1BZFLAG(6)                           BZFlag                           BZFLAG(6)
2
3
4

NAME

6       BZFlag - a tank battle game
7

SYNOPSIS

9       bzflag [-badwords filterfile] [-config filename] [-configdir directory‐
10       name] [-d | -debug] [-date mm/dd/yyyy] [-dir  |  -directory  directory]
11       [-e  |  -echo] [-ea | -echoAnsi] [-h | -help | --help] [-latitude lati‐
12       tude] [-list list-server-url] [-locale locale]  [-longitude  longitude]
13       [-m  |  -mute] [-motd URL] [-multisample] [-nolist] [-nomotd] [-notime]
14       [-solo number-of-robots] [-team {automatic | red | green | blue |  pur‐
15       ple | rogue}] [-time hh:mm:ss] [-v | -version | --version] [-view {nor‐
16       mal  |  stereo  |  stacked  |  three  |  anaglyph}]  [-window   widthx‐
17       height[{+|-}x{+|-}y]]   [-zbuffer   {on   |   off}]   [[callsign[:pass‐
18       word]@]server[:port]]
19

DESCRIPTION

21       BZFlag is a 3D multi-player tank battle game that allows users to  play
22       against  each  other in a networked environment.  There are five teams:
23       red, green, blue, purple and rogue (rogue tanks are black).  Destroying
24       a  player  on  another  team  scores  a  win,  while being destroyed or
25       destroying a teammate scores a loss.  Rogues  have  no  teammates  (not
26       even other rogues), so they cannot shoot teammates and they do not have
27       a team score.
28
29       There are three main styles of play:   capture-the-flag,  free-for-all,
30       and  rabbit-hunt.  In capture-the-flag, each team (except rogues) has a
31       team base and each team with at least one player has a team flag.   The
32       object is to capture an enemy team's flag by bringing it to your team's
33       base.  This destroys every player on the captured team,  subtracts  one
34       from  that  team's  score,  and  adds  one  to  your  team's score.  In
35       free-for-all, there are no team flags or team  bases.   The  object  is
36       simply  to  get  as high a score as possible.  In rabbit-hunt, the lead
37       player is chosen as the target for all other players. When  the  rabbit
38       (target)  is  destroyed,  the  live  player with the next highest score
39       becomes the rabbit. The object is to remain the rabbit for as  long  as
40       possible. The rabbit is marked as a white tank.
41
42   Joining a Game
43       To  get  quickly  started,  select  the  "Join Game" menu in the BZFlag
44       client using the arrow keys on your keyboard.   Choose  the  "Select  a
45       Server"  link  and  pick  one  of the servers near the top of the menu.
46       This should take you back to the "Join Game" menu where you should then
47       provide  a  callsign.   Select the "Connect".  Within a few seconds you
48       should be on that server ready to play.
49
50       BZFlag includes a global registration system  that  allows  players  to
51       register  a  callsign that defines them uniquely on the BZFlag network.
52       Some servers require registration for all users,  some  require  it  to
53       obtain administrative abilities.  If you attempt to use a callsign that
54       is already registered, you may be  denied  access  to  a  server.   See
55       https://forums.bzflag.org/  for details regarding callsign registration
56       and to check on available names.  Once registered, you will be able  to
57       provide  your  password  in  the  "Join Game" menu and have it used for
58       authentication.  You are encouraged to register your callsign.
59
60       There are generally public BZFlag servers running around the clock  all
61       around  the  world,  available  over  the Internet.  Similarly, private
62       servers can be set up for running local network games.   See  the  bzfs
63       manual  page  (bzfs.6)  for details on starting a new server, public or
64       private.
65
66   Options
67       -badwords filterFile
68                      Specify a file containing bad words to be replaced  with
69                      !@#$%^&* characters when they appear in chat.
70
71       -d or -debug   Adds  some  diagnostic output. Can be specified multiple
72                      times to increase verbosity.
73
74       -dir or -directory directory
75                      Looks for data files in directory first.  This  defaults
76                      to  a directory named data in the current directory.  If
77                      not found there, the game looks for data  files  in  the
78                      current  directory,  then  in  the  default installation
79                      location /usr/share/bzflag.
80
81       -config        Specify the configuration file to load. The name is rel‐
82                      ative  to  the  default configuration directory. This is
83                      usually only used by developers.
