Latest Comments by MayeulC
Why GNU/Linux ports can be less performant, a more in-depth answer
28 Oct 2016 at 4:11 pm UTC
- Sound
- UI
- Network
- Threading
- Libraries/Middleware
- Input
- Filesystem
- Compositor/Window manager
All of these have to be taken care of, and probably other that I am forgetting at the moment. While good planning and use of cross platform libraries can help you (SDL2 takes care of #1,5,6, for example), it is quite easy to get stuck in one of those problems. Moreover, these can appear quite hard to solve if you don't have the required knowledge. But yeah, by using Vulkan or OpenGL you already eliminate a big chunk of the problems; as those APIs should be cross-platform (note that programming languages are also supposed to be cross-platform in most cases, but some bad practices can lock you out).
28 Oct 2016 at 4:11 pm UTC
Quoting: mikaelbrunWill games made with Vulkan need any rewriting, or could it just be copied to Linux i.e?While that might hold for simple games, there is unfortunately more to games than graphics:
- Sound
- UI
- Network
- Threading
- Libraries/Middleware
- Input
- Filesystem
- Compositor/Window manager
All of these have to be taken care of, and probably other that I am forgetting at the moment. While good planning and use of cross platform libraries can help you (SDL2 takes care of #1,5,6, for example), it is quite easy to get stuck in one of those problems. Moreover, these can appear quite hard to solve if you don't have the required knowledge. But yeah, by using Vulkan or OpenGL you already eliminate a big chunk of the problems; as those APIs should be cross-platform (note that programming languages are also supposed to be cross-platform in most cases, but some bad practices can lock you out).
Black Mesa, the very popular fan-made recreation of Half-Life is now on Linux in beta
28 Oct 2016 at 4:02 pm UTC Likes: 1
@dubigrasu : You should have picked one of those fire stick to light them up! There was even a gas leak :) -- Thanks for uploading.
@rea987 Thanks, so it appears this came after the end of GCFs. I didn't have a look at steam's data structure since.
28 Oct 2016 at 4:02 pm UTC Likes: 1
Quoting: CreakWhat's the official position of Valve on this fan-made remix?As far as I know, the developers have been in touch with valve quite regularly, and valve has allowed them to publish their work on Steam.
@dubigrasu : You should have picked one of those fire stick to light them up! There was even a gas leak :) -- Thanks for uploading.
@rea987 Thanks, so it appears this came after the end of GCFs. I didn't have a look at steam's data structure since.
Black Mesa, the very popular fan-made recreation of Half-Life is now on Linux in beta
28 Oct 2016 at 9:50 am UTC
28 Oct 2016 at 9:50 am UTC
Hell yeah, I will probably buy it this weekend, and make a complete playtrough. I didn't play it since its first release, so I expect to find it quite improved.
It took its time, but it's finally here! Fingers crossed for Xen some time in the future, AKA "when it's ready".
By the way, what does "VPKed" means? Is VPK some kind of file format? (valve-pak? The original game used pak files, IIRC).
It took its time, but it's finally here! Fingers crossed for Xen some time in the future, AKA "when it's ready".
By the way, what does "VPKed" means? Is VPK some kind of file format? (valve-pak? The original game used pak files, IIRC).
Game porter Ethan Lee has done a write-up of the recent SteamDevDays
27 Oct 2016 at 9:45 am UTC
27 Oct 2016 at 9:45 am UTC
That was quite an interesting read, thank you. I wish more developers would stick to these rules. For example, in Mad Max:
- Simultaneous mousse And joystick input is not possible, which means I stick to my keyboard, which is less than ideal for driving.
- I have an AZERTY keyboards. Mappings are right (I think they are using scancodes, which is great), but in game hints are wrong (displays WASD instead of ZQSD, for instance).
I tried Stacking the other day. Same issues. And the game stopped responding to inputs after a while.
I also hope they will make they controller configuration utility standalone/open source. And portable. How great would it be to play with a Steam Controller on an Xbox?
- Simultaneous mousse And joystick input is not possible, which means I stick to my keyboard, which is less than ideal for driving.
- I have an AZERTY keyboards. Mappings are right (I think they are using scancodes, which is great), but in game hints are wrong (displays WASD instead of ZQSD, for instance).
