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