Read Me First

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.

1. Spring and Total Annihilation are two completely different programs. Their files are not in any way interchangeable.
   
   
2. As such, they should be installed to different directories. Spring is usually installed at C:\Program Files\Spring
   
   
3. Make sure you have the latest version of Spring. It is 0.66b1 (released on November 11/05)
   
   
4. To play a game of Spring, you must run the TASClient program. Spring itself, at this time, cannot be run directly very well.
   
   
5. You can start TASClient through the start menu link it creates or by running TASClient.exe in the directory you installed Spring in.
   
   
6. To install a mod ("data set") to Spring, you must simply put its ".sd7" file into your "C:\...\Spring\Mods" directory. For instance "AASpring102.sd7".
   
   
7. Once a data set has been installed, it will automatically appear as an option when you start a game ("Battle Screen") in TASClient.
   
   
8. The purpose of TASClient is similar to the Microsoft Zone lobby, only not as pretty. You can go there, chat, start games, etc.
   
   
9. 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)
   
   
10. If you're in a battle, but have 'lost' your battle screen, you can get it back by hitting the "Battle Screen" button again.
    
    
11. At this time AI-controlled opponents do not function properly except with XTA (the default Spring data set), and even then they don't work very well at all. This is a high-priority feature and much effort is being put into it by several talanted community members.
    
    
12. To switch between camera modes (default is usually "first-person style"), hold down Shift on your keyboard and push your middle mouse button.
    
    
13. At this time, most data sets for Spring are patchworks - functioning in a large way, but not necessarily to the degree they would be in Total Annihilation. They should all be considered works-in-progress. Feel free to contact their authors with bug reports, as I personally know it is very much appreciated.