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[twillight]

Total Annihilation - Against Arm (Core Campaign walkthrough)

lvl 7: Finaly a totally fast level, but the mission-description is lying. Instead marching in trying to capture moho-mines what is impossible for defensive towers, build your base! You know the drill: solar panels, mines, geothermal plants (hey, they really are useful for Core), energy storage, maybe a metal storage, and the ever-needed missile towers. The towers are important to have in 10, as when you start to move out (bring the commander, do not produce unit wasting time) a bunch of flyers will come to you.
To kill the tower-defense build "plasma towers" or what. They hit hard on targets which don't move from very far away if you have them on radar (lead manually).
Oh, and don't forget to capture at least 1 (moho) mine, as that is objective for now.

lvl 8: This way is the other way around. Noone has too much resources, and the enemy has some hard-hitting stuff against you - but they don't have numbers. So cover your resources FAST, meaning zounds of solar panels and metal makers, with 5+ missile tower for defenses.
Then move ca. the middle of the map where you'll find a geothermal spot - make you second base here. Make an advanced plant here making jammers (I prefer bots).
Then move north again until you find a metal spot. Cover this place with the help of jammers and missile towers, plus like 2 plasma battery, the guns you know from the previous missions. They'll cause harm on the outer defenses and such. Fortunately the Gate is far enough, so you won't have to worry shooting it down. Finally send out the Commander, making first the planes shot down by towers, then eliminating ground defense solo.

lvl 9: Here is why I hate water-levels on Total Annihilation: the concept not work here. You can do barely any "annihilation" here. The ships move slow, they are extremly slow to built, and the shipyard is too strategic to have to make up for the rest of the game.
This is where G.O.L.E.M. can shine in comparsion.

lvl 10: this time you really barely have any space, but at least you have some instant metal in rocks which you should use wisely. First thing first is to cover you resource-need, than air-defense. Yes, this means towers, as you can't have airport here.
Following that you want water-domination. And I mean water, so build 2 shipyard close to the starting island to be able to defend it from planes by towers, and mass-produce submarines.
When you cleared all moving units (including a giant ship called Millennium) is time to make an advanced shipyard (or two, you have the resource and time) where you make 1+ missile ship which'll clear the towers on the islands if your commander build on the accessible islands radar towers.
Than just send a transport-ship to the nothern border.

[twillight]

Total Annihilation - Against Arm (Core Campaign walkthrough)

lvl 11: Your resource-hunger is overwhelming. Put solar panels on your island wherever you can, build metal mines as soon as possible, also the geothermal plant. Than continue the process with zounds of metal makers (transforms energy to metal). This will still not be enough. Oh, and you better make a row of missile towers too just to be sure.
So what you still need is MORE resource, thus build a tidal wave farm on the north side, a shipyard at the south, than an advanced shipyard (shall I mention a water-radar is needed too?), and start to produce both submarines and the giga-ships (warlord). Oh, before you make the warlords, make 2 missile ship there too, they'll be important.
If you made it this far (you should if you don't move from your very shore), you should start launching missiles on targets and prepare for an anti-strike of a ton of "small" ships + submarines. You should be able to clear this if you have 2-3 warlords (submarines comes slightly faster). Be prepared as the AI may start to send some ships to the north circumgoing your troops - prevent this at all cost. Also with this first anti-strike will come some missile-ships from the enemy, so roam after them ASAP.
But don't rush too ahead, else you'll face enemy planes. Heck, it is better to start creating your own fighter-planes purely for anti-airforce as your ships did cost a fortune and you don't want to loose them, and you'll probably be away from your base a little. And those enemy-planes are slightly bigger than basic. Still, 5+ fighter jets should work.
After this mess you should dominate land and air, so there is only the enemy island which your missile-ships should clear from most stuff - anything that moves. Do not hurt what moves, that can be THE Zeus. Send in your Commander fully repaired clearing the remaining structures and bots, and capturing the Zeus which WILL shoot back, so have enough HP.

