From LinuxIntro

Freeciv is one of the best Linux games, but hard and complicated to install. With it, you can be the leader of a civilization and conquer the world. Decide if you want to go to war, develop your science or build world wonders and so on.

Contents 1 QuickStart 1.1 Ubuntu 11.10 1.2 SUSE Linux 11.3 1.2.1 The easy way 1.2.2 The hard way 1.3 SUSE Linux 11.1 2 TroubleShooting 2.1 No sound in freeciv

[edit] QuickStart

To download, install and start freeciv, find out your distribution and proceed accordingly:

[edit] Ubuntu 11.10

open a console and enter

sudo apt-get install freeciv-client-gtk

start freeciv using the command

freeciv

[edit] SUSE Linux 11.3

[edit] The easy way

• Find out if you have a 32bit or 64bit system
• If you have a 32bit Intel system, visit http://software.opensuse.org/search?q=freeciv and download the i586 variant of freeciv
• If you have a x86_64 system, visit http://software.opensuse.org/search?q=freeciv and download the x86_64 variant of freeciv
• install the rpm package using the command

rpm -ivh freeciv-*.rpm

[edit] The hard way

If for some reason the easy way does not work, here is how you can get freeciv the hard way: This is an example that worked on 2010-11-06 with freeciv 2.2.3 on SUSE Linux 11.3

• Install some dependencies

yast -i libSDL-devel libSDL-image-devel sdl-mixer-devel sdl-mixer-devel gcc-c++ make

• Download the source from http://freeciv.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

bunzip2 freeciv-2.2.3.tar.bz2
tar xvf freeciv-2.2.3.tar
cd freeciv-2.2.3
./configure --enable-client=sdl && make -j8 && make install

• run it using the command

freeciv-gtk -P sdl

If you do leave out -P sdl, you will not be able to hear sound.

[edit] SUSE Linux 11.1

This is an example that works with freeciv 2.1.8 on SUSE Linux 11.1, but it should work with every distribution.

• Install SDL mixer devel

yast -i sdl-mixer-devel

• Download the source from http://freeciv.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
• compile the code

bunzip2 freeciv-2.1.8.tar.bz2
tar xvf freeciv-2.1.8.tar
cd freeciv-2.1.8
./configure && make -j4 && make install

Run it using the command

civclient

[edit] TroubleShooting

[edit] No sound in freeciv

Whenever you move a unit in a freeciv game, you should hear a sound. If you cannot, check the usual cable and driver stuff. If it still does not work your freeciv may have been compiled in a wrong way. So, enter

freeciv-gtk2 --help
Usage: freeciv-gtk2 [option ...]
Valid options are:
  -A, --Announce PROTO  Announce game in LAN using protocol PROTO (IPv4/IPv6/none)
  -a, --autoconnect     Skip connect dialog
  -d, --debug NUM       Set debug log level (0 to 3)
  -h, --help            Print a summary of the options
  -l, --log FILE        Use FILE as logfile (spawned server also uses this)
  -M, --Meta HOST       Connect to the metaserver at HOST
  -n, --name NAME       Use NAME as name
  -p, --port PORT       Connect to server port PORT (usually with -a)
  -P, --Plugin PLUGIN   Use PLUGIN for sound output [none, sdl]
  -r, --read FILE       Read startup script FILE (for spawned server only)
  -s, --server HOST     Connect to the server at HOST (usually with -a)
  -S, --Sound FILE      Read sound tags from FILE
  -t, --tiles FILE      Use data file FILE.tilespec for tiles
  -v, --version         Print the version number
      --                Pass any following options to the UI.
                        Try "freeciv-gtk2 -- --help" for more.

Report bugs at https://gna.org/projects/freeciv/

And note the line Use PLUGIN for sound output [none, sdl]. If it exists, call freeciv like this to hear sound:

freeciv-gtk2 -P sdl