Community Maps Spotlight #38

Hi folks, it’s great to see you again! I’m back with more high quality maps from our lovely community with the usual little bonus from me! Let’s dive right in!

Meadow ver 1.0 by Mr.Cat

1. Meadow ver 1.0 by Mr.Cat – Code: HTHQ3Z8Y
This stunning piece of work plays as good as it looks and has some distinctive touches that I appreciated.

While most Wargroove multiplayer maps typically feature two barracks per player, this one has a third that is effectively and purposefully slowed to half production rate thanks to the necessity of using the nearby barge. There’s only one space available at each of the two drop-off zones, meaning you can only ferry across one unit every two turns. While you’ll typically want to have your highest priority units being produced by the barracks on the mainland, you still have leeway to bring over the occasional extra dog or soldier to bolster your ranks.

The other welcome wrinkle is that the lavishly decorated hideouts next to the Strongholds are exclusively for the purpose of dropping off stolen gold. If you want to get thieves in play you’ll have to recruit them from the hideouts tucked neatly into the corners. Once you’ve got one on the field you have plenty of targets that are ripe to be ransacked.

Far Too Near 1.3 by Fadedsun

2. Far Too Near 1.3 by Fadedsun – Code: GG2VVZ5T
This map looks pretty straightforward at first glance. Then you notice just how unusually far the strongholds are from their team’s barracks. Then you also notice that each commander is starting right next to their opponent’s barracks, at low health. This is not your typical skirmish map design.

While the match will typically begin with you retreating your commanders and laying claim to villages along the way, the greater flow is all about balancing the distribution of your forces between the need to protect your very out of the way stronghold and attacking your opponent’s equally isolated one.

Also worthy of note is that four of the most central villages are sitting directly on the road, meaning they are primed for instant takedowns from a healthy dragon. This is something you’ll definitely want to watch out for, and potentially exploit to your own advantage.

Bords de Loire v2.0 by Kokoado

3. Bords de Loire v2.0 by Kokoado – Code: KEVHE2YS (2v2) ZYXJ8K8V (1v1)
This 2v2 map, split as it is by a large winding river, poses a number of interesting choices for each team to make. The first player of each team gets responsibility for providing air units and is primed to assume control of the hideout. The second gets access to a second barracks, meaning they are responsible for the majority of ground units and may need to help protect their ally’s very isolated Stronghold in the opposite corner of the map, all the while having to keep their own centrally positioned one intact.

If you like what you see here, there’s also a 1v1 version of the map available that’s more or less the same, with the added wrinkle that each player has to take care to keep both Strongholds intact, or face defeat the moment one topples.

The Devil's Tundra by Armagon

Bonus Dev-made Map – The Devil’s Tundra – Code: AMYDNXUN
Four player skirmishes can last a very long time; sometimes you just want a quicker match, so I decided to put together this smaller-scale map. While not quite as small as my past effort, The Sanguine Borderlands, the villages aren’t as plentiful or as densely packed, so you’ll have more room to manoeuvre and potential ambushes may be a bit easier to spot. I hope you like it!

That’s all for todays entries!
If you’ve made something Wargroove-related that you think deserves to be featured here, you should share it on the Wargroove Discord in the Creative channels! I regularly check those channels for cool stuff to feature, so that’s your best bet for ensuring I’ll see your work.

I’ll be back with more highlights next month, so until then you lovely folks stay safe and take care of yourselves!

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Community Maps Spotlight #37

Hey everybody, great to see you! I’m pretty excited because this month’s spotlight features a bunch of custom game modes, so if you’re looking for something a little different, I’ve got you covered!

Before we dig into today’s entries, a couple of our more recent highlights have received updates!
* Fadedsun’s map “Gilgamesh” got updated to version 1.9.1, which you can access with the code: 5C42EHKW
* Justyoureventualruler’s map “Beetle’s Brooks” also got a revision, and now is version 2.75, which you can grab using: LJ5LASFE

With those updates out of the way, let’s get to the new highlights!

Necromancer Duel by Deminobody

1. Necromancer Duel by Deminobody – Code: W7DH252A
This spooky mode comes just in time for Halloween! This map pits both players against each other as necromancers, with neutral hostile units guarding villages across the map. These AI guards cannot move, but they will strike if you enter their range or attack them. Every guard you slay will be raised in your graveyard and join your ranks. After a few turns, the guards will start to receive Heavensong reinforcements from the central portals. These reinforcements will actively come after the players, but can be turned to your side with sufficient persuasion.