lvl 12: Hopefully the last water-level.
Yes, it is. The obvious problem is you have like 0 space. But you should realise you have access to very high level of technology, so start with 5 solar panel andmines to cover your basic need (add more when you need), an energy storeage + metal storeage, than a k-bot lab to have builders which can make geothermal plant for you.
When this is made build advanced lab and change all mines to moho mines.
After that your immediate goal is a nuclear reactor. Yes, you'll produce mass amount of energy.
When it stands you need 4 things: shipyard, another nuclear plant, zounds of metal makers, and basic defense, what means like 5 missile tower covering 2 plasma tower (both made by basic construction bots, remember). With these your initially few ships will have a nice support to destroy the arriving enemies (fortunately they aren't many).
When you have a shipyard add advanced shipyards to it, and start producing submarines and warlords like no tomorrow. Some missile ships are also nice.
When you feel confident, start an all-out attack. A troop of 10 warlord will disintegrate practically anything (if they have submarine support, as they can not shoot under water).

[twillight]

Total Annihilation - Against Arm (Core Campaign walkthrough)

lvl 13: This is a joke-mission as long as you set the commander "hold fire", D-gun everything, and keep away from any red dot when transported.

lvl 14: Should be another joke-mission, but the AI is definitely cheating. Ok, I can go with it seeing farther, but c'mon, being hidden from the radar w/o a radar-jammer? Not fair.
Anyway, take your initial group and capture the nearby village. Than repair up your commander, and go to the southwest corner from where destroy everything until the southeast corner. Than go and patch up. Also a good idea if you make like 10-15 new troop, and patch up the remaining originals when you start invading the eastern border, preferably staring with the upper corner. And that's it.

lvl 15: another joke-mission 'case the enemy has no moving units or production. So you build a starting base to cover D-gun's energy-need, and start things to make a fusion reactor. During that your commander go east and capture the Big Bertha. When you have a free adv. bot. you send up to this cannon, and make a big radar. Than the Bertha will have enough energy to continuously fire, and sooner or later you'll destroy the target-building.

lvl 16: this is the definition of Bad Design. Why? Because you have 0 resources, the enemy has very strong units at start, and there are meteorshowers, and for all these you are under constant pressure to build things.
The meteorshower what ruins totally the entire map, especially its random behaviour. It can do 3 things:
- destroy the whole base you assambled at the start, making you absolutely defenseless, without any hope of rebuilding, given there are almost nor resources around (the couple of energy-plants cares noone).
- hurt the wrong enemy units either by activating too many, or by activating too strong units. Especially if those enemies are planes, against which your commander cann ot do anything.
The hugh masses contain missle-units which until there are any other units seeing you shoot devastating projectiles destroying your key structures, missile towers preferred which are your only chance against planes.
Actually the planes are so strong you'll need 2 times 5 missile towers as bare minimum to deal with them.
Some tips:
- save regularly
- start covering your basic needs
- I don't know which is better: to start with an advanced bot lab (as you have a basic bout builder I'd take it as a hint), or a normal bot lab. The difference is, IF you don't get destroyed directly or indirectly by some meteor-shower the advanced construction unit can start to build moho mines which help a lot. Unless they get destroyed in a meteor-shower of course. The regular lab can produce you missile (anti-air) and rocket (both? ground?) units which are cheaper and come faster than towers, not to mention they can manouver and maybe avoid part of meteor showers. No matterwhat you do, you WILL need missile towers, and some units MUST be ahead of them, or they see nothing and will be vaporized before shooting a single shot.
- after this phase you shall try to cover your resource-hunger and build a freakin' nuclear plant. At least that's what I did. The most massive enemy attack will come BEFORE you are able to dedicate yourself to making an atomic plant though. Also send your remaining troops just a little north to destroy the enemy's airport (if your have enough left).
- the enemy is on some stupid platform, so don't send your ground-units there, they'll be vaporized. Instead build airports. I could care less at this point and made 3 advanced airports making the ever-loved "stealth fighters, here named "vamps", but who cares. A horde of 10-15 will disintegrate the remaining enemy.
Bad news: again comes a water-planet.

