest driver updates and that all Spring video features are on the lowest settings.

===When a multiplayer game starts, I make it past the loading screen, but when I get into the game it says, "Waiting for Host", and does a 10 second countdown. It always reaches zero and boots me out, what gives?===
This is a firewall issue. There are three things you can do to fix this. First, make sure your windows firewall is either off, or is not blocking the TA: Spring application. Secondly, if you are behind a router, you can forward the ports that the host is using (especially if you are the host), and it usually fixes the problem. To do this you must go to your router configuration page. You can see what port 'you' are using (as the host), by hosting a multiplayer game in the Spring Lobby. You must make this your trigger port, and make sure that it is open for both TCP and UDP. Thirdly, if none of the aforementioned worked. The easiest thing to do (assuming you are behind a router) is to set the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). This means your computer will be completely exposed to the internet, which will make you vulnerable to any unknown or unpatched exploits in windows. All you have to do is find the personal IP if the computer you are using and add it to your router's DMZ list. Please only try this last option if you can't get the others to work.
Good Luck

===I got into the game, but some people didn't.===
The host may have reached the number of players it has set.
Or the players may be experiencing firewall or video card difficulty. That is not your fault. Please ask them too leave if they are still there when you get into the 'game lobby'. Some people have problem connecting to "hole punching" hosts.

===I got into a game but my name is red, nobody can hear me speak, and eventually I get disconnected===
This is to do with how long it takes the game to start up (the "load time"). If it takes too long you will see this problem. The load time can be reduced by changing the game graphics settings to lower quality. In particular try setting texture quality to lowest.

===What do all those icons mean in the server list?===
Server status icons inform you, at a quick glance, what the server is doing at the moment, and what state it's in (password protected, locked, open, full, etc). Read all about the server status icons and what they mean [[Server Status|here]].

----

==Playing==

===What is with this weird right-click mode? I'm 'bout to break my keyboard.===
Sorry, you'll just have to get used to it. As of now it can't be changed.

===Why is somebody else also controlling my units?===
In the 'game lobby' there are two sets of teams. There are the 'Teams' and the 'Ally Teams'. If you are on the same 'Team', then you both get the same commander, and can control the same units. If you are on 'Ally Teams', then you both get different commanders and can't control each others units.

===Is there a way that I can play music directly through TA-Spring, with alternating tracks for building/attacking like in the original Total Annihilation?===
Yes, there is. It is an addon (GroupAI) you have to download separately:
http://unknown-files.net/spring/file/3407/AFs_Dynamic_Background_Music_GroupAIv3/

There is also an ingame sound-volume-slider you might find usefull (lua-script):
http://unknown-files.net/spring/file/2239/LuaUI_Volume_Slider/

===Then why would I want to be on the same 'Team' as somebody?===
Because it's fun to just drive around units and not have to worry about commanding. (Assuming that one of the people on the team is commanding.)
Most importantly, however, you can split tasks, such as base building, and troops management.

===How do I talk to my allies only?===
You must type 'a:' before you speak. Here's an example: a: Now I am talking to my allies only. 

===Help! After I'm finished driving a unit, the camera is all insane! This is nuts! How do I fix it?===
Whoa now. Calm down. Just press ctrl + mouse button 3 to change camera modes. If your unit is destroyed in FPS mode, you will stay in FPS mode until you change camera modes. Also, the camera will stay in "free look" when FPS mode is disengaged, press middle-mouse or J to switch to normal scrolling.

===After I'm finished driving a unit, where what used to be my mouse pointer is now a crosshair. Why?===
-This is a special 'view mode' that allows you to move around the screen much faster. It's good for viewing the battle or getting screenshots. Simply press on your third mouse button or 'delete' to revert back to your mouse pointer.

===But I don't have a third mouse button!===
The key 'J' works in the same way as the 'middle mouse button' does. So where you would use ctrl + middle mouse button to change camera modes, ctrl + j does the same thing. Pressing J once will also switch you from 'crosshair mode' to 'pointer mode' and vice versa.

===IÃ‚Â´ve managed to get stuck in this weird camera mode and my perspective is all messed up. How do I switch to the overhead (OTA style) camera?===
Shift+Backspace (or Shift+J or Shift+MiddleMouseClick) switches between the fps style, total war style and OTA style cameras. Use it to get your camera back to normal in this situation.

===People are cheating! How do I stop it?!===
Well currently, you can't.

Only the host can "activate" the cheat codes. After that, any player can do almost all cheats.

The best thing to do is just not play with the cheaters anymore. But with new spring version cheats are disabled in multiplayer, so that paragraph is hopefully now irrelevant.

===Well how do you cheat?===

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr><th>Cheat Command</th><th>Effect</th></tr>

<tr>
<td>'''.cheat'''</td><td>'''enable cheats - Cheats don't work in multiplayer until the host types this'''</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.nocost</td><td>instabuild (doesn't work on things already under construction, only on new ones)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.setmaxspeed 50</td><td>Changes the maximum speed multiplier (default is 3.0)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.setminspeed 0</td><td>Changes the minimum speed multiplier (default is 0.3)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.spectator</td><td>Allows you to see the entire map... but you lose control of your units</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.team 0, .team 1, etc.</td><td>Change player</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.give ARMCOM, .give 10 CORKROG, etc.</td><td>Place 1 or specified number of specified unit. Valid units are the internal names of units as specified in the unit definition.</td>
</tr>

</table>
You can use auto-completion in the spring console if you don't remember the internal unit name. To do that type:
".give arm" and then press your '''TAB key'''
A list of all matching units will be shown.

===In Game Commands===
The following ''non-cheating'' commands are also available in game:

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr>
<th>Command</th><th>Effect</th>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>/info</td><td>Shows you what colour each player is and their ping delay in the bottom right corner of the screen.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>clock</td><td>Shows you the elapsed game time in minutes and seconds in the upper right corner of the screen</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.take</td><td>Pulls all allied units, that are owned by players who have lost connection to the server, to your team.</td>
</tr>

</table>

===How do I ally or unally in game?===
I'm pretty sure you can't. Yet.

===How do I give somebody units or metal or energy?===
Press the 'H' key. Then select the amount of metal and/or energy to share. Then select the receiving player and press OK.

When sharing units, you must first select the units to share, then press 'H' key. Tick share units checkbox and choose a receiving player.

===How do I continually give somebody metal and/or energy after a certain point (i.e. Original TA commands +setshare..., +shareall)?===
You'll notice that on your metal and energy bars (top of screen), there are two red bars. You have to put them wherever you want your metal and energy to be shared after.

===This game is different than TA, the units HP and damage are not the same===

There were several third party "balance" mods for the original TA game.

One of those mods were xTA, and was developed by the same clan (SY) that has brought life back to TA, making Spring.

This balance mod is what is bundled by default with the spring engine, and is the mod that was ready to play when Spring was released.

Now are several mods available, install the mod of your choice.

[http://unknown-files.net/spring/category/14/Mods/ get mods here]

===XTA? OTA? AA? OMFGLAMO? WTF do those abbreviations mean?===
zwzsg maintains a handy dandy FAQ about TA, and the abbreviations that relate to Spring too, of course.
[http://www.tauniverse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27309 click here]. See also the Spring [[Glossary]], which contains brief explanations for all non-standard words and phrases.

===Why am I destroyed so easily by long range assaults?===
This is a realistic feature of Spring. Units will automatically attack 'radar blips' (units that they can not actually see, but that are indicated on radar). However, the accuracy is very bad while shooting at radar blips until:
* Your unit kills a lot of units and gets experience
* You get a targeting facility.

===Can I kick people from my 'game lobby' or my game?===
First of all, you have to be the host to kick. Use the good old ".kick playernamehere" command. Works in-game too, use it wisely.

===When I'm 'driving' my commander, why can't I use my laser?===
The TA: Spring team will most likely add a way for you to use your commander's laser soon.

===I hate driving around with the 'arrow keys'. Is there any way I can use the 'W-A-S-D' controls (the controls most First Person Shooters use) anymore?===
Go into your Spring directory and edit the uikeys file. Keep in mind that 'S' is originally a 'hot-key' that will stop your units and that 'D' is a 'hot-key' for your commander's D-Gun. You might want to change those too.

===I turned the shadows feature on; I still don't see shadows. What gives?===
Your graphics card can't handle shadows, so Spring automatically turns them off.

===I can't go backwards when I am 'driving' a unit. Why not?===
Because TA units were never intended to go backwards. Sorry, but you just cant.

===I'm in an Unreal Tournament kind of mood. How do I strafe?===
You can only strafe in 'brawler type' ships, such as the brawler, rapier, and light gunships.

===How can I record and watch demos/replays?===
From version 0.62 onwards recordings of all the games you play are easily available for replay via the Replays button in the TASclient.

You can use the Speed up/Slow down game keys while watching the replay, along with other in-game commands like .team

From version 0.60b1 onwards, demos are automatically recorded in the "demos" folder, underneath your Spring folder (default is C:\Program Files\TASpring\demos), named for the date and map they were played on. If you play multiple games in the same day on the same map, the games will also be numbered to prevent them from overwriting each other.

From version 0.62 onwards, to view a demo from the Windows file manager you can just double click the file name.

===Sometimes when I play get "not sync" "delayed synch" errors===

Thats caused because of lag. One of the players in the game is having some lag issues. Ask him/her to free up its bandwidth for the game to use.

Alternatively you can use the pause key and wait till the connection gets more stable.

Lag is the seccond number showed when you use the .info command ingame, numbers bigger than 40 are not usual in a normal game and are a signal of lag.

----

==Content==

===Do Spring maps need a "ground"?===
Spring maps do require a ground. We have had many requests to have space maps, however, a "true" (ala Homeworld) space setting is not likely. It would have to wait until a much later stage. This does not mean that TA's style of "space" maps won't be possible, (see the Final Frontier TC for examples of this).

===You stated that Spring uses the TA unit format.===
Spring does use the Total Annihilation unit format. However, there is also a new format dubbed '.s3o' which uses a UV mapped texture instead of 3do's per face texturing system, as well as other improvements.

===How powerful will Spring's custom format be?===
Total Annihilation's unit format was extremely limited. Most of these limitations will either be expanded or non-existent in Spring's custom unit format. One of the most exciting improvements is the introduction of an entirely new method of scripting, with nearly complete control over every aspect of a unit's actions and behaviors.

===Does Spring have a limited number of weapons?===
No. Unlike Total Annihilation, Spring's weapon IDs will be unlimited. Meaning it will be possible to add as many third-party units as you want. However, the current model format limits 16 weapons to each unit.

===Does Spring have a limited number of unique units?===
No. Unit IDs, like weapon IDs, will be unlimited.

===Will units have a maximum of 3 unique weapons?===
Total Annihilation had a limitation that permitted a maximum of 3 unique weapons per unit. Spring currently has a way to have 16 weapons per unit. (Replace Primary, Secondary, Tertiary by 1 2 3 ...16). More can be made possible by modifying the source if there's a sufficient demand by mod makers.

