Sir:
I for the most part have enjoyed trying to play Freeciv as a Linux
game on now three different distros from Ubuntu. My last version, 2.2.4
(I think it was) ran pretty much issue free on Ubuntu 11.04 set with
the classic GNOME desktop (due to some hardware detection issues from
Canonical.)
On 20.11.2011 I upgraded from Ubuntu 11.04 to 11.10 and after some
major seating in issues with the version supplied by the update manager
I reinstalled a new distro version from an ISO USB stick of the down
load available version direct from Canonical. I may now log in with
several choices of desktop which include (to name most):
Ubuntu (full Unity)
Ubuntu 2D (Unity with reduced graphic enhancements)
Gnome
Gnome Classic
I am a relative Newbie to Linux and the only packages I have installed
from the CLI terminal are packages I did not find included with the
distro and a few games. I don't think these should impact your game but
they are :
Synaptic (package manager)
Gnome Shell ( to allow for classic GNOME desktop )
dconf- tools (editing )
Gnome Session Fallback
Compizconf Settings Manager ( to tweak the Unity Dash/Launcher Panel)
While using Ubuntu 11.04 I thought I had installed a version of
Freeciv numbered perhaps 2.2.4 if memory serves properly. The game ran
for the most part without flaw although a few times (very few actually)
it would hang up when in the very late stages and the human and AI
players got very big. I mean hugely immensely big to borrow in part the
words of the Hitchhikers Guide.
With this latest version of Ubuntu 11.10 I find that now I have
installed a Freeciv 2.2.7 version. This has a major issue with it which
makes the game almost unplayable except as a test bed to try minor early
on strategies.
When going to;
Civilization > F6/Research > Researching the game runs just fine.
but,
Civilization > F6/Research > Goals creates a situation
where the game may continue to play or it may not.
It not only just stops but no as yet found keyboard keys or finger pad
mouse choices will either get it to resume or to just exist. The only
solution is for either a *Cntrl + Alt + Del* keyboard move to the log
out/shut down of the whole laptop or even a finger pad mouse choice of
the log out/shut down manager.
When I say the machine hangs I do indeed mean precisely that.
Nothing can be done to work on the machine. One can not get off of the
game page. One can not just shut the game alone down. One is stuck
unless one does the mouse or keyboard shut down or (heavens forbid) a
power crash shut down which is not good for the system.
Since the machine ran the software perfectly in previous releases I
don't think it is a machine problem.
*****************
I am unable to find where in the directory tree the files for
freeciv 2.2.7 are stored. As I stated above I am relatively new to
Linux and its lack of a MS DOS like start > explore > 'directory tree'
sort of function has eluded me so far. I have not found the Feeciv
folders/files yet.
I notice that you have an updated version of Freeciv 3.0.0 (I think
it was) available but have not found it yet for Linux. If this issue
was previously addressed and worked on then I apologize for taking up
your valuable time. For the record I am not the least bit upset nor at
all angry with the Freeciv game or its developers. I just hope it is a
short term glitch and can be fixed/repaired.
In the earlier versions I enjoyed many things and only disliked a
few things about Freeciv which are now apparently fixed or were missed
before. The ability to 'not save ' the game on leaving or quitting was
not found before creating, I presume, a large file of patterns for old
games. Some of the fog of war like options have also seemingly been
improved. Thank you so much. I hope that the apparent 'cheating' of
the AI players has also been reduced some as in my last previous version
(Freeciv 2.2.4 ?) it was possible to almost predict to a turn where and
when barbarians/pirates and even AI players. would pop up. It was almost
possible to also predict just about how slim the gold treasury could be
reduced to in order to almost ensure Barbarian/Pirate events. None of
these were usually fatal but always just another nuisance to badger one
while trying to play. The predictablity of them became an issue of
apparent machine cheating. Not as bad as the famine and starvation rules
when going to Democracy, but still a real pain.
Am I correct, by the way, in noticing that the rules for the AI
players are quite different from those for the human players? They seem
to be able to pack their cities together much closer than the minimal
spacing settings chosen. They also seem to have much lesser or no
maintenance requirement on units and enhanced production and research.
I have already seen a rather largish island covered almost tile to tile
completely with a combination of mostly settlers and a fair admixture of
caravan/freight and engineer/worker units. There is no way a human
player could provide food or shield productivity to maintain this carpet
of units. It all seems a bit strange and not quite right.
Thank you for a quite interesting game. I hope these operation
issues are corrected in the next version I find.
Cheers,
Lester W. Ficzeri
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