[twillight]

It was a while ago since I told my gaming plans. These plans become more and more realistic I think:

computer games:
- Total Annihilation : will finish soon
- Shadowman: will start from scratch since the lasttime I played it was on a previous installation.

pet project computer games:
- Hunted, the demon forge
- Paladog (this is a flashgame what I found interesting enough on "hell" difficulty to go back casually)

games I'll likely never finish, but I'll never say I gave 'em up:
- G.O.L.E.M.
- Baldies
- Rage of Mages 2
- Abomination, the Nemesis Project (I can't find the darn CD)

tv-series/films:
-

books:
- W.A. Harbinson's "Flying Saucer" quadrology's last book
- Tad William's Otherland quadrology's last two books
- Justin Cronin's trilogy's last book

[twillight]

Total Annihilation - Against Arm (Core Campaign walkthrough)

lvl 17: I HATE this level.
You are on an island. The island is covered by useless stuff you have to clear off (use D-gun). The northern part of the island will be suffocated by every kind of foolish enemy, so you don't even have one island. The attacks start coming early, so you don't have time to build stuff. Not that you'd have space to build stuff. Aside the incoming ships and tanks which can pass water underwater (so your radar won't show them until too late) AIRFORCE is coming TOO just to complete the picture.
So my bet goes on building only basic structures, airport as the only unit-production on land, and right at the start strategically 3*3 missile towers or somesuch.
I really hate this level.

[twillight]

Google Store games:

Let's talk about Google Store contents a little.

They offer single player games only, and single player oriented MMOs. One can understand this given the technical frame and net-accessibility, but I wouldn't criticise that anyway.

Let's check what there IS, and how they work.

First of all: there are either "free" or "pay for it" programs.
As you can not have any idea what the contents will be, or the program will at all run on your device, no matter it allows you or does not allow you to download, I wouldn't advise to go for a pre-paid stuff. It is simply too risky.

Now the accessibiliyt of the apps depend first line n the seller-typed requirements, which are either true or not.
The second is the WTF factor. You can be prevented from finishing (or starting hopefully) the app by:
- your devise's serial number
- your location
- language of your device
- the programs utter hate against you.

Now if you managed to install the application, these thing can happen:
- the application does not start
- the application starts, but turns out is not suitable for your resources, and will lagg out after a couple of seconds (or just freeze your device)
- turns out the application only runs when it has internet-access, which is nowhere mentioned on the download
- the game will actually work as intended (same for any other kind of applications).

Now let's check the games themselves:
- most of the "free" apps, and many of the pay-to-have ones rely on the pay-to-win basis, aka. you'll get nowhere w/o paying a zounds of money constantly. I just remove these at sight.
- there are some MMO-ones which can be played free, but either payed or free, they simply lack interaction. You go up there 1-2-24 times a day, and do something under 10 seconds, and that's it. One example of this is Dragon Story. Ye, nice interactive screen-saver I assume.
- there are games which are designed properly TO BE A STANDARD GAME. They were not developed to have secondary currencies, that feature is built up later. This makes the ingame-currency practically useless, and albeit does not prevent you from free gaming experience, but if you try that, you'll have to grind as much as to finish DLC-Quest's grinding quest w/o the proper DLC found ingame. Problem is, the pay-to-win aspect from the other point of view simply costs so much real cash, no sane person would/should cough it up. I mean the program that way lasts like 5 minutes, than The End. Notable example is: Garfield PetHospital.
- some games made proper for both parties (reasonable payment, and shorter-than-inifnite grinding), but in that case they like to spam you so much with advertisements along a fast-paced gameplay, they ruin your mood. Notable example is: Swamp Attack.
- the last category's example is Doctor Who Legacy. The game seems perfect in almost all aspect, except for its primitive concept the levels are a bit tediously long, and there seems to be no reason to pay aside some minor extra content for real fans. I mean you can't avoid the leveling-process, and by gaining the sufficient exp you seem to gain the pay-to-win content anyway. Correct me if I'm wrong.
- Of course I won't mention such stupidity as "electronic toilet paper", or "Talking Tom", as I don't see what makes them more than a one-time-joke-for-5-seconds, and that's more than the download demands.