===I'm curious as to the per-unit polygon limit.===
The engine itself does not have a polygon count limit. The limit is that of the processing power of today's computers. Since Spring requires a 3D card, the maximum polygon count per unit will be several times higher than Total Annihilation's. That means for your average mod, 300 polygons for common units and 700 for the more expensive ones is quite reasonable. (But don't waste polies unnecessarily!)

===Will units be able to perform basic terraforming?===
Total Annihilation units probably won't have any terrain editable functionality. Future units may be endowed with such functionality, but it's more of a gameplay issue and has not been decided upon yet. However construction units can restore ground, and certain weapons (especially explosive ones) can be used to deform the ground.

===Will tunnel building be possible?===
Subterranean areas of any sort is impossible. However, it is possible to heavily deform the ground with explosives.. Which is great fun!

===Will the ground's water retention be editable?===
No. Water will always collect when a piece of land has a height below sea level.

===Does Spring have a limit on the number of races?===
Spring has no limit on the total number of sides/races.

===What are the sizes of the biggest and smallest units?===
Static units (buildings, defenses, etc.) have no size limitations in the engine. Technically, neither do mobile units, but units with a footprint larger than 4x4 "squares" (an arbitrary size standard created by Cavedog) might have problems pathfinding.

===What is going to be the maximum possible sea depth?===
For all practical purposes, it will be unlimited. The depth values are stored as "float variables", so it is doubtful that maps would ever be made which even come close to approaching the limit.

===Will Spring support campaigns?===
Basic Map scripting has been implemented, using a Lua scripting engine. From that, it would be possible to make a basic campaign, but for ease of use a better way of selecting scripts and an improved Single player menu is needed.

See [[Mission development]] for more details.

===How big are the Spring files?===
Spring will be as small as however much content is included with it. The "essential" files are only be several megabytes large. Content (such as maps and units) will add considerable size to the Spring download. Currently, the file size is roughly 30 MB.

===How will Spring render sound effects?===
Sound is rendered 3D, meaning that the volume and direction (assuming a multi-speaker setup) vary with the location of the camera from the sound "emitter". What this translates into gameplay terms means that the closer you are to a unit making a sound or motion, the louder the sound will be. Additionally, the sound will be heard differently depending on which way the camera is facing relative to units making sound.

===Will Spring have ambient sound?===
There is no ambient sound, and we haven't planned on adding it thus far.

===Will there be an AI or a "skirmish" mode?===
We have created an interface for artificial intelligences (AIs), and several are currently under development. Information on these can be found at the [[AIs]] wiki page.

===Will a "possess" or a FPS option be present?===
Yes, it is possible to fully control a unit from the first person view. It is more of a gimmick, but it still allows for a nice diversion once in a while. Instructions on its use are in the [[Using_Spring#FPS_.22Mode.22_.28C.29|Using Spring]] article.

===How do I create maps?===
See the [[Map development]] page for all the map info.

===How do I create units/mods?===
See the [[Mod_and_Unit_development#Mod_devlopement|Mod and Unit development]] page on creating units/ mods.

[[Category:Content]]

FAQ

2008-01-18T16:15:37Z

ZellSF: FU is obsolete, changed link to UF

==General information==

===What is Spring?===
Spring is a project to create the best RTS ever (no joke). There are three principle goals which we hope to achieve.

# Reach a stage where TA Spring can flawlessly execute most of Total Annihilation's original gameplay, with its original units in their original format.
// This goal has been achieved, Multiple TA-style mods are now around ranging from [[BOTA]] which is Basically OTA, to [[CA]] which rebalances most of the units and roles while keeping then graphical style. A bunch of non-TA mods are also available, such as; [[Kernel Panic]], [[Gundam Annihilation]], and [[1944: Spring]]

# Add new features as we see fit, fix bugs, and release new versions when we feel it is appropriate to do so.

# Support the mod community as we see fit.
// A quite robust modding system is implemented allowing ease of modding or just making a mutator for an existing mod. This can be done either mod or map side, allowing special buildings to be included in a map.

# Improving the already fine original TA Interface in a way that the Players will have more tactical Options, more Control, more Comfort and still don`t get lost, as long as they are willing to learn.
//There has recently been added support for LUA widgets and gadgets which will help you customize the interface to your needs. The UI is personal again.

The goals might need an update.. -- Tim Blokdijk

===Is Spring free?===
The core game is released under GPL License. Fortunately as of now, there are also two mods which have been released under the GNU/GPL, and several more which do not have clear licence terms (owned by their modder).

However, there are also several mods for which some parts are still under copyright of Atari. For these you need to own the original TA game if you want to play.

===Why can I edit this page?===
This page, and several others, are located in the Spring [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki Wiki]. The link gives a full explanation of what it is, but in short it is a way of letting anyone who wants to contribute to the page content. This can of course be abused, but even while it is easy for someone to vandalise the page, it is just as easy for someone to restore it, since the wiki saves all previous versions of a page.

===Why can't I edit this page?===
You need to be [[Special:Userlogin|logged in]] to edit our wiki because people were vandalizing and/or being morons too much, so they had to lock it down.

===I want to help, what can I do?===
Please look at the Messageboard. There are lots of things you can do according to your skills. Particularly important is to create viable and pleasing free alternatives to copyrighted material, mainly sounds and units.

===I want to donate.===
People have made clear their desire to donate to the project, and so far, we have been fairly reluctant about accepting donations. Our main concern? While we certainly hope to have something on the level of a commercial release in the near future, there is no guarantee that it will ever happen. Unforeseen events arise, and it would be most unfortunate if everyone who donated felt swindled because the project did not turn out as they had hoped.

We do not plan to be more or less productive solely based upon the quantity and frequency of donations received. The Spring project is here only because we view this as an enjoyable hobby.

===I read all that and I still want to donate.===
Very well then! You can find the required details [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/donate.php here]. It will be much appreciated. :)

----

==Technical==

===What port numbers does Spring use?===
Game uses port 8452 UDP by default, which can be changed in the lobby. If you are behind a router, and are having problems hosting, try forwarding the correct port and also make sure the firewall is not blocking it.

===What APIs does Spring use?===
The Windows version of the program (Which is the Binary that can be downloaded from this site) uses: OpenGL for rendering, DirectSound for sound, and Winsock for networking.

The Linux port, see [[MultiplatformSpring]] with more info below, uses SDL/OpenGL for rendering, OpenAL for sound (which will connect to DirectSound on Windows and OSS or ALSA on Linux), BSD sockets for networking.

===I am having really bad framerates (fps) on my dual core! What am i doing wrong?===
Currently spring does not like dual/quad cores, you will get really bad framerates. To solve this, you have to restrict it to run on one core. Download the file from http://www.robpol86.com/Pages/imagecfg.php follow the instructions, and make all of the spring exe files (spring.exe, TASClient.exe, all others) run on one core. It will run much faster.

===I am having really bad framerates (fps) on my brand new nvidia graphics card! What am i doing wrong?===
Turn off 'threaded optimizations' for Spring in the nvidia control panel.

===What language is Spring written in?===
The spring game engine is written in C and C++. The Windows lobby client is written in Delphi, the lobby server is java. Of multiplatform lobby clients, SpringLobby is in C++ and AFLobby in java.

===Is Spring open source?===
Yes, it is. Go to the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/download.php downloads] section of the site to download the source code.

===Is there any documentation for the source code?===
Yes, doxygen is used to automatically generate the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/doxygen/ documentation]

===Is Spring a Portable Application?===

At present, I play Spring at my college by using my IPOD as a portable bit of storage for the game, so yes, it does appear to be portable. Also, I managed to run AFLobby from the IPOD as well.

If both of those can run off a bleedin' IPOD, they can run off of anything, in my opinion.

If I'm wrong, edit.

See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_application] for more information about portable applications.

- Sangue

Spring needs the registry settings moved to an ini file.
Then, it will be fully portable.

TASClient will run from anywhere as well...and I believe springlobby is the same way.

==Requirements==

===What platforms will Spring run on?===
At the moment, it runs on Windows, Linux and basically on [[Spring_on_MacOSX |Mac OS X.]]

===What sort of a system do I need to run Spring?===
You need a 3D graphics card to run Spring, which will probably require at least a a GeForce4 MX and the latest driver supported. Minimum CPU requirements are a little more complex. A more powerful CPU will have the capability to support larger maps and a greater maximum unit limit. A 1 GHz CPU should be able to support an estimated 500 units. The needed memory will also vary with unit count and map size, and Spring has been known to have worked with 256 MB of Ram (albeit with lowest detail levels).

For further details and tested Systems check the [[Requirements]] page.

===Spring says I need the GL_ARB_texture_env_combine extension, what can I do?===

This error can be caused by various things:

'''1:''' Old video Hardware.

'''2:''' Old drivers.

'''2:''' Bad installed Drivers.

'''3:''' Bad game settings.

If your hardware is old check [http://www.delphi3d.net/hardware/extsupport.php?extension=GL_ARB_texture_env_combine THIS] list, if you cant find your video card then, sorry, you have to buy a new video card.

If your hardware is in the above list or you are sure that your video card support this opengl extension download [http://www.realtech-vr.com/glview/download.html THIS] software. Intall, run, and check if under the ''Report'' tab there is the ''GL_ARB_texture_env_combine'' string.
If the string is present then the problem resides in your Spring settings, try lower screen resolution and disable all graphics effect.
If the string is not present and your hardware is in the list the problem are your video card drivers. To solve this '''UNINSTALL ALL PREVIOUS DRIVERS''' and install last stable drivers for your video card. Usually the problem shows when there are uninstalled old video drivers on the system.

'''NOTE:''' ATI drivers for Windows Vista does not support OpenGL right now so Spring will not run on systems with Vista and ATI Cards.

'''NOTE:''' Use '''glxinfo''' on a Linux system. You don't need to download any third party application because most if not all systems with x11 should have that program already.
----

==Getting into a game==

===People talk about 'Single Player'. How do I start a single player game?===
Simply start a game in the lobby, and enter a password, so that nobody can join. Then click ready, and start and away you go !

Alternatively, you can get [http://spring.unknown-files.net/file/2012/Spring_Single_Player_Launcher_v0.8/ Spring Single Player], a handy tool that lets you create single player games without cluttering up the lobby, as well as watch replays easily.

It's also very easy to set up singleplayer games using SpringLobby. Just click on the singleplayer tab, add some bots, and play. You can grab it from the [http://springlobby.info SpringLobby website].

===When I try to make a single player game, it gives me an error.===
Your graphics card probably can't support Spring. If you read the requirements it did say GeForce 3 or better. Go to the settings file in your Spring directory and lower some of the options. Sometimes that works.

===Does Spring support AI Players?===
Yes, see [[AI]] You can also use the [[random_enemies]] script, which spawns units out of thin air and sends them to attack you.

===How do I join an Internet multiplayer game?===
Run the "TA Spring multiplayer battleroom" from the Start menu or the TASClient.exe from your installation folder. In the "Server" tab change the server to "Official Host". Hit "Apply and close". Re-open the TA Spring client. Create an account on the "Account" tab.

