Official forums for BZFlag.org

The thread on controls for newbies got me thinking about how I've reassigned keys on my keyboard.

The one single thing that I have done (besides experience) that has improved my BZ game more than anything else...

I changed the radar zoom levels assigned to keys 1,2, and 3; and assigned radar zoom levels to keys 4, 5, and 6. I fiddled around with various zoom levels and came up with zoom settings that were just what I needed for certain situations. For instance, I play Boxy and LaserMania quite a bit... In Boxy, if I am a tower sniper, I press 4 and the zoom is just exactly right. If I am capping and am making the entry into your fort, I press 2 and the zoom is just right for that job.

BTW, these changes had to be made by text editing the config file, not in the options screen in BZ.

I may have to doctor up my zoom presets a bit if I started playing another map a lot, but right now, I have 1-2-3-4 set just right for Boxy situations and 1-5-6 set just right for LaserMania situations.

The only thing I've changed on my radar is changing the size of the bullets.

I've found the three preset zooms to be adequate, sometimes I zoom out to 3 just to get a general idea where everyone is, and then go immediately back to 2. All I need, really.

The radar is the single most powerful asset in Bz, learn to configure it and use it.

Is it possible to have 2 radars at the same time with several zooms?

no thats not possible like Jeffm would say: it would'nt be bzflag anymore

How do you change the radar pre-sets? I know it can, just cant seem to do it.

I think it's with the config file but I'm not sure.

It is..