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The developers of Helium Rain [Official Site] sent word that their realistic space simulation game will fully support Linux at launch. The main developer is also using Linux to make the game.

They have put up the source code on github, so anyone can go take a look. I think that’s pretty awesome to do (on top of reaching out to us directly).

After watching the trailer, I have to say I'm pretty hyped to give this one a go myself. The lighting and the ship graphics are quite stunning! The main thing that needs work is what looks like the in-ship cockpit view, as it looks so bland compared to the rest of it, where's all my shiny futuristic buttons and consoles?

Here’s what the developer had to say about it:
Gwennaël ArbonaLinux support today should not be an issue at all. Everyone can now use reliable, off-the-shelf engines that work on pretty much all platforms. In our case that's Unreal Engine 4. We work as a team of two - a gameplay developer using Linux, and a content developer on Windows. In two years of Linux development, we only had a few issues - quality inconsistencies, different behavior in the anti-aliasing method, different mouse behavior. We also found the engine's performance to be slightly less good on Linux, probably because of driver software lagging behind Windows. Most of the time though, all the work we do on one system works like a charm on the other one.

image

On top of that, we also feel quite lucky to have open-source software at out disposal. Ask artists in the game development industry what kind of tools they use : most of the time, they will start talking about a proprietary modeling software with proprietary extensions that work with a proprietary engine. Unlike the mostly open-source powered software development field, art is usually the realm of closed, expensive tools.

image

Blender has been a serious alternative for years, with excellent modeling, unwrapping and baking tools and out-of-the-box support for most game engines. It even comes with tools you wouldn't suspect, like a video editor. The entire game was modeled on Blender, the video trailer above was built with Blender. It's a very powerful tool.

image

We also work with Git, CMake, Qt and other life-changing software, so Blender is hardly alone there.


They plan to release the game on Steam in Q2 next year and they have already passed Greenlight. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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37 comments
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musojon74 Dec 14, 2016
I like it! The only thing that worries me is the limited space around poi and whether that takes away realism ( for me, I appreciate everybody is different ). I will definitely buy this though! Newtonian bullets :-)
Stranger Dec 15, 2016
Quoting: GuestBut... I wish they wouldn't say "PC". They say it _a lot_, even at github.

Well, it is for PC - Windows and Linux desktop computers. I'm not sure which term would be more accurate.
berarma Dec 16, 2016
Quoting: StrangerDeveloper here.

Hey PublicNuisance ! We will ship the game without DRM, so no worry on that front. :)

Then it should be possible to buy it on GOG. I don't like the crappy Steam software. Crappy software needed to enable using another software is DRM for me and others.

Glad to see someone embracing opensource in games.


Last edited by berarma on 16 December 2016 at 1:50 pm UTC
Stranger Dec 16, 2016
Steam is much more easy to get on and has a bigger audience, so it's the obvious first step. We'd definitely like to ship on GOG too, though that is mostly up to GOG, as they do their own selection.
Stranger Dec 16, 2016
Quoting: GuestCan you describe how you're working on the planets?

Planets are not interactive in the game, you can't land on them or even approach them. It would be cool to land on a moon, walk on it, mine it for resources - but that's also nothing like the game we have right now. We're heavily focused on strategy, trading, economy, and we felt like landing on planets was a huge development that didn't fit in the game's focus.

As you point out, some projects do stuff like this, but they're also long-terms projects from established companies or high-budget Kickstarters. We're just two guys :)


Last edited by Stranger on 16 December 2016 at 4:41 pm UTC
freelikegnu Dec 17, 2016
Quoting: etamLooks like http://pioneerspacesim.net/ but with better graphics


This looks cool, I've never heard of it before your post, thanks! The development looks pretty active too:

https://github.com/pioneerspacesim/pioneer
Shugyousha Dec 18, 2016
Quoting: Stranger
Quoting: Beamboom
Quoting: PublicNuisanceHopefully they plan a DRM free version

Well it is open-source, so... Duh. :)

I'd just like to correct this : the game's code is open-source, the full game isn't. Basically we're trying to be as open as possible while still selling the game on Steam (and possibly GoG). So the sources are available, it won't have DRM, people may be able to rebuild the game to mod it - but technically the game isn't really open-source.

It's a bit weird, I know.

I think this is great and I will most likely buy it as well (couldn't find it on Steam yet though).

The publishing model you are using (Open Source code with proprietary assets) sounds to me like the best way of developing games in general. At one point I was actually considering to offer a site where you can sell your game's assets and that allows for easy integration with the source code at another location. So people buying your game would download all the needed assets from the online site as soon as they bought the game....
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