[twillight]

Phantasmagoria

This game is infamous for two things:
#1: It is known amongst players for mainly about the protagonist looking into all the mirrors brushing her hair. And man, there are mirrors EVERYWHERE.
#2 Originally it took no less than SEVEN CDs. Yes, you heared right. Imagine the box-set. And the frustration when one of the CDs just got corrupted. And in those days that was quit common.

Well, what to tell as review?
The "Day 1" - although I suspect some meddling there - is good and spooky introduction, IF you do a lot of optional stuff, which will be necessary stuff in later chapters. Details change in mirrors, there are some dram-sequences, voices out of nowhere, and unseen ghost-hands grabbing towards you.
The last chapter is actually supposed to be rolled back when you're done with it as a large movie. Creative. And you can die A LOT. Even if you know the sequence. Under gorey circumstances (they are quite well done).
Unfortunately there is only one save per playthrough, but fortunately if you die, you can reload the autosave from the point you were still alive.

A nuisance with the game is, that sometimes it relies on the notorious adventure-game-mode pixel-hunting, even though the objects are quite large, and most are obvious. Still, the telescope-lense and the paper-knife for me were less-than-obvious.

The biggest problem as far as I see is the middle part, where nothing much happens, the tense do not really grow, only the returning features really work (like the drowing ob absint, the fortune-telling machine etc.), and you eventually rely on "let's do that today too lacking any meaningful action" solution, which frotunately do not contain oh-so-many possibilities, if you can filter out the real useless ones (like those pesky haribrushes, face-creams, other womanly stuffs, the toilet, the stone harp, the tv etc.)

But the whole thing is somehow so simple and elegant still like the Dallas, so it got so popular, they made a much better sequel... Well, the Puzzle of Flesh had nothing to do with the original "Roberta Williams' Phantasmagoria" aside 1 actor and the "interactive movie" concept. I personally wouldn't call these two games an "interactive movie", but would name them as "live action adventure games".

PS: This game is perfectly fine for younger audience, like 12-15, the only possibly problematic part is the softcore rape sceen for the 12-13 audience. And not just to them, but also those in their 30s.
The P2: PoF I'd suggest to a somewhat more mature audience, like 15-17, or anyone who likes B-category trash-horrors (most zombie-horror, animal-horror, or anyhorror from the '80s, like Brain Damage, Hellraiser 2, or Blood Gnomes). I LUV this game for its mature contents, like light sex-sceens, the S&M club, and the homosexual relationship between Curtis and Trevor (man, in this game everyone is into the protagonist!). Not to mention its many easter-eggs, like Invaders minigame, Ping Pong minigame. And the zounds of optional things to do. And so on, but let me play it again first, Sam.

[twillight]

After the original windows version stopped working I got the GoG version. Probably the last investment of my life to entertainment, but this I still wanted.

I always luved P2: Puzzle of Flesh. It is full of side-stories, very life-like, with good story, adventure/scifi elements, and solvable puzzles. Well, there are not that many real puzzles, most of the game is just clicking around formore conversation, but they are always entertaining, the "cheap acting" just giving it the necessary push to make the otherwise casual talks to the quality-level.

And after all those playthroughs it IS the thing for me making it "an interactive movie" where all the nitbits don't just come up, but you find all the pieces, and arrange them in an order that finally makes sense (or at least eliminate as many cases as possible where they don't.

