In Ace of Spades, building is just as much apart of the game as shooting, and killing (sometimes moreso)

When you're in a room where people are actually trying to get your intel, or the enemy is advancing on you, building efficiently is necessary.

One efficient way of building is what I like to call "Straining"

Basically, straining is a building something in a way that 'strains' i.e: You can fall through the holes of it.

Looks like this.

The pros of the strain tower are obvious, for one, it's easy to see/shoot through, so if an enemy is trying to get ontop of a Strained tower you built to protect the intel, you can shoot them through the cracks, and their only choice is to either fill in the holes, which you can still shoot down, or jump down.

Another pro is that it takes less blocks to build obviously

The only con I think of is that it's easier to break (nothing is unbreakable though, and however easy it is to break depends on how you build it)

Basically to build a Strained tower you mesh units similar to this together, and pow, after you put enough together, you'll get a nicely made strain tower.

Now, the gaps can be however big you want them to be, but the more gaps, the wider the tower will have to be in order to have the same durability as a regular tower (a 2x2 gap will suffice if you insist on having gaps)

The wider the gaps though, the more likely enemies are to fall through when they're escaping, and when someone's being shot at they panic, so they're even more likely to fall through the holes.

And if the intel is in water, covering it with blocks works just as nicely and stacking it on a tower (since it can't be dug under, the enemy will be forced to crouch in water; that makes you extremely slow)

Straining the cover works just as nicely as straining a tower. For the reason that, if the enemy accidentally takes their finger off of the CTRL key, they'll pop up, and be unable to move if they're head sticks up in a strain, hindering them even further.

Straining is actually a technique I learned from [Real]YourMom, he's a really good player.

If you have anymore building patterns/techniques to suggest for any situation (be it simply building a quick tower to shoot from on the enemy's side of the map, or a fortified wall) you're free to comment and include them.

Wonderful technique, I'll be sure to try it out sometime, thank you for acknowledging it.

That is a very good technique, ill be sure to use it.

I think I strained something reading all that :D

But srsly I want to make a map where all the hills and shit look like this on the inside.

@Mr. White, I do it all the time against Hompy, Eeeerr, and AppleBloom. Takes them forever to get the intel ;P

@FireJet Credits go to YourMom for introducing it to me. Building a moat around this kinds of towers also helps, we did it once, and enemies would anticipate breaking the measly little tower in seconds, only to fall into a deep secluded pit.

@MEgaDeuce I'm not good at summarizing things, hehe, a map like that would probably be kinda fun.

i like it

For all of their complexity, I have yet to see a defensive structure that is more effective, flexible or efficient than a sniper with a few foxholes.

Thanks for sharing this Illimvra. These are my favourite kinds of posts especially with in game pictures!
http://ace-spades.com/forums/topic.php?id=2498

You're welcome.

I have yet to try a wide strained tower though (with 2x2 holes), I'll have to try it next time I'm building one.

EDIT: Also, you should link to direct images. IT takes me forever to load those picture links in your thread D:....

Ill post my idea in this thread instead of yours pinkdozer , since no one likes a necrothreader.

Its related, to intel defense so I dont think it will offend to much >:D

In this server "matpow2s pyspades - Bridge Wars" I was digging straight to the bottom with the intel. Then spading out in a spiral to make a underground fort, for some elbow room. Then I made walls (some with false partitions that can be hide behind and knocked out when enemy's drop in).* I was also experimenting with making a high ceiling to make them receive fall damage when the inevitably tunnel straight down to it. Some other observations I had was you can hear them tunneling and with surround sound u can position yourself to defend accordingly. Its just unnerving when you hear two or more shovels slowly getting closer and closer...
Griefing** this design is really hard too. And if you die they have to tunnel out and up. So just follow the digging sounds and you will find their escape tunnel and then repeat digging to the bottom and hollowing out.

*fancy

**they can build blocks on your head easier and glitch you but just dig out of it and it will clear the graphic glitch.

[spoiler]p.s. I got called a freak down there, I was flattered.[/spoiler]

I can see that straining can give you a clearer view but wouldn't it make you more exposed as well?

(I don't normally build huge structures, just a 2 block high wall is enough for me to start taking heads.)

@asdf: I agree. Sometimes, the most effective means are the simplest ones.