1bzflag(6) BZFlag bzflag(6)
2
6 BZFlag - a tank battle game
7
9 bzflag [-3dfx] [-no3dfx] [-anonymous] [-config filename] [-configdir
10 directoryname] [-d | -debug] [-dir | -directory directory] [-echo]
11 [-echoAnsi] [-geometry widthxheight[{+|-}x{+|-}y]] [-latitude latitude]
12 [-list list-server-url] [-locale locale] [-longitude longitude] [-mul‐
13 tisample] [-mute] [-nolist] [-solo number-of-robots] [-team {automatic
14 | red | green | blue | purple | rogue}] [-version] [-view {normal |
15 stereo | stacked | three | anaglyph}] [-window] [-zbuffer {on | off}]
16 [[callsign[:password]@]server[:port]]
17
19 BZFlag is a 3D multi-player tank battle game that allows users to play
20 against each other in a networked environment. There are five teams:
21 red, green, blue, purple and rogue (rogue tanks are black). Destroying
22 a player on another team scores a win, while being destroyed or
23 destroying a teammate scores a loss. Rogues have no teammates (not
24 even other rogues), so they cannot shoot teammates and they do not have
25 a team score.
26 There are three main styles of play: capture-the-flag, free-for-all,
28 and rabbit-hunt. In capture-the-flag, each team (except rogues) has a
29 team base and each team with at least one player has a team flag. The
30 object is to capture an enemy team's flag by bringing it to your team's
31 base. This destroys every player on the captured team, subtracts one
32 from that team's score, and adds one to your team's score. In
33 free-for-all, there are no team flags or team bases. The object is
34 simply to get as high a score as possible. In rabbit-hunt, the lead
35 player is chosen as the target for all other players. When the rabbit
36 (target) is destroyed, the live player with the next highest score
37 becomes the rabbit. The object is to remain the rabbit for as long as
38 possible. The rabbit is marked as a white tank.
39 Joining a Game
41 To get quickly started, select the "Join Game" menu in the BZFlag
42 client using the arrow keys on your keyboard. Choose the "Select a
43 Server" link and pick one of the servers near the top of the menu.
44 This should take you back to the "Join Game" menu where you should then
45 provide a callsign. Select the "Connect". Within a few seconds you
46 should be on that server ready to play.
47 BZFlag includes a global registration system that allows players to
49 register a callsign that defines them uniquely on the BZFlag network.
50 Some servers require registration for all users, some require it to
51 obtain administrative abilities. If you attempt to use a callsign that
52 is already registered, you may be denied access to a server. See
53 http://my.B ZFlag.org/bb/ for details regarding callsign registration
54 and to check on available names. Once registered, you will be able to
55 provide your password in the "Join Game" menu and have it used for
56 authentication. You are encouraged to register your callsign.
57 There are generally public BZFlag servers running around the clock all
59 around the world, available over the Internet. Similarly, private
60 servers can be set up for running local network games. See the bzfs
61 manual page (bzfs.6) for details on starting a new server, public or
62 private.
63 Options
65 -3dfx For Mesa users with a pass-through 3Dfx card, e.g. a
66 Voodoo or Voodoo 2 based card. This sets the
67 MESA_GLX_FX environment variable to use fullscreen
68 pass-through mode. Use -geometry to use a resolution
69 other than 640x480 on the pass-through card. You should
70 not use this option with -window.
71 -no3dfx For Mesa users with a pass-through 3Dfx card, such as
73 Voodoo or Voodoo 2 based cards. This unsets the
74 MESA_GLX_FX environment variable so that the
75 pass-through card isn't used. Use this option if
76 MESA_GLX_FX is normally set in your environment and you
77 don't want bzflag to use the pass-through card. This
78 option is only a convenience; you can achieve the same
79 effect by unsetting MESA_GLX_FX in your environment.
80 -anonymous Uses the email address anonymous instead of user‐
82 name@hostname.
83 -d or -debug Adds some diagnostic output. Can be specified multiple
85 times to increase verbosity.
86 -dir or -directory directory
88 Looks for data files in directory first. This defaults
89 to a directory named data in the current directory. If
90 not found there, the game looks for data files in the
91 current directory, then in the default installation
92 location /usr/share/bzflag.
