AssaultCube
AssaultCube, formerly known as ActionCube, is a free and open-source multiplayer first-person shooter video game based on the Cube engine, emphasizing fast-paced, arcade-style gameplay in realistic environments.[1][2] Developed initially by a team including Arghvark, driAn, Verbal_, and dtd, the project launched in July 2004 and released its first public beta (version 0.90) on November 4, 2006, with the stable version 1.0 arriving on November 21, 2008.[3] The game supports multiple platforms including Windows, Linux, and macOS, and is designed to run on modest hardware such as Pentium III processors and connections as low as 56 Kbps, with a download size of approximately 50 MB.[1][2] Key gameplay modes include deathmatch, capture the flag, and one-shot one-kill, along with team-based variants, featuring single-player bots, in-game map editing with cooperative support, and demo recording capabilities.[1] Over the years, significant updates have enhanced the game, such as version 1.2.0.0 in October 2013 adding new modes and weapon adjustments, and version 1.3.0.2 (the "Lockdown Edition") released on April 1, 2022, which included new maps, gameplay fixes, and HUD improvements.[3] Licensed under a zlib-like open-source agreement, AssaultCube maintains an active community through official forums, a wiki, IRC channels, and the AssaultCube Association founded in Zürich, Switzerland, with ongoing maintenance by contributors like Grenadier and others.[3][4]Gameplay
Core Mechanics
AssaultCube features two opposing factions: the Cubers Liberation Army (CLA), depicted as terrorists, and the Rabid Viper Special Forces (RVSF), portrayed as elite mercenaries. These teams have distinct character models and voice lines, but they provide identical gameplay capabilities, emphasizing balanced team-based combat without narrative progression.[5] The movement system incorporates realistic physics, including gravity that influences jump arcs and projectile trajectories, alongside collision detection that prevents passage through solid geometry. Players can achieve high-speed navigation through straferunning, a technique that boosts velocity by approximately 41% by synchronizing forward or backward movement with left or right strafing inputs. Advanced maneuvers include recoil-based jumping, where firing the assault rifle downward during a jump propels the player higher to access elevated positions or evade threats.[6] Combat revolves around a selection of fictional weapons, each with unique stats for damage output, fire rate, recoil patterns, and effective ranges. The knife delivers melee strikes at 50 damage per second with a 0.50-second attack delay, ideal for close-quarters finishes. The pistol offers 18 damage per second and a 1.40-second reload time for its 10-round magazine, while the assault rifle provides high damage per second at 22 but suffers from significant recoil that affects sustained accuracy. The sniper rifle enables precise long-range shots with a scoped view, achieving instant kills on headshots for double frags, and the grenade is a throwable pickup with a 2-second fuse that can gib enemies on direct impact. Health and armor pickups are scattered across maps, restoring vitality and providing damage mitigation to sustain engagements.[5] For single-player practice, AssaultCube includes bot AI that simulates opponents in offline modes, allowing players to hone skills without network dependency. Bots employ basic pathfinding to navigate maps toward objectives and use straightforward targeting to locate and attack the player, focusing on fragging or gibbing enemies as their primary directive, though they lack advanced human-like decision-making.[5][7] The game is optimized for bandwidth efficiency, enabling low-latency multiplayer even on connections as slow as 56 kbit/s, which supports smooth performance in team-based sessions with minimal packet overhead.[1]Multiplayer Modes
AssaultCube features 14 multiplayer modes designed to support competitive playstyles ranging from individual fragging to coordinated team objectives and flag capture strategies, fostering strategic depth through varied rules on respawning, weapons, and scoring. These modes are grouped into five free-for-all variants emphasizing personal skill, five team-based formats highlighting cooperation and balance, and four flag-oriented options that introduce possession and defense mechanics.[5] Free-for-All Modes- Deathmatch: Players engage in unrestricted free-for-all combat, accumulating kills to reach a score limit or time threshold, ideal for small groups focused on direct confrontations.[5]
- Survivor: A round-based mode where eliminated players wait until the round concludes with no surviving enemies; respawn occurs only at round end, encouraging careful positioning and endurance.[5]
- Pistol Frenzy: Limited to pistols (with akimbo dual-wielding possible), supplemented by grenades and knives; this restriction balances mobility and precision over firepower.[5]
- Last Swiss Standing: Knife-only combat with up to two grenades per pickup, conducted in rounds; pistol pickups convert to additional grenades, promoting close-quarters stealth and timing.[5]
- One Shot, One Kill: Players start with 1 HP, equipped solely with a sniper rifle and knife in round-based play; the mode ends upon eliminating all opponents, emphasizing accuracy and one-hit lethality.[5]
These extend free-for-all concepts to two opposing teams, where victory depends on collective frags or eliminations, suiting larger player counts and requiring communication for flanking and coverage.
