Ancient Warfare 3 News

The map Competition is over. Thanks to everyone who participated.

The topic 'Containment' was interpreted in many different ways, which is nice to see because many different maps have emerged from it. There is a new quick play bundle available in the main menu, where you can play 9 maps that I think are worth playing.
Just a discplaimer: If your map isn't mentioned in this post or the quick play bundle, that doesn't mean it is not worth playing. It was difficult to choose the 9 maps for the quick play bundle.

[h3]Winner[/h3]
A very nice looking map with many different custom objects which create a believable atmosphere and original concept. The player is introduced to custom gameplay mechanics like abilities and plays a large monster that is trying to escape. The gameplay is different from your usual AW3 battle, you can just run over your enemies and use your abilities to eliminate them. Due to the complexity of the map, it is not easy to run, so having a good computer is recommended.
The best looking map with the highest overall score in this competition.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2908725954

[h3]2nd place[/h3]
A really innovative map exploring topics that have never been explored before in AW3.
Playing in a dream with a slightly unsettling and sterile environment with non-euclidean geometry, you try to escape. While this map is mostly straight forward to play with no real threats or enemies, it is definitely worth playing for the experience!
Definitely the best map in terms of originality and technical design in this competition.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2909075190

[h3]3rd place[/h3]
Just a nice shooter map with decent performance and moderate difficulty. There are a lot of different custom weapons and some nice gameplay modifications with scripting like auto healing and a damage effect that makes it difficult to fight after taking damage.
This is the best map for a more casual shooter gameplay experience in the competition.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2907482599

[h3]4th place[/h3]
This map features a nice scripted intro that can be skipped, because you will play this map many times. With a time limit of 1 minute, it is really short and very difficult to beat. But it's also nice to try again and again.
The most challenging map!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2905159721

[h3]5th place[/h3]
This one is a really ... let's say interesting map. The small player spawns in a dark map and a bunch of zombies are chasing while the creator gives a short voice acted introduction to the map. The goal is to run around for 3 minutes without being caught by zombies while there is a bunch of monkey noises in the background and weapons lying around on the floor.
An interesting map
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2910130971

The Trauma Team Exfil event is now over!
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/758990/view/3623739004293453221
Thanks again Earthy for creating this awesome map.

Over 400 individual players attempted to complete the map and nearly 100 players successfully finished the map at least once to have a score on the leaderboard. The ~25% success rate means that the map certainly wasn't easy to beat, but the overall response was pretty good, so we will most likely have an event like this again in the future!

Just a reminder, the top 3 can choose an in game content addition or small feature.
Only reasonable stuff that fits in the game and is technically possible will be added. (also no copyrighted stuff)
The complexity of the stuff you can choose depends on your place on the leaderboard after two weeks.
The winner can choose something which takes up to 5 hours to develop, second place chooses 2 hours and third place 1 hour.
In addition to the content addition, the winner will receive 3 steam keys for AW3 to give away to their friends. 2nd to 5th place will each receive one steam key for AW3.

The top 5 on the leaderboard are:

1. GeOmEtRy (41885 points)
2. Supa Player (41066 points)
3. oklpo908 (40034 points)
4. Chris P. Bacon (38985 points)
5. Count Landshark (38354 points)

If you are one of the top 5, please reach out to me to tell me what addition you would like to pick and to receive your steam key(s). You can reach me by:

• Joining my discord server and ping @JNI#3310
  
• DM me on discord, my tag is JNI#3310
  
• Adding JNI-Games as a steam friend and send a message
  

Starting today and running until the end of the year, there will be an official map competition! You can create a map based on a certain topic and if it wins you can choose the next in-game addition/feature.
You can find all you need to know below.

Start: Now
End: December 31 2022, 23:00 UTC

[h3]Rules[/h3]
Breaking the rules will result in an exclusion from the ratings

• Each participant can only submit one map
  
• The map is created by yourself
• (no collaborations in any way!)*
  
• The map has to feature a player controlled unit
• (static/spectate only maps are not allowed)*
  
• Old maps are not allowed, you have to start creating the map after the competition started
  
• The map has to be submitted before the competition is over, updates to the map are not allowed after the competition is completed
  
• The scripting system, custom equipment/items/objects, custom units/prefabs can be used in any way
  
  
  
  • This includes public workshop items of other players and content that you created in the past
    
  • However, if you use content created by other players, you have to clearly state which parts of you map/content were not created by yourself
    

[h3]Theme: Containment[/h3]
Create a containment-themed battle/map! The topic can be interpreted in many ways. Whether the player is trying to stop zombies, creatures, monsters or infected units from escaping, or is it himself who needs to break out of the containment is up to you. Your map can play in any era and could be full of action, spooky/story based, or a mixture of both.

[h3]Rating[/h3]
Each map will receive a score which depends on these categories: (modified based on Desert-Mammoth's original map competition)

• Appearance (0-3)
  Appearance is how the map looks from an aesthetics point of view - that is to say, how easy it is on the eyes
  
• Technical Design (0-5)
  Technical design covers how well a map is put together; that is to say, how well it runs, the efficiency of object and unit usage, and the complexity of the map in general.
  
