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Heavy Metal

A map for Total Annihilation created by Mike_Vox.
vox@bellsouth.net
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Briefing
-----------
The battle rages on across four towering metallic platforms which
once served as loading docks for galactic transports on Core Alpha Station. 
The gutters which connect certain platforms can provide quick transit into 
the heart of the enemy's base. However, do not rule out a direct assault up 
the main ramps. The main ramps are steep but provide more area for cover fire 
than the gutter approach. Lastly, command of the ground level may prove 
crucial. Shots from advanced long range artillery will likely fly right over 
units positioned in the trenches.

Instructions
----------------
1. 	If a \maps sub-directory does not all ready exist in your Total Annihilation 
 	directory, create one. For example, if Total Annihilation is in:
 	C:\cavedog\totala
	then make a sub-directory:
	C:\cavedog\totala\maps

2.	If your reading this file, I'm assuming that means you must have un-zipped
	the main file. This means you should now have the following files:
	HeavyM.tnt
	HeavyM.ota
	HMreadme.txt

3.	Move the three files listed above into your \maps sub-directory. Of course, it's
	not necessary to keep this text file in there, but I suggest it in case you want to
	re-zip these files to give to someone else. If you do re-distribute this map, please
	give the courtesy of including this readme file.


The Story
-------------
SECURITY CLEARANCE GRANTED
BEGIN TRANSMISSION

CAPTURED LOG OF UNKNOWN ARM COMMANDER

"Our efforts to re-establish contact with Arm's official chain of command have been halted.
I can no longer justify the expense of sending out these energy-draining signals if we have 
no clear bearing on our own location. Up to this point, we've been firing the signals 
blindly into the stars in hopes of reaching a relay station which can send our distress call
back to headquarters. With the transmitter unable to detect a close match for any 
astronomical patterns in the sky with our star charts, we've exhausted all the locations 
with the slightest chance of having a relay station.

Which seems to contradict the area we see around us. The faded metal feels hollow underneath
our tracks, as if we can fall though the planet's surface with every step. The pipes are 
rusted despite the tight vacuum of the atmosphere. Most disturbing of all, despite Core's 
obvious influence in it's creation, a sense of human design still exists in the twisted 
structures, unlike the completely cold structures I've seen in simulations of Core Prime.

Our findings have led our staff of scientists to believe we are on Core Alpha Station. A 
station considered obsolete and abandoned by Core during the first few centuries of the war.
Which means any nearby planets have long been rendered into useless wastelands from 
unyielding war efforts where landscapes were leveled, oceans poisoned,  and resources 
drained. This is, unfortunately for our situation, particularly true of the ancient period 
when efficiency was low and waste products high by our standards.

The loading docks grow more massive on our visual monitors as we make our approach. The 
image gives me horrific visions of what it must have been like during those early years. 
Tens of thousands of citizens arriving on those juggernaut transports, to be met only by 
monstrous machines driven by the distorted consciousness of their fellow citizens. The chaos
of thousands being slaughtered as they try to find a quick escape. Systematically being 
forced into "mental preparation" for their "ascension into supreme form", all though it is 
doubtful any of the early patterning transfers were left fully sentient, let alone sane. 
The sight re-affirms me of why there is no option, we must fight.

But this planet now lies still and has probably not seen any action for thousands of years.
It must have been a fatal error which sent us here. The tattered galactic gate from which we
came has radically fluctuating energy levels, we are lucky we came though in one piece. With
geothermal vents detected near the docks, we can mine enough energy to repair the gate's
damage. However, we'll still need a clear bearing on our location. We'll have to find one of
the station's system terminals. Running a cross-reference link with our own historical and 
astronomical data base, we can update our charts and figure out why our current records have
proven useless.

I'm including an encoded copy of this log with our final distress call. We have ruled out 
the possibility of Core's presence in the quadrant and I don't see any vital information can
be compromised. I'm determining our arrival here as a systems glitch and look forward to 
getting back to headquarters where my unit can be assigned to where it is 
reallefryh ne-&ahj sk* -/ | / -& agh ejjjjjaf493^&) 2k--=_=-/-\|/-\..........."

END OF LINE

MESSAGE FROM CENTRAL CONCIOUSNESS
BEGIN TRANSMISSION

>Arm presence in quadrant can no longer be ignored.
>Probability of project security breach currently 87.5%
>All local units report to Alpha. Drop coordinates upload in 5 minutes.
>Return to project labor upon extermination of Arm infiltration.

DROP COORDINATES
BEGIN TRANSMISSION


Technical
-------------
Size: 6.25 x 10
Ram: Minimum 16 MB Recommended 24 MB
Number of players: Suggested 2, 3, 4. Supports up to 10 players.
Uncompressed size: 2,972 KB
Compressed size: 1.4 MB


Credits
----------
Many thanks do out to the following programmers who made creation of this map possible:

Programmers of The Map Annihilator
Hot Lizard Software
(all height editing and tile placement was done with this excellent editor)
http://www.annihilated.com/Annihilator/

Programmers and maintainers of POV-Ray
Persistence of Vision Development Team(tm)
(all image rendering was done with this amazing freeware application)

Everyone at Cavedog
(I manipulated Cavedog's metal textures to create new texture patterns)