I tried Stacking the other day. Same issues. And the game stopped responding to inputs after a while.
I also hope they will make they controller configuration utility standalone/open source. And portable. How great would it be to play with a Steam Controller on an Xbox?
Looking to capture gameplay from one Linux PC on another, what should I be getting?
26 Oct 2016 at 7:50 pm UTC
26 Oct 2016 at 7:50 pm UTC
I have an AverMedia (or something like this) hdmi capture card for sale, if you want. Doesn't work on Linux, though, so I advise against buying from them :D
But yes, the best solution is to have a dedicated capture card, and work from here on another PC.
Maybe a dedicated graphics card or APU could work, too. I would like to hear a word on that.
But yes, the best solution is to have a dedicated capture card, and work from here on another PC.
Maybe a dedicated graphics card or APU could work, too. I would like to hear a word on that.
Looks like Mojang will be supporting the new Minecraft launcher on Linux
26 Oct 2016 at 7:41 pm UTC
That's great news, but the fact that this is just a new launcher is a bit of a bummer. I would have liked a total C conversion.
I still like to play the game from time to time, but there are a few things that could be improved (like full screen, for instance). It's definitely a great game to play with friends.
As for Minetest, it feels like a nice sandbox, but not really a sandbox game, that's where the problem lies for me. I would love to see a Minecraft compatibility layer (also with servers, ideally).
26 Oct 2016 at 7:41 pm UTC
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.Well, the game is still in java/OpenGL, so I would be surprised if it worked better after this update. You may however want to consider updating your drivers.
That's great news, but the fact that this is just a new launcher is a bit of a bummer. I would have liked a total C conversion.
I still like to play the game from time to time, but there are a few things that could be improved (like full screen, for instance). It's definitely a great game to play with friends.
As for Minetest, it feels like a nice sandbox, but not really a sandbox game, that's where the problem lies for me. I would love to see a Minecraft compatibility layer (also with servers, ideally).
Mad Max released for Linux, port report and review available
23 Oct 2016 at 2:31 pm UTC
23 Oct 2016 at 2:31 pm UTC
Interestingly, the game runs fine most of the time on my under-speced computer (you can check my config, but in case it changes: 4GB RAM, 6870, E5472@3GHz). The framerate seems to be locked at 30FPS, which doesn't seem to be an issue, as it looks smooth. It does however dip below sometimes, and this seems to be more and more frequent the longer I play in the same session. In those cases, I look upwards, it helps.
I have some issue with occasional freezes, which are probably due to shader compilations. I hope the Mesa shader cache will help here. Audio also becomes garbled at times, especially when using the steam overlay (For example, when I take a screenshot).
I have some issue with occasional freezes, which are probably due to shader compilations. I hope the Mesa shader cache will help here. Audio also becomes garbled at times, especially when using the steam overlay (For example, when I take a screenshot).
Quoting: m2mg2Well, I have the same issue, and it's really annoying. I am playing with my keyboard right now.Quoting: MblackwellI'm sad that you can't use the mouse and joystick at the same time via the Steam Controller. I had asked Feral and they said the Steam Controller was supported... but that's one of the major features of the controller!I noticed this to. I can't walk and rotate the view at the same, very annoying. We'll not sure if we are talking about the same thing or not. I can't use the right touchpad while moving the left analog on the steam controller in this game.
'Polygod', a randomly generated FPS with a brutal difficulty curve is now on Linux
21 Oct 2016 at 1:44 pm UTC
21 Oct 2016 at 1:44 pm UTC
Looks like tower of guns. I love tower of guns!
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided arrives on SteamOS & Linux on the 3rd of November
21 Oct 2016 at 10:41 am UTC Likes: 2
21 Oct 2016 at 10:41 am UTC Likes: 2
Shit. Now I will _really_ have to upgrade my computer sooner than I planned.
I was hoping AMD's zen would hit the shelves sooner than DX:MD :/
Keep up, feral, this looks like a big clog that just went off in a "release pipeline" :D
I was hoping AMD's zen would hit the shelves sooner than DX:MD :/
Keep up, feral, this looks like a big clog that just went off in a "release pipeline" :D
The latest 'Steam Client Beta Update' fixes wired Steam Controller support on Linux
21 Oct 2016 at 8:53 am UTC Likes: 5
Compare rapidly changing directions (180) with a mouse/trackpad and joystick. There is an obvious difference. Some early console games even had a key to speed this up (instant 180), so the problem definitely exists.
