Gaming on Linux [news and developments]

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Performance of Shadow Warrior is actually very good. The port is using OpenGL 3.2 with some extensions to match all the features in DX11 version of the game (according to developer who made the port, DX11 release doesn't use any DX11 only features, so OpenGL 3.2+ was sufficient which is more like DX10 match). A pity Witcher 2 was not ported in this way.

---------- Updated at 01:02 PM ----------

Interview with Aaron Melcher (who worked on porting Shadow Warror to Linux).

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Cry Engine will be officially released for Linux

Let's talk about the pengui... elephant in the room If you read the above paragraph, it might not come as a major surprise to you, but we are proud to announce that we will add an Open GL implementation and support for running your EaaS games on Linux with one of our next updates. For now, Linux support will be limited to the game launcher, and the Sandbox editor will still require Microsoft Windows. And of course, Linux support will be subject to the same developer-friendly terms as on Windows: Your monthly subscription fee will allow you to sell your games for Linux in addition to Windows, with no additional fees or royalties required.

While we can't pin an exact date on this update, we wanted to give you an early heads-up so you can start planning your Linux ports today!

 

[Licaon_Kter]

SpecOps: The Line
https://steamcommunity.com/games/50300/announcements/detail/155716972325301490

great game and at a great price

/LE:

* eON based like The Witcher 2 and Bioshock Infinite.
* pushing 60fps easily at 1920x1200/VeryHigh/VsyncON
* still it can't use nVidia downsampling ( say scale 3840x2400 on a 1920x1200 display ) due to SDL: https://github.com/virtual-programmi...mment-53136674

SO:TL https://i.imgur.com/oQ3NY5O.jpg ( observe how the steam FPS overlay behaves like it should but the game does not )
vs
Pillars of Eternity: https://i.imgur.com/6PJBlxQ.jpg

* I've already asked about a possible Github issues repo, maybe we get one like for the other 2 games, keep an eye here: https://github.com/virtual-programming

 

[Licaon_Kter]

D:OS Enhanced Edition, on Linux too, when? ahem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cugQ4pS_zOQ&hd=1

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

D:OS Enhanced Edition, on Linux too, when? ahem

At least they are working on it It's already very delayed, so I'm not so worried. I'll buy it as soon as they'll release it.

 

[Licaon_Kter]

I got it on Kickstarter...


Anyway:

This had big implications for certain things that were in the pipeline like for instance the Linux version. Our decision essentially meant we could start over again and that obviously got some in the Linux community quite angry at us, but we reasoned that over the long term, it ‘s better the Enhanced Edition has Linux support instead of the original D:OS. It improves the chances of our future games having Linux support too, though I don’t want to commit to that just yet.

@ Source

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Jotun will come out for Linux this fall:

[video=youtube;-cnHxoU3XHY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cnHxoU3XHY[/video]

 

[Licaon_Kter]

XCOM2 on Linux on launch?
[video=youtube;2E_-2wIJIzQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E_-2wIJIzQ[/video]

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Good news - AMD plans to prioritize open source driver usage, and speed up enabling OpenGL 4.x support:

* http://www.phoronix.com/forums/foru...eta-linux-driver-surfaces?p=803326#post803326
* http://www.phoronix.com/forums/foru...eta-linux-driver-surfaces?p=803356#post803356

Let's see if they'll follow through with it. But it sounds like AMD can become a viable alternative to Nvidia for Linux users. If only they would also improve their hardware power consumption and heating issues...

May be it will eventually push Nvidia to stop the nonsense and open their drivers as well?

---------- Post merged on 05-06-2015 at 12:14 AM ----------

Interview with Dell / Alienware about Steam Machines: https://www.polygon.com/2015/6/4/87...achine-was-born-out-of-a-desire-to-evolve-the

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Nvidia developers found an issue that randomly causes Witcher to have invisible models for characters:
https://devtalk.nvidia.com/default/...ble-in-the-witcher-game/post/4494381/#4494381

---------- Updated at 06:35 PM ----------

In other news, Olde Sküül developers will release remastered Bard's Tale trilogy for Linux too!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/the-bards-tale-iv/posts/1257921

Fine, fine, Rebecca will port it to Linux too. However, expect the Linux port to be released a month or two after the Windows and Mac OS X versions.

---------- Updated at 06:36 PM ----------

And of course Shadow Warrior 2 is coming out for Linux in 2016!

