Yes and no. ZBattle is based on the classic xbattle written by Steve Lehar in 1991 and subsequently improved by Greg Lesher. xbattle is an excellent complex hair-tearing strategy game, but uses primitive graphics and is limited to UNIX LANs. ZBattle, on the other hand, works on Windows and over the internet and can be played in 3D.

From a development point of view, the concept of ZBattle is copied heavily from basic game play described in original xbattle man pages, but the software design and implementation is completely original.

Two reasons: 1) A chance to learn new skills, and 2) I wanted to play xbattle on a Windows PC over the internet.

In the early spring of 2004 I broke my ankle (tragic story involving snow and gravity). I took the forced isolation of rehab as an opportunity to teach myself windows programming.  An MFC based rewrite of xbattle with internet support seemed the ideal pet project. Part way through I decided to go 3D as a way of brushing up on my OpenGL skills.  I am not sure that 3D visuals really add all that much to game play, but they sure look cool.

Yes! And you can bundle custom boards with custom rules to create entirely new games!

ZBattle comes with a number of premade boards and game configurations. These boards and game settings produce vastly different battles requiring distinct strategies.

Included with the game is a board editor which players can use to create their own custom boards. By changing the height of terrain, placing army starting positions, and arranging pumps, players can create entirely new scenarios. Modifying game rules governing terrain visibility or the cost of commands provide even more control over gameplay.

Please see the ZBattle help file for more information on creating custom boards and games.

If you are playing over a LAN (local network) or have a unique direct connection to the internet, run ZBattle and create a new game (see the help file on how to create a new game). Your IP address and machine name will be displayed in the top right corner of the "Create Game" window.

If you are sharing a single internet connection with many computers, you will have to use the IP address provided by your service provider (and likely configure your firewall - see the questions on firewalls). Check the documentation provided by your internet service provider.

Assuming a valid ZBattle server is running on the machine to which you are connecting (i.e. you have created a new game on the server machine):

• You must be connected to the server machine by a LAN (local network) or by the internet. Check connectivity.
• Make sure that you have typed the IP address or machine name correctly.
• Check that you are joining to the same port number used by the server when it created the game.
• If are playing over the internet and either you or the server is behind a firewall, you must open the appropriate port on the firewall (see the questions on firewalls for more information).

Use the default port (3999). If you must, use a different port number in the range 3000-4000. Make sure that other players join to the same port used by the server when creating the game.

If you are behind a firewall, you will have to open the given port on that firewall. See the question regarding firewalls for more information.

You are probably behind a firewall if:

• You share a single internet connection with other computers.
• You have the Windows Internet Connection Firewall turned on. To check this goto "Network Neighbourhood" or "My Network Places" find your network connection and check it's properties. In the properties window their should be an "Advanced" tab. Check if the "Internet Connection Firewall" is turned on.
• You are running a 3rd party firewall application/program such as ZoneAlarm.

Yes, but you will have to configure the firewall to permit ZBattle communication. The ZBattle server uses one port (default 3999, or whatever is specified at game creation) for all communication. Check your firewall documentation on how to open that port and forward it's traffic to your machine.

Chances are the performance problem is because of slow graphics. Try playing with some of the draw settings using the buttons in the toolbar (or through the "View" menu). Turning off textures or transparencies can speed things up a lot. Or try playing the game in 2D.