84
85       -configdir     Specify the configuration directory to use. This will be
86                      the  default  config  directory used by this instance of
87                      the game. This is really only needed if you can not  use
88                      the default directory.
89
90       -date mm/dd/yyyy
91                      Specifies  the  date  for positioning celestial objects.
92                      This option is available only when  bzflag  is  compiled
93                      with debugging enabled.
94
95       -e, -echo      Copies  all  message  window output to the shell on *nux
96                      and OSX, to stdout.txt on windows
97
98       -ea, -echoAnsi Copies all message window output like  -echo  preserving
99                      the ANSI color coding on *nix, same as -echo on windows.
100
101       -h, -help, --help
102                      Prints  a  concise  list  of  the  bzflag  command  line
103                      options.
104
105       -latitude latitude
106                      Uses latitude when computing celestial object positions.
107
108       -list url      Look for list servers using url.  A built-in url is used
109                      by  default  (the same url is the default for bzfs).  If
110                      url is default then the url is reset to the built-in url
111                      (the  url  is  remembered across invocations of bzflag).
112                      list servers keep a list of bzfs servers accessible from
113                      the  internet and are queried when using the Find Server
114                      menu.
115
116       -locale locale Set the locale used  to  display  messages,  menus,  hud
117                      alerts, etc.
118
119       -longitude longitude
120                      Uses  longitude  when  computing  celestial object posi‐
121                      tions.
122
123       -m, -mute      Disables sound.
124
125       -motd URL      Specify an alternate URL for the message of the day dis‐
126                      played           when           bzflag           starts.
127                      https://www.bzflag.org/motd.php  is  the  default.   See
128                      -nomotd.
129
130       -multisample   Uses  a  multisample buffer for rendering.  If multisam‐
131                      pling isn't available then the application  will  termi‐
132                      nate.
133
134       -nolist        Disables list server querying.  See -list.
135
136       -nomotd        Disables  queries for the message of the day when bzflag
137                      starts.
138
139       -notime        Removes a previously set fixed time for celestial object
140                      positions.  See -time.
141
142       -solo number-of-robots
143                      When you join a game, you'll also cause number-of-robots
144                      robots to join too.  This is an experimental option  and
145                      the  robots  are  extremely  stupid players.  Robots are
146                      added to teams at random.
147
148       -team team-name
149                      Chooses the player's team.  If there are no  team  posi‐
150                      tions  available  and  the  team-name is set to be auto‐
151                      matic, the player will try to join as an observer.
152
153       -time hh:mm:ss Specifies the local time used for positioning  celestial
154                      objects,  which  will  remain  fixed  rather  than  move
155                      through the sky as the day  advances.   Use  -notime  to
156                      undo this setting.
157
158       -v, -version, --version
159                      Prints the version number of the executable.
160
161       -view {normal | stereo | stacked | three | anaglyph}
162                      Chooses  one  of  the  possible display options.  Normal
163                      will render a single view to the entire screen.   Stereo
164                      will try to allocate a stereo (in-a-window) capable buf‐
165                      fer and then draw a single view in stereo.  Your  system
166                      must  support  stereo-in-a-window  buffers.   Three will
167                      render the front view to the upper right quadrant of the
168                      display,  a  left view to the lower left quadrant, and a
169                      right  view  to  the  lower  right  quadrant.   This  is
170                      intended  for  systems capable of driving multiple moni‐
171                      tors from various areas of the display surface, yielding
172                      a  wrap  around  view. stacked will render the two right
173                      eye view on the upper half of the display and  the  left
174                      eye on the lower half. anaglyph supports red-cyan stereo
175                      viewing glasses. Note that setting an  unsupported  view
176                      option  will  often  lead to BZFlag not running success‐
177                      fully. To correct this, run with -view normal.
178
179       -window widthxheight
180                      Runs the application in a window instead of full screen.
181                      Specify  the  width  and  height of the window after the
182                      option.
183
184       -zbuffer {on | off}
185                      When off is chosen the game will not attempt to allocate
186                      a  depth  (z)  buffer and will use a different rendering
187                      technique for hidden surface removal.  Some systems  may
188                      be  capable  of  using  a  higher screen resolution if a
189                      depth buffer isn't allocated.
