Editing Freeciv (section)

==History==
At the [[computer science]] department at [[Aarhus University]], three students, avid players of ''[[XPilot]]'' and of [[Sid Meier]]'s ''[[Civilization (video game)|Civilization]]'', which was a stand-alone PC game for [[MS-DOS]], decided to find out whether the two could be fused into an [[X Window System|X]]-based multiplayer ''Civilization''-like strategy game.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://freeciv.wikia.com/wiki/In_The_Beginning |title=Freeciv:In the Beginning |publisher=Freeciv.wikia.com |date=19 January 2007 |access-date=14 April 2009}}</ref> The students—Peter Unold, Claus Leth Gregersen and Allan Ove Kjeldbjerg—started development in November 1995;<ref name=20YEARS>{{cite web|url=http://play.freeciv.org/blog/2015/11/freeciv-founded-20-years-ago-today/|title=Freeciv founded 20 years ago today!|access-date=19 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210171737/http://play.freeciv.org/blog/2015/11/freeciv-founded-20-years-ago-today/|archive-date=10 February 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> the first playable version was released in January 1996, with bugfixing and small enhancements until April.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://download.gna.org/freeciv/stable/OLD/freeciv-1.0a.tar.gz|title=Freeciv 1.0a source code (1996); see DESIGN|access-date=14 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721072143/http://download.gna.org/freeciv/stable/OLD/freeciv-1.0a.tar.gz|archive-date=21 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://download.gna.org/freeciv/stable/OLD/freeciv-1.0k.tar.gz|title=Freeciv 1.0k source code (1996); see CHANGES|access-date=14 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721072200/http://download.gna.org/freeciv/stable/OLD/freeciv-1.0k.tar.gz|archive-date=21 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> The rules of the game were close to ''Civilization'', while the client/server architecture was basically that of ''XPilot''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=restsquared.blogg.se - Freeciv roads |url=https://restsquared.blogg.se/2023/april/freeciv-roads.html |access-date=2024-09-07 |website=restsquared.blogg.se |language=sv}}</ref>

[[File:Bigshot.png|thumb|A ''Freeciv'' game with full world map revealed (''Freeciv'' version 1.11.5, GTK+ client, tinydent tileset, islands map generator)]]

For the developers, ''Freeciv'' 1.0 was a successful [[proof of concept]], but a rather boring game, so they went back to ''XPilot''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2001/11/21/freeciv.html|title=Building Freeciv: An Open Source Strategy Game|first=Howard|last=Wen|date=21 November 2001|work=Linuxdevcenter.com|access-date=14 April 2009}}</ref>{{r|20YEARS}} Other players and developers took over; they made the game available on many other operating systems, including [[Linux]], [[Solaris (operating system)|Solaris]], [[Ultrix]], [[AmigaOS]], and [[Windows|Microsoft Windows]]. Linux distributions started to include ''Freeciv''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://metadata.ftp-master.debian.org/changelogs/main/f/freeciv/freeciv_2.2.1-1_changelog |title=freeciv_2.2.1-1_changelog |access-date=18 May 2017 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2019|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

The main development goal remained to make a ''Civilization''-like game playable over the Internet, with participants on different continents, even when connected with [[14.4k modem|14400 bit/s]] [[modem]]s. ''Freeciv'' achieved this by using an [[asynchrony (computer programming)|asynchronous]] [[client-server]] protocol: during each turn, human users play concurrently, and their actions are sent to the server for processing without awaiting the results. This kept the game playable with [[network latency]] up to a few hundreds of milliseconds.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}
 
In 1998, computer players were added;<ref>{{cite web|title=README.AI (r4421)|url=http://svn.gna.org/viewcvs/freeciv/branches/S2_1/doc/README.AI?revision=4421&view=markup|access-date=28 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150903224345/http://svn.gna.org/viewcvs/freeciv/branches/S2_1/doc/README.AI?revision=4421&view=markup|archive-date=3 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> they could soon beat newcomers to the game with ease, using only minor forms of cheating. Computer players are implemented directly in the server; they do not play concurrently with human players, but separately, in between turns.

