Official forums for BZFlag.org

I've been playing BZFlag since the turn of the century and I'm noticing that attendance has dropped off markedly the last couple of years. I've been asking myself why this is. Some of the reasons I came up with

• The maps are less fun, the older, simple but fun maps are not being hosted anymore, maps are too complicated or trying to imitate realstic scenes without regard for gameplay (e.g. The Shire)
• People are moving towards console games or more graphically sophisticated PC games
• Too many people are banned from servers (by admins)
• Too many bad flags (make maps less fun)
• Shot limits (make maps less fun)

At the current rate of attrition, BZFlag will be defunct in a couple of years, max.

Damn Godson, You are some kind of Nostradamus.
Did you figure that out all by yourself?

This is nothing new, BZFlag has been in a decline for a long time.
Already there has been tons of threads made on this:
Just to provide some samples..

• Why are there only like 30 people playing BZFLAG at one time
• Bzflag future at stake
• General Hostility Levels
• BzFlag is dying
• Resurrecting BZFlag

This conversation has been had years before and will likely happen years after.
My best advice is to enjoy the game for what it is and while it lasts.
If there is something you want, you can try to make it happen too.

WorldOfTanks23 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 05, 2018 9:49 am

• The maps are less fun, the older, simple but fun maps are not being hosted anymore, maps are too complicated or trying to imitate realstic scenes without regard for gameplay (e.g. The Shire)
• People are moving towards console games or more graphically sophisticated PC games
• Too many people are banned from servers (by admins)
• Too many bad flags (make maps less fun)
• Shot limits (make maps less fun)

1. Ask someone to host simple and fun maps, who knows you might be surprised at what might come up or even try to make your own maps.
2. Learn to code and submit changes to BZFlag to make it look and run better.
3. Either follow rules, go to another server which does not have staff and rules you disagree with or run your own server.
4. Suggest to the map maker or server owner to consider removing bad flags. (You might get your wish.)
5. Shot limits tend to be annoying, but kill limits aren't. See killLimits and oneOnOneRules

-Zehra

I was also thinking about the BZFlag organization releasing a console (PS4, XBox One) digital download version of the game.

That will not happen. Those versions are not open source and would require significant re-writes of the entire codebase. it is not something the project is interested in.

Man I hope not, except for like 3 phone games, BZFlag is the only game I play.