LGP To Start Work On Another Game

[Aradreth]

Sacred tanked on Windows, who would want this on Linux since we have The Witcher and the rest running fine with WINE?

too bad that the good intentions of linuxgamepublishing meet these bad game choices

and another thing "plans to ship the title in August of this year" lulz... the X3 port should have been out in Aug 2007, now it's just at Closed Beta 9...wtf?!!?!

Firstly if I remember correctly they were having issues with certain sound setups with X3 and I believe I read somewhere they would only be announcing games when they where close to completion because of what happened with Disciples 2 and X3 (delays and such) but my memory isn't the best so that maybe wrong. As for the choice of games, they go for what they can afford they can't just pull money out of thin air to pay to port a AAA title.

[deanjo]

As for the choice of games, they go for what they can afford they can't just pull money out of thin air to pay to port a AAA title.

One could only dream of LPG, Ryan and Aspyre teaming up. They seem to have the cash needed.

[Aradreth]

One could only dream of LPG, Ryan and Aspyre teaming up. They seem to have the cash needed.

That would indeed make me very happy. :P

[Svartalf]

Sacred tanked on Windows, who would want this on Linux since we have The Witcher and the rest running fine with WINE?

too bad that the good intentions of linuxgamepublishing meet these bad game choices

and another thing "plans to ship the title in August of this year" lulz... the X3 port should have been out in Aug 2007, now it's just at Closed Beta 9...wtf?!!?!

They're not bad game choices- they're only bad in YOUR opinion. Moreover, you're lucky that WINE even runs it. They busted the hell out of Diablo and Diablo II with the Platinum beta run of WINE. WINE's a band-aid, not an answer, no matter what you say.

I'm going to venture forth my personal opinion here.

It does not reflect any official position of ANY company whatsoever. It's not wholly directed at you, though
you're the recipient because you're the mouther off du jour on the subject I'm about to comment upon.

who would want this on Linux since we have The Witcher and the rest running fine with WINE?

You.
Are.
Part.
Of.
The.
Problem.

Each title you buy under WINDOWS, I don't care what you run it under, is a vote to continue to have vendors make only titles for Windows. If you don't want to play Sacred, fine, voice your opinion as such and go on (which I'm supposing you're doing...)- but do NOT keep whining about there NOT being any Linux titles. The studios and publishers do NOT care how many users there are out there for a given OS- they only care about what is currently selling. When you buy a Windows title, that's what got sold- no more, no less.

When you buy the Witcher, you're sending Atari the message that it's "okay" to keep making Windows versions and that it was "okay" for them to pull the plug (Which is what happened there...) on the planned Linux version of the same. Personally, I don't care how GOOD the title is- if they're going to do things like that I don't want to play it at all. You shouldn't either because you're encouraging them to snub you in this manner. Honest.

Without numbers, they'll just keep doing this stuff. It continues to amaze me that people will just keep doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result each and every time they do it- and I'm NOT referring to the studios here.

And if you think these are bad decisions, it's not because they're bad, it's because these are the only titles where the studios will give LGP, Runesoft, etc. the time of day and ask for doable royalty structures.

There's one of three ways to fix this.

1) Cough up about 10 million per year for about the next 3-4 years (I am dead serious about this...) to subsidize about 5-10 titles per year in the genres that you all keep complaining about so they can be made and someone can take a small to medium loss on the whole deal; just so we can have sales figures to start shifting the situation more in the Linux community's favor.

2) Buy up titles that look good to you (And NOT basing it on tanking in the Windows space as being a "bad title". Poor marketing, I think you will find, was one of the main causes of Sacred tanking...and it did well enough that they're making a sequel...think about that one...) and seem like they may be fun- even if they're "old" or "tanked", that the current publishing crowd can actually get deals on, and help them break even or better so we can have decent sales figures to improve the situation in our favor.

3) Change the rules with something Open Sourced like Nexuiz so that the issue is a moot point.

Bitching about this in the forums like you have doing and in the faces of the people trying to make a difference and in the faces of the studios you're needing to convince WILL NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. It will only make it worse.

You want games, gang? You're going to have to do something other than this crap you are all doing right now. Honest.

[content edited to blunt the remarks a bit... It came over upon a second reading a being too harsh even for what I'm trying to convey here...]

[deanjo]

1) Cough up about 10 million per year for about the next 3-4 years (I am dead serious about this...) to subsidize about 5-10 titles per year in the genres that you all keep basically whining about so they can be made and someone can take a small to medium loss on the whole deal; just so we can have sales figures to start shifting the situation more in the Linux community's favor.

I buy a lottery ticket every week with this in mind.

[Svartalf]

I buy a lottery ticket every week with this in mind.

Same here, actually. I'd consider it an investment in the future- because I DO agree with you that this isn't working as well as anyone had hoped and that the way you're talking to is going to have better results in the long-term, even if they're somewhat pricey in the short term.

Unless Steam/Source pans out well (I think it will for everyone...but you just don't know...) or the Pandora does as well or better than the community over at OpenPandora is hoping for, we're stuck with the other way- the way things currently are.

