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The interesting survival game 'Raft' has dropped Linux support
By Shmerl, 23 January 2017 at 7:35 am UTC
Quoting: liamdawe
Quoting: CybolicThey would probably find them easier to fix if they named some of the issues they ran into. I get the limitations of a three man team, but this does seem a bit like giving up before even really trying.
Yeah i asked a few times on Twitter, but they wouldn't give me specifics.

It's a bad sign already, they are most probably using Windows only plugins and such.
We now have a Matrix chat room setup with an IRC bridge if you want to join
By jasondaigo, 23 January 2017 at 7:07 am UTC Likes: 1
the best result would be 30% using mumble ,40% matrix, and 30% disocrd. really needed
The interesting survival game 'Raft' has dropped Linux support
By Liam Dawe, 23 January 2017 at 7:05 am UTC Likes: 1
Quoting: CybolicThey would probably find them easier to fix if they named some of the issues they ran into. I get the limitations of a three man team, but this does seem a bit like giving up before even really trying.
Yeah i asked a few times on Twitter, but they wouldn't give me specifics.
We now have a Matrix chat room setup with an IRC bridge if you want to join
By MayeulC, 23 January 2017 at 6:53 am UTC
So, we now have Mumble, Discord and Matrix, right? (Well, to be fair, we hard IRC before).

It's the first time I hear about this protocol. It looks quite nice, and if it enables a variety of web clients to run a modern chat, why not?
I wish there was some matrix client built into the KDE IM functionality. Well, maybe time for a feature request/patch?
Appreciating how far Linux gaming has actually come in the past few years
By Purple Library Guy, 23 January 2017 at 6:17 am UTC
Quoting: etonbears
Quoting: Purple Library GuyWell, the big engines probably make money hand over fist. Maintaining and improving Linux support I would expect is cheaper than adding it was in the first place. And the thing about Linux is, even if there were no non-techie Linux desktops at all, Linux dominates in most other spaces and shows no sign of that diminishing. Between that and the attractiveness of the FOSS idea, Linux has a strong allegiance among programmers. Once they've jumped the hurdle of putting in support in the first place, even if keeping it isn't worth it financially it's probably worth it just for morale within the company and goodwill outside.
There's also the checklist effect. If you offer a product it's kind of hard to measure which features are making you money, which make the difference in people's choices to use your product or a competitor's. But if that kind of product has a checklist of features that most of them support, I suspect most companies would be leery of changing their product so it gets a red X beside something on the list while their competitors still have a green check mark.

So I suspect chances are pretty good Linux support in the engines will stay for a while.

I certainly hope you are right. I think we can assume a few years of speculative Linux support, but beyond that there probably has to be a commercial argument, and it is currently unclear how that will pan out.

Not gonna argue. The long and the short of it is, in the end we're gonna need market share, and while there's some indication that may have been growing a bit lately, I still don't see any big obvious sources of Linux desktop growth right now.
I do think the potential is there--the Linux desktop, in various versions, is really quite good and just getting better. Linux has always had some unique strengths as a desktop; it has also, let's face it, had unique disadvantages (including lack of games), but these have been gradually chipped away over the years and at this point few remain. But quality and adoption aren't always related, and I don't know what commercial interests are likely to put Linux on desktops any time soon. Hoping some emerge.
We now have a Matrix chat room setup with an IRC bridge if you want to join
By tuubi, 23 January 2017 at 5:27 am UTC
Quoting: ShmerlIs there one for Sailfish? I can test it too. On a side note, it takes Jolla forever to open up SailfishOS UI, so I'm starting to contemplate a switch to Plasma Mobile (though it seems way less usable at present).
I meant I'll test the Android app. That's why I mentioned the compatibility layer. It takes Jolla forever to do anything and everything.

Oh, it seems Riot also provides a Linux desktop app built on electron. I'll give that one a try. Looks a lot like the Discord client.