On the other hand, when it comes to controlling a setting which can be matched 1:1 to the joystick position (turning it into an absolute control), this is arguably faster, and allows finer grained controls. Think of player movement in FPS, a steering wheel, a plane joystick, or even the position of something on a screen that you can move instantly, such as an aiming direction/spaceship position for a shoot them up.
Thankfully, the trackpads can also emulate this behaviour, something that a trackball or a mouse can't. This makes them a better fit for game controllers. Since they have a clearly defined area, you can use some absolute positioning in this area to emulate the behaviour of a stick or some buttons. You can also use an "endless scroll" with a fixed movement ratio (or, more likely, one which changes with the speed) to specify an absolute movement faster than you would be able to with a stick (since you have to wait for the position, which is translated to speed at a fixed ratio, to be integrated, as in, a real integral, into an in-game position).
I hope those arguments are convincing enough. (and redeable/clear enough, I am answering from my phone, sorry).
I am still waiting on the perfect absolute input solution, with direct brain communication, but that's not for tomorrow :)
(for those interested in this last point, there are a few consumers facing prototypes, the EPOC Emotive is one of them).
Edit: wow, the price for this headset really skyrocketed these past years. It was around $300 around 6 years ago for the full headset, IIRC.
21 Oct 2016 at 8:53 am UTC Likes: 5
Quoting: tmtvlNeat, it only the virtual keyboards could be ported so they could be used with various DE's, that would make my living room PC almost perfect.There is a quite correct one in sc-controller, activate if from the steam button.
Quoting: ElectricPrismThe argument here is one of relative vs absolute motion. With joysticks, you specify the speed at which you want your "pointer" (can be a camera) to move, while with a mouse/trackpad, you specify where to move (by directly setting a relative motion, so the terms are a bit inadequate). This is unarguably much better, since that's what you really want (set the position to a precise location). At least in theory. You can find movement with a stick more intuitive because of practice or superior hardware. Sticks can also be more precise with defaults settings, since they often allow to fine-tune the final position at low speed. On the other hand, you could decrease the sensitivity of your mouse/trackpad for quick, finer adjustments (a "sniper button", if you prefer). This is also analogue to aiming in FPS games, so those two actions can be often bound together. Some people prefer to use a gyro for those fine adjustments (personal preference again).Quoting: MblackwellThe track pad is far superior to a stick for FPS.Wut? No seriously I would like to hear your argument? For me I'm a billion times faster and preciser on twin joysticks.
Of course I know this is probably a case of "what works for me" and "what works for you" are totally different.
Compare rapidly changing directions (180) with a mouse/trackpad and joystick. There is an obvious difference. Some early console games even had a key to speed this up (instant 180), so the problem definitely exists.
On the other hand, when it comes to controlling a setting which can be matched 1:1 to the joystick position (turning it into an absolute control), this is arguably faster, and allows finer grained controls. Think of player movement in FPS, a steering wheel, a plane joystick, or even the position of something on a screen that you can move instantly, such as an aiming direction/spaceship position for a shoot them up.
Thankfully, the trackpads can also emulate this behaviour, something that a trackball or a mouse can't. This makes them a better fit for game controllers. Since they have a clearly defined area, you can use some absolute positioning in this area to emulate the behaviour of a stick or some buttons. You can also use an "endless scroll" with a fixed movement ratio (or, more likely, one which changes with the speed) to specify an absolute movement faster than you would be able to with a stick (since you have to wait for the position, which is translated to speed at a fixed ratio, to be integrated, as in, a real integral, into an in-game position).
I hope those arguments are convincing enough. (and redeable/clear enough, I am answering from my phone, sorry).
I am still waiting on the perfect absolute input solution, with direct brain communication, but that's not for tomorrow :)
(for those interested in this last point, there are a few consumers facing prototypes, the EPOC Emotive is one of them).
Edit: wow, the price for this headset really skyrocketed these past years. It was around $300 around 6 years ago for the full headset, IIRC.
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