Boneyards, Part 2: The Future

Well, fellow TA followers, here we are. Within a few weeks, TA: Kingdoms will be hitting the shelves. By the time my next column is released, we may very well be squandering most of our free time on the game. (Not that that's a bad thing, from what I can tell. :-)

I'd like to take this week to share some of my thoughts on what's around the corner for Cavedog's first two releases, and most specifically their Boneyards components.

Total Annihilation

TA itself has passed its prime, but still enjoys the attention of many a devotee. What happens when those addicted TA gamers pick up the new game? Obviously, there will be those who will uninstall TA without delay and never look back. But I suspect there will be a fair number who will either deny Kingdoms altogether, or accept both games as worthy releases. Whatever the case, I believe that TA will retain a healthy following past June 25th.

So, in short, Boneyards should retain its player base for the time being. Galactic Wars will move onward. However, I believe that a healthy fraction of the newer Boneyards members will instantly flee to Kingdoms, for at least a few months, if not forever. Boneyards: TA may suffer a big population hit.

But, believe it or not, that may not be a bad thing!

With a large number of rookie TA players occupied with Kingdoms, it's possible that my vision for Boneyards: TA in general may come true. If Galactic Wars is made up only of veteran players, they will spread out the map and take the war to an even larger scope. Even after the Kingdoms buzz dies down a bit, and the TA population starts to recover, the players who return might also be more inclined to spread out their battles, instead of competing in mind-boggling numbers on only one world per day.

But keep in mind, everything I write here might turn out to be completely wrong! :-)

Total Annihilation: Kingdoms

Even less can be said for Boneyards: Kingdoms -- as far as I know, no one outside of Cavedog has even laid eyes on it. But knowing Cavedog, they've likely cooked up a worthy successor to Boneyards: TA and Galactic Wars. Here are some things I'm looking forward to:

Quad-race Metagame

Imagine if the Arm and Core had two more armies beating down their doors. Imagine what GW might turn into had we two more sides to play with. I'd love to see a new metagame start up with all four sides completely independent of each other. Tactics would become awfully complex in this case, possibly to the point of confusion. But just imagine the warfare we might experience in such a system!

Sure, there are plenty of problems with setting up four distinct sides in this sort of situation (assuming the Boneyards: Kingdoms metagame is somewhat similar to TA's Galactic War, anyway). For example, what happens when one side is eliminated early? Might two sides team up, crush their weaker opposition and then turn on each other? How do contested areas work, that is, can any side fight in any area, or only near its own battle fronts?

I could go on for much longer, but you begin to see where I'm leading. Nevertheless, Cavedog is quite adept at dealing with these issues. They might opt to ally two sides against the other two -- but I'd much rather see a four-race setup.

Tried-and-True Features

Boneyards has come a long way since it first opened its doors, and that growth can only prove well for Boneyards: Kingdoms. With everything from improved handling of cheaters, upgraded chat routines and customizable options to helpful features such as the Locator and upcoming Quick Play, Boneyards stands to take a solid place in the wild arena of online gaming services.

Devoted Players With a New Game

One thing that's concerned me lately is the tendency for TA games to become showcases for formulaic strategies. Those who don't follow the formula, lose. Period. No disrespect intended for my co-columnist Orion -- those formulas work very well. I just don't care to play that way.

With Kingdoms, though, we'll enjoy a new and interesting game with creative tactics. What could be better than that? :-) Add to that the instant availability of Boneyards, allowing you to match wits with other creative players, and I foresee many well-spent hours on Boneyards in our collective futures.

To wrap it all up...

I suppose the best bottom line for all this is the short one. Cavedog is here to stay; they've proven their worth in the gaming arena in the past, and expectations are no lower now than previous. Let us trust in them to deliver a product worthy of those expectations and enjoy it to its fullest.

But let us not forget the game that brought Cavedog to its current fame and glory. Indeed, Total Annihilation lives on...

-- Flynn

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