Note: Article updated to better explain 1 or 2 points.
There were a few loud users complaining about a recent Linux release where you had to pay for the Linux version on Steam, even if you already own the Windows version. I’ve spoken to a few people and have some thoughts on it.
First of all: I fully agree porters should be paid for their hard work, that’s absolutely not in question at all. It’s a reason why I so heavily dislike grey-market key resellers. If you do the work — you should be paid.
I said at the release of the game that prompted this (Arma: Cold War Assault) that I was torn on the issue, as it’s a difficult topic to address. Difficult because I could easily anger every side of the argument and end up in some hot water myself. Not only that, but I am personally too used to just getting a Linux version for free just for owning a Windows copy from years ago. I purchased it myself personally, because I appreciate the work and because it is stupidly cheap.
Part of the issue is that Valve used to promote “Steamplay”, where you buy once and automatically get it on all platforms Steam supports. So, Valve are partly to blame for issues like this. While I like that system myself, it does have flaws when it comes to situations like this. Valve have actually removed any mention of Steamplay from store items, so perhaps over time people won’t expect to get all versions for free. It is a weird expectation in reality the more I think about it, to get something for nothing like that. I know you can argue all you like about free software and so on, but that’s a different argument for a different day.
It’s a very tough situation to be in for both a developer and a Linux gamer, since it could potentially put people off dual-booting or fully switching to Linux, if you have to pay for your games again. I don’t think there’s a one-size fits all approach here, since a lot of games may require little effort to bring over to Linux. Not all games should require a purchase per platform, but I think it should be an option at times and it should be welcomed. Even something simple like an upgrade option, that way we can still ensure the porter directly gets their due cut of the money for their work.
You could also argue that part of the hook of SteamOS and Steam Machines were that you got access to your library of games that supported Linux. An interesting point of course, but I think it’s also important that the games are just available there, even to buy again, at the very least. There’s also the fact that Steam Machines haven’t really taken off, so that’s quite a weak argument to have anyway.
I think paying essentially peanuts for a really old game that’s been slightly updated and ported to a new platform, well, yeah you should pay for that. You never paid for anything but the original version you got, so it would make sense to pay for something that is essentially different, wouldn’t it? We aren’t talking about a simple patch here, but a game ported to a different platform.
That goes for new games as well, not just older titles. Let’s face it, you don’t buy a game for a PlayStation 4 and demand an Xbox One version as well, do you? No, you don’t. That’s a hypothetical question: think about it even if you don’t own a console. It takes time, effort and many hours of testing to ensure it works correctly on each platform. Then you have the very real ongoing support overhead on top of that. The same can be said for ports of newer AAA-like Linux ports. They often take months, a year even to port and then you need to again add in the testing and support costs.
I thought about all the “no tux, no bux”, the “I only buy/play games on Linux” arguments and all the similar sayings people use that essentially gets thrown out the window if you suddenly refuse to buy a brand new (to Linux) game, just because you own it on another different platform, or because purchasing it won’t give you a version already available on a platform you apparently don’t care about.
I adore the work that Virtual Programming, Aspyr Media, Feral Interactive and others do in bringing games to Linux. They shouldn’t have to deal with a shit-storm every time there’s not a sale, or you have to pay to have it on your platform of choice. It’s the icing on the entitlement cake and it doesn’t taste nice, quite sour in fact.
Every time I see “will only get it on sale” or the instant “will it be released with a sale?!” posts I really do fear for our platform as gaming choice. Why is a Linux port worth so much less to you? It damn well shouldn’t be. We are gaming on a platform that has to prove itself to survive in what’s quite a hostile environment full of publishers with dollar signs for eyes. If we consistently pay less, create storms about small issues like this, then again, I fear for our future.
Faced with the option of paying extra for a Linux port, even if I have a Windows version I’m never going to use, over no Linux port, the choice seems obvious doesn’t it? If the original developer/publisher doesn’t want to deal with it at all, but isn’t averse to someone else handling all of it, then the only route to a Linux port could mean an entirely separated Linux version. I’m okay with that and I hope more people will be in time too.
