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Tux Games sells Linux games exclusively and provides packages with Linux binaries even when the developers choose not to. (Medal of Honor: Allied Assault has been added as a preorder item already after the icculus.org announcement)

Loki Games' has ceased to exist but their site still lists their resellers here, I'm sure many of them still stock Loki's old games and probably titles from other publishers too.

Linux Game Publishing lists their resellers here.

Actually, the official RtCW Linux install doesn't extract any files from the CD. Tuxgames created a CD with a preconfigured Wine to install the needed files from the CD.

It's been a while since I installed Quake3, but IIRC you needed to manually copy the game data files to your installation dir.

UT2k3 was the more direct install. Put the 3rd CD in, run setup.run, enjoy (with the correct hardware).

Try Tux Games. They ship to the US, too.

There are about 20-30 games for Linux. Go see http://www.tuxgames.com/. I will admit though, that there are only about 10 pretty good ones. :-)

UT 2003!
Linux Games!!
Tux Games!
Neverwinter Nights!
In your face you greasy little "Linux doesn't have any games" troll!

Please play more commercially-produced, retail linux games. We need to invest time in the "commercial market", the free and opensource market will always be around. I don't troll when I say this; Linux, and its buddy, freeBSD, need to be recognised as alternative platforms for gaming and we need more 1337 SysAdmins playin and talkin Linux UT2003, Linux Tribes2, Linux Doom3, Linux RtCW, and Mr. Mike Simms' new effort called Majesty. Thankyou for the excellent forum to post this unto and thanks for the consistant ranting, praising, code ethics, and kindness.

Check out Tux Games. Lots of native games. I'm sure others can list lots more, some free.

You can order from tuxgames. I just placed my order!

-Paul Komarek

Tux Games is now listing the game here. We will, as always, report the sales of any game from our store as a Linux sale, to try and encourage further porting of Linux products.

Tux Games is now listing the game here. We will, as always, report the sales of any game from our store as a Linux sale, to try and encourage further porting of Linux products.

Actually, there will be a Doom 3 for Linux.

Take a look here, or go hereto preorder a copy.

Actually, there will be a Doom 3 for Linux.

Take a look here, or go hereto preorder a copy.

Years later, I was still broke, and still using Linux. I couldn't afford crap for software, so I really appreciated the freebies, even though they were not as flashy as commercial programs.

Now I finally have two nickels to rub together, and guess what, I'm spending it on Linux stuff. I have a pile of Loki games, frequently browse around on TuxGames, I pitched in on the Blender Foundation, I bought a copy of LinuxCAD (which was a mistake), and I'm saving up for a Zaurus.

So there was a long incubation period for me, but now I'm contributing to the Linux microeconomy in a big way, and its just a matter of time before others reach my stage.

Even if it didn't, there's always the Linux native port!

This is pathetic. A whole article about a linux trade show, and not ONE worthwhile piece of information. I've got some news for you linux types: without industry-standard applications like Microsoft Word or games like Quake 3, your little toy OS is going exactly NOWHERE.

What bridge have you been living under? I wasn't aware that there was *another* video game, exclusive to Windows, called Quake 3? Fancy that!

If you're going to attempt to insult us Linux using folk, you might as well do us all a favour and do it right.

-Colin

From the Tux Games homepage:

Neverwinter Nights is now available for the Windows platform. However as Tux Games is a Linux company we will not be shipping until the Linux client is available.
If you cannot wait, please send an email to sales@tuxgames.com and we will send just the Windows CD to you.

So, that's betting the whole damn house except the garage, huh?

