Quoting: dpanterSad times. Do check out this hidden gem of a game people, it's a labor of love.
Best wishes to Seth, Chuck and everyone at Eagre Games. :heart:

Thanks! You specifically have been such a big help over the years since we started this project and I'm glad we've kept in touch. The Gaming on Linux community, as I've said before, is a blessing to developers. There are so many wildly positive people in here who genuinely want to see good games for Linux and go out of their way to help and encourage people. Many thanks to Liam as well who continues to do a wonderful job and champion Linux gaming.

In February I founded a new company that I fully own this time so I can make the decisions and be burdened with accounting and other tedious responsibilities I never wanted. We're trying to make a sim-style game in the vein of Euro Truck Sim, Farming Sim, etc and hope to announce more by September. The intention is to build a native Linux version as well.

It's a massive project but I'm more excited about it than anything else I've worked on, and I really think folks are going to like it.

I'll be in touch, or you can keep in touch with the new project on Facebook [External Link]or Twitter [External Link]

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Quoting: robvvThe demo looked really promising but sadly the released game didn't seem to hold quite the same interest for me.

The game changed dramatically due to issues in development, bad agreements, transitions to VR, etc. Although I have mixed feelings about the final product, and I apologize that it changed from what was envisioned in the demo, I'm extraordinarily proud that I was able to make sure we kept our promise of releasing a native Linux build. I had to fight hard with our publisher to keep that promise, and it's the best thing to come out of it!

Quoting: PublicNuisanceSad news. It would be nice if they released the source code under a free license. That way the game could never truly die.

This comment makes me think that you have not played the game.

Quoting: pbSad news. Will the game stay listed for sale, though?

Yes. I have not seen any royalties from the game so it chalks up to a big loss for me, but any royalties allow the company owner, Chuck, to survive. He's in his mid-60s with health conditions and during development he literally slept on the floor of the office, was hospitalized, etc. The fact that the game even made it out was incredible.

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Blender confuses me. It's open source but still somehow the most difficult modeling software ever created, which is unusual for open source. They're making significant strides to increase the usability of their software, and with Epic and NVidia's help this will be achieved!

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Quoting: CyrilOk, so just to say it, I bought the game on GOG as promised. :wink:

Thank you very much! ♥♥♥

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Quoting: tuubi

Quoting: smantz0rZpeople pester devs for Linux ports all the time, but then that doesn't translate into sales when the Linux version releases.

Does that mean our purchases aren't worth it to you unless they happen right after the Linux release? I mean, I was happy when I learned that ZED was coming to Linux, and it does look great, but so do most of the other ~140 games on my wishlist. Yours is in the top ten though, and I will definitely buy it at some point in the not-too-distant future. Although I have to admit it dropped down a couple of places when I learned about the lack of focus on puzzles, as elaborate puzzles are what I think of when I hear someone mention Myst or Myst-likes.

Sorry if my comment was poorly-worded. Indie game development really is a long-term game now and most people are buying games until they go on sale or the prices decrease significantly. It's the reality of the situation and as a consumer I can't blame anyone for that either. There are thousands of games being released every year and at least six of them are bound to be good. That said, all sales matter, but my point was that games may get released on Linux and don't sell significant amounts at all which is where devs get burned. Based on the last update I got we've sold under 100 copies on Linux which kind of sucks and hurts, to be honest because we worked really hard making it run well and got some compliments saying it was the best Unreal Engine game ever to run on Linux.

The game's initial intention did change, which I'm personally not happy about but don't have much of a say in. A lot of people are experiencing what ZED has to offer and finding it to be a better game the way it is. It's not focused on puzzles, it's focused on giving you an experience. I hope you'll eventually find an opportunity to play and enjoy it. I'll be interested in hearing your feedback!

Quoting: tuubiIf you meant that Linux gamers are less likely to buy something they say they will, or more likely to "pester" devs than Windows or Mac gamers, I doubt you can actually back that up with anything solid.

That is not what I meant and anyone would be full of shit to ever make such a claim. However, I would piggy-back off your statement and say two things: #1: Because of Linux's unique status as a platform and the vocal support Linux gamers give to developers, I think that it's more necessary than Windows to show support with purchases than other platforms. #2: Mac gamers are the worst. Mac simply does not sell and there are a lot of entitled idiots bitching about Mac versions not happening before the Windows versions and I can almost guarantee those people do not buy or play games.

