I loved the classic Mega Man games.

But graphics and gameplay of this new game aren't my cup of tea.
To be honest graphics look uninspired and awfully passionless to the point
where it is a shame if the really made $4 million on Kickstarter alone.
Sorry.

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Thanks Liam for all this great work!

However...

Missing Q1:

Do you (also) have an AMD card?

Missing Q2:

Why not?

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We've done this because it's clear we didn't understand exactly what we were doing.

Hope we won't read similar things when it comes to Linux/SteamOS.

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To me the question is if this update will be available for free or if this comes with pay-again metro-redux-style.

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Quoting: GuestThese barely noticeable improvements aren’t enough to make me play again this terrible game.

Is this a blatant troll attempt? :D

Ok, I bite:

Even if it is not your cup of tea - which is fine - this game is definitely NOT terrible.
Not even by today's standards (which people sometimes claim).

No doubt it is a well-deserved classic.

I loved the Half Life series and still play them from time to time.
And I'd even pay full price for a new episode with the old source engine!
Really, I would! :)

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Quoting: GuestPorting after the fact to any platform not in mind from the start is going to cost far more than designing a game with cross-platform in mind from the start. Everyone should know this by now, and failure to design with cross platform from the start, to me just seems like lack of effort on behalf of the developer. Failure of proper planning is the real cost here.

I guess this is simply how things work now, unless the developer is

a) a die-hard Linux fan.
b) betting on the platform to gain a much higher share (soon).

This is a plain economical decision. Jonathan Blow is not a die-hard Linux fan.
Which is fine. He has way more experience with other platforms.
Most of the big money he earned with Braid was invested into making this game AFAIK.
He needs this to be a success.

Of course - you're focusing on Windows first because that is where the money is.
In this case, if you're not using one of the stock engines - which I think they do for a reason -
having portability in mind is most probably not a high priority.
The absolute money (sometimes people reason with it) behind the 1-3% of Linux share is,
unfortunately, completely irrelevant. 1-3% is still only 1-3%.
You want to get behind the ~85% of Windows users.

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I'd also have an eye on the fantastic HL2 single-player mod Transmissions - Element 120

http://www.moddb.com/mods/transmissions-element-120 [External Link]

They're looking for developers to bring the mod to Linux & Mac.

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Quoting: liamdawe

Quoting: sgtGarciaAt least Jonathan is honest, no false promises - I like this.

Indeed, and that's respectable.

I fully agree!

Also, I do like your objective conclusion.

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Quoting: SamsaiThe question is if SteamOS fails, will the devs accept these rather minimal profits when compared to other platforms.

Exactly.

But I dare to say: no, why should they?

I've read many times that - at least the smaller - developers
don't actually like Linux for different reasons*. They do it because
it is a new business opportunity (or a bet).
Don't think most of them are Linux-lovers like most of us are.
So don't think they do Linux releases for fun. No way!

(*) You know, Windows for work because of the share and Mac for the coolness...
Linux is too cluttered and inconsistent, blahblah. Some even outright said, they hate
the OS but *have* to do it.

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I'm afraid the argumentation that 1-3 % is better than zero is not quite to the point.
Well yes, it's more than zero. But from an economical POV we should be aware
that less developers will release Linux versions if the share is not improving significantly.

Even if you get the Linux binary "for free" because your engine supports that target,
it doesn't mean you won't need to invest into additional support due to platform specific issues.
That's additional money probably not even covered by the Linux sales.

So for now it seems lots of developers are fine with 1-3 % as they might consider it
a test bed for SteamMachines and build up the required know how.
But if - for some reasons - SteamMachines/SteamOS fail, I bet most of those developers
won't still invest into Linux for 1-3 %.

TL;DR

1-3 % seems to be fine for now, as developers might have high hopes in SteamOS/SteamMachines.
If they fail, 1-3 % simply aren't enough to keep the Linux train going (at least for AAA games).

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