AssaultCube
Encyclopedia
AssaultCube is a free multiplayer
first-person shooter
game, based on the CUBE engine. It takes place in realistic environments, with fast, arcade gameplay. Although the main focus of AssaultCube is multiplayer online gaming, a single player mode consists of computer-controlled bots
.
AssaultCube utilises efficient bandwidth usage, which means low-latency, so it can even run over a 56kbit/s connection. As well as this, it can run on older computer hardware.
AssaultCube is available free of charge to download for Microsoft Windows
, Linux
and Mac OS X
. The game engine is free software
, parts of the accompanying game media, such as the graphics, are released under non-free
licenses.
As of May 6, 2007, ActionCube has been renamed to AssaultCube due to a request from the developers of Action Quake
.
Despite its simplistic graphics and gameplay, AssaultCube maintains a consistent player base of hundreds of players, with over 60 user-run servers online at any given time. AssaultCube also has several gaming clans, some of which participate in organized tournaments.
Although it is based on the Cube engine, AssaultCubes engine has been highly improved compared to the original Cube, and even incorporates features from Cube 2.
AssaultCube was designed to be more realistic and team-oriented than Cube while keeping Cubes distinctive fast-paced gameplay. In comparison to other games, AssaultCube is slower than Quake but faster than Counter-Strike
. There are two different teams in AssaultCube, called the Cubers Liberations Army (CLA) and the Rabid Viper Special Forces (RVSF).
AssaultCube retains a movement bug from the original Cube engine that allows players to utilize straferunning to move at a faster speed. This was left intentionally unfixed by the developers because it was considered an enjoyable feature of Cube, similar to bunny hopping
in Quake.
Another rather unrealistic feature of the game is the potential for using the recoil of the weapons (which pushes one backwards) to reach and perform moves that were previously impossible. This was also included intentionally, allowing players to achieve faster movement and jump higher. This feature was inherited from Cube, though it was absent in the original release of AssaultCube.
AssaultCubes weapons are all fictional and fill the basic niches of a modern first-person shooter: the assault rifle, sub-machine gun, sniper rifle, carbine, pistol, knife, and shotgun.
AssaultCube has twelve different gamemodes excluding bot
game modes and the in-game level editor:
Single-player modes are:
Multiplayer online game
A Multiplayer Online Game is a multiplayer video game which can be played via a game server over the internet, with other players around the world...
first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
game, based on the CUBE engine. It takes place in realistic environments, with fast, arcade gameplay. Although the main focus of AssaultCube is multiplayer online gaming, a single player mode consists of computer-controlled bots
Computer game bot
A bot, most prominently in the first-person shooter types , is a type of weak AI expert system software which for each instance of the program controls a player in deathmatch, team deathmatch and/or cooperative human player. Computer bots may play against other bots and/or human players in unison,...
.
AssaultCube utilises efficient bandwidth usage, which means low-latency, so it can even run over a 56kbit/s connection. As well as this, it can run on older computer hardware.
AssaultCube is available free of charge to download for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
and Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
. The game engine is free software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
, parts of the accompanying game media, such as the graphics, are released under non-free
Free content
Free content, or free information, is any kind of functional work, artwork, or other creative content that meets the definition of a free cultural work...
licenses.
History
AssaultCube started out as ActionCube in July 2004 by a few members of the CUBE community. The first official release was in November 2006. The plan was to create an entirely new game incorporating Cubes simplicity and movement style in a more realistic environment.As of May 6, 2007, ActionCube has been renamed to AssaultCube due to a request from the developers of Action Quake
Action Quake 2
Action Quake 2 is a mod for the computer game Quake II created by The A-Team. Although originally released in 1998, it still has a small player base mainly in South America, Scandinavia and especially in Finland, with active servers on several continents as of 2008...
.
Despite its simplistic graphics and gameplay, AssaultCube maintains a consistent player base of hundreds of players, with over 60 user-run servers online at any given time. AssaultCube also has several gaming clans, some of which participate in organized tournaments.
Although it is based on the Cube engine, AssaultCubes engine has been highly improved compared to the original Cube, and even incorporates features from Cube 2.
Gameplay
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike is a tactical first-person shooter video game developed by Valve Corporation which originated from a Half-Life modification by Minh "Gooseman" Le and Jess "Cliffe" Cliffe...
. There are two different teams in AssaultCube, called the Cubers Liberations Army (CLA) and the Rabid Viper Special Forces (RVSF).
AssaultCube retains a movement bug from the original Cube engine that allows players to utilize straferunning to move at a faster speed. This was left intentionally unfixed by the developers because it was considered an enjoyable feature of Cube, similar to bunny hopping
Bunny hopping
Bunny hopping, or bunny jumping, is a term used in video games to describe the basic movement technique in which a player jumps repeatedly, instead of running, in order to move faster.-Concept:...
in Quake.
Another rather unrealistic feature of the game is the potential for using the recoil of the weapons (which pushes one backwards) to reach and perform moves that were previously impossible. This was also included intentionally, allowing players to achieve faster movement and jump higher. This feature was inherited from Cube, though it was absent in the original release of AssaultCube.
AssaultCubes weapons are all fictional and fill the basic niches of a modern first-person shooter: the assault rifle, sub-machine gun, sniper rifle, carbine, pistol, knife, and shotgun.
AssaultCube has twelve different gamemodes excluding bot
Computer game bot
A bot, most prominently in the first-person shooter types , is a type of weak AI expert system software which for each instance of the program controls a player in deathmatch, team deathmatch and/or cooperative human player. Computer bots may play against other bots and/or human players in unison,...
game modes and the in-game level editor:
- Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch
- One Shot One Kill and Team One Shot One Kill (Sniper rifle only and knife only)
- Last Swiss Standing (Knives and grenades only)
- Survivor and Team Survivor (Teams fight until opposing team is eliminated)
- Pistol Frenzy (Pistols, knives, and grenades only)
- Capture The Flag
- Keep The Flag and Team Keep The Flag (Find the flag and keep it as long as you can)
- Hunt The Flag (Known as VIP in other games)
- Against Computers in many difficulties
Single-player modes are:
- Bot Team Deathmatch and Deathmatch
- Bot One Shot One Kill
Mapping
AssaultCube retains an in-game mapping feature from the original Cube game, resulting in a variety of custom maps. The diverse nature of the Cube Engine's mapping feature allows for creativity and almost endless possibilities for custom maps. Another nice aspect of AssaultCube is the ease at which custom maps can be shared. These created maps can be played online fairly easily if they comply with quality pre-requisites. They can also be easily shared with others through community sites such as Akimbo and Quadropolis (all Cube Engine games). Several maps from other games have been remade for the Cube engine by players. However, only one remake is included in the official release (remade for AssaultCube by original author).Further reading
Review of AssaultCube (ActionCube) in the magazine, not on the given link.External links
- AssaultCube home page
- AssaultCube at SourceForge.netSourceForge.netSourceForge is a web-based source code repository. It acts as a centralized location for software developers to control and manage open source software development. The website runs a version of SourceForge Enterprise Edition, forked from the last open-source version available...