What the engine supports
Total Annihilation is a real-time strategy game about building and commanding a machine army. Nanolathe reimplements its single-player systems, from a Commander’s first extractor to air, land and naval warfare. These mechanics come from the installed game data; individual units have their own abilities, and expansion units require the corresponding content.
Land, sea, air — and between them
An army’s movement type determines where it can fight.
- Tracked and wheeled vehicles and walking Kbots use their movement class, footprint, slope and water-depth limits to navigate the map.
- Hovercraft cross land and water. Amphibious units can travel underwater, while surface ships and submarines operate at their authored depths.
- VTOL aircraft take off, turn, fly and land. Fighters, bombers and construction aircraft use the same simulation with different unit definitions and orders.
- Seaplanes support their amphibious aircraft rules, including water landing. Aircraft can use eligible landing and repair pads.
A full arsenal
Weapons are simulated projectiles and effects with their own targeting and damage rules.
- Direct-fire lasers, plasma and ballistic artillery, rockets and guided missiles, dropped bombs and torpedoes cover close combat, air defense and naval engagements.
- Flamethrowers, lightning weapons, paralyzing attacks and the Commander’s D-gun use their authored weapon behavior.
- Turrets aim through unit scripts; weapons have reload and burst timing, range, tracking, line-of-fire checks, impact effects and area damage.
- Nuclear missiles and anti-nuclear interceptors use stockpiled ammunition. Build rounds ahead of time; eligible interceptors acquire incoming targetable projectiles.
Build a working war machine
Start with a Commander, then expand through constructors and factories.
- Place structures, queue factory products and follow the build menus supplied by your installed units, including advanced factories and constructors.
- Nanolathe construction creates a visible frame that fills as work completes. Builders can help construction and assist production.
- Factory doors, moving parts, build effects and unit animation run from the original COB scripts.
- Build placement respects footprints, terrain, occupancy and special requirements such as geothermal sites.
Metal and energy, continuously
An expanding army needs a running economy, not just a purchase price.
- Extract metal from the map and generate energy using solar, wind, tidal, geothermal and other generators defined by the content.
- Store resources, convert energy into metal with metal makers, and balance production against upkeep and construction demand.
- Construction and stockpile production consume resources as work proceeds. Limited supplies affect the work the economy can admit.
- Map wind and tidal conditions feed the relevant generators. Cloaking and other active systems have their own energy demands.
Repair, reclaim, resurrect, capture
A battlefield is also a source of resources and recoverable machines.
- Repair damaged units and buildings with capable constructors. Guard and assist orders can keep builders working with other units.
- Reclaim eligible trees, rocks and wreckage for their authored resources, or deconstruct units using the reclaim order.
- Resurrection-capable units restore eligible wrecks to working units. Available resurrectors and wreck definitions come from the installed content.
- Capture-capable units can take over eligible enemy units. These work operations share the engine’s order, approach and construction systems.
Move the army, not just the front line
Transports connect positions that ordinary movement cannot.
- Load and unload eligible cargo using the transport’s capacity, size and unit-admission rules.
- Air transports approach their cargo, attach it through the unit script, carry it and release it at the destination.
- Ground transport orders and carried-unit attachment are supported by the same cargo system when the installed unit content supplies those capabilities.
Scout, detect and conceal
Knowing where an opponent is can matter as much as what you can shoot.
- Line of sight, explored terrain and fog of war govern what the battlefield reveals.
- Radar and sonar provide sensor contacts; radar and sonar jamming interfere with the appropriate detection systems.
- Cloaking, stealth, proximity detection and decloaking follow the unit’s capabilities and simulation rules.
- The minimap, unit selection and sensor presentation expose the information available to the viewing player.
Command at every scale
Give a single order or plan a sequence for a group.
- Select units, assign and recall control groups, and issue move, attack, patrol, guard, stop and work orders.
- Queue commands, manage construction queues and stockpiles, and set movement and fire stances where the unit allows them.
- Inspect health, resources, unit information and build choices in the game’s interface.
- Nanolathe’s modern camera adds close-up zoom, tactical icons and range guides; those presentation enhancements are shown on the features page.
A battlefield with a memory
The original terrain, models, sprites and scripts create the world you fight in.
- Terrain elevation, water, map features and occupied footprints influence movement, construction and combat.
- Destroyed units can leave wreckage. Trees and other eligible features can catch fire, animate, take damage and change into their authored successors.
- Weapon trails, smoke, explosions, debris, construction particles and positional sound connect actions to the battlefield.
- Original game archives, map definitions, unit data and COB animation scripts are read directly from your local installation.
Skirmish and campaigns
Play locally against the computer or through authored missions.
- Configure single-player skirmishes with the available sides, maps and computer players. The AI uses its economy, production and combat planner.
- Campaign play loads mission content, initial units, objectives and triggers from the installed game data.
- Save and load games, including in-battle restoration through the retail save-account format. Compatibility work remains ongoing.
- Use game sound effects and the locally installed soundtrack. The GOG MP3 music folder is supported on Windows, Linux and macOS.
These are implemented engine systems, not a promise of perfect retail compatibility for every mission or content pack. Nanolathe is under active development. Multiplayer is outside the current scope. A separate local Total Annihilation installation is required; game data is not bundled.