Total Annihilation Rumors Now Confirmed

Cavedog Entertainment has officially announced the details of the rumored expansion pack for Total Annihilation.

Entitled Total Annihilation: The Core Contingency, the add-on is set in the period following the end of the long-running war between the Core and the Arm. The Core has lost its 4,000-year struggle to obliterate the Arm.

Cavedog's press release explains the premise of the add-on: "Rumors of a surviving Core Commander, hidden as part of a contingency plan during the end of the war, are true. Both the Arm and Core are now racing to retrieve an artifact of new alien technology, the only remaining element the Core needs to achieve its mission to destroy the Arm and the galaxy."

Core Contingency will include several additions. Cavedog is promising 75 new units, 25 new missions, six new worlds, and 30 new multiplayer maps (though a representative told GameSpot that the number of multiplayer maps would most likely be closer to 50).

Among the new units are hovercraft, seaplanes, and minelayers - the latter of which has six different types of mines in its arsenal. A new building was also promised - a targeting facility that will allow your units to target enemies via the radar. The 25 new missions will include 12 for each side and a historical mission that will give you access to the Core Krogoth, a superunit that is more than twice the size of the Commander and features numerous attack styles.

The add-on will also include a map and mission editor, allowing players to create their own multiplayer maps and single-player missions.

Because of the size of the maps, the minimum system for The Core Contingency has been bumped up to 32MB. Cavedog also said it is considering the inclusion of some 128MB maps. Total Annihilation: The Core Contingency is scheduled for release in the last week of April with a suggested retail price of US$27.99.