So here is my "final solution" for the first chapter, without spoilers (I mean I won't tell you what happens). Most of the stuffs are optional, or only makes sense from adventure game playing perpective, like collecting a screwdriver just because you can, or entering a room you have nothing to do in because you can AND find new video there.
- examine yourself in mirror
- open drawer, collect all three stuff
- examine mailbox
- use mail on you, Curtis
- pick up x-mass photo
- examine rat
- in the position you see the rat-cage click on Curtis' nose until he farts (such nonsense jokes are easter-eggs, made by ingame animation, not as video play)
- examine book case
- Ctrl Alt click on book on table
- Ctrl Alt on one of the big paintings on the wall
- click 10 times on radio (on screen's right side)
- try to leave your flat
- move the cursor on the mask and type "burp"
- move the cursor on the mask and type "burP"
- enter the living room from the hall until you get a different enterance-video (unfortunately not on the playback list)
- try to look all 4 pictures around the bookcase by switching view back-and-forth, as the 3 on the right activates randomly
- examine couch
- pick up rat
- use rat on couch
- use chocolate on couch
- leave flat (yes, with the rat on you)
- try to enter all doors (usethe key-card to try the glass doors)
- in the storeage-room discover and try to open the small door (no, it does nt lead to John Malcowitch's brain)
- try to use the screwdriver on small door
- use screwdriver*5 than wallet on Curtis in store room
- use key-card to enter the office
- use water tank (Curtis drinks)
- while standing beside the water tank press Alt and click on Curtis' belly
- examine boss' door (actually this makes less sense than could if you'd be able first talk to Trevor)
- enter Tom's cubicle, talk, show wallet, show key card
- enter Jocilyn's cubicle, talk, show sexy post card, show parent photo, show x-mass photo, talk (I found this order tells best there is problem with their relationship)
- enter Curtis' cabinet. This activates the boss' room to open. Enter boss' room, click*3 on weasel (video!), examine plaquett, examine picture on desk, try to open drawer
- enter Bob's cubicle, talk*2, show x-mass photo (this way you develop shaming factor)
- enter Therese, talk, show sexy post card. This activates (or sometime soon it'll be active) a new sequence for the water tank (drink again!).
- enter Curtis' cubicle, sit down
- enter Trevor's cubicle, talk, show sexy post card, show x-mass photo, show photo of parents, show key card (this way you feel their rleation is more real friendship than something casual)
- Curtis' cubicle, examine rat picture, examine notepad (GoG version removed Curtis' oneliner on the picture)
- call Bob, Trevor, Tom, PAW, Jocelyn*2, Therese, Me (GoG removed the oneliners where recipient does not answer)
- use computer (login with oyur account)
- phone Me
- phone Trevor
- talk Trevor
- talk Therese
- enter storeage
- talk Therese
- enter storeage (this is the"moving cables" sceene. All this helps to develop relation to Therese, and shows the growing instability of Curtis)
- enter Curtis' cube, use computer, reply mails, read personel files, try the archives, read files of other personal, log out.
- login either as Jocelyn or Therese (the two are not separrate in the game-engine!). Password: "xxx". Nudity code: "adrienne" (caps-sensitive)
- log back as Curtis, work on the Veniman Document (VD from now)
- phone Trevor
- talk Trevor*3
- talk Max
- talk Trevor
- enter Curtis' cube, reply on mails, log out.
- log in as Trevor. Password: "bellybutton". I never actuallyknow this is "buton" or "button" And the "y" is by english-only keyboard, meaning you likely have to type "z". Whatever, it works. Try out all three games.
- Alt-click on wynvade.exe and win a level
- talk Bob
- talk Trevor
- sit back to the computer and solve the puzzle
- talk Bob
- work on VD
- go home,examine mirror (don't ask how this sequence ended up here, maybe Curtis got tired and/or forgot his date)
- go Dreaming Tree
- talk Jocelyn
- talk Max
- talk Jocelyn as long as you can
- use wallet on bill
- press Alt and move the cursor over Jocelyn's tits (this is a really lame easter egg)
- talk Jocelyn