As an aside, if you’ve completed the Wargroove campaign, you will have access to one other Commander aside from Valder. Opposing players can use them, even if you can’t, so if you want to avoid potential spoilers, I’d advise holding off on trying this mode until you finish the story.

Triple Triad V3.1 by Fly Sniper

2. Triple Triad V3.1 by Fly Sniper – Code: Q5SACQJD
The name of this map will likely be familiar to any of you who’ve played the card game in Final Fantasy 14, or its original incarnation in Final Fantasy 8. This map impressively recreates that card game within Wargroove.

The game starts with each player choosing a hand of five from a pool of randomised cards, which they then take turns to play them on the board at the top of the map. It’s essentially a game of playing the right numbers in the right places to take control of the board, with victory going to whoever controls the majority of it by the time it’s filled up. I recommend giving it a go! The opening cutscene gives a much clearer explanation than I could in this space.

Trio Power by enton0vae

3. Trio Power by enton0vae – Code: 5QZK7TK3
This puzzle map tasks you with defeating Emeric by using the grooves of Valder, Sedge and Ryota in combination. I found this to be a delightful brainteaser, with few enough options that I didn’t become overwhelmed by all the possibilities, but still needed some careful planning to achieve the goal.

Straining Frontier v1.2 by Kokoado

4. Straining Frontier v1.2 by Kokoado – Code: WXFVNM9Q
The only regular skirmish map on today’s list, but an enjoyable one! With the amount of villages to contest over, the map’s high economy and plentiful forests dotting the landscape, your forces are likely to end up quite spread out. I particularly like the way Kokoado has used decorations to add character to the battlefield without hurting the readability.

Zone Control 2P: The Lost Isle by Armagon

Bonus Dev-made Map – Zone Control 2P: The Lost Isle – Code: BRQPZULB
A two player version of the Zone Control mode I released last month! In short, players compete for control over the five zones that are spread out across the central battlefield. Controlling these zones nets you points and gold, and you win either by accumulating enough points, or by eliminating your opponent’s commander. This one was a lot of fun to make, so I hope you guys have fun playing it!

That’s all for todays entries!
If you’ve made something Wargroove-related that you think deserves to be featured here, you should share it on the Wargroove Discord in the Creative channels! I regularly check those channels for cool stuff to feature, so that’s your best bet for ensuring I’ll see your work.

I’ll be back with more highlights next month, so until then you lovely folks stay safe and take care of yourselves!

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Community Maps Spotlight #36

Hey guys, it’s great to see you all again! I’m back with more quality map creations, fresh from the Wargroove community!

Before we dig into today’s entries, one of our entries from the July spotlight received an update!
* Kokoado’s map “Alésia” got bumped to version 1.1, which you can access with the code: EHWX4V8Z

With that out of the way, let’s get to this month’s highlights!

Tabletop Wars v1.2 by Brope Ian

1. Tabletop Wars v1.3 by Brope Ian – Code: NZBHNE7T
Both players have access to up to three barracks on this map, but the ones closest to the central battlefield are nestled away behind walls and mountains, so you’ll need to plan your capture routes accordingly and decide whether you want to leave the gates intact. They make it harder for your units to get out, but also make it harder for enemies to get in!

Waterlogged Wastes by Liam

2. Waterlogged Wastes by Liam – Code: 44MEX2ME
The central island is quite narrow, so you’ll definitely want to take advantage of those starting barges to get a unit to a port as quickly as you can. The river crossings allows merfolk to slide in and potentially do some hefty damage to higher value units as they head out to the battlefield.

Knife Fight in a Phone Booth v 0.4 by TheSneakyDragon

3. Knife Fight in a Phone Booth v 0.4 by TheSneakyDragon – Code: JW2JJCNP
This is a battlefield built for close quarters fighting, with the standard weather being severe reducing the effectiveness of ranged units. This map proved really interesting to play thanks to the central ports. With the amount of river tiles dotting the middle, merfolk can manoeuvre around and hit nearby ground units and structures with crits. Despite the relatively small size of the map, there’s a lot of room for strategy here.

