About the Game
Welcome to GROUND OF ACES
It is the dawn of World War II, and you take command of a remote military air base.
Prepare for missions, send out pilots and fend off attacks
Engulf yourself in the Second World War and experience its battles from the perspective of your air base crew. It is your responsibility to make sure everybody is physically and mentally prepared to fulfil their duties.
Plan, build and shape your very own air base
Build up and manage a World War II air base. Your personal home for your planes and your crew members. Complete freedom of how you want to build. You will plan and place every wall.
Manage iconic World War II aircraft
Enjoy a variety of accurate fighter airplanes. A joy for aviation aficionados who know the difference between a Hurricane and a Spitfire. But consider: bigger airplanes will need bigger infrastructure. So make sure you can house some of WW2's most impressive airplanes.
Take care of your pilots and crew
Experience personal stories of your air base crew members. On your base every person matters and has their own personality. The game takes huge inspiration from the everyday life of airplane bases in remote locations and how it felt to live there, in good and bad times.
In the style of Franco-Belgian bande dessinée
The game is built from the ground up to look like a living and breathing comic book, bringing the style of these timeless art pieces to life. From Bergèse to Hergé, the attention to detail and love for planes of the old masters is what we strive for.
Screenshots
14 images
Version Information
Steam Patch Notes
Official update history
We have a new round of patches for you. Thank you for your reports!
Changelog:
Added in-game information to equipment and props with special functions, explaining what they do
Added Barbed Wire as a buildable fence type
Added fence build tool for Metal Fence & Sturdy Wooden Fence
Added Camouflage to HQ shipment
Added Intel to HQ shipment
Added Electronics to HQ shipments
Added backwards compatibility for quest unlocks
Added missing quest icons
Adjusted scroll speed in crew menu
Adjusted scroll speed for plane list in mission preparation
Adjusted scroll speed in plane management
Adjusted low integrity icons to be clearer
Increased max. zoom speed
Increased Pressing Issue priority related to planes being unable to land/start due to runway
Removed TAB as a toggle for buttons
Fixed issue where quests related to ordering AA guns would not complete
Fixed issue where people would be stuck in training without gaining experience
Fixed issue where ground crew job listings would be replaced by generic "Ground Crew"
Fixed issue preventing players from instructing crew members to carry injured
Fixed issue where the skin paint menu would overlap with the plane crew menu
Fixed issue where players could toggle mission difficulty stars
Fixed wording for some quests
To re-enable full functionality of the map editor for the map contest, we have made following changes
Changelog:
Re-enabled the following props in their current condition for the map editor:
Sturdy Wooden Fence
Sturdy Wooden Fence Pole
Simple Wooden Fence
Simple Wooden Fence Pole
Metal Fence
Metal Fence Corner
Fences will be updated in the future to be draggable like walls. Happy editing!
Thank you for all the reports since our new Major Update. We have already implemented some fixes and improvements that are now available with this Hotfix update.
Changelog:
Fixed issue when starting a new game with pre-existing planes on parking spots
Fixed crew orientation when painting Spitfires and Blenheims
Fixed some tutorial highlights
Adjusted thumbnails of prop icons to be more uniform
Adjusted the Kittyhawk's size for navigation to be the correct size
Updated some translations
Our new major update, "Bootcamp," is out! Learn more about what is new in this update here.
New Features / Content
Linear Tutorial Mode
For this major update, our team focused on something that has been one of the most common requests in reviews, surveys, and general feedback: a proper linear tutorial mode that gradually unlocks the UI and guides you through every important step. Many new players felt overwhelmed by the game’s systems and UI when playing for the first time, so this is an important step toward improving onboarding as we move closer to the 1.0 release.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44053859/092b0b0897f03e420f409a9b89c07cf1a1bd9f09.png"]
Please note: Not all languages are supported yet.
The tutorial is available in English but not in other languages yet because it's a very fresh feature and the texts weren't available yet for translation work.
If you are a non-English speaker, if you know a non-English language, you can help the game become accessible for more people by adding your own translations with this easy online tool:
TRANSLATE GROUND OF ACES
(We will update Crowdin with the new tutorial texts this Friday.)
Thank you so much to all our community translators!
