Just a small update today. I have corrected the links to the Explosives AI, an AI well worth your attention. My apologies to the author.

I've been trying out LiquidMetal v2.0 recently, and it's growing on me. I'm not the only one either, with SHONNER filing a review... I know, a review... here! To add to the shock, I've written one too. Check them out over in the non-cheating AI downloads section.

I am happy to say that it seems the current crop of AI's will not be abandoned as they are, but will be updated. I am thankful we won't be seeing another Insane AI situation. In this vein LiquidMetal has released version 2 of the LiquidMetal AI. Far more impressive than the one that came before, it has refined its unit choices and resource model to a point where it can really threaten you. Hopefully the upcoming AI League should show exactly what this AI can do.

I have been contacted by TheSycthe, author of Explosives AI who is currently hard at work on an update, which will also include support for the Rumad race. Look for it soon.

Remember the new version of Quell TAK & CUT which I claimed supported the Creon? Well, it would have, had I uploaded the correct copy. As it is I had uploaded an old version 6. This has now been rectified, and Creon really is in there this time. Even if you've already downloaded v6 and don't have Iron Plague I'd still reccomend you download this update. I made a lot of last minute changes to v6.

New to the scene, LiquidMetal has been trying his hand at AI design. His first effort is the LiquidMetal AI v1.0. A fair contender, it makes steps in the right direction and all the basic elements are there. It certainly needs to try harder before it will really test you, but that's what updates are for! AI's which come into my hands these days are far superior to the ones of yesteryear, and are almost always laden with potential. Yet, so many of them never manage a single update. I hope this AI will be an exception to the rule.

Drako has started work again on his Freespace AI. v1.3 has been sent to me, and is now available on the site. A fair improvement over the previous version, it still covers land, metal and sea maps. An AI that manages to play quite well, while still using the so called "fun" units.

I have completed a much needed update of the AI Packs which are on this site. I've brought them in line with the current version of TA Bugfix, 1.7 beta 4. Both the AI nuke packs now come with the AI EMP and AI Neutron, and the differences between the two are more clearly described. Expect to see another update of these packs in the not too distant future, once TA Bugfix adds a couple more target categories for the AI to use.

The TAM link to Mostly Harmless v14 has been fixed. It isn't an AI Central update without some download link being fixed.

After much pestering of Switeck, I believe I have finally convinced him that TA Bugfix needs some new target categories. Firstly, one which allows the AI to better pick nuke targets. Secondly, one which would allow me to implement my AI Anti-Nuke idea, whereby the AI launches missiles at your silos which freeze them for a period of time, preventing launch. I should be adding these categories shortly and will keep you up to date. This will lead to the release of AI Pack 0, which will feature said anti-nukes.

Lastly, work continues apace on Queller CC v15. The AirBattle profile has been rewritten pretty much from scratch, the Metal profile is finally tweaked properly for metal style play, while Default has been refined to a point where it can play most land maps to a very high standard. A release is on the way... just not yet.

FBIDump is a new AI creation program, but already it is seeing its first update. Now it will extract information from 3rd party units, as well as including more information than ever before in the profiles it creates. Its author is looking to include new features if the interest is there, so be sure to get in touch.

My US Mirror went down some time ago as most of you know, and thus were all the links to it removed. All but one. I failed to notice that Queller CC v15 Beta was hosted on said server. This oversight has now been corrected, and you can find Queller CC v15 Beta at FilePlanet. It's a real improvement on v14 on most maps, and I strongly reccomend you download it if you have not already done so. A full update is in the works.

Lastly, I am planning to run a non-cheating AI League. This should, once and for all, allow us to see which AI's are worthy, and which are mere pretenders. Better yet, we'll see how many of them are truly better than the Cavedog offerings. There's a topic on the forums I would ask for your contributions to.

Additional: The link to the TA: Mutation version of Queller UH v7 Beta appears to have been broken through my shoddy naming. This has now been fixed.

A single update today. Robert DeLuca has sent me a new AI creation aid for you budding AI designers out there. Called FBIDump, it extracts unit information from FBI files, then inserts it into an AI profile for your editing pleasure. To make things easier, it includes some useful information for each unit, such as its name, cost, etc. Please note that you will need to know how to extract files from the TA archives before you can use this tool. Find it in the downloads section.

The big update is here. The links are fixed, the e-mails I received processed, all new AI's uploaded. As usual, all AI's are provided in the standard, TA Mutation and MacUTATOR formats.

A much delayed Ultimate AI update is here. My apologies to the people who worked on them, only to have to wait so long before they were uploaded. Anther seven maps are now supported by this AI.

Quell TAK & CUT v6 is now with us, offering Creon support, as well as much improved play with the rest of the races. Now you can use the best non-cheating TAK AI, even if you use Iron Plague.

joshcomm1 has been busy, furnishing us with no less than three AI's. AiLaHo Advanced AI, H A L Multiversal War AI and Naval Air AI v1 are all now available, covering both land and sea.

Not one to be left out, SHONNER has also updated two of his AI's, SHONNER AI and NEWBIE AI as well as adding two to the collective. The Defensive Mechanism AI is a disappointing offering, while Air Raid AI never really gets to grip with its area of play.

There's a change in a big name. Mostly Harmless has been updated to version 14. This is one of the best non-cheating AI's around and has a big following, so I'm sure a lot of you will want to pick up this version. The unit choices aren't focused enough for my tastes, but there are those that like its style of play.

One of the more interesting additions this time around is the Explosives AI by TheScythe. Not without its flaws, this is an AI packed with potential. Though delivered to me a little while ago, I can but hope that this author intends to develop it further.

That about covers it, but expect to see a full Quell(er) TA & CC v15 release some time in the future

As I'm sure you've noticed, its all been rather quiet at AI Central. I haven't been a member of the TA community for some time, and I have effectively "moved on." However, I could not leave the site as it was, with broken links, missing AIs and old versions. Expect this all to be corrected. I have plenty of new AI's and updates waiting in the wings, half the broken links are already gone, and I am polishing off Quell(er) TA & CC v15 so that it is a full release, rather some half-done patch.

Once this is done, my work will be complete. I will continue to try and keep the site in working order, and will resolve any bugs found in Quell(er). Besides that, this site will cease to update. I will, as ever, be contactable by e-mail.

AI Central now has another cheating AI for you all, and one that continues the latest trend of including varying levels of difficulty, in the form of multiple AI Boost files. CateAI from MajorBigg is an AI designed to support everything. Unlike most AIs, which aim to challenge you in one particular game mode, this AI is designed to work with any MOD. I haven't really got anything to test it with, but it might be worth XTA fans having a look. Obviously, while it works with a large number of MODs because of the way it was built, it also means it will not give you the same challenge as an AI designed specifically for that MOD. Feel free to let me know how it performs.

It seems that I did not correctly update the Ultimate AI base file, in the MacUTATOR format. Thus, AI planes were still able to take twice the damage they should. This has now been fixed. Note, this is for MacUTATOR users only.

I discovered some problems in various TA-Mutation AI's. These have all been fixed. The affected AI's were: Freespace, Never Again, and New Metal. If you were having any problems with these AI's in TA-Mutation format, try downloading them again.

In addition, BANZAI, TA-Mutation and MacUTATOR copies, has been brought in line with other TA-Mutation and MacUTATOR AIs in terms of layout and installation. This is also true for the cheating and non-cheating AI unit packs.

Well, it's the end of the month, and thus time for an Ultimate AI profile release. We have four new ones for you: Greenhaven, Pincushion, Shore to Shore and Wretched Ridges. Just pop over to downloads, the UAI section, and pick up a copy of the new profile pack.

Soon to come... a new cheating AI from MajorBigg. The CateAI is designed to support every MOD in existence, through the use of generic categories. How will it fare? Well you'll have a chance to try it for yourself very soon.

I corrected a mistake in the Ultimate AI base file today. The AI planes were able to take twice the damage they should. Its been too long, I tell you. Anyway, a new copy is avaliable for your use.

Time for an Ultimate AI release. This is a taster of things to come, with two profiles included in this release, one for Comet Catcher by myself, and the other for Plains & Passes, created by Switeck. The AI ships with a small number of non-cheating AI units, effectively the same as those that come with Queller but updated for the latest version of Bugfix. As ever, you can use any AI unit you capture.

The plan is that at the end of every month the group TAAID will release, via this site, a collection of all the profiles created thus far. Already Switeck is updating his profile, while AndrewAce creates one for Shore to Shore and Drako takes on Core Industrial Prime.

This is very much an open project. If you have any experience in creating Total Annihilation AI, and are interested in helping create the ultimate non-cheating AI, then head over to TAAID and sign-up!

Yes, less than a month since the last update, and we have yet another! Good lord!! Well it's a fairly hefty update, three AI upgrades, five new AIs, more Ultimate AI news, and some changes to the site. Here we go.

Queller TA & CC is dead! Yes, it's all over for the poor little thing. I am abandoning it entirely, and all my OTA work will now be done on Ultimate AI. However, in its last gasps, it managed to send forth the Beta copy of the CC v15 files I had sitting around. Drop by downloads, and in the Queller section you'll find the CC v15 update, ready for you to get your grubby little hands on. It'll take a bit more work than normal to install, but it's a worth while improvement. There is no AI which can touch Queller CC v15 Beta on Comet Catcher (including Mostly Harmless and Insane AI), and it formed the base for my Ultimate AI Comet Catcher profile.

The Ultimate AI project has started rolling, with several AI designers having signed up to help. The TAAID mailing list provides a home for files and discussion, with the TA Bugfix forum over at TA Universe also being a popular meeting place. Two profiles are already in place, and we will be releasing them shortly. From then on, an update should be released every month, with all the latest profiles included. If you have experience with TA AI and wish to help the project which believes every Cavedog map should have its own AI profile, then head over to TAAID and sign-up!

Now, a couple of updates. SHONNER AI, that ever metal hungry non-cheating beast, was updated at the end of January this year, and we now bring it to you. A worthy improvement over its predecessor, it's still very much a metal AI, but now does a better job of juggling resources. No more reliance on wind for SHONNER. It also ships with Nukes now, to really beef up its late game.

Delving a little further back we see an update for ToTaLwArAI, the cheating AI with six different styles of play. The cheating aspect has been toned down, but fear not, the amazing range of profiles should mean that there is still something to match your style of play.

New AIs now, all of the non-cheating variety. Flasher AI is a Queller FB impersonator, swapping Fleas for Flash tanks. A simple AI providing you with a simple game.

Defensive AI wins an award for not only being the smallest profile I have ever seen, but for also challenging the Cavedog 3.1 AI in terms of difficulty. It is effectively a very defensive Cavedog 1.0 AI. Don't expect too much.

Grumble, designer of the MOD GHack, has released an AI for it called GHack AI. It also puts up a fight in OTA, and not a bad one at that. It has a rather good resource base, and with some work could actually become quite a force in the world of OTA AI.

AirLnd_SH AI from SlowHandd continues a long tradition of him creating AIs for his maps. As ever, he is more concerned with exciting troop combinations than he is with performance. However it is a reasonable AI, and may be worth a look if you want to expand your AI collection further.

Lastly, on the AI front, SHONNER has released a second AI. NEWBIE AI is actually better than its name would suggest. It deliberately makes poor troop choices, but don't think this is going to sit in a corner and die, it expands rather well. In fact, it might be a good AI to learn from, after all, it isn't going to put you in a lot of danger, while at the same time giving you a run for your money in terms of expansion.

