Menu Bar

The Menu Bar consists of the following items:

Game Menu
View Menu
Select Menu
Unit Menu
Combat Menu
Work Menu
Multiplayer Menu
Civilization Menu
Help Menu

Game Menu

The Game menu is used to conduct global level options on the client or the game being played. It has the following options:

Save Game: Saves the game as it is right now to the default save location.
Save Game As …: Saves the game as it is right now to a location of your choosing.
Save Map to Image: Save a .png image file of the map to the user’s pictures directory.
Interface Options: Opens the Interface Options dialog box as described in the Options section above.
Game Options: Opens the Game Options dialog as described in the More Game Options section above.

Message Options

Opens the Message Options dialog as shown in Fig. 28 below. The screenshot only shows a few rows of available options, many more will be found in the client. Any item with a check mark in the Out column will be shown in the Server Chat/Command Line widget. Any item with a check mark in the Mes column will be shown in the Messages widget (see Messages). Lastly, any item with a check mark in the Pop column will be shown in a pop up message box window.

You can go to the Game Message Options page for a complete list of all available options.

Freeciv21 Message Options dialog — Fig. 28 Message Options Dialog

Shortcut Options

Opens the Shortcuts dialog as shown in Fig. 29 below. The dialog is used to set the preferred keyboard shortcuts to be used in the game. The screenshot only shows a few rows of available options, many more will be found in the client. To override the default, click your mouse cursor on the box on the right and then type the shortcut you want to set the setting to. For example: You want to change the Scroll Map option to the PgUp key, you would click in the box and then press the PgUp key on your keyboard. To reset to defaults, you can click on the Reset button. Click Save and then Close when finished.

You can go to the Game Shortcut Options page for a complete list of all available options.

Freeciv21 Shortcut Options dialog — Fig. 29 Shortcut Options Dialog

Load Another Tileset: Opens the Available Tilesets dialog as shown in Fig. 30 below. You can select any tileset installed by clicking on the name. You may get an error message if the tileset is not compatible with the current ruleset (for example: if it lacks a unit).

Freeciv21 Available Tilesets dialog — Fig. 30 Available Tilesets Dialog

Add Modpacks: Launches the modpack installer. This utility allows the Longturn community to create third-party content and offer it for enhanced gameplay. For more information refer to Using the Modpack Installer Utility.
Tileset Options: For tilesets supporting it, opens a dialog that lets you change the appearance of the map.

Freeciv21 Tileset Options dialog — Fig. 31 Tileset Options Dialog

Tileset Debugger: Opens the Tileset Debugger dialog. This option is documented in Tileset Debugger
Save Options Now: Save the settings set in Options immediately.
Save Options on Exit: Saves the settings set in Options when the client is exited.
Leave Game: Allows you to leave the game and return to the start screen.
Quit: Quits the client after a confirmation dialog box.

View Menu

The View enables a user to manipulate what is shown on the Map View as well as varying degrees of zooming in and out.

The View menu has the following options:

Center View

With a unit selected, this menu option will place the unit in the center of the screen.

Fullscreen

Sets Freeciv21 to use the whole screen, removing the title bar and operating system Task bar.

Minimap

Shows or hides the Minimap in the lower right corner.

Show New Turn Information

Enables or Disables populating new turn information in a widget on the Map View.

Show Detailed Combat Information

Enables or Disables populating the Battle Log widget. When enabled you will see a widget appear on the screen (typically in the upper left corner) after combat occurs in your nation’s vision. Your nation’s vision is all map tiles that are visible to your nation, either natively or via shared vision treaty with an ally or team mate. The figure below gives an example of 3 combat events.

You can move the widget by click+dragging with your mouse on the plus symbol in the upper left corner. You can also scale the widget larger or smaller with the plus and minus icon buttons near the upper right corner. You can close the widget by clicking on the x symbol in the upper right corner. Lastly, if you click on the winning unit icon in a row, the client will move the map to where the combat occurred.

If you do not do anything with the Battle Log widget after combat occurs, it will fade from the map automatically after 20 seconds.

Lock Interface

Locks the user interface, preventing the move of objects around such as the server log/chat widget.

Zoom In

Each selection of this menu option (or corresponding keyboard shortcut or user interface button next to the Minimap) will zoom in on the Map View one level.

Zoom Default

Resets the zoom level to the default position at Zoom Level 0.

Zoom Out

Each selection of this menu option (or corresponding keyboard shortcut or user interface button next to the Minimap) will zoom out on the Map View one level.

Scale Fonts

Enables fonts to scale along with the zoom level.

City Bar Style

This menu has a sub-menu of three options: Simple, Traditional, and Polished as shown in Fig. 33, Fig. 34, and, Fig. 35, respectively.

