Buildings

Buildings are used in Ace of Spades to fortify and progress to capture the opposing team's intel, taking advantage of the block placing feature.

Building strategy

Constructions in AoS aid strategy in two ways:

1. Combat advantage. Better cover, sniping positions, faster or safer access behind enemy lines.
2. Denial of advantage. Large, hard-to-climb, hard-to-destroy intel towers, landscapes leveled into large open areas, etc.

The best use of your building time involves making things that satisfy as many of these goals as possible. For example, a trench can start out as a mechanism for safe transportation into enemy lines, but later can be developed to incorporate more cover and sniping positions. When you start building, ask yourself if your project could give your team an advantage. Also ask yourself if the enemy will be able to turn it against you later; for example, if you design a tunnel that leads from the base to the front lines, try to make it run one way so that the enemy can't make use of it without obliterating the old design.

General

• Remember that the map is a top-down view of the entire level, so you can hide your structures from the map by making the top layer the same color as the surroundings.
• Similarly, mark key locations with a single off color block to make them visible on the map.
• Making large arrows on the map pointing to your team's tunnel also works for your enemies. Surrounding tunnel entrances with colored blocks that can't be seen from directly above, but can be seen from the direction of your spawn, may be a better technique.
• Bright colors and fancy designs are targets for both enemies and griefers. Ideal structures are boring-looking, fit with the existing terrain, and are difficult to destroy.
• It is a good idea to build structures so that they are exposed on the side facing your spawn(ie.no merlons, little to no walls). This severely limits a structure's usefulness to the enemy.

Bridges

A small bridge over water.

A large vulnerable bridge.

• Building a bridge over busy sections of river will help you and your friends get to the front lines faster.
• Keep in mind that bridges can be destroyed by taking out their connections to land. Add supports!
• The thicker supports are, and the wider the bridge, the harder it is to destroy.
• Minimize bridge visibility by sampling colors from the surroundings when you're building them. If you sample from the water then the bridge is near invisible on the map.
• Don't be too grandiose. It's often better to build a lower bridge that will last longer than a high, beautiful one. Bridges are targets. If anything, bridges should be considered disposable means of transportation, not intended to kept for a long period of the game.
• On a default map, green has more use for bridges than blue does, and blue can hamper green's advances by destroying bridges. Keeping the very ends of the bridges intact, however, can provide cover to blues who are infiltrating the green spawn using the rivers.

Buildings and bunkers

An example of a Bunker

Erecting defensive structures, in positions overlooking an enemy's base, are a good way to net kills and increase pressure.

A small guide to bunker windows.

• Offensive cover should be as unobtrusive as possible. Make it the same color as the ground. If it's open to the air, replace the floor blocks with blocks of the normal color as well.
• It's easier and more efficient to develop an existing mountainside with trenches, and then gradually build it into a bunker, than it is to build a freestanding structure on flat ground.
• Bunkers can be of any length, but height wise, there are simply two options - a Crouched Bunker or a Straight Bunker. The Crouched Bunker is where you can only crouch while in it. This is only really good for Low-off-the-ground Bunkers, as it's hard to look downwards. The second option, for higher bunkers, is a Straight Bunker with two blocks and then the gap to fire, giving a better opportunity to fire downwards. Check the guide on the right to see more on Bunker windows and their effect on field of view.
• Bunkers are also major strategic points. If you can capture a large bunker, you can seal off the entrances and use it to shoot enemies in the back as they advance. Keep in mind that anyone who was in the bunker previously may come back and try to kill you, though. It may be better simply to "disable" the bunker by opening its front so it affords little shelter for its original users.
• Some bridges can be built with walls on either side, so your team can walk on it without being sniped. The enemy can utilize these bridges too so be careful!
• Use your materials and time wisely when building, you never know when an enemy will pop up over a hill to take a shot at you. Remember when building you're practically a sitting duck! Try not to build alone.
• When building a tall structure, ceilings at 4 blocks make it harder for spade users to take out the entire floor at once, forcing them to focus on the supports instead.
• Making the front walls of structures two blocks thick will give you extra protection against gunfire and grenades, although it will also limit visibility. Making this sort of bunker on mostly level terrain, with windows two blocks wide, will negate the negative effects on visibility.

