Ace of Spades Beta 0.26

By: Derek Yu

On: April 15th, 2011

Ace of Spades is a team-based online multiplayer deathmatch game that could be adequately described as “Minecraft with rifles”. It pits two teams of up to 16 against each other, with players vying to bring back a briefcase of intel from their opponents’ base to score. What makes the game so fun is the use of constructible/destructible terrain – you can easily build bunkers, trenches, tunnels, bridges, and forts with the provided tools (some clever players are even making decoys using colored blocks). Taking out the bottom blocks of a structure will send the entire thing crumbling down.

Someone put up a guide for Ace of Spades here that explains everything you need to know about playing. To join a game, simply run the installer, go to the game’s website, and click on one of the listed servers. It may take you a while to find one that works (the game will always pop-up a message to tell you if there’s a problem, so be patient).

PROTIP: Hit Ctrl after jumping to jump out of the water, otherwise you won’t make it onto the block. This is in the guide, but I know some of you will want to start playing without reading it too carefully!

Posted in FPS, Freeware, Multiplayer, Voxels, Windows

Robby

Could adequately be described as “Minecraft but interesting.”
Anonymouse

oooooh sick burn
Sean A

Wow I can't connect to any of the servers, it always said either version mismatch or map transfer fail or server is full or misconfigured.
Galaxy613

Yep, I joined one server awhile ago and played for like 2 hours, but ever sense I haven't been able to connect, or if I have, something with the connection is wonky.
Unnormalereugen

The game doesn't even start on my computer T_T
I have win 7
Hemebond

Only runs on Windows, unlike Minecraft.
Theon

This game is bloody amazing.
A new favourite shooter, up there, together with Sauerbraten.

How come the best multiplayer shooters are free? I own CoD and a bunch of “AAA” FPSs, but they just dust away :/
Quaz

this is amazingly fun already, and can be improved so damn much its not even funny. this game could be AMAZING

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/101092…

just made this in multi (north), a little meta game evolved where my allies were defending me as i built from enemies drawn to the image on the map. it was effectively a big trap. dick shaped trap.

so much potential :D
Quaz

its because the server is probably too far from you (ping is too high)

you really need to try ALL the servers, i only managed to get two out of 50 to work
Permanent

Anybody got any updates on connection problems? I would love to play just can't connect.
“Server Connection Failed: it's either full or misconfigured” it says.
Zuriki

Tried every server on the list. 1 worked, I don't even know which because I clicked them all without waiting for the error.

Upon entering, the game render system didn't work with my graphics card and moments later I was disconnected or kicked.

Shit game doesn't deserve front-page.
anthonyflack

Pretty harsh judgement for a game you didn't even manage to play. Okay, so it has compatibility issues and server problems that need sorting out. Doesn't necessarily make it a shit game – this is only beta 0.26.
Permanent

Agreed. I don't deny that it might be a good game. But I haven't even been able to play it, therefore it may not be deserving of a front-page.
guest

just because “YOU” dont get to play something you have to play the spoiled brat and act as if one persons trouble or inability to get it working constitutes it not being front page worthy?
Snow

I can't even start on my own server let alone on any other server on win 7. :( Sucks. Oh well… I'll just have to wait for a fix I guess.
me

Make it a non-installer version and the option to make a local server and we have a winner
Banana

can't play this game either
Banana

and I have to reboot to uninstall that server thing I installed… I hate this game
Nikica

The graphics card problems are because you tried another server before you got a message from the last one, be patient. Another problem you could see trying that is people falling down constantly, but that could also be hackers.
Matt

This game is extremely unstable, and I hate installers. When you start playing, it looks like it could be fun in the future… but right now it needs a lot of work. It's fun for a while… once you actually get into a server without an error.
Eobet

Mac version for the love of everything that's holy!!!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Luke-Cassar/100000252849047 Luke Cassar

can't connect… can't connect… CONNECT…. aaaaand kick…

I REALLY want to play this so looking forward to a “Stability doesn't suck!” news post… until then.. moving on
http://profiles.google.com/harries.adam Adam Harries

No, it runs very well on linux under wine, and apparently on macs under wineskin as well.
Zuriki

If you look, almost every comment in this section says “Can't play” over some issue. The game is too unstable, it's not even at a playable stage yet – therefore doesn't deserve front page.
Greg_serg

i love this game; its going to be huge!
Banana

no
http://profiles.google.com/harries.adam Adam Harries

Once you're into a game it's awesome, easily the best FPS I've played in a long time. There is a real sense of tactics, trying to outflank people, and trying to get into the best defended nests. there are real benefits from high ground, and placement. I've found that hitting people from the side, or at an angle in front is particularly effective, given how it doesn't show where you're being shot from.