EDIT: At first glance the Riot desktop client is not quite as slick as Discord, but it's not too bad. Now someone write a Discord bridge so I only need one chat app. :)

Yeah I know Discord's proprietary. Might just dump it if Matrix works out.
Some thoughts on Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, the real-time tactics game
By faceless, 23 January 2017 at 4:50 am UTC
Quoting: GuestI’d like to play it but thanks to the demo I could see that it’s unplayable with my bépo keyboard because the game doesn’t recognize accented keys or other characters like '"', '(', ')'… Too bad.

Try using a controller. It plays great with a x360 controller.
Some thoughts on Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, the real-time tactics game
By faceless, 23 January 2017 at 4:47 am UTC
Quoting: hummer010If I have one complaint about the game, it's that the load/save times are pretty long. I really like the timer showing my how long it's been since I last saved, but I'm sometimes reluctant to save, just because it's bit long and distracting.

Loading times are a lot faster with a SSD drive.
'Detention 返校' is an immersive psychological horror adventure with 'overwhelmingly positive' reviews, demo available
By Cybolic, 23 January 2017 at 4:18 am UTC Likes: 1
I already bought it, based purely on the fact that it seems to be an unconventional, atmospheric horror game, and that's something we desperately need more of on Linux.
The interesting survival game 'Raft' has dropped Linux support
By Cybolic, 23 January 2017 at 4:16 am UTC Likes: 2
They would probably find them easier to fix if they named some of the issues they ran into. I get the limitations of a three man team, but this does seem a bit like giving up before even really trying.
We now have a Matrix chat room setup with an IRC bridge if you want to join
By Shmerl, 23 January 2017 at 3:56 am UTC
Is there one for Sailfish? I can test it too. On a side note, it takes Jolla forever to open up SailfishOS UI, so I'm starting to contemplate a switch to Plasma Mobile (though it seems way less usable at present).
We now have a Matrix chat room setup with an IRC bridge if you want to join
By tuubi, 23 January 2017 at 3:49 am UTC
HTTP is a protocol for (hyper)text transport, and there's a lot of existing code and libraries to reuse, so maybe it isn't the worst idea ever. Although they could have used one of the existing text chat protocols as a basis instead.

Anyone know a slick Matrix desktop client that's worth a try? There's a list of clients in alpha/beta on the Matrix site, but no comparison. I'll test the mobile client on my Sailfish phone, but seems like Android apps running on the the compat layer tend to drain the battery on this old thing.
Appreciating how far Linux gaming has actually come in the past few years
By Mountain Man, 23 January 2017 at 2:32 am UTC
Quoting: Shmerl
Quoting: Mountain ManBefore Steam for Linux was launched, commercial games were almost never released for Linux. AAA releases were especially rare.
Humble Bundle started pushing Linux gaming before Steam, and quite successfully. They encouraged developers of commercial games to make Linux ports. So let's give credit where it's due. Their initial bundles always required developers to produce Linux versions to participate. Only later they started slacking, and limited it to their periodic indie bundles only.
Humble Bundle woke some people up to Linux gaming, but it wasn't the revolution that Steam for Linux has been.
X-Blades now has a Linux beta powered by Wine
By boltronics, 23 January 2017 at 2:05 am UTC
X-Blades is now out of beta.

Additionally, World War II: Panzer Claws was just released for GNU/Linux, by the same publisher.
The interesting survival game 'Raft' has dropped Linux support
By Xpander, 23 January 2017 at 1:47 am UTC
good thing i didnt thow money at them yet.
i can understand their decision though, it might be hard to keep testing and debugging for 3 different platforms if they could use that time to add more content.

hopefully they will port it later down the road though
We now have a Matrix chat room setup with an IRC bridge if you want to join
By Shmerl, 23 January 2017 at 1:34 am UTC
Hm. I red about Matrix. Why is it using HTTP for something so complex? It's like trying to retrofit a steam engine into combustion one.

