Tag Archives: games for linux
Are Linux gamers rude and nasty to developers?
Every gaming news site has covered Good Old Games decision not to provide support for Linux. Network World published a related article that outlines one of the problems with developers and Linux gamers. Some Linux gamers can be a bit too passionate in their defense of Linux, and their reactions to developers can err on the side of rudeness.
This is where another problem within our greater open source/Linux community rears its ugly head – whenever someone talks about having a hard time figuring out how to support Linux without losing money, the mob tends to get angry and hurl insults at the speaker.
If you look through the comments you’ll find many along the lines of “their argument is just stupid,” “It’s bull**** and they know it,” and “they just want to be a-holes is all.” There are not a lot of constructive ideas or suggestions on how to achieve profitability by packaging and targeting for Linux desktops.
These two issues join forces to create a sort of “super-problem.”
I believe that folks who engage in such behavior are not representative of the entire Linux gaming community at all. Most gamers seem to appreciate efforts being made to develop games for Linux, or even companies that haven’t made a decision but are considering the Linux gaming market.
We need to make sure that we are offering whatever support we can to developers, and we also need to understand that they have to have a viable business model to survive. If they can’t make a profit, they will be hard pressed to continue to develop games for Linux.
So please be positive and helpful if a company disappoints you. In the short term that company may not release games for Linux, but they may reconsider over the longer haul if the Linux gaming community offers useful feedback and advice.
Disney’s Open-Source Cloud
Venture Beat has an interesting article about Disney’s videogame division’s decision to use a blend of OpenStack and Cloudstack for their cloud needs.
But instead of going with one vendor or open-source environment, the video game division of the Walt Disney Co. created a solution stitching together some OpenStack and some Cloudstack, said Peter Lopez, Disney Interactive’s system architect, at CloudBeat 2013 today.
Disney Interactive comprises a portfolio of game studios it has gradually acquired, Lopez said. So its cloud must be hybrid…it needs to support applications built in multiple environments.
This strikes me as a smart move on Disney’s part. They knew what they had to do, and they did it well. More companies should follow in their footsteps.
Using open source products in such a customized way provides a great base for cloud efforts, while still preserving enough flexibility to change and grow later on.
Choose the Best Linux Server for Your Business
SJVN has a very helpful article here on ITworld for those you looking for the best Linux server for your business needs.
I think the single most important factor in choosing a Linux server is how experienced (or not) your IT staff already is with Linux. While Linux expertise is easier to find than it used to be, there’s still nothing like enough Linux IT professionals out there.
When I went to OSCon, the major open-source convention, earlier this year in Portland OR, everyone, and I checked and it really was everyone (even some company named Microsoft), was looking to hire people with Linux and open-source experience.
In particular, employers are having trouble finding staffers with a few years of Linux experience under their belts. That is to say, exactly the employees you need to keep your Linux server trains running on schedule.
It doesn’t surprise me that so many companies are looking for people with Linux experience. It just makes so much sense to use Linux whenever possible that it’s totally understandable that experienced Linux folks are in high demand right now.
So if you have Linux experience, this is a great job market for you.
Reblogged from: itworld.com
Knights of Pen and Paper +1 Edition Announced
Paradox Interactive announced that they will be bringing the mobile meta-RPG game Knights of Pen and Paper to Linux, Mac, and Windows PC platforms in a new version called Knights of Pen and Paper +1 Edition. The publisher is forming a partnership with Behold Studios to bring the game to consumer desktops with new features, improvements and content. The +1 Edition will also be released to mobile devices when it launches across all platforms in the Second Quarter of 2013.
“When we first saw Knights of Pen& Paper, the game scored a natural 20 on its Charm Person roll,” said Shams Jorjani, VP of Business Development and Corporate Paladin at Paradox Interactive. “We knew it was the kind of title that was right up our alley, and we’re glad to be able to keep supporting the Brazilian developer community with new partners like Behold studios.”
