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Classic open source simulation game OpenTTD is coming to Steam

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OpenTTD, the free and open source simulation game based upon Transport Tycoon Deluxe is officially coming to Steam on April 1, and the Linux build will be available too.

Another fine example of a brilliant open source project! Based upon Transport Tycoon Deluxe, a business simulation game in which players earn money by transporting passengers and cargo via road, rail, water, and air. It's entirely free and doesn't need the original game as it has a full graphics replacement too but it can work with the original data files if you have them. This is a fully-featured game and it's popular.

Just a few of the enhancements it has over the original:

  • bigger maps (up to 64 times in size)
  • stable multiplayer mode for up to 255 players in 15 companies, or as spectators
  • dedicated server mode and an in-game console for administration
  • IPv6 and IPv4 support for all communication of the client and server
  • in game downloading of AIs, NewGRFs, scenarios and heightmaps
  • new pathfinding algorithms that makes vehicles go where you want them to
  • autorail/-road build tool, improved terraforming
  • canals, shiplifts, aqueducts
  • larger, non-uniform stations and the ability to join them together
  • mammoth and multi-headed trains
  • different configurable models for acceleration of vehicles
  • clone, autoreplace and autoupdate vehicles
  • the possibility to build on slopes and coasts
  • advanced/conditional orders, share and copy orders

The team had a few packaging troubles as getting a game up on Steam has a more involved process compared to direct downloads. Partly due to the Steam Linux Runtime being based on older libraries, which caused issues with the way the OpenTTD team automate their builds. Thankfully, after some discussion and others getting involved they found a way around it and so we can expect it on Linux at the Steam release on April 1. I've tested it myself from the Steam Beta build they provided to me and it works perfectly on both Ubuntu 20.04 and Arch Linux.

Since it will no doubt be asked: why download on Steam anyway when it's been available in Linux distributions for years? The point is extra exposure, opening it up to even more people to see it and enjoy it!

Follow OpenTTD on Steam or download right now from the official site.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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About the author -
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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12 comments
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recioalex Feb 5, 2021
I loved the original, and i love this Open-version

Nice to see it on steam, it will be great to see it also on GOG or ITCH
jrt Feb 5, 2021
Great! Just like Krita, Godot and Blender! It reaches people who never knew there is something like Free and Open Source Software! Same goes for FOSS applications on the Windows Store like KDE.


Last edited by jrt on 5 February 2021 at 3:31 pm UTC
kean Feb 5, 2021
This game brings back so many good memories from my childhood and when I play OpenTTD I don't have any bad thoughts, it is well maintained to 2021 standards :)
Potatoman24 Feb 5, 2021
There is a suprising lack of people using the opensource tag for games like this.
Brisse Feb 5, 2021
Brilliant. Personally I pull it in directly from Debian's repo and that isn't going to change. There's also a flatpak for those who prefer, but if I was on a Windows or macOS-machine with Steam installed, this would probably be the way to go.
herc Feb 5, 2021
The original is my favourite game from my childhood. I played it slot over the years. Me and my brother played it for Christmas, every Christmas for many years.

I've played this FOSS version for many many hours too, so happy it exists.

I hope bringing it to Steam will give the opportunity for new players to experience it.
Rooster Feb 5, 2021
Quoting: jrtGreat! Same goes for FOSS applications on the Windows Store like KDE.

In this case, I don't think it's a good think. I had to use Windows on my work laptop for a while and can tell you, Okular was terrible there. Really slow and clunky.
Philadelphus Feb 5, 2021
Oh, interesting! Any word on whether it uses Steam's matchmaking system? Probably not, but a man can hope… (I used to run it as a server for a friend and I to play around with, but at my current place I can't port forward to make that work [and he's…uh…not technically inclined to host it from his end], so it'd be amazing if it could somehow use Steam's system.) If not I'll probably keep pulling it from the Debian repo, but hopefully this'll give it some exposure.
jrt Feb 6, 2021
Quoting: Rooster
Quoting: jrtGreat! Same goes for FOSS applications on the Windows Store like KDE.

In this case, I don't think it's a good think. I had to use Windows on my work laptop for a while and can tell you, Okular was terrible there. Really slow and clunky.
My brother uses Okular from the windows store when he boots into windows and it runs pretty good on his computer. Maybe that's just Windows doing Windows things?!
Rooster Feb 6, 2021
Quoting: jrt
Quoting: Rooster
Quoting: jrtGreat! Same goes for FOSS applications on the Windows Store like KDE.

In this case, I don't think it's a good think. I had to use Windows on my work laptop for a while and can tell you, Okular was terrible there. Really slow and clunky.
My brother uses Okular from the windows store when he boots into windows and it runs pretty good on his computer. Maybe that's just Windows doing Windows things?!

That's strange. Yeah, Windows being Windows is the best explanation I can come up with.
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