Finally, the site itself. I have been updating AI descriptions, tidying up a couple of sections, putting all AIs in alphabetical order, adding missing file sizes... I even got around to fixing the articles button graphic on the Core page. How long has that been stuck in "on" mode? Two years? Anyway, the site should be slightly cleaner now. If you have any suggestions on things you'd like to see changed, drop me a line.

Uh, happy new year!

I have a new project on the cards, the Ultimate AI which I hope to put together with the aid of as many TA AI designers as are interested. The idea is to create a non-cheating AI which has a profile for every Cavedog map, thus putting up a great fight, no matter where it may be.

Below is the contents of the e-mail I sent out to all the AI designers I had addresses for. If you didn't receive this e-mail, and are interested in participating, please drop me a line.

Switeck and a couple of others have already signed up, but I need all the help I can get.

In the midst of all this though a Queller TA & CC update is on the cards. I already have a vastly improved default profile (the one which handles the land maps, like Comet Catcher), which plays a rather good virus game. I intend to try and beef up some of the other profiles before release.

Queller F(lea)B(owl) has not been forgotten, and a new resource system is in place which should allow the Fleas to keep coming at a constant rate. No running into bases which are facing massive nano-stall. I also have a couple of other ideas which I'm keeping to myself...

This is a brief update, but I should shortly be bringing you GHack AI from Gumble, which is designed for his MOD GHack, but which provides, apparently, a reasonable OTA game. I haven't had a chance to test it yet.

Also, a new version of ToTaLwArAI, unfortunately in an e-mail clearance I wiped the file, however expect to see the latest version of this monster on the site soon.

In the future there will be a few minor site changes soon, which should make certain sections easier to navigate.

I'd like to draw your attention to the Insane AI released on this site two months ago. Under tests it has established itself as one of the best non-cheating AIs around. Definately in the top three I'd have to say. According to Switeck it beats down all other non-cheating AIs on Comet Catcher.

Talking of Switeck, he is working on an update for his Mostly Harmless AI. He has said that he is considering upgrading its status to "annoying." Expect it within a month.

Merry christmas! Will I manage to finish my Queller F(lea)B(owl) update in time for the New Year? Well...no, probably not, I have all these cool gifts. It's coming though, so keep your eyes peeled.

Well it's only running a few months late, but Quell TAK & CUT has finally received an update. After a year and a half of being outclassed by the wonderful TA-POWER Veteran AI, version 5 is here to set things straight. After much tweaking and testing, I think I can safely say that it is the best non-cheating AI around for TA Kingdoms. I am not bias....

You will of course find it in the downloads, Queller section. This may be the last update Quell TAK & CUT ever receives, so enjoy.

I will be working on the SWTA AI again, when the Walker pack comes out you'll find a Queller AI nestled inside. I'll hopefully find time to finish updating Queller TA & CC as well, v15 is looking promising so far.

There is a new non-cheating AI for TA avaliable. The Insane AI is the first from RpC_myklevold, however it is an impresisve piece of work. It will put up an aggressive fight on any land map. Excellent troops selection and fair resource management make this a brilliant first AI, I can only hope the author will continute to work on it.

The forum link and Siege 2 TAM links should now be working.

A bug in two of the Mostly Harmless profiles has been fixed, and updated copies uploaded to the FilePlanet mirror. The other AI Central mirror will be updated shortly, but currently I can't access it. To be sure you have the fixed copy, open the Wind profile and run a search for armwind. If you turn up no results, you've got the right one.

T-Ball, the lone AI for the MOD Thunderball has left the pre-release stages, and now has a fully fledged version 1 out in the non-cheating TA AI section. Improvements in all the profiles, especially the sea ones, come alongside an improved AI mutator for TAM users

Alpha AI now has a new profile nestled alongside it. Provided by RightField, he claims to have improved the fight put up by the AI on the standard, default profile, maps. I haven't had a chance to test this claim, but an improved Alpha would be fearsome indeed. Find the improved profile in the cheating section, alongside Alpha.

Continuing ever onwards, WhiteHammer has been motivated by his new PC to update his ever tough cheating TAK AI, Extreme. Now at version 2.3, he has fixed quite a few bugs left over from previous versions, and had given the difficulty settings an overhaul.

Hello! Its been awhile hasn't it?

Major Biggz has put out a new version of ToTaLwArAI, now version 5. He seems almost disgusted with v3.5, and has effectively gone back to 3.2, and done what he claims is an update of a much higher quality than v3.5. It is of course now avaliable as a download, in the cheating TA AI section.

AI Central now also has the DRAX AI, a cheating AI by Draconious. He has never let me host it before, because it seems to be in a perpetual BETA phase. However it has been stable for a few months now, so I offer v11 to you. Rather than take the usual cheating AI approach of bigger and better resource generators, DRAX bolsters its income with some invisible generators which are destroyed when you move a unit near them. Thus the AI rarely has resource problems and gets going faster, but suffers when you take its territory. A novel approach, and one well worth seeing in action

There has always been a lack of AIs for MODs, something that I have always been enthusiastic in correcting. Thunderball, a spinoff from UberHack, now has an AI for it, known as T-Ball. It is early days yet, but the AI already shows promise, and comes with a fairly wide range of profile support. The future is bright for Thunderball. Go check it out in the non-cheating TA AI section.

Queller UH v7 Beta is now on the Queller download page. It's certinally not finished, and some of the final additions to the UberHack unit range are not supported, but v6 was terribly out of date and in desperate need of replacement.

Keep your eyes open for Queller TAK & CUT v5. It is coming.

After conversing with Switeck, Major Biggz has released ToTaLwArAI v3.5, which is now avaliable on the Downloads Cheating TA AI page. It's a smaller file size and no longer has a sidedata file. This means it will work alongside MODs like Bugfix, which wish to change the sidedata file themselves. Major Biggz has touched up the profiles, and also claims that it should now attack after about 3 minutes, rather than 5. Also, a slight correction on its previous entry, ToTaLwArAI will in fact work without Core Contingency.

Quite a bit happening on the AI front currently. Actually, that's an understatement. Here comes the biggest update AI Central has ever had. I've caught up with the AI happenings of the last week, as well as providing some files almost impossible to find elsewhere. We truly provide you the ultimate skirmish experience. Induldge yourself people!

Switeck has just released a new version of his popular Counterstrike AI. Version 3 looks to have quite a few additional features, including Fluxors which now work underwater, AI planes, AI Jammers, and AI Shooters which cloak. It also comes with Switeck's ever excellent AI profiles. Good news for people without Core Contingency too, you can get Counterstrike to work on your PC simply by removing one of its files. If you find the AI too easy, there is even an extra hard copy of the AIs resources for you to download.

However that's not all that's happening on the cheating AI front. A person calling themselves Major Biggz has released an AI that appears to be rather similar to Switeck's Counterstrike AI. However it uses AI resources merely to eliminate nano-stall, there are no AI factories or construction units in the Total War AI. It changes the profile used by a large number of TA maps to improve its game, and even offers alternate versions of its profiles to allow you to configure it any way you want. Impressive stuff.

Brother Alpha has been working over time again. Now he brings you version 3 of his ever popular and deadly Banzai. This time around it comes with six incredible levels of difficulty. It covers almost every level of ability. It also has a massive number of profiles, and a huge amount of 3rd party support. This truly is an incredible AI that just keeps getting better and better.

All of these AIs are avaliable in the Downloads Cheating TA AI section.

Don't think it's all cheating AIs though. Planet Annihilations own newsmaster, Drako, has added another AI to his range. Freespace AI v1.2 is a work in progress, and v1.3 is already on the way, yet it already fights on both land and at sea. Don't expect too much from its SeaBattle profile, but it puts up a very reasonable fight on land. If you want to keep tabs on his progress, visit his AI's page

There are happenings too in the realm of Kingdoms. The Extreme AI has now been updated to version 2.1. It used to be hard, now it's by far and away the nastiest piece of work to hit Kingdoms. Designed for XMod, it can still give you a nasty shock in both TAK and CUT. Beware the Gods, it has a habit of building them. Creon will actually look dangerous at last.

On the Queller front things are progressing nicely. Quell TAK & CUT is looking a lot more fearsome, and you can expect version 5 out very soon indeed.

Something TAK fans without Iron Plague may be interested in is a "patch" by TAKMMC which allows people without Iron Plague to use more than four races. It weighs in at 25MB, but would allow you to use the cheating AIs on this site should you not have a copy of Iron Plague. Note that it does not contain any Creon units, or Iron Plague maps.

In line with this release, you can now pick up the All Race AI for TAK by DeLozier. He doesn't claim it does anything amazing, however it supports every race he knows of, except the Matthew race. If you can't find any AI that specifically supports the race you want to play with, this AI gives you a good way of stopping the AI building the useless units. If you're confident enough, you could simply copy the weights and limits of the race your current AI doesn't support out of the All Race AI and into the one you currently use. The is of course in the Downloads TAK Normal AIs section.

It's Switeck news again. Over on his forum at TA Universe he announced that he has now released BETA 6 of TA Bugfix 1.6. You can pick up a copy from his Junk Drawer. Never has a name been so inaccurate.

Where would this site be without flaws? I have found a problem with the MacUTATOR copy of Mostly Harmless. The Necro fix was not being enabled. This has now been corrected.

TAK fans, a cry for help! I am looking for the Screaming AI, but have been unable to obtain a copy. If anyone knows where I could get one, could they please e-mail me. Thanks guys!

TAK AI may have taken a step forward today. It's not a huge step, but it's progress.

I have been working on my Queller AI range again recently, and this has led to me working on updating Queller TAK & CUT. I finally got around to trying out something that I've meant to do in TAK for quite some time, and that most TA AIs already have. Generic race weights. Simply by slapping one into the profile, I found I was able to maintain a greater degree of control over the AIs actions. Obviously the TAK AI engine flaws were still there, but suddenly the AI was no longer desperate to get the biggest most expensive building as soon as it can.

Now I have this new feature to play with, you can expect a new and improved Queller TAK & CUT AI to emerge before any of the others in the range.

BANZAI 3.0 is coming soon. Over at M.A.D. TA, Brother Alpha has announced a new release should be out in the next few days. Keep your eyes peeled.

OK, it's all done. totally....honest! The last of the MacUTATOR files are up. The US Mirror is working and the Queller page has been updated to include the new Mac format.

My thanks to Jim who has brought to my attention a problem with the Blackstorm AI control file, now fixed. Also, a reminder from Jim for you Mac users, set stuffit to convert text files to Macintosh format. Thanks again Jim.

Now come on Mac players, go challenge these babies...

Sage_Z has dropped me a line, informing me that progress is being made on his new AI, Defcon 1, though it seems he is changing its focus.

He is on the lookout for custom profiles at the moment, so if you have made one and would like him to use it, send it on in to Sage_Z.

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26th February 01

Both AI Profiler and Small AI Designer have been updated, again. The former is a full download as version 2.5a, while the later is a patch for version 1.1c. Both can be found in the Downloads/Various section. Let the battle commence!

AI Profiler 2.5a

Are you tired of making maps that the AI doesn't know how to play correctly on? Well, luckily for you there are tools you can use to do this. Now, you can use the brand spanking new version of AIProfiler to craft your AI specifically for each map you create, with little effort. AI Profiler has undergone some huge changes, and now it is here for your taking, what are you waiting for? Download AI Profiler already!

