Star Citizen

+
Yeah... there's a couple guilds dedicated to Linux. But now that I reread the post I don't think they're actually playing on Linux yet.
https://robertsspaceindustries.com/orgs/LUG

Also, I copied the Linux thread because you can't view without a SC account. The thread was last updated on March 28th. So the info should still be current.
Welcome to the unofficial Linux discussion thread. Whether you're a Linux user or not you're welcome to join our discussion with any questions and thoughts you may have burning on your mind, or if you just want to share the love.

This first post is reserved for Star Citizen specific and related FAQ whereas the next few posts below this one may be more "general", a good read if you would like to know more about Linux (without any specific relation to Star Citizen).

Several threads have been merged with this one, so it may be confusing to read through it from this page to the last. Unless you're enthusiastic enough to read the whole thing from start to finish, feel free to just jump to the last one or two pages to join the talks.


Will Star Citizen come to Linux?


Yes! Eventually!

So far we don't know when, but since CryEngine (The Engine SC is built upon) version 3.8.1 officially added Linux support, there is hope that we will see a Linux version before the first official release of the game.

According to Ben Lesnick, we will most likely see a Linux version "around launch".

How does Linux's gaming performance compare to Windows?(Drivers)


Check out this Nvidia based Ubuntu vs Windows 10 (OpenGL) benchmark just to see that the Linux GPU drivers are quite competitive with the Windows ones. Alternatively, here is a benchmark with GTX 670 and 550-Ti on Linux vs Windows driver performance including OpenGL 3.2 on both Windows and Linux and DX11 on Windows.

Here's an AMD Catalyst benchmark, Gallium3D is the open source driver which can sometimes outperform their (now deprecated) closed source catalyst driver. AMD are actively improving their Linux performance today with their new AMDGPU kernel driver for Radeon R9 285 and newer cards (Polaris support already included!). If you're interested wait for more news on AMD GPU-Pro's (catalyst replacement) release (currently beta).

In graphical performance (which gaming is all about today) both Nvidia drivers and AMD drivers for Linux are very competitive with the Windows ones to the level that neither is better than the other, as is. But I've seen common claim in Nvidia's case that their drivers outperform the Windows ones, as well as that they actually removed functionality from them to reduce their linux drivers capabilities down to the level of Windows on several occasions.

Peripheral device support is also decent as far as I can tell, and Valve is working to even further improve peripheral device support. Any Xbox360 emulating (or Xinput) controller will work plug and play out of the box like you'd expect them to. No comment on HOTAS setups from me though (would be nice if someone has experiences with that and could comment). But at least we can expect HTC Vive to be supported.

As for DirectX12, we have Vulkan instead. Both are based very heavily on AMD's Mantle code, and so both will probably be rather on-par with each other in real performance. Chris Roberts did mention interest in vulkan support, and it can easily be assumed that CIG's former statement claiming they will support AMD's Mantle directly translates to now supporting Vulkan instead as Vulkan is the true spiritual successor of the short lived Mantle that there is no longer any value in supporting at all.

Can Star Citizen be run through Wine?


TL;DR: Not yet. The major fault here is that Wine does not yet support DX10/11 (but this is in progress, and you may have some luck with wine staging (e.g. alpha builds))
The best place to look for whether Wine supports a game or not is through it's AppDB you can see from here (after searching Star Citizen, or Hangar Module) that the hangar module will not run as it requires DirectX 11. DX11 support is being worked on by Wine devs though. Wine is not perfect and it can be a bother to configure it, especially to those who don't know how. If you want to use wine for running Star Citizen or anything else, chances are you will need to give yourself a few hours to learn how to properly use it. I recommend Steam's brand new In-Home Streaming service as a great alternative to Wine for gaming (if you have the resources)

For the hardcore, there is also the quite recent VGA-Passthrough technology (more here)

Where do I go to ask to join the Star Citizen Linux Alpha/Beta?


The Linux announcement is still just that; an announcement. There is no official Linux alpha/beta planned yet, and quite frankly we don't know when it will be or how it will be handled. But as is, here is the unofficial thread for it.

Are there any Linux organizations in Star Citizen?


Yes there are, currently the known ones are:
Linux User Group
Steam Linux User Group
Linux For Everything
Order of the Dragonfly

If you have a Linux organization that you want me to add to this list, shoot me a PM or comment it in this thread and I shall add it to the list.

Other Star Citizen Q&A


Is a linux build of the game in progress? (May1; Apart from the server, no. Not yet)

Will the game come to Mac? (Ben Lesnick: Not confirmed) Do not lose hope Mac folks, Mavericks finally added long awaited support for OpenGL 4.1 and Crytek has announced CE support for Macs coming as well.

