What Linux Games Are Most Important To You?

[xav1r]

WTF people... no one's interested in The Elder Scrolls games? There's actually an open source effort under way to make an Ogre3d-based engine that would use Morrowind assets, so hopefully that would provide a solution for that (yeah i guess wine could work too). I hear Oblivion works under wine too, but it probably wouldn't run too good. Anyway, the list:

1. TES: Oblivion and all future sequels

2. All X-Com / UFO games including those recent ones by Altar

3. Unreal Tournament series

Wouldnt it be great to have all Elder Scrolls games running natively under linux??

[Dragonlord]

Would recreating it using ogre3d not involve IP infringement?

[Aradreth]

Would recreating it using ogre3d not involve IP infringement?

No making an engine that can use legally obtained data files is not illegal.

WTF people... no one's interested in The Elder Scrolls games? There's actually an open source effort under way to make an Ogre3d-based engine that would use Morrowind assets, so hopefully that would provide a solution for that (yeah i guess wine could work too).

Yeah there is an effort to get morrowind running but it's still in its infancy and no where near playable. Also FOSS engines for a windows game still means you are voting for a windows title as you bought a windows only game (they don't care about the FOSS engine or wine).

[Pahanilmanlintu]

-- Also FOSS engines for a windows game still means you are voting for a windows title as you bought a windows only game --

Yup, kinda depressing.

What if people would get a couple thousand names under a pledge making a promise to buy any of several games named in the pledge, if and only if there was a native linux version? Is there any credibility in such a claim from a game developer's perspective, and how many names would it take to be financially relevant? Or has it been tried already?

Edit: I think i misunderstood the topic. I thought it meant what games i'd most like to see on linux.

[xav1r]

Yes, i think theyve tried before. Usually it's called petitiononline. :P . And everyone knows, that those are laughed at by these companies. I assume that a "pledge" can be meaningless too, since people arent going to actually buy it. Im making a comparison with the dell community center where they asked for the "community" over there if they would buy a laptop and/or desktop pc that came with linux pre-loaded. Inmediately many people said YES!, which looked like there was demand at least at that moment. When the linux computers were released, there were lackluster sales. Apparently the people who voted were not making any commitment to actually buy them, and were just enthusiastic about dell selling boxes with linux. It's not like an election where people (at least in theory) are making a commitment on their choice.

Another problem with elder scrolls games in linux might be that at least for the 2 latest elder scrolls games, Morrowind and Oblivion, AFAIK, Bethesda used a 3rd party licensed engine and technology calle Gamebryo. So that means that it's not actually their technology to license and or release. Maybe the first 2 games, Arena and Daggerfall, which if im correct, their engines were made entirely by Bethesda.

[Svartalf]

Another problem with elder scrolls games in linux might be that at least for the 2 latest elder scrolls games, Morrowind and Oblivion, AFAIK, Bethesda used a 3rd party licensed engine and technology calle Gamebryo. So that means that it's not actually their technology to license and or release. Maybe the first 2 games, Arena and Daggerfall, which if im correct, their engines were made entirely by Bethesda.

Indeed. However, when I talked with the Gamebryo people back about 5 years ago they weren't one of the ones that effectively laughed in my face (That was GameSpy and a few others like 'em, FYI...)- they just indicated that it was something they'd not given a lot of thought about, but that it should not be too hard if there was a real or actually perceived demand for a Linux version of Gamebryo as it was already completely cross-platform and they knew it wasn't hard to make a migration from MacOS to Linux, coding-wise. It was more out of support concerns that they didn't commit to anything.

[Svartalf]

Yup, kinda depressing.

What if people would get a couple thousand names under a pledge making a promise to buy any of several games named in the pledge, if and only if there was a native linux version? Is there any credibility in such a claim from a game developer's perspective, and how many names would it take to be financially relevant? Or has it been tried already?

Umpteen times.

Petitions do NOT equate to sales.

Pledges do NOT equate to sales unless you have each person pony up the cash, up-front. Moreover, a couple thousand of those sorts of pledges won't amount to much unless you're talking to an indie with something other than a AAA title in hand. There's not anywhere NEAR enough money involved to turn most studios' heads.

Edit: I think i misunderstood the topic. I thought it meant what games i'd most like to see on linux.

Heh... It's okay... There's another thread over in this section dedicated to that purpose. Read the thread from start to finish and then contribute your wishes if you think we've not already covered it and it looks to you to be something perhaps chasing after.

[faemir]

UT2K4, NWN, Teeworlds, Heroes of Might and Magic III, Battle For Wesnoth, Penumbra Overture / Black Plague, ET:QW, Doom 3, Quake 4, WINE (lots)

[RobbieAB]

Im making a comparison with the dell community center where they asked for the "community" over there if they would buy a laptop and/or desktop pc that came with linux pre-loaded. Inmediately many people said YES!, which looked like there was demand at least at that moment. When the linux computers were released, there were lackluster sales. Apparently the people who voted were not making any commitment to actually buy them, and were just enthusiastic about dell selling boxes with linux.

Or perhaps they made it nearly impossible to BUY the machines with Linux pre-loaded. I know in Ireland, they don't offer any of the Ubuntu laptops, and when they offer RHEL laptops in the enterprise market, you are jumping through loops just to get them to even admit it's on the list of products.

Couple that with shoving Linux on the wrong models (>$1k consumer laptops are power machines!) and you have a recipe for lacklustre sales. If they instead took their $500 laptops, and offered a Ubuntu version prominantly and easily it would be a fairer contest.

[xav1r]

Indeed. However, when I talked with the Gamebryo people back about 5 years ago they weren't one of the ones that effectively laughed in my face (That was GameSpy and a few others like 'em, FYI...)- they just indicated that it was something they'd not given a lot of thought about, but that it should not be too hard if there was a real or actually perceived demand for a Linux version of Gamebryo as it was already completely cross-platform and they knew it wasn't hard to make a migration from MacOS to Linux, coding-wise. It was more out of support concerns that they didn't commit to anything.

Couldnt you talk to them now and see if they have changed their opinions regarding gamebryo running in linux? 5 years is a somewhat long time, linux is more widely accepted now. Woudlnt LGP help in supporting a linux port of gamebryo too?