[twillight]

This chapter is mostly linear despite the many places visited, but has some alternative shots, and a lot of independency in the order. But here comes my solution:

- examine mirror
- turn around to see an unused door. Press Ctrl and click*6 on it, than the same by pressing Alt. this activates the door ina sense, so click it.
- examine mail box
- examine rat
- CTRL + Alt click on book on desk
- use mail on Curtis
- go Wnytech, talk Jocelyn, Trevor, Therese (in this order)
- open office door
- enter boss room
- pick up Post It
- enter office
- wait until spoken to
- wait until spoken to
- examine cubicle
- talk detective
- examine cubicle (alternative: wait until spoken to, but that's like a cenzored version)
- talk Jocelyn
- talk Therese
- talk Therese (alternatively talk to Jocelyn, but that's less moody)
- talk Therese
- examine rat
- examine mirror
- examine book case
- use name card on telephone
- go The Dreaming Tree
- examine menu: examine drinks, examine foods (one liner for food is removed in GoG version, also one liners for "not yet" visitations for map)
- talk Max*2
- go Wyntech
- examine boss door
- enter office*2
- click on Curtis' ear*5
- try enter boss room
- enter Tom's cubicle, call PAW
- enter boss room, click on nostrils of goat while also seeing Carpe Diem plaquette until it bleats
- examine photo on desk
- examine monitor
- open drawer, pick up small key
- enter Bob's cubicle, pick up button
- try enter Curtis' cubicle
- enter storeage, use screwdriver*5 than Post It on Curtis
- open small door with small key (the most unexplaned act in the game if you ask me)
- examine file cabinet
- pick up toolbox until it ends up in your inventory
- go home, open toolbox
- pick up lace and file
- examine toolbox
- use screwdriver on toolbox
- go Doc Harburg
- use lace, than sexy post card, than greeting card on window (this is a video-easter egg, what even works as a semi-disturbing hallucination, heh)
- show x-mass photo
- talk to Doc
- show sexy post card
- show photo of parents
- use lace
- examine snowball
- use lace
- show greeting card
- use button
- show file (these last two might be better in reverse order. I made the order at the psy based on position of charactersin the shots, themes mentioned, reaction level, emotions.)
- go Borderline
- talk bouncer
- show sexy post card
- show greeting card (check names in the inventory to not mix them up)
- try enter The Pit
- talk person at the bar
- examine toilet
- go to the back room
- talk Therese*3
- drink cocktail
- volunteer (alternative: do not do anything, but that's less intense)
- examine piercing

Well, in this chapter there are some creative detailed murder, and some passionate sex. The weak point is the alternative shots. the chapter could have been better with some more complexity instead of those, but hey, things start to happen, unlike in p1

[yoga]

Originally Posted by twillight

Total Annihilation - Against Arm (Core Campaign walkthrough)

lvl 17: I HATE this level.
You are on an island. The island is covered by useless stuff you have to clear off (use D-gun). The northern part of the island will be suffocated by every kind of foolish enemy, so you don't even have one island. The attacks start coming early, so you don't have time to build stuff. Not that you'd have space to build stuff. Aside the incoming ships and tanks which can pass water underwater (so your radar won't show them until too late) AIRFORCE is coming TOO just to complete the picture.
So my bet goes on building only basic structures, airport as the only unit-production on land, and right at the start strategically 3*3 missile towers or somesuch.
I really hate this level.

No any atom bomb, dear and brave twillight?
Show them who the boss is!
..and do not forget that brave is ready, armed near around..
just after the corner.
Call me and Finito la commedia...

Capo is also ready and much more friends...
Stand up and fight!!

very silently:
-Do You know that brave finished 32-th level of Doom 2?
Just shot the big bad head, using the lift..