===When I try to connect to the lobby it gives me an error.===
There could be 3 problems. Either you don't have an account, the server is down, or you have not configured your router/firewall correctly. If you don't have an account, make one. If the server is down, you'll just have to wait (this doesn't happen often, though). If you have a router/firewall read below. Have a look at this website's News page and/or the Messageboard, it is likely that you will get some information there in the eventuality that the server is down.

Also make sure that you don't have any spaces in your username.

===I have a router and I don't seem to be able to get a game===

If you are using a router you may have other problems. Explanations of [http://www.portforward.com/routers.htm how to forward ports] has instructions for every router.

===Where can I download more maps?===
As for most Spring downloads [http://unknown-files.net/spring/home/ Unknown Files] is the place to be! The [http://unknown-files.net/spring/category/13/Maps/ map category] has a nice overview.

===How do I install downloaded maps?===
Most maps are released as .sdz or .sd7 files. These can be put directly into the "maps" folder inside the Spring folder. If they are compressed into another type of archive you will have to unpack them first. Just unzip them into your spring maps folder. Some map files use newer (smaller) file formats such as .rar or .7z, to unzip these newer formats, you'll need to download 7-Zip [http://www.7-zip.org/ http://www.7-zip.org/] or Zip-genius [http://downloads.zipgenius.it/ http://downloads.zipgenius.it/]. They both handle almost all formats and are totally free. There is also now a map browser in the TASClient lobby software, click the more maps button in a battle screen to access it.

===Sometimes when I try to join games it gives me an error.===
The host is behind a firewall that has not opened the correct ports for Spring.

===When a multiplayer game starts I never make it past the loading screen.===
This indicates a problem with your video card. Once again the best way to deal with this situation is to make sure your video card has the latest driver updates and that all Spring video features are on the lowest settings.

===When a multiplayer game starts, I make it past the loading screen, but when I get into the game it says, "Waiting for Host", and does a 10 second countdown. It always reaches zero and boots me out, what gives?===
This is a firewall issue. There are three things you can do to fix this. First, make sure your windows firewall is either off, or is not blocking the TA: Spring application. Secondly, if you are behind a router, you can forward the ports that the host is using (especially if you are the host), and it usually fixes the problem. To do this you must go to your router configuration page. You can see what port 'you' are using (as the host), by hosting a multiplayer game in the Spring Lobby. You must make this your trigger port, and make sure that it is open for both TCP and UDP. Thirdly, if none of the aforementioned worked. The easiest thing to do (assuming you are behind a router) is to set the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). This means your computer will be completely exposed to the internet, which will make you vulnerable to any unknown or unpatched exploits in windows. All you have to do is find the personal IP if the computer you are using and add it to your router's DMZ list. Please only try this last option if you can't get the others to work.
Good Luck

===I got into the game, but some people didn't.===
The host may have reached the number of players it has set.
Or the players may be experiencing firewall or video card difficulty. That is not your fault. Please ask them too leave if they are still there when you get into the 'game lobby'. Some people have problem connecting to "hole punching" hosts.

===I got into a game but my name is red, nobody can hear me speak, and eventually I get disconnected===
This is to do with how long it takes the game to start up (the "load time"). If it takes too long you will see this problem. The load time can be reduced by changing the game graphics settings to lower quality. In particular try setting texture quality to lowest.

===What do all those icons mean in the server list?===
Server status icons inform you, at a quick glance, what the server is doing at the moment, and what state it's in (password protected, locked, open, full, etc). Read all about the server status icons and what they mean [[Server Status|here]].

----

==Playing==

===What is with this weird right-click mode? I'm 'bout to break my keyboard.===
Sorry, you'll just have to get used to it. As of now it can't be changed.

===Why is somebody else also controlling my units?===
In the 'game lobby' there are two sets of teams. There are the 'Teams' and the 'Ally Teams'. If you are on the same 'Team', then you both get the same commander, and can control the same units. If you are on 'Ally Teams', then you both get different commanders and can't control each others units.

===Is there a way that I can play music directly through TA-Spring, with alternating tracks for building/attacking like in the original Total Annihilation?===
Yes, there is. It is an addon (GroupAI) you have to download separately:
http://unknown-files.net/spring/file/3407/AFs_Dynamic_Background_Music_GroupAIv3/

There is also an ingame sound-volume-slider you might find usefull (lua-script):
http://unknown-files.net/spring/file/2239/LuaUI_Volume_Slider/

===Then why would I want to be on the same 'Team' as somebody?===
Because it's fun to just drive around units and not have to worry about commanding. (Assuming that one of the people on the team is commanding.)
Most importantly, however, you can split tasks, such as base building, and troops management.

===How do I talk to my allies only?===
You must type 'a:' before you speak. Here's an example: a: Now I am talking to my allies only. 

===Help! After I'm finished driving a unit, the camera is all insane! This is nuts! How do I fix it?===
Whoa now. Calm down. Just press ctrl + mouse button 3 to change camera modes. If your unit is destroyed in FPS mode, you will stay in FPS mode until you change camera modes. Also, the camera will stay in "free look" when FPS mode is disengaged, press middle-mouse or J to switch to normal scrolling.

===After I'm finished driving a unit, where what used to be my mouse pointer is now a crosshair. Why?===
-This is a special 'view mode' that allows you to move around the screen much faster. It's good for viewing the battle or getting screenshots. Simply press on your third mouse button or 'delete' to revert back to your mouse pointer.

===But I don't have a third mouse button!===
The key 'J' works in the same way as the 'middle mouse button' does. So where you would use ctrl + middle mouse button to change camera modes, ctrl + j does the same thing. Pressing J once will also switch you from 'crosshair mode' to 'pointer mode' and vice versa.

===IÃ‚Â´ve managed to get stuck in this weird camera mode and my perspective is all messed up. How do I switch to the overhead (OTA style) camera?===
Shift+Backspace (or Shift+J or Shift+MiddleMouseClick) switches between the fps style, total war style and OTA style cameras. Use it to get your camera back to normal in this situation.

===People are cheating! How do I stop it?!===
Well currently, you can't.

Only the host can "activate" the cheat codes. After that, any player can do almost all cheats.

The best thing to do is just not play with the cheaters anymore. But with new spring version cheats are disabled in multiplayer, so that paragraph is hopefully now irrelevant.

===Well how do you cheat?===

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr><th>Cheat Command</th><th>Effect</th></tr>

<tr>
<td>'''.cheat'''</td><td>'''enable cheats - Cheats don't work in multiplayer until the host types this'''</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.nocost</td><td>instabuild (doesn't work on things already under construction, only on new ones)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.setmaxspeed 50</td><td>Changes the maximum speed multiplier (default is 3.0)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.setminspeed 0</td><td>Changes the minimum speed multiplier (default is 0.3)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.spectator</td><td>Allows you to see the entire map... but you lose control of your units</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.team 0, .team 1, etc.</td><td>Change player</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.give ARMCOM, .give 10 CORKROG, etc.</td><td>Place 1 or specified number of specified unit. Valid units are the internal names of units as specified in the unit definition.</td>
</tr>

</table>
You can use auto-completion in the spring console if you don't remember the internal unit name. To do that type:
".give arm" and then press your '''TAB key'''
A list of all matching units will be shown.

===In Game Commands===
The following ''non-cheating'' commands are also available in game:

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr>
<th>Command</th><th>Effect</th>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.info</td><td>Shows you what colour each player is and their ping delay in the bottom left corner of the screen</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.clock</td><td>Shows you the elapsed game time in minutes and seconds in the bottom left corner of the screen</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.take</td><td>Pulls all allied units, that are owned by players who have lost connection to the server, to your team.</td>
</tr>

</table>

===How do I ally or unally in game?===
I'm pretty sure you can't. Yet.

===How do I give somebody units or metal or energy?===
Press the 'H' key. Then select the amount of metal and/or energy to share. Then select the receiving player and press OK.

When sharing units, you must first select the units to share, then press 'H' key. Tick share units checkbox and choose a receiving player.

===How do I continually give somebody metal and/or energy after a certain point (i.e. Original TA commands +setshare..., +shareall)?===
You'll notice that on your metal and energy bars (top of screen), there are two red bars. You have to put them wherever you want your metal and energy to be shared after.

===This game is different than TA, the units HP and damage are not the same===

There were several third party "balance" mods for the original TA game.

One of those mods were xTA, and was developed by the same clan (SY) that has brought life back to TA, making Spring.

This balance mod is what is bundled by default with the spring engine, and is the mod that was ready to play when Spring was released.

Now are several mods available, install the mod of your choice.

[http://unknown-files.net/spring/category/14/Mods/ get mods here]

===XTA? OTA? AA? OMFGLAMO? WTF do those abbreviations mean?===
zwzsg maintains a handy dandy FAQ about TA, and the abbreviations that relate to Spring too, of course.
[http://www.tauniverse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27309 click here]. See also the Spring [[Glossary]], which contains brief explanations for all non-standard words and phrases.

===Why am I destroyed so easily by long range assaults?===
This is a realistic feature of Spring. Units will automatically attack 'radar blips' (units that they can not actually see, but that are indicated on radar). However, the accuracy is very bad while shooting at radar blips until:
* Your unit kills a lot of units and gets experience
* You get a targeting facility.

===Can I kick people from my 'game lobby' or my game?===
First of all, you have to be the host to kick. Use the good old ".kick playernamehere" command. Works in-game too, use it wisely.

===When I'm 'driving' my commander, why can't I use my laser?===
The TA: Spring team will most likely add a way for you to use your commander's laser soon.

===I hate driving around with the 'arrow keys'. Is there any way I can use the 'W-A-S-D' controls (the controls most First Person Shooters use) anymore?===
Go into your Spring directory and edit the uikeys file. Keep in mind that 'S' is originally a 'hot-key' that will stop your units and that 'D' is a 'hot-key' for your commander's D-Gun. You might want to change those too.

===I turned the shadows feature on; I still don't see shadows. What gives?===
Your graphics card can't handle shadows, so Spring automatically turns them off.

===I can't go backwards when I am 'driving' a unit. Why not?===
Because TA units were never intended to go backwards. Sorry, but you just cant.

===I'm in an Unreal Tournament kind of mood. How do I strafe?===
You can only strafe in 'brawler type' ships, such as the brawler, rapier, and light gunships.

===How can I record and watch demos/replays?===
From version 0.62 onwards recordings of all the games you play are easily available for replay via the Replays button in the TASclient.

You can use the Speed up/Slow down game keys while watching the replay, along with other in-game commands like .team

From version 0.60b1 onwards, demos are automatically recorded in the "demos" folder, underneath your Spring folder (default is C:\Program Files\TASpring\demos), named for the date and map they were played on. If you play multiple games in the same day on the same map, the games will also be numbered to prevent them from overwriting each other.

From version 0.62 onwards, to view a demo from the Windows file manager you can just double click the file name.

===Sometimes when I play get "not sync" "delayed synch" errors===

Thats caused because of lag. One of the players in the game is having some lag issues. Ask him/her to free up its bandwidth for the game to use.

Alternatively you can use the pause key and wait till the connection gets more stable.