The game grew in popularity. A public server was installed on which games could be played around the clock; it retained the games and published a post-game analysis webpage with per-player statistics and an animated map replay.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://freeciv.wikia.com/wiki/Pubserver|title=Pubserver|access-date=28 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://civserver.freeciv.org/|title=old snapshots of civserver.freeciv.org (archive.org Wayback Machine)|access-date=29 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061010092553/http://civserver.freeciv.org/|archive-date=10 October 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://pubserver.freeciv.org/|title=old snapshots of pubserver.freeciv.org archive (archive.org Wayback Machine)|access-date=29 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205192019/http://pubserver.freeciv.org/|archive-date=5 February 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Subsequent 1.x releases improved the GUI, improved the gameplay, optimized playability over poor connections, and added many small features. Over time, the [[critical success factor|winning strategy]] proved to be ''city smallpox'', i.e. sprawling the map with many small cities as fast as possible; whoever could develop fastest would win the game, and growing and developing individual cities was not worthwhile.<ref>{{cite tech report |first=Philip A. |last=Houk |title=A Strategic Game Playing Agent for FreeCiv |number=NWU-CS-04-29 |institution=Northwestern University |url=https://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/computer-science/documents/tech-reports/1999-2004/NWU-CS-04-29.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301024126/https://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/computer-science/documents/tech-reports/1999-2004/NWU-CS-04-29.pdf |archive-date=2022-03-01 |url-status=live |year=2004 |page=21}}</ref>

In practice, from around 2002, experienced players would form teams at the start of the game; a [[Fork (software development)|fork]] of ''Freeciv'' included specific features for team play.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}

Version 2.0, released in 2005, introduced several important changes. New team playing features and advanced diplomacy made cooperative gaming more attractive. Adjustments to various costs and benefits put an end to the dominance of the city smallpox strategy that left many of the game's features unused; developing one's empire now necessitated a careful plan for city development, including the use of trade routes and phases of ''rapture'', in which city populations grow quickly, under relatively peaceful conditions. As a result, multiplayer games were almost always played in teams and typically took longer to finish when compared to 1.x games.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2005-03-01 |title=Freeciv – Freeciv |url=http://www.freeciv.org/index.php/Freeciv |access-date=2024-02-02 |archive-date=1 March 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050301020952/http://www.freeciv.org/index.php/Freeciv |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2006, [[Transmission Control Protocol|TCP]] and [[User Datagram Protocol|UDP]] port number 5556 was assigned to ''Freeciv'' by [[Internet Assigned Numbers Authority|IANA]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iana.org/assignments/service-names-port-numbers/service-names-port-numbers.xhtml?search=5556|title=Service Name and Transport Protocol Port Number Registry|publisher=[[Internet Assigned Numbers Authority|IANA]]|date=January 2006|access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref> In 2017, after being hosted on [[Gna!]] for 15 years, ''Freeciv'' moved its [[Repository (version control)|source repository]] to [[GitHub]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170307021144/http://gna.org/projects/freeciv Freeciv project] at [[Gna!]] (archived 3 March 2017)</ref>

