This is version 5.4.1 of xbattle, by Greg Lesher, based on the original by Steve Lehar released in 1991, and including certain enhancements, modifications, and bug fixes suggested by a number of contributers from all over the world. The extensive changes from version 5.1, the last official xbattle release, are outlined below. The latest version can be obtained by anonymous ftp to cns-ftp.bu.edu in the pub/xbattle direction in compressed and gzip-ed tar format (xbattle-5.4.1.tar.Z and xbattle-5.4.1.tar.gz). There is an xbattle Web page (http://cns-web.bu.edu/pub/xpip/html/xbattle.html), which contains the latest release information, tutorials, file archives, and a comprehensive on-line manual. xbattle is a concurrent multi-player game which combines elements of strategy with arcade-like action to capture a wide range of military scenarios. The game is based on X Windows, which you must have installed to run xbattle. Opponents play from separate displays, with commands being executed concurrently -- the players do not take "turns", but rather they all issue their commands simultaneously. There can be any number of players, with each player assigned to a specific team, indicated by marker colors. The game board is a matrix of cells (square, hexes, etc.) that can be occupied by colored troops, with the goal of the game being to eliminate the enemy from the board by attacking cells occupied by enemy troops. A wide variety of command line options (and previously configured game files) provide an abundance of different scenarios and gaming environments. If you have never used xbattle before, we strongly suggest you read through the online introduction at the Web site specified above. To get the feel of the game, you can run the tutorials (called "tutorial1" and "tutorial2") that are supplied with the game. These are shell scripts that run on unix systems and start up a series of small example games that you can play around with to learn the various options available with the game. If you are not on a unix system, print out the tutorials and type in the embedded command lines by hand. If you are interested in the philosophical and game design issues of xbattle, or want to get immediate notice of the latest releases, updates, and bug fixes, send email to xbattle_request@gnu.ai.mit.edu and we will put you on the xbattle mailing list. _________ Gregory W. Lesher, lesher@cns.bu.edu