Updated Quest System with Rewards
We expanded the quest system so that it gradually unlocks and rewards you with building elements and props. This way, people don't get overwhelmed with too many choices right away, and you get steadily introduced to new objects and structures that you can build.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44053859/0255f934221386510b8ed20bfa04dfa63a6275c9.png"]
PRO MODE if you want everything unlocked from the start
For players who want everything unlocked right from the beginning: There is the "Pro Mode" option. Just open the map parameters and click the checkbox for "Enable pro mode" and you can play the game like before.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44053859/3efe770efaa6ca656033aab7335a356d0d81f19e.png"]
25+ New Props
We added another batch of new props based on feedback from the community. You can use them in the map editor, and you unlock them in the normal game mode while going through the quests.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44053859/903eb8f48f61c169cf7705e84b372d6762fdaa81.png"]
Typewriter Table
Stove
Metal Bed
Wooden Bed
Shelf: Books
Shelf: Folders
Shelf: Personal Stuff
Locker
Filing Cabinet
Metal Table
Outdoor Table
Chalkboard
Pilot Board
Anti-Tank Pimple
Small Fuel Tank
Water Tower
Clothesline
Clothing Rack
Clothing Stand
Polish Military Airport Flag
Wicker Chair
Scramble Bell
Telephone
Warning Sign (Gas)
Warning Sign (No Smoking)
Warning Sign (Track Discipline)
Warning Sign (Low Flying Aircraft)
Warning Sign (No Entry)
Drag Placement for Sandbags
You can now build rows and squares of sandbags using the drag placement tool, making it much faster and easier to create defensive lines.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44053859/b4f3c3217bb28a96f072857c54f3c2f6d5eb44e7.png"]
\ Please note: Fences Temporarily Disabled
Fences are currently disabled as buildable elements while we work on adding drag placement support for them as well. Our programmer is still working on implementing drag placement for fences, and they will return in a future update as soon as possible.
If you are currently working on a custom map that requires fences, the alpha build on the testing branch still includes them. You can finish placing fences there, then move to the updated version to continue working on the custom map with the new props and features.
We apologize for the inconvenience. The change for the fences is a bit more complicated because we want to keep the fences that were built the old way still intact on all the existing maps, and that works a different way than the sandbags.
The P-40 "Kittyhawk" Has Landed — New Content in the Free "Wings of Valor" DLC
Our free bonus DLC "Wings of Valor" also received new content:
The Curtiss P-40 "Kittyhawk"
The "Malta" skin for the Supermarine Spitfire
Decorative Posters
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44053859/d946563d1afbd5b1d90d9cf510bd2eb71f7a6ee4.png"]
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44053859/11806977c5596b044a37084fd20a92b887d27a22.png"]
You can simply add the DLC for free, and the new content will be available in the main game:
[dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/4359260/Ground_of_Aces__Wings_of_Valor/"]
What is "Wings of Valor"?
This DLC is a promise we made during our crowdfunding campaign and we are now building it up piece by piece. Wings of Valor exists thanks to the incredible support of our backers, who made it possible for us to lay the foundation for additional content beyond the base game.
Wings of Valor is available for free in its current state, as it currently includes only part of its planned content and Ground of Aces itself is still in Early Access. It will transition from free to paid when we launch the 1.0 version of the game. Players who pick it up now will receive all future additions at no extra cost.
Planned content for "Wings of Valor":
De Havilland Vampire
Another aircraft voted on by the community (tba)
An additional aircraft selected by the development team (tba)
Digital artbook
Two legendary pilot NPCs voted on by the community
Other Improvements
Added some new icons to the toolbar that should be easier to recognize at a glance
Unified most scroll bar visuals
Added Crew HP to Crew, Plane Management and Mission Menus
Added planes being on missions to Plane Management and Mission Menus
Changed names of props to better reflect them
Added colored prop icons
Adjusted some influence spheres
Added toggle for auto speed up during night phase to options
Adjusted the capitalization of multiple objects in-game to make it consistent
Disabled accidental overwrites of provided maps
Bug Fix: Cancelling a blueprint from a crate with the destroy tool allows it to be replanned again
Bug Fix: Cancelling the destruction of a crate doesn't change the view to the constructed version anymore
Thank you for playing and supporting Ground of Aces! Don't hesitate to leave a review here on Steam. It really helps an indie game project like ours!
We will monitor the new reports and feedback that will come in now and over the weekend.
- The Blindflug Studios team
Connected to our community map feature from the last update, we reached out on Discord to hear what kinds of props and assets you’d love to see in the map editor and in the game in general to make your bases even nicer. Thanks to your feedback, and some additions we already had in the pipeline, we’ve expanded the range of props you can use in the map editor and in the regular game mode.
This is the first wave of new props and terrain objects. More assets are already in the works. Stay tuned!
