This is a fantastic title from a developer, Something Classic Games, that went out of their way to support Linux native! This is true not just regarding Quartet, but from their previous title "Shadows of Adam" which was released with Linux support when the community was a bit smaller before the influx of interest thanks to the Steam Deck. For those who enjoy classic JRPGs, give this one a look - the devs have put a lot of effort into their creation and atop it all they've supported our community, so lets give them some support in return!

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If you enjoy alternate history esoteric/lovecraftian inspired settings and don't mind reading a large volume of well written text, Weather Factory games are excellent. Each one is a bit different,but the developers go out of their way to provide excellent world building and narrative that unfolds as you play. Cultist Simulator for instance is known as one of the rare examples of ludonarrative consonance; the gameplay mechanics reinforce the story, and vice versa. The player starting off not quite understanding the rules or how they are to progress,little by little learning the game mechanics is paralleled by the story of discovery of and then initiation into the hidden world of esoteric practice.

They've also been stalwart supporters of native Linux support on all their titles and, for the past several titles early buyers (preorder and for a period after launch) got a "perpetual edition" key where all DLC would be included for free! Overall very much worth supporting if its your sort of game

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Hardware wise it looks pretty great, though its a bit surprising that ordering now will be apparently delivered into Q1 2024 (batch 7 at time of writing)! The specs are impressive overall, but I'm a tad disappointed that the GPU module only includes 8GB of VRAM; while it thankfully can be upgraded, especially by launching early next year a model with 16GB or even 12GB would be preferable provided the GPU has the other features/power to make use of it. Nvidia has been stingy with their VRAM at all but the highest end over the last two generations where, mixed with the price, this is a place that AMD can gain some ground. Very glad to see a high end AMD CPU option and that the discrete GPU option is AMD as well, though I do have a concern I'll mention a bit later.

Aside from this however, the hardware and specs look very impressive, managing to offer high end components in reasonably thin and aesthetically pleasing packages. I am particularly glad to see that not only is the display capable for many different usage types including high brightness high refreshrate gaming and creator work (I am a bit disappointed they don't have an OLED model, but if one arrives in the future upgrades can be installed by the user!), but there are expanded keyboard options! Powered by the FOSS QMK firmware, users can even upgrade to RGB backlighting for their keyboard instead of the default white, but even more interesting is the ability to either use spacers of various colors, a white backlit numpad module, or a RGB capable matrix of macro keys instead! USB4 and 240W charging capability on at least some (2 of the 6?) expansion card modules is great to see as well. Overall, very impressive from a hardware standpoint and for the most part it seems they're choosing libre friendly options...in some cases.

Unfortunately this does bring me to one concern with regards to the firmware. Framework is uniquely positioned (among a handful of others, such as System76) to make real gains for libre firmware and ensure that any custom hardware is made with openness in mind. There are other companies in this arena, but many use either old or very limited hardware and create a "If you care about privacy or openness, prepare to sacrifice convenience, power/modern components, and a considerable portion of your bank account" situation. While there are certain edge cases this is understandable, its very niche and often there are issues regardless (another user posted about one of those companies and a negative experience above). Framework, System76 and perhaps a couple others seem to be pushing back against this dynamic, thankfully.

With AMD's plans to institute OpenSIL firmware instead of AGESA proprietary over the next 3 years or so, it would be an excellent "test bed" for devices like those from Framework (and System76, especially their upcoming fully custom laptops) if they were able to use an libre init system and verified user control of components like the PSP and the like. At the moment, Coreboot is not compatible with AMD devices and while individual users and projects can advocate for its support, a niche though significant hardware partner like Framework could do a lot for openness if they were motivated to do so; it would be yet another "everybody wins" scenario if AMD could be convinced, much like how their Linux drivers have been a bright spot in the community and leading to many Linux-interested users purchasing AMD APU and GPUs. In the past, I read some disappointing elements regarding Framework and Coreboot, but that was several years ago and Intel focused. Sytem76 has done a lot of good work in similar contributions despite the fact they are using generally whiteboxed laptop hardware so far and if Framework can do something similar, especially regarding AMD, that will be a great contribution the the open/libre community on the firmware/software side, as well as their obvious contribution to upgrade, open, and modular hardware.