Zone Control 4P: Grey Raven Fields

Bonus Dev-made Map – Zone Control 4P: Grey Raven Fields – Code: 9ZZSY7PP
In this custom game mode, players compete to seize control of zones spread out across the battlefield. You take control of a zone by having a unit occupy the area without any enemies present. If an enemy enters a zone you’re currently controlling, the zone is neutralised until one of you is pushed out.

At the start of your turn, you gain one point for every zone currently under your control. The first player to earn 15 points wins the game! You can keep track of how many points everyone has at the top of the screen. If your point situation isn’t looking good, you can still eliminate opposing players by taking down their Commander.

I’m really pleased with how this one turned out, so I hope you guys enjoy it!

That’s all for todays entries!
If you’ve made something Wargroove-related that you think deserves to be featured here, you should share it on the Wargroove Discord in the Creative channels! I regularly check those channels for cool stuff to feature, so that’s your best bet for ensuring I’ll see your work.

And in case you missed it…
We released a lovely little game called Eastward yesterday! It’s been a tremendous labour of love for our good friends at Pixpil, so it’s gratifying to see it receiving such a positive reception from critics across the board! If you haven’t had a chance to check it out for yourself yet, it’s available right now on Nintendo Switch and Steam!

I’ll be back with more highlights next month, so until then you lovely folks stay safe and take care of yourselves!

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Community Maps Spotlight #35

Hi folks! I hope August has been treating you all well! The Wargroove community continues to surprise me with the amount of quality content being uploaded to the game, month after month. It’s made my task of picking the highlights simultaneously easier and harder. Easier because there’s usually plenty of options to present, but harder because of the volume of stuff I need to play to find the best! Let’s jump into this month’s highlights!

Out of the Aeons by Bergil

1. Out of the Aeons by Bergil – Code: HRXS8MLZ
Kicking us off we’ve got this nice little brainteaser of a puzzle map where Wulfar and Nuru are both stuck fighting each other in an endless cycle, as the map’s opening cutscene explains. To break them out of the loop you must stop the fighting by taking down both commanders in a single turn. I can’t say I’ve played many puzzle maps with an actual story!

Gilgamesh 1.8 by Fadedsun

2. Gilgamesh 1.8 by Fadedsun – Code: M2M52XLE
With so many villages for a map this size, you will have more than enough gold to build up a sizeable force. Units will probably take at least a couple of turns to reach the fight so foresight will be imperative to ensuring your victory.

Chains 2.0 by Alpha_75159

3. Chains 2.0 by Alpha_75159 – Code: 3CPYCD4L
With barracks positioned in opposite corners of the map and a wide open central battlefield, you’ll have to decide how best to balance your forces between keeping your recruitment structures safe and targeting the enemy stronghold or commander.

The Ruins of Ezum by Armagon

Bonus Dev-made Map – The Ruins of Ezum by Armagon – Code: SH9CR4E5
For this month’s entry I decided to put together another four player free-for-all map since there aren’t that many mappers attempting to make competitively-balanced ones. At first glance it might appear to have a lot of chokepoints, but with the amount of beaches it’s actually quite freeform, though air units will have to account for the flagstone tiles when positioning for their attacks. I hope you guys like it!

That’s all for todays entries!
If you’ve made something Wargroove-related that you think deserves to be featured here, you should share it on the Wargroove Discord in the Creative channels! I regularly check those channels for cool stuff to feature, so that’s your best bet for ensuring I’ll see your work. I’ll be back with more highlights next month, so until then you lovely folks stay safe and take care of yourselves!

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Community Maps Spotlight #34

G’day folks! Lovely to see you all again!

Before we dig into today’s entries, a few of our highlights from the last spotlight have received updates!
* Varis Alpha’s Wargroove remixes got remastered and released as an EP which you can check out here!
* Whargarbl’s map “In Memoriam” got updated to version 1.2, which you can access with the code: LBZ47JMF
* Xmo5’s “Cloak and Dagger” also got a revision, and now is version 1.3.1, which you can grab using: JCYK78CT

With those updates out of the way, let’s get to the new highlights!

Alésia v1.0 by Kokoado

1. Alésia v1.0 by Kokoado – Code: N9QH67JT
Due to the distance from the barracks to the front lines, this map rewards players who are adept at planning ahead. You’ll want to make sure you have some strong anti-air presence if you see your opponent recruit a dragon, since both Strongholds are sitting on roads and are thus very vulnerable to critical strikes from the flying behemoths.

