Configuring a router for playing TA online + other TA tweaks
You need to set it to route packets from ports
2300-2400 (TCP/UDP inbound/outbound [for TA]),
and 47624 (TCP inbound/outbound [for TA])
to your computer’s IP address.
The direct X ports are 47624 for DirectX 7, and 6073 for DirectX 8, you may or may not need to open them both (I use 7 and only have the 47624 port open). TA also requires another set of ports to be open, these are ports 2300 through 2400, thats all TA apears to need.
For GBL, you also need to forward ports 7777 and 7778 – probably only TCP is needed.
For ICQ, you need to route data on TCP port 5190 to the IP as well.
This site may make it possible to have more than 1 online TA player on the same IP behind a router – if not in the SAME TA game then probably at least in different TA games:
DXport – multiple players PER router!
http://www.puffinsoft.com/
Anyone want to know the quick-and-dirty TA no-cd hack?
TA v3.1c CD key break: in totala.exe AT: 0001CBA3. change 32C0 to B001
Delete/move unused DLLs from Totala directory:
Only DLLs needed: dplayx.dll , reporter.dll , smackw32.dll , spank.dll
even the one with the word online in it isn’t needed
dplayx.dll and spank.dll are part of TA Demo Recorder
reporter.dll is part of GBL.
If you want to speed up TA, remove these DLL files from the totala dir:
mptaext.dll , online.dll , tadwngox.dll , taheatx.dll , takalix.dll , tamplayx.dll , tatenx.dll , tawirepx.dll
If you look closely at their names, they refer to now-dead online services.
Removing TADEMO.UFO from TA’s totala dir will also speed the game up very slightly and lessen the chance of random grayed-out units. This is ONLY needed by TA Demo Recorder if you use the .sonar command on demo playback.
Remove ALL older Cavedog unit UFO files, as they are all inside rev31.gp3 (the v3.1c patch) – leaving them behind causes random grayed-out units.
TURN OFF .fixall by default – it generates extra network traffic, which isn’t good if your modem is already overloaded. You can use .fixall in game if it’s a problem…
All 6 extra post v3.1c patch units in 1 UFO file:
http://switeck.tauniverse.com/Cavedog_units.zip
Missing features/units file:
http://www.tadesigners.com/dl/pafile…on=file&id=146
http://www.tadesigners.com/dl/pafile…on=file&id=147
This file contains a LOT of TA:CC + other Cavedog add-on maps:
http://dl.fileplanet.com/dl/dl.asp?p…aec/cdmaps.zip
This site might have more of the same:
http://www.tadesigners.com/cavedogcc.shtml
THIS sites also have Cavedog maps as individual downloads:
http://www.poosticks.net/pages/cdmaps.htm
Seems to be ALL the extra maps in 1 exe:
http://www.tcbw.net/anonftp/TA/Caved…/allcdmaps.exe
–
How to repack TA’s main data files to save space and gain load speed:
(good for low-ram systems)
Repacking TA+TA:CC+v3.1c patch saves >20mb space and loads faster.
DON’T put the 6 extra units into the repacked totala1.hpi file – it causes all sorts of incompatibilities with TA Bugfix, UberHack, unit packs, some maps, etc…
Repacking totala2.hpi and totala4.hpi will also save a lot of space, as they use lower compression format HPI files than TA:CC and v3.1c patch.
It doesn’t do much good to repack ccmaps.ccx or btmaps.ccx cuz they already use the higher TA:CC compression format.
Get HPI TOOLS from http://switeck.tauniverse.com/
1.make a single dir – I used C:\a (easy to type only 1 letter)
2.open totala1.hpi with HPI viewer, then do an extract all to C:\a
3.then open ccdata.ccx with HPI viewer and do an extract all of it to C:\a
4.then open rev31.gp3 with HPI viewer and do an extract all of it to C:\a
5.Close HPI viewer and move these old files out of the totala dir: rev31.gp3, ccdata.ccx, btdata.ccx, totala1.hpi
6.Open HPI packer
7.set Directory to pack: to… C:\a
8.set Destination HPi file: to… C:\CAVEDOG\TOTALA\totala1.hpi
9.Make Program: TA Compression Method: TA:CC
10.Press the PACK button 
11.wait till it’s done then close HPI packer and test TA in skirmish.
This is my site for other TA files, it’s the main distribution point for TA Bugfix (latest version 1.6 FINAL.)
http://switeck.tauniverse.com/