In any case, Framework continues to be one of the top choices for purchasing a laptop that is ethically aligned with open ethos and I hope they continue moving in the right direction .

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Quoting: TiZIf you have any investment in the main game, Whisker Squadron, then it's worth it to check this game out. It's pretty good! If you backed Whisker Squadron, you should already have a key for this one. It's very likely that the gameplay for the main game will be highly similar to this spin-off, so if you find any big kinks in the main gameplay, this is the time to work them out.

However, one thing you should probably be conscious of is not to try too hard to make it exactly like Star Fox. There's already a game that's more-or-less exactly like Star Fox: Ex-Zodiac. The fact that Ex-Zodiac exists means they can be a little more mechanically adventurous; there's less need to recreate Star Fox gameplay verbatim since someone's already doing that.

Agreed. I just recently learned about this title, but I am familiar with Ex-Zodiac which is coming along quite nicely in EA itself - and also supports Linux! There's room for more than one Star Fox inspired game out there, but I agree that I'm hoping the developers can be a bit more experimental and expand things a bit, especially if Whisker Squadron isn't arriving until 2024. If both the main Whisker Squadron and Survivor are "roguelike" in some regard, they'll also need to greatly expand the content and mechanics of the main game, while also ensuring that Survivor has enough depth and variation to foster enjoyment. Using Survivor as a testbed for different mechanics, encounters, progression and the like will be a good start so they can really ramp up the depth for when the full game arrives.

In any case, let us hope for the best and be thankful for the native Linux support for both titles!

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Commenting for a key, wishlisted!

Glad to see that Early Access is coming along, that the game supports native Linux even during EA, and the devs think enough of the Linux gaming community to come here and provide a few keys for giveaway!

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While this is nice to see as I always champion the end of contract exclusivity (be it console or something like Epic Store), I admit this one wasn't one I was waiting to see. I remember playing one of the preceding games years ago and this one looks perhaps solid, but isn't at the top of my list.

While I'm glad that Sony is bringing these games to PC and has chosen Steam, it is a bit annoying that they are still treating PC players as a tertiary platform at best. Long delays between release on their console and PC, way more than technical necessity is grating especially if prices are still akin to a full priced new game. I had hoped that once they saw games sell quite well on Steam both in short term and over the long tail, they'd start with concurrent releases but that doesn't seem to be the case and we're still lacking many titles long released on PS5.

Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut is one of my personal sticking points. The game has been out for quite a long time and for the past couple of years rumors of PC ports "just around the corner" have been flowing but nothing yet. The Director's Cut expansion adds quite a bit of new content and the game (both base and expansion) include a 4 player co-op alternate mode which would work very well on Steam. There was a rumor that the July release would be either this Ratchet and Clank game or Ghost of Tsushima so its a bit more disappointing, at least for me. Hopefully it will arrive soon.

Of course, the lack of concurrent releases is another problem. Both Spiderman Remastered and Spiderman: Miles Morales coming to PC last year after a couple years of PS4/PS5 exclusivity did very, very well. I was hoping that Sony would see there was a market, but this fall's upcoming Spiderman 2 sequel is releasing solely for PS5 and as far as I can tell its not a "one month PS5, next month PC" sort of thing for technical QA reasons. Sony just keeps insisting on focusing on their platform top to bottom, rather than admitting that some people may never buy a PS5 but would be happy to buy certain games were they available on PC (ideally via Linux friendly store platforms like Steam). Ah well, still every little bit is a step in the right direction; I do wish that the success of previous ones would quicken the pace though

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System76 is one of the very few laptop/hardware manufacturers that makes it over a high bar of Linux friendliness, openness(in both source and right to repair), high end materials manufactured and assembled ethically, and the like. They're a major contributor to Coreboot, are the ones behind the popular Debian/Ubuntu based distro PopOS, and have their own custom PCBs too. When I next buy a laptop it is likely to either be System76 (most of their current laptops are modified whitebox'd systems, but they're working on one built from the ground up.) or perhaps Framework (great with respect to hardware modular capabilities but I am a bit concerned about Linux / Coreboot support. There used to be some issues a year or two back but maybe they're resolved).

