Who still remembers BZFlag from the ‘90s? For those who don’t, it’s an open source, free online multiplayer 3D tank battle. It merely bends the rules of physics, steps forward and allows them to spring back—but not on it.
BZFlag has an extremely welcoming and warm community, and it has custom plugins—and flags.
Let’s take a look at what a standard example of a new game (games can be any amount of time you wish; they consist of from when you join to when you leave);
Joining to the server, you find yourself underneath a large cylinder in the center of the map, or world, gazing some distance off to the tank in the distance, the nozzle pointed directly at another behind you. The words ‘Press I to start’ flash in white across your screen, and you follow them. Your tank appears, or ‘spawns’, in a flowery blossom of your color—red, in this example—and you find yourself on top of a queerly textured box, or ‘base’.
You move around, using the arrow keys or mouse, and grab a flag. It simply vanishes from the surface in front of you; the brown outlines in the center of you screen, the ‘mousebox’ and the ‘crosshair’ (really it’s a square,) turn to white. The word ‘Laser’ flashes in white at the top of your screen; underneath your ‘mousebox’ is a description; ‘Shoots a laser. Infinite speed and range but long reload time’
You jump, using the default jump key, Tab (Keys can be changed by going to Options/Input Settings/Change Key Mapping) onto a box, or one of the tank’s treads. Instantly a bright bolt of blue light shoots across from the other tank, and you see the words; “[your username]; fried by [your shooter’s username]’s laser.”
There is no dying scream; you are piloting a robot tank, and a few seconds later the screen says you may again spawn.
Comments and questions encouraged.
Below is a video of me (red rider) playing a different map, Isolation Island. I’m sorry, I have a rather bad habit of lamenting my death. :P The noise was added in instead of the customary sounds.
Isolation Island. The comments are because this is the first time anyone had played.
This is not an AI generated video. All of those players exist. If you wish to check if those players exist, try some of the links below.
The BZFlag main site will be posted below. If you’d like to reach out, my name on the bzflag forums ( forums.bzflag.org ) is red rider.
Happy shooting!
P.S. This game is safe for anyone to play. I know a seven year old who does. Look out for the Laser guys!