Has anyone that supports WINE actually given a thought to what happens if this is the way things go? Let me once again state the blindingly obvious timeline that WINE leads us to

1) WINE improves its windows emulation, more games work under Linux than ever before.
2) Development of native Linux games is pretty much destroyed by WINE emulation because the few porting companies struggling to survive at this early stage cannot hope to keep up with dozens of well funded windows development companies.
3) Emulated games become the norm. By definition they are slower than native, less reliable, but we can sacrifice reliability because we can play games NOW!
4) As Linux games are all now emulated, sales figures for Linux games are all showing up as Windows sales. Linux sales figures effectively become zero, giving no incentive for any software company to produce native ports.
5) Microsoft, who though evil are damned clever with their lawyers, finds a nice little legal way to kill WINE, through a patent issue, or some DMCA clone or who knows. WINE development stops.
6) New games stop running on Linux because WINE cant support DirectX 12 or whatever the latest version is. Nobody thinks to worry about it in the game development companies because Linux sales figures are zero (see 4).
7) Linux gets less games that will work. The companies that busted their balls trying to make native Linux gaming viable, companies like Tux Games, Loki and LGP have all long since gone.
8) With nobody left to support Linux gaming, Linux gaming dies.
9) With no new games, Linux desktop becomes less attractive and people happily move back to windows so they can play the latest games NOW (see 3)
10) Bill Gates sends thankyou letter to Transgaming and other WINE supporters.

Any questions?

Sure I am a biased party. That is because by founding Tux Games, I have put my money where my mouth is and bet the whole house on native Linux because unlike Transgaming, I BELIEVE THAT LINUX DOES NOT NEED TO USE WINDOWS AS A CRUTCH AND THAT LINUX IS A DAMNED FINE OS IN ITS OWN RIGHT..

Note: Tux Games has been offered time and again, the opportunity to carry Transgaming games. We are well aware that if we did so, we would make more money, but we STRONGLY believe in the above timeline threat, and so we put our morals where our mouth is and stand by Linux native. Want to do the same? Then dont inflate Windows sales figures, support those that are working all hours to bring YOU new products.

Note: Mindrover also available for Linux, originally via Loki and re-published by Linux Game Publishing. A demo is still available from Loki Demos, and it is still offered for sale at TuxGames.

OK, for people not aware of the situation, there's a company called tuxgames which sells games for Linux. Right now one of their highest selling items is a game called, yes, neverwinter nights. But, they're not shipping the windows version of neverwinter, which is needed to play the linux version of neverwinter until bioware releasses Linux binaries. This is good because it isn't rewarding bioware for not releasing anything for Linux, which is what happens if Linux users order from anywhere else.

My question was regarding the release mentioned in this article, for whoever was ignorent of the situation and still thought it'd be fun to mod just because they could.

I know it's bad form complaining about moderation, but I'm tired of people coming home drunk late at night and moderating articles they're ignorent of! Now this reply would be sutable for modding down, or up, whatever, but not the parent!

Does anyone know if tuxgames will be shipping out boxes now, or if they'll be waiting untill the client is released as well?

I doubt anyone reading this wouldn't at least be aware of the option, but I think it's extrealy important to support Linux as a viable gaming platform by ordering from tuxgames. Show bioware that even if a low percentage, they can still get a chunk of money from us, and get some cash flowing to a good Linux related store in the process.

There was a petition out where you could sign up for demanding a Linux version of the upcoming patch, and I'm sure this has been one of the reasons why they will support it.

There are lots of Porting Petitions on Tux Games website: "Tux Games is determined to see all of the major commercial games ported to Linux. But before this can happen, the major game companies must be made aware of the demand. That is where we come in."

There was a petition out where you could sign up for demanding a Linux version of the upcoming patch, and I'm sure this has been one of the reasons why they will support it.

There are lots of Porting Petitions on Tux Games website: "Tux Games is determined to see all of the major commercial games ported to Linux. But before this can happen, the major game companies must be made aware of the demand. That is where we come in."

We did the same for Wolfenstein and had positive response from our numbers we handed in to id. We intend to do the same for NWN and hopefully ensure more games get ported.

Whichever way you do it, DO IT. Unless you make your voice heard, they wont listen.

In fact, it might not even _have_ a registration card! Instead, buy it from a known Linux vendor, like Tux Games so that other game companies will get the message that Linux really is a platform worth developing for!

Hey, I just pre-ordered my copy of Neverwinter Nights from TuxGames, which coincidentally was $5 USD cheaper (even after shipping) than any other e-tailer. I dont know about you, but most games worth playing that have come out recently have had Linux support.