Mt. Hothead by Saltmæster

2. Mt. Hothead by Saltmæster- Code: 67UETSTU
This two-player co-op map puts players in a disadvantageous position as the AI moves quickly to surround and close in on you. Do you attempt to rush the enemy Strongholds? Or do you capture as many villages as you can and attempt to outlast your foes in a war of attrition? I found this an enjoyable challenge where I was nearly toppled on more than one occasion.

Auranian Labyrinth 1.4 by Xmo5

3. Auranian Labyrinth 1.4 by Xmo5 – Code: 3K5NEMZZ
This is a a competitive map that’s been around in some form or another for a quite a long time. Because Xmo5 is so ingrained in the competitive scene, they’ve tweaked and adjusted this level as the competitive meta has shifted. This is the latest iteration of an already great map, so I felt it was high time to shine a light on it here. Give it a go!

Beetle's Brooks v2.72 by justyoureventualruler

4. Beetle’s Brooks v2.72 by justyoureventualruler – Code: XXLFV6PJ
This map’s creator has firmly established themself as someone to watch, with this being their third feature in just four months. This time around they’ve attempted to make this map with competitive play firmly in mind, and it shows. There’s plenty of resources to contend for, and with the mountains and rivers surrounding your barracks, you’ll need to factor in the travel time of your units as you pick your recruits.

Face the Horde: Rivers of Ruin by Armagon

Bonus Dev-made Map – Face the Horde: Rivers of Ruin by Armagon – Code: 52J8J2AN
This is a new single-player entry in my “Face the Horde” series. For those of you who’ve missed them in the past, this is ultimately an endless defence map where you need to last as long as you possibly can, with the bulk of your income coming from killing enemy units. The rivers provide some precious choke points to funnel the enemy through, but can also make it hard for you to push forward if you don’t plan your actions carefully. How many turns can you last?

That’s all for todays entries!
If you’ve made something Wargroove-related that you think deserves to be featured here, you should share it on the Wargroove Discord in the Creative channels! I regularly check those channels for cool stuff to feature, so that’s your best bet for ensuring I’ll see your work. I’ll be back with more highlights next month, so until then you lovely folks stay safe and take care of yourselves!

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Community Maps Spotlight #33

Hello everyone, it’s that time again! I’m here to bring you some of the best maps that have come out of the Wargroove community, along with a fun bonus at the end. Lets jump in!

Cloak and Dagger 1.3 by Xmo5

1. Cloak and Dagger 1.3 by Xmo5 – Code: PUL243ZW
This is one of the most visually striking competitive maps I’ve seen from Xmo5. The flagstone dotting the landscape means you’ll want to play close attention to where your flying units can move as the dense forest and mountains create chokepoints for your ground troops. I found this to be really fun to play with fog-of-war enabled too!

Lash Out by Steinilese

2. Lash Out by Steinilese – Code: 9H9UW2DZ
It’s always a pleasure when I come across a well-made map from a name I’m not yet familiar with. With the strongholds fairly isolated from each player’s recruitment structures, you’ll need to balance your forces between attacking your opponent’s headquarters and defending your own. While the land is where most of the fighting is going to happen, take care not to disregard the surrounding sea lest a well-placed warship lays waste to all your plans.

In Memoriam v1.1 by Whargarbl

3. In Memoriam v1.1 by Whargarbl – Code: 4D2QVNDZ
By contrast to our second entry, Whargarbl is a regularly-featured mapper at this point. True to their usual form, this map is designed with competitive play in mind while using distinct decorations to help make the terrain more readable. You’ll want to make sure you have units ready to defend your Stronghold at any time, since the terrain surrounding each barracks ensures it takes at least a couple of turns for them to reach it.

The Badland Basins by Armagon

Bonus Dev-made Map – The Badland Basins by Armagon – Code: 6LSA63CJ
Since the community is already churning out excellent 1-on-1 maps on a consistent basis, I decided to continue on my train of 4P FFA mapmaking. My goal here was to make a map with high village density around the center to draw everyone in. Controlling the middle can mean a lot of income for you, but you’re also likely to draw the ire of all three of your opponents. Tread carefully!

That’s all for today’s maps, but there’s one last thing!
It’s no secret that we here at Chucklefish are big fans of the Advance Wars series, and that its absence as a franchise is a big part of what inspired us to make Wargroove in the first place. It’s for that reason I couldn’t resist giving a shout out to talented composer Varis Alpha, who recently created a remix of Wargroove’s main theme in the style of our inspirational predecessor.

