Mat has been working on ammunition and health crates.  We haven’t really decided how they will be placed on the map.  Got any ideas on how to earn the crates, join the discussion.  http://ace-spades.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=7938

Next Sunday we are going to have a mumble + babel match at 7:00 pm GMT.  http://ace-spades.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=7610

The next update will be the last update you will ever need to download.  Ace of Spades is getting an auto-updater.  check this thread to learn more.  http://ace-spades.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=6516&start=90#p88882

LastofSpades has been working on a news letter http://ace-spades.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=7728

And finally, we added a new subsection.  The server subsection.  Right now, we have sections for Sham and Minit.  If you run a popular server and would like a section, feel free to talk to any mod or admin about it.  http://ace-spades.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=194

-danhezee

Developer news:
Another sneak-preview has been released by mat^2 regarding the OpenGl engine that he has been working on for the game, here’s the video below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1cfLCIBe3c

Meanwhile, bcoolface has been busy working on the next public update. Rumour has it it will include some front-end work in the form of the “Ace Launcher”. Firstly, it has a server browser, which is much more intuitive than having to go to a website in order to choose a server. Secondly, and arguably much more importantly, it’ll have an auto-updater. Might not sound all that fancy, but it’ll allow new patches to be installed seamlessly, meaning quicker and easier bug fixes and content additions/alterations!

As well as this, there’s also going to initially be a test for a new registration system. This will integrate with the current forum account system, allowing you to login using your current credentials. It may not be mandatory for the initial release, but as we would have an auto-updater, changes could be made easily eventually leading to this being mandatory.

Forum news
Following a few conversations around the community and within the forum staff,  an all new extensive rule-set has been devised and now implemented.
All those with a forums account, please make sure you give them a good read!

The new rules can be found here: http://ace-spades.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1

Facebook cover competition
As mentioned in the previous post, the Facebook cover competition is still going on! The closing date is nearing, so if you have an entry, send it in before it’s too late!

More info can be found here: http://ace-spades.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=6683

New pyspades game-mode – Infiltration
Made by the python master Hompy, Infiltration is a new asymmetrical game-mode which involves specific roles for each team.

The basic idea is as follows: The blue team are the defenders, they have an intel which they must guard at all costs. The blue team scores cap-points by keeping the intel stationary for a period of time. The green team are the attackers, they must infiltrate the blue’s defences and capture the intel in order to gain their points.
The twist? Green outnumbers blue two to one, which gives this game-mode some fast-paced and nerve-racking gameplay.

So far the game-mode has been given some good reviews: http://ace-spades.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=7350
As one of the idea-makers behind it, I personally really look forward to the future of this.

Mumble – voice communication
As many of you have already found out, we have a growing community on mumble. While they regularly raid servers as the ‘mumble squad’, Enari (the server host) has organised a match!
Here are the details: http://ace-spades.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=7610

Details of the mumble channel itself can be found here: http://ace-spades.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=84&t=1933

Rules/guidelines

• The dimensions are roughly 851 x 315
• Submit your entries at http://contest.dustybrow.com/
• Don’t submit Anything offensive
• Contest ends May 7th 2012

Click here to learn more or ask any questions you may have.

~B

While in the mumble recently, bcoolface hinted at the next update possibly containing an auto-updater. This means the game will be able to update without having to visit the webpage and manually re-download and install the game. Bugs can be fixed faster and new features can be pushed out with less hassle for the user. There has been a thread on the forums discussing the auto-updater here.

If you aren’t satisfied with a mere 32 Deuces running around in servers, perhaps one of bcoolface’s latest tweets will be of interest to you regarding 64 player servers stating “Currently working on client-side interpolation. It’ll allow for network optimizations… and 64 player servers in the not too distant future”.

Another common suggestion for Ace of Spades is registration. Currently there is no registration system in place, but things are beginning to change. A registration system will allow for better management, plus limitless opportunities with user statistics and integration with the entire community. We’d love to hear your input for player registration on the forums in this thread.

Game Mods

As always, we have some members of the community who simply aren’t satisfied with the default game mods. Here’s a little spotlight to some of those users:

• DeathEnhanced’s Mods – A nice variety of mods including some from several game series.
• SIMOX’ Mods – Great quality mods including a new UH-1H Huey Helicopter control point mod.
• KillerRed9′s Armory – Individual mods and mod packs. Plus he takes requests!
• Paratrooper’s Mods – Some nicely detailed guns and accessories with sounds and sights.

Global Blacklist

The global blacklist recently implemented an appeal system. If you have been banned and would like to appeal it, be as descriptive as possible. Being completely honest is always a plus as well. Each appeal will be reviewed and discussed and eventually decided on. Visit http://www.blacklist.spadille.net to view the latest bans and submit an appeal if necessary.

Check it out on the front page!
Also have to give some honorable mentions to…
LASTofS:

TBS:

butterztoast:

snakeven0m:

And thanks to everyone who popped into IRC, Mumble, or on a gameserver to celebrate our 1 year anniversary. Here’s to another awesome year of shooting each other in the face.

Later!
B

Also, we will have a Babel match between <@> and everybody else starting at 10pm GMT.  Don’t know your time in GMT, click here to find out.

We will announce the winner of the trailer competition shortly.   We had plenty of submissions be sure to check them out.

Guidelines:
try to keep videos short but sweet to attract the internet’s short attention span
emphasis on killing (guns, grenade, spade)
emphasis on construction (click and drag, 1 by 1 placement; tower, bridge, stairs, bunker)
emphasis on destruction (collapse, tunnel, holes)
highlight game modes (capture the flag, territory control, babel)
visuals (explosion particles, bullet casings, tracers)
sounds (gun shot, bullet hit, bullet miss, reload, grenade explosion)
take advantage of spectator views

Judging:
The forum and IRC staff will pick their favorites, Ben will have final say.
We will announce the winner on April 4th, aka the one year anniversary of Ace of Spades
Entries must be submitted by April 2nd

Submission:
Upload to YouTube and then post the url of it inside this topic: viewtopic.php?f=61&t=4606
Use this thread to ask any questions, placing only complete and final videos in the submission topic

Good luck, and have fun letting your creativity run riot!
~the Staff
http://ace-spades.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=4605

Other news:
StackOverflow has released the latest version of Spadille. For those who dont know, it is a feature rich server browser
http://ace-spades.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=75&t=4622

Also, the play page at ace-spades.com/play is now sortable.

Also, there is a hotfix for 0.75 you will need to download and reinstall.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/ace-spades/aos075install.msi

The guys in IRC have a wonderful plan to get AoS on the front page of reddit.  I would love to see this happen.
http://ace-spades.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=4627

Download it here!
Official Ace of Spades Beta 0.75 Download

Ace of Spades Beta 0.75 Changes:
-added click+drag building with right-click
-player sprinting added (Shift, disables autoclimb/shooting)
-new masterserver with gamemode, map, and ports
-3rd-person team deathcamera added
-spectator team added
-wave respawning spawns players with teammates
-added ejected bullet casings
-weapon specific tracer effects
-better particle effects
-no more pixelation on turning or lookin up/down
-better accuracy model (weighted toward center)
-weapons now deal different block damage
-SMG block damage reduced
-rifle block damage increased
-spade block damage increased
-spade melee damage reduced
-minor shotgun/SMG improvements
-better connection error messages
-localization fixes (fixed translations and characters converted)
-less annoying respawn beeps
-grab block color is now mappable (default key: e)
-killed heavyweight library dependencies (faster load times)
-server auto-reconnects to masterserver

Full Changelog

Stay tuned for more updates soon!
-B