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SuperTux, a name I've not heard in quite some time, a free and open source platformer inspired by Super Mario Bros is still chugging along and it's heading towards a new release.

It's currently on the third alpha release of their 0.6.0 update which sounds like it's quite an evolution for the game. Here's the highlights of what's new:

  • Complete revamp of the rendering engine, the game should be much faster than it was previously
  • It now support OpenGL 3.3 Core as well as OpenGL ES 2.0, thus allowing SuperTux to be run on the Raspberry Pi, and potentially WebGL.
  • A few graphics have been updated, and effects have been added including various effects and shaders
  • Support for right-to-left languages through vector fonts. This will also fix a few non-ASCII characters, which often caused problems before in translations
  • Forest worldmap redesigned with new levels and other redesigned levels
  • A lot of other under-the-hood changes and bugfixes
  • Official Linux binaries

While we have a lot of indie games and some AAA games now, it's always nice to see games like this continue along. After trying out Alpha 3 with the AppImage, it worked really quite nicely. Could be a rather nice game for a younger audience. It's free after all, why not give it a go.

You can download it from their GitHub page, under the GPL license.

Hat tip to AngryPenguin.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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14 comments
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SixPairsOfFeet Nov 21, 2018
Can't wait for the sequel, Super2x
buenaventura Nov 21, 2018
Ah, I tried the previous one with my kids a while back and it was quite dissapointing, I will try this one!

Another gem is Frogatto, very nice metriodish platformer that's very forgiving for kids!
YoRHa-2B Nov 21, 2018
Damn, I didn't even know this was still being developed. I already played this like 15 years ago on some Suse machine that my dad had lying around at the time.


Last edited by YoRHa-2B on 21 November 2018 at 3:26 pm UTC
PlutonMaster Nov 21, 2018
I'm wondering, is there ever coming Mario 64/Odyssey-clone of the Super Tux.
Good to see this game getting updated.
Whitewolfe80 Nov 21, 2018
Sorry to say this, but this game is just wasted resources, i mean, it's free software and that's great, but the gameplay is just like 80s games with even worse art, you can reply me with a "do it yourself" but i really don't know programming, i just know that any side-scrolling platforming game should be like New Super Mario Bros or even better if you want to give people some fun.

Look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW90pNpI3A4

They should start a GODOT project and that would be much better, also Tux has no charisma, face it.

How i think a free-software platforming game should be?

1- Stop calling it SuperTux trying to emulate Mario, and don't copy his powerups, a penguin throwing fireballs is just ridiculous.
2- Let us play 4 players or more, and introduce different characters and skin support, so the community can transform them into Mario or whatever they like.
3- Put it on Steam and give us workshop support for stages (just like Mario Maker) and online coop.



Only that way the game would be something relevant.

Seriously, look at this fucker, it's ugly as hell: https://www.getdigital.co.uk/web/getdigital/gfx/products/__generated__resized/1100x1100/4626tasten_sticker_tux_farbe.jpg[/quote][/quote]

Super mario brothers came out in 1983 dude and is a very basic platformer it just happened to be in an era that it was new and fresh and i know that because i was five in 1986 and the nes was the first home console our family got I got given the spectrum 48k which you wont of heard of unless you are a fan of LGR or are from Europe.Plus New super mario brothers really isnt different from mario brothers yes its had graphics improvements thats to be expected it has power ups but so does supertux. Is it a waste of resources not as long as someone is enjoying it and it has active development so there must be some interest.


Last edited by Whitewolfe80 on 21 November 2018 at 5:58 pm UTC
GustyGhost Nov 21, 2018
Quoting: GuestWARNING: Salty comment here.

Sorry to say this, but this game is just wasted resources, i mean, it's free software and that's great, but the gameplay is just like 80s games with even worse art, you can reply me with a "do it yourself" but i really don't know programming, i just know that any side-scrolling platforming game should be like New Super Mario Bros or even better if you want to give people some fun.

Look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW90pNpI3A4

They should start a GODOT project and that would be much better, also Tux has no charisma, face it.

How i think a free-software platforming game should be?

1- Stop calling it SuperTux trying to emulate Mario, and don't copy his powerups, a penguin throwing fireballs is just ridiculous.
2- Let us play 4 players or more, and introduce different characters and skin support, so the community can transform them into Mario or whatever they like.
3- Put it on Steam and give us workshop support for stages (just like Mario Maker) and online coop.

Only that way the game would be something relevant.

Seriously, look at this fucker, it's ugly as hell: https://www.getdigital.co.uk/web/getdigital/gfx/products/__generated__resized/1100x1100/4626tasten_sticker_tux_farbe.jpg

Godot engine didn't exist when Supertux project was first started.
kaiman Nov 21, 2018
Still spearheaded by Ingo, I see :-).

While I'm not into Jump'n Runs, I'm pretty happy to see such older open source games receiving some love (and attention). After all, time isn't forgiving to old code. While old binaries might continue to run on modern systems, trying to compile old code can by quite tricky at times.
dpanter Nov 21, 2018
Dissing SuperTux? Huh.
I guess ppl really do have too much time on their hands.

/abandon thread, too much salt
Whitewolfe80 Nov 21, 2018
Quoting: Guest
Quoting: Whitewolfe80any side-scrolling platforming game should be like New Super Mario Bros
NSMB is not fun at all.
For you thats fine i personally still find it fun
MayeulC Nov 21, 2018
I had such a blast with my brother, around 15 years ago (didn't count), playing Super Tux on the (already) very old laptop my father gave us. It was on winXP, though. I mean, I never got to on a gameboy, and it was like super mario, but miles ahead in every regard.

Running it on the raspberry pi would be really fitting. It's nice to see it is still being cared for! Although I didn't know it was still in alpha after all this time. This is really release-quality software, as far as I am concerned.

I had a go at it the other day, though, and they added game mechanics that I don't recall. I don't find them particularly well fitting, but that's probably nostalgia for you.

I don't really agree with it needing to be modernized. Maybe polished a bit, but if you want a modern version, fork it, or use the level data with a brand new engine :)
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