190
191       [callsign[:password]@]server[:port]
192                      Specifies the callsign you want, and  the  host  running
193                      the  bzfs  server. Multiple independent games can be run
194                      on a single network, or even on  different  ports  on  a
195                      single  computer.  Which  server  and  port  you  choose
196                      decides which game you enter.  The callsign and the port
197                      are  optional.  If you don't specify a port the standard
198                      server port will be used, and if  you  don't  specify  a
199                      callsign  the  callsign  used  for  the previous game is
200                      used.  If that cannot be found then bzflag  will  prompt
201                      for a callsign when joining a game.
202
203   Controls
204       Tanks are controlled by moving the mouse within the large yellow box in
205       the main view.  When the mouse is inside the small yellow box, the tank
206       is motionless.  The large box is the limit of the tank's speed.
207
208       Shots are fired by pressing the R left mouse button .  The type of shot
209       fired depends on what flag the tank has.  Normal shots last  about  3.5
210       seconds.  Reloading also takes 3.5 seconds for normal shots.
211
212       Pressing  the  R middle mouse button drops a flag.  Nothing will happen
213       if the tank has no flag or is not allowed to drop  the  flag  for  some
214       reason  (e.g.  it's  a  bad flag).  Flags are picked up by driving over
215       them.  A dropped flag gets tossed straight up;  it falls to the  ground
216       in about 3 seconds.
217
218       Pressing  the  R  right mouse button identifies the closest player cen‐
219       tered in the view.  If your tank has  the  guided  missile  super-flag,
220       this will also lock the missile on target.  However, the target must be
221       carefully centered for the missile to lock.
222
223       When the server allows jumping or if the tank has the jumping flag, the
224       R  Tab  key  jumps.  Tanks can jump onto buildings, however there is no
225       way to shoot downward (or upward) with a regular shot.  The guided mis‐
226       sile  and the shock wave are two ways of destroying a tank on or from a
227       building.
228
229       The current radar range can be changed by pressing the R 1, R 2, or R 3
230       keys above the alphabetic keys for low, medium, and long range, respec‐
231       tively.  The R f key toggles the flag help display, which describes the
232       flag  in  the  tank's  possession.   Displaying help does not pause the
233       game.
234
235       The R Pause key pauses and resumes play.  When paused, the tank  cannot
236       be  destroyed  nor  can  its  shots  destroy other players.  The reload
237       countdown is suspended and the radar and view are blanked when  paused.
238       A  paused  tank has a transparent black sphere surrounding it.  Since a
239       paused tank is invulnerable a player could cheat by pausing just before
240       being  destroyed,  so  there's  a  brief  delay  before the pause takes
241       effect.  This delay is long enough to make pausing effectively  useless
242       for  cheating.   Pressing R Pause before the pause takes effect cancels
243       the pause request.
244
245       The R Delete key initiates a self destruct sequence.  You  will  see  a
246       countdown  that  can  be stopped by pressing R Delete once more. Other‐
247       wise, you tank will self destruct. This can be useful if your tank gets
248       stuck and there is no other tank around to shoot you.
249
250       The list of players and scores is displayed when your tank is paused or
251       dead.  Pressing the R s key toggles the score display  when  alive  and
252       not paused.
253
254       The  R b key toggles binoculars, which gives a close up view of distant
255       objects.  The R 9 key toggles Otto, the automatic pilot, on and off.  R
256       t  key  toggles the frame rate display and the R y key toggle the frame
257       time display. The time of day can be changed with  the  R  plus  and  R
258       minus  keys,  which  advance and reverse the time by 5 minutes, respec‐
259       tively.  The time of day in the game is  initialized  to  the  system's
260       clock.   In  addition, the latitude and longitude are used to calculate
261       the positions of celestial objects.
262
263       The R Esc key shows the game menu.  Use the R Enter and arrow  keys  to
264       navigate  the  menu and the R Esc key to return to the previous menu or
265       hide the main menu.  The menus allow you to start a new server, join  a
266       game,  leave  a  game  and enter another, change the rendering options,
267       change the display resolution, change the sound volume, remap the mean‐
268       ings of keys, browse online help, and quit the game.
269
270       The display resolution is not always available for changing.  If it is,
271       use the R t key to test a selected resolution;  it will be loaded for a
272       few  seconds  and  then  the previous resolution restored.  Press the R
273       Enter key to permanently select a new resolution.  When  you  quit  the
274       game,  the  resolution  is  restored  to  what  it  was before the game
275       started.
