Ancient Warfare 3 News

[h3]Updated battle editor UI layout[/h3]
The battle editor layout has been reworked to declutter the toolbar at the top, to which more and more buttons have been added over time. While it takes a moment to adapt to these changes, you will get used to them very quickly.

• The play, load/save and workshop buttons remain at the top, alongside with the newly added undo/redo buttons
  
• Battle/environment/scripting/... are now displayed as larger buttons on the left
  
• Formation/line placement and the new grid settings are now in the bottom right corner
  
• Selected object settings are now aligned at the bottom of the screen and can be toggled on/off
  
• The placement list remains where it used to be
  

[h3]Improved UI elements[/h3]
In addition to the layout changes, some of the UI elements have been changed as well, to make them more user-friendly. For instance, switches with many options have been replaced with dropdowns to require fewer clicks to select the desired option.
And there are many other small changes to the style of some elements and UI throughout the battle editor.

[h3]Undo/redo[/h3]

Undo and redo buttons have been added to the battle editor. This is the first iteration of this feature and it's planned to expand it to more areas of the battle editor (like object settings and terrain changes). In this update, the following actions can be undone and redone:

• Selection
  
• Placement
  
• Faction swap & deletion
  
• Transform/rotate handle
  
• Selected rotation with Q/E
  

You can also use Ctrl+Z/Y or other keys if you rebind them in the settings

[h3]Improved grid snapping[/h3]
The grid snapping size can now be adjusted.


[h3]Steam workshop improvements[/h3]

The whole workshop control has been rewritten and the UI has been adjusted. These changes apply to the battle, prefab and unit workshop UI and you should notice that everything looks a bit cleaner and works more reliable while showing more accurate information.
You can also click on the author name of workshop items to display all items of the user and the search text now works with different sort options.

[h3]Mirrored custom arm/leg plates[/h3]

Custom arm/leg plates do now have an option to mirror the right part. This is useful when you have an asymmetric mesh and want it to look the same on both arms/legs.

[h3]Scripting improvements[/h3]

• ActivateHUDPartial can be used to show/hide individual vanilla HUD elements
  
• GetId to get the equipment id from an equipment reference
  
• Nodes for custom items can now load subscribed workshop content or any custom item that is currently loaded in the map
  

[h3]Bug fixes[/h3]

• Fixed invisible units causing rendering problems on some AMD GPU drivers
  
• Fixed that dog cages would not release their dogs and could not be targeted correctly
  
• Fixed that the player's legs would clip through clothing while crouching
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the bolt rifle animation to break when spamming reload after shooting
  
• Fixed guard idle pose animation looping
  
• Fixed that spider droids and some grenade units could not be selected in scripting nodes
  
• Fixed that static objects could be placed on dynamic boats
  
• Fixed that testing units could not be damaged with melee weapons in the arsenal
  

[h3]New quick play bundle[/h3]
A new quick play bundle is available in the main menu which features some of the best recent maps, so make sure to check it out!

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

Some really nice maps have emerged from this competition and there is a new quick play bundle available in the main menu, where you can play 7 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.
The winners will be notified via steam dms or discord, so keep an eye out for that!

[h3]Winner[/h3]
On this map the player explores what really happened on the moon. After completing some challenging puzzles to figure out keycodes in the first part, the player has to fight for survival in the second part...
The best map of the competition
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2991984058

[h3]2nd place[/h3]
This well designed and detailed map sends the player into a space station or ship from where we have to escape. While shooting all the enemies can be challenging due to custom damage effects, the map is well balanced and features some nice shooter gameplay!
The best shooter map
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2988689813

[h3]3rd place[/h3]
This map features a battle where the player tries to advance through the enemy lines with the help of allied AI units. There are some nice scripting features like recruting units and zones to capture to gain more strength.
The best open battle map
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2989393977

[h3]4th place[/h3]
This is one of the less complex maps, showing that you dont have to reinvent the wheel to create a good map. The map uses only vanilla items and still looks and plays really good! The player is introduced to the task via unit messages and dialogues. Gear can be bought at a trader and the gameplay is really simple but fun!
The best vanilla map
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2983108099

[h3]Other maps in the quick play bundle[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2991841535
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2988092685
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2991291575

Starting today and running until June 20, there will be an official map competition! You can create a map based on a certain topic and the top 3 map creators receive cash prizes which are sponsored by Daley from Youtube.
You can find all you need to know below.

Start: Now
End: June 20 2023, 18:00 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 game keeps track of when a map was created, so you have to start with a new map)
• 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: Space Wars[/h3]
Enter an intergalactic adventure and create a space wars battle/map! Craft epic spaceships, planetary conquests or daring missions across the stars. Unleash your creativity and bring to life the battles of a futuristic era. Will you defend a space station, ship or outpost against relentless enemies or explore uncharted alien planets with interesting characters and storylines? The choice is yours!

[h3]Reward[/h3]
Daley is providing a $100 prize pool, so thanks to him and make sure to check out his channels if you have some time!
The prize money will only be paid out via PayPal and is split between the top 3 creators:

• 1st place: $60
  
• 2nd place: $30
  
• 3rd place: $10
  

In addition, the top 6-9 maps (depending on the quality of the entries) will be featured as a quickplay bundle which usually results in these workshop items getting a lot of subscriptions!

[h3]How to submit a map[/h3]
Submitting a map is very easy, but make sure your map doesnt break any of the rules or it will not be considered for the competition!
(Make sure you have the latest update installed)
1) Upload your map to the workshop
2) The is a banner on the right side in the main menu where you can select one of your workshop maps to submit it

[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