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Overlord and the Overlord: Raising Hell expansion have been ported to Linux thanks to Virtual Programming. I was able to get advanced access yesterday and here are some thoughts.

Note: The Linux release is not yet on Steam. This is a DRM free release from their own store. It's using MojoSetup, so you can install it wherever you please.

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I was only sent it late yesterday, so you will forgive me if this isn’t as in-depth as I would have hoped it would be.

While I do have issues with previous ports from VP, I always take each game with a fresh mind as some are really are fantastic (like Bioshock and DiRT Showdown) and some not so (Saints Row series ports).

I’m pretty damn happy that Overlord is now on Linux, as I’m pretty sure a good 90% of games see you being some sort of hero and rarely the bad guy. Somehow being the bad guy in games just seems more exciting.

Port report
I’m really impressed. First of all it has a decent launcher to pick resolution and game options before loading. I always like being able to do this before a game ends up giving me some wonky resolution:
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So I started off impressed right away, great start.

It also appears on the correct monitor with my dual-monitor setup. The amount of games that utterly fall over themselves at trying to accomplish that one task is amazing, but Overlord gets it right first time without any messing about.

I haven’t had a single crash in multiple hours of testing, so it seems to be very stable.

The only issue I have encountered is the audio seems to be a little buggy. The speech is always fine, but the background music and other audio seem to vanish at random. Relaunching it seems to fix it. This has been reported to the developer.

Performance wise, with max settings at 1080p it’s constantly staying above 100FPS with not a single dip below it. It only dipped just below 100FPS while I was recording.

You can see how it performs with this Linux gameplay video I did, I left the GLXOSD overlay on so you can see all the gritty details:
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They also removed the "Exit to Windows" text (yeah I know, it’s an old game), so it just says "Quit" in the Linux port. Funny, because I noticed people whining about that on another website. Goes to show that VP do have a nice attention to the small details for us Linux gamers.

Gameplay
The gameplay is actually quite interesting and amusing. Not only do you control your movement, but you control the movement of your minions too. So you can send your minions in to fight, while you kick back and let off some spells, or you can join them with your sharpened axe.

It plays a bit like an action RPG, with a sort of strategy element too it with the minion control.

The minion control is a little wonky though, as it is an older title, but you get the hang of it after a while. Took me a good few minutes to get it right during the tutorial and I keep messing it up during gameplay so I have a while to go before I properly master it. You control your minions with the left and right mouse buttons, while your character uses the keyboard, it feels quite odd but it works.

It’s a little like the game Pikmin if anyone has ever played it, only you’re completely evil.

Sending my minions around destroying everything in their path feels pretty good, watching them smash crates, kill sheep and so on is pretty funny. One thing I didn’t realize until later on is your minions can actually pick up weapons and items if you direct them to walk over to them, so having minions geared up certainly makes it easier. I have to admit I let off an audible chuckle when some of them decided pumpkins make good helmets—idiots.

What is really cool is that it has a skirmish arena mode where you can pick any minions you have unlocked and battle with them against any enemies you have defeated. It’s a nice practice mode that sits nicely alongside the campaign to restore your tower to its former glory.

It’s quite hilarious, performs rather well and generally a fun experience. Do check it out it’s an easy recommendation.

You can grab it now from VP’s official store. No word on when it will be available on Steam yet. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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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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72 comments
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Shmerl Jul 22, 2016
I'm using gnome-breeze for GTK based applications in KDE Plasma 5. Works well and looks close to native KDE.


Last edited by Shmerl on 22 July 2016 at 8:27 pm UTC
dmantione Jul 22, 2016
Quoting: ShmerlIt wasn't wrong way back in the past. Today it's wrong, because developers are aware that switch to Wayland is in progress and they shouldn't stand in the way of it on purpose. So, absolutely not goes to "games should depend on X".

I agree with that, but this is very similar to "all websites should be available under ipv6", which I believe should absolutely be the case anno 2016. But just like there are an awfull lot of websites that are ipv4 only (because the webmaster benefits of ipv6 are too small), you should expect that not every developer feels an urgent need to support Wayland. If a direct call to X is a solution for a quick need, the short term self-interrest will quickly win from the long term community interrest.


Last edited by dmantione on 22 July 2016 at 9:28 pm UTC
dmantione Jul 22, 2016
(double post, please ignore)


Last edited by dmantione on 22 July 2016 at 9:27 pm UTC
Shmerl Jul 22, 2016
Quoting: dmantioneI agree with that, but this is very similar to "all websites should be available under ipv6", which I believe should absolutely be the case anno 2016.

Not exactly. Regarding IPv6 it should sound like "all ISPs should support IPv6". I.e. those who don't are causing harm and slow down its adoption. Because they contribute to the lingering need of supporting IPv4.


Last edited by Shmerl on 22 July 2016 at 9:32 pm UTC
lucifertdark Jul 23, 2016
I was going to wait for the steam version to be released as I already own both games on Windows but it would mean VP missing out on some cash for their work. Gotta support the porters. :D
rkfg Jul 23, 2016
By the way, does anyone experience constant rumble when the controller is plugged in? I have XBox 360 one and it rumbles like hell the moment I start the game. It doesn't stop even after closing it!
lucifertdark Jul 23, 2016
rkfg I just plugged my afterglow x360 controller in to see what would happen & it lit up like a christmas tree & rumbled away like one of those *ahem* exotic massagers. The only way to stop it was to unplug it.


Last edited by lucifertdark on 23 July 2016 at 2:34 pm UTC
rkfg Jul 23, 2016
Thanks for confirming, so it's not the kernel weirdness or something else. I wonder why Liam didn't tell about it in the review, either his controller was unplugged or the issue only happens to some models (doubt it).
lucifertdark Jul 23, 2016
Maybe he's a Mouse & keyboard guy.
rkfg Jul 23, 2016
So am I. Controller is still better for some games, like platformers and such.
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