Getting the Source

Although there are some CVS client tools, one of the most user-friendly is TortoiseCVS (it is by far better than WinCVS). Here you have some noob instructions to download the CVS code of the Freespace2 Open Project:

• Go to the TortoiseCVS homepage and download the latest version.
• Install it. You'll have to restart your PC afterwards. TortoiseCVS integrates itself with Explorer. You access and mark a folder as a code container with mouse right button contextual menu.
• Make a new folder on your HD where you'd like to install the code. You'll need a fair bit of space for the code and the intermediate files when building it. Right click over it and choose CVS Checkout... from the list.
• A new window will open up. Cut and paste this text into the 'CVSROOT:' textbox
  :pserver:[email protected]:/home/fs2source/cvsroot
• This instruction will fill the editable drop lists below 'CVSROOT:' textbox. (You could also have filled every one of them instead of the 'CVSROOT:' textbox):
  • Protocol: Password server (:pserver:)
  • Protocol parameters: <empty>
  • Server: warpcore.org
  • Port: <empty>
  • Repository folder: /home/fs2source/cvsroot
  • User name: anonymous
• Press 'Fetch list...' button. It'll connect with CVS server to get all the names of active modules.
  • As this is the very first time you connect to the server you'll be asked a password. The password for anonymous user is also anonymous (in low case).
  • From the drop list now you can select the module you want to download.
    • fs2_open is the repository for FS2 source code. (You could also have typed it in the 'Module:' textbox).
• If you press OK button, source code download will begin in the folder you've selected. A fs2_open subfolder will be created inside it.
• By default, the HEAD branch, which contains the developement (and maybe pretty unstable) code, will be downloaded. If you want to checkout the current stable branch rather than this development branch (since you don't have write access you probably should go with the stable build so that that more of the bugs you encounter are your own fault), you should change the Branch or Tag options:
  • Before pressing OK button switch to 'Revision' tab (the second one). (You should be in the first one, 'Module' tab).
  • Click on the 'Choose Branch or Tag' option. Press the Update List button. TortoiseCVS will then connect to the server and get a list of revisions.
  • In the "Branch or Tag Name" dropdown you can now see a list of branches that CVS contains. fs2_open_3_6_9 is probably the one you want.
  • Press OK now.
• Of course, you can set up different checkouts in different folders. Just repeat these steps.
• If you want to update any of the previously downloaded code, go to the container folder, right click over fs2_open folder (or any other one) and select CVS Update option.