The Knights of Pen and Paper +1 Edition is an RPG where players control players that are gaming at their dungeon master’s table. Players will be able to go on adventures with other tablemates and spend their loot to boost their warriors and mages while also improving their snacks, game table and source books. Full campaigns can take player characters through a wide selection of monsters and quests, all classically rendered in retro pixel art. All this and the joy of watching the characters fight with the DM about random encounters.
You can find more info about the game by visiting Paradox’s Website.
After LGP, RuneSoft is Bringing Good Old Linux Games back
Few days back we reported that Linux Game Publishing is planning to bring all games in their catalog to Ubuntu Software Center and Desura. Some of their games like Sacred Gold and Majesty have already been released in these distribution services.
Now RuneSoft, another company that specializes in porting games for Linux, is planning to bring their games to Desura. Alongside their own published games, they have also ported games like Software Tycoon and Knights and Merchants: The Shattered Kingdom for Linux Game Publishing.
RuneSoft’s Linux games are otherwise available on discs only and having them on Desura will allow users to get their favorite games as digital downloads.
To start with, RuneSoft has released Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood on Desura for $15. Check out a gameplay video:
You can check out all the games they have ported for Linux from here. I hope RuneSoft will bring these games to Ubuntu Software Center as well.
Reblogged from: UbuntuVibes
Maia, an Indie Development from the UK Kickstarter
Through a recent Twitter post, the details about a Kickstarter game called Maia caught my attention. Immediately I started scanning the page looking for Linux support. A very apt DRM free final product and an alpha due out in Januray 2013. WOW!!
Check it out…..
[gigya height=”360″ src=”https://www.kickstarter.com/swf/kickplayer.swf?” flashvars=”allowfullscreen=true&autostart=false&backcolor=000000&controlbar=over&file=https%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fksr%2Fprojects%2F363511%2Fvideo-177936-h264_high.mp4&image=https%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fksr%2Fprojects%2F363511%2Fphoto-full.jpg&screencolor=000000&skin=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kickstarter.com%2Fswf%2Fkickskin.swf&wmode=opaque” width=”480″ ]
Maia is a new god game from indie developer Simon Roth.
Inspired heavily by the 70’s Sci-fi aesthetic, Maia is a colony management simulator where you must keep your colonists safe, fed and happy. Liberally influenced by nineties god games, the game will have a dark sense of humour and more toys to play with than you can shake a Molyneux at.
“[Maia is] right up there in the top branches of indie games to stare at with creepily unblinking desire.” – Alec Meer. RockPaperShotgun
“Sounds suspiciously like the best idea ever.” – Futile Position
“Maia is still in an early alpha stage, but it already looks like a fascinating game with a great deal of potential.” – Paul Dean. Eurogamer
“I’m hugely excited for Maia. It’s great to see developers with this much ambition, and Simon’s already made some fantastic progress.” – Lewie Procter. SavyGamer
“I’m no Ninjaologist. But that shouldn’t diminish one unassailable fact: Simon Roth is a Ninja. I cannot wait to throw my money at the screen…” – Mike Bithell. Thomas was alone
“it’s fair to say that the features list reads like many of my wildest dreams” – Rowan Davies. IndieGameMag
Setting
In 2113 the human race began its first extra solar colonisation program. One of the targets of this endeavour was Maia.
Maia, sitting a mere twelve light years away in the Tau Ceti system, was a world in flux. Due to its home in a dense debris field, the planet had been subject to constant meteor impacts on its surface. The energy released into the planet’s crust distorted the magnetosphere, leading to frequent storms of dangerous ultraviolet and X-ray radiation that scour the surface of all but the hardiest of life.
The colonization process had commenced almost twenty years earlier. Barrages of satellites equipped with powerful solid state lasers were placed in geosynchronous orbit around the planet. Their mission to slow and deflect major meteoric threats. The dense volcanic atmosphere was then seeded with sulfur, in an effort to calm and cool it. After a brief fourteen years of orbital terraforming, earth’s political elites deemed the planet safe for human settlement, despite little being known about the surface.
