Ace of Spades game modes
Battle Builder has ten multiplayer modes, and BattleSpades runs all of them. Here is what each one asks of you, how long a match lasts and which maps it uses.
All ten modes at a glance
| Mode | Goal | Match length | Score target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team Deathmatch | Work together to eliminate the enemy team. | 15 min | 200 |
| Capture the Flag | Grab the enemy intel and take it back to your base, while the enemy tries to do the same. | 30 min | 5 |
| Classic CTF | Old-school capture the flag on the seven classic maps. | 90 min | 5 |
| Zombie | Zombies spread the virus; survivors try to stay alive. | 10 min | 3 |
| VIP | Protect your VIP while hunting the enemy team's VIP. When he is down, mop up the survivors. | 15 min | 3 |
| Multi-Hill | Both teams fight to control changing hill points. Watch out for airstrikes. | 25 min | 100 |
| Territory Control | Capture and hold territories; more teammates on a point capture it faster. | 25 min | 5 |
| Diamond Mine | Mine to find diamonds, then cash them in at drop-off points. | 15 min | 15 |
| Demolition | Destroy the enemy base before they destroy yours. | 15 min | 1 |
| Occupation | Green controls the base. Blue must bomb it. | 15 min | 30 |
Team Deathmatch
Work together to eliminate the enemy team. Two teams, every class, and the whole map to build and dig in. The best place to learn the game.
Maps: Ancient Egypt, Arctic Base, Atlantis, Block Ness, Castle Wars, Double Dragon, Dragon Island, Frontier, Great Wall, Invasion, London, Lunar Base, Mayan Jungle, Spooky Mansion, The Colosseum, Tokyo Neon. Runs on the official servers.
Capture the Flag
Grab the enemy intel and take it back to your base, while the enemy tries to do the same. Tunnel under walls, bridge across gaps or fortify your own intel. Building decides most CTF games.
Maps: Atlantis, Block Ness, Castle Wars, Double Dragon, Invasion, Tokyo Neon. Runs on the official servers.
Classic CTF
Old-school capture the flag on the seven classic maps. Everyone plays the classic Deuce soldier with the classic rifle, SMG or shotgun. You can shoot while carrying the intel, and it does not return on its own.
Maps: Crossroads, Hiesville, To the Bridge, Trenches, Winter Valley, WW1, Classic.
Zombie
Zombies spread the virus; survivors try to stay alive. Survivors wall themselves in and hold out; every survivor who falls joins the horde. Rounds are short.
Maps: Ancient Egypt, Arctic Base, Atlantis, Block Ness, Bran Castle, Castle Wars, Double Dragon, Dragon Island, Frontier, Great Wall, Invasion, London, Mayan Jungle, Spooky Mansion, The Colosseum, Tokyo Neon. Runs on the official servers.
VIP
Protect your VIP while hunting the enemy team's VIP. When he is down, mop up the survivors. A Mafia-pack mode: gangster classes with tommy guns, snub-nosed pistols, molotovs and crowbars on Alcatraz and City of Chicago.
Maps: Alcatraz, City of Chicago. Runs on the official servers.
Multi-Hill
Both teams fight to control changing hill points. Watch out for airstrikes. Hills move around the map, so teams keep rotating, rebuilding cover and calling in airstrikes.
Maps: Ancient Egypt, Atlantis, Block Ness, Bran Castle, Castle Wars, Double Dragon, Dragon Island, Frontier, Great Wall, Invasion, London, Lunar Base, Mayan Jungle, Spooky Mansion, The Colosseum.
Territory Control
Capture and hold territories; more teammates on a point capture it faster. The second Mafia-pack mode, played on Alcatraz and City of Chicago.
Maps: Alcatraz, City of Chicago. Runs on the official servers.
Diamond Mine
Mine to find diamonds, then cash them in at drop-off points. Miners dig while the rest of the team escorts the diamonds home. Carriers are the priority target.
Maps: Ancient Egypt, Arctic Base, Atlantis, Block Ness, Bran Castle, Castle Wars, Double Dragon, Dragon Island, Frontier, Great Wall, London, Lunar Base, Mayan Jungle, Spooky Mansion, The Colosseum, Tokyo Neon. Runs on the official servers.
Demolition
Destroy the enemy base before they destroy yours. Explosives, drills and dynamite against walls and rebuilds. The most destructive mode in the game.
Maps: Atlantis, Block Ness, Castle Wars, Double Dragon, Dragon Island, Frontier, Lunar Base, Tokyo Neon.
Occupation
Green controls the base. Blue must bomb it. An attack-and-defend mode: one team fortifies, the other breaks in with the bomb.
Maps: Ancient Egypt, Arctic Base, Atlantis, Block Ness, Dragon Island, Frontier, Great Wall, Invasion, London, Lunar Base, Mayan Jungle, Spooky Mansion, The Colosseum.
Arena and the Tutorial
Some BattleSpades servers also run Arena, a round-based extension that isn't part of the retail lobby: no respawns during a round, and the last team standing wins it. The offline Tutorial teaches movement, digging and building.
Running a server? Modes, maps and rotation shows how to pick the startup mode, clock and map vote.
Common questions
Which Ace of Spades modes are on the official servers?+
Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Zombie, Diamond Mine, Territory Control and VIP run on the official Beta 0.1 servers. Every mode is available in Create Match and on community servers.
Were Territory Control and VIP paid DLC?+
They came with the original game's Mafia pack. BattleSpades servers run them for everyone; the in-game Buy button only opens the old Steam store page.
How long is a match?+
From 10 minutes (Zombie) to 90 minutes (Classic CTF) by default. Server owners can change the clock, so check the loading screen's MODE tab.