- C_A_P

Small AI Designer 1.1c

Small AI Designer v1.1c is now available. Here are a few features: More efficient editing of AI in graphical mode Load AI from AI Archive (*.ufo, *.ccx, *.gp?, *.hpi, etc) Load AI from AI Archive (*.ufo, *.ccx, *.gp?, *.hpi, etc) Option to delete old unit data when looking for new units at startup Option to browse for directory to read TA unit data during startup Last AI Author stored in memory for future use

- Sage_Z

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Small AI Designer v1.1 is almost finished. SAID is of the two AI profile design programs, which make it easy to create your own AI without having to learn all the unit codes. The offering from C_A_P, AI Profiler has always looked to be the superior product. However, all that could be about to change as Sage_Z implements all the features that have been requested by users of SAID and suggested in my review. What seems to be the biggest improvement that will appear in the new version, is the ability to scan your TA directory for units, rather than relying on ZIP files as the previous version did. Here is a list of some of the new features from Sage_Z:

• Added "All" class under "Types" menu.
• Added smooth scrolling
• Added progress indicator when loading units
• Added ability to import AI Profiler 1.x files
• Added ability to read Total Annihilation Directory (designed for Original TA)
• Added ability to exclude units from AI Text
• Added ability to manually modify unit settings and values.

I think you'll agree, it looks like it could be about to steal AI Profilers crown. However, that note that the directory scan is designed for OTA worries me, as if that is its limitation then it has almost defeated its purpose. We'll just have to see.

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16th November 00

There is a new AI out for UberHack. MuNChER is currently in BETA testing, and only avalible directly from the author, but if you're interested contact munchgreeble and ask for a copy. You will be expected to provide feedback.

7th November 00

I'm afraid that work on Queller UH v7 BETA has virtually fallen back to square one. While running some tests on AI Anti-Nukes, I created a special profile that would only build these Silos, while I moved the v7 BETA profiles into their own folder. When I ran my format, it seems I did not backup this folder, nor did I copy the files back into the AI directory. I have now lost all that work and will have to tackle it all over again, from scratch. Please, if I sent you a copy of v7 BETA, let me know.

5th November 00

Viperion has created a map specially designed for Queller Flea Bowl. I have added it to the Downloads - Various section. Check it out and see if you can handle the Fleas!

26th October 00

There's another patch out for TA-Mutation. Again, this is mainly a fix for Soft Mutators, we're now at version 0.11.3.

There is also now an AI in the TAK Cheating AI's section. Called WA AI, it's not so much an AI as an AI Unit Pack as it doesn't really change the AI, it just adds AI buildings and units. However, for those of you who are starved of a decent TAK skirmish, this may be what you're looking for.

24th October 00

Oops, I went and forgot about it I did. On the 22nd October, AI Central became a one year old! That's right, for a year AI Central has been bringing you the latest in TA AI development, and we're stoping yet. One year ago Queller TA & CC v10 was finished, a site was hastily put together, and one of todays most popular non-cheating AIs was given its first public airing. Since then AI Central has grown, we now have almost every AI ever made for TA, and the business of tracking down a better skirmish opponent has become that much simpler. Here's to another year of AI!

19th October 00

Thanks to Ray Toth who pointed out that the US Mirror link for the TAM copy of heavy metal actually pointed to the standard file. This has now been fixed.

TA-Mutation has been updated again to version 0.11.1. This release fixes the various bugs found in the previous version.

16th October 00

For a while now I have been working with the SWTA team, and I am pleased to inform you that the AI being provided with the first release "Starter Pack" will have been created by me. The Queller page in the Downloads section has been updated to reflect this.

There seems to be a problem with the Warp Gate mutator v3.0. Stay tuned for more details.

15th October 00

Another Quantum Design update, TA-Mutation has now reached version 0.11.0. Combined with various fixes, it also enables "Soft Mutators". I could try to explain the concept here, but the site probably does a better job. The Warp Gate mutator also has had an update, and the AI can now use it properly, picking a Commander at random from those avaliable.

It's enough to make you drool. If you don't have TA-Mutation, get it now before someone finds out.

7th October 00

Quantum Design has returned, with a new URL, and with it comes new release of TA-Mutation, v0.10.4.

4th October 00

I have finally decided to upload own TAM copy of TA Bugfix v1.5 as I do not like the way Switeck handles TAM. My copy uses the proper naming conventions and allows the use of mutators. Please note though that this TAM copy is in no way supported by Switeck, so you should contact me if you have any problems with the TAM aspect of it.

30th September 00

Many thanks to Chris Hutchins who has brought to light a problem with the TAM copy of Queller CC v14, which prevents it from being activated. This in turn has led me to a potential problem in the TAM copy of Queller TA v14, which is that if you do not install any of the modified campaign files the AI cannot be switched on.

I have updated the files on the AI Central file servers. If you have downloaded TAM Queller CC v14 then you will need to download the updated copy. Delete the old one. If you use the TAM version of Queller TA v14, and it gives you an error when you try to turn it on, simply go into your TA-Mutation/AIs folder and create a new folder called "^^QuellerTA14(3)" (no quotes) and your problem will be solved.

The UberHack link on the Queller page has been fixed, so that it no longer simply brings you back to AI Central.

I have added comments to the Queller page which tell you the status of each AI currently.

21st September 00

The TA Bugfix v1.5 links have been fixed. I forgot to change .exe to .zip. Thanks to jaCe for letting me know.

20th September 00

Been a while since the last update hasn't it? Well I've been working on Queller UH v7, and it's coming along nicely. I've updated some of the profiles for the latest version of UberHack. I've even worked in support for every 3rd party unit from TA-POWER.

TA Bugfix v1.5 is now avaliable in the Various Downloads section! This is the latest version of Switeck's incredible patch for TA, a truly essential download for any TA player. I'll let him tell you about it.

I received my "Strategic Commander", the latest product in the Sidewinder range intended for RTS fans, and intend to try it out and let you know how it handles. This though has been delayed by the discovery that it only works with Windows 98 or later, and I use Windows 95. Upgrading is too much of a hassle, so I'll have to test it on a machine I don't have such regular access to.

Finally, Sage_Z has informed me that we will be seeing a patch for Small AI Designer within the next few months, which should include many of the changes suggested in my review of the product on the Various Downloads page.

11th September 00

OK, Quell is now up and ready for download. For those of you who have already downloaded Queller TA & CC v14 you will need to download either the Queller TA patch or Queller CC patch. Simply extract the files contained in the patch into your AI directory, and replace all the files already there. The Queller TA & CC v14 files have been updated, so if you download the AI after seeing this message then you don't need the patch.

The TA-Mutation copies of the AI Unit Packs have recieved an update to bring them in line with the non-TAM copies, and to fix a few compatibility code and description errors.

9th September 00

I'm afraid that some errors in Queller TA & CC have come to light during my work on Quell. Some in Queller TA are big enough for me to release a patch, which I am putting together. It won't be anything big, simply fixed copies of the AI profiles, and should be ready tommorow along with Quell. Sorry about this guys.

8th September 00

Quite a lot has happened since the last update. Firstly, Queller TA & CC v14 has now been completed, and is avaliable for download! It comes complete with 30 profiles! It now supports every single Cavedog and TA Bugfix profile, as well as some I created to fit certain map types like Red Triangle, which now uses the profile LandSea. Of course, existing profiles have not been neglected, and it will put up a much better fight in areas it was weak in, like on the high seas.

AI Central has also, finally, gained some file mirrors. For those of you fustrated at the unreliable FilePlanet, do not worry, the pain is over. Recon and NJ_THUG have come to the rescue, providing me with file mirrors in the US and UK respectively. Of course, I still reccomend the use of FilePlanet as its page offers a large range of mirrors, but if its server is overloaded, which is all too common, these mirrors will ensure that you don't have to leave empty handed.

Please note that some of the larger files may not have been copied onto the mirrors yet. Please be patient, all files should be on both mirrors within the next couple of days.

And finally, in the large update, all the AI Unit Packs have been updated. Unrequired lines have been deleted, and target priorities changed. Please note that TA Bugfix is required if you want these units to work at optimal levels.

5th September 00

Since my announcement that the "Strategic Commander" promotion was a hoax, I have received several e-mails from the parties involved, and I am now of the mind that the Microsoft employee who I spoke to was incorrect in their assumption that the e-mail was a hoax. I now believe it to be genuine.

Therefore I urge anyone who took down their "Strategic Commander" button, or who simply did not apply because of my message, to reverse their course of action immediately.

3rd September 00

After waging a battle on a totally uncooperative FilePlanet, I have finally managed to obtain the 2.0c patch for AI Profiler. It really manages to make it a much better program, widening the divide between it and Small AI Designer even further. However, I hit one little snag, see the Various Downloads section for more details, as well as the patch.

31st August 00

Sage_Z has finally finished his Small AI Designer. This is an AI Creation program providing an alternative to AI Profiler, complete with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Read the full comparison between the two in the Various Downloads section.

By the way, the Downloads section has been split into lots of small pieces to help speed up the loading process.

30th August 00

Development of Queller TA & CC v14 continues. It now supports every single profile in Total Annihilation, Core Contingency, Battle Tactics and TA Bugfix. Not bad, eh? No longer will you have to turn the pages of the Queller readme, wondering if the map you want to play is supported, because they all are! I've even gone through and fixed it so Queller will use Wind Generators on maps where their average output is higher than that of Solar Collectors. As if that wasn't enough, full level support has been worked in for those of you who just find it all a bit too much. Of course I've also done a lot more work on the weaker profiles such as SeaBattle. Its actually been beating down the top non-cheating AI's on SeaBattle maps recently, and about time too. Expect to see this version released within the week, I just need to bring the TA half up to speed. This will be the last Queller TA & CC release for a while, since I think it is time Queller UH had an update.

Nothing else on the AI front currently I'm afraid, some things are in development, like TA Bugfix v1.5, an updated BANZAI and a new AI creation tool Small AI Designer, but nothing is appearing yet. I'll keep you posted.

Finally, the UberHack community is crying out for a more up to date BAI for UberHack. If any AI designers out there want a fresh cheating AI challenge, this might be your calling. You'll find them on the UberHack board at Annihilated.

24th August 00

Hello all! I'm back from my three week vacation, and I'm ready to update once more.

I haven't had time yet to try to gt WA_AI working, but I intend to have another crack at it soon.

Also, Small AI Designer is with us once again, since author Sage_Z has found that another product he owns allows his DLL to work when distributed, or something like that. All that matters is that the project is back on track.

I don't know what's happened with my FTP mirror talks. They just stopped e-mailing me all of a sudden, so it looks like I'll have to look around again for another FTP mirror. Please note that I am merely looking for space to mirror my download files on, I do not wish to move AI Central.

30th July 00

Tommorow I will be heading off on a three week holiday to California, so this will be the last update for a while.

I would like to make an apology to the author of the WA_AI. I claimed it did not work, but I had simply not read the instructions correctly. I made the AI of a standard race type such as Taros, when the instructions on TAMEC clearly stated that you should cycle through the races until an AI_ race appears. I have attempted to verify this, however the WA_AI file simply causes my copy of Kingdoms to crash stating a missing file, which did not happen the first time I used it. So when I get back I will endevour to get this cheating AI for Kingdoms working. Until I can though, it will not appear on this site but can be found at TAMEC.

Also a new version of TA-Mutation has been released, a link to it can be found at the top of the downloads page.

Sage_Z is working on a new AI Design program called Small AI Designer. Having tried it, I'd say it's certinally still a BETA product.

Oh dear, just as quickly as it began, Small AI Designer has ended. It seems Sage_Z would have to pay $399 to register one xceedzip.dll. Our condolences Sage_Z.

23rd July 00

A new AI and an update of another for you guys today.