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Quoting: ShmerlSure, for developers who already sell Linux games, that's an obvious way to do it. But I was talking about those who still don't. They can't see how other games are selling - that info isn't shared with them. So the only way for them to analyze demand are some requests from potential buyers. A more advanced version of that is crowdfunding, when demand is demonstrated by the number of backers (especially if there is also some poll for preferred platform in advance).

By the way, recently Supraland developer pointed out, that GOG doesn't show sales/downloads per OS for developers. That looks like a major problem for them to estimate such demand at least on GOG.

See: https://www.gog.com/forum/general/release_supraland_aec23/post64 [External Link]

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Oh trust me, I'm going to be sharing the info :P

Crowdfunding really helped Linux with ZED: We had an article on GoL and an article on PCGamer, the PCGamer led to two backers, GoL led to 18. Now that's not amazing numbers obviously, but when you think about the reach of PCGamer vs. GoL... forgetabboutit. All I can say is that it truly meant a lot to me and the others on our team to get that kind of support, and because of that I haven't stopped fighting for ya'll.

I don't know why GoG doesn't have that feature, they have a really incomplete storefront in many ways although GoG Galaxy is pushing a lot of boundaries. Most of my interactions with GoG have been through someone whose English is non-native and it shows. Certainly a friendly, hard-working, and dedicated person but I've learned not to ask too many open-ended questions.

Steam does, as mentioned, but the Steam stats are really bad though. They only show people who are Linux ONLY which is 0% help, so that's why commenting/thanking is important. When you leave reviews for developers who make Linux games it seriously makes a big difference.

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Quoting: GuestThat really makes no sense to me but ok, I’ll try to remember that.

Schmerl has answered correctly as well, but the gist is that there are two things: One, people pester devs for Linux ports all the time, but then that doesn't translate into sales when the Linux version releases. ZED is looking to be one of those cases as well. People need to see the positive reinforcement of "they came through on this platform for us, we need to do this again" and it allows developers and others to know "Linux is putting food on the table for us."

Quoting: ShmerlSo if you want Linux ports, show demand by reaching out to developers directly. The more people do it, the better.

There's an awful lot of people who 'demand' Linux ports an then when it comes time to buy, don't. The best way to show demand is to buy Linux versions that are on the market, show that you've bought them (reviews, comments, tweets, etc) and then go out and say "Look how successful Linux was on this game." That's what makes a difference.

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Quoting: Shmerl

Quoting: smantz0rZDeveloping for Linux isn't necessarily a cakewalk always, but it's not as difficult as some people make it out to be.

Since you are working with Unreal Engine, do you have any idea how far along is this WIP item:

Unfortunately I can't make any public comments like "Hey! I recently talked with the people responsible for that and they're working hard!" but if I could, I would.

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Quoting: Eike

Quoting: smantz0rZThey had a mistaken idea about what Linux gaming is as we know MANY devs/publishers do

What's that idea like?

Sort of the usual "nOboDy uSeS liNUx AnD itS tOo dIfFiCuLT tO mAkE GaMEs f0R yOu CaNT suPpoRt mUlTiPLe dIstrOs iN tHE saME uNiVersE!!1!" when the reality is that Linux indie gaming is more active/supportive than Mac indie gaming. Developing for Linux isn't necessarily a cakewalk always, but it's not as difficult as some people make it out to be. Hoping at some point it's profitable too.

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Quoting: GuestInteresting interview! I wonder why they are so enthusiastic about Linux though, that’s unusual.

Also I’m a bit confused as to why forum posts or comments saying "thanks for Linux support" are useful to convince publishers instead of the sales numbers they already have (or should have?).

Yo! Sorry for the late response, I was AFK with no interwebs.

I've discussed this in the past in a previous interview with BTRE. I used to play Unreal Tournament with a few guys who were huge Linux users and eventually got shafted by updated anticheat. It sucked, so I always wanted to make Linux-compatible games. :) Shoutouts to Dave and Jack.

They help because they allow us to say "These guys are supporting us!" when it's difficult to quantify numbers of platform sales otherwise. "These people are buying our product and interfacing with us" is a much better argument than "We're selling a game and hearing nothing"

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