Composer(s) Marc A. Pullen Release date(s) 2001-2005 Designer Wouter van Oortmerssen | Initial release date 2001 Publisher Dot3 labs LLC | |
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Developers Wouter van Oortmerssen, Dot3 labs LLC Similar Cube 2: Sauerbraten, AssaultCube, Alien Arena, Nexuiz, Warsow |
Cube is a first-person shooter video game that shares the name of its free and open-source engine (zlib-licensed). The engine and game were developed by Wouter van Oortmerssen.
Contents
It runs on a variety of operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, OS X, AmigaOS 4, AROS, iPhone, Wii and even Pocket PC devices with 3D acceleration such as Dell Axim x50v. It uses OpenGL and SDL. Cube features both single-player and multiplayer gameplay. The game contains a built-in level editor.
The game was originally released in 2001. The first release with single-player mode was in January 2002. The latest update of Cube was released on August 29, 2005. A popular spin-off called AssaultCube was released on November 2006.
Gameplay
As of the August 29, 2005, release, there are 37 SP (SinglePlayer) maps and 65 DM (DeathMatch) maps, for a total of 102 maps all together.
Multiplayer uses a networked game code (called ENet) and the use of a thick client/thin server model.
Single-player
The single-player game play includes two modes. A plain single-player mode in which items and monsters do not respawn and have a fixed position; and a deathmatch-style mode (where there is a fixed number of monsters, ten per skill level) and items respawn.
Multiplayer
Multiplayer gameplay includes twelve modes:
Game engine
The Cube engine was designed as an outdoor engine, i.e. it's designed for maps that are outdoors rather than Doom and Quake, which are optimized for indoors. It utilizes a pseudo-3D world model similar to the Doom engine, based on a 2D height map. This imposes some limitations (e.g. no rooms above rooms), but does permit slopes and 3D props, which in turn can be used to make up for most limitations, for example, to create bridges with a passage below.
The engine is based on zero-precompilation philosophy—all map data is interpreted dynamically, with no need to recalculate such as shadowmaps or BSP data. This makes realtime in-game map editing feasible. Cube supports multi-user, realtime map editing.
The engine is compact and relies on simplicity and brute force instead of fine-tuned complexity.
Further development
Reception
Cube was reviewed positively by LinuxDevCenter in 2002 and awarded with the "Happypenguin Award" for "Best Free 3D Action Game" by The Linux Game Tome in 2003. MacUpdate rated the game's latest release 4.5 stars out of 5.