.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
.. SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Freeciv21 and Freeciv Contributors
.. SPDX-FileCopyrightText: James Robertson <jwrober@gmail.com>
.. SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Louis Moureaux <m_louis30@yahoo.com>

.. Custom Interpretive Text Roles for longturn.net/Freeciv21
.. role:: unit
.. role:: improvement
.. role:: wonder
.. role:: advance

About Freeciv21
***************

.. _Freeciv21 Overview:
.. figure:: ../../dist/freeciv21-screenshot.png
  :width: 800px
  :align: center
  :alt: Freeciv21 Overview
  :figclass: align-center

  Freeciv21 Overview


|

.. The top level description is also in README.md, freeciv21-server.rst, the 4 metainfo files, and snapcraft.yaml.

Freeciv21 is a free open source turn-based empire-building 4x strategy game, in which each player becomes the
leader of a civilization. You compete against several opponents to build cities and use them to support a
military and an economy. Players strive to complete an empire that survives all encounters with its neighbors
to emerge victorious. Play begins at the dawn of history in 4,000 BCE.

Freeciv21 takes its roots in the well-known FOSS game Freeciv and extends it for more fun, with a revived
focus on competitive multiplayer environments. Players can choose from over 500 nations and can play against
the computer or other people in an active online community.

The code is maintained by the team over at Longturn.net and is based on the QT framework. The game supports
both hex and square tiles and is easily modified to create custom rules.

Achieving success requires a balance between economic expansion, military strength, and technological
development. Not only must you develop all three in concert to both expand and successfully defend your
empire, but any of these four items may provide victory over your opponents:

* As in other games of conquest and expansion, you are declared the winner by default once the last city and
  unit of every other civilization is destroyed.
* Once technological progress has brought you into the space age, you may launch a spaceship destined for
  Alpha Centauri. The first civilization whose spaceship reaches the system wins.
* In the absence of other means to determine victory, the game will end after 5,000 turns if no spaceships
  have been launched. The surviving civilizations are then rated, and the one with the highest score is
  the winner.
* If playing a multiplayer game with only humans, victory can be declared based on diplomatic factors and
  other pre-set game rules.

.. note:: Spacerace Victory is set by the ruleset and thereby may not be not enabled for all games.
