Supreme Commander ACU mod Part 1

Foreword by Tim Smalley, Editor

Hands up if you have been playing Supreme Commander these past few weeks? The latest title from RTS demigod, Chris Taylor, the game was so good it sent ex-Editor-in-Chief, Wil Harris, into a crazed frenzy.

"Supreme Commander is really where it's at. Is it the best RTS ever? Probably. It's big, it's clever, and it's hard. Buy it. Buy it now!" he cried, giving it a maximum score of 10 and the bit-tech Excellence award. High praise indeed.

A mod to end all mods

As part of its marketing for the game, THQ wanted to create a themed case mod. The original idea was to create a system that would be used for trade show demonstrations and LAN party events.

However, these are few and far between and it was feared that it might spend most of the time in the foyer of THQ UK's Woking office where only a select few would ever see it up close.

In a flash of brilliance the marketing plan was changed and it was decided that the mod would be better in the hands of a true Supreme Commander fan. We made the necessary arrangements to host the competition here on bit-tech and set about working on the design.

Incidentally, if you have not yet submitted your entry, there is still time! Entries must be received by 12 noon GMT on Monday 16th April 2007. Send your answers in an email then come back here to read all about how it was built. (remember, multiple entries will be discarded so if you have already entered, just keep reading.)



After discussions with THQ and developer Gas Powered Games, who of course hold the copyright to official imagery from the game, it was decided that we would create a replica of the UEF ACU or Armoured Command Unit, as pictured on the game's DVD boxart.

From the outset the objective was to fill this mod with the highest-spec components available. This will enable the winner to play the game on the highest possible level of detail with zero slowdown.

We would like to take a minute and acknowledge the kind contributions made by the following companies. Their continued support of the modding community is something that we are very grateful for and we encourage everyone to consider their respective products then next time you upgrade your system.

System Specification

• Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 quad-core processor
  
• Asus P5N32-E SLI Plus motherboard
  
• 2 x Asus EN8800 GTX graphics cards
  
• 2GB Corsair Dominator XMS2-9136 DDR2 memory
  
• 2 x 750GB Seagate Barracuda hard drives
  
• Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty soundcard
  
• Enermax Galaxy 1000W PSU

So who dared take on the challenge of creating this beast? The right person would need a mix of skill, determination, insomnia and a sprinkle of madness to achieve the right result in the available time. In the end, the choice was simple: Micke "GoTaLL" Gustafsson. I will now leave it Micke to walk us through Part 1 of his construction worklog...