Select and download the server (rtserver) and/or client (rt) and/or map set (rtmaps)
from the download page for your operating system
and platform. For example, for a Windows client, you would choose rt-windows.exe
and for a Intel x86 linux server, you would choose rtserver.linux-x86. On UNIX like
systems, change the file permissions to allow execution. If you downloaded the maps, uncompress the archive using your favorite compression utility.
Congrationlations your done.
The server and client can be ran from command line or by "double clicking" their icons on windows.
When the client is started up login screen will appear. Enter the host IP address or "localhost" to connect to a server running on the same machine as the client. Enter your name, and select the robot you want to be. Press "Engage" to begin. Screen shot
Note: When selecting your robot, it is merely a request to be that robot. If another player has already selected your robot, then you will be assigned to the first non-human robot. Also, for Capture The Flag matches, the robots are divided in to two teams where Tank, Goblin, GrassHopper, and WhichWay are on a team, and Lefty, Boxer, SpeedRacer, and BigWheel are on a team.
Setting the game options
If you are the first person to connect to the server, you will be prompted to
provide game parameters. You can adjust the frequency or ratio of program cards
by move the corresponding sliders. The total of all card ratios must be 100.0.
You also select the map, by pressing the "Select..." button. Maps named in with
a prefix that determines the game type: "dm" indicates Death Match, "rly"
indicates Rally, and "ctf" indicates Capture The Flag. The score can be set in
"Score" field, this is the frag total or number of capture require to win a CTF
game. There is also a "Friendly Fire" option that can be selected when playing
CTF games. By default, this option is off, that is robots do not shoot their
teammates.
Screen shot Once you have submitted the game data, the main screen will have a "Start" button in the lower left side of the screen. You can wait for others to join in, once you are ready, press "Start" to begin the game. Screen shot
Beginning a turn
At the beginning of each turn, you are dealt cards proportional to the amount of damage you have taken using this formula:
number_of_cards = round( health / 10.0) - 1
You can be dealt a maximum of 9 program cards as seen in this
screen shot. Once you have taken enough damage and are being dealt less than 5 cards, your registers will begin to be locked, starting with last register, as seen in this
screen shot.
You select your program by clicking the cards in the brown card storage area. This will insert that program card in to the first available program slot. You can remove the card from you program by clicking it in the grey program register area. Before submitting your program, you can select the weapon you want to use for this turn. The weapons are located just above the program registers. The single forward shooting laser is always available and is the default weapon. As you play and are dealt weapon upgrade cards, more weapon choices will be made available. The selected weapon is in orange.
Screen shot. You may also select to power down in the NEXT turn, by pressing the the power switch located between the weapon selection buttons and the upload button.
Screen shot.
Powering Down
If you have selected to power down the next turn, you complete the current turn. At the beginning of the next turn, you will not be dealt any cards, and you health will be restored to 100. During the powered down turn, you can move or shoot but can take damage from other robots and board lasers, as well as be affect by other board element like conveyors, etc.. At the beginning of the turn following the powered down turn, you will be asked if you want to power up.
Screen shot.
Note: Powered down robots will have the power indicator in the robot status area (upper right) turn red.
Winning
Death Match - The objective of death match is gain the most frags. Frags are accumulated by destroying other robots. You receive 1 frag for every robot you destroy with you laser or directly push to it's death. You receive partial credit for inflicting damage on other robots. For example, if you shoot a robot inflicting 11 points of damage, you gain 0.11 frags. You loose 0.5 frags every time you die.
Rally - Touch all the flag first. To win, you must touch all of the flags in order before the other robots. The order of flags is
Red
Blue
Green
Yellow
Pink
Orange
The flag a robot is currently seeking is indicated in the robot status area, between the health bar and frag count. To get credit for touching a flag, you must end a phase on it.
Capture The Flag - The goal here is to steal your opponents flag as many times as possible. You grab you opponents flag by ending a phase on it, you must then return it to your flag base. Your flag must be at your base to score. The flag carriers are identified in the robot status area.
If you are killed carrying the flag, the flag will drop where you are, and can be picked up by a team mate or return by an opposing team member. If you fall in to a pit carrying a flag, the flag is return to it's base. If you flag is left on the field, you return it by ending a phase on it.
Screen shot
The program cards below are presented in order of priority from top-left to bottom-right. All robots move in the same phase, but robots with the higher priority cards move first.
Note: The Jump card can be used to jump a single square landing the robot two squares forward. Robots can jump any single item, pits, walls, other robots, etc.. However, if the landing space (two spaces forward) is occupied by a robot, wall, or other item the robots can not move over, your robot will move one square forward, if possible. Be warned, you can NOT push while jumping.
Note: Robots do not fire on phases where a weapon upgrade or no-op card
is played. Since weapon cards give you better firepower and no-op cards give you
10 points of health, you do not get to fire you lasers.
All weapon, except the default single laser, are acquired through program cards.
When a weapon upgrade cards is entered as part of the program, during the phase
the weapon card is has been assigned, your robot will "acquire" the
corresponding weapon. In a subsequent turn, you may select to that weapon to use
for that turn. Weapons are good for one turn only, but you may store usages. For
example, you can use a BFG program card and acquire the BFG, then on a subsequent turn or phase use another BFG program card, with out selecting the BFG as your weapon, you will have accumulated 2 usages of the BFG. As weapons become available, the weapon selector will enable the correct buttons.
Note: Board elements like trap door pits, and doors are active at the beginning
of a phase. However, if you start the phase on a phase specific element, ie.
trap door pit, you have the opportunity to move off of it. If you are still on it at the end of your move during the robot move sequence, you will be affect by the element. In the case of a trap door pit, you would be killed.
Note: During the robot move sequence, robots move according card priority. Robots with equal program card priorities are randomly sub-ordered. For example, if WhichWay, Tank, and Boxer all Move-1 as their card, then they are all thrown in a great big hat and chosen at random who will move first, second, and so on.
Note: Robots do not fire on phases where they have played a weapon or no-op
card. Since weapon cards give you better firepower and no-op cards give you
health, you do not get to fire.
By sending "/observe" as a chat message, you will become an observer. At the
begging of the next turn, the computer will assume 100% control of your robot.
By sending "/unobserve" as a chat message, you can reclaim control of your
robot.
In both cases you will see a confirmation message in the chat text window. They
will look like this:
*** CheeseBot has become an observer ***
- or -
*** CheeseBot is no longer an observer ***
It is important to note, currently, if another player joins, they *can* take
control of your robot. In this case, you can *not* unobserve. Furthermore, while
in observe mode, you still fill one slot of the eight total available client
connections.