There is still a long way to go (Jedi Knight 2, etc.) but no platform wins out of the starting gate, and gaming on Linux is relatively young. I will keep buying the games that support Linux (and browse my campus net for the ones that dont!).

Same reason you can't have Photoshop for Linux, or Microsoft Office for Linux: because the vendor wouldn't make any money off of a version of their software for Linux.

Yet you can buy Maya for Linux, which costs just a hair more than Photoshop or Microsoft Office. You can buy Star Office, but most people don't, because OpenOffice is nearly the same quality with the definate promise of improvement. There's also Abiword. Gnumeric is a top-notch spreadsheet program that I've come to prefer to excel. There's more like this. There's really very little incentive to buy an office suite when you can get better for free.

In other fields, the Free alternatives tend to kick the hiney of their commercial counterparts. Let's try a few, okay? Pan, a newsreader based loosley on Agent. Pan is the only newsreader to score perfectly on the GNKSA Evaluations. Compared this to its commercial basis, Agent's score really sucks. Then there's Quanta for HTML editing. VIM is fine for most people, but if you need that Dreamweaver-like crap, Quanta does it without getting in your way. And it's REALLY good. Oh yes, it's Free with a capital "EFF."

This is a silly arguement to make against "Linux." This is Capitalism 101. Good products offered under better conditions succeed while inferior products do not. Maya is wonderful under Linux, and there is nothing else in its league available on a Unix-ish (OS X, Linux) platform.

Oh, yes. You can also buy numerous games, of course. Neverwinter Nights in particular will be releasing for all three major platforms in a single box. We'll see what this does for sales.

1) Microsoft makes a technical development that the Wine/WineX people cannot emulate (unlikely)
2) Microsoft patents a vital part of the windows API preventing full emulation by Wine/WineX (very likely)

If EITHER of these things happen, then where are we if we have relied on emulation up to that point? We are at a technological dead-end. The building blocks for advanced native game development will not be there to allow rapid or efficient development or porting to Linux, and games will effectively no longer appear.

The only sensible course of action is to support the companies that support Linux. Loki is gone, but Linux Game Publishing, Tux Games and BlackHoleSun to name but a few, still carry on working hard t bring games to Linux. Support them and the games will continue. Fail to support them, and you will be left with the inevitable dead-end of Wine/WineX

It'd be really nice if games were ported/developed for linux.

Except they are.

Sure, lately fewer are available, but still some are being released.

Support people that porth the games!! I mean Wine is nice for trying to get people to use linux, but in the long run we need ported games! - - Happy Peguin - Hyperion - - Tux Games - Introversion . .. plus hunt for more!

Hear, hear. Also, buy games for Linux from people who go out on a limb to develop them. I haven't heard of any of them threatening lawsuits under the DMCA, and you know they appreciate your business because we can all use something to eat from time to time.

I do not run Windows. If I can connect a PS2 to my lan via ethernet (Linux served DHCP or static private NATed), I will buy one for Everquest. I am interested, but I refuse to buy and run Windows just for one particular game, when I have so many other choices.

Two points...

• A non-upgrade non-continuing-exploitation licence for a gaming Windows is just as expensive as a PS/2

• There are many good and great games for Linux

The biggest miscalculation came with Quake III Arena, originally published by id Software. Draeker thought that a "limited collector's edition" shipped in a tin box specially made in China would be just the ticket -- so he ordered 50,000 units, making it the least limited of all of Loki's editions. About 7,000 units sold; most would be unloaded on a liquidator later.

I recently bought a second copy of Tribes II from Tux Games (which seems to load somewhat slowly right now). I think there are a few other places, too, but I'm not able to find them right now.

There are several good linux gaming sites, such as linuxgames and icculus.org. icclus.org has a nice faq and lots of projects, and linuxgames is a cornucopia of helpful info for gaming on linux.

-Paul Komarek

In addition, I would recommend ordering from a Linux reseller such as Tux Games in order for the sale to be counted as a Linux sale.

-Karl

This is just the server code Bungie used for their Myth2 website; it's not something that was for sale! As for the game, you can still find the Linux version of Myth 2 at tuxgames. "Runs on Linux! Cool!" But hurry, since it's Almost Sold Out!

