Client comparison chart

THIS PAGE IS INCOMPLETE, UNDER CONSTRUCTION, AND NOT CONSIDERED ACCURATE UNTIL THIS HEADER MESSAGE HAS BEEN REMOVED. Discussion should happen on the talk page.

This chart helps show user-interface feature comparisons between Freeciv clients. This can help users choose their preferred clients, and hopefully motivate client developers to integrate missing features from other clients.

	Legend:
★	Superior, fully implemented feature; one click or keypress; superior visual display.
✓	Implemented: Some features missing; may require many clicks, presses, or menu operations.
✗	Present but inferior; minimal implementation, many features missing; difficult to see or use well.
	Absent. Not implemented.

List of Freeciv Client Features, Compatibility, Functionality

Feature	GTK	SDL	QT	FCW	notes
Stable Version / Features / Compatibility	≤2.6	≤2.6	≤2.6	3.0	Binaries of GTK, SDL QT clients not available for all versions. 3.0 pre-stable/release versions available for some.
NeverProtect/NeverBlock compatibility				★	Fixes (un)reachability bugs/exploits/inadequacies
Fixed Airlift capacity flaw, compatibility				✓	Airlift capacity can take values between 1 and ∞
Combat rounds compatibility				★	Can implement combat_rounds and properly report results and update display
Can access multiplayer web games				★	see note 1
Can access non-web remote servers	★	★	★
General
Overall elegance/simplicity of UI	✗+	✗-	✓	★	Number of clicks/presses needed for interaction. Ease of learning
Translation to languages other than English	✓	✓	✓		Native: not all translations are 100% complete / Web: on independent domains only, only Chinese translations
Map links in chat/messages	✓	?		★	Focus links to cities, units, and tiles on the map in chat/messages. ★=one-click ✓=link provided
Extended/improved graphics included for most popular tileset				★	Amplio2 graphics upgraded with new release by professional artists
Extended/improved sound effects included				★
Speech for incoming messages				✓
Performance, speed	★	✓	★	✓
Crash frequency / bugs / glitches	✓	✗+	✗+	✓	Frequency of crash/glitch situations in a loose MBTF / severity of known specific triggers. Crash-and-exit-without-save incidents = ✗+ crash without save-and-exit. Note: Crashes may vary depending on OS. Do not assume your OS will have same issues.
City Features
Highlight cities that have a building				★	★=advanced functionality to select cities with X and not Y, etc.
Select cities that have a building				★
Mass-buy				★	buy in multiple cities at once
Mass-change				★	change production in multiple cities at once
Real-time display of improvements in City List				★	see all buildings present/absent/unavailable right from the city list
Secondary sort				★
City Governor	★	✓+	★		AI selection of worked tiles from user inputs
City tile output on map	✓+	✓	✓+	★	★=hotkey + able to display values higher than 9
One-click macro: cycle all Specialists				★	Change all specialists of one type with one click
One-key Exits	✓	✗	✓	★	Ease of exiting dialog/window/ tab ★=always works from everywhere
City outlines on map	✓	✓	✓-
City colors on main map	✓	✓	✓		Accessible through a keyboard shortcut
Cities List Display	✓	✗	✓	★	Empire list of all cities and ability to trigger actions from this list.
City List: Current→Future State (Happy)				★	City list displays past/current/future state together: celebration at former TC AND upcoming TC
City View: Current→Future State (Happy)				★	City view displays past/current/future state together: celebration at former TC AND upcoming TC
City List column-sort	✓		✓	★
Production images in city list		★		★	Allows quick viewing of empire production
City label options	★	✓+	★	✗	Customize city labels on map: stats/info/remove/etc.
Trade routes show on map	✓		✓		✓+ stats ★=selection filters (city, nation, foreign, revenue, etc.)
Airlift counters on map				★	★=one-key, source/dest info together
Airlift counter in cities				★
Interior Improvements View	✗-	★	✗-	✓+	Immediate visibility and checking of improvements
Interior Units View	★	★	✗-	★
City Happiness Causes	✓+	✗
City Selection Filters	★			☆	☆=uses Super Panel functionality instead
Importable Worklists	✓
Economy tab	✓				Detailed view of city expenses
Detailed surplus info	✓+	?	✓	★
Map Canvas
Mouse can move/drag the map	✗	✗	✗	★	Standard intuitive use of mouse to move the map around. ✗=multi-press keyboard substitute
Zoom Level		✗	★	★	★-one key
Map grid	✓+	✓	✓+	✓+
Mini-map functionality	✗	✓	✓	★	See, click, drag, resize, or close mini-map to get more screen space.
Incoming/outgoing messages from mapview	✗-	✓	✓+	✓+	Ease of receiving/viewing/seeing/hearing just-in-time alerts/messages.
Unit Panel Functionality from map view	✗	✗	✓	★	Select/de-select/view info on selected units
Rewind Focus to last position				✓+	Return map view to last focus location
Can quickly see/change taxes from map	✗		✓	✓+
Orders buttons for Units		✓	✓-	★	Quick, easily discerned orders buttons for units: (1) ALL orders available; (2) Colour contrast+Icon differentiation compliant with modern UX standards
Rich goto lines	✓+	✓+	✓+		See where units end turns for multi-turn GOTO
Supports all map topologies	✓	✓	✓		Client can support WRAPY torus worlds and hexagonal tiles
Show tile outputs >9				✓+	e.g., gold + super highways, wine/river/colossus+s.h., etc.
Tilesets	★	★	★	☆	☆=enhanced default only; others require recompilation ★=supports non-default; lacks enhanced default (requires installation)
Units
One-click unit deselect				★
Multiple Unit Selection and Orders	✓+		✗	★
One-Click select all units on tile	✗			★
One-Click add units to selection	✓			★
Rewind Focus				★	go back to last focused unit
Issuing orders to multiple units/stacks	✓	?	✓	★
Selecting/de-selectings units in unit panel	✗		✓	★
Select all of same type functionality	★	✓	★	★
Select all of different type functionality				★
Select all on same continent/sea	★	✓	★	★
Advanced Unit Selection Filters			★		e.g., select only Sentry units, units with full moves, etc.
Units Tab	✓	★	✗
Diplomacy
Meetings	✗	✗	✓	✓	Initiating meetings, responding to meetings, seeing incoming offers
Extended Peace, Trade, Embassy functionality				★	Compatibility with extended diplomacy options re: contactturns/embassy/cease-fire/tech/gold trade.
Intel: basic info	✓	?	★	★	Gold, taxes, capital, ...
Intel: diplomatic status	✓	?	★	★	For foreign nations
Intel: shares vision with		?	✓	✓	★=also sortable from Nations list
Intel: techs	✓	?	✓+	★	Techs that you don't know, techs that they don't know ★=also shows techs you have that they don't have
Intel: wonders				★	Full realization of functional spec: reporting all wonder intel the server gives to the client.
Nations List	✓	✓	✓	✓
Pact/contact state	✓-	?	✓-	★	Full info on pacts and contact ability at a glance
Shared vision info	✓		✓	✓
Jump to Nation on Map				✓
Quick Message from Nations List				✓
Research
Overall scrollable/readable	✓	✗	✓	✓+	Quickly see requirements, possessed techs, drag or one-click scrolling of screen
Setting Current Goal	★	✗	★	★
Setting Future Goal	✓	✗	✓	★
Visibility/accessibility of requirements	★	✗--	✓	✓+	Ease to view requirements tree, "unlocked" buildings/wonders/units info; bulbs required, help, etc.
In-game help	✓	?	✓	✓	✓ available ✓+ superior ★=hover, 1-click, or similar
Terrain help	✓	?	✓+	✓
Improvements & wonders help	✓	?	✓	✓+
Units help	✓	?	✓+	✓+
User Interface, Misc
Number of clicks or presses for frequently performed tasks.	✗--	✗-	✓+	★
Hotkeys	✓+	✗	✓+	★
Extended mouse functionality	✗		✗	★
Tax rate adjustment	✗	✗	✓	★	★=lockable sliders, numeric display of tax rate
Orders context menus				★	★=configurable, show all legal orders
Alternate cursor/numpad input	✗-		✗-	★
Supports alternates for middle-click				★
Map Zoom Level		✗	★	★
3D display option				✓
Auto-attack	✓	✗	★	✓
Map Editor	★		★
Delayed Go To / Actions			✓
Waypoints	✓	✓	✓
Connect with...	✓	✓	✓
Trade Planning			✓
Rally point			✓		Server-side implementation being worked on (3.1)
Quick Airlift			✓
Mobile Devices		✓	✓	✓