93 -config Specify the configuration file to load. The name is rel‐
95 ative to the default configuration directory. This is
96 usually only used by developers.
97 -configdir Specify the configuration directory to use. This will be
99 the default config directory used by this instance of
100 the game. This is realy only needed if you can not use
101 the default directory.
102 -echo Copies all message window output to the shell on *nux
104 and OSX, to stdout.txt on windows
105 -echoAnsi Copies all message window output like -echo preserving
107 the ANSI color coding on *nix, same as -echo on windows.
108 -geometry widthxheight[{+|-}x{+|-}y]
110 This specifies the size and, optionally, the position of
111 the window. It can be used with or without the -window
112 option. It may be necessary to use this on some systems
113 when bzflag cannot correctly determine the display size.
114 -latitude latitude
116 Uses latitude when computing celestial object positions.
117 -list url Look for list servers using url. A built-in url is used
119 by default (the same url is the default for bzfs). If
120 url is default then the url is reset to the built-in url
121 (the url is remembered across invocations of bzflag).
122 list servers keep a list of bzfs servers accessible from
123 the internet and are queried when using the Find Server
124 menu.
125 -locale locale Set the locale used to display messages, menus, hud
127 alerts, etc.
128 -longitude longitude
130 Uses longitude when computing celestial object posi‐
131 tions.
132 -multisample Uses a multisample buffer for rendering. If multisam‐
134 pling isn't available then the application will termi‐
135 nate.
136 -mute Disables sound.
138 -nolist Disables list server querying. See -list.
140 -solo number-of-robots
142 When you join a game, you'll also cause number-of-robots
143 robots to join too. This is an experimental option and
144 the robots are extremely stupid players. Robots are
145 added to teams at random.
146 -team team-name
148 Chooses the player's team. If there are no team posi‐
149 tions available and the team-name is set to be auto‐
150 matic, the player will try to join as an observer.
151 -version Prints the version number of the executable.
153 -view {normal | stereo | stacked | three | anaglyph}
155 Chooses one of the possible display options. Normal
156 will render a single view to the entire screen. Stereo
157 will try to allocate a stereo (in-a-window) capable buf‐
158 fer and then draw a single view in stereo. Your system
159 must support stereo-in-a-window buffers. Three will
160 render the front view to the upper right quadrant of the
161 display, a left view to the lower left quadrant, and a
162 right view to the lower right quadrant. This is
163 intended for systems capable of driving multiple moni‐
164 tors from various areas of the display surface, yielding
165 a wrap around view. stacked will render the two right
166 eye view on the upper half of the display and the left
167 eye on the lower half. anaglyph supports red-cyan stereo
168 viewing glasses. Note that setting an unsupported view
169 option will often lead to BZFlag not running success‐
170 fully. To correct this, run with -view normal.
171 -window Runs the application in a window instead of full screen.
173 -zbuffer {on | off}
175 When off is chosen the game will not attempt to allocate
176 a depth (z) buffer and will use a different rendering
177 technique for hidden surface removal. Some systems may
178 be capable of using a higher screen resolution if a
179 depth buffer isn't allocated.
180 [callsign[:password]@]server[:port]
182 Specifies the callsign you want, and the host running
183 the bzfs server. Multiple independent games can be run
184 on a single network, or even on different ports on a
185 single computer. Which server and port you choose
186 decides which game you enter. The callsign and the port
187 are optional. If you don't specify a port the standard
188 server port will be used, and if you don't specify a
189 callsign the callsign used for the previous game is
190 used. If that cannot be found then the callsign is the
191 value of the BZFLAGID environment variable. If BZFLAGID
192 is empty or undefined then bzflag will prompt for a
193 callsign when joining a game.
194 Controls
196 Tanks are controlled by moving the mouse within the large yellow box in
197 the main view. When the mouse is inside the small yellow box, the tank
198 is motionless. The large box is the limit of the tank's speed.
199 Shots are fired by pressing the R left mouse button . The type of shot
201 fired depends on what flag the tank has. Normal shots last about 3.5
202 seconds. Reloading also takes 3.5 seconds for normal shots.
203 Pressing the R middle mouse button drops a flag. Nothing will happen
205 if the tank has no flag or is not allowed to drop the flag for some
206 reason (e.g. it's a bad flag). Flags are picked up by driving over
207 them. A dropped flag gets tossed straight up; it falls to the ground
208 in about 3 seconds.
