FreeCiv
FreeCiv is like the name suggests a free Civilization clone, it supports multiplayer games which
can be played locally (on the same computer) or over a network. It also features a decent AI so
you can play against the computer, but it is much better to play against other human opponents.
Freeciv aims to be mostly rule-compatible with Sid Meier's Civilization II, but a few rules
are different which makes for a better multi-player game, and there are lots and lots of
adjustable parameters to make customizing games possible.
Although the graphics are not as good as those in Civilisation II, they are quite good, and
there are many tiles sets available on the FreeCiv homepage. The rules are very complete, and
the multiplayer and networking code is excellent. At the moment however, the game is lacking
alliances, but FreeCiv is continually under development.
Note: FreeCiv requires an X windowing system, you can get one from
StarNet, after 2 hours it times out though, so you'll need to
purchase the full thing.
- Dean Hughes
