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U.T.A.S.P. F.A.Q.
Contents
- General
- Boneyards
- The Rev31 Data File
- Using the Banzai/UTASP AI Boost
- Troubleshooting
General
Q1 What are the minimum system requirements for running UTASP?
- A If you can manage to run TA on your computer, then UTASP will work as well. However due to the added complexity of your game, TA will run at a slower rate, and possibly chug along on processors of 400MHz or less. I also recommend 128MB RAM or more, to help prevent the usage of virtual memory. The game was built using a AMD K6-2 400 with 128MB RAM. When the game had around 900+ units it ran at speeds of -3 on average.
- Q2 Do I require Core Contingency to use UTASP?
- A. When this document was written, yesI hope to make a special non CC version soon, though.
- Q3 How many units will my game have when I install UTASP?
- A. 511
- Q4 Why are so many units modified in UTASP?
- A. Lots of reasons, really. Many of the changes were made to iron out bugs (see changes since beta.doc for examples). Some other changes either improved performance or made the units more unique is some way. Changes made to unit names were made ONLY because inevitably many units had the same names - no disrespect is meant to the authors of these units.
- Q5 Why is UTASP not TAM compatible?
- A. For the simple reason that many people have problems using TAM, and it would be the source of a stream of complaints. If you want to make your personal copy of UTASP TAM compatible, go ahead, but I offer no support for it.
- Q6 Does UTASP crash when loading saved games?
- A. This is not a known problem. If it does occur, try restarting TA and trying again, sometimes any game can wind in incorrectly on reload.
- Q7 Can I add my own units directly to the pack?
- A. Not without first removing a unit in UTASP. You may also need to free up one or more weapon ID's to make room. If there's a unit that you would really like to see included in the pack, let me know.
- Q8 After I installed a third party map UTASP started crashing on startup no matter what map I use. What's wrong?
- A. It is quite probable that the map maker has used a cheating AI for their map. This map includes hacked units which will increase the number of units in your TA directory to over 511 (511 being the maximum the game engine will support), and therefore cause crashes. You will either have to extract the map and remove these units, or remove the map from your TA directory.
- Q9 I normally download maps from TAMEC. Is UTASP compatible with TAMEC Heavy/HPI?
- A. UTASP was built with TAMEC Heavy installed in the TA directory to ensure that it is completely compatible.
- Q10 Is there anything I should be aware of that might mess up UTASP on my computer?
- A. Yes Do NOT run TA Conflict Crusher's Build Menu Aligner or Build Menu Modifier. Also, if you see a unit conflict involving any of the following units: Separator, Banisher, Bolt Thrower, Sneaker, Devilfish, do not try to fix it - this conflict does not exist.
- Q11 I want some changes in UTASP is that possible?
- A Well it surely depends if it is an improvement or not, ask at our forum where you can post your opinions, comments and suggestions.
- Q12 Conflict Crusher reports Cavedog units conflicting with themselves. should I fix them?
- A.Absolutely not! This is a bug in Conflict Crusher, and fixing them will seriously mess up your build menus.
- Q13 TA:Mutation has an inbuilt conflict crusher. Can I add units to UTASP, fxing the conflicts with this?
- A.Unfortunately, no. The unit limit of 511 will cause the game to become unstable/crash on startup with the addition of extra units.
Boneyards.net
Before your read this part, BoneYards is closed (4/8/2000) and it will stay closed as far i read the news on several sites, so don't worry about it.
- Q1 Should i install the Boneyards patch ?
- A NO, Installing the Bone Yards patch will destroy UTASP and your TA installation.
- Q2 Why can't i use UTASP on Boneyards ?
- A. If you enter Boneyards, it will automatically update your installed units, this way it makes sure all players have the same units during multi-player BUT because of this feature it destroys some of the UTASP modifications to TA.
- Q3 I installed the BoneYards patch and my TA crashes what can i do about it.
- A. You didn't read the documentation of UTASP and the only way to recover is unfortunately a complete new install of TA and the Rev. 3.1c
The Rev31 Data File
- Q1 What is it for?
- A. The modified Rev31.gp3 has allowed me to enhance the capabilities of UTASP by an enormous factor.The following all contribute to the modified file:
It has made available more weapon ID's which allow for a greater variety of weapons/sounds in UTASP.
