[12-4] Building speeds, and an explanation

Understand Total Annihilation building speeds! Learn how unit build rates affect construction time, resource consumption, and efficiency for all units and structures.

This section details the build speeds of various units and structures in Total Annihilation, explaining how these speeds impact construction time and resource usage.

Build Speeds:

All construction plants (Kbot, vehicle, aircraft, and ship) share the same build speed. Build speeds are identical for both factions.

Explanation of Build Speed:

The time it takes to construct any unit or structure is determined by three factors: its energy cost, its metal cost, and its construction time. If energy and metal are abundant, construction time is the sole determinant.

Each game tick (approximately 1 second on Normal speed) reduces the construction time of a project by the combined build speeds of all units contributing to its construction. For example, if the Commander (build speed 300) assists an Advanced Construction Vehicle (build speed 200), their combined build speed is 500. A Doomsday Machine with a construction time of 39,276 would take approximately 78 ticks (39276 / 500) to build. Adding two Advanced Construction Aircraft (each with a build speed of 100, total 200) to this effort would increase the total build speed to 700, reducing the Doomsday Machine's construction time to approximately 56 ticks (39276 / 700).

Furthermore, a unit's build speed influences its energy and metal consumption per game tick. To calculate this, divide the total metal or energy cost of the project by the unit's build speed. For instance, when building a Solar Collector, the Commander consumes less energy and metal per tick than when building a Moho Mine.