If Bethesda turned around to a porting house and said “Okay, we will let you 100% handle Fallout 4 for Linux, but the contact is that you sell it yourselves separately to ours”. Would you turn away from it? I would embrace the crap out of that despite owning a copy for Windows (free with my GPU). Fallout 4 on Linux, yes please. I would enjoy metaphorically throwing money at my screen full price for that on Linux. That and a great many others. I'm not saying it should be the same price as the original Windows release, to be clear on that, since it is a port and not an entire new game.
We should consider ourselves lucky to get a free Linux version for a years old purchase on Windows, not outright expect it and be hostile if it isn’t free.
Please Note: Our comments section is always open for debate, but manners cost nothing. I expect a certain level of decorum on hot topics like this. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
There were a few loud users complaining about a recent Linux release where you had to pay for the Linux version on Steam, even if you already own the Windows version. I’ve spoken to a few people and have some thoughts on it.
First of all: I fully agree porters should be paid for their hard work, that’s absolutely not in question at all. It’s a reason why I so heavily dislike grey-market key resellers. If you do the work — you should be paid.
I said at the release of the game that prompted this (Arma: Cold War Assault) that I was torn on the issue, as it’s a difficult topic to address. Difficult because I could easily anger every side of the argument and end up in some hot water myself. Not only that, but I am personally too used to just getting a Linux version for free just for owning a Windows copy from years ago. I purchased it myself personally, because I appreciate the work and because it is stupidly cheap.
Part of the issue is that Valve used to promote “Steamplay”, where you buy once and automatically get it on all platforms Steam supports. So, Valve are partly to blame for issues like this. While I like that system myself, it does have flaws when it comes to situations like this. Valve have actually removed any mention of Steamplay from store items, so perhaps over time people won’t expect to get all versions for free. It is a weird expectation in reality the more I think about it, to get something for nothing like that. I know you can argue all you like about free software and so on, but that’s a different argument for a different day.
It’s a very tough situation to be in for both a developer and a Linux gamer, since it could potentially put people off dual-booting or fully switching to Linux, if you have to pay for your games again. I don’t think there’s a one-size fits all approach here, since a lot of games may require little effort to bring over to Linux. Not all games should require a purchase per platform, but I think it should be an option at times and it should be welcomed. Even something simple like an upgrade option, that way we can still ensure the porter directly gets their due cut of the money for their work.
You could also argue that part of the hook of SteamOS and Steam Machines were that you got access to your library of games that supported Linux. An interesting point of course, but I think it’s also important that the games are just available there, even to buy again, at the very least. There’s also the fact that Steam Machines haven’t really taken off, so that’s quite a weak argument to have anyway.
I think paying essentially peanuts for a really old game that’s been slightly updated and ported to a new platform, well, yeah you should pay for that. You never paid for anything but the original version you got, so it would make sense to pay for something that is essentially different, wouldn’t it? We aren’t talking about a simple patch here, but a game ported to a different platform.
That goes for new games as well, not just older titles. Let’s face it, you don’t buy a game for a PlayStation 4 and demand an Xbox One version as well, do you? No, you don’t. That’s a hypothetical question: think about it even if you don’t own a console. It takes time, effort and many hours of testing to ensure it works correctly on each platform. Then you have the very real ongoing support overhead on top of that. The same can be said for ports of newer AAA-like Linux ports. They often take months, a year even to port and then you need to again add in the testing and support costs.
I thought about all the “no tux, no bux”, the “I only buy/play games on Linux” arguments and all the similar sayings people use that essentially gets thrown out the window if you suddenly refuse to buy a brand new (to Linux) game, just because you own it on another different platform, or because purchasing it won’t give you a version already available on a platform you apparently don’t care about.
I adore the work that Virtual Programming, Aspyr Media, Feral Interactive and others do in bringing games to Linux. They shouldn’t have to deal with a shit-storm every time there’s not a sale, or you have to pay to have it on your platform of choice. It’s the icing on the entitlement cake and it doesn’t taste nice, quite sour in fact.