Lag is the seccond number showed when you use the .info command ingame, numbers bigger than 40 are not usual in a normal game and are a signal of lag.

----

==Content==

===Do Spring maps need a "ground"?===
Spring maps do require a ground. We have had many requests to have space maps, however, a "true" (ala Homeworld) space setting is not likely. It would have to wait until a much later stage. This does not mean that TA's style of "space" maps won't be possible, (see the Final Frontier TC for examples of this).

===You stated that Spring uses the TA unit format.===
Spring does use the Total Annihilation unit format. However, there is also a new format dubbed '.s3o' which uses a UV mapped texture instead of 3do's per face texturing system, as well as other improvements.

===How powerful will Spring's custom format be?===
Total Annihilation's unit format was extremely limited. Most of these limitations will either be expanded or non-existent in Spring's custom unit format. One of the most exciting improvements is the introduction of an entirely new method of scripting, with nearly complete control over every aspect of a unit's actions and behaviors.

===Does Spring have a limited number of weapons?===
No. Unlike Total Annihilation, Spring's weapon IDs will be unlimited. Meaning it will be possible to add as many third-party units as you want. However, the current model format limits 16 weapons to each unit.

===Does Spring have a limited number of unique units?===
No. Unit IDs, like weapon IDs, will be unlimited.

===Will units have a maximum of 3 unique weapons?===
Total Annihilation had a limitation that permitted a maximum of 3 unique weapons per unit. Spring currently has a way to have 16 weapons per unit. (Replace Primary, Secondary, Tertiary by 1 2 3 ...16). More can be made possible by modifying the source if there's a sufficient demand by mod makers.

===I'm curious as to the per-unit polygon limit.===
The engine itself does not have a polygon count limit. The limit is that of the processing power of today's computers. Since Spring requires a 3D card, the maximum polygon count per unit will be several times higher than Total Annihilation's. That means for your average mod, 300 polygons for common units and 700 for the more expensive ones is quite reasonable. (But don't waste polies unnecessarily!)

===Will units be able to perform basic terraforming?===
Total Annihilation units probably won't have any terrain editable functionality. Future units may be endowed with such functionality, but it's more of a gameplay issue and has not been decided upon yet. However construction units can restore ground, and certain weapons (especially explosive ones) can be used to deform the ground.

===Will tunnel building be possible?===
Subterranean areas of any sort is impossible. However, it is possible to heavily deform the ground with explosives.. Which is great fun!

===Will the ground's water retention be editable?===
No. Water will always collect when a piece of land has a height below sea level.

===Does Spring have a limit on the number of races?===
Spring has no limit on the total number of sides/races.

===What are the sizes of the biggest and smallest units?===
Static units (buildings, defenses, etc.) have no size limitations in the engine. Technically, neither do mobile units, but units with a footprint larger than 4x4 "squares" (an arbitrary size standard created by Cavedog) might have problems pathfinding.

===What is going to be the maximum possible sea depth?===
For all practical purposes, it will be unlimited. The depth values are stored as "float variables", so it is doubtful that maps would ever be made which even come close to approaching the limit.

===Will Spring support campaigns?===
Basic Map scripting has been implemented, using a Lua scripting engine. From that, it would be possible to make a basic campaign, but for ease of use a better way of selecting scripts and an improved Single player menu is needed.

See [[Mission development]] for more details.

===How big are the Spring files?===
Spring will be as small as however much content is included with it. The "essential" files are only be several megabytes large. Content (such as maps and units) will add considerable size to the Spring download. Currently, the file size is roughly 30 MB.

===How will Spring render sound effects?===
Sound is rendered 3D, meaning that the volume and direction (assuming a multi-speaker setup) vary with the location of the camera from the sound "emitter". What this translates into gameplay terms means that the closer you are to a unit making a sound or motion, the louder the sound will be. Additionally, the sound will be heard differently depending on which way the camera is facing relative to units making sound.

===Will Spring have ambient sound?===
There is no ambient sound, and we haven't planned on adding it thus far.

===Will there be an AI or a "skirmish" mode?===
We have created an interface for artificial intelligences (AIs), and several are currently under development. Information on these can be found at the [[AIs]] wiki page.

===Will a "possess" or a FPS option be present?===
Yes, it is possible to fully control a unit from the first person view. It is more of a gimmick, but it still allows for a nice diversion once in a while. Instructions on its use are in the [[Using_Spring#FPS_.22Mode.22_.28C.29|Using Spring]] article.

===How do I create maps?===
See the [[Map development]] page for all the map info.

===How do I create units/mods?===
See the [[Mod_and_Unit_development#Mod_devlopement|Mod and Unit development]] page on creating units/ mods.

[[Category:Content]]

FAQ

2008-01-18T16:13:29Z

ZellSF: outdated UF link

==General information==

===What is Spring?===
Spring is a project to create the best RTS ever (no joke). There are three principle goals which we hope to achieve.

# Reach a stage where TA Spring can flawlessly execute most of Total Annihilation's original gameplay, with its original units in their original format.
// This goal has been achieved, Multiple TA-style mods are now around ranging from [[BOTA]] which is Basically OTA, to [[CA]] which rebalances most of the units and roles while keeping then graphical style. A bunch of non-TA mods are also available, such as; [[Kernel Panic]], [[Gundam Annihilation]], and [[1944: Spring]]

# Add new features as we see fit, fix bugs, and release new versions when we feel it is appropriate to do so.

# Support the mod community as we see fit.
// A quite robust modding system is implemented allowing ease of modding or just making a mutator for an existing mod. This can be done either mod or map side, allowing special buildings to be included in a map.

# Improving the already fine original TA Interface in a way that the Players will have more tactical Options, more Control, more Comfort and still don`t get lost, as long as they are willing to learn.
//There has recently been added support for LUA widgets and gadgets which will help you customize the interface to your needs. The UI is personal again.

The goals might need an update.. -- Tim Blokdijk

===Is Spring free?===
The core game is released under GPL License. Fortunately as of now, there are also two mods which have been released under the GNU/GPL, and several more which do not have clear licence terms (owned by their modder).

However, there are also several mods for which some parts are still under copyright of Atari. For these you need to own the original TA game if you want to play.

===Why can I edit this page?===
This page, and several others, are located in the Spring [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki Wiki]. The link gives a full explanation of what it is, but in short it is a way of letting anyone who wants to contribute to the page content. This can of course be abused, but even while it is easy for someone to vandalise the page, it is just as easy for someone to restore it, since the wiki saves all previous versions of a page.

===Why can't I edit this page?===
You need to be [[Special:Userlogin|logged in]] to edit our wiki because people were vandalizing and/or being morons too much, so they had to lock it down.

===I want to help, what can I do?===
Please look at the Messageboard. There are lots of things you can do according to your skills. Particularly important is to create viable and pleasing free alternatives to copyrighted material, mainly sounds and units.

===I want to donate.===
People have made clear their desire to donate to the project, and so far, we have been fairly reluctant about accepting donations. Our main concern? While we certainly hope to have something on the level of a commercial release in the near future, there is no guarantee that it will ever happen. Unforeseen events arise, and it would be most unfortunate if everyone who donated felt swindled because the project did not turn out as they had hoped.

We do not plan to be more or less productive solely based upon the quantity and frequency of donations received. The Spring project is here only because we view this as an enjoyable hobby.

===I read all that and I still want to donate.===
Very well then! You can find the required details [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/donate.php here]. It will be much appreciated. :)

----

==Technical==

===What port numbers does Spring use?===
Game uses port 8452 UDP by default, which can be changed in the lobby. If you are behind a router, and are having problems hosting, try forwarding the correct port and also make sure the firewall is not blocking it.

===What APIs does Spring use?===
The Windows version of the program (Which is the Binary that can be downloaded from this site) uses: OpenGL for rendering, DirectSound for sound, and Winsock for networking.

The Linux port, see [[MultiplatformSpring]] with more info below, uses SDL/OpenGL for rendering, OpenAL for sound (which will connect to DirectSound on Windows and OSS or ALSA on Linux), BSD sockets for networking.

===I am having really bad framerates (fps) on my dual core! What am i doing wrong?===
Currently spring does not like dual/quad cores, you will get really bad framerates. To solve this, you have to restrict it to run on one core. Download the file from http://www.robpol86.com/Pages/imagecfg.php follow the instructions, and make all of the spring exe files (spring.exe, TASClient.exe, all others) run on one core. It will run much faster.

===I am having really bad framerates (fps) on my brand new nvidia graphics card! What am i doing wrong?===
Turn off 'threaded optimizations' for Spring in the nvidia control panel.

===What language is Spring written in?===
The spring game engine is written in C and C++. The Windows lobby client is written in Delphi, the lobby server is java. Of multiplatform lobby clients, SpringLobby is in C++ and AFLobby in java.

===Is Spring open source?===
Yes, it is. Go to the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/download.php downloads] section of the site to download the source code.

===Is there any documentation for the source code?===
Yes, doxygen is used to automatically generate the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/doxygen/ documentation]

===Is Spring a Portable Application?===

At present, I play Spring at my college by using my IPOD as a portable bit of storage for the game, so yes, it does appear to be portable. Also, I managed to run AFLobby from the IPOD as well.

If both of those can run off a bleedin' IPOD, they can run off of anything, in my opinion.

If I'm wrong, edit.

See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_application] for more information about portable applications.

- Sangue

Spring needs the registry settings moved to an ini file.
Then, it will be fully portable.

TASClient will run from anywhere as well...and I believe springlobby is the same way.

==Requirements==

===What platforms will Spring run on?===
At the moment, it runs on Windows, Linux and basically on [[Spring_on_MacOSX |Mac OS X.]]

===What sort of a system do I need to run Spring?===
You need a 3D graphics card to run Spring, which will probably require at least a a GeForce4 MX and the latest driver supported. Minimum CPU requirements are a little more complex. A more powerful CPU will have the capability to support larger maps and a greater maximum unit limit. A 1 GHz CPU should be able to support an estimated 500 units. The needed memory will also vary with unit count and map size, and Spring has been known to have worked with 256 MB of Ram (albeit with lowest detail levels).

For further details and tested Systems check the [[Requirements]] page.

===Spring says I need the GL_ARB_texture_env_combine extension, what can I do?===

This error can be caused by various things:

'''1:''' Old video Hardware.

'''2:''' Old drivers.

'''2:''' Bad installed Drivers.

'''3:''' Bad game settings.

If your hardware is old check [http://www.delphi3d.net/hardware/extsupport.php?extension=GL_ARB_texture_env_combine THIS] list, if you cant find your video card then, sorry, you have to buy a new video card.

If your hardware is in the above list or you are sure that your video card support this opengl extension download [http://www.realtech-vr.com/glview/download.html THIS] software. Intall, run, and check if under the ''Report'' tab there is the ''GL_ARB_texture_env_combine'' string.
If the string is present then the problem resides in your Spring settings, try lower screen resolution and disable all graphics effect.
If the string is not present and your hardware is in the list the problem are your video card drivers. To solve this '''UNINSTALL ALL PREVIOUS DRIVERS''' and install last stable drivers for your video card. Usually the problem shows when there are uninstalled old video drivers on the system.