City Outlines: Enables or Disables the display on the Map View of the city’s vision radius or outline.
City Output: Enables or Disables the display on the Map View the city’s food, production, and trade as shown in the City Dialog.
Map Grid: Enables or Disables the display on the Map View the tile grid. This can be useful to help differentiate individual tiles from others.
National Borders: Enables or Disables the display on the Map View the national borders of your neighbors. Each nation is given a color at game start (as seen on the Nations and Diplomacy View).
Native Tiles: Enables or Disables the display on the Map View tiles that are native to the unit selected. Non-native tiles are marked with a red hash. Non-Native means that the unit cannot move there.
City Names: Enables or Disables the display on the Map View the names of cities in the city bar.
City Growth: Enables or Disables the display on the Map View the growth of cities in the city bar.
City Production Levels: Enables or Disables the display on the Map View the production of cities in the city bar.
City Buy Cost: Enables or Disables the display on the Map View the cost to buy the currently constructed item in the city bar.
City Traderoutes: Enables or Disables the display on the Map View trade routes between cities.

Select Menu

The Select is used to select units on the game map in varying degrees. It has the following options:

Single Unit (Unselect Others): Assuming you have selected multiple units (such as the next menu for All on Tile) and you want to quickly undo that. This menu supports that function.
All on Tile: Quickly select all of the units on the same tile. This assumes that multiple units of different type are stacked on the same tile.
Same Type on Tile: Quickly select all of the units of the same type on the tile. This assumes that multiple units of different types are stacked on the same tile.
Same Type on Continent: Works the exact same way as the menu option above (Same Type on Tile) but expands the selection to the same island or continent.
Same Type Everywhere: Even larger window of unit selection to pick all of the same type, but in all locations across the Map View. This is useful to help you find units placed in allied cities or to conduct a mass airlift.
Wait: If you are not ready to move the currently selected unit, you can tell it to wait with this menu option. The rotation of unit selection will bypass this unit and will come back until you either move the unit or tell it you are done.
Done: If you have moved the unit, but still have move points left or are simply done working with the unit for you can tell the client you are finished (done) with it with this menu item.
Advanced Unit Selection: Opens the Advanced Unit Selection dialog box as shown in Fig. 36 below. This dialog box gives you options to select a group of units using a more nuanced grouping method than the other Select menu options.

Freeciv21 Advanced Unit Selection dialog — Fig. 36 Advanced Unit Selection Dialog

Unit Menu

The Unit menu is used to give units orders. It has the following options:

Go to Tile: With a unit selected, give the unit orders to go to a selected tile on the map.
Go to and …: Similar to Go to Tile above, however when the unit reaches the given tile you can give the unit a specific command to do as selected from the sub-menu. This is useful, for example, for Settler units to have them go to a spot and build a city as soon as possible.
Go to Nearest City: Instruct the unit to go to the nearest city. Nearest in this context is the one that can be reached in the fewest move points (MPs).
Go to / Airlift to City…: If Airlifting is enabled in the game (and assuming you have any required city improvement(s) that are required for Airlifting), you use this menu to tell the unit to transport to a city with the Airlift capability. A dialog box will pop up asking what city you want to Airlift to.

Tip

Depending on the game rules, a player could use the Select menu to select many units of a similar type and then use this menu item to Airlift a great number of units all in one move very quickly.

Autoexplore: Ask the unit to automatically open up the unknown (the area of the map that is black and has not been visited by any of your units).
Patrol: Instruct a unit to make a collection of moves in a pattern as part of a patrol route.
Sentry: Ask a unit to Sentry. Sentry is not the same as Fortify as found in the Combat menu. A sentried unit is on lookout and will give notice if another unit from an opponent comes into its field of vision.

Note

A sentried unit does not gain a fortification bonus when outside of a city. However, sentried units inside of cities gain a default fortification bonus while in the city.

Unsentry All On Tile: Instruct a stacked set of units on a single tile to stop that activity and ask for new orders.
Load: Load a unit into a transporter, such as a Caravel, Galleon, or Transport ship.
Unload: Unload a unit from a transporter.
Unload All From Transporter: If you have many units inside of a transporter and you want all of them to disembark at the same time, then you can use this menu to make that nice and easy.
Set Home City: Transfers ownership and management (e.g. support) of a unit to the city that it is currently present in. This menu allows you to shift support of units around to help with the cost of supporting units. Refer to Economics View for more information on unit support costs.
Upgrade Unit: Upgrade a unit from one level to another. For example, Phalanx units are often upgradeable to an improved Pikemen with the discovery of Feudalism. The upgrade will cost gold and the client will tell you what that cost is before you agree to the spend.
Convert Unit: Similar to Upgrade. The convert option allows you to change a unit from one type to another. This is ruleset dependent and is not available in all rulesets.
Disband Unit: Use this menu option to eliminate (kill, destroy, fire) a unit. If performed inside of a city, then 50% of the shields used in the production of the unit is given to the city and helps build whatever is currently under construction. If a unit is disbanded outside of a city, there is no benefit other than the elimination of shield or gold upkeep depending on your form of government.
Rename Unit: Give the unit a unit name. Similar to many Naval vessels in real life, you can name your units with a special name.