Every time I see “will only get it on sale” or the instant “will it be released with a sale?!” posts I really do fear for our platform as gaming choice. Why is a Linux port worth so much less to you? It damn well shouldn’t be. We are gaming on a platform that has to prove itself to survive in what’s quite a hostile environment full of publishers with dollar signs for eyes. If we consistently pay less, create storms about small issues like this, then again, I fear for our future.
Faced with the option of paying extra for a Linux port, even if I have a Windows version I’m never going to use, over no Linux port, the choice seems obvious doesn’t it? If the original developer/publisher doesn’t want to deal with it at all, but isn’t averse to someone else handling all of it, then the only route to a Linux port could mean an entirely separated Linux version. I’m okay with that and I hope more people will be in time too.
If Bethesda turned around to a porting house and said “Okay, we will let you 100% handle Fallout 4 for Linux, but the contact is that you sell it yourselves separately to ours”. Would you turn away from it? I would embrace the crap out of that despite owning a copy for Windows (free with my GPU). Fallout 4 on Linux, yes please. I would enjoy metaphorically throwing money at my screen full price for that on Linux. That and a great many others. I'm not saying it should be the same price as the original Windows release, to be clear on that, since it is a port and not an entire new game.
We should consider ourselves lucky to get a free Linux version for a years old purchase on Windows, not outright expect it and be hostile if it isn’t free.
Please Note: Our comments section is always open for debate, but manners cost nothing. I expect a certain level of decorum on hot topics like this. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Some you may have missed, popular articles from the last month:
The comments on this article are closed.
OLucasZanella Mar 15, 2017
Just as much the porters need to get payed for their hard work, the clients gotta have the money to pay for the new game. If the client doesn't have it, the client doesn't buy it. That is why I (mostly) only buy on sale. And don't think that is us, studios know Christmas and other holidays with good discounts on Steam are good for business. The store CRASHED last Xmas because too many people were in it.
0 Likes
johndoe86x Mar 15, 2017
I have to disagree completely on this, and it's based more on the premise of DRM than anything else. If I am buying a "license" to play the game via Steam, then it should be for all platforms. If I buy the game itself without DRM a la GOG, then I can see a case for buying the game for each platform.
As it stands this seems to me to be much for of a DRM issue than anything else. Get rid of DRM, then we'll talk about per platform purchases.
Edit:
I don't, but nor do I buy a game from Steam and expect it on Origin as well.
Last edited by johndoe86x on 15 March 2017 at 5:38 pm UTC
As it stands this seems to me to be much for of a DRM issue than anything else. Get rid of DRM, then we'll talk about per platform purchases.
Edit:
Quoting: NanobangI think it's wonderful to receive free (or discounted) Linux ports of games I previously bought on Windows, but I certainly don't expect them. On my version of Earth things just don't work like that except in special cases. It's not normal to receive two things whenever we buy one thing. I.e.:
Quoting: liamdaweYou don’t buy a game for a PlayStation 4 and demand an Xbox One version as well ...
Well said, Liam! Case closed.
I don't, but nor do I buy a game from Steam and expect it on Origin as well.
Last edited by johndoe86x on 15 March 2017 at 5:38 pm UTC
3 Likes, Who?
I can't believe that comments section.You guys are so into that pay twice thing;if that becomes a standart it will be the same with Apple's lockdown.
And this thing is negative for who willing to switch Linux.Wine is already so hurtful for Linux gaming this will do things even worse.
Yesterday Liam warned me about my comments.I said fanatic to an user.But fanatic was not justifying it.
Literally,some said at top zealots which is so true.
C'mon,you're so away from gaming; you started to approve companies or developers greedy moves.
Steam should be a game store,not a platform store.
And this thing is negative for who willing to switch Linux.Wine is already so hurtful for Linux gaming this will do things even worse.
Yesterday Liam warned me about my comments.I said fanatic to an user.But fanatic was not justifying it.
Literally,some said at top zealots which is so true.
C'mon,you're so away from gaming; you started to approve companies or developers greedy moves.
Steam should be a game store,not a platform store.