276
277       Options are recorded between game sessions in  the  .bzf/<version>/con‐
278       fig.cfg  file  in  the  user's  home directory.  This file has a simple
279       name/value pair format.  This file is completely rewritten by the  game
280       after each session.
281
282       You can send typed messages to other players by pressing the R m or R n
283       keys.  The R m key will send a message to your teammates  only.   Rogue
284       players cannot send these messages.  The R n key will send a message to
285       all the other players.  After pressing the key, just type your  message
286       and  press  enter  or  Control-D.  To cancel a message, you can enter a
287       blank message or press Delete, Escape, or Control-C.  Be  careful  with
288       the Escape key;  pressing Escape once will cancel the message, pressing
289       it again will show the main  menu.   Backspace  will  delete  the  most
290       recently typed character.  The Tab key doesn't add a tab to the message
291       but instead causes the tank to jump (as usual).  You can  also  send  a
292       direct message to a single player by pressing the R , or R .  keys. The
293       R , key will send your message to your 'nemesis', i.e. the last  player
294       who  killed  you or was killed by you. The R .  key will send a private
295       message to another player. You can choose the recipient  by  using  the
296       left  and right arrow keys.  R o toggles the quick-admin interface. Use
297       the arrow keys to select a command, and  then  fill  in  the  necessary
298       parameters
299
300   Scoring
301       An  individual's score is the difference between that player's wins and
302       losses.  A win is scored for each enemy  tank  destroyed.   A  loss  is
303       scored  for  each  teammate  destroyed  and for each time the player is
304       destroyed.  The score sheet displays each player's score and the number
305       of wins and losses.
306
307       A  team's  score is calculated differently depending on the game style.
308       In the capture-the-flag style, the team score is the  number  of  enemy
309       flags  captured minus the number of times the team's flag was captured.
310       Capturing your own flag (by taking it onto an enemy base) counts  as  a
311       loss.   In the free-for-all style, the team score is sum of the wins of
312       all the players on the team minus the sum of  the  losses  of  all  the
313       players  on  the  team. In the rabbit-hunt style, scoring is similar to
314       free-for-all.
315
316       The score sheet also lists the number times you have destroyed or  been
317       destroyed  by each other player under the Kills heading.  This lets you
318       compare your one-on-one performance against other players.
319
320   Teleporters
321       The server can be configured to place teleporters in the game.  A tele‐
322       porter  is  a  tall black transparent object that instantaneously moves
323       any object (tanks and shots) passing through it  to  some  other  tele‐
324       porter.   The teleporter connections are fixed for the entire game.  In
325       the capture-the-flag style the connections are always the same.  In the
326       free-for-all  style  the  connections  are random and reversible (going
327       back through where you come out puts you back where you started).
328
329       Each side of a teleporter teleports independently of  the  other  side.
330       However,  it's  possible  for  each side to go to the other.  This is a
331       through-teleporter and it's almost as if it weren't there.   It's  also
332       possible  for  a  side  to teleport to itself.  This is a reverse-tele‐
333       porter.  Shooting at a reverse teleporter is likely to be self-destruc‐
334       tive.  Shooting a laser at a reverse teleporter is invariably fatal.
335
336   Radar
337       The  radar is displayed on the left side of the control panel.  It pro‐
338       vides a satellite view of the game.  Buildings and the outer  wall  are
339       light blue.  Team bases are outlined squares in the team colors.  Tele‐
340       porters are short yellow lines.  Tanks are dots the in the tank's  team
341       color, except for rogues which are yellow.  The size of a tank's dot is
342       a rough indication of the tank's altitude:  higher  tanks  have  larger
343       dots.   Flags  are small crosses.  Team flags have the team color while
344       super-flags are white.  Shots are small white dots (except laser  beams
345       which are line segments and shock waves which are circles).
346
347       The  tank  always appears in the center of the radar and the radar dis‐
348       play rotates with the tank so that forward is  always  up.   There's  a
349       small tick mark indicating forward.  The left and right extremes of the
350       current view are represented by a yellow V whose tip is at  the  center
351       of the radar.  North is indicated by the letter N.
352
353   Heads Up Display
354       The  heads-up-display,  or HUD, has several displays.  First, there are
355       two boxes in the center of the view.  As explained above, these delimit
356       the  ranges  for  the  mouse.   These boxes are yellow when you have no
357       flag.  Otherwise they take the color of the flag you're holding  (white
358       for superflags).