Just make a new protocol instead of using one that doesn't fit well.
The interesting survival game 'Raft' has dropped Linux support
By km3k, 23 January 2017 at 1:10 am UTC Likes: 2
They should update their Itch.io page then. It still says they support Linux.
A developer of the awesome itch games client has a blog post on compressing files for updates
By MayeulC, 23 January 2017 at 12:50 am UTC
Another solution would be to use APNGs for Firefox, and another one for chrome (I don't remember which). Of course, it has its downsides, and I don't like animations that much.
The interesting survival game 'Raft' has dropped Linux support
By bgh251f2, 23 January 2017 at 12:46 am UTC
I discovered this title earlier today and just downloaded it, now to discover it will no longer available. Sad.
The interesting survival game 'Raft' has dropped Linux support
By sr_ls_boy, 23 January 2017 at 12:41 am UTC Likes: 1
There are other titles to play rather than this one.

Quern, Greenwood, and Detention are available.
Appreciating how far Linux gaming has actually come in the past few years
By Nyamiou, 23 January 2017 at 12:36 am UTC
Quoting: etonbearsThe problem with large OEMs offering Linux pre-installs in the way you suggest is that the financials don't work that way.

It may cost you or me 100 €/$/£ for Windows and 0 €/$/£ for Linux, but for a large OEM the costs are worked out on a per-unit basis.

Then how do you explain that?:

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2017/01/dell-precision-3520-ubuntu-laptop
The interesting survival game 'Raft' has dropped Linux support
By Shmerl, 23 January 2017 at 12:25 am UTC Likes: 3
Too bad, I was interested in this game. Developers should learn how to work with Linux. May be they should find someone who knows Linux development for their team? Leaving to "may be in the future" is prone to bite them, when they'll realize they used too much Windows only stuff along the way.
The interesting survival game 'Raft' has dropped Linux support
By Nyamiou, 23 January 2017 at 12:22 am UTC Likes: 4
Actually doing QA on three platforms when you are only three is probably really time consuming. Especially if none of those thre person know anything about OS X and Linux. Maybe when the game will be finish they could ask a porter to do the job.
The interesting survival game 'Raft' has dropped Linux support
By cyanidearsenic, 23 January 2017 at 12:15 am UTC
Oh how unfortunate, I just downloaded their alpha build too.
'Detention 返校' is an immersive psychological horror adventure with 'overwhelmingly positive' reviews, demo available
By Linas, 22 January 2017 at 11:41 pm UTC
It seems interesting. I do enjoy a good story and horror. But it maybe a bit too point-and-click-ish for my taste. The only game of the genre that I utterly enjoyed was Beneath the Steel Sky.

But please do keep the obscure games coming. I am sure there are a few left waiting to be discovered. ;)

Seriously, the developers should tell us about their Linux ports. Otherwise the only way to find these games is randomly stumbling upon them. Or use countless hours looking for them. Which I do appreciate taking your time to do it, SangreDeReptil.
Appreciating how far Linux gaming has actually come in the past few years
By etonbears, 22 January 2017 at 11:39 pm UTC
Quoting: GuestI was searching for "best PC games" for 2012 "13 "14 "15 "16 in google yesterday.

+- 40% or more have a native linux port :)

for example: Firewatch, Life is strange, Oxenfree, Alien Isolation, XCOM 2, Deus Ex, Pillars of Eternity, SOMA, Sunless Sea, The Talos Principle, Tomb Raider, Shadow Tactics, ..

+- 25% of the remaining "best pc games" (without linux support) have a platinum or gold rating on winehq, so they perform great on linux via the wine app :)

for example: Dishonored, The Walking Dead, Skyrim, Metro: Last Light, Path of Exile, The Sims 3, Mass Effect 3, ..


If HP, Lenovo, Acer and Asus would decide tomorrow to offer the customer two options 1) Windows 10 and Office 365 for 100 Euro or 2) GNU/Linux for 0.00 Euro

How many people would buy Windows 10 if computer devices would be sold without operating system?

There is not one good reason for Windows 10 to exist anno 2017.

Yes, we have about 1/4 of all Windows games on Steam, and 2/3 those available for MacOSX. So we are much better served than a few years ago. ( By the way, Metro:LL actually does have Linux port ).