3 Likes, Who?
Should porters be paid for their work? Yes! That's how you get more ports.
Should you expect your games to run on every platform and pay once? It's nice, but not an expectation.
Should companies who adopt this pay-per-platform model be allowed to second rate Linux, or any platform? Not any more. By charging separate, you've just signed up to support all platforms equally, and at feature parity.
Should you expect your games to run on every platform and pay once? It's nice, but not an expectation.
Should companies who adopt this pay-per-platform model be allowed to second rate Linux, or any platform? Not any more. By charging separate, you've just signed up to support all platforms equally, and at feature parity.
2 Likes, Who?
Without Steamplay, if somebody wants to switch from Windows to Linux, after installing Linux an Steam, he would see that he has got 0 games there and needs to rebuy something to play. I think, that would hamper moving to Linux. So, how it could be good for Linux gaming?
If a game gets a Linux port and I already have that game, I usually buy either one more copy on a sale or some DLC.
If a game gets a Linux port and I already have that game, I usually buy either one more copy on a sale or some DLC.
0 Likes
Arehandoro Mar 15, 2017
In most modern consoles, there is a thing called retrocompatibility that allows users to play games from different hardware, and OS, from the same company at no extra cost in a new machine. Companies do this in order to motivate people buying the new hardware... And keeping them as customers for the long term. And to the eyes of the user, it seems like a reward.
Some, Nintendo Switch at the moment, don't have this and users niggled loud about it. It is also true that Microsoft and Sony aren't big fans of this.
On PC, that option could be translated to buying a copy of the game and have the three versions available for us. This could seem that a company is losing money with a single purchase for them, but Linux/MacOS market is way smaller than Windows one and if they want to increase that, they should make sacrifices and give easy solutions to us users. Otherwise most of us will never make a full OS swap and much more people will never even try to change the OS at all.
On the other hand, when a company does a port of a game, in their calculations prior doing this, there should do a market survey with potential users. These should include any person with Linux interested in gaming without the copy of the game already (be this Windows or MacOS or whatever). If I already have it under Windows it doesn't necessarily mean I want to play it again now but, if given the opportunity for free, I would maybe consider it and in the long term buy more games from that company/port company.
Said this, companies interested in porting a game to Linux I believe they do it because they see money doing so. If such company, let's say Warner Bros, needs an external one to achieve that, let's say Feral, they should have a contract with them where they are paid for their work plus bonuses/extra deals if the game sells over a certain percentage. As with any other game released the risk of it succeeding should lie on their shoulders and not on mine.
Also, if this becomes a thing and they expect me to pay "twice" I will also expect the same performance, under same hardware, in every single platform, dedicated servers only for my platform if they're used and, of course, a native port and not a Wine/Emulated one.
Last; in this industry, like in any other aspect in life, if we don't fight and complain about what should be right for us consumers they will make us pay for unimaginable things (microtransactions, season pass, early access, etc)
P.S: Sorry for the rant.
Some, Nintendo Switch at the moment, don't have this and users niggled loud about it. It is also true that Microsoft and Sony aren't big fans of this.
On PC, that option could be translated to buying a copy of the game and have the three versions available for us. This could seem that a company is losing money with a single purchase for them, but Linux/MacOS market is way smaller than Windows one and if they want to increase that, they should make sacrifices and give easy solutions to us users. Otherwise most of us will never make a full OS swap and much more people will never even try to change the OS at all.
On the other hand, when a company does a port of a game, in their calculations prior doing this, there should do a market survey with potential users. These should include any person with Linux interested in gaming without the copy of the game already (be this Windows or MacOS or whatever). If I already have it under Windows it doesn't necessarily mean I want to play it again now but, if given the opportunity for free, I would maybe consider it and in the long term buy more games from that company/port company.
Said this, companies interested in porting a game to Linux I believe they do it because they see money doing so. If such company, let's say Warner Bros, needs an external one to achieve that, let's say Feral, they should have a contract with them where they are paid for their work plus bonuses/extra deals if the game sells over a certain percentage. As with any other game released the risk of it succeeding should lie on their shoulders and not on mine.