Combat Menu

The Combat menu is used to give combat units orders. It has the following options:

Fortify Unit: Instruct the unit to Fortify on the tile. An icon will show on the unit signifying fortification. By fortifying, the unit is given a defensive bonus depending on the terrain it is on. See in game help for more specifics of what defense bonuses are given by terrain type. When a unit is fortifying, it is not in Sentry mode and will not inform you of enemy unit movement inside of its vision radius.
Build Fortress / Buoy: Some units have the ability to build forts, fortresses, and buoys. They are typically Workers or Engineers. In some rulesets, Transports can build Buoys. Forts, Pre-Forts, and Fortresses give a unit increased defensive bonuses in addition to what is provided by the base terrain. See in game help for the specifics. Buoys are used to act as sentries in the oceans around your cities and can give you opponent unit movement information.
Build Airbase: Instructs a unit to build an Airbase. This is often a requirement for Airlifting in many rulesets. They also often give the ability to heal an aircraft type unit faster while on the tile.
Build Base: This generic menu will include a sub-menu of all of the base type tile improvements that can be built as defined by the current ruleset.
Pillage: Tells a unit to remove (pillage) tile infrastructure improvements such as roads, railroad, and bases.
Do …: A dialog box will pop up here and give you all of the actions that the unit selected can perform.

Work Menu

The Work menu is used to give units infrastructure work orders such as building roads, irrigation, or mines. Tile infrastructure improvements are mostly done with Workers and Engineers, however some rulesets allow other units to perform this type of work. See in game help on units for details. It has the following options:

Build City: Certain units such as Settlers can create cities. If the unit has sufficient move points available, then giving this command will build a new city where the unit is currently placed on the Map View. The unit will be consumed by the action.
Auto Worker: Tell a Worker to use an in game algorithm to improve tiles. The game engine will give the Worker instructions so you do not have to.
Build Road / Railroad / Maglev: Tell a Worker to build a road. If sufficient technological knowledge is available, then a railroad and eventually a maglev may be able to be constructed at a later time during the game. The menu will change with the best available option depending on what has been done to improve the tile in the past.
Build Path: Provides a sub-menu of all of the pathing options available for the tile. This is mostly road, railroad, and maglev. Other rulesets may have different path types. See in game help for more details.
Build Irrigation / Farmland: Tell a Worker to irrigate the tile in order to improve the food output from the tile. If sufficient technological knowledge is available, then farmland may be added to the tile at a later time during the game. The menu will change with the best available option depending on what has been done to improve the tile in the past.
Cultivate to Plains: Cultivation is a multi-step process where a tile is converted from one type to another. Such as converting a swamp to plains. Not all tile terrain types can be cultivated to other types. See in game help for details.
Build Mine: Tells a Worker to build a mine on a tile to improve the shield output.
Plant Forest / Swamp: If the unit is on a grassland tile, then you can tell the Worker to plant a forest on the tile. If the unit is on a forest tile, then you can tell the Worker to convert the forest to swamp.
Connect with Road: Tell a Worker to build a road many times along a given path.
Connect with Railroad / Maglev: Tell a Worker to build a railroad or maglev many times along a given path.
Connect with Irrigation: Tell a Worker to connect many tiles together with irrigation. This is often done to get irrigation from a source of fresh water over to a city.
Transform to Hills / Swamp / Ocean: Tell an Engineer to conduct a major terraforming operation on the tile. Mountains can be cut down to hills, forests, and grassland can be converted to swamp and then the swamp can be converted to ocean. In some circumstances, an ocean tile can be converted to swamp and then the swamp can be converted to grassland. In most rulesets, only the Engineer unit can do these major operations.
Clean Pollution: Tell a Worker to clean pollution from the tile. Pollution on a tile will eliminate or severely cripple the output of a tile and contributes to global warming.
Clean Nuclear Fallout: If a Nuclear unit has been detonated nearby (e.g. attacked a city), then there will be nuclear fallout all over the place. Similar to pollution, nuclear fallout severely cripples the output of a tile and contributes to nuclear winter.
Help Build Wonder: Certain units, such as Caravan can be used to move production from one city to another and help build small and great wonders. This menu aids that function. Alternately you can simply “walk” the Caravan into a city and a pop up dialog will ask what you want to do.
Establish Trade Route: Certain units, such as Caravan can be used to establish a trade route between two cities. This menu aids that function.

As you can see, there are a number of ways that a tile can be altered with infrastructure improvements. Be sure to have a close look at the in game help on Terrain for more information.

