Latest Comments

Quoting: skinnyrafNot only we are few, some of Linux users are so self righteous...

What do you propose? To "eat what has been served", ignore sub-par quality and be thankful?

If you are strongly against "parasites" you can call them "middlemen", "mediators", "agents", "port providers", as I proposed. This won't change their role in the ecosystem.

We are supporting Linux gaming however we see fit. There are no enemies here, no sense in rubbing your opinion into others' minds and call them "self-righteous".

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: jsa1983

Quoting: stankalovich:'( What about Virtual Programming, they need love too. They brought us:

* Saints Row (all of them)
* Bioshock Infinite
* Spec Ops: The Line

Too bad they aren't as active in the community, wish they were. That would be the missing piece of the triumvirate.

+ Dirt Showdown.

Plus VP has improved a lot the quality of their wraper/ports.

+ Witcher 2
+ Overlord series
+ ARMA3 (beta)

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Vulkan and DX12 should solve all those issues because they are lower level apis.
1- There is no more a need for game-specific driver optimizations. The reason we had those in the first place is because DX11 and GL are higher-level APIs, so game devs can't do low level optimizations themselves and it has to be done by driver developers instead. DX12 and Vulkan are low level already, so game devs can do those optimizations themselves.
2- It's easier to map low level APIs, so porting from DX12 to Vulkan should be easier than from DX11 to GL.
3- Because both Dx12 and Vulkan are low level, low level optimizations done towards DX12 are likely to benefit Vulkan as well.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

After reading some comments I'm surprised we have any games on Linux. "It's not a port, it's a wrapper", "I won't buy anything on Steam, DRM is evil, no GOG=devs don't want my money", "companies specialising in porting are parasites", "the game crashes on my self-compiled install which is tuned for high performance with one hundred obscure compile flags".

Not only we are few, some of Linux users are so self righteous...

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: stankalovich:'( What about Virtual Programming, they need love too. They brought us:

* Saints Row (all of them)
* Bioshock Infinite
* Spec Ops: The Line

Too bad they aren't as active in the community, wish they were. That would be the missing piece of the triumvirate.

+ Dirt Showdown.

Plus VP has improved a lot the quality of their wraper/ports.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: MaCroX95

Quoting: HoriIt's unfortunate that many games perform worse on Linux than Windows but it's to be expected! We're a new platform (in the gaming industry), so it WILL TAKE TIME for developers to get used to it, for the graphics APIs to evolve to support the demand, and for developer tools to evolve as well but mostly to appear in the first place, because many needed tools are simply inexistent here.

I personally am for more ports even if they perform worse... as long as they are playable and, as you said, they offer a good experience. There's no other way!

It will not just take time, it will take PEOPLE and PURCHASES to force developers to do something good for their greedy pockets. If they prduce for a few thousand people they will never even consider Vulkan as they didn't OpenGL for games...

Well, in general I'd agree that for Linux gaming to succeed it's gonna need Linux gamers, a chicken-egg problem we keep hoping Valve will help us break.
But Vulkan is a somewhat different issue--Vulkan isn't only for Linux (as such) it's for things like Android, form factors like phones and tablets. The total market size of the non-Windows platforms Vulkan will run on and be useful to is very large and would be even if the Linux desktop somehow disappeared entirely. So, Vulkan has a good chance of success independent of Linux, and Linux gaming should be able to piggyback on that success.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

It's live!

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Don't forget they are streaming this in a few minutes so we can see for ourselves.

https://www.twitch.tv/feralinteractive

View this comment - View article - View full comments

:'( What about Virtual Programming, they need love too. They brought us:

* Saints Row (all of them)
* Bioshock Infinite
* Spec Ops: The Line

Too bad they aren't as active in the community, wish they were. That would be the missing piece of the triumvirate.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

The big problem is that the number of Linux-aware developers is not growing as fast as the number of Linux-ported games.

Companies such as Feral and Aspyr are basically parasites. Or "middlemen" if that word is very strong for one's taste; it does not matter how to call them. The only thing that counts is what they do: they are flourishing on the current Windows/Linux disparity. They are not interested in increasing the number of Linux developers (why would they slay their "herd" ) and instead milking money from developers' foolishness and ignorance in tools selection and lack of Linux experience.

