FAQ:general

General information

Here are general questions asked about spring and their answers

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.

1. 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. Please see Mods for a complete list of Mods, as well as an explanation of the term "Mod"
2. Add new features as we see fit, fix bugs, and release new versions when we feel it is appropriate to do so.
3. 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.
     
4. 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 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 logged in to edit our wiki because people were vandalizing and/or being morons too much, so we had to lock it down.

I want to help, what can I do?

Please look in the Forums. There are lots of things you can do according to your skills. These range from artistic development through to hard coding components. We are always looking for new fresh ideas. Avoid old stale ones found in the Monthly_Topic_Rotation.

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 here. It will be much appreciated. :)