leave it Epic to promptly forget what made UT2k3 / UT2k4 a success. As a platform, Linux draws more programmer types than Windows, and many of the more successful modifications for UT2k3 / UT2k4 were produced on Linux systems. Coming from someone who hung around sites like BeyondUnreal and NaliCity on a near unhealthy basis, to my eyes it was an uncommon sight to see somebody who had produced their map / skin / mod on a Microsoft platform.
When UT3 launched, I remembered several forum threads from modders would wait for the Linux client and production tools rather than having to change up their production systems. I could be wrong, but I think Epic somehow managed to miss figuring out where their content creators were at... and from the activity of the UT3 mod scene since launch, it seems that such a viewpoint is correct. While UT3 does have several quality maps available, and several quality modifications, the number of contributers has cut off sharply, and the game was not considered a success for Midway.
One of the big stories over the past month was the re-launch of UT3 on Steam and the addition of the Titan-Gamepack, whiich turned into a successful relaunch of the product.
However... maybe not coincidentally, at the same time Steam was pumping up the UT3 relaunch, Cedega was making UT3-win playable on Linux. Now, if Cedega does their job right, tracking information obtained about a computer from a game developer or publisher should return would return a Windows compatiblity base... Only if Cedega, Wine, or Crossover screw something up will publishers suddenly get an idea of just how many people are not using Windows... exampling the sudden number of people playing City of Heroes on Windows 98 systems, and NCSoft's subsequent hiring of Transgaming for an official Mac Port.
While I don't have any hard information to state that Cedega's playability of UT3 on Linux was responsible for the turn-around in sales and subsequent re-interest in Epics game... I do think the empirical sales and community participation information that IS available indicates that Epic screwed up on their platform support.
When UT3 launched, I remembered several forum threads from modders would wait for the Linux client and production tools rather than having to change up their production systems. I could be wrong, but I think Epic somehow managed to miss figuring out where their content creators were at... and from the activity of the UT3 mod scene since launch, it seems that such a viewpoint is correct. While UT3 does have several quality maps available, and several quality modifications, the number of contributers has cut off sharply, and the game was not considered a success for Midway.
One of the big stories over the past month was the re-launch of UT3 on Steam and the addition of the Titan-Gamepack, whiich turned into a successful relaunch of the product.
However... maybe not coincidentally, at the same time Steam was pumping up the UT3 relaunch, Cedega was making UT3-win playable on Linux. Now, if Cedega does their job right, tracking information obtained about a computer from a game developer or publisher should return would return a Windows compatiblity base... Only if Cedega, Wine, or Crossover screw something up will publishers suddenly get an idea of just how many people are not using Windows... exampling the sudden number of people playing City of Heroes on Windows 98 systems, and NCSoft's subsequent hiring of Transgaming for an official Mac Port.
While I don't have any hard information to state that Cedega's playability of UT3 on Linux was responsible for the turn-around in sales and subsequent re-interest in Epics game... I do think the empirical sales and community participation information that IS available indicates that Epic screwed up on their platform support.
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