Roads

Especially on blue, a road/tunnel transportation system in the back of your team's portion of the map can be very useful, speeding defense and resupply. There are some caveats.

• Maintain low visibility whenever possible. Trenches and roads are high traffic places, so the enemy will be watching them and can fire upon you while traversing the road. If you can build trenches rather than tunnels, do so, and put fortifications in places with high visibility. The enemy can use your roads as well.
• Always add crenelations at the edges of exposed roadway or bridges. This provides some cover for people traveling.
• The goal is ease of traversal. Smooth is best, but in some areas you will need to compromise. Remember to add a few small twists and turns so that the enemy is not able to fire down a straight tunnel and hit someone.
• Wide tunnels make cross-tunnels more obvious. This can be useful for spotting breaches in your tunnel system.

Trenches

Use trenches as an invisible, quick to set up and effective means of protecting you and your teammates.

• Use the shovel and dig through the topsoil to make a hole 2 blocks deep. Crouch and enter the hole, then remain crouched and expand your trench in a direction perpendicular to the direction of enemy advance (usually north-south).
• Leave trenches one block wide to limit their visibility to the enemy. You can also make your trench invisible on the map by changing the blocks in its floor to match the surrounding terrain.
• Make trenches long, and in strategic positions. As they are not obtrusive, placing them in front of bunkers and other defensive buildings is a good way to add another unexpected layer of defense
• Be careful when placing trenches on top of mountain, as you can not fire below the horizontal top of the trench. Placing them in lower mountains as a means for look out at other higher ones is a very effective strategy.
• Trenches offer no protection from above. They work best on mostly flat terrain, or on top of lower mountains. They work very poorly when built opposing an enemy-held mountain or ridge.
• Remember, trenches can be used against you; try not to lose your trenches to the enemy, or they could be the ones firing on you! Placing them in front of heavier friendly fortifications, or tall mountains, will limit their usefulness to the enemy.
• You may also dig wider, shallower trenches to create hazards for enemies to fall into. Be careful though, as you and your teammates may fall in them too!

Tunnels

A long tunnel with a camouflaged bridge to make its location more difficult to find.

Creating zig-zags in the tunnel blocks line of sight

Tunnels, like roads and trenches, are a major means of transportation.

• The spade's right click is fastest if you're by yourself. However, if you have a large squad, you may be able to make faster progress with the spade's left click, as it will "miss" blocks less often.
• Straight tunnels directly through mountains are dangerous as the enemy can shoot straight down them and use them against you. Try to incorporate some zig-zags if the tunnel is meant to bring troops to the front lines.
• Instead of building horizontally, when a mountain stands between you and the other team, you can build an "offensive" one-way tunnel that starts at the top of a hill and burrows nearly straight downwards. This makes it hard for the enemy to use it against you. The player can fall 5 blocks without taking damage, so you can strike twice with the spade and once with the pick to build the maximally vertical passageway.
• You can mark a tunnel on the map with off-color blocks easily. Consider blocking off the entrance of your tunnel with something that stands out, and hide its exit under grass blocks so the enemy won't see your tunnel exit.
• A tunnel used by the enemy should be dealt with, not ignored: Either fill it in, or open it up and make it a visible trench. You can also dig a hole in the side of a very often used tunnel, and hide in the hole to ambush passersby. This tactic works best against narrow tunnels where side-passages are less obvious.

Walls

Walls come in several varieties and infinite combinations. Some of the most common walls are described below, but it is not unusual to see combinations of all types simultaneously.

