Starting in Warzone 2100 version 4.2.0, replays are now available for skirmish and multiplayer games.

Every skirmish or multiplayer game is recorded to a (tiny) .wzrp file, which can be played back inside WZ.

• For Skirmish replays: Go to “Single Player” > “View Skirmish Replay”
• For Multiplayer replays: Go to “Multi Player” > “View Replay”

The files are stored in:

• <configdir>/replay/skirmish
• <configdir>/replay/multiplay

Note: Only the most recent few dozen replays are kept around automatically. If you want to save a replay permanently you can “Open Configuration Directory” from the main Options menu, and copy it somewhere else.

Replay Playback:

Once a replay is loaded you can Pause, Play, or Fast-Forward (two speeds).

(The camera is fully movable even while Paused.)

Since replays place you in Spectator mode, you can see all players / the entire map, and you can even use the specstats chat command to enable the Stats overlay window.

When the replay ends, you will receive a message (and the game simulation pauses).

Playback Requirements:

Replay playback currently has the following requirements:

• You must have the same map and mods available locally.
• You should generally play back a replay with the same version of Warzone 2100 used to record it. (This is recorded in the replay file, and you will receive a message if not.)

But assuming both are satisfied, .wzrp files can be shared with others and easily played back on different systems.

What can you do with it?

• Play back a Skirmish game, pause and capture that sweet moment / volley / etc and take the perfect screenshot.
• Play back a multiplayer game (with full visibility) and figure out how you were beaten.
• Share a replay with others. (Just make sure to send them the map too if using a non-built-in map.)
• More easily report bugs. (Attach the replay file please!)

Known Limitations:

• Replays cannot be rewound - if you’d like to go back, you must currently reload the replay and fast-forward from the beginning to the point that you want.
• The use of a number of cheats will cause “desync” errors during replay playback.
• Changing the game speed during gameplay will cause “desync” errors during replay playback.
• If you modify the core game files (ex: stats files), playing back a replay from someone else likely won’t work (until you revert to the standard files).

How Replays Work:

Replay files store the required settings to initialize the game, and all game inputs / network messages.

When playing back a replay, the game simulation is reinitialized with the same starting settings (but with you as a new spectator). Then, all events are re-processed in order and at the appropriate time.

Since the game’s simulation is deterministic (given the same inputs, events, & initial seed), this re-simulates the entire game!

(But this is also why fast-forwarding is possible, but rewinding is not so easy. And why using the same version of WZ to play back a replay is recommended: if there are core game changes that affect the simulation, it won’t be in sync. Using the same version ensures the same simulation logic / rules.)

Summary:

Replays are a long-awaited feature, built on top of Spectators support, available in Warzone 2100 v4.2.0. Watch them, share them, learn from them.

Tag: Feature Spotlight