This wiki was in read-only mode for many years, but can now be edited again. A lot of information will need to be updated.
BZFS
This is an article specifically about the BZFS program. For general information on creating a BZFlag server, see Creating a server.
BZFS is name of the BZFlag server application. It is a command line application that can either be run manually or started from within the game. The server supports a large list of command line options that can be used. All BZFlag games are hosted on BZFS servers, there is no 'single player' game that is run with only a client.
Usage
BZFS use cases tend to fall into one of the following:
| Use Case | Description |
| localhost | Most commonly used for map or plugin testing, or taking screenshots or previews of a world. |
| LAN | Frequently done with the -passwd option or by setting up a private list server. |
| Private | Usually done via the -advertise option to VERIFIED to keep servers hidden from unauthenticated players or via NONE keeps it unlisted for all players.(Servers can be made visibile to specific groups however.) |
| Public | The standard servers made visibile to regular players. (Specific requirements can be made for players however.) |
The usage of the server types, which sometimes are the result of various configuration scripts and therefore are not really a specific type.
| Type | Description |
| Replay Server | Most commonly used for viewing of events, league matches, or in general server administrative matters. |
| Rotation Server | Usually created via a set of scripts to rotate through a selection of maps. |
| Mapchange Server | Usually a combination of plugins and scripts to enable players to select a specific map from a collection. |
Command line options and Config files
BZFS uses command line options to set the various modes and options for a game. These options can be specified from the command line prompt of the host OS or inside a plain text configuration file. The path (relative or absolute) to the config file is specified with the -conf option.
See the sample configuration for some examples of command line options. However, it is recommended that you create a configuration file from scratch, and test it every few lines. This will help in the case of configuration errors as you will have only modified a few lines that introduced the error.
World Files
BZFS can read in BZW formatted map files and use them to define the 3D world the game is played in.
Plug-ins and the BZFS API
BZFS can be extended by the use of server side Plug-ins. These Plug-ins are runtime loaded DLLs/SO files that use the BZFS API to modify and automate various game logic and settings.