Firstly we have Drako's Aftermath Metal AI, which is not a bad little metal AI, well worth playing against. It will make a large base fairly quickly, though sometimes it seems overly defensive. Currently it only supports Metal.

Also the SHONNER AI, that late game AI, has recieved an update. It now comes with two profiles, which basically equate to Metal and Urban, though you'll need to rename them.

I hope to have finished organising a file mirror soon, and files will soon also be avaliable in WinRAR format.

21st July 00

I'm afraid I've found an error in the TAM heavymetal AI, I have put the folders in the .ai file in the wrong order, this means when turned on the files will be in the wrong folders. The AI has been updated to fix my blunder, but you can also get the corrected .ai file from here. Simply put it into your TA-Mutation/AIs folder. Make sure you turn off the heavymetal AI BEFORE placing the file there

The "Installing an AI" article has been updated, it now covers the latest version of TAM, as well as older versions, and adds a few notes on the updating or replacement of an AI.

17th July 00

D'oh! Yes, that's right, I've just realise what a big mistake I've made in Quellers mission handling. Despite the fact that my explanation on missions below should have made me realise, I didn't even think about it. What am I talking about? Well quite simply, each mission has a restrict list, it tells the game which units may be used in each mission. Which was fine, after all I'd stopped the Missions profile from using AI units. However, as I said below, on Hard the AI doesn't use the Missions profile, it uses the skirmish profiles like Default, which come complete with......you guessed it, AI units. This causes quite a few problems for anyone wanting to play Queller at a mission on Hard difficulty, since it won't build any basic Vehicle Plants, and as CORE won't build the advanced ones either, nor will it build attack planes.

This is quite a mess, so until I release a patch of some sort to fix the problem, if you intend to play a campaign on Hard, don't use Queller.

14th July 00

Excellent news, I have managed to arrange some alternate FTP space, many thanks to N.E.W.S.T. for offering it. All files should be mirrored within a week, hopefully this will provide a more reliable alternative to FilePlanet, solving the problems many of you had. N.E.W.S.T. also run an AI forum, as well as designing AI for games such as Warzone 2100. I would reccomend you check out the site, and I will be linking to the forum soon.

Also, to clarify a point that was recently raised. Queller uses its Missions profile to take over missions at Easy and Medium difficulty, however at Hard difficulty skirmish profiles such as Default are used instead. Krogoth is used for the final Core Contingency mission Krogoth Encounter at all levels of difficulty. So if at anytime you played a mission at Hard difficulty with a pre-v 13 Queller installed, you would indeed have been fighting Queller, except in the case of Krogoth Encounter. Unless a profile it didn't have was called, in which case you would fight the Cavedog AI again. The Queller documentation has been updated to contain this information.

Please remember, if you're going to play the original missions, and have not downloaded a patch from somewhere which removes units restrictions, use Queller TA, and for the Core Contingency missions, use Queller CC. I believe T.A.E.C. has some patches which remove mission restrictions, take a look in their Files section.

I have recently noticed a minor error in a few of the profiles that came with Queller TA & CC v13. I have corrected the copies held by FilePlanet, but for those who do not want to make another download, here is how to fix the error. Simply open the profiles Acid, Hover, WindHover, MetalHover and WindMetalHover. In each of these profiles run a search for the word CAIRAPE, and every time you find it, replace it with the word CAIAPE. This will fix the error. My apologies for this oversight.

You may have noticed a "cheating" AI for Kingdoms over at TAMEC called WA_AI, and may well be wondering why it is not on AI Central. Well I'm afraid to say the AI does not, to the best of my knowledge, work. I tested its Aramon AI by turning off the normal Barracks and only letting it build AI ones. It didn't build anything except Lodestones and defences, and therefore the only conclusion I can make is that it does not work.

Finally, I'm afraid that up until now the link for Queller TA & CC v13 standard format on the CORE download page has been pointing to v12. This has now been corrected, my apologies for this. Thanks to Sherpa Doug for pointing this out.

9th July 00

It's finally here, yes, Queller TA & CC v13 is ready for you to download. It now contains a massive 18 AI profiles, even if we don't count Wind versions, that's still 7 totally NEW profiles. That's gotta be worth a download. Even if that isn't enough to tempt you, there are always the tougher than ever Queller troop mixes, it can slush with the best of them now. It will take over as the AI in missions, Krogoth Encounter just got harder. You can even capture and use AI factories against it. The irony. So what are you waiting for? Get it from the Downloads page.

ALTERNATE FTP SERVER REQUIRED

As I'm sure most of you have noticed, FilePlanet is not the most reliable of FTP's, it has long down times and often will not work at all. Therefore I am looking for FTP space where I can mirror AI Central files, if anyone would be willing to offer such space, please contact me.

8th July 00

It seems I will have to delay the release of Queller TA & CC v13 because the conversion of the CC profiles into TA is taking longer than I thought. Plus the fact that I couldn't resist adding a couple more profiles at the last minute. To wet your appetite, here is a list of the new profiles: Acid, Hover, Krogoth, MetalHover, Missions, SeaBattle, Urban and WaterWrld. There are also Wind versions of most of these profiles. Queller TA & CC v13 has FOUR TIMES as many profiles as the previous version. It should be ready by tommorow.

We now have a new forum as well. Go check it out and say hi.

7th July 00

Queller TA & CC v13 will be avaliable for download tommorow. Features of note include:

• SIX totally new profiles, including SeaBattle. It now has twice as many profiles!
• Vastly improved troop choices, the AI will slush better than ever before.
• ARM and CORE now have even more distinctive styles of play.
• You can capture and use AI Factories.

Watch out for its release tommorow.

WARNING: Tommorow the AI Central forums will be a proper UBB. All content from the current forum will be lost, so save your posts until then.

29th June 00

Queller TA & CC v13 continues to progress, and should be finished and ready for download early next week. There are four, yes, four new profiles, plus some real improvements on the current ones, and even more distinctive ARM and CORE play. This version is indeed an improvement. But then, aren't they all? Except one of them, but lets not talk about that, eh? Heh.

An update to Queller FB is also on the cards, with support being added for AI resources so that Fleas with a build time of zero can be used. This is being done because of several requests I have recieved. I guess some people just need pain in their lives.

Meanwhile, the Siege AI now comes complete with a description, though just how truthful certain parts of it are is debatable. Intelligent aircraft? Heh heh, dressing it up a bit aren't you Sage_Z?

Finally, there is an update for the AI Profiler by C_A_P avaliable over at TA Universe, it will appear here too, just as soon as the download will work. You will need version 2 of the AI Profiler, which can be found in the Downloads - Various section, before you install the update.

16th June 00

Queller TAK & CUT v4 is now up and ready for download. I was never very happy with Quellers unit focus in CUT, it would always take a bit of this and a bit of that. I have tried to make it a much more focused AI. I have even done this with the non-CUT AI too.

I know it seems to have been a bit quiet around here lately, but never fear. Currently I have been working on a page for the UberHack Community Pack, I will give the address when it is finished, and that has been taking up most of my time, but in the background I have also been updating Queller TA & CC. Slowly but surely it is progressing. I will be releasing it when it has new profiles, SeaBattle, Hover, WaterWrld, and Urban. Currently both SeaBattle and WaterWrld are in a workable state. I will be improving their performance in v14.

10th June 00

Sage_Z, creator of McnTerra, has now entered the field of cheating AI's with Siege. It uses a lot of AI units to change how it plays, and makes a good use of Easy, Medium and Hard, with there being noticable differences between the levels.

I have updated the Queller FB documentation to include offical victory conditions.

Please, if you're having problems with the Download links, such as 404 errors, please complain to FilePlanet, I do not control the sites FTP server, there is nothing I can do that would improve the reliability of the servers.

5th June 00

I have put up an article which details how Weights and Limits work. This should be useful for those of you who downloaded the AI Profiler, but are not sure what those sliders mean or do. Time to read up.

31st May 00

TA-Power Veteran AI v5 is now avaliable on the downloads page, further improved it now supports the Azurian race. Coming with Creon support this is an excellent AI for both standard TAK and CUT.

30th May 00

C_A_P has released version 2.0 of his TA AI Profiler, it can be found on the Downloads page in the various section. He has not yet finished work on the TAK Profiler, this will be released at a later date. This program is perfect for anyone who wishes to start on making their own AI without having to worry about learning a lot of units codes, as it comes with an easy to understand graphical interface. The Profiler now comes with some proper documentation on how to use it, as well as Switeck's AI Guide. However I hope to have an article up in the next day or two detailing exactly how weights and limits work, as this seems to be a fairly commonly asked question by users of the Profiler.

Since the Downloads page is becoming somewhat large, I will soon be breaking it down in lots of smaller pages, probably divided by the contents list at the top of the page. This should help it to load faster, and save you having to trawl through so much information to get to what you are looking for.

I have also corrected one of the columns for the TA-Power Veteran AI v4, I had it down as not supporting the expansion Iron Plague, which of course v4 does, my apologies to XCOMveteran for this oversight.

29th May 00

The .ai file that came with the TAM version of heavy metal was empty, this has been corrected. Many thanks to BodyBag for letting me know.

23th May 00

As you may know, to play a cheating AI you used to need the expansion Core Contingency, however this changed when Brother Alpha released a UFO containing files required by these AI's. Since then however various problems have popped up, certain AI's never worked with these extra files. All these problems are no more as the 3DO files have been updated, and AI's such as BAI, Alpha and Neverush are now supported by these files. So for those of you who don't have CC but want to play a cheating AI, download the 3DO files from the Downloads page, various section.

Brother Alpha also had this to say.

18th May 00

Queller UH v6 is up and ready for download. It is better than ever, light tank swarms and Warriors will appear in greater numbers and early game attacks are a common sight. A lot of work has gone into improving the SeaBattle profile, and I have also added another profile, WaterWrld. At the last minute, today in fact, I have added a feature that many have wanted, you can now operate captured AI plants and silos! This AI for UberHack can be found on the downloads page.

17th May 00

Queller UH v6 is almost ready for release, in fact it should be out tommorow. I am just making sure all the profiles have had the same changes made, and that the AI is building the new AI Missile Tower which acts in the same way the AI LLT does, the Construction Units can build it but the Commander can't. After version 6 I will be working on bringing the new profiles across to Queller TA & CC. For version 7 of Queller UH I will probably be making updates for the next version of UberHack, possibly with a new profile. Version 8 should finish up the remaining profile and polish all those already in existance. Queller UH can then truly be called a complete AI, if not a finished one, I'm always looking to make some changes here and there to improve performance. I will then concentrate on finishing profile support in Queller TA & CC. After all that I hope to have found someway of getting Iron Plague, the expansion for TAK, which will allow me to add Creon support to Queller TAK & CUT, and please my brother in the process. Once all this has been done I will have finished Queller once and for all, leaving room only for updates containing improved use of resources, better troop mixes and so forth. Actually, looking at back over what I've just written, it's a lot of work, eek! So currently it seems that the finished Quellers should be Queller TA & CC v14, Queller UH v8, Queller FB v2 and Queller TAK & CUT v4. Maybe I'll have to think about actually doing some reviews, eh?

16th May 00

The TA Bugfix v1.4 has been updated. AI Central now has a version totally free of all the flaws that were contained in the original release. Switeck also tells me that work progresses well with the next version, he has made changes to over 100 scripts, with plans to change 100 more. He has tried to make them simpler where possible, which should lead to the game running faster.

