Freeciv Longturn

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Connect

freeciv.andrewmcgrath.info

Port 5556

Freeciv 3.2.4 Required

Mac Install

  1. Install Homebrew if needed
  2. Run brew install freeciv
  3. Launch with freeciv-gtk4

Verify: freeciv-gtk4 --version must show 3.2.4

Windows Install

  1. Download installer (~50MB)
  2. Run installer (defaults are fine)
  3. Launch Freeciv GTK4 Client from Start Menu

Connecting

Open Freeciv → Connect to Network Game → Server: freeciv.andrewmcgrath.info → Port: 5556 → Enter your username and password.

Game Rules

Longturn Format

Like chess by mail but with armies, cities, and diplomacy. Log in once a day, make your moves, click Turn Done.

23-Hour Turns

Each turn has a 23-hour deadline. Click Turn Done when you're finished — if all players do it, the next turn starts right away.

🚫

No Double-Moving

10-hour unit wait time prevents sneaky back-to-back moves across turn boundaries.

🔌

Disconnecting

AI will not take over if you go offline. Your units hold position, your empire waits.

📧

Email Notifications

You'll get an email at the start of each new turn with rankings, game stats, and the next deadline.

🏛

Ruleset: civ2civ3

Balanced evolution of Civ2 rules for multiplayer. Tech trading, caravans, wonders, espionage, nuclear weapons. 580+ nations available.

Technical Info

Server Configuration

VersionFreeciv 3.2.4

Rulesetciv2civ3

Host

ProtocolTCP (raw)

AuthSQLite + MD5

Map SizeFULLSIZE (10) — 10,000 tiles

Turn Settings

Timeout82800s (23h)

Unit Wait Time36000s (10h)

Fixed LengthDisabled

Auto ToggleDisabled

First Timeout-1 (same as normal)

Min Players0 (auto-start)

Infrastructure

HostingFly.io (yyz)

CPUShared 1x

Memory256 MB

StoragePersistent volume

OSDebian Bookworm

Web Serverbusybox httpd

Automation

Auto-saveEvery turn + game over

Auto-takeOn connect (via FIFO)

Turn EmailsSES SMTP on turn change

Status PageRegen every 15min + on turn

Save Format.sav.gz (gzip)

DB BackendSQLite (fcdb)

How It Works

The server runs inside a Docker container on Fly.io. A startup script manages background processes for FIFO commands, turn watching, status page generation (JSON API), and HTTP serving via busybox httpd on port 8080.

API: Game state available as JSON at /status.json (current) and /history.json (per-turn stats).

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