I actually have spare time these days, even between projects like tearing apart a desktop machine, to clean and restore it. And since I occasionally pick up a game or two when I want complete distraction, I revisited Warzone 2100 yesterday, after a hiatus that approached the better part of a year.

And I was pleasantly surprised. The crowd that follows that game has been doing some great things with it, including a few small graphical improvements, better static illustrations, and the addition of some single-player game options — which I prefer.

I can now play a flat skirmish against the computer, instead of cycling through the campaign game (which I have finished a half-dozen times, probably). I have never really cared much for multiplayer online games, perhaps with the only exception of Tribes.

So the addition of a skirmish mode makes me quite happy. It’s standard fare, generally speaking — an array of maps, base technology levels and color schemes, all of which a play-to-the-death affair.

And I seem to be on the receiving end of that statement. Which is okay, really. I feel I have a chance against the computer opponent, and if worse comes to worst, I’ll just cheat and prove my superiority that way. 👿

Regardless, it’s nice to see a good strategy game getting proper attention, this long after its original release. Hardware requirements are low, but the payoff is smooth animation and clean graphics, even on a machine as old as mine.

And the home page has one of the best user guides I’ve ever seen dedicated to a single game (I think the wikia site for Neverwinter Nights might be the only better resource, in general terms), plus forums, developers resources like a bugtracker, translation services, AI scripting and so forth.

Strategy games aren’t for everyone, but I admit this one is probably the game I have returned to most often, in my brief Linux history. You try it and see if it fits. 😉