How to Download and Install Bomber Instinct (Bomberman Clone) on Linux or Windows

Updated

Bomber Instinct is a free, GPL-licensed Bomberman-style game distributed through SourceForge. On Linux you can either install an RPM package or compile from source, which requires the SDL and SDL_mixer libraries; on Windows you download a zip archive. Be aware that the project's last news update is from 2003, version 0.8.x is discontinued, and the README is described as almost required reading because menus and in-game explanations were still rudimentary.

What You Can Download

The download page states that files now live on the SourceForge page and are offered in three forms:

Format Platform Notes
tar.gz Linux Source only; you compile it yourself
RPM Linux Prebuilt package for RPM-based distributions
zip archive Windows Binary archive; the author said a Windows binary "may" be added if requested, so availability depends on what is actually posted

The site also warns that the game is unfinished: some character animations and music are missing. It is described as "far more than playable however and stable (at least on my computer)."

Installing on Linux from Source

Prerequisites

You need the SDL library and SDL_mixer for sound. Install both through your distribution's package manager before compiling; the page names the libraries but not specific package names, so check your distribution's SDL and SDL_mixer development packages.

Build steps

  1. Uncompress the archive:
    tar -xzf BomberInstinct-xxx.tar.gz
  2. Enter the resulting BomberInstinct directory.
  3. Run ./configure.
  4. Run make.
  5. Run make install as root.

Expected result: the game binaries are installed system-wide. If ./configure fails, the usual cause is a missing SDL or SDL_mixer development package.

Running the game and tools

  • Start the game with the command bi.
  • Edit levels with nived.
  • Edit sprites with spred.

Installing on Windows

Download the zip archive from the SourceForge page and extract it. The page gives no separate Windows setup instructions beyond the archive itself, so treat the extracted contents as the install.

Version and Development Caveats

  • 0.8.x is discontinued. The next version was planned as 0.9.0, with major modifications underway to make the game network-playable.
  • More recent code was available from CVS via SourceForge instructions at the time of writing.
  • Planned improvements for 0.9.1 or 0.9.2 included more intuitive menus and explanation screens — meaning older builds rely heavily on the README.

Common Snags

  • Configure errors on Linux: almost always a missing SDL or SDL_mixer development package.
  • make install permission denied: it must be run as root.
  • Missing animations or music: expected in this unfinished build, not a broken download.
  • No network play yet: network support was still in development, so plan on local play.