===Reception and impact===
In 2000, [[CNN]] placed ''Freeciv'' among the "Top 10 Linux games for the holidays".<ref>Lee Anderson (20 December 2000), [http://archives.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/12/20/linux.games.idg/index.html "Top 10 Linux games for the holidays"]. ''[[CNN]]''. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041206174427/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/12/20/linux.games.idg/index.html |date=6 December 2004}}</ref> In 2005, in an [[O'Reilly Media, Inc.|O'Reilly]] article on "Open Source Mac Gaming", ''Freeciv'' was recommended.<ref>Robert Daeley (2005), [http://archive.oreilly.com/pub/post/open_source_mac_gaming.html "Open Source Mac Gaming"]. [[O'Reilly Media, Inc.]] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916182256/http://archive.oreilly.com/pub/post/open_source_mac_gaming.html |date=16 September 2017 }}</ref> In 2008, ''[[APC (magazine)|APC]]'' named Freeciv among the "Top 5 best (free) open source games".<ref name="APC">{{cite web |last=Sbarski |first=Peter |date=21 January 2008 |title=Top 5 best (free) open source games |url=https://apcmag.com/top_5_best_free_open_source_games.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528144336/http://apcmag.com/top_5_best_free_open_source_games.htm/ |archive-date=28 May 2016 |access-date=8 February 2010 |publisher=[[APC (magazine)|APC]]}}</ref> ''[[Linux Format]]'' selected it as "HotPick" in April 2010 and in October 2014.<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/Linux_Format_130_April_2010/#page/n71/mode/2up/search/hotgames ''Linux Format'' 130], April 2010, p. 72</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/stream/Linux_Format_189_October_2014/#page/n65/mode/2up/search/hotgames ''Linux Format'' 189], October 2014, p. 65</ref>

''Freeciv'' was described as an example in ''[[The Art of Unix Programming]]'' by [[Eric S. Raymond]].<ref>{{Cite book | url=http://www.faqs.org/docs/artu/ch06s01.html#id2914115 | title=Case Study: Freeciv Data Files | work=[[The Art of Unix Programming]] | author=Eric S. Raymond | author-link=Eric S. Raymond | year=2003 | publisher=faqs.org | isbn=0-13-142901-9 | at=chapters 6+7 | access-date=26 January 2014 | archive-date=22 January 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122223053/http://www.faqs.org/docs/artu/ch06s01.html#id2914115 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Studies and courses have used ''Freeciv'' as a platform for experimenting with the design and programming of [[intelligent agent]]s.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.scazlab.com/justin/publications/79208593-Metareasoning-metacognition.pdf#page=160 | publisher=Yale Social Robotics Laboratory | format=PDF | title=Metareasoning for Self-Adaptation in Intelligent Agents | author1=Ashok K. Goel | author2=Joshua Jones | at=Chapter 10 | work=Metareasoning – Thinking about thinking | year=2011 | access-date=28 January 2014 | archive-date=3 February 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203024401/http://www.scazlab.com/justin/publications/79208593-Metareasoning-metacognition.pdf#page=160 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://home.cc.gatech.edu/dil/uploads/6/aiide2-08.pdf | title=Combining Model-Based Meta-Reasoning and Reinforcement Learning for Adapting Game Playing Agents | author1=Patrick Ulam | author2=Joshua Jones | author3=Ashok K. Goel | year=2008 | publisher=[[Georgia Tech]] | access-date=28 January 2014 | archive-date=1 February 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201213815/http://home.cc.gatech.edu/dil/uploads/6/aiide2-08.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{ cite web | url=https://cs.auckland.ac.nz/research/gameai/projects/GA%20in%20FreeCiv.pdf | title=Optimization in Strategy Games: Using Genetic Algorithms to Optimize City Development in FreeCiv | author1=Ian Watson | author2=Damir Azhar | author3=Yachu Yang | author4=Wei Pan | author5=Gary Chen | year=2005 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320062203/https://cs.auckland.ac.nz/research/gameai/projects/GA%20in%20FreeCiv.pdf | archive-date=20 March 2013 | df=dmy-all |publisher=[[The University of Auckland]] }}</ref><ref>{{ cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UbMLAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA234 | title=AI Game Engine Programming | author=Brian Schwab | pages=234–240 | year=2009 | publisher=Course Technology | isbn=9781584506287 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://courses.cs.washington.edu/courses/cse590ag/99sp/ | title=CSE 590AG: Applications of Artificial Intelligence | author=T. Lau | publisher=[[University of Washington]] | year=1999 | access-date=28 January 2014 | archive-date=1 February 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201191224/http://courses.cs.washington.edu/courses/cse590ag/99sp/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>