- Team Deathmatch: Teams compete for the highest kill count, with no respawn restrictions beyond standard timers, allowing continuous action.[5]
- Team Pistol Frenzy and Team Last Swiss Standing: Team variants of their free-for-all counterparts, applying the same weapon limits and round structures to enforce team coordination under constrained loadouts.[5]
- Team Survivor: Round-based team elimination, where a team's full wipe ends the round and triggers respawns, heightening the stakes for defensive plays.[5]
- Team One Shot, One Kill: Teams face off with 1 HP each, using snipers and knives; round victory comes from wiping the opposing team, demanding synchronized assaults.[5]
These objective-driven modes revolve around flag possession, often with carrier penalties like reduced speed to balance offense and defense, best suited for 6 or more players to enable dynamic team roles.
- Capture the Flag (CTF): Teams steal the enemy's flag and return it to their base while defending their own; if a flag is captured, players can recover it from the carrier, with a dedicated HUD showing flag locations and statuses. Flag carriers experience speed penalties to prevent easy escapes.[5]
- Hunt the Flag: Players steal the enemy flag and score by fragging its bearer; protecting one's flag is key, with a bonus point if the scoring player holds the enemy's flag simultaneously, adding risk-reward layers.[5]
- Keep the Flag: A free-for-all with a single central flag; players score 1 point every 15 seconds while holding it, incentivizing control and disruption without teams.[5]
- Team Keep the Flag: Team version of Keep the Flag, where the holding team scores every 15 seconds; defense focuses on protecting the bearer, while offense aims to intercept.[5]
Map Editing
AssaultCube features a built-in map editor integrated directly into the game, leveraging the Cube engine's geometry tools to enable users to create custom maps without external software. This editor allows for block-based building where the world is constructed from cubic units, facilitating the design of indoor and outdoor environments. Access to the editor is straightforward: players toggle edit mode by pressing the 'E' key while in-game, enabling free flight through walls and structures for easier manipulation.[11][12] The editing process begins with creating a new map using the/newmap command, optionally specifying a size parameter (defaulting to 7 for a standard layout). Users then build the basic geometry by selecting cubes with left-click and adjusting heights with keys like '[' and ']' for floors or 'O' and 'P' for ceilings, while toggling between solid and empty space via 'F' and 'G'. Textures are applied to walls, floors, and ceilings using 'Home', 'End', 'Insert', and 'Delete' to cycle options, with fine adjustments via 'X' and 'Z' combined with mouse scrolling for alignment and scaling. Lighting setup involves placing light entities with the /newent light command, specifying radius (1-32 units) and brightness (1-255 or RGB values), aiming for ambient illumination to enhance realism without overwhelming performance. Entities such as spawn points—for RVSF (/newent playerstart 1), CLA (/newent playerstart 0), or FFA (/newent playerstart 100)—and pickups like health (/newent health) or armor (/newent armour) are added via the /newent command or the editing menu, positioned at a selected cube and adjusted for height or attributes using number keys (1-7) and scrolling. Mapmodels, which add detailed objects, are placed sparingly with /newent mapmodel X Y Z (where X is the model ID, Y height, and Z texture variant) to avoid performance issues.[11][12][13][14]
To optimize for performance, editors compile the map by keeping the World Quad Count (WQD) under 5000—ideally below 1000 for the core layout—monitored via /showstats 2, and using solid cubes as occluders. Testing occurs in-game by loading the map with /map filename and playing through it to balance spawns (placed strategically away from open areas) and item locations, ensuring fair gameplay flow. The editor supports realistic environments like urban streets or outdoor terrains, with multi-level designs achieved through height variations and mapmodels for platforms, but lacks advanced scripting capabilities, limiting interactions to basic engine features.[14][13][11]
Maps are saved as compressed .cgz files using the /savemap filename command, stored in the packages/maps directory, with automatic backups created as .BAK files that can be renamed for recovery. For sharing, users add a descriptive message with /mapmsg "text" (e.g., author credits) before saving, then upload the .cgz file—along with any custom config if used—to community servers or websites like ac-akimbo.net. Popular community-created maps include ac_desert (an arid outdoor arena), ac_shine (a glossy indoor complex), ac_gothic (a dark, architectural labyrinth), and ac_douze (a compact duel-focused space), which exemplify accessible yet detailed designs contributed by players.[11][15][16]