209 Pressing the R right mouse button identifies the closest player cen‐
211 tered in the view. If your tank has the guided missile super-flag,
212 this will also lock the missile on target. However, the target must be
213 carefully centered for the missile to lock.
214 When the server allows jumping or if the tank has the jumping flag, the
216 R Tab key jumps. Tanks can jump onto buildings, however there is no
217 way to shoot downward (or upward) with a regular shot. The guided mis‐
218 sile and the shock wave are two ways of destroying a tank on or from a
219 building.
220 The current radar range can be changed by pressing the R 1, R 2, or R 3
222 keys above the alphabetic keys for low, medium, and long range, respec‐
223 tively. The R f key toggles the flag help display, which describes the
224 flag in the tank's possession. Displaying help does not pause the
225 game.
226 The R Pause key pauses and resumes play. When paused, the tank cannot
228 be destroyed nor can its shots destroy other players. The reload
229 countdown is suspended and the radar and view are blanked when paused.
230 A paused tank has a transparent black sphere surrounding it. Since a
231 paused tank is invulnerable a player could cheat by pausing just before
232 being destroyed, so there's a brief delay before the pause takes
233 effect. This delay is long enough to make pausing effectively useless
234 for cheating. Pressing R Pause before the pause takes effect cancels
235 the pause request.
236 The R Delete key initiates a self destruct sequence. You will see a
238 countdown that can be stopped by pressing R Delete once more. Other‐
239 wise, you tank will self destruct. This can be useful if your tank gets
240 stuck and there is no other tank around to shoot you.
241 The list of players and scores is displayed when your tank is paused or
243 dead. Pressing the R s key toggles the score display when alive and
244 not paused.
245 The R b key toggles binoculars, which gives a close up view of distant
247 objects. The R 9 key toggles Otto, the automatic pilot, on and off. R
248 t key toggles the frame rate display and the R y key toggle the frame
249 time display. The time of day can be changed with the R plus and R
250 minus keys, which advance and reverse the time by 5 minutes, respec‐
251 tively. The time of day in the game is initialized to the system's
252 clock. In addition, the latitude and longitude are used to calculate
253 the positions of celestial objects.
254 The R Esc key shows the game menu. Use the R Enter and arrow keys to
256 navigate the menu and the R Esc key to return to the previous menu or
257 hide the main menu. The menus allow you to start a new server, join a
258 game, leave a game and enter another, change the rendering options,
259 change the display resolution, change the sound volume, remap the mean‐
260 ings of keys, browse online help, and quit the game.
261 The display resolution is not always available for changing. If it is,
263 use the R t key to test a selected resolution; it will be loaded for a
264 few seconds and then the previous resolution restored. Press the R
265 Enter key to permanently select a new resolution. When you quit the
266 game, the resolution is restored to what it was before the game
267 started.
268 Options are recorded between game sessions in the .bzf/<version>/con‐
270 fig.cfg file (or config.cfg.${HOST} if the HOST environment variable is
271 defined) in the user's home directory. This file has a simple
272 name/value pair format. This file is completely rewritten by the game
273 after each session.
274 You can send typed messages to other players by pressing the R m or R n
276 keys. The R m key will send a message to your teammates only. Rogue
277 players cannot send these messages. The R n key will send a message to
278 all the other players. After pressing the key, just type your message
279 and press enter or Control-D. To cancel a message, you can enter a
280 blank message or press Delete, Escape, or Control-C. Be careful with
281 the Escape key; pressing Escape once will cancel the message, pressing
282 it again will show the main menu. Backspace will delete the most
283 recently typed character. The Tab key doesn't add a tab to the message
284 but instead causes the tank to jump (as usual). You can also send a
285 direct message to a single player by pressing the R , or R . keys. The
286 R , key will send your message to your 'nemesis', i.e. the last player
287 who killed you or was killed by you. The R . key will send a private
288 message to another player. You can choose the recipient by using the
289 left and right arrow keys. R o toggles the quick-admin interface. Use
290 the arrow keys to select a command, and then fill in the necessary
291 parameters
292 Scoring
294 An individual's score is the difference between that player's wins and
295 losses. A win is scored for each enemy tank destroyed. A loss is
296 scored for each teammate destroyed and for each time the player is
297 destroyed. The score sheet displays each player's score and the number
298 of wins and losses.
