BZFlag Readme


This is the README file for the Windows version of BZFlag.

BZFlag is a network multiplayer 3D tank battle game. You can play against several other people anywhere on the Internet. BZFlag is freeware and Open Source; please read the file COPYING found where you installed BZFlag.


Requirements

BZFlag will run on Windows XP/Vista/7 systems, with limited support for Windows 2000. A hardware accelerated graphics card with current drivers is highly recommended for adequate performance. The game requires DirectX 8 or greater to be installed.


Global Registration

Many game servers require users to be globally registered to play. Global registration is free and handled by the official BZFlag forums. Please go to http://my.bzflag.org/bb/ to create a global account. A valid e-mail address is required.


Uninstalling

Navigate to the Start Menu and locate the BZFlag directory. Click on the Uninstall item and follow the onscreen directions. Note that your configuration will not be deleted. This is stored in your documents folder under "My BZFlag Files".


Playing

To begin playing BZFlag, launch the game using the start menu or quicklaunch shortcuts. The game will go fullscreen (unless you are starting in windowed mode), load its data files, and show the main menu.

Use the arrow, enter, and escape keys to navigate the menus. You should first browse the `Help' menu. Use Page Up and Page Down to cycle through the help pages. These pages explain the game, how to play, and which keys are bound to which controls. You can change the key bindings from the `Change Key Mapping' menu under `Options' menu.

To play you must join a game using the `Join Game' menu. Use `Find Server' to search for an existing server. Select a server from the list and press enter (press escape to cancel). This sets the server name and port number in the `Join Game' menu. You can enter a name manually if `Find Server' doesn't show the server you want. You may need to set the port too. The default port number is 5154 and most servers will use this.

If you haven't entered a callsign before, you need to type one before connecting to a server. This is the name you'll be known by during the game. You should also choose a team before joining the server. Many servers may block specific teams, or the teams might be full. If so, try a different team or choose `Automatic'. You cannot change teams once you've joined a game, though you can reconnect later with a different team and/or callsign.

Once you have your callsign, team, server, and port set up, use `Connect' to join the game. If anything goes wrong, the game will show an error message telling you how to correct the problem. Otherwise, you'll find yourself ready to play.

Your name and score are shown in your team color in the upper left. The scoreboard lists all the players (in order by score), their scores, what flag they are carrying (if any), and the number of times you've killed and been killed by that player. Your current status is at the top center. Press the right mouse button or the `i' key to start playing!

For additional information, check out the Getting Started page on our wiki.


Trouble

Typical problems with BZFlag involve either the graphics or the network. A list of some Common Support Issues is available on the BZFlag wiki.

Graphics

BZFlag uses OpenGL for rendering. As per the system requirements, it is recommended that you have hardware accelerated graphics with the latest video drivers. When you start the game, the `OpenGL Driver` will be displayed in the text console at the bottom of the screen. If this is shown as `GDI Generic', it means that you do not have functioning hardware accelerated graphics. You should install the latest driver for your graphics chipset and try the game again. Here are some of the common video chipsets:

Even with hardware acceleration, some cards support OpenGL better than others. You may want to fiddle with the graphics options in the `Options' menu if your frame rate is low or the graphics look wrong. The `t' and `y' keys toggle frame rate and time-per-frame readouts. If you are having very low framerates, ensure that Lighting and Shadows are off. Some of the lowest graphics settings are actually optimized for very old graphics chipsets or for software rendering and may actually run slower than higher settings.

If the game runs but the rendering is wrong, your OpenGL driver is broken. It is not a problem with BZFlag. Try installing the latest video driver from your graphics card manufacturer.

The majority of graphics problems are caused by old or incompatible video drivers. The video drivers that come with Windows or are distributed through Windows Update are never current and do not provide the OpenGL functions BZFlag needs. Always get the current driver for your video card from the card manufacturer or chipset company. If you are using a laptop you may have to get the current driver from your laptop manufacturer.

If the game looks too bright or too dark, you can adjust the `Brightness' setting in-game under the Options > Display Settings menu.

Network

Network problems can be more difficult to track down. If you have a firewall, make sure it is allowing BZFlag to communicate with the Internet. The client will talk on port 80 to various web services such as the list server and the message of the day. It will also communicate on whatever port a server is running on, such as 5154, using both TCP and UDP.

Due to our initial communication on port 80, some anti-virus or firewalls may classify the client as a browser and then heavily restrict traffic. One such example is the anti-virus program Nod32. To fix this in Nod32, right click on Nod32 in the system tray, go to Advanced Setup. From there, go to Web access protection > HTTP, HTTPS > Web browsers, and uncheck BZFlag. These steps will of course be different for other anti-virus and firewalls.

If you're using BZFlag over a dialup modem, you will need to connect to the Internet before starting BZFlag.

Visit the BZFlag Home Page and the BZFlag Wiki for more information and online help.