After an outcry from the scientific community, a brief study was commissioned and the planets surface was found to be: “Mostly harmless”.
Mostly.
Gameplay
You must excavate an underground colony to escape the hostile surface of the world. Mine minerals for construction, build rooms to house, feed and entertain your colonists and defenses to protect them from dangerous wildlife.
Research sources of power, water and food. Explore the surface and perform science to produce the technology you need to survive your new home.
Development
Maia is currently in early alpha. A playable release will be available as soon as mid January. The game will run on Windows, Mac and Linux and have absolutely no DRM.
The game will ship in summer 2013. After that, development will continue indefinitely, with regular updates, and swathes of new content every month.
Features
- Up to 2km x 2km x 2km of procedural world
- Complex colonist AI
- Dark humour
- A unique aesthetic
- Water and Lava simulation
- A dark ambient soundtrack
- Cellular Atmosphere
- A simple minimalist UI
- Inspired by 1970s hard sci-fi
- Intricate defense systems
- Bi-polar androids
- First person mode
- Open data for modders.
Todd B..
Linux Game News
Indie Royale’s – the Fall Bundle with TWO games for Linux
It’s here!! The Fall Bundle from Indie Royale. Oddly enough, this time there are TWO games that support Linux, Oil Rush (Deluxe edition) and Reprisal. Both come with their own Official Soundtrack and obviously all games are issued with a Desura key and Steam keys (except for Reprisal which runs on Adobe AIR). Having purchsed the bundle, I was keen to see if Reprisal worked in Linux without any issue. As you know, Adobe no longer supports the Linux edition of AIR, so I was taken back when I saw the game working without effort, and rather well.
The remaining games, To the Moon, Blackwell Deception, and AVSEQ I have yet to play.
So if anyone gets them running in WINE, by means drop a comment and let me know about your experience.
Without further ado… The Fall Bundle….
Leaves are falling and the weather is cooling – Fall is here! It’s a great reason to offer you five great indie games in the Fall Bundle from Indie Royale! This compelling bundle is led by hit RPG To the Moon, along with the graphically gorgeous Oil Rush and critically acclaimed adventure Blackwell Deception, not to mention other great titles too! With deals like this, who cares if it’s getting dark earlier since that’s even more reason to stay in side and play these great indie games!
The first game in this seasonal bundle is RPG/sci-fi adventure game from Freebird Games To the Moon (Windows on Steam, Desura and DRM-Free). Adventure Gamers celebrates To the Moon for offering “(a)n incredibly moving narrative with a unique premise, sympathetic characters, and a powerful climax.”
Also included is challenging RTS/Tower Defense game Oil Rush from Unigine (Windows, Mac and Linux on Steam, Desura and DRM-Free); standout adventure game from Wadjet Eye Games Blackwell Deception (Windows on Steam, Desura and DRM-Free); audio-visual sequencer/color-matching puzzler AVSEQ from Big Robot (Windows and Mac on Steam, Desura and DRM-Free); and Populous-inspired RTS Reprisal from Reprisaluniverse (Windows, Mac and Linux on Desura and DRM-Free).
To the Moon | by Freebird Games
Oil Rush | by Unigine Corp
Blackwell Deception | by Wadjet Eye Games
AVSEQ | by Big Robot
Reprisal | by reprisaluniverse
And for those who pay $8 USD or their currency equivalent during the Fall Bundle will get a great fantasy electro 8-bit album from Makeup and Vanity Set: ‘88:88’, inspired by the short film 88:88 directed by Joey Ciccoline.
You can find more information on the Fall Bundle at their official blog or via ourFacebook and Twitter pages. And remember, you’ll want to get in early while the prices are still low (unless kind purchasers lower the price) so you can get in on this Fall Bundle before it’s gone!
Todd B..
Linux Game News