Griping about it and not coming up with either option 1 or 3 that I mention isn't going to be helpful in the slightest and is contributing to the problem in the whole.

[deanjo]

Same here, actually. I'd consider it an investment in the future- because I DO agree with you that this isn't working as well as anyone had hoped and that the way you're talking to is going to have better results in the long-term, even if they're somewhat pricey in the short term.

Unless Steam/Source pans out well (I think it will for everyone...but you just don't know...) or the Pandora does as well or better than the community over at OpenPandora is hoping for, we're stuck with the other way- the way things currently are.

Griping about it and not coming up with either option 1 or 3 that I mention isn't going to be helpful in the slightest and is contributing to the problem in the whole.

Meh, maybe just get LPG on Nasdaq

[Svartalf]

Meh, maybe just get LPG on Nasdaq

Riight... You want us to be effed up like the rest of the publicly traded companies out there. Niice...

[Licaon]

They're not bad game choices- they're only bad in YOUR opinion.

that's what i said

Moreover, you're lucky that WINE even runs it.

WINE's a band-aid, not an answer, no matter what you say.

i did not say it's an answer, but until ( if ever ) the Linux binary appears it the only way ( no matter what i or you think it's better )

You.
Are.
Part.
Of.
The.
Problem.

Each title you buy under WINDOWS, I don't care what you run it under, is a vote to continue to have vendors make only titles for Windows.

so i should only play NWN/Nethack/ADOM/and other that have Linux binaries, forever?? ( imho those are fine games, but one wants more/diferent after a while )

If you don't want to play Sacred, fine, voice your opinion as such and go on (which I'm supposing you're doing...)- but do NOT keep whining about there NOT being any Linux titles.

where did i whine? please quote the part of me whining

The studios and publishers do NOT care how many users there are out there for a given OS- they only care about what is currently selling. When you buy a Windows title, that's what got sold- no more, no less.

but by not buying the game what guarantees do game devs/publishers have that a Linux port is even viable??? ( viable means that enough copies are sold so that the porting costs are atleast covered )

When you buy the Witcher, you're sending Atari the message that it's "okay" to keep making Windows versions and that it was "okay" for them to pull the plug (Which is what happened there...) on the planned Linux version of the same. Personally, I don't care how GOOD the title is- if they're going to do things like that I don't want to play it at all. You shouldn't either because you're encouraging them to snub you in this manner. Honest.

i agree
look what i did:
-i signed the petition back when the Linux port ( that wasn't even officialy announced anyway, it was only presumed because of the Aurora engine used ) was "dropped";
-i bought the game,
-i played the game in Linux+WINE,
-i did what i could using the official forum to, atleast, get the attention of users/mods/devs about the Linux issue [ The Witcher on Linux: info, more info, city vid, combat vid ] ( Licaon_Kter is my nick there BTW)
what did you do about this or any other game that you wanted to play under your OS of choice?

Without numbers, they'll just keep doing this stuff. It continues to amaze me that people will just keep doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result each and every time they do it- and I'm NOT referring to the studios here.

talking about numbers, in what statistic does the "voting with your wallet" ( by not buying the game until it has a Linux version) appears? who counts the lost sales here? who roams the Linux forums to read about sad linux users that would buy the game if a linux binary is available?

And if you think these are bad decisions, it's not because they're bad, it's because these are the only titles where the studios will give LGP, Runesoft, etc. the time of day and ask for doable royalty structures.

i respect what LGP does, and i wish to repay their work with $/euros; but i'll do that when a game that i like will be ported, sorry

Bitching about this in the forums like you have doing and in the faces of the people trying to make a difference and in the faces of the studios you're needing to convince WILL NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. It will only make it worse.

this also aplies to you too, remember

anyway do remember that we are both on the same side of the fence by posting here, try to redirect your argument against those how have the power to do something and do not know all these, i know about all these issues, i've posted all these issues on several gaming forums hoping that someone somewhere hears/reads my concerns and acts upon them

mmmkay?

[niniendowarrior]

I think Svartalf is responding in a general direction, not to a single response and I have the same sentiments. People whine here about it and in my opinion, that does no good at all. I also think that we do not know the big picture of what goes on behind the scenes. Sacred could be the first of many more titles being ported into Linux from that development studio. Instead of seeing it as an opportunity, people berate LGP for even bothering to get it. Let's not be so harsh on them.

I see Svartalf's point on not being interested in Windows games as similar as if I own a PS3 and a Xbox 360 exclusive comes along the way, I don't care what it is. I'm not buying an Xbox 360 for it. You have the money to burn, go ahead.

I do suppose, at the end of the day, it's your money and your say. Do what you will with it, but the industry numbers going back to the big publishers do not change as long as everyone attempts to buy a Windows copy and tries to run it on Linux. It runs on Wine, enjoy it on Wine if you want. But when all is said and done, it's still a Windows tally going back. I was *this* close to succumbing to Witcher for Windows because I like what I see thus far. Knowing they shafted the Linux version leaves a bad taste in my mouth.