I have been making good progress on Queller UH, the SeaBattle profile has been much improved and I have created a WaterWrld one to go with it. Lots of errors have been fixed in Hover, and in SeaBattle where the CORE were still using an experimental resource system which shouldn't have stayed there because it was rubbish. Hover is also more aggressive. On top of this I have continued work on the Default and Metal profiles, making those light tank rushes really happen, and the ARM AI will use Kbots more. It's all ready to take full advantage of the Warrior while it's still so good.

C_A_P has been updating his AI Creation tool it seems, the next version should be out in just a few days. Here's a screenshot of the new layout taken from TA Universe.

He looks like he's trying to make it easier to use, though I think the new layout would put off any veteran AI designer. However since someone who has made several AI's is probably hooked on Notepad, I can't see that being a problem. Notepad by the looks of it will still offer more control, while C_A_P offers ease of use.

15th May 00

A new AI is here! Da Borg! AI for OverseerHack, a modified version of UberHack, can now be found on the downloads page. Since the AI comes with OverseerHack I have uploaded it for its UberHack abilities. This is the first 3rd party non-cheating alternative to Queller UH, and it is a fairly good alternative at that. Impressive expansion early on and moving to level 2 fairly quickly, this AI should become even meaner when level 1 armour is cut in the next UberHack release. The version I was provided with doesn't come with non-cheating AI units, however it does support the units provided with Queller UH.

13th May 00

As far as I can tell File Planet has solved all the problems it was having and all download links should be working properly.

10th May 00

There seems to be a problem with all the files claiming that they do not exist when they actually do. I want you to know that I am aware of the problem and I am working to correct it.

8th May 00

XCOMveteran has identified and corrected some problems with the Creon support in his TA-Power Veteran AI, this corrected version has of course been uploaded.

6th May 00

I have finally gotten around to finishing off and uploading my article on Zoning, an AI concept I dreamt up and discussed on the Cavedog TA Forum. It could probably do with improvements, and I may revise it at some time, but for now check it out in the Articles section and enjoy!

XCOMveteran has joined with TA-POWER. He has renamed his TAK Veteran AI to TA-Power Veteran AI, and along with this has released a new version which not only supports the Crusades Balance, but also has full support for the Creon race as well as a host of other fixes and improvements.

4th May 00

For those TAK players who do not frequent Boneyards, XCOMveteran has created a patch that fixes two annoying CUT issues. The first is the problem with the Wisps aim, and the second is the unreliablity of the Mage Archers paralyis arrow. This fix can be found in the Various Downloads section.

2nd May 00

I have fixed the Queller TA & CC v11 link.

1st May 00

I have reduced the energy firing cost of the nukes in AI Unit Pack 3 since very few AI's ever had enough energy storage to fire the things.

29th April 00

Queller UH v5 can now be found on the Downloads page. Here are just some of the new features:

• Improved troop and defence weights and limits.
• Three new profiles, SeaBattle, Urban and Hover.
• Full support for the UberHack Community Pack v10.
• Nukes, the AI will now fire the things more than once per blue moon.
• Lots of profile errors fixed.

This version is a fairly major step up from the last one, I hope you enjoy it.

I strongly reccomend that if you are a TAM user you download the UberHack Sidedata fix from the Downloads page. Without it the AI cannot use Floating Hover Plants.

To get the UberHack Community Pack, visit T.A.E.C. and follow the UHCP discussion link. There will be a link to the file in the UHCP v10 thread.

If, after reading all this you're still not sure Queller is worth the bother, here is part of an e-mail I got from a Queller player.

He also sent me a screenshot which I have added to the Queller UH Screenshot Gallery. This new shot shows Queller using some 3rd party units.

The download link for the TAM version of Queller UH has been fixed.

Well there's always one, I managed to find an error in the new release. If you use the UberHack Community Pack and this message wasn't here when you downloaded Queller, then you will need to re-download Queller. I have added support for the soon to come Dreadnaughts as a bonus though.

28th April 00

I have uploaded an UberHack Sidedata fix for TAM users. Find it in the Various Downloads section, it fixes various AI errors. This fix will have been worked into v2.1 of BSR's TC.

Queller UH v5 is almost ready for release. I have all three of the new profiles at a stage where I am happy with them. Now all I am doing is waiting for the UberHack Community Pack v10 to be released so I can include support for it. I only the Acid and AirBattle profiles to go now, and they'll be in v6 have no fear.

26th April 00

Work continues on Queller UH, however I have gone further with it than I expected to. I now have not only a SeaBattle profile, but also Urban and Hover ones too. I have even worked in support for the UberHack Community Pack. It looks like this release is going to be something special. A Queller TA & CC release should follow soon after with new profiles. Not many profiles left to go.

24th April 00

Queller TAK & CUT has now reached version 3. This time it has a proper CUT AI, which hopefully will put up a stiff challenge. Expect this to be developed further.

VanTheMan, creator of the MoonAI, has told me that he is working on one final AI complete with AI nukes, planes and many other such items. Sounds interesting, I hope to have more for you later.

19th April 00

The Mutator ClearingHouse has had a minor graphics overhaul, it is easier to navigate around too. Another site for TAM has sprung up as well called TA:M - Reservoir Cavedog, it deals with all things TAM.

I have been continuing work on Queller, expect Queller UH v5 out in about a week, compelete with primative SeaBattle. Queller CUT will appear along with an updated Queller TAK in the next few days. I am still looking to buy Iron Plague.

17th April 00

The link to Queller TAK v2 on the CORE page was leading to v1. My apologies, this has been fixed. Many thanks to XCOM Veteran who spotted this error.

14th April 00

Queller TAK v2 is now up on the downloads page. Featuring better troop mixes, superior handling of its resources and an understanding of each races strengths. It is generally better than v1, and aims to put up as tough a fight as possible. Well doesn't every AI? It still doesn't support CUT, but since the non-CUT version is about as done as it's going to get, CUT support will be in v3. I aim to support the Creon race as soon as possible, but I haven't been able to find the Iron Plague in England yet.

Also, the TAK Veteran AI v3 has been uploaded again, after I spotted and fixed an error with the Shaman code. This corrected version is well worth downloading if you enjoyed this AI before.

I have decided to bring out Queller UH v5 shortly. It will have many improvements brought about by discussions on the UberHack boards, including better defence mixes, reaching level 2 faster, better troops combinations, support for the UberHack Community Pack v9 and so on. It will also come with a rather primative SeaBattle profile, which while needing a lot of work still, is better than the Cavedog version.

13th April 00

Woah. I just got a real thrashing from Queller today, and it only had 1K resource. Wimp you think? Well look at this.

Note the time, only 13 minutes into the game, and the AI has gone level two and taken over the map. How is this possible? Well I decided to try one of the mutators from the Mutator ClearingHouse called AirComm. Man is the AI scary with that mutator. I played with my usual expansion style, and since I couldn't see where the metal spots were I had to feel my way around. The AI on the other hand roared around the map grabbing everything. Try an AI with this mutator on, trust me, it's much harder.

12th April 00

Work continues on Queller TAK, I have improved its unit mixes, and slightly improved the problems it was having with mana-stall, at least, as much as the terrible AI resource coding will allow.

A new review has gone up today, this one is of SHONNER AI v1.4. It claimed to to have beaten down both Mostly Harmless and Queller, though as my review shows, I'm not quite sure how.

10th April 00

Queller TAK is now a reality. Pick up v1 of the non-CUT AI from the downloads page. This should be a fairly aggressive AI trying to play as well as it possibly can with every race. Since I'm still learning TAK there are almost certinally some troops I have over and under used. Be sure to let me know of any obvious problems. Also, this is most definately a land AI, trying to use it on a map with water cutting off vital parts of the map will result in a poor gaming experience.

BANZAI has now been split in two, we have standard BANZAI, and also Bugfix BANZAI. It's going to need its own page soon.

7th April 00

I noticed a few errors in the Kingdoms codes I uploaded yesterday. They have been fixed. I suspect there may be a couple more useless units that haven't been labelled, but I'll know for certain by tommorow.

A new AI has come to my attention, SHONNER AI v1.4. This AI has an impressive record, racking up wins against both Queller, Mostly Harmless and many other well known AI's. Now while defeating other AI's only counts for so much, this shows it is at the very least better than your average AI. Grab it from the Downloads page, this sounds like one well worth adding to your collection.

6th April 00

I have added a new screenshot to the Queller UH Gallery, of Queller wiping the floor with me. I was trying out the excellent UberHack Community Pack, but after trying to take the middle ground found myself under attack from two AI's instead of just one. My AI partner fell, and I didn't get much of a chance to test anything. Well, maybe next time. The next release of Queller UH will have full support for these additional units.

Queller FB has been updated again. Since the Hover Flea is now built by the Kbot Lab, there is no longer a need for a second ZIP containing Queller HFB. There is no need to download it again if you already have it, you just don't need to use Queller HFB anymore.

I can also confirm that I will be working on a Kingdoms AI. I have already taken all the codes from the game, and since it only requires one profile, it will be an interesting project. The Kingdoms engine is smarter than TA when it comes to handling AI and as such holds my interest. Not much smarter, but it certinally can handle a FFA better because it uses more than one group of troops and will attack earlier with small numbers of units. I will be creating an AI first for standard Kingdoms, and then for CUT (the Kingdoms Crusades balance) as well.

I have uploaded a ZIP to the Various Downloads section which contains all the codes for TA, CC and Kingdoms units. It contains codes for every Cavedog unit and I'm sure will be very useful to anyone who wishes to write an AI in notepad without finding all the codes first. Many thanks to Switeck who wrote the TA code document.

5th April 00

AI Central needs YOU!

I'm sure you will have noticed that I don't exactly roar through doing AI reviews. The truth is I usually have a lot of things to do and simply don't have the time to play every profile on multiple maps so as to give a fair and balanced review. I am usually busy updating the site or my own AI, or simply working. I need people who would be willing to put in the time to do regular AI reviews, testing every profile on lots of different maps. It is a lot of work, but can be a lot of fun too. You will need a good standard of English.

If you think you could do this, please contact me, include a sample review.

4th April 00

Queller FB has been updated, though it is not a new version but now has support for the mutator Hover Flea. This brings with it the added bonus that it can play on water levels. If you wish to get hold of this mutator, you'll need a copy of TA-Mutation from the downloads page, and to visit Mutator ClearingHouse, which contains pretty much every mutator around.

I have also finally archived the first quarters worth of news.

3rd April 00

It's been a quiet period, but I've come home from my University for a months holiday. I also get free Internet access in the evenings at at the weekends for two hours at a time. Considering the per minute charge I endured before (as is standard in Britain), this is a vast improvement.

Anyway, to break the silence, Brother Alpha has made a TA Bugfix compatible copy of his AI, BANZAI. No more tags or units which won't work properly alongside Bugfix, finally two excellent products can be combined.

This has also lead to the removal of the Easy and Hard AI Boost. A new Hard AI Boost file is up, but I haven't heard if there will be a new Easy one. Keep your eyes peeled.

A fellow TAM site has appeared. The Mutator ClearingHouse. Here you will find lots of mutators to download. Mutators are small files which change certain aspects of TA, from adding circus music to the Zipper, to changing the Commander to a plane. You will need TA-Mutation to use these mutators, get it from the downloads section.

Queller FB will soon be updated to work with the Hover Flea mutator.

25th March 00

Thanks to iomeag who has pointed out an error in the TAM copy of Queller UH v4. My apologies to all of you who have downloaded it and had to correct this yourself. The new uploaded copy puts itself in the correct directory as stated by the readme, and contains a .ai file.

Brother Alpha has now added an Easy AI Boost file to the ever growing BANZAI collection.

He also added some extra information on BANZAI and his upcoming non-cheating AI. Will it ever appear? Only time will tell.