2-Block

2-block high walls are the fastest to build, but do not block head shots when standing and are easy to destroy. They are a quick defence for a crouching player, but offer only small protection as it is easy to either throw a grenade over them, shoot an exposed player's head, or simply be jumped over by the enemy.

3-Block & Stepped

3-Block & Stepped walls take more time and blocks to build but offer improved defensive capabilities compared to 2-block walls as they offer protection to the player's head and cannot be easily jumped by the enemy. An optional step can be used to allow players to see over the top of the wall and view or shoot at the enemy as desired.

Crenelated

A crenelated wall offers a mixture of head protection and visibility, and is often used where there is expected to be significant enemy sniping as it allows players to quickly dodge for cover.

4-Bunker Wall

taking the most blocks the bunker wall offers the best defensive capabilities.

   XT
   XT
 XXXT
 X AA
AA XT
AA XT

key:

X block

A block to be placed as needed

T blocks for extra armour.

the roof and back walls greatly add to its protection vs Grenades.

Towers

A Tower can be either a large or a small building, most build near the Intel to defend it. Grey Stones are commonly used, because this colour is the default setting. It may be also smart to build with green as it can blend in with the landscapes.

There are many strategies for building towers. Most towers are rather small, built on the top of a hill/mountain. The interior of these towers are small and have only space for the player who built it.

Hill Platforms

A hill platform is a very simple flat platform placed on the top of ideally the tallest hill in an area of a map, typically overlooking an area where the enemy regularly traverses, for example above a valley leading to your intelligence or overlooking a natural choke point formed by water. When placed in suitable conditions, a good hill platform can control a very large area of the map, often being able to see to the edge of the fog in all directions.

A key feature of the hill platform that distinguishes it from just the top of a hill is the "L"-shaped modification to the hill top on the front and sides that are facing the attacking side. This "L"-shaped modification makes a direct attack on the platform difficult as the enemy has to move to the back of the platform to reach the top of the platform (and so the defending player), it also channels the enemy players along a smooth, predictable path allowing one or more defending players ample time to attack, usually via headshots due to the elevated nature of the platform.

Benefits

• Simple to build
• Good protection from grenades (either they roll off the back or dont reach the platform itself) and frontal attack
• Difficult to destroy/grief due to basic design
• Offers commanding views of surrounding map and excellent sniping opportunities

Drawbacks

• Limited cover
• May become a high-priority target if too effective
• Obvious on landscape once built

Foxholes

For shallow land and open areas foxholes are ideal defensive structures. There are two varieties:

1. Make a 2x2, 2x3, 3x3 hole that is 2 blocks deep. (Basically an isolated trench.)
2. Make a 2x2, 2x3, 3x3 hole that is 1 block deep and build a 1 block high wall in the direction you are expecting enemies.

The goal of the foxhole is to make many of them (within 10 blocks of each other) near or surrounding an important position (intel, tent, chokepoints, etc) so that it is a readily available, easily retakeable and quickly repairable/expandable defensive position which doesn't attract much attention. Ideal for any Rifle or SMG user. Placement is important for foxholes, make sure there are no high places which overlook the foxholes (which would house snipers) as foxholes are meant for a quick defensive setup with a low profile rather than be a permanent fortification.

Benefits

• Quick and easy to make.
• Quick and easy to repair.
• Disposable.
• Easy to recover if taken.
• Cheap yet strong defense in flatlands to litter the map and expand.
• Low profile in both structure and attention gained by being created.
• A single hole is great for 1-2 players at the same time. Solo players rejoice!

Drawbacks

• No roof.
• No high-ground advantage.
• Full potential is lost in hilly areas.
• Strength comes from how quickly you can man it.
• Having more than 2 players will draw fire to foxholes quickly.

Gameplay
Environment	Map * Custom maps * Water * Fog * Intel * Command post
Mechanics	Building * Health/Damage
Buildings	Entire list of buildings * Bridges * Bunkers * Tunnels * Walls * Towers
Teams	Blue Team * Green Team * Pink Team