• Balance (0-2)
  How balanced is a map, when the theme is taken into account? Is it too easy or too hard? Is one team steam rolling the other when it shouldn't be? Is the player waltzing all over the competition without breaking a sweat? Or is the player dying the moment they leave the starting area?
  
• Originality (0-3)
  Has it been done before? Has it been over done? Does it use original prefabs or does it borrow from the workshop? Is there something about the map that makes it stand out from the rest?
  
• Units (0-3)
  Is your map using custom units? Are they a designer brand fit for the catwalk or are they as bland as shredded wheat? Are they balanced, and do they fit the map?
  
• Gameplay (0-3)
  Is the map fun to play? Is there non-stop action, or is it scary/exciting/trilling
  
• Thumbnail (0-1)
  Does the map have an appealing thumbnail?
  
• Theme (0-3)
  How well is the theme represented in the map
  

Other relevant information about the rating:

• If you use custom scripting, it can positively influence categories like balancing, gameplay or technical design, but it can also negatively impact the performance! That being said, there is no need to use scripting to score the maximum points in the technical design category
  
• Custom equipment/items/objects are not required to score the maximum points in any of the categories, but it can help. In any case, using a variety of good looking custom units with vanilla equipment is sufficient
  

[h3]Reward[/h3]
1st, 2nd, 3rd place each receive one AW3 steam key
The winner can choose a small content addition or feature similar to the old WMC competition rewards. The addition has to fit into the game, respect the technical limitations/boundaries and take no more than 1-2 hours to develop.

[h3]How to submit a map[/h3]
Submitting a map is very easy, but make sure your map doesnt break any of the rules!
(Make sure you have the latest update installed)
1) Upload your map to the workshop
2) The is a banner on the left side in the main menu where you can select one of your workshop maps to submit it

[h2]In game event[/h2]
Before starting with the patch notes, there is a new in game event map available for the next two weeks. Participate on the leaderboard for a chance to choose the next content or feature!
[Event Information]

[h2]New siege weapons[/h2]
This update includes 3 new static weapons that can be used to fortify and defend locations:

• TOW anti tank missle launcher
  
• M2 .50 cal HMG
  
• Static LMG (5.56mm light machine gun on tripod)
  

[h2]New vehicles[/h2]
There are also 3 new vehicles included in this update:

• M113 troop carrier
  
• M132 'Zippo' flame thrower tank
  
• KV-2 tank
  

[h2]New quick play system[/h2]
The new quick play system features workshop maps that are worth playing to reward uploading high quality maps. It will be updated about every two weeks with new and older maps.


[h2]Gate feature for custom objects[/h2]
Custom objects which act as gates can now be created. They can have a single or double doors which can be rotated, moved or hidden. Gates work similar to doors and can be locked and opened/closed by the player, scripting or units.


[h2]Animated pose changes[/h2]
When switching between guard poses (with scripting), the change is now be animated instead of snapping to the new pose immediately. In addition, there is a new pose to let units sit.


[h2]Other features & improvements[/h2]

• Color categories can now be deleted in the color browser
  
• Searching for workshop items by name works much better now
  
• Added scripting node to get the weapon id from a unit
  
• Added 'origin' output to ProjectileImpact event nodes to get the spawn point of the projectile
  
• Added IsRefType script node to check if a reference is of a type
  
• Added OnInteraction possible event to detect when the player can interact with an object
  
• Added GetRefObjectsOfType node to get all objects of a type
  
• Added IsInVehicle node to test if a player is currently in a vehicle
  

[h2]Bug fixes[/h2]

• Fixed a bug that caused rendering problems when returning to the battle editor while driving a vehicle in 3rd person
  
• Fixed incorrect bloom values after leaving the scripting editor
  
• Fixed that hovering over node inputs would display the wrong description
  
• Fixed that custom particle effects and items did not load correctly when loading a script from the workshop
  
• Fixed a rare bug that prevented certain maps from being saved
  
• Fixed that the OnShoot event node was triggered incorrectly in burst fire mode
  

[h2]Next update[/h2]
The next regular update will be in January 2023. It will contain some more content and there are also some technical changes planned to make the game work more reliable with complex maps.

[h3]For the next 2 weeks, we have a new in game event made by Earthy.[/h3]
Participate in this futuristic cyberpunk themed event by pressing on it in the main menu.
By completing the map, your score will be submitted to a leaderboard and you can play the map as often as you want!

[h3]In game reward[/h3]
The top 3 can choose an in game content addition or small feature.
Only reasonable stuff that fits in the game and is technically possible will be added. (also no copyrighted stuff)
The complexity of the stuff you can choose depends on your place on the leaderboard after two weeks.
The winner can choose something which takes up to 5 hours to develop, second place chooses 2 hours and third place 1 hour.

[h3]Steam key reward[/h3]
In addition to the content addition, the winner will receive 3 steam keys for AW3 to give away to their friends. 2nd to 5th place will each receive one steam key for AW3.