Widelands

Widelands is a free slow-paced real-time strategy video game under the GNU General Public License.[1] Widelands takes many ideas from and is quite similar to The Settlers and The Settlers II. It is still a work in progress game, with development still required in graphics and bugfixing. The game runs on several operating systems such as AmigaOS 4, Linux, BSD, Mac OS X, and Windows.

Widelands
Developer(s)The Widelands Development Team
Repository
Written inSDL-based custom engine
Engine
  • Simple DirectMedia Layer
PlatformAmigaOS 4, Linux, BSD, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows
TypeSingle-player, multiplayer Real-time strategy
LicenseGPL
Websitewl.widelands.org/ 
Four tribes in Widelands Build 20.
Screenshot of a game taken in 2008.
Screenshot of the "Dolomites" map in Widelands, Build 19.

Gameplay

Widelands has single-player, network and internet multiplayer modes, single player campaign missions[2] and an internationalisation system with translations for British English, Bulgarian, Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Low German, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Scottish Gaelic, Slovak, Spanish and Swedish.[3] Players may select one of four different tribes – the human-like "Empire", the "Barbarians", the "Atlanteans", and the "Frisians".

The game provides four basic tutorials and four tutorial campaigns.

Advanced players can create their own maps with the included map editor.[4] It is also possible to import and play original Settlers II maps.

Development

Widelands still contains some bugs that need to be fixed until a final (1.0) version will be released, further some wished features, graphics and sounds are still missing.[5][6] The newest version is Build 21, released on July 18, 2020.[7]

Reception

The game was reviewed by Linux Journal which noted:

Delve into this game, and there's much that lies beneath the surface. It has simple things that please, like how the in-game menus are very sophisticated and solid, with none of the bugginess you get in many amateur games. But, it's the complete reversal of hyperspeed in its gameplay that I really love. I always want to get back to building my base when playing most RTS games, but I'm constantly drawn away by fire fights. This game lets you keep building, and places serious emphasis on how you do it.[8]

The German LinuxUser magazine reviewed Widelands in issue 4/2008 in a three A4 paged article.[9]

The German c’t magazin wrote a short review of Widelands in their 4/2008 issue and included a Windows version of Widelands Build11 on their magazin DVD.[10]

The French free software web site Framasoft said:

This 2d game with a top-down view is a classic RTS remake, with simple graphics, although functional and efficient. We quickly found the happiness of the old Settlers series with the management of different sized sites, the positioning of the roads which bring resources and advancing your zone of influence with different military buildings.[11]

Widelands was selected in September 2010 as "HotPick" by Linux Format.[12]

See also
  • List of open source games

References
  1. "Widelands Open Source". August 13, 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
  2. About Widelands   Widelands Wiki
  3. Widelands release announcement for Build 20
  4. "Widelands". Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  5. Changes since the beginning of the project and planned changes for the future
  6. Bugtracker of the project and feature request list of the project. on sourceforge.net
  7. Widelands release notes for Build 21
  8. Knight, John (May 1, 2009). "New Projects - Fresh from the Labs". linuxjournal.com.
  9. Erik Bärwaldt (April 2008). "Strategiespiel Widelands". LinuxUser.
  10. "Artikel aus c't 4/08, S.152, zu Widelands Build 11". heise online. April 2008.
  11. "Widelands - Stratégie - Logiciels Libres -" (in French). Framasoft. April 27, 2008. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  12. Linux Format 135 September 2010 page 71
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