Multiplayer Menu

The Multiplayer menu has a collection of functions to aid certain multiplayer games. Many of the options are specifically tailored to fast multiplayer games. It has the following options:

Delayed Go To: Give a unit orders to move at a specific time in the turn. This assumes that the turn is time based.
Delayed Orders Execute: Execute an action by a unit at a specific time in the turn. This assumes that the turn is time based.
Clear Orders: Clear any delayed orders from the above two menu items.
Add All Cities to Trade Planning: Add all current cities into an advanced trade planning array. This is used by the WarCiv ruleset.
Calculate Trade Planning: Run a trade effectiveness algorithm across all of the cities in the trade plan to determine the best routes. This is used by the WarCiv ruleset.
Add / Remove City: Add or remove a city from the trade planning array.
Clear Trade Planning: Clear all trade planning to start over.
Automatic Caravan: Any Caravan units built by a city will follow the trade planning output for that city. This is used by the WarCiv ruleset.
Set / Unset Rally Point: Set or remove a rally point to easily send units, once produced, to a specific spot on the game map.
Quick Airlift: Depending on what is selected in the menu below, you can quickly airlift a unit to a destination city.
Unit Type for Quickairlifting: Select the type of unit that will be quickly airlifted by the menu above.
Default Action vs Unit: A sub-menu will show some optional actions that a unit should do by default against another unit. The default is Ask.
Default Action vs City: A sub-menu will show some optional actions that a unit should do by default against a city. The default is Ask.

Civilization Menu

The Civilization menu is used to gain access to many functions of your empire. You can load up pages for units, cities, nations, etc; change the form of government and see how you are doing compared to your opponents with the demographics report. It has the following options:

National Budget…: Selecting this menu item will bring up a dialog box allowing you to set the rate in percentage points for gold (taxes), science (bulbs), and luxury (goods). This is the same as clicking on the National Budget View button on the Top Function Bar. Fig. 37 dialog below, shows a sample screenshot. In this example, the player’s nation is in Democracy, has set gold to 30%, science to 40%, and luxury to 30%.

Freeciv21 National Budget dialog — Fig. 37 National Budget Dialog

Note

In Freeciv21 the National Budget is simplified into three segments: gold collection, scientific output, and luxury goods.

Government: Depending on your technological progress through the game, you may be able to select a different form of government. The change is achieved from this menu item. This is the same as clicking on the National Status View option on the Top Function Bar.
Map View: Clicking this menu item will show you the main game map. This is the same as clicking on the Map View option on the Top Function Bar.
Units View: Clicking this menu item will show you the units report widget. This is the same as clicking on the Units View option on the Top Function Bar.
Nations View: Clicking this menu item will show you the nations and diplomacy view. This is the same as clicking on the Nations and Diplomacy View option on the Top Function Bar.
Cities View: Clicking this menu item will show you the cities view. This is the same as clicking on the Cities View option on the Top Function Bar.
Economy View: Clicking this menu item will show you the economics view. This is the same as clicking on the Economics View option on the Top Function Bar.
Research View: Clicking this menu item will show you the research tree view. This is the same as clicking on the Research View option on the Top Function Bar.
Wonders of the World Report: Clicking this menu item will show you a traveler’s report widget on the Map View. The widget will give information on any cities that have constructed any of the great wonders.

Freeciv21 Wonders of the World — Fig. 38 Wonders of the World

Top Five Cities Report: Clicking this menu item will show you a traveler’s report widget on the Map View. The widget will give information on the top five largest cities.

Freeciv21 Top Five Cities — Fig. 39 Top Five Cities

Demographics Report: Clicking this menu item will show you a demographics report widget on the Map View. The widget will give information about how your nation stacks up against your opponents. If you have an embassy with your opponents in the game, the demographics report will tell you who is #1, if you are not #1.

Freeciv21 Demographics — Fig. 40 Demographics

Spaceship View

Clicking this menu item will show you the spaceship view. The space race is a ruleset defined option and is not enabled in all rulesets. Your nation must also be very technologically advanced to build the components needs for a spaceship. See in game help for more details.

The client will automatically place the components for you as you construct them.

Achievements Report

Clicking this menu item will show you an achievements report widget on the main map. Achievements are a ruleset defined option and not enabled by default in many rulesets.

Freeciv21 Achievements — Fig. 41 Achievements

Help Menu

The Help menu gives you access to the in-game help. It has the following chapters:

Overview

Strategy and Tactics

Terrain

Economy

Cities

City Improvements

Wonders of the World

Units

Combat

Zones of Control

Government

Effects

Diplomacy

Technology

Space Race

About Current Tileset

About Current Ruleset

About Nations

Connecting

Controls

Citizen Governor

Chatline

Worklist Editor

Languages

Copying

About Freeciv21

Each of these options is simply a quick link to the same named section in the game help menu.