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Oculus Rift announces "partnership with MS": http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/11/oculus-rift-consumer/#.xwctap:fWU7

The partnership with Microsoft will also see the Rift work “natively” with Windows 10, plus play Xbox One games in the headset.

I guess it explains why they stopped Linux development. Too bad for them. Take a note and avoid. To express it in blunt terms - anything that MS touches turns into trash.

 

[volsung]

That's what large companies do, sadly. Absorb promising technologies and transform them into "cool looking" tie-ins, and soon thereafter tech dead ends.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Alienware Steam machine demoed on E3:

[video=youtube;N08GF0d-_a4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=174&v=N08GF0d-_a4[/video]

An interesting part there is that Alienware are actively working on getting more publishers to make Linux games:

Myself and a few colleagues have been around the world talking to all of the major game publishers, <...> sharing news about Alienware Steam Machine and our plans and how it will be our flagship product, getting those publishers excited to get their content [on SteamOS]<…>

That's good news. And he also mentioned that many games will be released for SteamOS (i.e. Linux) this summer.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

This is big news: CodeWeavers plan to implement DX11 support in Wine "in the coming months":

https://www.codeweavers.com/about/b...-team-at-e3-the-super-bowl-of-computer-gaming
https://ghostbin.com/paste/sy3e2

Of course, CodeWeavers will submit the DX11 patches to Wine. The work is being done by Henri, and it's scheduled to be done sometime later this year (end of year most likely). He's been working on this for nearly 7 months, and he's making progress. Thank you for your inquiring. My best regards. James B. Ramey President CodeWeavers, Inc.

Looks like TW3 can be a possibility after all.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

We Happy Few announced Linux support: https://www.kickstarter.com/project...e-to-wellington-wells-you-saucy/posts/1280272

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Great interview with James Ramey - the President of Codeweavers about future of the Linux gaming, Wine project in general, DX11 support and other subjects including even GOG:
http://boilingsteam.com/codeweavers-on-dx11-in-wine-steam-machines-porting/

This is an interesting part:

We see a lot of game companies – they see WINE/Crossover as a stopgap solution: “is the Mac and Linux market big enough for us to go in or not, is there enough interest?” And they employ us to do the port for them, then they gauge demand and determine what they do from there. Often the port that we provide is good enough, or equivalent to the Windows client and if that’s the case they don’t feel they need to build their own client any more. We have one client with whom we have been working for 2 years now and who is very happy with the work that we have done, and who have no interest in building their own solution. But it usually starts off like this: WINE/Crossover is a very low cost way to get into the market, and once they are in the market, they are fairly surprised by the results that they see. Everybody we have talked to have been fairly surprised, positively surprised, by how big the market is and how it has expanded their bottom line.

 

[volsung]

I still think the best way to approach multiplatform releases is through multiplatform technologies, with specific OS native launchers. But meanwhile Crossover and Wine provide a good service: show companies Linux is a viable platform.

What they say about SteamOS is very interesting.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Linus Torvalds talks about SteamOS and the future of Linux gaming: http://classic.slashdot.org/story/15/06/30/0058243

Anonymous Coward: Can Valve change the Linux gaming market?
Do you think Valve is capable of making Linux a primary choice for gamers?

Linus: "Primary"? Probably not where it's even aiming. I think consoles (and all those handheld and various mobile platforms that "real gamers" seem to dismiss as toys) are likely much more primary, and will stay so.

I think Valve wants to make sure they can control their own future, and Linux and ValveOS is probably partly to explore a more "console-like" Valve experience (ie the whole "get a box set up for a single main purpose", as opposed to a more PC-like experience), and partly as a "second source" against Microsoft, who is a competitor in the console area. Keeping your infrastructure suppliers honest by making sure you have alternatives sounds like a good strategy, and particularly so when those suppliers may be competing with you directly elsewhere.

So I don't think the aim is really "primary". "Solid alternative" is I think the aim. Of course, let's see where it goes after that.

But I really have not been involved. People like Greg and the actual graphics driver guys have been in much more direct contact with Valve. I think it's great to see gaming on Linux, but at the same time, I'm personally not really much of a gamer.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Feral Interactive released Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor for Linux. But it's Steam only... So no dice. WB started selling some games on GOG, but not this one.

Did anyone actually play the game? Is it good?

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Some had fun trying to run TW3 in Wine: https://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=38613
Of course it wouldn't work yet, because DX11 support isn't ready.