It was said multiple times that "Larian did a good port of Divinity: Original Sin". But that is untrue. Larian did not make it. Porters did. Larian itself did not acquire any Linux-related experience so their next installment in the series is again Windows-only.

That's just my opinion (as is this "editorial") ) but I think instead of praising porters for bringing half-working "last winter's snow" games which do not matter because everyone interested in them already played under Windows (or on YouTube :-) ), we should encourage actual developers to release games for Linux at launch day.

Sure, that would be near-impossible to convince AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-developers (sorry, always hated that "big bucks" euphemism) but it is certainly doable for indie devs.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

QuoteA small part of the blame also lies in games that are ported from Windows to Linux after the original release.

Dude, this is not just a small part. It is a major part. As a rule of thumb, ports always perform lesser than the game on the platform it were developed. Ports are, generally speaking, not something we want (it's just that for us Linux gamers currently the only realistic alternative is much worse: Wrappers).

A good example there is the PS3. It was issues related to ports that Playstation struggled with for the better part of its first years. The games were developed for Xbox and then ported to Playstation, and it caused so much trouble and nearly always games performing better on Xbox, with fewer issues. Or Windows games ported to consoles. Or the other way around.

We don't really want ports. We want games designed for our platform during development.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

As long as I have 60 FPS minimum I don't mind if Windows has more. My main issue is usually the difference is much bigger. Pillars of Eternity for instance ran on Windows on my HD7950 at over 100FPS while on Linux I got 20-40 with that same card. On a GTX 680 and GTX 960 it still dropped to 40-50 FPS at times on Linux. Several other games give similar results on Linux such as Painkiller: Hell and Damnation, Saints Row IV, etc. What keeps me going is my huge backlog. I am willing to play other games that I can play at 60FPS+ while I save up for better hardware and hopefully Linux makes progress as well. Patience is the key. Linux has made great strides over the last couple years and hopefully it continues in the right direction.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

on the subject of drivers development, I'd like to remind this great post
http://www.gamedev.net/topic/666419-what-are-your-opinions-on-dx12vulkanmantle/#entry5215019

tl;dr: graphic engine development is a clusterfuck, and drivers are badly needed to fix horrible mistakes (but Vulkan/DX12 may save us all)

with Linux still ridiculous market share and lack of serious investment by videogame developers and graphic card manufacturers, it's a wonder some videogames even launch, performance comes last and the brightest minds on earth are busy fixing rendering in directX drivers

View this comment - View article - View full comments

From their faq:

Quote4. What is going to happen to my Desura account?

We are working hard to try to get your old Desura account back alive, but will let you know if we fail to do so.


5. Will I be able to access all my old games, that I have purchased on Desura previously?

Our first priority is to get you access to already owned games from the old Desura platform, but we currently don’t have a timeline for making it happen. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest news.

This looks much too uncertain; personally I won't return to using desura unless most games are restored and all the debts to the devs. are paid (the latter being the most important).

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: Comandante oardoIf (in theory) DX is superior to OPENGL; why not pay the licence and teach Linux how to speak DX instead of use traslation layers?..Something like Gallium, but Legal.

I know, is a propietary tech.. So what? Steam is not only a propietary software but also a DRM, and most Linuxians happily use it.

Err, the problem, in this case, is that its proprietary tech from Microsoft, and for some strange reason they may have a problem with licensing their remaining single most competitive advantage to other OS-es.

Actually, it would be legal anyways to implement directX, just a lot of work and probably with worse results than the original implementation. As an example, see wine, which in many cases still works so-so.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: liamdaweOpenGL
OpenGL itself can often be the problem. Many developers [like this one, and this one], some high profile too, have noted their extreme frustrations with this graphics API. I've personally spoken to a lot of developers over the years, some small, some big, and their thoughts about OpenGL are never very nice.

OpenGL doesn't really do multithreading. Nvidia do have their "__GL_THREADED_OPTIMIZATIONS" option but the results with that vary from game to game and GPU to GPU, it can destroy performance in some games. Remember the initial Linux release of The Witcher 2? VP tried to do OpenGL multithreading similar to DirectX [see here for their explanation], and the performance was terrible.

