This is an optimized and cleaned-up branch of FreeCol, which also works fine on jre-7, so - in contrast to upstream - also runs on stable distros (eg. Debian Jessie or Ubuntu Precise) without installing an untrusted blob of jre-8.

Key goals are: (order of the patch stacks)

• optimize-away expensive, resource burning, code - which usally happen to be complicated java8-only things like pseudo-"functional" constructs like "Streams" (which have actually have nothing to do with functional programming at all :o), needlessly complicated chains of callback classes, etc, etc.

• replace (the after #1 few) remaining jre-8 by simpler jre-7- compatible code (eg. abuse of workarounds like "default interface methods", etc)

• drop bundled precompiled binaries

• packaging for Debian (oder -based distros)

FreeCol is a turn-based strategy game based on the old game Colonization, and similar to Civilization. The objective of the game is to create an independent nation.

You start with only a few colonists defying the stormy seas in their search for new land. Will you guide them on the Colonization of a New World?

The FreeCol team aims to create an Open Source version of Colonization (released under the GPL). At first we'll try to make an exact clone of Colonization. The visuals will be brought up to date with more recent standards but will remain clean, simple and functional. Certain new 'features' will be implemented but the gameplay and the rules will be exactly the same as the original game. Examples of modern features are: an isometric map and multiplayer support.

This clone will be developed incrementally and result in FreeCol 1.0.0 which will be an almost exact Colonization clone. Incremental development basically means that we'll add features one at a time. This allows us to have a running program at all times and also to release an unfinished but working game once in a while.

Once FreeCol 1.0.0 is finished we'll start working towards FreeCol 2.0.0. FreeCol 2 will go beyond the original Colonization and will have many new features, it will be an implementation of our (and our users') image of what Colonization 2 would have been.