Open-source Nanolathe engine brings classic strategy game Total Annihilation to modern computers
The Nanolathe project offers an MIT-licensed, open-source engine for playing the strategy game Total Annihilation on modern computers. A browser demo and a public desktop beta are available.
Developers have built Nanolathe, an open-source 2.5D real-time strategy (RTS) game engine that runs the classic PC game Total Annihilation on modern computers. The project is in public beta, and single-player mode is ready to use. The engine's code is released under the MIT license, so anyone may study, modify and build on it.
What can be tried
A browser demo with three original missions is available. It needs no game folder or installation, but does require a desktop computer with a keyboard and mouse. Chrome, Edge and Safari are supported; Firefox, mobile and tablet play have not been verified.
For the full game, players install the beta for Windows, Mac or Linux and supply their own Total Annihilation files, for example from GOG, Steam or original CDs. The engine's MIT license covers only its code, while the game's content is separate.
What is new
The engine adds zooming, which changes the sense of scale in the original isometric view, and modern graphics processor (GPU) rendering with lighting, glow and richer detail. The classic look remains available.
Game modes
Single-player skirmish, Survival and the campaign are described as broadly complete. With their own game files, players can also play online: skirmish supports 2 to 10 players and Survival 2 or 3. Every battle is recorded as a replay. The developers say the beta still has bugs and some smaller missing features, and save compatibility is still being refined.
The project is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the game's owners. It reimplements the game through clean-room research.
