Just joined, looking for Linux interest.
by Brenden "Friar" Tuck · in Technical Issues · 01/01/2003 (4:33 pm) · 17 replies
What game genre's do people think Linux needs most?
Real Time Strategy?
Turn Based Strategy?
Massive Multiplayer?
First/Third Person 3D Shooters?
RPG?
Platformer?
Flight/Space Combat/Sim?
Other? (Give example)
Real Time Strategy?
Turn Based Strategy?
Massive Multiplayer?
First/Third Person 3D Shooters?
RPG?
Platformer?
Flight/Space Combat/Sim?
Other? (Give example)
#2
What? TWM not good enough for ya?
You must be one of them new fangled MWM people, eh?
I'll be watching you....
:)
--friar
*still uses twm daily*
01/01/2003 (5:05 pm)
What? TWM not good enough for ya?
You must be one of them new fangled MWM people, eh?
I'll be watching you....
:)
--friar
*still uses twm daily*
#3
01/01/2003 (5:24 pm)
I find that Linux is seriously lacking in sport games
#4
01/01/2003 (9:46 pm)
It needs them all :)
#5
It would also be interesting to see what the best sellers are on linux. Wish I had some data from transgaming/loki :)
01/01/2003 (10:03 pm)
What Tim said. But you might get more responses to this if you ask at www.linuxgames.comIt would also be interesting to see what the best sellers are on linux. Wish I had some data from transgaming/loki :)
#6
No mainstream MMO game, and I'm not sure what a platformer is...
01/01/2003 (10:03 pm)
Bah, Linux has its share of FPS and RTS, as well as a couple RPGS. There's a few open source fligthsims/space sims.No mainstream MMO game, and I'm not sure what a platformer is...
#7
There was Jagged Alliance 2, but it is sorely lacking a multiplayer option. There's also not enough _simple_ strategy games. We got SC3k and Civ:CTP and Alpha Centauri, but no MOO2/3 or other stuff that you can just fire up on a LAN session without having to explain it for two hours first.
01/02/2003 (2:01 am)
I want turn-based strategy. In fact, I want Combat Mission 2. :-)There was Jagged Alliance 2, but it is sorely lacking a multiplayer option. There's also not enough _simple_ strategy games. We got SC3k and Civ:CTP and Alpha Centauri, but no MOO2/3 or other stuff that you can just fire up on a LAN session without having to explain it for two hours first.
#8
01/02/2003 (7:00 am)
I want fun, small, addictive games ... like pool or mini-golf.
#9
Linux games do not sell well, unfortunately. Most people who have a *nix OS also dual boot with Windows XP (or tripple boot with XP and 98!) and right now, Windows is a better choice for gaming.
01/30/2003 (4:27 am)
Quote:It would also be interesting to see what the best sellers are on linux.
Linux games do not sell well, unfortunately. Most people who have a *nix OS also dual boot with Windows XP (or tripple boot with XP and 98!) and right now, Windows is a better choice for gaming.
#10
One great advantage of Linux gaming is that several people can share a machine, have their individual configurations, profiles, etc. - all totally transparent without the need to always go into the options menu and load a different config, or lose it because you forgot to save yours or it was overwritten.
If you look for top sellers, go to tuxgames.com - they always post which games are currently selling best.
Total sales are hard to estimate. AFAIK nobody has ever published actual sales numbers. There are a few statistics from UT2003 for example.
But, for an indy developer, it doesn't matter whether Linux sales where 1% or 2% or 50% of any AAA title - what's much more important is that many Linux people are starved for new games, and can be reached much easier.
Try selling a windows game without paying for advertisement. No magazine will run a review for you, for starters. Shelf space is totally out. So how are people even going to learn about your game? In Linux gaming there are sites such as linuxgames.com or happypenguin.org which will be glad to announce your title, just because it's a Linux game.
And finally: Linux people will feel much closer to an Indy developer than most windows users. If there's a bug, chances are that your windows customers will bitch, moan and request their money back, while your Linux customers will complain and send in useable bug reports. Some will even do your work for you and debug the beast, telling you exactly in which line of what file you made what kind of error.
I'm probably biased, but this is my honest opinion.
[Edit: typos]
01/30/2003 (8:08 am)
Actually, Linux is the better choice for gaming, but windows is the by far more common one.One great advantage of Linux gaming is that several people can share a machine, have their individual configurations, profiles, etc. - all totally transparent without the need to always go into the options menu and load a different config, or lose it because you forgot to save yours or it was overwritten.
If you look for top sellers, go to tuxgames.com - they always post which games are currently selling best.
Total sales are hard to estimate. AFAIK nobody has ever published actual sales numbers. There are a few statistics from UT2003 for example.
But, for an indy developer, it doesn't matter whether Linux sales where 1% or 2% or 50% of any AAA title - what's much more important is that many Linux people are starved for new games, and can be reached much easier.
Try selling a windows game without paying for advertisement. No magazine will run a review for you, for starters. Shelf space is totally out. So how are people even going to learn about your game? In Linux gaming there are sites such as linuxgames.com or happypenguin.org which will be glad to announce your title, just because it's a Linux game.
