Finalizing linux install

Finalizing installation

Now you have Spring installed along with SpringLobby. You are now ready to start springlobby for the first time.

Mods

Since Spring itself is only an engine, you need to download mods for it. Springlobby will do this for you using bittorrent once you joined a game with a mod you don't have. If you want to download it manually, [1] has almost all mods ever created for spring. Once you downloaded them to ~/.spring/mods, they are ready to use.

BA (Balanced Annihilation)

A popular mod to get started with is Balanced Annihilation (BA) 6.21. Please note that before you can run it though, you'll need to download the OTA content - read the section below on how to get that.

CA (Complete Annihilation)

A new mod with better models, graphical effects, and a different take on gameplay is the CA mod - get it here.

OTA Content

If you want to play mods based on Total Annihilation, for example XTA, AA, BA, then you have to do the following:

emerge spring-ota-content

Note that you need to own a copy of Total Annihilation, to download this file legally.

Mods that do not require this file are at least NanoBlobs and Kernel Panic. The CA mod is also working on phasing out the need for OTA content by re-doing the models.

Maps

When joining a game with a map you don't have, springlobby will start downloading it using bittorrent.

If you want to browse existing maps, there are several easy to use websites - here are some:

• SpringFiles
• Spring-Portal
• Darkstars

Pick any of those sites, download a map, and save it under ~/.spring/maps/ (if the folder doesn't exist - create it). Don't unpack the file in any way though, just download and save it.

Hint: If you know the map name you want, there is a Search function provided in those websites. Just write a part of the name, like one word, and you'll easily find the map you were looking for - this is helpful later on.