23rd March 00

Queller UH v4 has been patched to fix the clash between the AI EMP Silo and the Anti-mine Missile. I have also added codes to the AI EMP damage table, for every single AI unit that I know of. That's quite a large list. These codes have also been sent to BSR for inclusion in any future UberHack release.

I have updated unit packs 2 and 3. There was an error in these packs that may have caused some of you crashes if you used them, also pack 3 needed the EMP special damage list updating so that it doesn't hurt AI structures.

The TAM copy of heavy metal doesn't work properly, the AI units are not enabled when it is switched on. A fixed copy has been uploaded.

Queller will indeed one day rule the seas. Testing for the SeaBattle profile is going nicely, even though it seems that the AI isn't caperble of reaching the same standard on the seas as it achieved on the land.

I have added a column to the TAK AI section which tells you if an AI was designed for CUT or not.

22nd March 00

An announcement by the TOP 100:

21st March 00

I have added a fairly interesting addition to the TA 2 AI Wish List. Thanks to Jason Gerber for putting forward the idea for an AI that communicates. Drawn from games such as Unreal Tournament, where bots tell you what is going on, I'm surprised it has never been brought up before.

20th March 00

TA Bugfix is now at version 1.4. Plenty more fixes, for you non-TAM users it comes with its own install program. This version is much smaller in terms of file size than previous ones, without losing any of the changes but adding many more.

Another cheating TA AI, heavy metal, designed for TA Bugfix v1.3. It also comes with its own snazzy front end screens.

18th March 00

Brother Alpha has sent me BANZAI v1.1, in addition, the Hard AI Boost for making your BANZAI games tougher has been updated as well. Both can be found on the Downloads page.

17th March 00

Jeff Adkins has released the Black Storm AI. Based on BAI, this AI will use better unit combinations and has updated the unit UFO's. For those of you waiting for BAI v5, this may be an excellent product to pass the time with.

14th March 00

Both Queller TA & CC v12 and Queller UH v4 have been released today. Neither brings anything dramatically new, but what they do, is to correct every bug I found, and improve in every area I thought them weak. Plus Queller UH v4 is now designed for UberHack 2.0 FINAL. Both can be found on the downloads page in standard and TAM format.

I have removed some unrequired files from AI Unit Pack 2. I will be looking to remove animations which aren't required both from AI Unit Packs and AI's. This should cut some file sizes.

The Quell archive column is gone, replaced by a Flea Bowl one.

The TAM copy of Queller FB was not putting itself in the TA-Mutation directory, this has been fixed.

11th March 00

I did it for Total Annihilation, and so the Total Annihilation: Kingdoms AI, 3.0BB joins the list of the unranked.

Switeck has announced that his TA Bugfix v1.4 will support TA-Mutation, this will in turn lead to a small download file, under a MB I am lead to believe.

UberHack 2.0 FINAL is now out, and can be downloaded from T.A.E.C..

10th March 00

Since you need to disable Total Annihilation: Kingdoms Cavedog verification before you can use a new AI, I have uploaded a program that does it for you. Grab it from the Downloads section.

8th March 00

After people sometimes missing an AI that was in the unranked section, I have now arranged all unranked AI's in alphabetical order. If you know what you're looking for, it'll be easy to find.

I have also added a marquee to the Downloads page, it will tell you what has been most recently updated, and what to expect later. Now we'll see if I remember to keep it up to date.

I have fixed a lot of file errors. Apprently I renamed files offline and on the pages, but never fixed the uploaded copies. I have done so for every file error I could find. No more broken links, hurrah!

The TAK Veteran AI has now reached version 3, updated for all the latest patch changes. Version 4 will apparently support the Creon race.

7th March 00

A few general updates.

Firstly the ranking system used by the AI reviews is now explained on the Downloads page, and there is a link to the explanation as well.

Secondly the Mostly Harmless scores have been updated for v13.

Lastly, I have removed the Profile Support score from all AI's that do not come with AI Units. It was a silly score to have for them, as more than one non-cheating AI's profiles can be used at a time, so you can pick and mix profiles from each AI.

There was an error with the TA-Mutation copy of Queller TA v11, it was missing its .ai file. This has been fixed.

6th March 00

It was my birthday yesterday, and I've been having a good rest away from University at home. Nothing like going home and having real food. Bliss.

Anyway, among my presents was Total Annihilation: Kingdoms, so I will be taking a look at a few of these hot shot AI's when I have a feel for the game.

Lastly, before I go to bed, since this is an early morning update, I discovered that the standard format Queller TA & CC v11 download was incorrectly named. This travesty has been corrected, and the buck has been passed...........I'm sure I can fit in a File Planet excuse in somewhere.

Just before I turn in, Immerman has released TA Mutation v0.8.1. Head over to Downloads to grab this excellent file swapping utility.

Thanks to iomeag who has sent in a screenshot of a truly insane game of Flea Bowl. Check it out in the Queller FB Gallery.

Brother Alpha has put his non-cheating AI on hold for a while. Apparently he is revamping BANZAI to support a 15MB Unit Pack he has been working on.

Download TAM UberHack 2.0 here. The file will be up at T.A.E.C. too.

29th February 00

Well it's the leap year and leap day, just imagine, if instead of a leap year we had the extra quater day every year, you would end up getting an extra days holiday every four years. As it is, you get an extra days work.

Anyway, today I have corrected an error with the TAM version of Mostly Harmless, it was not enabling the Necro fix.

28th February 00

Cavedog has released another map, Starfish Isle, download it here.

I have updated the Demon AI to include the new water profile.

27th February 00

The TAK Veteran AI has now reached version 2, complete with several bug corrections.

I have uploaded a TAM compatible copy of UberHack v2.0, you can download it here.

26th February 00

The TAM link to Bomba y Bomba was broken. It has now been fixed. Thanks go to Crispy for spotting this.

Keep your eyes peeled for a couple of upcoming Flea Bowl maps. Ahnteis has already sent me one for testing, and Viperion has apprently made one as well.

Another file error, this time in the TAM copy of the Peewee AI v1, again noted by Crispy. A corrected file has been uploaded.

25th February 00

Two new articles up today.

Firstly, the Total Annihilation 2 AI Wish List has been put up on the Articles page. I thank those who sent in ideas, and would ask anyone who has thought of something they want the AI to be able to do in Total Annihilation 2, to send them in.

Secondly, I have finally got around to putting up a guide to installing Ai's. It also includes a section for people who download AI's such as Demon and McnTerra which come with specialist profiles.

I have corrected the Flea Bowl data on the CORE page, as UberFan correctly pointed out to me, it should be listed as v2, last updated on the 21st February. Sorry about that.

23rd February 00

I have posted my review of the BSRAI. Plus a new column has been added to the TAK AI section, which lists which AI's support the expansion Iron Plague.

I am also working on a Submit AI Page to make it more obvious that I am open to AI's being sent in, and also to show exactly what details I require.

22nd February 00

Another TAK AI for you, the Lithium AI. Again only with a Default profile, but well worth trying.

21st February 00

Queller FB v2 is now ready for download. Based around 10K resource games, complete with Metal profile, it also uses Construction Kbots to try and get more labs. Try and take on 9 of these suckers without using DT, Sea or Air. No amount of D-Gunning can save you now!

I have changed the story on the CORE page from the ARM to the CORE version. Don't know how that got mixed up.

XCOMveteran has updated his TAK Veteran AI to v 1.5. It now has full support for the 3.0 patch recently released.

20th February 00

Cavedog have released another map, in line with the start of round 2 of their tournament. Go to the Total Annihilation hompage to download "Long Lakes."

I have fixed the Articles button on the ARM page to actually link to articles, not features.

19th February 00

Sigh, I make advanced AI's to destroy everyone, and what do you all come and download? An AI that simply mass produces Fleas! I'll never understand people, heh.

Anyway, here is a nice quote from NJ_THUG:

"Hmm.. well that's the first time I've had my arse kicked by a bunch of fleas.. :/"

In addition, I have uploaded the first TAK AI to have been sent me. The TAK Veteran AI v1 aims to use the best possible troop combinations to bring you to your knees. Download it and give it a whirl.

Thanks to Immerman who has spotted an error in the TA-Mutation copy of BAI v4, the error has been corrected and a new copy uploaded. My apologies for any inconvinience.

NOTE: The news item on February 7th only appeared on the ARM page. This has been corrected, and the item can be found below in its proper place. Since one of the items concerned a file error, it would be a good idea to read it if you have not already done so.

18th February 00

Well due to the number of pesters I have had you can now download Queller FB v1 from the downloads section. I have always thought of this as merely a side project, and didn't realise the interest it would spark, so it currently only has a Default profile, and I'm sure I'll fiddle with it some more after release.

I have put up a Queller FB Gallery so you can get an idea of what it's all about.

16th February 00

I have updated the TAM Unit Packs so that when you choose one, you will get the site description of what it does. This should aid you in your choices.

15th February 00

The most useful tool of all time has now been released! Finally you can download every single AI from AI Central, and access them with ease, being told if they will work with your current MOD or not. I have them all, and it's a beautiful feeling.

Immerman of Quantum Design has this to say:

You will also find it on the downloads page. Every AI here is now TAM compatible, if you download the TA Mutation version. All you do is download and extract. It really is that simple.

14th February 00

Thanks to Ahnteis I now have new menu buttons. There are a few problems with the text alignment, but he will be fixing those. I think we can all agree they look much nicer now, especially now that the nasty text link for articles is gone.

13th February 00

Mostly Harmless v13 has had an update, and also comes with a fixed version of the CORE Necro.

You can now download AI's in TA Mutation format, though the program itself isn't out yet. This is an accident, but....., oh well.

12th February 00

It is official. Cavedog has been closed by GT. Go to Adrenaline Vault for the full story.

However it seems someone is trying to rush out everything Cavedog had left before the closure, because yet another map has appeared from Cavedog. Go to their site and pick it up.

If you found BANZAI a tad too easy for your taste, you will now find a harder AI Boost avaliable for download alongside it. For that truly humbling experience.

I have updated the AI Creation tool to the latest version, and the TAK AI Creator is out of BETA.

Finally, Immerman has told me that the release of TA Mutation is imminent. All AI Central AI's and Unit Packs will be compatible with this program upon release.

7th February 00

TA Mutator format AI's are now avaliable on the downloads page. I have used this oppotunity to also correct the listed file sizes. I would reccomend getting the TA Mutator and using Mutator format AI's, as this allows you to have multiple AI's which can be switched with a single mouse click, rather than having to worry about installing the AI yourself and getting files into the correct location.

Cut the size of Unit Pack 1 by removing unrequired files, and an error was fixed as well.

5th February 00

Immerman is working on an incredibly useful program for Total Annihilation. Called TA Mutation, it will allow you to switch on and off any extra units, AI, mutator or even total conversion. This is unlimited support for everything! I have been playing around with a test version, and I have to say it is an incredibly useful product. I will be putting up compatible versions of every AI and Unit Pack within a week, and Queller will be ready for use with it by tonight.

Now we just need to wait for it to be released.......well you do anyway, heh.

4th February 00

In their ever continuing campaign to keep Total Annihilation fans for the follow-up, Cavedog have released a brand new map. Check out the story:

Download it from here.

2nd February 00

I have added a bookmark menu system to the downloads page, it should make it a lot easier to find what you're looking for.

Expect Queller TA & CC v12 very soon.

I have added a link to the Queller UH Gallery at the bottom of this page, and have also created a page for Queller TA & CC screenshots.

I have updated all the documentation that said the last time Queller UH was updated was in January, to February.