If you enjoy this remix, Varis Alpha has done several others since Wargroove first launched two years ago, including themes for Mercia, Wulfar, Ragna and some more spoilery stuff you can find on their channel.

It seemed doubly good timing to share Varis’ work given the exciting news of Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp coming at the end of the year courtesy of WayForward. As I’m sure you can imagine, we’re very excited to see the franchise make its return after all this time!

In any case, that’s all from me today! I wish you folks all the very best until next time!

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Community Maps Spotlight #32

G’day folks! Thanks for joining me for yet another community spotlight! I’ve got a pretty varied selection of creations for you today, so without any further ado, lets get into it!

Groove Composer by Deminobody

1. Groove Composer by Deminobody – Code: 5EVA8UCL
This map uses Wargroove’s event system to create a fully functional sequencer! It allows you to create short musical loops using a variety of sound effects, which is done by positioning units along several rows. The unit type and placement determines what sound plays and when. It’s impressively well-made and you can achieve some pretty cool results!

The Untold Legacy of a Community by Sedgehun

2. Untold Legacy of a Community 2.30 by Sedgehun – Code: H8NV6BKA
This robust campaign acts as a follow-up to the events of the original Wargroove story. The amount of love and effort that was put into it is plain to see, as each mission presents a variety of interesting objectives, each peppered with cutscenes and fun character interactions. Some missions can be incredibly challenging, and often the key to success lies in paying close attention to your surroundings. This is a campaign worth checking out!

Greywall v1.01 by justyoureventualruler

3. Greywall v1.01 by justyoureventualruler – Code: 2ZA6GBTN
It’s no secret that I enjoy smaller scale maps that cram engaging gameplay into their space. This entry does a great job of providing a tense close-quarters conflict as players race to pin down their opponent’s commander or to strike the very-accessible stronghold.

Treeton River v2.1 by BarrettRTS

4. Treeton River v2.1 by BarrettRTS – Code: 5A3QTBXK
On the opposite side of the scale here’s a competitive-oriented map from a veteran of the Groove of War community! The ban on Trebuchets and Rifles allowed them to keep the map particularly open, whilst leaving plenty of roads for wagons and ballista to easily reposition.

The Kindersard Keeps by Armagon

Bonus Dev-made Map – The Kindersard Keeps by Armagon – Code: ENRKGDLD
I still find myself enjoying pumping out four player free-for-all maps, but I wanted to introduce more fortifications in this one! To gain access to your second barracks you’ll need to devote a turn or two to cracking one of those gates open. Meanwhile the gates toward the middle present some interesting choices. You may want to keep them up to make it harder for opponents to move in on your stronghold, or you may want to tear them down to make it easier to move your own units through the center.

That’s all for today! I hope you guys find something you like in this month’s selection. I’ll be back with more next month, so until then you fine folks take care of yourselves and each other.

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Community Maps Spotlight #31

Hello everybody, it’s great to see you! The month of April sure flew by, huh?

Before we dig into today’s entries, one of our picks from a couple of months ago has received an update!
* Whargarbl’s map, “Thieves Den”, got bumped to version 2.45, which you can access with the code: HNCN3HQ5

With that out of the way, let’s dive into the entries for this month!

Tetrahex v1.17 by Sedgehun

1. Tetrahex v1.17 by Sedgehun – Code: Y73FQT7Q
This map is wild fun if you enjoy larger scale fights with lots of units. Built with competitive play in mind, this map gives each player four barracks to recruit units from, and thirty-two villages to fight for control over. With the potential for so many units to show up on the battlefield, you’d best have your wits about you.

Sorched v1.06 by justyoureventualruler

2. Sorched 1.06 by justyoureventualruler – Code: RCVLFF2U
The two opposing teams of this map are separated by several chokepoints, with those closer to the middle being particularly narrow, while those out to the sides give you some leeway. I found this to be great fun for a casual match!

Project Oblivion by Xmo5

3. Project Oblivion by Xmo5 – Code: ZBX68SBF
Another well-made battlefield from Xmo5, a veteran mapper of the competitive community. Neutral villagers stand in place to create spaces that can’t be occupied by either player, while the abundance of flagstone gives you room to evade aerial attacks. May the best player win!