299 A team's score is calculated differently depending on the game style.
301 In the capture-the-flag style, the team score is the number of enemy
302 flags captured minus the number of times the team's flag was captured.
303 Capturing your own flag (by taking it onto an enemy base) counts as a
304 loss. In the free-for-all style, the team score is sum of the wins of
305 all the players on the team minus the sum of the losses of all the
306 players on the team. In the rabbit-hunt style, scoring is similar to
307 free-for-all.
308 The score sheet also lists the number times you have destroyed or been
310 destroyed by each other player under the Kills heading. This lets you
311 compare your one-on-one performance against other players.
312 Teleporters
314 The server can be configured to place teleporters in the game. A tele‐
315 porter is a tall black transparent object that instantaneously moves
316 any object (tanks and shots) passing through it to some other tele‐
317 porter. The teleporter connections are fixed for the entire game. In
318 the capture-the-flag style the connections are always the same. In the
319 free-for-all style the connections are random and reversible (going
320 back through where you come out puts you back where you started).
321 Each side of a teleporter teleports independently of the other side.
323 However, it's possible for each side to go to the other. This is a
324 thru-teleporter and it's almost as if it weren't there. It's also pos‐
325 sible for a side to teleport to itself. This is a reverse-teleporter.
326 Shooting at a reverse teleporter is likely to be self-destructive.
327 Shooting a laser at a reverse teleporter is invariably fatal.
328 Radar
330 The radar is displayed on the left side of the control panel. It pro‐
331 vides a satellite view of the game. Buildings and the outer wall are
332 light blue. Team bases are outlined squares in the team colors. Tele‐
333 porters are short yellow lines. Tanks are dots the in the tank's team
334 color, except for rogues which are yellow. The size of a tank's dot is
335 a rough indication of the tank's altitude: higher tanks have larger
336 dots. Flags are small crosses. Team flags have the team color while
337 super-flags are white. Shots are small white dots (except laser beams
338 which are line segments and shock waves which are circles).
339 The tank always appears in the center of the radar and the radar dis‐
341 play rotates with the tank so that forward is always up. There's a
342 small tick mark indicating forward. The left and right extremes of the
343 current view are represented by a yellow V whose tip is at the center
344 of the radar. North is indicated by the letter N.
345 Heads Up Display
347 The heads-up-display, or HUD, has several displays. First, there are
348 two boxes in the center of the view. As explained above, these delimit
349 the ranges for the mouse. These boxes are yellow when you have no
350 flag. Otherwise they take the color of the flag you're holding (white
351 for superflags).
352 Above the larger box is a heading tape showing your current heading.
354 North is 0, east is 90, etc. If jumping is allowed, an altitude tape
355 appears to the right of the larger box.
356 Small colored diamonds or arrows may appear on the heading tape. An
358 arrow pointing left means that a particular flag is to your left, an
359 arrow pointing right means that the flag is to your right, and a dia‐
360 mond indicates the heading to the flag by its position on the heading
361 tape. In capture-the-flag mode a marker in your team's color is always
362 present, showing you the direction to your team's flag. A yellow
363 marker shows the way to the antidote flag (when you have a bad flag and
364 antidote flags are enabled).
365 At the top of the HUD are several text readouts. At the very top on
367 the left is your callsign and score, in your team's color. At the very
368 top on the right is the name of the flag you're holding (or nothing if
369 you have no flag). In the center at the top is your current status:
370 ready, dead, sealed, zoned, or reloading. If you have a bad flag and
371 shaking time is enabled and your status is ready, the status displays
372 how much time is left before the bad flag is shaken. When reloading,
373 the time until you're reloaded is displayed. A tank is sealed when it
374 has the oscillation overthruster flag and any part of the tank is
375 inside a building. A tank is zoned when it has the phantom zone flag
376 and has passed through a teleporter. When there's a time limit on the
377 game, the time left in the game is displayed to the left of the status.
378 Flags
380 Team flags are supplied by the server in the capture-the-flag style
381 game. While at least one player is on a team, that team's flag is in
382 the game. When captured, the flag is returned to the team's base. If
383 the flag is dropped in a Bad Place, it is moved to a safety position.
