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Set in the far distant future, Supreme Commander would once more focus on a fractured human race, driven apart by a cybernetic fight for independence, with a mysterious band of aggressive religious zealots thrown in for good measure. A commander's first task is to construct vital mass generators. "I'd been thinking about another RTS since leaving Cavedog and starting Gas Powered Games," he begins, "but it wasn't until I was completely wrapped on Dungeon Siege that I began to really think deeply about what would become Supreme Commander." Gas Powered had enjoyed reasonable success with the technically-ambitious Dungeon Siege games, and these to a certain extent influenced Taylor's next project - but more on that shortly.
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I interviewed its designer and coder, Chris Taylor, a few years ago to discuss this trailblazing game now we're chatting again, only this time to celebrate Total Annihilation's spiritual follow-up, Supreme Commander, released just over ten years ago. They namechecked Cavedog's futuristic adventure, Total Annihilation as a far superior game thanks to its huge battles, terrain-based tactics and imaginative units. And when it came to RTSs, the one name on most people's lips was Command & Conquer. First-person shooters burgeoned as a result, and their combination with the real-time strategy genre conspired to make the humble home personal computer a powerful commercial gaming platform.
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The mid-nineties was an era when PC gaming began in earnest, kick-started by the mighty Doom's release in 1993.
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