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2.2 Main Menubar Options

The main client window has four menu buttons in a row along the top of the window. They each deal with different aspects of user interface.

2.2.1 Game Menu

This menu deals with empire-wide game controls and user interface controls.

Local Options
Local options control the behaviour or the freeciv client (but not messages). Options include:

Message Options
Messages can appear in the output window, the message window, an individual pop-up window, or can be ignored.

Save Settings
This menuitem causes the local and message options to be written to a ./civclientrc file.

Players
This opens the Players Window.

Messages
This opens this turn's messages window, which contains the urgent messages from the server.

Server options initial and ongoing
These open read-only windows listing the server's game options. For descriptions of the server game options see the server documentation, especially the server's online documentation via the "explain" command. These are to allow you to find out what the rules are in this universe.

Export log
This writes the current game log out to the file civgame.log in the current directory. The material written is what appears in the main window's scrollable message list.

Clear log
This clears the main window's scrollable output list. This may be necessary if you find the window's content has become so long that it is difficult to scroll.

Disconnect
Disconnect from the current server. Frees the socket. The connect window will appear.

Quit
Exits the game.

2.2.2 Kingdom Menu

Tax Rates
This opens the Rates Window.

Find City
This is to help when you have a large empire and have forgotten where one of your cities is. A window will open giving a list of all of the cities whose names you could know, whether yours or of other empires. Click on a name and the map will center on that city. Click on "Center" and the window will close, leaving the map on that city. Click on "Cancel" and the window will close, leaving the map where it was before Find City was selected.

Worklists
This menuitem allows the player to edit global worklists using the Edit worklists window.

Revolution
This allows you to start a revolution, which eventually will allow you to change your form of government. Revolution

2.2.3 View Menu

These control map display settings.
Map Grid
Toggles on or off the grid on the map.

City names
Toggles the display of city names.

City productions
Toggles the display of city production targets under each city's icon.

Center view
Centers the map on the currently selected unit.

2.2.4 Orders Menu

These give orders to the currently selected unit. Most of them are traditional orders from Civilization; see the online help for details on the orders given to units. A few are new to Freeciv:

Auto Settler
This tells the game to assign AI control to the selected Settler. Thereafter it will do what AI player's Settlers do as far as building roads, irrigating, for the purpose of improving the area around the Settler's city.

Auto-Attack
This marks a unit, if it is in a city, as operating under that city's auto-attack options; see the City Options Window. When so enabled, when a designated enemy unit comes close to the city, such units will leave the city, attack the enemy, and return to the city.

Auto-Explore
This tells the game to assign AI control to the selected unit as an exploration unit. Thereafter it will search the map and uncover new territory in the manner of AI players.

Explode Nuclear
Orders a Nuclear unit to explode. A Nuclear will explode when it enters an enemy city, but this order will cause it to explode in open terrain.

2.2.5 Reports Menu

Each of these brings up the corresponding report window; most of these were shown in the windows section.

Cities
The most useful report: City report brings up the city window. The shortcut key (F1) is worth remembering.

Units
The units menu item pops up the units window. The only useful thing here is the Upgrade button - used to upgrade obsolete units.

Economy
Brings up the Economy window.

Science
Shows the science window.

Wonders of the World
Pops up the Wonders of the World window.

Top Five Cities
Pops up the Top Five Cities window.

Demographics
Pops up the Demographics window.

Spaceship
Pops up the spaceship window.

2.2.6 Help Menu

The online help contains information on all areas of the game system, buildings, units, concepts, etc.


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