About
BZFlag is an open-source, cross-platform multiplayer game combining Battle Zone-style 3D first-person tank combat with team capture-the-flag play. It was originally written for SGI workstations running Irix and is now actively maintained on Windows, Linux, macOS, and other platforms, built with OpenGL and SDL.
How it differs from the original
Unlike Battle Zone's original single-player tank combat, BZFlag adds team-based capture-the-flag objectives and supports many simultaneous multiplayer combatants online.
Getting started
Pre-built binaries for Windows, macOS, and Linux are available from the project website and GitHub releases, or the game can be compiled from source using its autotools-based build scripts (needs OpenGL and SDL 1.2+). Public servers can be found through BZFlag's in-game server list, and the community coordinates via an IRC channel and forums.
History
BZFlag was originally authored by Chris Schoeneman in the early 1990s; after several years of development he handed over copyright and maintainership to Tim Riker, and the game has since been maintained by an open-source project team.
Media
Additional notes
- License
- BZFlag is dual-licensed under the LGPL and MPL.