'''NOTE:''' ATI drivers for Windows Vista does not support OpenGL right now so Spring will not run on systems with Vista and ATI Cards.

'''NOTE:''' Use '''glxinfo''' on a Linux system. You don't need to download any third party application because most if not all systems with x11 should have that program already.
----

==Getting into a game==

===People talk about 'Single Player'. How do I start a single player game?===
Simply start a game in the lobby, and enter a password, so that nobody can join. Then click ready, and start and away you go !

Alternatively, you can get [http://spring.unknown-files.net/file/2012/Spring_Single_Player_Launcher_v0.8/ Spring Single Player], a handy tool that lets you create single player games without cluttering up the lobby, as well as watch replays easily.

It's also very easy to set up singleplayer games using SpringLobby. Just click on the singleplayer tab, add some bots, and play. You can grab it from the [http://springlobby.info SpringLobby website].

===When I try to make a single player game, it gives me an error.===
Your graphics card probably can't support Spring. If you read the requirements it did say GeForce 3 or better. Go to the settings file in your Spring directory and lower some of the options. Sometimes that works.

===Does Spring support AI Players?===
Yes, see [[AI]] You can also use the [[random_enemies]] script, which spawns units out of thin air and sends them to attack you.

===How do I join an Internet multiplayer game?===
Run the "TA Spring multiplayer battleroom" from the Start menu or the TASClient.exe from your installation folder. In the "Server" tab change the server to "Official Host". Hit "Apply and close". Re-open the TA Spring client. Create an account on the "Account" tab.

===When I try to connect to the lobby it gives me an error.===
There could be 3 problems. Either you don't have an account, the server is down, or you have not configured your router/firewall correctly. If you don't have an account, make one. If the server is down, you'll just have to wait (this doesn't happen often, though). If you have a router/firewall read below. Have a look at this website's News page and/or the Messageboard, it is likely that you will get some information there in the eventuality that the server is down.

Also make sure that you don't have any spaces in your username.

===I have a router and I don't seem to be able to get a game===

If you are using a router you may have other problems. Explanations of [http://www.portforward.com/routers.htm how to forward ports] has instructions for every router.

===Where can I download more maps?===
As for most Spring downloads [http://unknown-files.net/spring/home/ Unknown Files] is the place to be! The [http://unknown-files.net/spring/category/13/Maps/ map category] has a nice overview.

===How do I install downloaded maps?===
Most maps are released as .sdz or .sd7 files. These can be put directly into the "maps" folder inside the Spring folder. If they are compressed into another type of archive you will have to unpack them first. Just unzip them into your spring maps folder. Some map files use newer (smaller) file formats such as .rar or .7z, to unzip these newer formats, you'll need to download 7-Zip [http://www.7-zip.org/ http://www.7-zip.org/] or Zip-genius [http://downloads.zipgenius.it/ http://downloads.zipgenius.it/]. They both handle almost all formats and are totally free. There is also now a map browser in the TASClient lobby software, click the more maps button in a battle screen to access it.

===Sometimes when I try to join games it gives me an error.===
The host is behind a firewall that has not opened the correct ports for Spring.

===When a multiplayer game starts I never make it past the loading screen.===
This indicates a problem with your video card. Once again the best way to deal with this situation is to make sure your video card has the latest driver updates and that all Spring video features are on the lowest settings.

===When a multiplayer game starts, I make it past the loading screen, but when I get into the game it says, "Waiting for Host", and does a 10 second countdown. It always reaches zero and boots me out, what gives?===
This is a firewall issue. There are three things you can do to fix this. First, make sure your windows firewall is either off, or is not blocking the TA: Spring application. Secondly, if you are behind a router, you can forward the ports that the host is using (especially if you are the host), and it usually fixes the problem. To do this you must go to your router configuration page. You can see what port 'you' are using (as the host), by hosting a multiplayer game in the Spring Lobby. You must make this your trigger port, and make sure that it is open for both TCP and UDP. Thirdly, if none of the aforementioned worked. The easiest thing to do (assuming you are behind a router) is to set the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). This means your computer will be completely exposed to the internet, which will make you vulnerable to any unknown or unpatched exploits in windows. All you have to do is find the personal IP if the computer you are using and add it to your router's DMZ list. Please only try this last option if you can't get the others to work.
Good Luck

===I got into the game, but some people didn't.===
The host may have reached the number of players it has set.
Or the players may be experiencing firewall or video card difficulty. That is not your fault. Please ask them too leave if they are still there when you get into the 'game lobby'. Some people have problem connecting to "hole punching" hosts.

===I got into a game but my name is red, nobody can hear me speak, and eventually I get disconnected===
This is to do with how long it takes the game to start up (the "load time"). If it takes too long you will see this problem. The load time can be reduced by changing the game graphics settings to lower quality. In particular try setting texture quality to lowest.

===What do all those icons mean in the server list?===
Server status icons inform you, at a quick glance, what the server is doing at the moment, and what state it's in (password protected, locked, open, full, etc). Read all about the server status icons and what they mean [[Server Status|here]].

----

==Playing==

===What is with this weird right-click mode? I'm 'bout to break my keyboard.===
Sorry, you'll just have to get used to it. As of now it can't be changed.

===Why is somebody else also controlling my units?===
In the 'game lobby' there are two sets of teams. There are the 'Teams' and the 'Ally Teams'. If you are on the same 'Team', then you both get the same commander, and can control the same units. If you are on 'Ally Teams', then you both get different commanders and can't control each others units.

===Is there a way that I can play music directly through TA-Spring, with alternating tracks for building/attacking like in the original Total Annihilation?===
Yes, there is. It is an addon (GroupAI) you have to download separately:
http://unknown-files.net/spring/file/3407/AFs_Dynamic_Background_Music_GroupAIv3/

There is also an ingame sound-volume-slider you might find usefull (lua-script):
http://unknown-files.net/spring/file/2239/LuaUI_Volume_Slider/

===Then why would I want to be on the same 'Team' as somebody?===
Because it's fun to just drive around units and not have to worry about commanding. (Assuming that one of the people on the team is commanding.)
Most importantly, however, you can split tasks, such as base building, and troops management.

===How do I talk to my allies only?===
You must type 'a:' before you speak. Here's an example: a: Now I am talking to my allies only. 

===Help! After I'm finished driving a unit, the camera is all insane! This is nuts! How do I fix it?===
Whoa now. Calm down. Just press ctrl + mouse button 3 to change camera modes. If your unit is destroyed in FPS mode, you will stay in FPS mode until you change camera modes. Also, the camera will stay in "free look" when FPS mode is disengaged, press middle-mouse or J to switch to normal scrolling.

===After I'm finished driving a unit, where what used to be my mouse pointer is now a crosshair. Why?===
-This is a special 'view mode' that allows you to move around the screen much faster. It's good for viewing the battle or getting screenshots. Simply press on your third mouse button or 'delete' to revert back to your mouse pointer.

===But I don't have a third mouse button!===
The key 'J' works in the same way as the 'middle mouse button' does. So where you would use ctrl + middle mouse button to change camera modes, ctrl + j does the same thing. Pressing J once will also switch you from 'crosshair mode' to 'pointer mode' and vice versa.

===IÃ‚Â´ve managed to get stuck in this weird camera mode and my perspective is all messed up. How do I switch to the overhead (OTA style) camera?===
Shift+Backspace (or Shift+J or Shift+MiddleMouseClick) switches between the fps style, total war style and OTA style cameras. Use it to get your camera back to normal in this situation.

===People are cheating! How do I stop it?!===
Well currently, you can't.

Only the host can "activate" the cheat codes. After that, any player can do almost all cheats.

The best thing to do is just not play with the cheaters anymore. But with new spring version cheats are disabled in multiplayer, so that paragraph is hopefully now irrelevant.

===Well how do you cheat?===

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr><th>Cheat Command</th><th>Effect</th></tr>

<tr>
<td>'''.cheat'''</td><td>'''enable cheats - Cheats don't work in multiplayer until the host types this'''</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.nocost</td><td>instabuild (doesn't work on things already under construction, only on new ones)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.setmaxspeed 50</td><td>Changes the maximum speed multiplier (default is 3.0)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.setminspeed 0</td><td>Changes the minimum speed multiplier (default is 0.3)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.spectator</td><td>Allows you to see the entire map... but you lose control of your units</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.team 0, .team 1, etc.</td><td>Change player</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.give ARMCOM, .give 10 CORKROG, etc.</td><td>Place 1 or specified number of specified unit. Valid units are the internal names of units as specified in the unit definition.</td>
</tr>

</table>
You can use auto-completion in the spring console if you don't remember the internal unit name. To do that type:
".give arm" and then press your '''TAB key'''
A list of all matching units will be shown.

===In Game Commands===
The following ''non-cheating'' commands are also available in game:

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr>
<th>Command</th><th>Effect</th>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.info</td><td>Shows you what colour each player is and their ping delay in the bottom left corner of the screen</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.clock</td><td>Shows you the elapsed game time in minutes and seconds in the bottom left corner of the screen</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.take</td><td>Pulls all allied units, that are owned by players who have lost connection to the server, to your team.</td>
</tr>

</table>

===How do I ally or unally in game?===
I'm pretty sure you can't. Yet.

===How do I give somebody units or metal or energy?===
Press the 'H' key. Then select the amount of metal and/or energy to share. Then select the receiving player and press OK.

When sharing units, you must first select the units to share, then press 'H' key. Tick share units checkbox and choose a receiving player.

===How do I continually give somebody metal and/or energy after a certain point (i.e. Original TA commands +setshare..., +shareall)?===
You'll notice that on your metal and energy bars (top of screen), there are two red bars. You have to put them wherever you want your metal and energy to be shared after.

===This game is different than TA, the units HP and damage are not the same===

There were several third party "balance" mods for the original TA game.

One of those mods were xTA, and was developed by the same clan (SY) that has brought life back to TA, making Spring.

This balance mod is what is bundled by default with the spring engine, and is the mod that was ready to play when spring was released.

Now are several mods available, install the mod of your choice.

[http://www.fileuniverse.com/?p=listing&ID=92 get mods here]

===XTA? OTA? AA? OMFGLAMO? WTF do those abbreviations mean?===
zwzsg maintains a handy dandy FAQ about TA, and the abbreviations that relate to Spring too, of course.
[http://www.tauniverse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27309 click here]. See also the Spring [[Glossary]], which contains brief explanations for all non-standard words and phrases.

===Why am I destroyed so easily by long range assaults?===
This is a realistic feature of Spring. Units will automatically attack 'radar blips' (units that they can not actually see, but that are indicated on radar). However, the accuracy is very bad while shooting at radar blips until:
* Your unit kills a lot of units and gets experience
* You get a targeting facility.

===Can I kick people from my 'game lobby' or my game?===
First of all, you have to be the host to kick. Use the good old ".kick playernamehere" command. Works in-game too, use it wisely.

===When I'm 'driving' my commander, why can't I use my laser?===
The TA: Spring team will most likely add a way for you to use your commander's laser soon.