384 Bad Places are: on top of a building or on an enemy team base. The
385 flag can be dropped on a team base only by a player from a third team;
386 for example, when a blue player drops the red flag on the green base.
387 A team flag is captured when a tank takes an enemy flag onto its base
389 or when a tank takes its flag onto an enemy base (even if there's no
390 one playing on that team). You must be on the ground to capture a
391 flag.
392 The server can be configured to supply a fixed or random set of
394 super-flags. These flags are white and come in many flavors. However,
395 you cannot tell what a super-flag is until it's picked up. There are
396 two broad categories of super-flags: good and bad. Good super-flags
397 may be dropped and will remain for up to 4 possessions. Bad
398 super-flags are sticky -- in general, they cannot be dropped. The
399 server may provide a yellow antidote flag. Driving over it will
400 release the bad flag. The server may also allow a timeout and/or a
401 number of wins to shake the flag. Scoring the required number of wins,
402 surviving the required amount of time or being destroyed will automati‐
403 cally drop the flag. Bad flags disappear after the first possession.
404 Here is a brief description of each good superflag with the flag's code
406 in parentheses:
407 High Speed (V) Boosts top speed by 50%.
409 Quick Turn (QT)
411 Boosts turn rate by 50%.
412 Agility (A) Improves a tank's dodging capabilities.
414 Oscillation Overthruster (OO)
416 Let's the tank go through buildings. You cannot back up
417 in or into a building, nor can you shoot while inside.
418 Rapid Fire (F) Increases shot speed and decreases range and reload
420 delay.
421 Machine Gun (MG)
423 Increases shot speed and dramatically decreases range
424 and reload delay.
425 Guided Missile (GM)
427 Shots guide themselves when locked on. The missile can
428 be retargeted at any time during its flight (with the
429 right mouse button). This allows the player some con‐
430 trol over the missile's steering.
431 Laser (L) Shoots a laser, with effectively infinite speed and
433 range. Just point and shoot. The binoculars are handy
434 for lining up distant targets. The downside (you knew
435 it was coming) is that the reload time is doubled.
436 Ricochet (R) Shots reflect off walls. It is exceptionally easy to
438 kill yourself with this flag.
439 Super Bullet (SB)
441 Shots can go through buildings (possibly destroying a
442 tank with the oscillation overthruster flag) and can
443 also destroy (phantom) zoned tanks.
444 Stealth (ST) Tank becomes invisible on radar but is still visible
446 out-the-window.
447 Cloaking (CL) Tank becomes invisible out-the-window but is still visi‐
449 ble on radar.
450 Invisible Bullet (IB)
452 Shots are invisible on radar (except your own). They
453 are visible out-the-window. Sort of stealth for shots.
454 Tiny (T) Tank becomes much smaller and harder to hit.
456 Narrow (N) Tank becomes paper thin. It's very hard (but not impos‐
458 sible) to hit a narrow tank from the front or back.
459 However, the tank is as long as usual so hitting it from
460 the side has normal difficulty.
461 Shield (SH) Getting shot while in possession of this flag simply
463 drops the flag (instead of destroying the tank). Since
464 the flag may not disappear you may want to wait around
465 for it to fall to the ground so you can grab it again,
466 but, be warned, the shield flag flies for an extra long
467 time (longer than the normal reload time).
468 Steamroller (SR)
470 Tank can destroy other tanks by driving over them (but
471 you must get quite close).
472 Shock Wave (SW)
474 Tank doesn't fire shells. Instead it sends out a shock
475 wave in all directions. Any tank caught in the wave is
476 destroyed (including tanks on or in buildings).
477 Phantom Zone (PZ)
479 Driving through a teleporter phantom zones the tank. A
480 zoned tank cannot shoot, but can drive through buildings
481 and cannot be destroyed except by a Super Bullet or a
482 Shock Wave (or if the team's flag is captured).
483 Genocide (G) Destroying any tank on a team destroys every player on
485 that team.
486 Jumping (JP) Allows the tank to jump. You cannot steer while in the
488 air.
489 Identify (ID) Displays the identity of the closest flag in the vicin‐
491 ity.
492 Masquerade (MQ)
494 You tank looks like a teammate when viewed out of the
495 window. Bullets, radar and targeting reveal your true
496 identity.