Where as DirectX does multithreading rather nicely. This is also something people repeatedly either forget, or ignore when it comes to Linux port performance.

The problems are many, from poor documentation to a lack of decent debuggers that can make life hell for developers using it.

If (in theory) DX is superior to OPENGL; why not pay the licence and teach Linux how to speak DX instead of use traslation layers?..Something like Gallium, but Legal.

I know, is a propietary tech.. So what? Steam is not only a propietary software but also a DRM, and most Linuxians happily use it.

Quoting: devlandI agree with most of what's been said in the article except for the opengl part.
It contains only rare cases of developers not implementing it correctly. If someone didn't manage to use a technology as it was intended, it doesn't mean the technology is bad.

Don't blame the tool, blame the people that use it.

OpenGL has feature parity with DirectX, and that includes multithreading.
If VP made a shitty port it doesn't mean OpenGL sucks. We get shitty console ports on DirectX all the time. Do people complain that DirectX sucks? No.

How did Valve, and others (like Larian), manage to get such great Linux native OpenGL powered ports? Do they use magic? No. They just do it right.

I agree 100%
Specially in the "shitty console ports on DirectX" part... Bioshock Remastered is a recent example.

I wonder if the "Depth Charge" clue in the Feral radar is the Linux version of that Remaster..


Offtopic:
I was this close to have a heart attack because EA just released Crysis, Crysis Warhead and Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault on GOG....
This is a clear sign that EA actually is changing...
Maybe they are changing so much that they will make a incursion in Linux...

Do you imagine a Linux and MacOS port of Bad Company 1(game that wasn't ported to windows)?
Something like that will shake the Linux world.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: QubeUKThis is great news, since moving to Linux i have been unable to play Minecraft due to some Java / Open GL error that I have been unable to resolve. I cant wait to try a Linux launcher and be able to play again.

I had issues at one point with it running on the java runtime, so I always make sure to use the jdk. OpenJDK or the Oracle one, both work. You may also want to increase you java memory allocation, which you can do through the launcher. It may be a video driver, but it could also be that you are mixing 32/64 bitness if your on 64 bit. On Nvidia make sure you have the 32 libs installed. If you have working direct rendering it really shouldn't be a problem. Unless your video card is just super ancient.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

I am not a typical "gamer". I am just a person who loves games. But I certainly don't buy $1,000 GPUs to get another 2 FPS and maximized anti-aliasing out of a game when I already get 60 FPS out of the games I am playing. I just want enough FPS not to get any visible stuttering and I don't insist on setting -every- single graphics option to "Ultra Quality".

I have yet to find a Linux game that would disturb me, performance-wisely. *shrug*

That being said, I am still looking forward to the day when they stop -porting- games, but develop them with multi-platform support in mind right away. Because that's how it should be.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Nice to see. I saw the reddit discussion following the cookie delivery here :p

http://www.infoworld.com/article/3135647/linux/will-aspyr-release-civilization-vi-for-linux.html

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: Guest

To protect your privacy, external media requires approval to load. Source: media.makeameme.org
View cookie preferences.
Accept & Show Accept All & Don't show this again   Direct Link

(I don't even know who this is)

And here I always thought that elevenses was just a Hobbit thing.

Isnt that Loki aka Tom Hiddleston?

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: Guest

To protect your privacy, external media requires approval to load. Source: media.makeameme.org
View cookie preferences.
Accept & Show Accept All & Don't show this again   Direct Link

(I don't even know who this is)

He looks like a young Simon Pegg...

View this comment - View article - View full comments

As a ruler, i feel i still don't have much to do, even with the DLC. I bought it Day 1 to support the game, because all i want is HoI/EU/CK with a non-historic base. So far, they didn't deliver. Yet ?

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: Mountain Man

Quoting: skinnyrafBTW., Valve does not need to do this to have any "clear proof". Just put some data identifying Steam Machines and/or SteamOS in telemetry they collect anyway - or modify the hardware survey to display on SteamOS.

I guarantee you that Valve knows to the person precisely how many people are using Linux/SteamOS to play games, but for whatever reason, they have chosen not to disclose that information, which is frustrating when I hear developers say they're not supporting Linux based on the Steam hardware survey.