Also, if this becomes a thing and they expect me to pay "twice" I will also expect the same performance, under same hardware, in every single platform, dedicated servers only for my platform if they're used and, of course, a native port and not a Wine/Emulated one.
Last; in this industry, like in any other aspect in life, if we don't fight and complain about what should be right for us consumers they will make us pay for unimaginable things (microtransactions, season pass, early access, etc)
P.S: Sorry for the rant.
3 Likes, Who?
We need more in-house Linux releases.
Preferably at day-1.
Yeah, wishful thinking.
However, I'm sure that would boost quality of Linux builds.
Considering a Linux target early, immediately results
in a sane choice of middleware and engine.
As we all know by now, those are often major obstacles for external porters.
Please end this "external porting" stuff asap.
Needless to say this also prevents potential situations of paying
again for the Linux port.
Preferably at day-1.
Yeah, wishful thinking.
However, I'm sure that would boost quality of Linux builds.
Considering a Linux target early, immediately results
in a sane choice of middleware and engine.
As we all know by now, those are often major obstacles for external porters.
Please end this "external porting" stuff asap.
Needless to say this also prevents potential situations of paying
again for the Linux port.
6 Likes, Who?
Quoting: liamdaweFallout 4 on Linux, yes please.
No. No! Seriously, we already have plenty of crap games for Linux, we need good games, not festering piles of shit.
Yes, we also have good games, but I'd kinda prefer at least half of the games on Linux being good, rather than invoking Sturgeon's Law.
4 Likes, Who?
lucifertdark Mar 15, 2017
Quoting: NanobangI think it's wonderful to receive free (or discounted) Linux ports of games I previously bought on Windows, but I certainly don't expect them. On my version of Earth things just don't work like that except in special cases. It's not normal to receive two things whenever we buy one thing. I.e.:You're right BUT Steam isn't limited to one OS anymore, like Playstation or Xbox.
Quoting: liamdaweYou don’t buy a game for a PlayStation 4 and demand an Xbox One version as well ...
Well said, Liam! Case closed.
0 Likes
Also, what's not working with the console comparison is, normally you own only one console. That's only one hardware, which can only run one system.
But on PC and as Linux is free, you probably have it installed in parallel to Windows on the same hardware. So the scenario is a bit different.
Also Microsoft is going the other way round, and gives you for the games from their store the game for PC in addition to the XBox One version. At least for some and those which are on the universal windows platform. I don't know how much effort is is, to have such a game ported to PC, or if UWP makes it easy for the devs and they don't have to do any additional work for the PC version.
Gamers might argue, that why should they pay more, when they can have it for free like on the Microsoft Eco System. I don't want to open a discussion about the Microsoft Eco System, it's just an example how it is possible to deal with the multiplatform issue.
I'm just afraid, that gamers might not pay for the additional Linux (or mac OS) version, and stay with the platform that has the most games and the most players. Which is Windows. So Linux would lose its small market share it has gained. I doubt there are enough customers buying specific versions tied to a single PC operating system (other than Windows) to keep it profitable.
But on PC and as Linux is free, you probably have it installed in parallel to Windows on the same hardware. So the scenario is a bit different.
Also Microsoft is going the other way round, and gives you for the games from their store the game for PC in addition to the XBox One version. At least for some and those which are on the universal windows platform. I don't know how much effort is is, to have such a game ported to PC, or if UWP makes it easy for the devs and they don't have to do any additional work for the PC version.
Gamers might argue, that why should they pay more, when they can have it for free like on the Microsoft Eco System. I don't want to open a discussion about the Microsoft Eco System, it's just an example how it is possible to deal with the multiplatform issue.
I'm just afraid, that gamers might not pay for the additional Linux (or mac OS) version, and stay with the platform that has the most games and the most players. Which is Windows. So Linux would lose its small market share it has gained. I doubt there are enough customers buying specific versions tied to a single PC operating system (other than Windows) to keep it profitable.
2 Likes, Who?
Patreon
PayPal
See more from me