===I hate driving around with the 'arrow keys'. Is there any way I can use the 'W-A-S-D' controls (the controls most First Person Shooters use) anymore?===
Go into your Spring directory and edit the uikeys file. Keep in mind that 'S' is originally a 'hot-key' that will stop your units and that 'D' is a 'hot-key' for your commander's D-Gun. You might want to change those too.

===I turned the shadows feature on; I still don't see shadows. What gives?===
Your graphics card can't handle shadows, so Spring automatically turns them off.

===I can't go backwards when I am 'driving' a unit. Why not?===
Because TA units were never intended to go backwards. Sorry, but you just cant.

===I'm in an Unreal Tournament kind of mood. How do I strafe?===
You can only strafe in 'brawler type' ships, such as the brawler, rapier, and light gunships.

===How can I record and watch demos/replays?===
From version 0.62 onwards recordings of all the games you play are easily available for replay via the Replays button in the TASclient.

You can use the Speed up/Slow down game keys while watching the replay, along with other in-game commands like .team

From version 0.60b1 onwards, demos are automatically recorded in the "demos" folder, underneath your Spring folder (default is C:\Program Files\TASpring\demos), named for the date and map they were played on. If you play multiple games in the same day on the same map, the games will also be numbered to prevent them from overwriting each other.

From version 0.62 onwards, to view a demo from the Windows file manager you can just double click the file name.

===Sometimes when I play get "not sync" "delayed synch" errors===

Thats caused because of lag. One of the players in the game is having some lag issues. Ask him/her to free up its bandwidth for the game to use.

Alternatively you can use the pause key and wait till the connection gets more stable.

Lag is the seccond number showed when you use the .info command ingame, numbers bigger than 40 are not usual in a normal game and are a signal of lag.

----

==Content==

===Do Spring maps need a "ground"?===
Spring maps do require a ground. We have had many requests to have space maps, however, a "true" (ala Homeworld) space setting is not likely. It would have to wait until a much later stage. This does not mean that TA's style of "space" maps won't be possible, (see the Final Frontier TC for examples of this).

===You stated that Spring uses the TA unit format.===
Spring does use the Total Annihilation unit format. However, there is also a new format dubbed '.s3o' which uses a UV mapped texture instead of 3do's per face texturing system, as well as other improvements.

===How powerful will Spring's custom format be?===
Total Annihilation's unit format was extremely limited. Most of these limitations will either be expanded or non-existent in Spring's custom unit format. One of the most exciting improvements is the introduction of an entirely new method of scripting, with nearly complete control over every aspect of a unit's actions and behaviors.

===Does Spring have a limited number of weapons?===
No. Unlike Total Annihilation, Spring's weapon IDs will be unlimited. Meaning it will be possible to add as many third-party units as you want. However, the current model format limits 16 weapons to each unit.

===Does Spring have a limited number of unique units?===
No. Unit IDs, like weapon IDs, will be unlimited.

===Will units have a maximum of 3 unique weapons?===
Total Annihilation had a limitation that permitted a maximum of 3 unique weapons per unit. Spring currently has a way to have 16 weapons per unit. (Replace Primary, Secondary, Tertiary by 1 2 3 ...16). More can be made possible by modifying the source if there's a sufficient demand by mod makers.

===I'm curious as to the per-unit polygon limit.===
The engine itself does not have a polygon count limit. The limit is that of the processing power of today's computers. Since Spring requires a 3D card, the maximum polygon count per unit will be several times higher than Total Annihilation's. That means for your average mod, 300 polygons for common units and 700 for the more expensive ones is quite reasonable. (But don't waste polies unnecessarily!)

===Will units be able to perform basic terraforming?===
Total Annihilation units probably won't have any terrain editable functionality. Future units may be endowed with such functionality, but it's more of a gameplay issue and has not been decided upon yet. However construction units can restore ground, and certain weapons (especially explosive ones) can be used to deform the ground.

===Will tunnel building be possible?===
Subterranean areas of any sort is impossible. However, it is possible to heavily deform the ground with explosives.. Which is great fun!

===Will the ground's water retention be editable?===
No. Water will always collect when a piece of land has a height below sea level.

===Does Spring have a limit on the number of races?===
Spring has no limit on the total number of sides/races.

===What are the sizes of the biggest and smallest units?===
Static units (buildings, defenses, etc.) have no size limitations in the engine. Technically, neither do mobile units, but units with a footprint larger than 4x4 "squares" (an arbitrary size standard created by Cavedog) might have problems pathfinding.

===What is going to be the maximum possible sea depth?===
For all practical purposes, it will be unlimited. The depth values are stored as "float variables", so it is doubtful that maps would ever be made which even come close to approaching the limit.

===Will Spring support campaigns?===
Basic Map scripting has been implemented, using a Lua scripting engine. From that, it would be possible to make a basic campaign, but for ease of use a better way of selecting scripts and an improved Single player menu is needed.

See [[Mission development]] for more details.

===How big are the Spring files?===
Spring will be as small as however much content is included with it. The "essential" files are only be several megabytes large. Content (such as maps and units) will add considerable size to the Spring download. Currently, the file size is roughly 30 MB.

===How will Spring render sound effects?===
Sound is rendered 3D, meaning that the volume and direction (assuming a multi-speaker setup) vary with the location of the camera from the sound "emitter". What this translates into gameplay terms means that the closer you are to a unit making a sound or motion, the louder the sound will be. Additionally, the sound will be heard differently depending on which way the camera is facing relative to units making sound.

===Will Spring have ambient sound?===
There is no ambient sound, and we haven't planned on adding it thus far.

===Will there be an AI or a "skirmish" mode?===
We have created an interface for artificial intelligences (AIs), and several are currently under development. Information on these can be found at the [[AIs]] wiki page.

===Will a "possess" or a FPS option be present?===
Yes, it is possible to fully control a unit from the first person view. It is more of a gimmick, but it still allows for a nice diversion once in a while. Instructions on its use are in the [[Using_Spring#FPS_.22Mode.22_.28C.29|Using Spring]] article.

===How do I create maps?===
See the [[Map development]] page for all the map info.

===How do I create units/mods?===
See the [[Mod_and_Unit_development#Mod_devlopement|Mod and Unit development]] page on creating units/ mods.

[[Category:Content]]

Read Me First

2008-01-18T15:59:31Z

ZellSF: Outdated UF link, reference to "taspring"

{{lang | Germany | Zuerst lesen | Zuerst Lesen}}

 <center>'''The following will answer the most commonly-asked questions about Spring from newcomers, especially those confused by the differences between the way Total Annihilation handles things and the way Spring handles things.'''</center> 

===About Spring===
Spring is an open source project. This means everyone with programming knowledge can contribute in the project. It also means this is made in free time. 
Spring is currently in a Beta stage. This means it isn't done yet. Therefore, some things may be unclear or not user-friendly yet. (Like the GUI, which doesn't exist.) That said, Spring is still totally playable with many fan-made mods to choose from. 

===Installation (on Windows)===
* For installation on Linux, [[SetupGuide|go here]]
# Get The installer here: http://spring.clan-sy.com/download.php
# Spring and Total Annihilation are two completely different programs. Their files are not in any way interchangeable.
# As such, they should be installed to different directories. Spring is usually installed at C:\Program Files\Spring
# Make sure you have the latest version of Spring. The current version is [[CurrentVersion]]
# Spring it self is an engine, the program that runs the content. The content itself (the buildings, units, sounds, images) are packed in mod files. There are several mods you can play with Spring. They all have different play styles. The installer is a web installer with a list of mods you can download and play.

===Playing===
# To play a game of Spring, you must run the TASClient.exe program. Spring itself, at this time, cannot be run directly very well.
# You can start TASClient through the start menu link it creates or by running TASClient.exe in the directory you installed Spring in.
# It is possible to play a single player game. Of course, this requires an AI to fight against. Take a look at the Bots section of this article.
 
# To chat with allies, type "a:" (without quotemarks) before your message
# Another useful commands: "s:" (chatting only with spectators).
 
# press F1 for seeing the heightmap (because some buildings cannot be built anywhere).
# press F2 when you want to see where the builder can build the selected unit.
# press F3 for seeing last action in the game.
# press F4 for seeing metal map (where to build metal extractors).
# press F6 to disable sounds.
# press F9 to disable units health bars.
# press F12 to take a screenshot with average JPG quality.
For more information Check Keyboard Key Layout:
[http://img108.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=03721_PK06A_Compact_Keyboard_ProdImage_Black_V2_122_972lo.jpg Spring Keyboard Layout Image]
 
# press left mouse button to select an unit.
# press left mouse button and drag, to select multiple units.
# press right mouse button to move selected units in that position where mouse is.
# press left mouse button on nothing to do nothing and deselect selected units (when selected units).

===Using Mods===
# A list of all mods can be found at: [[Mods]]
# You can download most mods from [http://www.unknown-files.net/spring/home/ Unknown Files] You should probably bookmark this page.
# To install a mod ("data set") to Spring, you just simply put the ".sd7" or ".sdz" file (or files) into your "Spring\Mods\" directory.
# Some mods have multiple files to them. For example, "Absolute Annihilation" currently contains the base mod file, then extra files for the given version being played and the desired 'mutator'. Place all these into the mod folder.
# Once a mod has been installed, restart the Spring Client, or click on the "Refresh mod list" when hosting a game. It then will appear as an option when you start a game ("Battle Screen") in TASClient.

===Using Maps===
# Maps can be found at [http://www.unknown-files.net/spring/home/ Unknown Files]. 
# This files are also ".sd7" or ".sdz" files. They may be zipped with WinZip or WinRar, to reduce the size. In that case, unzip them before placing them in the "Maps" directory in the Spring folder. 
# In the Battle Screen, use the "Reload Map list" button to use the new maps. 
# The Client can also automatically download the required map. In the Battlescreen go to "More Maps" and select a new map from the list. 

===Client===
# The purpose of TASClient is similar to the Microsoft Zone lobby, only not as pretty. You can go there to chat, start games, download maps, and basically anything Spring related.
# Private messaging is also supported through TASClient by double-clicking a person's name on the list on the right-hand side of the screen. To exit a private messaging window, right-click that person's name at the top of your screen. (next to something like "#main")
# To host a game, go to "Battle Screen" and click the "Host battle" buton. A small window pops up, allowing you to chose the mod and other settings.
# If you're in a battle, but have 'lost' your battle screen, you can get it back by hitting the "Battle Screen" button on the top-left of the main Client window. This is also where you host games from.
# There is an alternate client made by Altaric. [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Altaric's_Lobby_Client Altaclient].
# There is a cooler client mod made by Satirik with ladder support. [http://spring.unknown-files.net/page/search/1/12/satirik/ Satirik's Lobby]

===Bots===
Bots are AI controlled players. There are several AI projects in development. Most of them are at a playable stage. 