Delistrie Crossing by Armagon

Bonus Dev-made Map – Delistrie Crossing by Armagon – Code: U9U5UF2E
I decided to dip my toe back into making skirmish maps this month with this small-scale four-player free-for-all! Gates make the central villages not especially accessible at the start, but as those doors come down roaming the map becomes easier and chaos can ensue. Just make sure not to overextend yourself and leave your stronghold exposed!

The deadline for the next Community Choice is May 28th!
If you’d like to see one of your creations in the Community Spotlight, you should hop onto the Wargroove Discord and post it in #community-choice. Even if your map or mod doesn’t get top votes from the community, we check the channel often, and efforts that stand out will absolutely be considered for the Spotlight! The creation with the most thumbs up will be the Community Choice winner, so don’t wait too long to submit your entries!

See you next time folks!

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Community Maps Spotlight #30

G’day everyone! The first quarter of 2021 has flown by, and we’ve already made it to the Easter weekend! I’m back once again to bring you a choice selection of the Wargroove community’s finest offerings, so let’s get right into it!

Ryota's Adventure Definitive Edition by CyanShaman

Ryota’s Adventure Definitive Edition by CyanShaman – Code: Q2D96SYA
This delightfully tricky puzzle map had me stumped in deep thought for a good while. I had a number of occasions where I felt I’d gotten close to the answer, only to hit a snag and be forced to take a few steps back and rethink my options. Solving this puzzle proved so satisfying that I simply had to share it.

Graveyard Shift v1.7 (Fog) by Whargarbl

Graveyard Shift v1.7 (Fog) by Whargarbl – Code: S8HNA4GD
Don’t let my screenshot fool you. As the name implies, this skirmish map was built with fog of war in mind, which perfectly suits the graveyard theme it’s aiming to deliver. I found the use of neutral undead villagers here really interesting. Not only do they suit the theme well aesthetically, but they functionally turn their tiles into spaces that can be moved through, but never occupied by a unit. I had a lot of fun playing this and I suspect you lively folks will too.

Caesar's beach day by that_1_guy

Caesar’s Beach Day by that_1_guy – Code: 6KLHAWND
Another well-made puzzle that demands you put your understanding of Wargroove’s mechanics to the test. It’s not quite so fiendish as today’s opening entry, but I found it to still be a very enjoyable brainteaser well worth my time.

Oceans Apart 1.1 by Xmo5

Oceans Apart 1.1 by Xmo5 – Code: EDE824RW
This is certainly one of the larger 1-on-1 skirmish maps I’ve featured; but it’s a well-tuned one that gives you all the space and Barracks you need for an epic battle. This is an ideal testing ground for you and the rival in your life.

Community Choice Award: Wargroove Expanded Editor 3 Mod by Emo Tarquin Mod Download
For the most devoted modders in the community, sometimes the already robust editors included with Wargroove were simply not robust enough. This mod, when enabled, grants a creator access to a number of editor functions and game assets that normally aren’t available to our players.

These developer-facing features were often made for very specific use-cases, so they can be tricky to use if you aren’t already comfortable with poking around the game’s assets to figure out how things work.

The upside of this mod is that people playing your maps don’t need to have downloaded the mod themselves in order to play your content. This is due to the fact that the mod is using features that exist in the Wargroove engine already. You simply turn on the mod while editing, then turn it off and re-save the file once you’re done.

Face the Horde Co-op & Versus Maps by Armagon

Bonus Dev-made Maps:
Face the Horde 2P: Sandy Springs by Armagon – Code: BQ9AXZCS
Face the Horde VS: Hellion Expanse by Armagon – Code: ACS6SDPK
I’ve got two bonus maps for you guys today! They’re multiplayer follow-ups to my Face the Horde scenario from the last spotlight.

If you missed it, the premise is that you face off against endless waves of randomly-selected units that will steadily grow stronger over time. Killing enemy units is your only way of earning additional money, and the more powerful the unit you slay, the greater the reward. Your task is simply to survive for as long as possible.

The desert-themed Sandy Springs is a co-operative take on this concept, with two players trying their best to keep each other alive against the relentless AI. The moment one player loses their Commander or Stronghold, the game is over for both of them.

The volcanic Hellion Expanse is a competitive variant, where the players are totally separated from each other, but will face off against the exact same waves of enemies on either side. The goal here is to outlast your human opponent. Once one player falls, if the other can survive until the end of that turn, they win the match. I’m quite pleased with how this turned out, so hopefully you guys enjoy it too!

