Xconq

Last updated
Xconq
Xconq.jpg
Developer(s) Stan Shebs, Greg Fisher, Robert Forsman, Alain Brossard, Michael Peters, etc.
Initial release 1987 (Version 1.0)
Repository xconq.cvs.sourceforge.net
Platform Unix/Linux/X11, Macintosh, Amiga and Windows
Type Single-player, multiplayer, 4X, turn-based strategy
License GPL-2.0-or-later
Website sourceware.org/xconq/   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Xconq is an open-source computer strategy game. This multiplayer video game was first posted to comp.sources.games on 9 July 1987. Xconq is released as free and open-source software under the terms of the GNU GPL-2.0-or-later.

Contents

Gameplay

Originally a straightforward clone of Empire , later versions included the ability to define rulesets for different kinds of games, [1] first using a Forth-like syntax, then a more powerful version based on Lisp syntax. It was also ported to other computer systems, including Macintosh, Amiga, and Windows.

Xconq is designed to be portable and re-definable. The default ruleset is similar to Empire, but the ruleset, graphics, and maps can be altered to represent different time periods and strategic scales. Example rulesets provided with the game include Napoleonic strategy, Beirut guerilla fighting, World War II grand strategy, and Godzilla destroying Tokyo. It can be played by multiple human or AI-controlled players over a network or via hot seat play.

History

Stan Shebs started working on a simple Empire clone in 1986, initially using Curses for its interface, then adding an X10 interface. [2] He posted this version to comp.sources.games in July 1987. [3] It used a map based on squares rather than hexes, and supported multiple players by exploiting X's capability for a single program to open windows on multiple displays, although it accepted input from only the player whose turn it was; other players could not even scroll their map display. Even this first version included support for three rulesets (the "standard" Empire-like game, a Napoleonic-era game, and ancient Greeks), but they were defined by C structures and had to be compiled in.

Shebs switched the game to use hex-based maps, added a postfix language to define the ruleset to be used when a game started, and changed the X interface to allow all players to interact simultaneously; these versions were numbered 2, 3, and 4, but were not released widely. After the addition of an X11 interface written by Chris Peterson, version 5.0 was posted to comp.sources.games (as "xconq5") in June 1988.

1989 saw the first attempt at a client/server version, uconq.

The Macintosh port was developed in 1993.

Although work had started on version 7.5, there has been little development since 2004, with the last CVS commit made in 2007. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

Freeciv Open source single and multiplayer strategy game inspired by Sid Meiers Civilization

Freeciv is a single- and multiplayer turn-based strategy game for workstations and personal computers inspired by the proprietary Sid Meier's Civilization series. It is available for most desktop computer operating systems and available in an online browser version. Released under the GNU GPL-2.0-or-later, Freeciv is free and open source software. The game's default settings are closest to Civilization II, in both gameplay and graphics, including the units and the isometric grid. Freeciv is playable online at freecivweb.org

Integrated development environment Software engineering toolkit

An integrated development environment (IDE) is a software application that provides comprehensive facilities to computer programmers for software development. An IDE normally consists of at least a source code editor, build automation tools and a debugger. Some IDEs, such as NetBeans and Eclipse, contain the necessary compiler, interpreter, or both; others, such as SharpDevelop and Lazarus, do not.

<i>Liero</i> 1998 action video game

Liero is a video game for MS-DOS, first released by Finnish programmer Joosa Riekkinen in 1998. The game has been described as a real-time version of Worms. Liero is Finnish for 'earthworm' and is pronounced [ˈlie̯ro]. Inspired itself by the earlier game MoleZ, Liero provided inspiration for the later games Soldat and Noita.

<i>Netrek</i> 1988 video game

Netrek is an Internet game for up to 16 players, written almost entirely in cross-platform open-source software. It combines features of multi-directional shooters and team-based real-time strategy games. Players attempt to disable or destroy their opponents' ships in real-time combat, while taking over enemy planets by bombing them and dropping off armies they pick up on friendly planets. The goal of the game is to capture all the opposing team's planets.

<i>Payback</i> (video game) 2001 video game

Payback is a video game developed and published by Apex Designs. It was first released in 2001. It was followed by a sequel in 2012, Payback 2.

Free Pascal Free compiler and IDE for Pascal and ObjectPascal

Free Pascal Compiler (FPC) is a compiler for the closely related programming-language dialects Pascal and Object Pascal. It is free software released under the GNU General Public License, with exception clauses that allow static linking against its runtime libraries and packages for any purpose in combination with any other software license.

4X Genre of strategy-based video and board games

4X is a subgenre of strategy-based computer and board games, and include both turn-based and real-time strategy titles. The gameplay involves building an empire. Emphasis is placed upon economic and technological development, as well as a range of military and non-military routes to supremacy.