There are bots packed with Spring, so you should already have several AI to fight against. Installing other AIs or new versions is simple as using new mods or maps. 
# Unpack the downloaded file, and place the dll files in \Spring\ai\bot-libs. Note that some AIs require additional folders/files to work properly so read their install instructions carefully 
# Restart Spring Client if it was running. 
# Or use [http://www.unknown-files.net/spring/3672/SpringSP_v091beta1/ SpringSP], a small program that easily sets up a singleplayer game. 

A list of AIs can be found at: [[AIs]] 

Your question not answered here? Got problems? Read the [[FAQ|Frequently Asked Questions]]. 

===The Spring Forum===
[[Forum_Etiquette|Guidelines For Forum Etiquette]]

[[Category:Playing]]

Read Me First

2008-01-18T15:58:12Z

ZellSF: Outdated UF link

{{lang | Germany | Zuerst lesen | Zuerst Lesen}}

 <center>'''The following will answer the most commonly-asked questions about Spring from newcomers, especially those confused by the differences between the way Total Annihilation handles things and the way Spring handles things.'''</center> 

===About Spring===
Spring is an open source project. This means everyone with programming knowledge can contribute in the project. It also means this is made in free time. 
Spring is currently in a Beta stage. This means it isn't done yet. Therefore, some things may be unclear or not user-friendly yet. (Like the GUI, which doesn't exist.) That said, Spring is still totally playable with many fan-made mods to choose from. 

===Installation (on Windows)===
* For installation on Linux, [[SetupGuide|go here]]
# Get The installer here: http://spring.clan-sy.com/download.php
# Spring and Total Annihilation are two completely different programs. Their files are not in any way interchangeable.
# As such, they should be installed to different directories. Spring is usually installed at C:\Program Files\Spring
# Make sure you have the latest version of Spring. The current version is [[CurrentVersion]]
# Spring it self is an engine, the program that runs the content. The content itself (the buildings, units, sounds, images) are packed in mod files. There are several mods you can play with Spring. They all have different play styles. The installer is a web installer with a list of mods you can download and play.

===Playing===
# To play a game of Spring, you must run the TASClient.exe program. Spring itself, at this time, cannot be run directly very well.
# You can start TASClient through the start menu link it creates or by running TASClient.exe in the directory you installed Spring in.
# It is possible to play a single player game. Of course, this requires an AI to fight against. Take a look at the Bots section of this article.
 
# To chat with allies, type "a:" (without quotemarks) before your message
# Another useful commands: "s:" (chatting only with spectators).
 
# press F1 for seeing the heightmap (because some buildings cannot be built anywhere).
# press F2 when you want to see where the builder can build the selected unit.
# press F3 for seeing last action in the game.
# press F4 for seeing metal map (where to build metal extractors).
# press F6 to disable sounds.
# press F9 to disable units health bars.
# press F12 to take a screenshot with average JPG quality.
For more information Check Keyboard Key Layout:
[http://img108.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=03721_PK06A_Compact_Keyboard_ProdImage_Black_V2_122_972lo.jpg Spring Keyboard Layout Image]
 
# press left mouse button to select an unit.
# press left mouse button and drag, to select multiple units.
# press right mouse button to move selected units in that position where mouse is.
# press left mouse button on nothing to do nothing and deselect selected units (when selected units).

===Using Mods===
# A list of all mods can be found at: [[Mods]]
# You can download most mods from [http://www.unknown-files.net/spring/home/ Unknown Files] You should probably bookmark this page.
# To install a mod ("data set") to Spring, you just simply put the ".sd7" or ".sdz" file (or files) into your "Spring\Mods\" directory.
# Some mods have multiple files to them. For example, "Absolute Annihilation" currently contains the base mod file, then extra files for the given version being played and the desired 'mutator'. Place all these into the mod folder.
# Once a mod has been installed, restart the Spring Client, or click on the "Refresh mod list" when hosting a game. It then will appear as an option when you start a game ("Battle Screen") in TASClient.

===Using Maps===
# Maps can be found at [http://www.unknown-files.net/spring/home/ Unknown Files]. 
# This files are also ".sd7" or ".sdz" files. They may be zipped with WinZip or WinRar, to reduce the size. In that case, unzip them before placing them in the "Maps" directory in the Spring folder. 
# In the Battle Screen, use the "Reload Map list" button to use the new maps. 
# The Client can also automatically download the required map. In the Battlescreen go to "More Maps" and select a new map from the list. 

===Client===
# The purpose of TASClient is similar to the Microsoft Zone lobby, only not as pretty. You can go there to chat, start games, download maps, and basically anything Spring related.
# Private messaging is also supported through TASClient by double-clicking a person's name on the list on the right-hand side of the screen. To exit a private messaging window, right-click that person's name at the top of your screen. (next to something like "#main")
# To host a game, go to "Battle Screen" and click the "Host battle" buton. A small window pops up, allowing you to chose the mod and other settings.
# If you're in a battle, but have 'lost' your battle screen, you can get it back by hitting the "Battle Screen" button on the top-left of the main Client window. This is also where you host games from.
# There is an alternate client made by Altaric. [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Altaric's_Lobby_Client Altaclient].
# There is a cooler client mod made by Satirik with ladder support. [http://spring.unknown-files.net/page/search/1/12/satirik/ Satirik's Lobby]

===Bots===
Bots are AI controlled players. There are several AI projects in development. Most of them are at a playable stage. 

There are bots packed with Spring, so you should already have several AI to fight against. Installing other AIs or new versions is simple as using new mods or maps. 
# Unpack the downloaded file, and place the dll files in \TAspring\ai\bot-libs. Note that some AIs require additional folders/files to work properly so read their install instructions carefully 
# Restart Spring Client if it was running. 
# Or use [http://spring.unknown-files.net/file/3208/Spring_Single_Player_Launcher_v0.9/ SpringSP], a small program that easily sets up a singleplayer game. 

A list of AIs can be found at: [[AIs]] 

Your question not answered here? Got problems? Read the [[FAQ|Frequently Asked Questions]]. 

===The Spring Forum===
[[Forum_Etiquette|Guidelines For Forum Etiquette]]

[[Category:Playing]]

Read Me First

2008-01-18T15:57:34Z

ZellSF: Outdated UF link and surely FU is obsolete by now?

{{lang | Germany | Zuerst lesen | Zuerst Lesen}}

 <center>'''The following will answer the most commonly-asked questions about Spring from newcomers, especially those confused by the differences between the way Total Annihilation handles things and the way Spring handles things.'''</center> 

===About Spring===
Spring is an open source project. This means everyone with programming knowledge can contribute in the project. It also means this is made in free time. 
Spring is currently in a Beta stage. This means it isn't done yet. Therefore, some things may be unclear or not user-friendly yet. (Like the GUI, which doesn't exist.) That said, Spring is still totally playable with many fan-made mods to choose from. 

===Installation (on Windows)===
* For installation on Linux, [[SetupGuide|go here]]
# Get The installer here: http://spring.clan-sy.com/download.php
# Spring and Total Annihilation are two completely different programs. Their files are not in any way interchangeable.
# As such, they should be installed to different directories. Spring is usually installed at C:\Program Files\Spring
# Make sure you have the latest version of Spring. The current version is [[CurrentVersion]]
# Spring it self is an engine, the program that runs the content. The content itself (the buildings, units, sounds, images) are packed in mod files. There are several mods you can play with Spring. They all have different play styles. The installer is a web installer with a list of mods you can download and play.

===Playing===
# To play a game of Spring, you must run the TASClient.exe program. Spring itself, at this time, cannot be run directly very well.
# You can start TASClient through the start menu link it creates or by running TASClient.exe in the directory you installed Spring in.
# It is possible to play a single player game. Of course, this requires an AI to fight against. Take a look at the Bots section of this article.
 
# To chat with allies, type "a:" (without quotemarks) before your message
# Another useful commands: "s:" (chatting only with spectators).
 
# press F1 for seeing the heightmap (because some buildings cannot be built anywhere).
# press F2 when you want to see where the builder can build the selected unit.
# press F3 for seeing last action in the game.
# press F4 for seeing metal map (where to build metal extractors).
# press F6 to disable sounds.
# press F9 to disable units health bars.
# press F12 to take a screenshot with average JPG quality.
For more information Check Keyboard Key Layout:
[http://img108.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=03721_PK06A_Compact_Keyboard_ProdImage_Black_V2_122_972lo.jpg Spring Keyboard Layout Image]
 
# press left mouse button to select an unit.
# press left mouse button and drag, to select multiple units.
# press right mouse button to move selected units in that position where mouse is.
# press left mouse button on nothing to do nothing and deselect selected units (when selected units).

===Using Mods===
# A list of all mods can be found at: [[Mods]]
# You can download most mods from [http://www.unknown-files.net/spring/home/ Unknown Files] You should probably bookmark this page.
# To install a mod ("data set") to Spring, you just simply put the ".sd7" or ".sdz" file (or files) into your "Spring\Mods\" directory.
# Some mods have multiple files to them. For example, "Absolute Annihilation" currently contains the base mod file, then extra files for the given version being played and the desired 'mutator'. Place all these into the mod folder.
# Once a mod has been installed, restart the Spring Client, or click on the "Refresh mod list" when hosting a game. It then will appear as an option when you start a game ("Battle Screen") in TASClient.

===Using Maps===
# Maps can be found at [http://spring.unknown-files.net/ Unknown Files]. 
# This files are also ".sd7" or ".sdz" files. They may be zipped with WinZip or WinRar, to reduce the size. In that case, unzip them before placing them in the "Maps" directory in the Spring folder. 
# In the Battle Screen, use the "Reload Map list" button to use the new maps. 
# The Client can also automatically download the required map. In the Battlescreen go to "More Maps" and select a new map from the list. 

===Client===
# The purpose of TASClient is similar to the Microsoft Zone lobby, only not as pretty. You can go there to chat, start games, download maps, and basically anything Spring related.
# Private messaging is also supported through TASClient by double-clicking a person's name on the list on the right-hand side of the screen. To exit a private messaging window, right-click that person's name at the top of your screen. (next to something like "#main")
# To host a game, go to "Battle Screen" and click the "Host battle" buton. A small window pops up, allowing you to chose the mod and other settings.
# If you're in a battle, but have 'lost' your battle screen, you can get it back by hitting the "Battle Screen" button on the top-left of the main Client window. This is also where you host games from.
# There is an alternate client made by Altaric. [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Altaric's_Lobby_Client Altaclient].
# There is a cooler client mod made by Satirik with ladder support. [http://spring.unknown-files.net/page/search/1/12/satirik/ Satirik's Lobby]

===Bots===
Bots are AI controlled players. There are several AI projects in development. Most of them are at a playable stage. 

There are bots packed with Spring, so you should already have several AI to fight against. Installing other AIs or new versions is simple as using new mods or maps. 
# Unpack the downloaded file, and place the dll files in \TAspring\ai\bot-libs. Note that some AIs require additional folders/files to work properly so read their install instructions carefully 
# Restart Spring Client if it was running. 
# Or use [http://spring.unknown-files.net/file/3208/Spring_Single_Player_Launcher_v0.9/ SpringSP], a small program that easily sets up a singleplayer game. 

A list of AIs can be found at: [[AIs]] 

Your question not answered here? Got problems? Read the [[FAQ|Frequently Asked Questions]]. 

