gpl-release

Conquer - GPL v3 Release

This directory contains the modern GPL v3 licensed version of Conquer, relicensed with explicit permission from all original copyright holders (Ed Barlow, Adam Bryant, and Martin Forssen).

Why use this version? This GPL v3 release is freely available for commercial and non-commercial use, modification, and distribution. The original version in ../original/ has restrictive licensing (personal use only).

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Quick Start

Prerequisites

Build dependencies:

• libncurses-dev (or ncurses-dev on Alpine) - ncurses development headers
• build-essential - gcc, make, libc-dev
• pkg-config
• sed, coreutils

Runtime dependencies:

• libncurses6 (or ncurses on Alpine)

Install on Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y libncurses-dev build-essential pkg-config

Install on Alpine:

apk add ncurses-dev build-base pkgconfig make sed coreutils

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Building from Source

Basic Compilation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/vejeta/conquer.git
cd conquer/gpl-release

# Build the game (IMPORTANT: use -std=gnu99 flag)
make all OPTFLG="-std=gnu99 -D_GNU_SOURCE"

Important: Modern GCC (15.x+) requires the -std=gnu99 -D_GNU_SOURCE flags due to legacy function declarations in the codebase. Without these flags, compilation will fail with function declaration errors.

What Gets Built

The build process creates the following executables:

Executable	Size	Description
conquer	~304KB	Main game executable (player client)
conqrun	~345KB	Server/administration executable
conqsort	~15KB	Sorting utility for game data
conqps	~19KB	PostScript map generator

Additionally, help files (help0 through help5) are generated for the in-game help system.

Verify the Build

# Check that executables were created
ls -lh conquer conqrun conqsort conqps

# Test that executables run
./conquer -h || echo "Help test complete"
./conqrun -h || echo "Help test complete"

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Installation

Default Installation (No sudo required)

By default, the game installs to $HOME/conquer:

make install

This creates:

• $HOME/conquer/bin/ - Game executables
• $HOME/conquer/lib/ - Game data files

Custom Installation Path

# Install to a custom location (no sudo required if you own the directory)
make install PREFIX=/path/to/your/directory

# Install to system directory (requires sudo)
sudo make install PREFIX=/usr

Create New Game World

Sets up a complete new game world with executables and data files:

make new_game

This will:

• Install all executables to $HOME/conquer/bin/
• Create game data directory at $HOME/conquer/lib/
• Generate initial world data
• Set proper permissions

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Building Distribution Packages

For distribution maintainers and advanced users, you can build binary packages using the provided scripts.

Note: These scripts use Docker containers to ensure reproducible builds.

Build Debian Package (.deb)

From the repository root:

# Build the package
./scripts/build-debian.sh

# Package will be created in: packages/debian/
# Filename format: conquer_4.12-1_ARCH.deb
# Where ARCH is: amd64, arm64, armhf, etc.

Test the package (optional):

./scripts/test-debian.sh

Install the package:

sudo dpkg -i packages/debian/conquer_4.12-1_amd64.deb
sudo apt-get install -f  # Fix any dependencies

Build Alpine Package (.apk)

From the repository root:

# Build the package
./scripts/build-melange.sh

# Package will be created in: packages/x86_64/conquer-4.12-r0.apk

Test the package (optional):

./scripts/test-alpine.sh

Install the package:

sudo apk add --allow-untrusted packages/x86_64/conquer-4.12-r0.apk

Requirements: Both scripts require Docker to be installed and running.

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Download Pre-built Packages

Instead of building from source, you can download pre-built binary packages from the GitHub Releases page.

Available Downloads

Visit: https://github.com/vejeta/conquer/releases

Each release includes:

• Debian packages: conquer_4.12-1_amd64.deb (and other architectures)
• Alpine packages: conquer-4.12-r0.apk
• Source tarball: conquer-v4.12-1.tar.gz
• Checksums: checksums.txt (for verification)

Debian/Ubuntu Installation

# Visit the releases page and download the .deb for your architecture
# Example for amd64:
wget https://github.com/vejeta/conquer/releases/download/v4.12-1/conquer_4.12-1_amd64.deb

# Install
sudo dpkg -i conquer_4.12-1_amd64.deb
sudo apt-get install -f

Alpine Linux Installation

# Download the .apk package
wget https://github.com/vejeta/conquer/releases/download/v4.12-1/conquer-4.12-r0.apk

# Install
sudo apk add --allow-untrusted conquer-4.12-r0.apk

Verify Download Integrity

All releases include a checksums.txt file:

# Download checksums
wget https://github.com/vejeta/conquer/releases/download/v4.12-1/checksums.txt

# Verify the downloaded file
sha256sum -c checksums.txt

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Playing the Game

After installation, start the game:

# If installed with 'make install' (default $HOME/conquer):
$HOME/conquer/bin/conquer

# Or add to your PATH:
export PATH="$HOME/conquer/bin:$PATH"
conquer

# If installed from .deb or .apk package:
conquer

For server administration:

conqrun -h    # Show help
conqrun -m    # Create a new world (admin)

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Makefile Targets

Target	Description
all	Build all executables (default)
clean	Remove object files
clobber	Remove all generated files
install	Install to PREFIX (default: $HOME/conquer)
new_game	Build and setup new game world
check	Run basic tests
config	Show build configuration
debug	Build with debug flags
help	Show all available targets

Examples:

# Build with debug symbols
make debug

# Install to /opt/conquer (requires sudo)
sudo make install PREFIX=/opt/conquer

# Install to your home directory (no sudo)
make install PREFIX=$HOME/games/conquer

# Show current build configuration
make config

# Clean and rebuild
make clobber && make

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Troubleshooting

Compilation Errors

Problem: Function declaration conflicts (e.g., conflicting types for 'access')

Solution: Use the -std=gnu99 -D_GNU_SOURCE flags:

make clean
make all OPTFLG="-std=gnu99 -D_GNU_SOURCE"

Missing ncurses

Problem: ncurses.h: No such file or directory

Solution: Install development headers:

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt-get install libncurses-dev

# Alpine
apk add ncurses-dev

Permission Errors During Installation

Problem: Permission denied when running make install

Solution: Check your PREFIX:

• Default $HOME/conquer - no sudo needed
• System directories like /usr or /opt - use sudo

# For user installation (no sudo)
make install

# For system installation (requires sudo)
sudo make install PREFIX=/usr

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Additional Documentation

• Root README: ../README.md - Project overview and relicensing history
• License Details: ../LICENSE-NOTICE.md - Complete licensing framework
• Relicensing Proof: RELICENSING-PERMISSIONS.md - Email permissions from original authors
• Original Version: ../original/ - Historical distribution (restrictive license)

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Contributing

This is the recommended version for contributions. See the main README for contribution guidelines.

Quick contribution workflow:

git clone https://github.com/vejeta/conquer.git
cd conquer/gpl-release
# Make your changes
make all OPTFLG="-std=gnu99 -D_GNU_SOURCE"
make check
# Submit pull request

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License

This version is licensed under GPL v3 or later. See COPYING for the full license text.

All code in this directory has been relicensed with explicit written permission from the original copyright holders:

• Edward M. Barlow (original creator)
• Adam Bryant (co-developer)
• Martin Forssen (PostScript utilities)

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For questions or issues, please visit the GitHub repository.