The file includes fixes for many bugs left in the game by Cavedog.
New AI profiles have been set using this file. This improves the AI's performance on many Cavedog maps.
The addition of comands like CTRL+G (see readme) have been added through this file.
Other small changes affecting gameplay have been made possible using this file. You may notice these changes in the game (eg AI uses radar jammers properly).
- Q2 Does this file change any of Cavedog's stuff like what units do, 'cause if it does I'm not going to play with UTASP?
- A. No All of Cavedog's original balancing remains the sameThis file is only intended to enhance your gaming experience.
- Q3 Is this Rev31.gp3 a hack off Switeck's Bugfix?
- A. No, nor is this file compatible with Bugfix. This Rev31.gp3 will not work well outside of the UTASP environment without some major amendmentsSome of Switeck's fixes have been incorporated into this file as mentioned in the Readme.
- Q4 Can I use Switeck's Bugfix in place of the Rev31 in UTASP?
- A. NoNot without causing unfixable weapon conflicts and messing up the game engine. The AI will not operate correctly with Bugfix, and the units are not compatible.
Banzai
- Q1 Does Banzai cheat?
- A. Due to the complexity of UTASP, the AI sequences cannot perform to the same standard as they normally would. Banzai gains a small advantage in metal and energy from metal extractors to help it along at the beginning, but this advantage is not great enough to give it much advantage later on, which is why it strives to build so many resource facilities. Harder versions of Banzai increase this advantage slightly. Banzai cheats less than any other cheating AI (in a unit pack or otherwise), even at Notch 1.2.
- Q2 What the hell are all of these "Notch" settings about?
- A. The notch settings are a system of measuring the AI's cheating ability as compared to the standard issue of BanzaiThe higher the Notch setting, the more the AI cheats.
- Q3 What are all of the AI Factories doing if they don't cheat?
- A. The AI factories were made to help control the AI's building techniques. They differ in no way from ordinary factories except for the fact that what they are restricted in what can build. These factories have helped to reduce the cheating element required by the AI. The AI high tech facilities do give a building advantage because the AI cannot use construction helpers. This building advantage is small in Notch 1.0 (10%) but increases in tougher versions of the AI.
- Q4 It's too easy, I want a tougher AI!
- A. You can download the UTASP AI boost available at the Updates page. Beware, though even though the changes in AI advantage are minute, it's ability increases very quickly.
- Q5 How many different units are supported by the AI profiles?
- A. Around 760.
- Q6 Why does the AI support 760 units when there's only 511 in the game?
- A. I have been gathering support for different units for a long time now. Many units not in UTASP are still supported by the profiles. I saw no point in removing all of these because they may support some of the units you might want to add.
- Q7 There seems to be some profiles from other AI's like DemonWaterAI in the pack. What are they for?
- A. These are not actual profiles from the named AI's, they are merely standard Banzai profiles with a different name. The purpose of these files is to help override the AI profiles of many of the maps you may download from the net which contain their own AI's, replacing them with Banzai support.
- Q8 What are all of the strange profiles like "PsychoBase" for that don't seem to be used?
- A. They are for you to use when you make a map, if you want to use themA basic description of each of these profiles is given in the AI Profiles.doc file.
Troubleshooting
- Q1 TA sometimes crashes when there are a lot of units on the map. Is there something wrong?
- A. If you are running TA + UTASP on an AMD K6-2 450/Pentium III 400 or less or are running on a low quantity of RAM (less than 128MB), this is very likely to happen. To solve the problem, you need to reduce the max units. To do this, look for the file named "Totala.ini" in your TA directory (eg C:\Cavedog\totala). Look for the line "UnitLimit = XXX" Change XXX to around 400. This should help to give the processor more breathing space.
- Q2 I have suddenly found some greyed out build menus in the game. I can still build from them, but they are annoying. Also, I can't build Cavedog's hovercrafts from the Hoverpad Naval Series. What's wrong?
- A. You ran TA Conflict Crusher's Build Menu Aligner, didn't you? Now you know why there are warnings all around the pack not to use this program. Remove the Units file from your TA directory and reinstall the Units from UTASP.
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