===The Spring Forum===
[[Forum_Etiquette|Guidelines For Forum Etiquette]]

[[Category:Playing]]

Read Me First

2008-01-18T15:55:09Z

ZellSF: Chatting with enemies isn't possible, I think

{{lang | Germany | Zuerst lesen | Zuerst Lesen}}

 <center>'''The following will answer the most commonly-asked questions about Spring from newcomers, especially those confused by the differences between the way Total Annihilation handles things and the way Spring handles things.'''</center> 

===About Spring===
Spring is an open source project. This means everyone with programming knowledge can contribute in the project. It also means this is made in free time. 
Spring is currently in a Beta stage. This means it isn't done yet. Therefore, some things may be unclear or not user-friendly yet. (Like the GUI, which doesn't exist.) That said, Spring is still totally playable with many fan-made mods to choose from. 

===Installation (on Windows)===
* For installation on Linux, [[SetupGuide|go here]]
# Get The installer here: http://spring.clan-sy.com/download.php
# Spring and Total Annihilation are two completely different programs. Their files are not in any way interchangeable.
# As such, they should be installed to different directories. Spring is usually installed at C:\Program Files\Spring
# Make sure you have the latest version of Spring. The current version is [[CurrentVersion]]
# Spring it self is an engine, the program that runs the content. The content itself (the buildings, units, sounds, images) are packed in mod files. There are several mods you can play with Spring. They all have different play styles. The installer is a web installer with a list of mods you can download and play.

===Playing===
# To play a game of Spring, you must run the TASClient.exe program. Spring itself, at this time, cannot be run directly very well.
# You can start TASClient through the start menu link it creates or by running TASClient.exe in the directory you installed Spring in.
# It is possible to play a single player game. Of course, this requires an AI to fight against. Take a look at the Bots section of this article.
 
# To chat with allies, type "a:" (without quotemarks) before your message
# Another useful commands: "s:" (chatting only with spectators).
 
# press F1 for seeing the heightmap (because some buildings cannot be built anywhere).
# press F2 when you want to see where the builder can build the selected unit.
# press F3 for seeing last action in the game.
# press F4 for seeing metal map (where to build metal extractors).
# press F6 to disable sounds.
# press F9 to disable units health bars.
# press F12 to take a screenshot with average JPG quality.
For more information Check Keyboard Key Layout:
[http://img108.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=03721_PK06A_Compact_Keyboard_ProdImage_Black_V2_122_972lo.jpg Spring Keyboard Layout Image]
 
# press left mouse button to select an unit.
# press left mouse button and drag, to select multiple units.
# press right mouse button to move selected units in that position where mouse is.
# press left mouse button on nothing to do nothing and deselect selected units (when selected units).

===Using Mods===
# A list of all mods can be found at: [[Mods]]
# You can download most mods from [http://www.fileuniverse.com/?p=listing&ID=92 File Universe]. or [http://spring.unknown-files.net/ Unknown Files] You should probably bookmark this page.
# To install a mod ("data set") to Spring, you just simply put the ".sd7" or ".sdz" file (or files) into your "Spring\Mods\" directory.
# Some mods have multiple files to them. For example, "Absolute Annihilation" currently contains the base mod file, then extra files for the given version being played and the desired 'mutator'. Place all these into the mod folder.
# Once a mod has been installed, restart the Spring Client, or click on the "Refresh mod list" when hosting a game. It then will appear as an option when you start a game ("Battle Screen") in TASClient.

===Using Maps===
# Maps can be found at [http://spring.unknown-files.net/ Unknown Files]. 
# This files are also ".sd7" or ".sdz" files. They may be zipped with WinZip or WinRar, to reduce the size. In that case, unzip them before placing them in the "Maps" directory in the Spring folder. 
# In the Battle Screen, use the "Reload Map list" button to use the new maps. 
# The Client can also automatically download the required map. In the Battlescreen go to "More Maps" and select a new map from the list. 

===Client===
# The purpose of TASClient is similar to the Microsoft Zone lobby, only not as pretty. You can go there to chat, start games, download maps, and basically anything Spring related.
# Private messaging is also supported through TASClient by double-clicking a person's name on the list on the right-hand side of the screen. To exit a private messaging window, right-click that person's name at the top of your screen. (next to something like "#main")
# To host a game, go to "Battle Screen" and click the "Host battle" buton. A small window pops up, allowing you to chose the mod and other settings.
# If you're in a battle, but have 'lost' your battle screen, you can get it back by hitting the "Battle Screen" button on the top-left of the main Client window. This is also where you host games from.
# There is an alternate client made by Altaric. [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Altaric's_Lobby_Client Altaclient].
# There is a cooler client mod made by Satirik with ladder support. [http://spring.unknown-files.net/page/search/1/12/satirik/ Satirik's Lobby]

===Bots===
Bots are AI controlled players. There are several AI projects in development. Most of them are at a playable stage. 

There are bots packed with Spring, so you should already have several AI to fight against. Installing other AIs or new versions is simple as using new mods or maps. 
# Unpack the downloaded file, and place the dll files in \TAspring\ai\bot-libs. Note that some AIs require additional folders/files to work properly so read their install instructions carefully 
# Restart Spring Client if it was running. 
# Or use [http://spring.unknown-files.net/file/3208/Spring_Single_Player_Launcher_v0.9/ SpringSP], a small program that easily sets up a singleplayer game. 

A list of AIs can be found at: [[AIs]] 

Your question not answered here? Got problems? Read the [[FAQ|Frequently Asked Questions]]. 

===The Spring Forum===
[[Forum_Etiquette|Guidelines For Forum Etiquette]]

[[Category:Playing]]

Read Me First

2008-01-18T15:53:25Z

ZellSF: a bit more up to date now.

{{lang | Germany | Zuerst lesen | Zuerst Lesen}}

 <center>'''The following will answer the most commonly-asked questions about Spring from newcomers, especially those confused by the differences between the way Total Annihilation handles things and the way Spring handles things.'''</center> 

===About Spring===
Spring is an open source project. This means everyone with programming knowledge can contribute in the project. It also means this is made in free time. 
Spring is currently in a Beta stage. This means it isn't done yet. Therefore, some things may be unclear or not user-friendly yet. (Like the GUI, which doesn't exist.) That said, Spring is still totally playable with many fan-made mods to choose from. 

===Installation (on Windows)===
* For installation on Linux, [[SetupGuide|go here]]
# Get The installer here: http://spring.clan-sy.com/download.php
# Spring and Total Annihilation are two completely different programs. Their files are not in any way interchangeable.
# As such, they should be installed to different directories. Spring is usually installed at C:\Program Files\Spring
# Make sure you have the latest version of Spring. The current version is [[CurrentVersion]]
# Spring it self is an engine, the program that runs the content. The content itself (the buildings, units, sounds, images) are packed in mod files. There are several mods you can play with Spring. They all have different play styles. The installer is a web installer with a list of mods you can download and play.

===Playing===
# To play a game of Spring, you must run the TASClient.exe program. Spring itself, at this time, cannot be run directly very well.
# You can start TASClient through the start menu link it creates or by running TASClient.exe in the directory you installed Spring in.
# It is possible to play a single player game. Of course, this requires an AI to fight against. Take a look at the Bots section of this article.
 
# To chat with allies, type "a:" (without quotemarks) before your message
# Another useful commands: "e:" (chatting only with enemies), "s:" (chatting only with spectators).
 
# press F1 for seeing the heightmap (because some buildings cannot be built anywhere).
# press F2 when you want to see where the builder can build the selected unit.
# press F3 for seeing last action in the game.
# press F4 for seeing metal map (where to build metal extractors).
# press F6 to disable sounds.
# press F9 to disable units health bars.
# press F12 to take a screenshot with average JPG quality.
For more information Check Keyboard Key Layout:
[http://img108.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=03721_PK06A_Compact_Keyboard_ProdImage_Black_V2_122_972lo.jpg Spring Keyboard Layout Image]
 
# press left mouse button to select an unit.
# press left mouse button and drag, to select multiple units.
# press right mouse button to move selected units in that position where mouse is.
# press left mouse button on nothing to do nothing and deselect selected units (when selected units).

===Using Mods===
# A list of all mods can be found at: [[Mods]]
# You can download most mods from [http://www.fileuniverse.com/?p=listing&ID=92 File Universe]. or [http://spring.unknown-files.net/ Unknown Files] You should probably bookmark this page.
# To install a mod ("data set") to Spring, you just simply put the ".sd7" or ".sdz" file (or files) into your "Spring\Mods\" directory.
# Some mods have multiple files to them. For example, "Absolute Annihilation" currently contains the base mod file, then extra files for the given version being played and the desired 'mutator'. Place all these into the mod folder.
# Once a mod has been installed, restart the Spring Client, or click on the "Refresh mod list" when hosting a game. It then will appear as an option when you start a game ("Battle Screen") in TASClient.

===Using Maps===
# Maps can be found at [http://spring.unknown-files.net/ Unknown Files]. 
# This files are also ".sd7" or ".sdz" files. They may be zipped with WinZip or WinRar, to reduce the size. In that case, unzip them before placing them in the "Maps" directory in the Spring folder. 
# In the Battle Screen, use the "Reload Map list" button to use the new maps. 
# The Client can also automatically download the required map. In the Battlescreen go to "More Maps" and select a new map from the list. 

===Client===
# The purpose of TASClient is similar to the Microsoft Zone lobby, only not as pretty. You can go there to chat, start games, download maps, and basically anything Spring related.
# Private messaging is also supported through TASClient by double-clicking a person's name on the list on the right-hand side of the screen. To exit a private messaging window, right-click that person's name at the top of your screen. (next to something like "#main")
# To host a game, go to "Battle Screen" and click the "Host battle" buton. A small window pops up, allowing you to chose the mod and other settings.
# If you're in a battle, but have 'lost' your battle screen, you can get it back by hitting the "Battle Screen" button on the top-left of the main Client window. This is also where you host games from.
# There is an alternate client made by Altaric. [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Altaric's_Lobby_Client Altaclient].
# There is a cooler client mod made by Satirik with ladder support. [http://spring.unknown-files.net/page/search/1/12/satirik/ Satirik's Lobby]

===Bots===
Bots are AI controlled players. There are several AI projects in development. Most of them are at a playable stage. 

There are bots packed with Spring, so you should already have several AI to fight against. Installing other AIs or new versions is simple as using new mods or maps. 
# Unpack the downloaded file, and place the dll files in \TAspring\ai\bot-libs. Note that some AIs require additional folders/files to work properly so read their install instructions carefully 
# Restart Spring Client if it was running. 
# Or use [http://spring.unknown-files.net/file/3208/Spring_Single_Player_Launcher_v0.9/ SpringSP], a small program that easily sets up a singleplayer game. 

A list of AIs can be found at: [[AIs]] 

Your question not answered here? Got problems? Read the [[FAQ|Frequently Asked Questions]]. 

===The Spring Forum===
[[Forum_Etiquette|Guidelines For Forum Etiquette]]

[[Category:Playing]]