The problem with large OEMs offering Linux pre-installs in the way you suggest is that the financials don't work that way.

It may cost you or me 100 €/$/£ for Windows and 0 €/$/£ for Linux, but for a large OEM the costs are worked out on a per-unit basis.

They actually pay very little for a copy of Windows, but assume the first-line support costs, which are amortised over a very large number of sales and so are quite low. Many also get revenue through deals to include extra software trials that you almost certainly did not want. So they basically lie if they suggest that you are paying 100 €/$/£ for Windows but force you to take an OS.

Conversely, for Linux, although the OS is free, they may actually have to pay Canonical, or some other entity for second/third line support ( i.e. to get fixes ), while their per-unit costs for first-line support will be higher than Windows due to smaller sales volumes.

This means that when companies like Dell have offered Linux pre-installs, it has been at a similar price point to Windows, which is not much of a pull factor. Sad but true.
'Detention 返校' is an immersive psychological horror adventure with 'overwhelmingly positive' reviews, demo available
By WorMzy, 22 January 2017 at 11:32 pm UTC
Soooooo, when's Samsai back from that secret business? ;)
A new radeonsi (Mesa) patch should fix issues in many games for AMD GPU owners
By TacoDeBoss, 22 January 2017 at 11:04 pm UTC
Quoting: Xicronic
Quoting: finaldestI have been keeping a close eye on this as I really wanted a RX480 but chose to go with a 1070 due to driver support. So I would like to thank all involved who are working hard to improve the drivers.

The AMD drivers have been progressing very well recently so I really am looking to put a VEGA gpu into my new ZEN build once released. I may just have a full AMD system soon if all goes well.

Don't count on it. I know there's a lot of hype and excitement around AMD, but my "upgrade" from a 660 Ti to an RX 480 is regression in half the games I want to play, and a headache in plenty of others. The situation may change now that they can focus on optimizations rather than just getting games to run at all, but for the foreseeable future NVIDIA is still a much better choice.

Er, I just moved from a GTX 1080 to an RX 460. I've had but one problem after I got the drivers compiled, a color issue with Mad Max which is apparently caused by LLVM. Everything else has worked exactly how I expect it to.

If things aren't working for you, you're probably doing something wrong.
Appreciating how far Linux gaming has actually come in the past few years
By etonbears, 22 January 2017 at 10:52 pm UTC
Quoting: Purple Library GuyWell, the big engines probably make money hand over fist. Maintaining and improving Linux support I would expect is cheaper than adding it was in the first place. And the thing about Linux is, even if there were no non-techie Linux desktops at all, Linux dominates in most other spaces and shows no sign of that diminishing. Between that and the attractiveness of the FOSS idea, Linux has a strong allegiance among programmers. Once they've jumped the hurdle of putting in support in the first place, even if keeping it isn't worth it financially it's probably worth it just for morale within the company and goodwill outside.
There's also the checklist effect. If you offer a product it's kind of hard to measure which features are making you money, which make the difference in people's choices to use your product or a competitor's. But if that kind of product has a checklist of features that most of them support, I suspect most companies would be leery of changing their product so it gets a red X beside something on the list while their competitors still have a green check mark.

So I suspect chances are pretty good Linux support in the engines will stay for a while.

I certainly hope you are right. I think we can assume a few years of speculative Linux support, but beyond that there probably has to be a commercial argument, and it is currently unclear how that will pan out. At one point the DICE team seemed quite keen to make their engine run on Linux ( enough to advertise for the expertise ), but then I think the money men overruled them.

I'm still hopeful that other AAA studios will think more about cross-platform support when they develop new engines, but they may remain risk averse without a clear financial argument.
A new radeonsi (Mesa) patch should fix issues in many games for AMD GPU owners
By F.Ultra, 22 January 2017 at 10:04 pm UTC
Perhaps to early to cry victory but I had enormous problems with Unity games before this patch where the games would simply freeze up, the music still played and the desktop worked just fine and there where never any logs to speak off. But after trying this patch for some 30 minutes now I have experienced no such freeze anymore!
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