NEdit

NEdit, the Nirvana editor, is a text editor and source code editor for the X Window System. It has an interface similar to text editors on Microsoft Windows and Macintosh, rather than to older UNIX editors like Emacs. It was initially developed by Mark Edel for Fermilab and released under a very restrictive licence, but today it is distributed under the less restrictive GPL-2.0-or-later and is developed as an independent open-source project by a team of developers. Nedit was also distributed with the IRIX operating system.

TORCS

TORCS is an open-source 3D car racing simulator available on Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, AmigaOS 4, AROS, MorphOS and Microsoft Windows. TORCS was created by Eric Espié and Christophe Guionneau, but project development is now headed by Bernhard Wymann. It is written in C++ and is licensed under the GNU GPL. TORCS is designed to enable pre-programmed AI drivers to race against one another, while allowing the user to control a vehicle using either a keyboard, mouse, or wheel input.

Elvis (text editor) Enhanced clone of the vi text editor

Elvis is an enhanced clone of the vi text editor, first released in January 1990. It introduced several new features, including syntax highlighting and built-in support for viewing nroff and HTML documents. Elvis is written by Steve Kirkendall and is distributed under the Clarified Artistic License (ClArtistic) which is used by Perl and is a GPL-compatible free software license.

<i>Empire Earth II</i> 2005 video game

Empire Earth II is a real-time strategy video game developed by Mad Doc Software and published by Vivendi Universal Games on April 26, 2005. It is a sequel to Empire Earth, which was developed by the now-defunct Stainless Steel Studios. The game features 15 epochs, 14 different civilizations and has three playable campaigns: a Korean, German, and American one, as well as several other playable scenarios. The game received a positive reaction, earning a 79% average rating on GameRankings.

<i>Z</i> (video game) 1996 video game

Z is a 1996 real-time strategy computer game by The Bitmap Brothers. It is about two armies of robots battling to conquer different planets.

Spring Engine Real-time strategy game engine

The Spring Engine, is a game engine for real-time strategy (RTS) video games. The game engine is free and open-source software, subject to the terms of the GNU General Public License v2.0 or later.

<i>Glest</i> 2004 video game

Glest is a free and open-source real-time strategy computer game from 2004. Glest is set in a medieval fantasy world with two factions, and was compared with Warcraft III and the Empire Earth series. The game received positive to mixed reviews from the press, has been downloaded over two million times, and spawned several derivative continuation projects which are under active development.

UFO: Alien Invasion is a strategy video game in which the player fights aliens that are trying to take control of the Earth. The game is heavily influenced by the X-COM series, especially X-COM: UFO Defense.

<i>Empire</i> (1977 video game) Wargame

Empire is a 1977 turn-based wargame with simple rules. The game was conceived by Walter Bright starting in 1971, based on various war movies and board games, notably Battle of Britain and Risk. The game was ported to many platforms in the 1970s and 80s. Several commercial versions were also released, often adding basic graphics to the originally text-based user interface. The basic gameplay is strongly reminiscent of several later games, notably Civilization, which was partly inspired by Empire.

Linux gaming refers to playing video games on a Linux operating system.

Online games are video games played over a computer network. The evolution of these games parallels the evolution of computers and computer networking, with new technologies improving the essential functionality needed for playing video games on a remote server. Many video games have an online component, allowing players to play against or cooperatively with players across a network around the world.

<i>Star Wars: Battlefront</i> (2004 video game) 2004 action shooter video game

Star Wars: Battlefront is a 2004 first and third-person shooter video game based on the Star Wars film franchise. Developed by Pandemic Studios and published by LucasArts, it is the first game in the Star Wars: Battlefront series. It was released on September 21, 2004, for PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows to coincide the release of the Star Wars Trilogy DVD set. It is also available for purchase on both the Xbox 360 and Xbox One through their backwards compatibility features. Aspyr released a Macintosh port in July 2005, and a cellular phone version, Star Wars Battlefront Mobile, was released November 1, 2005. A sequel, Star Wars: Battlefront II, was released on November 1, 2005, for Windows, Xbox, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. The game is primarily played as a conquest game, however other modes such as Galactic Conquest bring strategy elements to the title.

TripleA

TripleA is a free and open-source turn based strategy game based on the Axis & Allies board game.

References

  1. Rosen, Kenneth H.; Douglas A. Host; Rachel Klee; Richard R. Rosinski (2007). UNIX: The Complete Reference. McGraw-Hill Professional. p. 780. ISBN   978-0-07-226336-7.
  2. Re: Family tree of xconq, by Stan Shebs, on the xconq7 mailing list, Mon, 02 Oct 2006 09:38:57 -0700
  3. "xconq - multiplayer strategy game for X-windows, Part02/07". Newsgroup:  comp.sources.games. Usenet:   1384@tekred.TEK.COM.v01i082: xconq - multiplayer strategy game for X-windows[sic], Part02/07, in comp.sources.games
  4. forum_name=xconq-cvs on sourceforge.net

See also