359
360       Above  the  larger  box is a heading tape showing your current heading.
361       North is 0, east is 90, etc.  If jumping is allowed, an  altitude  tape
362       appears to the right of the larger box.
363
364       Small  colored  diamonds  or arrows may appear on the heading tape.  An
365       arrow pointing left means that a particular flag is to  your  left,  an
366       arrow  pointing  right means that the flag is to your right, and a dia‐
367       mond indicates the heading to the flag by its position on  the  heading
368       tape.  In capture-the-flag mode a marker in your team's color is always
369       present, showing you the direction  to  your  team's  flag.   A  yellow
370       marker shows the way to the antidote flag (when you have a bad flag and
371       antidote flags are enabled).
372
373       At the top of the HUD are several text readouts.  At the  very  top  on
374       the left is your callsign and score, in your team's color.  At the very
375       top on the right is the name of the flag you're holding (or nothing  if
376       you  have  no  flag).  In the center at the top is your current status:
377       ready, dead, sealed, zoned, or reloading. If you have a  bad  flag  and
378       shaking  time  is enabled and your status is ready, the status displays
379       how much time is left before the bad flag is shaken.   When  reloading,
380       the  time until you're reloaded is displayed.  A tank is sealed when it
381       has the oscillation overthruster flag and  any  part  of  the  tank  is
382       inside  a  building.  A tank is zoned when it has the phantom zone flag
383       and has passed through a teleporter.  When there's a time limit on  the
384       game, the time left in the game is displayed to the left of the status.
385
386   Flags
387       Team  flags  are  supplied  by the server in the capture-the-flag style
388       game.  While at least one player is on a team, that team's flag  is  in
389       the  game.  When captured, the flag is returned to the team's base.  If
390       the flag is dropped in a Bad Place, it is moved to a  safety  position.
391       Bad  Places  are:   on top of a building or on an enemy team base.  The
392       flag can be dropped on a team base only by a player from a third  team;
393       for example, when a blue player drops the red flag on the green base.
394
395       A  team  flag is captured when a tank takes an enemy flag onto its base
396       or when a tank takes its flag onto an enemy base (even  if  there's  no
397       one  playing  on  that  team).   You must be on the ground to capture a
398       flag.
399
400       The server can be configured  to  supply  a  fixed  or  random  set  of
401       super-flags.  These flags are white and come in many flavors.  However,
402       you cannot tell what a super-flag is until it's picked up.   There  are
403       two  broad  categories of super-flags:  good and bad.  Good super-flags
404       may  be  dropped  and  will  remain  for  up  to  4  possessions.   Bad
405       super-flags  are  sticky  --  in  general, they cannot be dropped.  The
406       server may provide a  yellow  antidote  flag.   Driving  over  it  will
407       release  the  bad  flag.   The server may also allow a timeout and/or a
408       number of wins to shake the flag.  Scoring the required number of wins,
409       surviving the required amount of time or being destroyed will automati‐
410       cally drop the flag.  Bad flags disappear after the first possession.
411
412       Here is a brief description of each good superflag with the flag's code
413       in parentheses:
414
415       High Speed (V) Boosts top speed by 50%.
416
417       Quick Turn (QT)
418                      Boosts turn rate by 50%.
419
420       Agility (A)    Improves a tank's dodging capabilities.
421
422       Oscillation Overthruster (OO)
423                      Let's the tank go through buildings.  You cannot back up
424                      in or into a building, nor can you shoot while inside.
425
426       Rapid Fire (F) Increases shot speed  and  decreases  range  and  reload
427                      delay.
428
429       Machine Gun (MG)
430                      Increases  shot  speed  and dramatically decreases range
431                      and reload delay.
432
433       Guided Missile (GM)
434                      Shots guide themselves when locked on.  The missile  can
435                      be  retargeted  at  any time during its flight (with the
436                      right mouse button).  This allows the player  some  con‐
437                      trol over the missile's steering.
438
439       Laser (L)      Shoots  a  laser,  with  effectively  infinite speed and
440                      range.  Just point and shoot.  The binoculars are  handy
441                      for  lining  up distant targets.  The downside (you knew
442                      it was coming) is that the reload time is doubled.
443
444       Ricochet (R)   Shots reflect off walls.  It is  exceptionally  easy  to
445                      kill yourself with this flag.
