TribesNEXT RC releases

The release candidate series is the TribesNEXT patch line that has kept Tribes 2 online since January 2009. It provides the account system, the master server that lists games, and long-term support fixes for the freeware release.

If you want to play Tribes 2 online, one of these is not optional — without a TribesNEXT patch you can’t create an account, browse servers or join a game.

Current stable release: RC2a
Download: https://www.tribesnext.com/downloads

Why they’re needed

When Tribes 2’s commercial life ended, the authentication and master servers it depended on were switched off. The game shipped expecting those services to exist, so a stock installation has no way to verify an account or discover a server, and multiplayer simply stops working.

TribesNEXT replaces that infrastructure. Accounts are created in-game against the community service rather than the original one, and the master server provides the list you see on the JOIN tab.

The RC1 series

The launch version, released through sub-versions RC1a to RC1e. It established what the patch line does:

A Ruby 1.8.7 interpreter integrated with the game
In-game account creation
In-game server listing
In-game chat over IRC

RC1 is a predecessor to RC2 and uses a different account registration protocol, so the two are not interchangeable. There is no reason to run RC1 today.

The RC2 series

The current line, with RC2a as the stable release most players use. According to TribesNEXT’s development roadmap, posted by Thyth in February 2009, RC2 brought:

Ruby upgraded to 1.9.0, with a much improved interpreter interface that handles newlines properly and so can run nearly any Ruby script
A basic error handler, so Ruby errors surface instead of vanishing silently
Support for modifying the native game code dynamically in memory
The Ruby process now exits properly when the game closes unexpectedly, rather than leaving orphaned processes behind
Server- and client-side support for DCE certificates, which carry a player’s current name, clan and clan memberships — the foundation of the intended clan and browser system
An early version of the anticheat framework
Changes to the authentication server protocol preventing malformed RSA keys from being written into accounts

Ruby and runtime hitching

Both the RC releases and the QOL patches are generally regarded as equally stable. The practical difference is Ruby.

The RC patches embed a Ruby interpreter and run account-related code through it. That work happens while the game is running, and it tends to produce noticeable runtime hitching — brief stalls as the interpreter executes. It’s inherent to the design rather than a bug.

The QOL patches are a native rewrite with no interpreter involved, which is the main reason to prefer them if the stutter bothers you.

Installing

Install Tribes 2 itself. The full game is a free download of roughly 539 MB.
Apply the TribesNEXT patch — a small download, around 2 MB.
Launch through the Tribes 2 Online shortcut the patch installs.
Choose Create Account in-game and follow the prompts.
Set up your appearance and voice on the WARRIOR tab, then use JOIN for the server list.

Only download installers from TribesNEXT directly. Official binaries are digitally signed, so Windows shows a verified publisher when you run one.

Hosting a server

The only port you need to open is the one your server listens on. The default is 28000 (UDP).

Common problems

No servers listed, or can’t reach authentication. Almost always a firewall or anti-virus blocking the game’s HTTP traffic, since the server list is fetched over HTTP. Features marketed as “link scanning” or HTTP filtering are the usual culprits, and some anti-virus products need a full reinstall to properly disable them. Check the patch is actually installed first.

“Unhandled exception” on first launch. Usually out-of-date or incompatible display drivers. It can also happen when the game defaults to a 4:3 fullscreen resolution your display won’t accept — running windowed lets you pick a supported resolution.

Flickering on recent AMD cards. A known issue with a script fix available from the TribesNEXT forums. The QOL patches resolve it properly.

Jittery game or server. Pinning the game to a single CPU core often helps.

Modding reference

The modding handbook documents what RC2a changes underneath, which matters if you write mods or run a server:

What came next

Several further releases were planned and never shipped — see unreleased RC patches. Development of the RC line stopped at RC2a, and the work that followed took a different route: the QOL patches reimplement the patch natively rather than continuing this codebase, while staying compatible with RC2 servers.