Run the installer and select your preferred installation path and options.
Use appropriate tools to uncompress the .tar.gz packet to the directory of your choosing.
Wings2/bin/Wings is 32bit version of the game. Wings2/bin/Wings64 is AMD 64bit binary.
The game requires the following libraries to run: SDL, SDL_image, SDL_net, SDL_mixer.
In addition to the installation directory, the game also looks ~/.wings2 for configuration files, levels and music.
You can also define paths by using command line parameters -data_path and -config_path.
For example, if you installed the game in C:\Program Files\Wings 2 (this is usually the default in Windows), you need to place the files in C:\Program Files\Wings 2\levels and C:\Program Files\Wings 2\music.
Video card is the most critical part. If OpenGL is not working on hardware, the game will run very slowly (possibly 10fps on otherwise fast computer.) If this happens, you should try updating your drivers.
Control keys are described in-game. Please see Options / Controls. All keys are configurable, supporting keyboard and game controllers.
Ships can use 4 weapons at the same time. During a game, you can change this weapon set by landing on a base (repair platform), and pressing the next weapon key. This will open a weapon list, which can be changed with the menu keys (up/down/left/right.)
In the weapons menu you can define weapon sets which will be used in different game modes. If you define more than one set for the same mode, the game will select one randomly. If there is no set defined for a certain mode, the game will select a set marked with '-', if one exists, or the first set in the list if not.
In start menu: Right click player name.
During game: Open connection list (backspace) and right click player name.
Currently there are few commands which are only available through the console:
/server_admin_password [password] - sets password for server administrators
/admin_login [password] - logs in as an admin in the server you are connected to
/admin_logout - logs out, ie. gives up admin privileges
/observe true|false - selects whether the server observes or participates in games
/chat_mode 1 - in-game chat window is not closed after every message
The game begins with a base building period where teams are restricted on their own side of the map. After this you get points for destroyed enemy objects. Killed players respawn at their own base (factory).
Note: You can respawn after the ship condition indicator turns green by pressing thrust key. This allows you to start loading weapons while repairing the ship, or wait a bit longer if there is trouble at the base.
The points are as following:
| Factory | 250 |
| Ship | 15 |
| Walker | 10 |
| Cannon | 8 |
| Turret | 6 |
| Pilot | 5 |
| Laser wall | 2 |
| Trooper | 1 |
| Mine | 1 |
Note: Walkers are not available as a weapon in the Free Edition, but can appear when playing on full version servers.
Damaging the factory gives additional 0-100 points, so the total for destroying it is 350.
The game ends when score difference is more than 200, both factories are destroyed, or time limit is reached.
The factory building protects ships of the same from gas and some other weapons, and causes damage to enemy ships.
Digger (full version only) is disabled in this game mode, because it makes destroying defences very easy.
You get one point for killing an opponent, -1 for crashing yourself. Killed players get a new ship, and the game continues until time limit is reached.
You get one point for holding a flag for 5 seconds.
The team holding smaller number of flags gets 10% loading speed and respawn time bonus for each flag.
The game ends when time limit is reached.
Note: You can respawn after the ship condition indicator turns green by pressing thrust key.
The goal is to survive. When someone dies, everyone else gets a point. He can still continue playing, but will not get any more points and can not use ships. The killer also gets his ship repaired. So, if there are four players (in different teams), their points will end up as 3, 2, 1, 0.
In a team game a team is considered alive if someone in the team is alive, and team counts as one point.
The game ends when there is only one player (who has not been killed yet) or team left.
One player in turn is hunted by the others. When he dies, next one is selected. The hunted gets one point for every 5 seconds he survives. He is marked by having a red ship, while the others are green.
After time limit is reached, the last round will be finished in overtime (OT), so that all players get the same number of turns.
Single player mode. Fight against computer controlled ships. One point for a kill, -1 for death.
To play in network games, you first need to register at www.wings2.net. Enter your name and password in the network configuration menu, and click the Login-button to check that things are working correctly. (You can also connect directly to servers, without pressing Login first. The name and password must be correct, however.)
You also need to set your upload/download rates correctly. (These of course depend on your network connection.) Too low values mean some extra lag, and too high values mean likely congestion and even more lag. It is not recommended to set upload rate to unlimited unless you are playing a LAN game.
Packet rate and port settings in network config menu only matter if you are running a server.
Packet rate means how many packets the server will send in a second to every client. The default is 20, which mostly seems to work fine. Higher values may help in a LAN game with a fast network and server. Lower values will save bandwidth, but cause some extra lag.
When you announce a server, the information is sent to wings2.net, and can be seen by all other players. If you do not set server IP address manually, the system will use the IP address which is seen by wings2.net. If this does not seem to work, you should try setting the correct address in the server menu. Depending on your network connection, you may also have to change your NAT and firewall settings, to allow incoming connections to the ports the game uses.
You can start Wings 2 in dedicated server mode by giving it command line parameter -dedicated_server. This will run the game with no graphics output, and it will automatically start server and announce itself. (Of course, name and password must be set correctly in the configuration file (config.xml) for this to work.)
Dedicated server can be controlled by logging in with a client using the same account, or by setting server admin password (see console commands).
There is a simple example level in the doc\level -folder. You can try it by placing the files somewhere under the levels -folder. You can also pack it to a .lev file by using the Makelev program on ground.xml.
The idea is that the level consist of a data map, which defines terrain types (see data_colors.png for reference), visual map, which defines what the level looks like, and optionally one or more background layers.
Please see www.wings2.net forum and links for more information.
´ -key (next to backspace) displays some network info:
ul_rate: current upload rate
drop: dropped packets
Some packets will be dropped instead of sending when you (or server) are
low on bandwidth. This may result in, for example, bullets not actually
hitting enemy ship even if you thought they did. For the server dropping
some packets is normal, since players do not always need all information.
udp: 1 if the game is using udp, 0 if tcp
ping_t: time in milliseconds since the last ping got through. Normally this
should count to 1000. At 7000 the game will print "Connection problem".
s_n: Number of reliable packets sent
r_n: Number of reliable packets received
s_b: Send buffer size
r_b: Receive buffer size
Some information like "ship created/destroyed" and "terrain changed" is sent
through a reliable protocol which guarantees that no packets are missed.
If the receive buffer counter gets high, there has been a connection problem
or there is not enough bandwidth to sent all data right away. In game this
can show as terrain changes appearing in delayed manner.
max_s: Maximum packet payload size in bytes. This is limited by packet rate,
your upload rate, and download rate of the other end.
The following samples from the Freesound Project have been used in Wings 2.
--------------------------------------
April 11, 2006
By cognito perceptu (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/usersViewSingle.php?id=57789)
unknown woodenish bang bang.wav (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=17017)
By schluppipuppie (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/usersViewSingle.php?id=4942)
messer - holz - 12.wav (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=12860)
By lostchocolatelab (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/usersViewSingle.php?id=1402)
06SWORD04.aif (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=1451)
By mich3d (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/usersViewSingle.php?id=32482)
Whoosh_Swish_02.wav (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=12657)
By SpeedY (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/usersViewSingle.php?id=6479)
pretty_close_thunder_clap.wav (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=17056)
---------------------------------------
March 4, 2007
By inferno (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/usersViewSingle.php?id=71614)
smalllas.wav (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=18397)
hvylas.wav (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=18382)
---------------------------------------
The license is available as a separate document in the Wings2/doc folder.