	NOTES
Note 1	Developmental desktop access to web games has been experimentally achieved (August 2019); currently there is no open source repo with both client and server intercompatibility available. Currently this functionality is not integrated into main branches for FCW server nor main branches/main download links for clients. Follow-up: When above criteria are met, rate each according to the Legend for ease of setup, where ★=one-click instant, ✗=doable but difficult, etc.

ASSEMBLAGE methodology for this page:

A page of this type can easily degrade into edit-wars or champions of favourite clients disagreeing over subjective grades. Keep in mind this is not the intent of this page.

It is to motivate developers of your favourite client to implement improvements by seeing comparison to what others have done, not "mine is better" warfare. Representing your favourite client as superior could have a negative effect on future features in your favourite client, since its developers will not easily see where it has room for continued improvement!

Grades here are NOT final NOR the product of a single user's opinion. Sorry, this includes you too--and me! Extra perspectives and non-partisan help in fleshing it out is much appreciated and any final version will portray if there are any notable subjective splits in community opinions over grading. But don't be that guy who tries to force your own grade for everyone else to accept, single-handedly.

_{Any single individual trying to override grades assigned by multiple people who are following a collective process to assemble this page with earnest intent and accuracy, is not welcome. On the other hand, such an individual is welcome to make objective observations in the footer section of this page. Accuracy is the goal, and pointing out mistakes and omissions or alternative opinions and perspectives is appreciated! Rationally objectively presented arguments for why something should be graded higher or lower will work their way into the final product.}

If you would like to contribute to this page before the main authors finish, you are welcome to do so. We have a panel of individuals to try to hammer out how to manage subjective disagreements and/or transform them into more objective metrics. Please contact original author to join. FOR NOW, this page is:

• an orphan and is unlinked from any other page
• unofficial and its grades represent nothing at all
• an unfinished draft
• specifically marked as incomplete and inaccurate

These four reasons means there is no need for any kind of upset edit-war over anything in here. Especially try not to correct a grade that was created by multiple people's discussion and assessment, with your own, as if you are single-handedly the Oracle God who overrides this project. But do get involved and make your observations with the others who are involved! We don't bite and will respect good points. YES! You can make observations to help us make it more accurate, and it's appreciated!

While this page is in unfinished original author status, please feel welcome to use as much space in the Discussion Area below to make suggestions, disagreements, observations, arguments, etc. When making a case, please be sure to objectify it with as much objective metrics as possible: actual number of clicks/presses, actual amount of space available for display a specific number of units/buildings/etc., actual number of legal orders which do or do not have active buttons, actual time spent on average finding a unit/button/city/etc. from a long list of others, and so on.