446
447       Super Bullet (SB)
448                      Shots  can  go  through buildings (possibly destroying a
449                      tank with the oscillation  overthruster  flag)  and  can
450                      also destroy (phantom) zoned tanks.
451
452       Stealth (ST)   Tank  becomes  invisible  on  radar but is still visible
453                      out-the-window.
454
455       Cloaking (CL)  Tank becomes invisible out-the-window but is still visi‐
456                      ble on radar.
457
458       Invisible Bullet (IB)
459                      Shots  are  invisible  on radar (except your own).  They
460                      are visible out-the-window.  Sort of stealth for shots.
461
462       Tiny (T)       Tank becomes much smaller and harder to hit.
463
464       Narrow (N)     Tank becomes paper thin.  It's very hard (but not impos‐
465                      sible)  to  hit  a  narrow  tank from the front or back.
466                      However, the tank is as long as usual so hitting it from
467                      the side has normal difficulty.
468
469       Shield (SH)    Getting  shot  while  in  possession of this flag simply
470                      drops the flag (instead of destroying the tank).   Since
471                      the  flag  may not disappear you may want to wait around
472                      for it to fall to the ground so you can grab  it  again,
473                      but,  be warned, the shield flag flies for an extra long
474                      time (longer than the normal reload time).
475
476       Steamroller (SR)
477                      Tank can destroy other tanks by driving over  them  (but
478                      you must get quite close).
479
480       Shock Wave (SW)
481                      Tank  doesn't fire shells.  Instead it sends out a shock
482                      wave in all directions.  Any tank caught in the wave  is
483                      destroyed (including tanks on or in buildings).
484
485       Phantom Zone (PZ)
486                      Driving  through a teleporter phantom zones the tank.  A
487                      zoned tank cannot shoot, but can drive through buildings
488                      and  cannot  be  destroyed except by a Super Bullet or a
489                      Shock Wave (or if the team's flag is captured).
490
491       Genocide (G)   Destroying any tank on a team destroys every  player  on
492                      that team.
493
494       Jumping (JP)   Allows  the tank to jump.  You cannot steer while in the
495                      air.
496
497       Identify (ID)  Displays the identity of the closest flag in the  vicin‐
498                      ity.
499
500       Masquerade (MQ)
501                      You  tank  looks  like a teammate when viewed out of the
502                      window.  Bullets, radar and targeting reveal  your  true
503                      identity.
504
505       Burrow {BU}    You tank burrows into the ground up to your muzzle, mak‐
506                      ing you impervious to normal shots, as they  sail  above
507                      you.  However  your tank controls are sluggish, and any‐
508                      one, no matter what flag they have, can crush you like.
509
510       Seer (SE)      See Stealthed, Cloaked and Masqueraded tanks as  normal,
511                      as well as Invisible Bullets.
512
513       Thief (TH)     Tank  is  small and fast, when you shoot an opponent, he
514                      is not killed, but instead, you steal his flag.
515
516       Useless (US)   It's useless!
517
518       Wings (WG)     Tank can drive around in the air, and  may  be  able  to
519                      jump multiple times.  This can be useful when jumping or
520                      falling.
521
522       A brief description of each bad  superflag  with  the  flag's  code  in
523       parentheses:
524
525       Colorblindness (CB)
526                      Prevents  tank  from  seeing  any team information about
527                      other tanks.  You have to be careful to  avoid  shooting
528                      teammates.
529
530       Obesity (O)    The  tank  becomes  very large and easy to hit.  It's so
531                      big that it can't fit through teleporters.
532
533       Left Turn Only (<-)
534                      Prevents the tank from turning right.
535
536       Right Turn Only (->)
537                      Prevents the tank from turning left.
538
539       Forward Only (FO)
540                      Prevents the tank from going backwards.
541
542       Reverse Only (RO)
543                      Prevents the tank from going forward.
544
545       Momentum (M)   Gives the tank a lot of inertia.
546
547       Blindness (B)  Blanks the out-the-window view.  The radar still  works.
548                      It  is  effectively  impossible  to detect any tank with
549                      Stealth;  shooting a Stealth with Blindness is the stuff
550                      legends are made of.
551
552       Jamming (JM)   Disables the radar but you can still see.
553
554       Wide Angle (WA)
555                      Gives  the tank a fish eye lens that's rather disorient‐
556                      ing.