The deadline for the next Community Choice is April 30th!
If you’d like to see one of your creations in the Community Spotlight, you should hop onto the Wargroove Discord and post it in #community-choice. Even if your map or mod doesn’t get top votes from the community, we check the channel often, and efforts that stand out will absolutely be considered for the Spotlight! The creation with the most thumbs up will be the Community Choice winner, so don’t wait too long to submit your entries!

Until next time, y’all take care folks!

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Community Maps Spotlight #29

Welcome one and all! I hope the day finds you well!

Before we dig into today’s entries, one of our picks from the last spotlight has received an update!
* Wigkx’s map “Oasis” got updated to version 1.5, which you can access with the code: C45SXSW3

With that quick tidbit out of the way, let’s get to the new highlights!

Heavensong's Unrest by Laberca

1. Heavensong’s Unrest by Laberca – Code: RBYGCT9E
This campaign sees the dashing general Ryota take a leading role as unrest takes root in the Heavensong colonies. Unrest that may soon embroil all of Aurania. I found myself pulled in by the story as it unfolded, but was also pleased that the missions were plenty enjoyable enough to keep me interested. All-in-all a great campaign!

Thieves' Den v2.29 by Whargarbl

2. Thieves’ Den v2.29 by Whargarbl – Code: F5G5GMZL
With fortified hideouts in the map’s corners, true to its name, this is a real playground for thieves. The large open fields grant quick traversal to the fleet of foot, out on the prowl for a village to raid. I really appreciate Whargarbl’s knack for making their maps look eye-catching without hurting readability and preserving competitive-friendly gameplay.

Ice Castles by Alpha_75159

3. Ice Castles by Alpha_75159 – Code: C62VFD9Y
This map is more open than it appears at first glance, thanks to the beaches connecting the bridges. There’s plenty of defensible terrain to take into consideration when plotting your moves, and even some room for naval units to join the party, though you won’t be seeing any warships or harpoons here. I really like the creative sense of design displayed in this map. Alpha has successfully created something very distinctive, whilst also taking gameplay into account.

Ranked Ladders by Fly Sniper

Community Choice Award: AutoMMR by Fly SniperMod Download
The Groove of War players have been running their own ranked leaderboard system for a while now, but it wasn’t without its issues. Building on prior work by community members Reena and CMAvelis, Fly Sniper won today’s Community Choice with this mod that functionally brings ranked play to Wargroove.

Taking part in ranked matches is quite simple! You can register to join the ladder in the #lfg-bots channel of the Wargroove Discord. Doing so will have the bot send you details on how to install the AutoMMR mod, as well as a text file containing an authentication key that identifies you as a player.

Whenever two players registered on the ladder play a match with the mod enabled, the game will automatically report the outcome of the match to the bot and update your matchmaking rank accordingly. If a more structured competitive experience is something you’ve been wanting, definitely give it a look! Almost all the top players have been using it.

Face the Horde: Barrbel Fields

Bonus Dev-made Map – Face the Horde: Barrbel Fields by Armagon – Code: VD43MLE6
This is an endless defense map, where you must keep your Stronghold and Commander alive as long as possible. The enemies that spawn are determined by a series of RNG rolls that take place depending on the AI’s current level of power, which escalates with every passing turn.

To encourage aggressive play, the player has no villages, but relies on gaining gold from killing enemy units. The amount of gold gained depends on the unit killed. Presently it gives 60% of the dying unit’s gold worth to the player. This means with careful play your level of power can rise enough to keep the enemy at bay, but it can very quickly fall apart if you make costly risks that don’t pay off.

If you’re able to last more than 30 turns, the difficulty gets turned even more against you, as enemies will start to take less and less damage the longer the match goes on. With this current setup, I was able to last until turn 42. I’m looking forward to seeing someone beat this!

The deadline for the next Community Choice is April 2nd!
If you’d like to see one of your creations in the Community Spotlight, you definitely should hop onto the Wargroove Discord and post it in #community-choice. Even if your map or mod doesn’t get top votes from the community, we check the channel often, and efforts that stand out will absolutely be considered for the Spotlight! The creation with the most thumbs up will be the Community Choice winner, so don’t wait too long to submit your entries!

Until next time, y’all take care folks!

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