1st February 00

My apolgies for the delays in the release of some of these items. I have not been able to upload any files since my last update.

Firstly, Queller UH v3 is now on the downloads page! Designed around UH 1.2E, this is a vast improvement over v2, better use of the airforce, better resource handling, earlier attacks and better level 2 resources and troop mixes just to name a few of the improvements made. This AI will put up the best challenge a non-cheating AI can.

Switeck has also chosen this time to release his Mostly Harmless v13 to AI Central, before anyone else! Take advantage of his generous gesture by downloading it now!

Here is a taster of the changes made:

• Support for both ARM FARK and CORE NECRO
• Added very low limits for semi-useful units
• Almost every profile has had an update
• Better than any previous version

Various page updates and corrections. The Download and Feature pages have been updated to show the Cloakable Fusions that the AI will now use. The Articles page has had its iink to the Ping Guide fixed. Corrected the errors on this page, and added a nice quote that I thought summed up why this site should exist.

Finally, M. Kenyon sends us tidings on the progress he is making on his new AI, plus an error he has found in BANZAI.

29th January 00

Cavedog have released a new unit! Read on for details.

You can download this new unit from here

28th January 00

Hurrah! The download links are all fixed. It seems File Planet doesn't like spaces in file names.

I also updated the description of the Hex80-AI. The AI Pack numbers next to each AI have been turned into links as well.

27th January 00

I swear I uploaded every file to the new files directory. However after complaints of broken links, I went in there to see. It is empty, whether the upload failed, or something happened to them I do not know. However all the files are now back online.

And here you have it, from the guestbook, right from the mouth of the people who matter (even if they don't always get the name right):

"Hello again. Just to say that i have made up my mind and think that Qualler is the best ever non-cheating ai for TA. It is almost perfect! I think your ai is slightly better than Switeks mostly harmless ai and he's original ai."

25th January 00

All the files on this site have now been moved across to File Planet. If you find any broken links, please let me know.

23rd January 00

Since there is so much stuff in the Downloads section, I plan to split it into sections rather than one big page. This should make it easier to find things. This should happen sometime this week.

Also, Universe Games wishes to announce the following:

Lastly, Lokken's Keep has reopened.

22nd January 00

You wanted it, and C_A_P has oblidged. Yes, he has created and released a tool that should come in very handy for making an AI of your very own for either Total Annihilation, or Total Annihilation: Kingdoms. The AI Creation tool. Avaliable now on the Downloads page. Click a picture to see a bigger version.

I can give you the basics of this tool to get you started. Very simply, right click a unit to change its Weight and Limit. For more precision select the box with the numbers in and type one yourself. A unit with a red Cavedog by it is disabled, you will need to double click the Cavedog to turn it white and to enable the unit. Save your profile into a subdirectory within your main Total directory called ai. The only problem with this program is that as far as I can tell, you can't change the order of the list, and the order of a list does affect the AI. Also, strangely, when saved the profile lists Limits before Weights, most odd. However with a description and picture for each unit, this is the perfect tool for any budding AI designer.

Please note that the Kingdoms profiler is still a BETA.

The BANZAI link was broken because of my dubious ability to spell. I have fixed the link, and you can now download the AI. My apologies also for saying it supports UberHack, in actual fact it does not support it, nor any total conversion. It was 2am and I was in a rush.

21th January 00

I have added the T.A.E.C. bar to the top of the screen. Since they co-host us it seems logical that we all link to one another. Now you can find your way to the home of UberHack that much quicker. T.A.E.C. also holds copies of BETA versions of UberHack which are currently under testing.

I have also given the site a once over, correcting any small glitches, checking links, and making sure everything that I've written makes sense.......or as much sense as it's ever going to make.

The Archive has been updated on the Downloads page to include the first release of Queller UH.

M. Kenyon has released another AI, BANZAI. This is a cheating AI which supports hundreds of units. This is a 3rd party unit dream come true. This AI will chew you up and is certinally not for the faint hearted. It can be found on the Downloads page. Expect his first attempt at a non-cheating AI to be released soon.

20th January 00

I have left my pet project Queller Flea Bowl alone for too long. Finally I have a story which gives you a rough idea of what it's all about. Courtesy of EMG Man.

Finally a game with a use for Fleas! This is just some light hearted fun when you don't want to have to mess around with your resource machine or defences, you just want to deal some damage. Fleas look so cute doing it too. Expect the profiles to be released soon.

Also, T.A.E.C. has another project which is just beginning. Total Annihilation: Tactical Command. I have signed up to handle the AI for it, though it will be a while before it reaches that stage. Here is a shot of the menu screen. Click it for a larger image.

I have also archived all the news from 1999. The link to old news can be found at the bottom of this page.

The Mostly Harmless review by EMG Man has been removed pending an update to bring it in line with the new scoring system.

Finally, I have updated the features page to note the Cloakable Fusions that Queller TA & CC v12 and Queller UH v3 will all include and support.

18th January 00

I have added a link to an article on ping reduction in the articles section. It is a very well written and incredibly detailed document. I would strongly reccomend that you take a look.

Also on the articles page is a link to an article on strategic AI decsion making.

I would like to thank everyone who makes Queller such a success, and all those that play it. From the e-mails I recieved, it seems more than I realised.

I have added the Planet Annihilation advertising banner to the top of both news pages. Combined with the banners on T.A.E.C. we more than meet the number required by a Planet Annihilation site, as T.A.E.C. and AI Central share the same space, we more or less count as a single site.

Oh, and there's a contest on!

Finally, taken from TAMEC:

16th January 00

It seems Brother Alpha is working on his first non-cheating AI. A non-cheating AI from the King of cheating AI's. This should be interesting indeed.

BSR has also said that AI Planes should be on the missile damage tables in the next (and possibly last) test release of UberHack. Expect Queller UH v3 to be released at about the same time.

I have also removed the music from the site. The ARM music was not too popular, and I don't want to drive people away from the half of the site that is possibly the easier to read.

13th January 00

Planet Annihilation is back up, and so is AI Central. Hurrah!

10th January 00

It seems the rumours were false, in an announcement on the Total Annihilation: Kingdoms board, it was stated that Cavedog is still alive, and that Total Annihilation 2 is in their hands. However, the announcer did say they were bound by certain legal aspects which suggests something is still going on behind the scenes.

The entire Planet ring has been down for a while now, and that includes our hosts, Planet Annihilation. Hopefully the problems will have been fixed by today.

All quiet on the AI front for now, Queller UH is still being developed, with a much enhanced Metal profile, and the beginnings of a SeaBattle one. The TA Bugfix is getting an update, and Counter Strike is going to get a major overhaul. But none of these things have yet been finished, so you'll have to content yourself with the wide selection we already have on the Downloads page.

Oh, and keep those AI Wish List suggestions coming, I have already collected a few, it doesn't help that the site is down of course.

8th January 00

Added TA-POWER to the links page. This is home not only to the MoonAI, and the creator of the Bomba y Bomba collection, but also home to some of the best looking 3rd party units around. Well worth a look.

IS CAVEDOG NO MORE?

Rumours are flying that Cavedog has disbanded. Is this the end of everything? Go here for the full story. I have a contact inside SingleTrac, and I'm going to see if he can tell me anything.

7th January 00

Amen: The Awakening has been canned by Cavedog, however Total Annihilation 2 has been confirmed! To run with this I have put up all the discussion that went on around my AI "Zoning" idea. A full article on this will soon be written up.

I would ask you to post any TA2 AI ideas, or simply thinks you want, on the board. I want to write a TA2 AI Wish List, and every idea would be useful.

5th January 00

The link to the MoonAI was broken, but it has now been fixed. Thanks to Switeck for catching this one.

2nd January 00

What a surprise, there was no armageddon, no world wide panic, no mass destruction. Judgement day did not arrive, but there were some nice fireworks.

To celebrate this proper, a new version of Queller UH is avaliable. This is a major improvement over the original. Please note that it is based around UberHack 1.2c. The number of AI units in future versions will almost certinally decrease.

Also, a new MoonAI has been released, v1.5a. Here are the changes:

• Updated all profiles again due to some major problems
• Updated support for the new TA-POWER Units
• Updated the sidedata.tdf for the new units
• Now it has a nuker patch
• Added the Congost Profile with some changes
• Updated the otas and added some

It can be found in the downloads section.

31st December 99

I hope you all have a Happy New Year! Oh, and may the Y2K bug spare this site, eh.

I have been quite lazy what with it being the holidays and all, but with yet another year coming, I will be returning to work on Queller soon.

Expect a review of BAI+UH soon.

26th December 99

Since people sometimes ask me where they can get the various modifcations that some AI' support, I have made the names of the MOD's in the Download section, links to the appropriate homepage.

I hope you all had a great Christmas, I certinally did.

23rd December 99

Bardi has been kind enough to give me a description for his AI's. It has been added to the downloads section.

This is probably the last update before Christmas, so I hope you all have a happy holiday, enjoy Christmas, and are looking forward to the New Year!

Till then, this is Quitch, signing off.

20th December 99

I have uploaded some new AI's, Bomba y Bomba, a collection of AI's by Bardi, all desgined to work specifically with special maps. However if you rename the profiles, you could try them out on the standard maps and see how they measure up.

We're also three months old now, and with a positively giant collection of AI's. Expect more reviews soon. As soon as I have decided what to do about my articles button, I will have put up an article on installing AI's with unusual profile names, how to change OTA files, and finally one on my ideas on AI in future RTS, Zoning.

I have updated the AI Unit Packs. Mostly general readme corrections, however for Packs 2 and 3, I have made their nukes compatible with the AAISILO and CAISILO codes in addition to the NukeA and NukeC ones they already supported.

Unit Pack descriptions have been updated, and the column which tells you which Packs certain AI's support has been updated.

19th December 99

Cavedog has released a new unit, the F.A.R.K. for the ARM. Still supporting a game after 3 years, good job guys!

Queller v11 and UH+TAEC have been updated to include weights and limits for the new unit.

12th December 99

Updated the Credits section to add the new Queller UH tester, Shadow.

9th December 99

Added a few more images to the Queller UH gallery, but not ones of my games, because they were too humiliating.

8th December 99

Queller UH+TAEC is back up and ready for download. I have halved the damage the planes can take, and this will compensate for most AA modifiers. However these planes will not take the extra damage Fighters and Hawks should now dish out. The only person who can correct this is BSR, so I suggest you go to T.A.E.C. which can be found on the links page, and go to the Annihilated forum from there. Then you can ask/pester BSR to add the appropriate damage corrections to the weapons table.

Also, I have completed a review of Cavedogs 3.1 AI, it can be found in the downloads section.

I also need someone with a graphics package, to make a new button for me. Contact me if you can do this!

7th December 99

I have put a taster of Queller UH up for download. You get the Default and Wind profiles. Metal is already being worked on, and AirBattle is not far behind. This AI should crush newbies and give average players a run for their money. However it is not without it's teathing problems, currently the ARM AI is better than CORE, and the AI presses its resources a bit too hard. I will be tweaking these profiles and adding many more for some time to come.

Download the beginnings of Queller UH from the downloads section. Feel free to e-mail me feedback, it is early days yet. Please note that Queller UH has been designed for UH 1.2b, it will not behave as well with UH1.1, nor will it play as well with upcoming versions, so use version of Queller UH while you still can.

Before installing the AI make sure you have set the AI to Cavedog in the Switcher, also use this setting when launching. If you wish to use BAI while Queller installed you will need to move the QuellerUHUnits.ufo file into a different directory from Totala.