New Props (For Normal Game Mode + Map Editor)
Flowerbed Iris
Flowerbed Poppy
Empty Crate
Portable Metal Crate
Toolbox
Gravestone White
Rollable Scaffolding
Stepladder
Way Signs
Wall Signs
Metal Fence Corner Piece
Simple Wood Fence
Sturdy Wood Fence
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44053859/aa83a76a7e092b4a29468da83db3571cb14be165.png"]
New Terrain Objects (For the Map Editor)
Flowerbed Iris
Flowerbed Poppy
Flowerbed (purple, Lavender-like)
Old Headstone
Old Grave
Old Grave Simple
Tree Logs
Tree Stumps
Old Fence Pole
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44053859/78683c39d19c69a9de723a2e3a9040aaa5c76648.png"]
Change log
Adjusted UI for build objects to give space for new assets
Updated newsletter sign-up connection
Create and share your own map with the community!
Come to our Discord and share your map creations with the community in the "share-your-map" channel.
We will regularly pick cool new maps made by the community and add them to the "Community Maps" list inside the game.
Which props do you want to see next?
Tell us what kind of assets you think the game is missing. We will continue to expand the game with more material to give you more choices over your airbase.
New content:
With this update, we’re introducing the Community Maps Spotlight: a new in-game section where you can browse, download, and play selected community maps directly. We are starting with one map first and will add more in the next few months.
This update also includes two hotfixes for issues that recently appeared.
Hotfix
Fixed issue where the game froze/crashed when a storage zone/terrain object was hit by bombs during attacks
Fixed issue with planes getting stuck midair when taking off in a north direction
New Feature: Community Maps Spotlight
Since introducing the map editor, we’ve seen an incredible amount of creativity from our community on Discord and Twitch, where players have recreated real-life airbases inside Ground of Aces. We’ve been genuinely impressed by the care, detail, and effort many of you have put into your maps.
While these maps have been available via Discord (in the "share-your-map" channel), we want to highlight standout creations and give every player easier access to them. This is why we added a Community Maps Spotlight section to the game.
To keep things focused and avoid overwhelming players, we’ll feature up to 5 maps at a time, starting with one map this week. New maps will be added regularly, and once the limit is reached, the oldest map will rotate out. (If demand grows, we may expand this system in the future.)
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44053859/cf3a96a044b244a8165f06be61dfd876ca4e95f9.png"]
Any community map you download will remain in your custom maps folder even after it leaves the spotlight. And of course, all shared community maps will continue to be available on our Discord.
We’re planning to add a new spotlight map every two weeks.
Please note: These community-created maps are not balanced or optimized by the dev team. Performance may be affected depending on your computer setup and settings, especially on maps with many props or complex designs.
First Spotlight Map: RAF Kenley by Bearguard
We’re kicking things off with a map created by Harric aka Bearguard, one of our most active community members and the author of the excellent Ground of Aces starter guide.
He recreated RAF Kenley, and here’s his briefing:
Commander,
take command of this fully functional Tier 1 air base.
Basic workbenches, a small hospital and a mess hall are there and you have enough to start your service. Just order a few Gladiators and set the storage zones as you feel fit.
First take care of food supply and start to produce the most needed things. You will need repair parts and more fuel, then slowly produce or order Ammunition. Since this base is pretty big and supposed to station later on Bomber squadrons, do not rush the tiers and try to establish first a wide spread and well planned AA defense, or you will suffer severe losses.
You have very basic AA MGs and you should try to build up a better defense with the 20mm and 40mm AA guns from HQ.
You have many parking places and even hangars, so that you do not have to spend endless time on such build ups, but again, be patient and clever to build up the other infrastructure before you are provoking to hard attacks from the Luftwaffe.
Remember always, your crew needs first beds and food. You are assigned 6 Ground Crew Members
Good luck Commander!
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44053859/f41e7c57dfd775ffaa1d25cdb76f99960e2f270e.png"]
Create your own map and share it with us!
Feeling inspired? Use the map editor in the game, create your own starter map, rebuild a real-life airbase without having to worry about resources and building times, forge your own dream airbase, and share it on our Discord. Maybe it will be selected for a spotlight spot in the future.
Lets Play Livestream This Friday
Our co-founder and the man who had the idea for Ground of Aces, Moritz – call sign Dark Zero – will be livestreaming this Friday at 9 PM CET / 12 PM PDT / 3 PM EDT, joined by Bearguard to discuss his RAF Kenley map and to play it with the community.
Follow us on Twitch and tune in on Friday:
[dynamiclink href="https://www.twitch.tv/blindflugstudio"]
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44053859/acf478d15b3b689a1db94b7bdae016dc7331ca9b.jpg"]
We saw the reports of freezes that came in after the previous hotfix and we have here a fresh hot fix focused on this issue. Thank you for your reports!
Changelog:
Fixed issue of everything (including camera controls) being frozen on load (or when work phase starts, if it was saved during a different phase)
Our team has been focused on bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements the last few weeks, and we have a fresh batch of changes for you.