Regarding PC cases, assuming these are fab'd in their Denver, CO workshop same as the Thelio lineup this will be one of the very, very few cases that could be worth supporting; one of the only ones made in the US since the venerable CaseLabs had to close their doors (but good news - CaseLabs is back and in good hands, being revitalized by a Swedish owner who's going to keep it to the same level of quality. HIGHLY recommended) I just hope their first attempt in this regard has all the features and modular capabilities one expects for a custom built case.

Their Thelio lineup is beautiful and from what I hear well built, but they're rather limited - you aren't going to be able to mount a 360mm radiator in one, because they were not made with that kind of cooling in mind given they were sold with System76 prebuilts in mind. Especially if Nebula is made in the USA and of similar quality, its not going to be cheap. However, those investing in such a case will want to be able to keep it through a wide variety of builds, cooling systems, upgrades, and other features. Enthusiast level fan mounts and cooling (including custom hardline water) and many use cases for a given size, along with ancillary features (flatpack, no rivet assembly, removable mobo tray etc) will hopefully be included, along with modular upgrade features.

Guess we'll see but this is great news to see System76 offering a custom case without the need to buy an entire PC!

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Regarding Final Fantasy XIV, one option for Linux users is the (perhaps a tad confusingly named) "XIVLauncher", a FOSS unofficial launcher project which has a Linux native version! It even has a helpful SteamDeck specific install guide - https://goatcorp.github.io/faq/steamdeck [External Link] .

There are many neat features included in the launcher alone, plus it enables you to use the Dalamud plugin API and an in-game library of UI addons/mods if you so choose. I've been using it for many months now, since I returned to FFXIV and it has been a useful utility indeed. I can confirm its viability on desktop Linux but alas do not have a Steam Deck as of yet (I'm scheduled for Q2 so hopefully my time will be coming soon). Enjoy!

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Definitely a hidden gem of a game! While I didn't find it during crowdfunding, I did pick it up on an early Steam sale and I've been very pleased with the continued progress and development. The dev team seems to have a real passion for their work and creating this niche space sim that, as mentioned above, feels like a "Star Trek" style of ship command optimized for multiplayer, where each officer/crew needs to man a duty station like the helm, weapons, science/scanning, engineering down in the bowels of the ship (yes, you can eject the warp core! ) , or of course the captain's chair! Of course, repelling boarders (or boarding another vessel yourself!) is possible and on-foot combat is part of the mechanics as well.

Played in first person, there's also plenty of NPCs, missions, factions and storylines, as well as each update offering increasing depth and customization options unlocked through play. Each content patch has granted significant overhauls and new elements and I'm happy to hear they're approaching a 1.0 release. Hopefully content patches and updates will continue post 1.0, but given the unique qualities to the gameplay and the solid support for Linux I'd be happy to purchase DLC/expansions as well. They've earned it!

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I was lucky enough to win a copy of the game from one of the partnered streamers during the release event! The game itself seems very, very well put together on all levels, from the artwork and style to gameplay mechanics it creates a hectic, thriving shooter imbued with 80s/90s sci-fi action! I look forward to continue showcasing it to others both on Windows and more importantly, on Linux!

I almost overlooked this title thanks to Huntdown being for a time (1 year!) exclusive to the Epic Games Store. While I attempt to be understanding how such a Faustian bargain is difficult to resist for indie developers (I have no compassion for AA/AAA who take the same deal while crying poor despite operating as a megacorp), such exclusivity harms PC gaming as a whole and especially Linux gaming as EGS seemingly purposefully does not support Linux - even when selling games that already have Linux builds when they were released on Steam (Slime Rancher is a good example)!

In many cases, developing and releasing first for EGS means that the game is much less likely to get a Linux port but thankfully Easy Trigger has proven to be an exception. Despite the somewhat frustrating year of EGS exclusivity, its release on Steam coincided not just with a massive update to the game but debuted Mac and best of all Linux support on day 1! This is pretty close to a miracle when we see how many indie and crowdfunded titles who end up failing to support Linux, even later in their releases. Even more so than other titles and developers, I unreservedly think Huntdown is worth purchasing on Steam and however we can showcase Linux support the better, hopefully leading to Easy Trigger Games' next title coming to Steam and Linux on day 1.

An excellent title all around and worth the wait, if Huntdown sounds interesting its certainly worth the purchase!

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