557
558       No Jumping (NJ)
559                      Tank is not allowed to jump.
560
561       Trigger Happy (TR)
562                      Tank can't stop shooting.  Watch out for that ricochet.
563
564       Reverse Controls (RC)
565                      Tank driving controls  are  reversed  from  their  usual
566                      behavior.
567
568   Observing
569       If  a  server  is  full  or  if you just want to watch a battle without
570       interfering in it, you can use the observer mode. To join a  server  as
571       an  observer, select R Observer as your tank's team. The maximum number
572       of observers can be restricted by the server admin, so you might  still
573       not be able to join a full server.
574
575       When  in  observer mode, you can freely roam the world. Using the arrow
576       keys you can rotate the camera in every direction.  Holding  shift  and
577       using  the  arrow  keys  moves the camera left, right, forward or back.
578       Pressing the up or down arrow while holding the R ALT key  will  change
579       the  camera's  altitude.  The  R  F9 and R F10 keys change the camera's
580       focal lengths, giving a zoom effect. The R F11 key will reset the zoom.
581       Pressing R l lets you toggle the display of tank labels.
582
583       Repeatedly  pressing R F8 cycles through different roaming modes: free,
584       tracking, following, first person  (driving  with)  and  tracking  team
585       flag.   In tracking mode, the camera will automatically look at a tank.
586       You can cycle through available tanks with the R F6 and R F7  keys.  In
587       follow  mode,  the camera is positioned right behind the targeted tank,
588       whereas you actually look from within the tank when using first  person
589       mode.  The  last  mode,  track  team  flag  is  only  available in cap‐
590       ture-the-flag games and will track the team flags. Again, use R F6  and
591       R F7 to choose which flag to track. One special option that can be used
592       with follow, tracking, and first person modes is that you can choose to
593       do  it  with the winning tank.  This is selected by cycling through the
594       tanks until you see the winner option. In this mode, you will always be
595       engaged with whoever has the best score (and is alive).  The default is
596       drive with winner mode.
597

User Commands

599       The following commands can be executed by sending a message to all  and
600       using these strings as the message
601
602       /bind key press action
603                      Bind  a key press to an action. press can be up, down or
604                      both
605
606       /cmds          Show a list of all client and server commands
607
608       /debug [level] Show or set the debug level to level
609
610       /diff          List all BZDB server variables that are not set  to  the
611                      default value
612
613       /dumpvars      Dump  a  list of all local variables and their values to
614                      the standard output
615
616       /forceradar    Force  the  radar  to  be  displayed  (only  works   for
617                      observers)
618
619       /highlight pattern
620                      Highlight all messages containing pattern on the console
621
622       /localset variable [value]
623                      Read a local variable or set it to value
624
625       /quit          Exit the game
626
627       /retexture     Reload the textures of the game
628
629       /roampos {reset|send|angle|x y z [theta [phi [zoom]]]}
630                      Manipulate  the  observer camera (only useful in Roaming
631                      and Tracking modes). Without arguments, it shows a usage
632                      message  and  the  current camera location. reset resets
633                      the camera's location to the center of the map and  send
634                      sends  information about the camera to the server. angle
635                      moves the camera outside the map  at  a  certain  angle,
636                      looking  towards  its center. x, y and z are used to set
637                      the camera's location, theta defines the camera's  hori‐
638                      zontal  angle,  phi  defines its vertical angle and zoom
639                      sets the camera's zoom level. All angles are defined  in
640                      degrees.
641
642       /savemsgs [-s] [-t]
643                      Save all messages to a file in your config directory. If
644                      -s is provided, coloring data are stripped.   If  -t  is
645                      provided, timestamps are added to the messages.
646
647       /saveworld [-g] [-m] [-o] filename
648                      Save  the  current world to filename. Specify -g to pre‐
649                      vent the creation of groups, -m to save some  primitives
650                      as  meshes and -o to create a WaveFront OBJ file instead
651                      of a BZW one.
652
653       /silence playerName
654                      Do not display any message coming from player with play‐
655                      erName name
656
657       /unsilence playerName
658                      Reshow messages coming from player with playerName name
659

FILES

661       ~/.bzf/<version>/config.cfg
662                      Stores options between game sessions.
663

SEE ALSO

665       bzadmin(6), bzfs(6), bzw(5)
666
667
668
669BZFlag 2.4.18                     2020-01-28                         BZFLAG(6)
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