so I have a few ideas for the application of vehicles in this game.

Firstly the access and availability to vehicles in the game could be accessed in a manner where the vehicles could be assembled from set pieces scattered across the map e.g. (chassis piece, wheel price, engine piece) each peice is obtained and returned to your teams tent . when all the parts are found and returned to the tent you would receive that vehicle. when the vehicle is destroyed the parts become re-scattered across the map. also parts would be team specific so if a blue found the greens engine they cannot access it or move it but they can conceal it and protect it thus giving the blues a tactical advantage over the greens. this would allow for a more dynamic gameplay where there would be multiple mini objectives.

my concept for a land vehicle is instead of a normal tank I was thinking more along the lines of maybe a small slow moving platform with some form of mounted heavy weapon(e.g. chain gun, slow firing cannon) the platform would provide no form of protection from enemy fire but players would be able to build blocks on it for cover and allowing for custom vehicles.

the problem most people have seen with land vehicles is moving across angled and elevated terrain. maybe these land vehicles can only move across flatland thus requiring players to modify terrain to get it to the front line. so just like the tent it can be dug out to lower it down or built up to elevate it and the land must be flattened for it to move forward.

i'd love to hear what people think

(Last updated August 2011)
This thread is to share defensive strategies in picture format.
Here's a few intel towers that I've made in chronological order. Anyone else got some pics to share?
1.
https://picasaweb.google.com/107536748300240967058/MyPictures#5599560406623597810

2. (pre autoclimb)
https://picasaweb.google.com/107536748300240967058/MyPictures#5604714445071541026

3.
https://picasaweb.google.com/107536748300240967058/MyPictures#5616997014351570194
https://picasaweb.google.com/107536748300240967058/MyPictures#5616997086634784914

4.
https://picasaweb.google.com/107536748300240967058/MyPictures#5621069281474522130

5.
https://picasaweb.google.com/107536748300240967058/MyPictures#5621116101957646482
https://picasaweb.google.com/107536748300240967058/MyPictures#5621116509314658002

6. (post Shotgun update August 2011)
https://picasaweb.google.com/107536748300240967058/MyPictures#5640009794219880770

This isn't an apology for anything in the sense that I'm sorry. This is an apology in the philosophical sense, a defense of something. In this case, I'm defending the construction of roads as a strategic tool over the use of long tunnels.

I don't see people build roads very often in Ace of Spades. When I do, they're always one step high (and therefore slow), or nobody ever takes the time to maintain or expand them (And so the road eventually becomes useless). This is a damn shame. I would say there is no structure more powerful in the game. Roads can defeat mountain forts if well placed, or allow for the creation of huge intel leads with extremely heavy offensive pressure. They're extremely powerful structures.

But first, what is a road, and how do you make a good road? A road is simply a trench with exposed dirt extending in a straight, usually over mountains or other difficult terrain. Making a road is simple. To start, simply pick a direction and start digging a 2-wide trench. When digging your trench up a mountain, wait for the wall in front of you to become 4 blocks high, then dig out the top two layers of the wall and make a step there. When digging down a mountain, simply use the pickaxe to flatten out the natural mountain steps, trying to make a single step every 2 blocks. This allows the mountain to be run down quickly, while still making it somewhat uncomfortable to climb. It's always important to remember that the speed of a road in controlled by the number of steps, so roads with two-high steps will also be faster than roads with 1-high steps. Once the road is finally built, remember to repair it as it takes damage. People will throw nades onto your road and blocks from the floor will be destroyed, so take the time to stop and fill in the damage. This is very important or your road will become useless and slow to run on.

So, why use roads? Roads, ultimately, are a way to help your team control more space. By allowing faster movement in your territory, but keeping the movement visible, you can move your men to your front line faster. More men on the frontline means more territory means easier intel caps. But why not simply use a transport tunnel? Several reasons:
1. Unlike tunnels, roads are resistant to sabotage.
2. Unlike tunnels, roads can be accessed from any point on the road. Thus they are easier to use.
3. Roads can be guarded and defended much easier than tunnels.
4. Roads are harder to co-opt, unlike tunnels which can easily become the enemy's best friend if found.
5. Roads show on the map and are therefore easier for teammates to find and use.
6. Roads can run directly into above-ground fortifications such as bunkers or trenches.
There's a few more, but I think you get the idea.

So, where should we build roads? Start your road in lowlands where your team spawns and run them to contested mountains or into trench networks near enemy forts. Remember, the role of the road is enable your team to move faster and overwhelm the enemy by reducing the amount of time from spawn to getting to fights. So obviously, your road should end where the teammates would want to fight from, and start where they spawn.

So I know the game is only version .26, but it has obviously got a huge player base considering it's age. And it's growing fast - between 22 and 26 the average number of servers has multiplied dramatically.

Now, despite the fact that some features such as password-protected servers would make this more plausible, I'm already thinking about starting a clan. It would be awesome to get some games with more team coordination. Eventually there could be tournaments but for now it would be mostly just the communication aspect, forming a group to play with, discussing strategy, etc.

Perhaps the new wiki could be used for clan pages? Would be nice to have a central place so players can see all clans.

Well I don't know if anyone would really be into this right away but whatever! Here's my draft of the first AoS clan charter:

======= [BLOK] ========

===Clan Rules:===

1. Thou Shalt be Chill toward thy Neighbor

You would think this goes without saying, but you should be nice to your clan mates AS WELL as people on your team and enemy team who are not in the clan. I don't mean shouting nonsense against the other team, that's all in good fun. I mean no actual flaming, spamming, griefing, obviously no cheating or being a general dick. This also means being able to discuss plans civilly, without assuming that your idea is the best one.

2. Thou Shalt bring thy A-Game

If you want to wander around making silly bright structures, that's cool. But why are you joining a clan? I'm a casual player, but I like to at least put a little effort and strategy into the game.

That's it! Two rules huh? Good enough. Mainly I'm looking for some people who share an interest in the strategy of AoS. I like to make functional constructions, and with a team working together the buildings can get really sweet.

So, anyone down?