Long story short, it really rewards good tactics over good gun-play. The massive recoil from the rifle means you have to be in a position where you can get a second shot if you miss the first time, and usually that means better placement.

Unfortunately, it does have atrocious connectivity issues when first accessing servers. I tried to connect to a variety of servers about 200 times last night, and got one game out of it. Once I was in however, I got a good hours play in, before the server crashed.

In the end, its a really good game, but the server stability and connectivity issues really let it down.
Consumatopia

Hit Ctrl after jumping to jump out of the water, otherwise you won’t make it onto the block. This is in the guide, but I know some of you will want to start playing without reading it too carefully!

Actually, the guide said “When you fall in water you're slower and you can't jump while moving. To jump out of water, you have to jump and crouching [space + ctrl]”. I wasted a bit of time holding crouch while jumping and not moving and … I don't know, but I never got out so if doing it your way works I wish the guide had said that.
Sean A

I tried every server on the list and didn't connect to any of them, from what I hear it's good but the connection system is really bad and convoluted.
http://profiles.google.com/harries.adam Adam Harries

the connection system is terrible. Apparently that's the main thing the creator's working on though (ie, he's not working on content, just bug-fixing), so it shouldn't be too long to have it fixed.
http://profiles.google.com/piecewise66 brad newby

When a game is so unstable that maybe one in fifty servers will work and pretty much everyone has problems with connectivity the it isn't worthy of the front page, at least not yet. Shining the spotlight on a game that is strained by the few players it has won't do anyone any good. It's a good game, but it's just not ready for the lime light, and now everyone is going to remember it as “that minecraft shooter that you can never connect to”.
Euthymios

Since when does [space + ctrl] imply holding ctrl and hitting space? The space is shown as the first key press for a reason.
Sean A

Thank god because I like the idea a lot and it looks like a ton of fun. Anybody know what they wrote the game in?
Cauli T

Cant play the game either (Windows 7)
Consumatopia

It doesn't imply that, but it doesn't imply hitting space then ctrl, either. Out of context, I'd guess it meant pushing space + ctrl at the same time. Which I tried.

It was ambiguous phrasing. Combine that phrasing with “you can't jump while moving” (so I guess I can jump while crouching?), that gamers usually associate the crouch button with pulling their head down rather than their legs up, and that it sort of makes a superficial sense that one should bend your knees immediately before a jump.

In addition, I was so excited when the game finally worked that there was no way I was going to alt-tab back to the directions and risk crashing the whole thing. And the directions were formatted in a way that makes it pain to read on my widescreen but in full-color so it would expensive to print out. And the whole extra-button-to-push-to-get-out-of-water mechanic is a bad idea, in any event.

This game has barely started development and is already super-awesome, but it's got many kinks to work. Among those kinks are an imperfect set of instructions. Which is not that big a deal, just a heads up to anyone else writing directions for their own game–don't do it like this.
JTR

Couldn't get the mediafire download to start.
Found another link: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=I…
guest

its really important the server has low ping, when you're connecting to a server in australia from NA its obviously not going to work, but you cant tell the server location. thats why you need to try a lot of servers to get one without an error.

SC1 has the same problem
Loserhands

I'm getting an error trying to connect to my own server, lol.
anthonyflack

It does seem pretty silly to require a convoluted and non-obvious button combo to do something simple like jump out of the water. No twinkie, as professional game not-designer Ernest Adams would say.
Loserhands

Oh god, that was great. This game is worth the hassle of connection.
The [M]-map is misleading though, it makes the map look gigantic when it is nowhere near that large.
smcmp

Apparently most of the problems in the game come from people who are hosting servers who aren't PORT FORWARDING their routers.
fog

I dunno what you guys are on about, I've only had problems connecting to about 2 servers and gotten into 4 fine. Maybe it's cause I'm using Vista?
http://twitter.com/DefiantBadger Tate Paviour

That really depends upon the person.
Noneofyourbusiness

Great concept for a game, however it really needs to work more on the core engine and compability. As it is, I can't join over half of the servers listed and when I do, I can play about oh 3-5 minutes before I just crash.
http://profiles.google.com/harries.adam Adam Harries

I'm on linux with wine, but I suspect that you're just lucky, given how I have HAD games, but have had trouble connecting to most.
Banana

why is this crap in front page?
Sean A

I just got play a few precious minutes and it was awesome although the iron sights just look like the AK-47 iron sights from COD coloured black
Jim

Ace of Spades?? More like SPACE OF AIDS, AMIRITE GUIZE? LOLOL
http://profiles.google.com/wesley.minor Wesley Minor

The potential is off the charts. All I can think about while playing is, “Oh, what if this?” I want to some artillery guns…
Mayama

Crouch-Jump is standart in every FPS game nowadays.