WHAT IS CROSSFIRE?

  This is a multiplayer graphical arcade and adventure game, that runs on
  a client/server model. There are clients for Microsoft(R) Windows(TM)
  and POSIX systems such as Linux and *BSD. To get the most joyful
  experience, the Crossfire+ client should be used. This client is written
  in Perl and utilises SDL with OpenGL to provide you with the most
  immersive gameplay.

  Crossfire has certain flavours from other games, especially Gauntlet (TM)
  and Nethack/Moria.

  Any number of players can move around in their own window on the
  world, finding and using items and battle monsters. They can choose to
  cooperate or compete in the same "world".


REQUIREMENTS

  For UNIX, a modern C++ compiler with some extensions is required to
  compile this game. In addition, you will need the Perl development
  libraries along with the following Perl modules (the server is tested
  with perl 5.8.8 and 5.8-maint).

     - Crossfire >= v0.97
     - Coro >= v3.5
     - Coro::Event >= v2.1
     - Event >= v1.08
     - IO::AIO >= 2.32
     - BDB >= v0.1
     - Storable >= v2.0
     - Time::HiRes >= v1.0
     - YAML::Syck >= v0.71
     - Digest::MD5 >= v2.0
     - Compress::LZF >= v1.71
     - Safe::Hole >= v0.10
     - Pod::POM >= v0.17

  Furthermore, you will need the following programs and libraries:

     - gperf, the GNU perfect hash generator >= v3.0
     - glib-2.0 >= v2.10
     - libpng >= v1.2
     - ImageMagick >= v6.0
     - optipng => v0.5.5 (http://optipng.sf.net)
     - rsync >= 2.6 (a must have anyways)

  Your compiler must support the Library Technical Report 1 extensions and
  the upcoming typeof extension. The GNU C++ compiler >= version 4.0 does
  support all these.


COMPILING

  Crossfire has been known to compile on a wide variety of systems. It should
  compile and run on most ISO C++ 200x and POSIX compliant systems.

  To get generic directions on compilation, read the INSTALL file.


INSTALLATION/USAGE

  Crossfire runs on a client/server model. You will also a client to
  play. You can either connect to a server someone else has set up, or
  run your own server and connect to that. There are a number of clients
  available, but the recommended one is CFPlus (see below for URL).

  To run your own server, you need to make the crossfire binaries and
  install them, and then run the crossfire program. This now creates a
  server which you/other people can connect to. First you have to download
  and install maps and archetype packs, though.

  Download both the cfmaps-<version> and cfarch-<version> archives, then use cfutil
  to install both:

  cfutil --install-maps path/to/cfmaps-<version>/
  cfutil --install-arch path/to/cfarch-<version>/

  Both processes can take some time, depending on your resources :)


WEB SITES:

  The following web addresses have crossfire information that you may find
  useful:

  http://crossfire.schmorp.de/ (The main site)

  http://crossfire.real-time.com/ (The website for the old Crossfire game)


REPORTING BUGS

  First, check the INSTALL file for common problems, and see if yours is
  mentioned.

  Bugs should be filed using the following email address:
     crossfire@schmorp.de

  When reporting bugs, make sure you include the following:
  o What version of crossfire did you use?
  o What type of computer did you use (CPU type)
  o What is the version of the OS?
  o What windowing system are you using (e.g. openwindows, X.org, XFree86)
  o What compiler (and its version) did you use (e.g. gcc, acc)?
  o Which flags did you give it?
  o If the bug happens when compiling crossfire, send an EXACT copy of the
    compiler line, as well as the errors it puts out.  Sending bugs of the
    sort 'it failed with a line like ...' doesn't help any.
  o If the bug happened while running crossfire:
    - Include any output before to the bug.
    - Give a description of what you did before the bug occured.  The better
      detailed the description, the better chance I have of figuring
      out where the bug happened, or how I can recreate the bug.
    - If possible, a stack trace from gdb (or other debugger) is very
      helpful.

The more information provided, the better chance of the bug being fixed in
a timely fashion.

SUBMITTING PATCHES:

   Patches should be submitted to email address:
      crossfire@schmorp.de

PUBLIC SERVERS:

   The best way to find a server to play is to run the client
   and hit "Server List" in the setup dialog (this varies
   depending on your client).  You can also see a list at
   http://crossfire.real-time.com/metaserver/.

   The canonical server for use with Crossfire and CFPlus is
   crossfire.schmorp.de, port 13327 (default).

COPYRIGHT

    Copyright (C) 2007 Crossfire Development Team
    Copyright (C) 2000, 2006 Mark Wedel
    Copyright (C) 1992 Frank Tore Johansen

    This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
    the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
    (at your option) any later version.

    This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
    GNU General Public License for more details.

    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
    along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
    Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

    The authors can be reached via e-mail to crossfire@schmorp.de