Changelog:
Fixes
Fixed Gardening Tiles not being removable
Fixed surprise attacks and sirens going off indefinitely
Fixed issues with runways remaining blocked when a mission cancels, causing planes not to start / come back
Fixed issues with some custom maps not being playable
Fixed issue of some crew members not pathfinding to defensive equipment when the alarm starts
Fixed Meteor start-up noise playing for too long
Fixed wall decorations not sticking to the walls anymore after loading a save
Fixed depleted/destroyed map objects showing up as filled/intact
Fixed parking spot tooltips only showing up when hovering over specific corners
Fixed being able to cancel terraforming on runways with the cancel tool
Fixed pending mission result sound playing on load
Fixed tutorial videos not showing on some Mac machines
Quality-of-life changes
Added ability to prioritize the construction of entire runways
Added ability to rotate roofs
Added Japanese as a language
Added skin unlock notifications
Added indicator in equipment assignment menu to show which plane a crew member belongs to
Added time controls to map editor
Adjusted 2D plane sprites to fit the 3D counterpart better
Balanced Crew Mood Bonus for missions and min. plane stats for multi-seat aircraft
Default paint button is now blocked when all skins are default
Next, we are preparing for Major Update 5, which, among other things, includes focusing on making a new tutorial / onboarding process. This has been a big feedback point, and it's important for the future of the game. We think Ground of Aces is now far enough in our Early Access phase and still early enough before 1.0 to make a new tutorial and then improve it further with your feedback.
We are also working on a community feature that is planned before the next major update which aims to celebrate map creations from other players. Stay tuned!
We continue to check the incoming feedback and bug reports from the in-game feedback tool, the Steam reviews and forum posts, and Discord discussions. Thank you all for your feedback and reports!
We have a new hotfix update ready for you that also includes one of our most requested features: controlling the direction of your airstrip.
We heard you and we didn't want to keep you waiting any longer for this feature, so here it is as part of a smaller hotfix update. This update also includes some useful new tools for the map editor.
Thank you all for your extensive feedback. We continue with other bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements.
Changelog:
Decide the landing / takeoff direction
you can now configure the airstrip landing/takeoff direction
New tools for the map editor
add and manage truck waypoints and resource spawning points
set spawn points for specific planes on parking spots
add character spawners to mark spots where initial characters appear when a new game is started
Tweaks to maps
we added a hospital building to Lichfield
The Hole was removed from Perranporth
Change the number of dogs on your base
you can now decide the number of dogs on the map in the map parameters when starting a new game
Other changes
added "painting in progress" indicator in the skin management button
added an option to configure skin during plane ordering
Pre-war Gladiator merged into Gladiator with a pre-war skin
fixed minor visual bugs
fixed minor functional bugs
New airplane livery 👀 Promo code will be given out in our next dev livestream
there is a new skin in the game that can be unlocked with a promo code. This code will be given out in our next dev livestream on Twitch, which is planned for this Sunday at 9pm CET / 4pm EDT / 1pm PDT. Follow us on Twitch to get a notification when we go live: [dynamiclink href="https://www.twitch.tv/blindflugstudio"]
Thank you for your reports and feedback. Our team made some fixes and improvements that we already want to push out as a Hotfix update.
Changelog:
add missing hover tooltips for fuel tank/water pump
fix one of the dirt biomes not counting as tier 1 for runways
don't open game directory location when clicking DLC news buttons
fix blurry images in main menu news UI
properly close airstrip UI when placing is cancelled
fix deconstructed roof blocking the building of new ones
reduced the chance of injury when collapsing to 10%
Lysander Day Fighter skin texture fix
sandbags are smaller to avoid clipping through walls
minor localization updates
Issues we are currently working on:
Make the function of the default paint button in the management screen clearer
Skin unlock notifications
Improvements planned for the Map Editor:
Truck delivery waypoint
Character spawn waypoint
"Long Grass" for biome selection
Map Editor runway improvements
Add “Undo” & “Redo” functionality
This week our team will do a team retreat and discuss the feedback that we have gathered in the latest reviews, survey form answers, feedback entries and Steam forum posts. We will keep working on improvements and fixes, and we will plan the next features of the next big update.
Current Release
Not available
System Requirements
How to Install
GroundOfAces.exe to play
Troubleshooting tips
• Run Redist/_CommonRedist installers if game won't start
• Add folder to Windows Defender exclusions
• Run as administrator
Download
Direct link available
515 MB
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Download Ground of Aces for PC with a direct link or via torrent. Get the full version of Ground of Aces for free. Ground of Aces is a Simulation released by Blindflug Studios AG.