497 Burrow {BU} You tank burrows into the ground up to your muzzle, mak‐
499 ing you impervious to normal shots, as they sail above
500 you. However your tank controls are sluggish, and any‐
501 one, no matter what flag they have, can crush you like.
502 Seer (SE) See Stealthed, Cloaked and Masqueraded tanks as normal,
504 as well as Invisible Bullets.
505 Thief (TH) Tank is small and fast, when you shoot an opponent, he
507 is not killed, but instead, you steal his flag.
508 Useless (US) It's useless!
510 Wings (WG) Tank can drive around in the air, and may be able to
512 jump multiple times. This can be useful when jumping or
513 falling.
514 A brief description of each bad superflag with the flag's code in
516 parentheses:
517 Colorblindness (CB)
519 Prevents tank from seeing any team information about
520 other tanks. You have to be careful to avoid shooting
521 teammates.
522 Obesity (O) The tank becomes very large and easy to hit. It's so
524 big that it can't fit through teleporters.
525 Left Turn Only (<-)
527 Prevents the tank from turning right.
528 Right Turn Only (->)
530 Prevents the tank from turning left.
531 Forward Only (FO)
533 Prevents the tank from going backwards.
534 Reverse Only (RO)
536 Prevents the tank from going forward.
537 Momentum (M) Gives the tank a lot of inertia.
539 Blindness (B) Blanks the out-the-window view. The radar still works.
541 It is effectively impossible to detect any tank with
542 Stealth; shooting a Stealth with Blindness is the stuff
543 legends are made of.
544 Jamming (JM) Disables the radar but you can still see.
546 Wide Angle (WA)
548 Gives the tank a fish eye lens that's rather disorient‐
549 ing.
550 No Jumping (NJ)
552 Tank is not allowed to jump.
553 Trigger Happy (TR)
555 Tank can't stop shooting. Watch out for that richochet.
556 Reverse Controls (RC)
558 Tank driving controls are reversed from their usual
559 behavior.
560 Observing
562 If a server is full or if you just want to watch a battle without
563 interfering in it, you can use the observer mode. To join a server as
564 an observer, select R Observer as your tank's team. The maximum number
565 of observers can be restricted by the server admin, so you might still
566 not be able to join a full server.
567 When in observer mode, you can freely roam the world. Using the arrow
569 keys you can rotate the camera in every direction. Holding shift and
570 using the arrow keys moves the camera left, right, forward or back.
571 Pressing the up or down arrow while holding the R ALT key will change
572 the camera's altitude. The R F9 and R F10 keys change the camera's
573 focal lengths, giving a zoom effect. The R F11 key will reset the zoom.
574 Pressing R l lets you toggle the display of tank labels.
575 Repeatedly pressing R F8 cycles through different roaming modes: free,
577 tracking, following, first person (driving with) and tracking team
578 flag. In tracking mode, the camera will automatically look at a tank.
579 You can cycle through available tanks with the R F6 and R F7 keys. In
580 follow mode, the camera is positioned right behind the targeted tank,
581 whereas you actually look from within the tank when using first person
582 mode. The last mode, track team flag is only available in cap‐
583 ture-the-flag games and will track the team flags. Again, use R F6 and
584 R F7 to choose which flag to track. One special option that can be used
585 with follow, tracking, and first person modes is that you can choose to
586 do it with the winning tank. This is selected by cycling through the
587 tanks until you see the winner option. In this mode, you will always be
588 engaged with whoever has the best score (and is alive). The default is
589 drive with winner mode.
590
592 The following commands can be executed by sending a message to all and
593 using these strings as the message
594 SILENCE playerName
596 Does not display any message coming from player with
597 playerName name
598 UNSILENCE playerName
600 Reshow messages coming from player with playerName name
601 SAVEWORLD filename
603 Save the current world to filename.
604
606 ~/.bzf/<version>/config.cfg
607 Stores options between game sessions. Used when HOST is
608 not defined.
609 ~/.bzf/<version>/config.cfg.${HOST}
611 Stores options between game sessions. Used when HOST is
612 defined.
613
615 bzadmin(6), bzfs(6), bzw(5)
616bzflag-2.0.10 2007-12-20 bzflag(6)