And finally: Linux people will feel much closer to an Indy developer than most windows users. If there's a bug, chances are that your windows customers will bitch, moan and request their money back, while your Linux customers will complain and send in useable bug reports. Some will even do your work for you and debug the beast, telling you exactly in which line of what file you made what kind of error.
I'm probably biased, but this is my honest opinion.
[Edit: typos]
#11
If this selection were to be available on Linux, I do agree it would be the better "choice" (my original word).
What goes around comes around, and the lack of Linux players means a lack of games, which doesn't help the Linux player numbers.
Quake engine and Unreal Tournament 2003 engine games I believe will be a step in the right direction.
01/30/2003 (8:39 am)
More people use Windows as a gaming platform, and because of that it is the better choice. By now the number of Windows compatible games must be in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions. If this selection were to be available on Linux, I do agree it would be the better "choice" (my original word).
What goes around comes around, and the lack of Linux players means a lack of games, which doesn't help the Linux player numbers.
Quake engine and Unreal Tournament 2003 engine games I believe will be a step in the right direction.
#12
What's the point of arguing? Everyone knows the windows gaming platform has many more games and many more players than linux (or OS X, or FreeBSD, etc..). But that's not the point.
It would be dumb to say: "look windows is better, so I'm making games just for windows", or "linux is better, so I'm releasing games just for linux". Obviously, there's a huge market in windows. But there's also a big potential market in Linux. But more importantly, there's no reason to exclude either windows or Linux (or any other platforms).
The key is to write portable code. And to release for as many platforms as you can. Yeah, you might get more sales on windows, but Linux and OS X are starved for games and a bigger percentage of the players on those platforms will purchase your game.
On top of that, if you set out from the beginning to write portable code, you're porting costs will be lower, and your code will be cleaner and easier to debug. I suggest that you guys read this article. And if you're using torque, you're already up on the game. You would be stupid to limit yourself to just one platform...
And no, not most linux gamers will dual boot just to play windows games...and i don't believe OS X people even have that option.
01/30/2003 (1:15 pm)
ugh... Linux > windows...windows > linux...What's the point of arguing? Everyone knows the windows gaming platform has many more games and many more players than linux (or OS X, or FreeBSD, etc..). But that's not the point.
It would be dumb to say: "look windows is better, so I'm making games just for windows", or "linux is better, so I'm releasing games just for linux". Obviously, there's a huge market in windows. But there's also a big potential market in Linux. But more importantly, there's no reason to exclude either windows or Linux (or any other platforms).
The key is to write portable code. And to release for as many platforms as you can. Yeah, you might get more sales on windows, but Linux and OS X are starved for games and a bigger percentage of the players on those platforms will purchase your game.
On top of that, if you set out from the beginning to write portable code, you're porting costs will be lower, and your code will be cleaner and easier to debug. I suggest that you guys read this article. And if you're using torque, you're already up on the game. You would be stupid to limit yourself to just one platform...
And no, not most linux gamers will dual boot just to play windows games...and i don't believe OS X people even have that option.
#13
It's a bit hard to be a gamer when limited to Quake engine games, some ports and KTron :)
01/30/2003 (7:24 pm)
Quote:And no, not most linux gamers will dual boot just to play windows games...and i don't believe OS X people even have that option.
It's a bit hard to be a gamer when limited to Quake engine games, some ports and KTron :)
#14
Ut with 90% of the mods
Warcraft III
some old (but good) dos rpgs I got working with dosemu
Marble blast demo
Sacrifice
jk2
quake III with most mods
GTA3
Half Life w/ natural selection
a few more that are escaping my mind currently (just woke up)
Those are actually 90% of the games I own, and lets see, 2 games are quake 3 based. Of course i'm not talking natively on linux but to me I really don't care if I have to use wineX. I gave up looking for developers to support linux for now, they will in their due time. Untill then I can use wine/wineX to play games in linux. LIke I said I don't have windows anymore, except on my laptop. My laptop I rarely play games on (except when at lan parties). Notice not one of the games there is Ktron.
---KallDrexx
01/31/2003 (4:39 am)
well with that comment I have to tell f all the games I play on linux currently (My dekstop is purely linux).Ut with 90% of the mods
Warcraft III
some old (but good) dos rpgs I got working with dosemu
Marble blast demo
Sacrifice
jk2
quake III with most mods
GTA3
Half Life w/ natural selection
a few more that are escaping my mind currently (just woke up)
Those are actually 90% of the games I own, and lets see, 2 games are quake 3 based. Of course i'm not talking natively on linux but to me I really don't care if I have to use wineX. I gave up looking for developers to support linux for now, they will in their due time. Untill then I can use wine/wineX to play games in linux. LIke I said I don't have windows anymore, except on my laptop. My laptop I rarely play games on (except when at lan parties). Notice not one of the games there is Ktron.
---KallDrexx
#15
And how could you not play KTron?!
KTron rules dude.
01/31/2003 (5:53 am)
Actually, 3 games are Quake engine based. Most are not supported natively under linux (UT2K3 yes).And how could you not play KTron?!
KTron rules dude.
#17
02/03/2003 (2:13 am)
One day they shall learn to bow before the mighty KTron :P 
Torque Owner Anthony McCrary
I think Real Time Strategy.