Look at some shots of Queller in action here. Estimated loading time, 3-4 minutes over a 28K modem.

4th December 99

Minor updates, an author description for McnTerra, and a link to Essential Annihilation, a Total Annihilation site well work a look.

3rd December 99

Queller UH is coming along nicely. It can now play an very good Default game, and work is starting on other profiles. Metal will almost certinally be done by the end of tommorow. Air and Sea Battle are the next in line. Queller CC and TA will soon have these extra profiles too.

Here's an early shot of Queller UH in action:

As you can see, by about 35 minutes Queller can own most of the map if you give it even the slightest amount of room. Note the early Intimidator, plus the ground attack supported by air forces. Don't worry, Queller plays even better now, heh. Bigger ground force attacks, better defence allocation, swifter expansion and better use of resources. Queller UH will certinally not play nice, give it a 500 unit limit and kiss your ass goodbye.

I'll be sure to get a shot from the latest version up soon. With pictures appearing I'd best archieve soon........

28th November 99

A new version, 0.96B, of the Yankspankers demo recorder has been released. They have discovered the following errors and a patch is planned:

25th November 99

Updated the tables on the downloads and review pages to actually show the backgrounds they're supposed to. Unfortunately, Frontpage Express had created an error that would never show up on my computer, and I only spotted it upon using a University machine to look around the site.

24th November 99

VanTheMan has updated v1.45 of the MoonAI. It is sitting on the downloads page with an updated description.

Finally got around to getting a new Top100 account, we're finally on there as AI Central, but we've lost all our hits, sob. Never mind, we'll get them back in no time.

23rd November 99

The latest version of the Alpha AI, v1.4, has been uploaded. Brother Alpha has been working on making it a fairer foe. Despite this though, the author maintains that it is harder to beat than the BAI. Download it and take a look. It also has full TAUIP support.

Queller v11 has been released to the testers, and I am currently working on Uberhack mostly. However, improved use of defensive structures, and a better late game in Total Annihilation and Core Contingency are also things you'll see. Finally, v11 eliminates the need for a sidedata file thus correcting problems such as the ARM AI not going Advanced Air. Fear the Hawk swarms!

Since more and more AI's are beginning to support extra units and such, I have changed the "Supports UH?" column on the downloads page, to a "MODS Supported" column. You can now find an AI that supports your 3rd party needs.

BSR has also confirmed that he will be using Queller not Quell as he wishes to make the AI for UberHack as challenging as possible.

I have decided not to continue with Quell. People do not seem to mind the hacked units Queller uses, and do not consider it cheating. Therefore I believe the amount of time Quell takes to keep up to date would be better speant working on Queller.

Brother Alpha says he did not make the 3DO files which I have on the downloads page. My apologies for my bad grammar, as they were of course made by Cavedog. Brother Alpha put together the UFO, but did not actually make the files contained within.

Finally, AI Central is now over a month old, hurrah! Still going strong, with near constant updates, nothing like being a perfectionist. Keep those AI's and descriptions coming in!

21st November 99

AI Central has now moved to Planet Annihilation, we are being sub-hosted by T.A.E.C.. You should get a much more reliable connection to AI Central now.

20th November 99

Queller UH has entered testing. I am working to get it ready in time for the official release of UH 1.2, though it will be patched afterwards from AI Central, with additional profiles, and more testing allowing for a better AI.

I have added more AI author descriptions.

I have uploaded the BAI patch by Brother Alpha which adds Immolator support. No longer will the BAI build an infinite amount of them. With approval from BSR, it has been integrated into the BAI download.

Also added to the downloads page, 3DO Files. These files will allow you to use Core Contingency AI's without actually needing the expansion.

Remember, AI Central, bringing you the widest and most up to date selection of AI's around. No where beats us! Don't get an old out of date AI, come here for all your skirmish needs.

16th November 99

Queller v11: The upcoming version of Queller should contain the following improvements:

• All problems with the sidedata file have been fixed, thanks to Switeck. The sidedata file is no more, and ARM will now build Advanced Air Plants and the Zeus, CORE will finally use Leveler tanks.
• Improved Level 2 play. Fusions and Moho Metal Makers will work alongside one another, along with more aggressive and numerous Level 2 attacks by the AI.
• UH 1.2 support will be added, with and without the TAEC units.
• Limit tweaks have been made so that Queller will operate better with a 250 unit limit.
• Queller may be provided with UH, though BSR may use Quell instead (or neither).
• Possible new profiles, though UH may keep me too busy.
• More misc fixes.

Planned release date: December, in line with UH 1.2.

I will probably release Quell alongside Queller, but I haven't decided yet. Queller UH may also be released seperately from Queller TA/CC.

I have updated the Unit Packs. Packs 4 and 6 have merged as Switeck updated his AI Stealth fighters to work with his bugfix. If you use the bugfix and Counterstrike, then you should download Unit Pack 4 and use it to replace the Counterstrike AI_Air.ufo file.

Switeck has also said he is working on an updated Counterstrike, and I doubt Mostly Harmless is finished with yet either. Finally, Paradox from Boneyards has apprently shown an interest in using Switeck's bugfix as a way of eliminating lag.

After more time playing it I have updated my review of Mostly Harmless, and the catogory of Map Score has been replaced by Reviewers Tilt.

Maybe I should start to archieve old news?

15th November 99

I have uploaded another AI, Neverush by Brother Alpha, also responsible for PeeWee AI and Alpha AI. For those of you fed up with BAI Rapier rushes within minutes, this may be the AI for you. Though it should play a brutal game, it will leave you alone for the first eight to ten minutes, giving you a chance to build up your defences. Get it from the downloads section!

14th November 99

My apologies. You may think you have the most up to date Queller when actually you don't. The date on the download page should read 10/11/99, however since most of you are American, the mistake probably helped. The irony.

12th November 99

Pretty big updates to the downloads section. Mostly Harmless has been reviewed and ranked, all the extra AI's have been added, and last but not least AI unit packs have been put up to allow you to get units to boost AI performance if the AI supports them. The AI's have which packs they support written next to them.

Finally, I added a picture for an upcoming AI, Queller FB, or otherwise known as Queller Flea Bowl. This is an AI planned to play the game of Flea Bowl. Flea Bowl was thought up by someone on the Total Annihilation Forum (I will find out who), basically you are serverly restricted in the units you can use, and may only use Fleas for assault. Believe me, much hilarity ensures as hordes of Fleas sweep over the horizon.

Enjoy!

10th November 99

I have made an update to Queller and Quell after spotting a potential problem with the Vamp in their TA profiles. The updated copies have been uploaded.

I have added BSR's and Switeck's comments to their AI's. There'll be more of them coming from other author's soon.

Fixed the T.A.E.C. link so it actually is a link rather than just a pretty banner.

Keep your eye on AI Central, we'll have more AI's, more reviews, and AI unit packs for ones like Mostly Harmless which support them. Ai Central, where the machine rules supreme!

7th November 99

Switeck has already updated his bugfix! It is now at v1.3 and sits awaiting your attention on our downloads page. The bugfix......umm, fixes....many of the problems with the final Cavedog patch. The game is (slighty) faster, the AI Commander no longer wriggles, the Warrior fires both guns, third party designers get more weapon ID's to use!

You can also find the Switcher that came with v1.1 on the downloads page. It allows you to turn the bugfix on and off very easily, as in multiplayer everyone or no one must have the bugfix turned on. To use the Switcher you will need a Windows 98 file.

I have also added a link to Estrella, which currently has a wider selection of AI's than I do! However many of the AI's there are not up to date, but those which I do not have will be brought over here, thanks Estrella! Mind you the site has everything TA related you could possibly need, and I reccomend that you take a look.

Finally, I have recruited EMG Man as a reviewer for AI's. Since I now have so many AI's and so little time, I have decided I need some help, therefore I will be moving all AI's to unranked status till reviewed. If you wish to do AI reviews, send in a 200-500 word review of any AI you like, and I'll see if you're what I'm looking for.

6th November 99

The latest version of Mostly Harmless, v12.6, can now be downloaded from AI Central. It's main feature is that is adds support for TAUIP 3.0 units on everything but water maps. According to Switeck's "setback" section, the AI is quite scary in a Painted Desert 1 on 1. Download it and see for yourself!

4th November 99

I have added Switeck's Bugfix to the downloads page. It contains many fixes for the problems that occured with the very last Cavedog patch.

2nd November 99

Updated the non-cheating AI rankings. Since I have only done proper testing with the CORE side of the AI's expect them to change. I will probably update them again tommorow.

Fixed the solar spelling bug in the Moon AI v1.45.

What do you think of the music for ARM? Do you have any MIDI's you would suggest? Click the PeeWee and let me know!

Apparently several people were involved in the creation of AI Boost, not just Switeck. I apologise to those who's names I omitted. I'm afraid that I cannot find the names of those involved in the documentation, if you know them, please let me know.

Added Switeck's AI Guide to the downloads page.

1st November 99

The final update of v10 Quell and Queller has been uploaded. It was meant to be a minor update to planes, but I have found some bigger mistakes in the standard Total Annihilation profiles. These have been corrected, and there should be no errors at all in the profiles. Now to start on v11......

AI Central has earned a Golden Web Award!

31st October 99

Uploaded an updated v10 with a few fixes and weight changes. Nothing major. Please note that Queller CC will work without the 1.2 bugfix, but it works better with it. Anyway, you should get the bugfix just to cure the Commander wiggle bug, and to speed up your game.

30th October 99

Thanks to DNA who has created a banner for AI Central.

I have another new AI for you, but with a difference. The Tyrrian Terror AI is Grand_Commander13's first AI, and it is designed for those of you without the 3.1 patch. It's ready for download, and will be ranked soon.

29th October 99

Updated the introduction to take in the role of AI Central as an AI reviewer. Now all I need is a logo......

I've also added the brand new cheating son of a gun, MessMaker AI. A review will follow shortly, download it it now!

28th October 99

Renamed the site to AI Central after I decided to hunt down some more AI's. May as well advertise the fact that this is a page for them. Maybe I should add a TAK section? In light of this name, I have begun to add more detailed descriptions/reviews next to each AI. A more accurate difficulty order is also planned.

The CORE forces who attempted to infiltrate our downloads page have been driven off. Glory to the clones! Death to the souless ones!

I am planning AI on AI games so that I can directly compare the performance of the AI's on the downloads page, so as to rank them appropriately.

Added a review of the 3.1 AI to the downloads page. I'm currently looking for the old patches so I can review them too, so if you know where I could get them, please, click on the Peewee!

Uploaded the BAI+UH, and it's big!

23rd October 99

Added some random order, out of context player quotes to the Home page. If you see a quote that's funny, or is out of context, feel free to mail me it.

Added file sizes to the Downloads page.

22nd October 99

I have discovered some problems in v10. I have fixed them, and the corrections were uploaded at the same time as this message.

21st October 99

OK, I think I have nailed all the broken pictures and backgrounds. If a picture doesn't load, refresh the page, Xoom seems to be having problems. I have also added capitals to the beginning of words for those of you without the Stop font.

Please note that the e-mail address in the readme is incorrect. The ZIP has been updated, but if you downloaded Queller or Quell before 18:00 GMT today, then you should send e-mail to the e-mail address on this site, not the one in the readme.

20th October 99

I have finally got a new monitor, and v10 can be released (at last!). I hope you guys like it. I think this current version represents about 4 months work, and it still isn't close to being finished yet! However, the profiles included with this release are pretty much done.

If you're interested in Queller, keep your eyes on the site as I may be looking for some more testers soon. Until then, feel free to put comments and suggestions on the board.