It's a risk. But I think Square Enix, Warner, SEGA, 2K and other big publishers know what they are doing when they bring Games to Linux. I think they do not will bring all games to Linux, but definitely where it is worth it for them.

Others publishers do not publish for whatever reason. I'm most wondering about Bethesda and Doom 2016. They already have an OpenGL/Vulkan game. Even if they just would removed the additionally copy protection at some point, many penguins would buy the Game, just like Skyrim. SEGAs Total War: Warhammer has Denuvo too but will come to Linux. (And SEGA has to pay for the port of this DirectX Game.)

I guess Bethesda will pay for Denuvo forever (as long as they exist) even it just holding back people buying the game. In particular Bethesda was in the 90s already almost broke. They had good games but a bad management. Today they are financed (among others) by the Trump Clan. ;)

Thus, one must also assume that not all publishers decide rationally.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: ellieferalWe were so chuffed to be sent the cupcakes. Such a cool gesture. And they arrived just in time for elevenses! (Yes, we are very British.)

I thought only Hobbits had elevenses ;-)

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: skinnyraf

Quoting: MaCroX95I would really like to see Valve making Steam machines OS locked to SteamOS because this is what would give them clear proof of how many people only on their behalf use Linux-based distro for gaming... Yes it would be a Microsoft-like move but it would be more effective than letting people to buy SteamOS powered steam machines and then give them right to just put Win10 on there...

Talk about becoming monsters you're trying to fight.

So, you propose to lock down machines that were specifically created to foster openness of the PC platform? You propose to lock down machines running a system that is most often a victim to MS locking down PCs and advertised as the way to secure oneself from suffering a lock-in?

Interesting :)

BTW., Valve does not need to do this to have any "clear proof". Just put some data identifying Steam Machines and/or SteamOS in telemetry they collect anyway - or modify the hardware survey to display on SteamOS.

I agree with your point it's a great one... Microsoft has been doing that for years and now since Win8 came out they went too far... If people who buy Steam machines would get system like SteamOS preinstalled and not having a chance to install Windows on it it would embrace linux gaming and getting to know Linux by the users who use them. As I have noticed when I was making the switch... When I had dual-boot I always ended up going back to Windows because it has been the "safe spot" for me, later I just purged all my Windows partitions and just threw myself into a new environment and only then discovered the true beauty of Linux. I think that if Valve embraced usage of Linux on their custom-built hardware with purpose. it is way less intrusive comparing to what kind of terror Microsoft is doing at the very moment.

But yeah we all embrace complete openness including Valve and hoping that people will see how limiting proprietary systems actually are but that's probably not happening any time soon because of the commercial reasons.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: ellieferalWe were so chuffed to be sent the cupcakes. Such a cool gesture. And they arrived just in time for elevenses! (Yes, we are very British.)

That's so British, I had to look it up...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elevenses

View this comment - View article - View full comments

The perspective of the game is the one of the ruler, not the general. That's why combat is "abstracted away". As a ruler you give order to your officials and they carry them on.
I for one I'm fine in sending fleets around and let them autonomously engage the enemy.

Than the game already has a good deal of micromanagement between the science chooser and ship builder. You can make design to counter specific threats but this is not really obvious for the new player, although I appreciate the idea that (random) different choices in tech and weapons can determine success or failure in war depending on the (random) choices made by your enemy.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

We were so chuffed to be sent the cupcakes. Such a cool gesture. And they arrived just in time for elevenses! (Yes, we are very British.)

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: beefsack

Quoting: SalvatosThank you beefsack for making us all look better :)

Better to thank the awesome porters for giving us great games :D

Appreciate their efforts by buying the games - in a way that actually earns them the deserved money.

(The beefsack move is still a fantastic idea.)

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: Eike

Quoting: SilelmotBut am I wrong to say all this positive developement across the gaming-scene of linux started with steamos?

Without Valve's involvement, I would still run this other OS for gaming.

This needed to be done :D And what Feral and Aspyr are doing also needs to be done, we would need a few more companies like them and we would probably have all the AAA titles :D Big cheers to Feral Interactive, Aspyr Media, Valve! You guys make this whole thing possible to have a free open-source OS and still play great games like we would on "you know what"! :D

View this comment - View article - View full comments