I want to try out Linux, where should I start?


There is a free online course on linux it used to cost around 2400$
You could also start in this below post. :)


Where else can I go to keep track on Linux outside of Star Citizen?


Phoronix is one of the most popular news pages for Linux.
GamingOnLinx is also a popular news page for Linux but dedicated to gaming.
The Official Linux Homepage

Hope this info helped :)
 
Last edited:
So did anyone buy it already? It's almost ready though, I still can't imagine what's goin on in this game, but it looks hyped as f for me
they got a lot of mani on kckstrtr
As of August 2016 it has raised more than $118 million.
 
Last edited:
I own Star Citizen

It's pretty fun. But I wouldn't reccomend picking it up before release because it's very unstable and you're basically paying to beta test a game. I picked it up before launch because I saved money, but then I ended up paying more than I originally intended by buying space ships (the temptation is strong :p ).

In terms of release dates, people expect Squadron 42: Episode 1 to release sometime in 2017. Originally the promised release date was 2016, and that seems incredibly unlikely at this point. It's hard to say when in 2017 it will release. I think prolly in Spring (Mar - May). But some people on the subreddit have pointed out there's still a lot of other stuff left to design (like enemy AI) even though the level design is 80% - 90% complete.

As for the MMO - that portion of the game is much more difficult to predict the release date for. At this point I don't expect it to come out before Dec 2018. The devs have told us landing on planets and procedurally generated planets will be in the game before the end of the year. That said... Star Citizen has a terrible track record for releasing content on time. So I wouldn't get my hopes too high. However, we do know that their procedural generation tech is working and they're currently working on atmospheric flight physics and the aesthetic of different planets (we've seen footage of these things). So even if it's not added to the game by the end of the year it probably won't be too long before it does.
 
@Phinnway Actually I expect the Squadron 42 in this year, we have no idea how far they gone with the AI and other systems. The netcode is a huge blocker for lot of things and in SQ42 that is not an issue. Remember, they showed off the devbuild which means is not in that bad shape, I would even call it stable-ish. As for the 2.7 comes before the end of the year, last year they did the same with the Alpha 2.0 and they delivered. That being said, we have no idea how far they gone, we just only know what they showing us which is not that much. SQ42 was playable all the way to the end about 6 months ago.
 
TIMESTAMPS!!!! 'cause I know y'all want them.

In spoilers just because.
7:45 - Procedural planets & planetary landing.

12:55 - Docking at a city.

16:53 - Levski City.

31:18 - Dogfight

33:30 - Boarding a "shipwrecked" spaceship.

41:35 - The Dragonfly - Star Citizen's "Space Motorcycle" / Speeder Bike

46:10 - Ground Vehicle Battle

---------- Updated at 10:08 PM ----------

GAAAHHH!!! I'm sooooo excited!!!!! With the release 3.0 in December Star Citizen will have delivered on all the alpha promises they've made up the this point. Which means the developers have a clean slate. No more fans bitching about, "They promised us Star Marine back in 2013, and where is it now?"

I'll be thrilled to hop in with a clan and fly *real* security missions in the P.U. instead of playing PvP in ArenaCommander. Also, I hope this means the pace of development will pick up in 2017. I know Chris has said again & again that Star Citizen development is prioritizing technology first, gameplay systems second, and content third. Hopefully that video means most of the technology is completed now. This gives me hope Star Citizen will release by Winter 2018 after all :p

Also - it's not mentioned in the video above, but Star Marine - SC's FPS arena mode - will be added in October, and the content in the video will be added in December. :D
 
Last edited:
Wow... That gameplay showcase... I think there will be a considerable impact on my life when this game comes out. Holy hell that was amazing :D
 
A pretty rare case of good investigative journalism in the gaming media. It is pretty objective I'd say, and has interviews with different people in CIG and quotes from some of the current and previous employees. All in all, even though it highlights the troubled development, it gives me more confidence to see how they were able to grow amidst all the hardships and some pretty bad initial decisions. Apparently there will be more pieces coming from this huge investigation too.

http://www.kotaku.co.uk/2016/09/23/inside-the-troubled-development-of-star-citizen

Note: I normally wouldn't enjoy reading Kotaku, for what its worth.
 
Yeah, I'm very skeptical at this point. Releasing the game in parts is the biggest drawback for me and why I never backed it. That and they already have a zillion dollars to work with.
 
Well, that was a long article. Don't let the click-bait title deceive you. It's actually a very fair and detailed documentation of Star Citizen's development.

There wasn't much there that really surprised me. Star Citizen backers have known a lot of this information for a long time. But it was nice to see it all compiled in one place. Hopefully it will help suppress wild speculation about where all the funding went.
 
Top Bottom