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A developer working on 'X Rebirth' responded to a user claiming they are wasting their time on the Linux version, and it's a great response.
The response in full is here, but copied below:
QuoteIt's not really a question for me, but I can give somewhat of an answer *completely unofficial*.
The simplest short answer is: "steamos will be big, we need to get on the bandwagon".
Somewhat more elaborate:
As you said investment is about the future, and as any developer who's had enough experience will tell you, vendor lock in and third-party-platforms completely between you and the customer mean trouble.
That third-party can dictate all the rules, and you either accept or pack you bags. Sooner or later your margins will get reduced to the absolute minimum that can sustain you.
Basically without freedom you're a slave, that doesn't mean you get beaten with a stick every day, a slave is an asset that gets treated just well enough that he/she can work well.
Of course that's a bit of a stretch. As a slave you couldn't pack your bags and leave, and any such platform-owner isn't immune to competition (either existing or the possibility of one being created).
Linux, SteamOS and Steam is that competition, and it's wise to invest in something to make sure you're not owned in a decade. Note this is a huge simplification, as steam itself is lacking any major competitor right now but whatever;p
Regarding dx12, microsoft has been almost completely ignoring dx and windows gaming for the past couple years, and they would have continued that if it weren't for opengl catching up and going beyond dx11, mantle, and of course Valve announcing their plan.
It's brilliant to see a developer speak up like this, and makes me really like this person.
Thanks for pointing it out, adolson. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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This is awesome. It's great to see a game developer that understands the value in a platform that has no owner. The value in freedom.
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Quoting: wolfyrionIf Vulkan proves that is faster/easier/better etc than DirectX 12 then we will have a revolution of Gaming
if Vulkan proves that it runs faster on Linux machines than in Windows then we will have a revolutionary Gaming OS
that won't happen and that is the least of the reason why Vulkan would succeed or fail
the only department where Vulkan has advantage is "easier" due to SPIR-V mantra "write shaders in your favourite language". off course that requires languages to support SPIR-V, but this is much simpler due to SPIR-V being open spec.
as far as faster/better goes. more than probably they will be neck to neck for all the reasons. they are both derived from mantle and most things showed are 1:1 similar.
running faster on one or another platform is also questionable due to games bypassing most (note, this sentence only works with new OS setup). difference is more in how much other crap can you avoid and not get disturbed with low performance. and SteamOS clearly is a winner here, since console like feature guarantees that
last factor you forgot to mention is how large customer base can developer cover by opting for one or another, which makes dx12 really moot since it only runs on win10 and XBoxOne
Last edited by vulture on 9 July 2015 at 9:26 am UTC
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It's pretty basic business, really. If you're in it for the quick cash grab, concentrating solely on existing, established platforms has a good short-term payoff. But if you set your sights on the long term, it's wise to look for emerging markets you can get in on the ground floor of, and invest in those to hopefully expand in that direction. Given the growth of Linux gaming in the past few years and the development of better and better dev tools along the way, it makes sense for them to see Linux as one of those new frontiers.
Linux itself is ever getting closer to a state where the average, non-technical user (like myself to a degree) can get into it without the headaches of digging under the hood to get stuff to work like it used to be. That in itself will help drive that market, so hopefully both will benefit.
Linux itself is ever getting closer to a state where the average, non-technical user (like myself to a degree) can get into it without the headaches of digging under the hood to get stuff to work like it used to be. That in itself will help drive that market, so hopefully both will benefit.
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Funny thing: Steam is actually one of those platforms that locks games in, most anyway. I still managed to glean a few games off the downloaded data so that they run independently of Steam, but the rest are specifically designed to NEVER run outside of Steam, even though from technical standpoints, they easily could and have no reason to use anything from Steam apart from publicity. It's that you're not ALLOWED to run them outside of Steam, not that they can't run outside it.
They specifically add into the game a specific check to make sure that it's running through Steam, or else the game is forced to quit, even though Steam provides nothing to the game and is not technically required or used or useful in any way. And some of these games also have copies that run outside of Steam, but the Steam copy is usually made to make sure you can't. This is what they keep calling DRM in Steam.
Also, I don't understand why so many keep saying that Linux is not a Gaming Platform. Classically, it was the hardware that truly dictated whether a game could run. Essentially it still is. The game should run just fine on the same computer no matter the OS. "Platform" should refer mainly to the hardware setup and proprietary limitations, not the OS specifically. The reason you can't run an XBoxOne or Playstation 4 game on a PC with great hardware is ONLY because it wasn't specifically designed to run on the PC's software, not that the hardware can't take it. The problem is that a lot of the software/drivers involved are proprietary and OpenGL has not had so much of a dedicated well-paid dev team or support from associated companies. Direct X has. OpenGL just has to play (often blind, due to lack of hardware dev support) catch-up with the recent support to get to and advance well beyond DirectX.
They specifically add into the game a specific check to make sure that it's running through Steam, or else the game is forced to quit, even though Steam provides nothing to the game and is not technically required or used or useful in any way. And some of these games also have copies that run outside of Steam, but the Steam copy is usually made to make sure you can't. This is what they keep calling DRM in Steam.
Also, I don't understand why so many keep saying that Linux is not a Gaming Platform. Classically, it was the hardware that truly dictated whether a game could run. Essentially it still is. The game should run just fine on the same computer no matter the OS. "Platform" should refer mainly to the hardware setup and proprietary limitations, not the OS specifically. The reason you can't run an XBoxOne or Playstation 4 game on a PC with great hardware is ONLY because it wasn't specifically designed to run on the PC's software, not that the hardware can't take it. The problem is that a lot of the software/drivers involved are proprietary and OpenGL has not had so much of a dedicated well-paid dev team or support from associated companies. Direct X has. OpenGL just has to play (often blind, due to lack of hardware dev support) catch-up with the recent support to get to and advance well beyond DirectX.
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ALRIGHT, FINE, EGOSOFT. I'll buy X: Rebirth. Are you happy now?!
D:<
:P
D:<
:P
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murasame78 Jul 9, 2015
Quoting: Purple Library GuyRare to see people with a long view these days. It's all "What's in it for me today, even if that'll hose me in a year." You'd think with where the climate is going people might be starting to notice the problems with that approach. Kudos to this guy for thinking beyond the end of his nose.
Agreed... and not only in the gaming industry, sadly...
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