You could get them at Tuxgames.

If you want to make sure that, if you buy it for Linux it is registered AS a linux version, please do one of the following:
REMEMBER to send in your registration card and tick the Linux box (or as is more likely add on a Linux box because they forgot to put one on
Buy it from a Linux retailer that has pledged to report all sales of the game to the publisher AS Linux sales. We at Tux Games are doing this, and you can preorder here.
Please do not forget to do one of these things, or the vast majority of Linux sales will just be written off as windows sales, and that will NOT help to get us the greater recognition by game developers that we all need.

Even though this has happened, Linux Games are not going away.
Tux Games still has Loki stock. We buy from a lot of other places too.
There is a new porting company out there, Linux Game Publishing who have already released one title, and have another announced. Dont forget NeverwinterNights is coming too. Return to Castle Wolfenstein has just been released, and is looking to be one of the most popular games we've ever had.
Yes, we will all miss Loki, and yes it is very sad.
BUT the game goes on, games will keep appearing - lets just try and make sure that people BUY them this time, and stop this happening again.

Even though this has happened, Linux Games are not going away.
Tux Games still has Loki stock. We buy from a lot of other places too.
There is a new porting company out there, Linux Game Publishing who have already released one title, and have another announced. Dont forget NeverwinterNights is coming too. Return to Castle Wolfenstein has just been released, and is looking to be one of the most popular games we've ever had.
Yes, we will all miss Loki, and yes it is very sad.
BUT the game goes on, games will keep appearing - lets just try and make sure that people BUY them this time, and stop this happening again.

Even though this has happened, Linux Games are not going away.
Tux Games still has Loki stock. We buy from a lot of other places too.
There is a new porting company out there, Linux Game Publishing who have already released one title, and have another announced. Dont forget NeverwinterNights is coming too. Return to Castle Wolfenstein has just been released, and is looking to be one of the most popular games we've ever had.
Yes, we will all miss Loki, and yes it is very sad.
BUT the game goes on, games will keep appearing - lets just try and make sure that people BUY them this time, and stop this happening again.

Loki will be sorely missed.

-B

You can use wine, or vmware, or whatever to install the required pk3's.
The mac version will have an uncompressed file tree so Linux users can just copy the pk3's. (Presumably the installer may also in the future have an option for owning the mac cd).
Or you can buy it from tuxgames (who will presumably have a way to bypass the installshield junk) http://www.tuxgames.com/.

My vote goes to Return to Castle Wolfenstein without a doubt.
Even tho the single-player binaries have not yet been released, the multiplayer part will keep you busy for a while. It's being ported to single player as we speak, and the binaries can be found on iD Software's FTP server...
Support gaming under Linux; buy Return to Castle Wolfenstein from TuxGames!!

I have also enjoyed numerous games ported by LokiGames. Go to their site, and browse thru their catalog.
Titles I have enjoyed in 2001: Rune, Unreal Tourney, FAKK2, Soldier of Fortune, Tribes 2 and Alpha Centauri...

But RTCW [Return to Castle Wolfenstein] is still no. 1 ;-)
Get progress reports on Castle Wolfenstein port on LinuxGames and Christian Antkow's .plan file.

It's been a very good year for gaming in our favourite OS, let's hope it gets even better in 2002!!

Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

Tux Games will be selling the Windows version bundled with a custom CD that has the Linux binaries and "everything you should need to get it running."

A linux binary will be available shortly through Tux Games which will also have the Windows version on the CD. It can be pre-ordered now.

If you buy it from tuxgames they will provide numbers of sales to the publisher. At least that something.

This release isn't quite as nice as some of iD's past Linux offerings. First, this release only works for the multiplayer portion of the game. The single player portion is said to be supported in a later release, but who knows how long that will take. Second, you must use either wine or an actual windows installation to install this thing. Apparently it has to do with how the CD was put together, it's just one big EXE from which all the PAK files are extracted. So you must run the windows installer under wine so you can get the PAK files, so you can finally install the Linux binary. Seems like quite a hassle to me, I would really hate to install wine just so I could run one game natively under Linux. Apparently the people at Tuxgames are working on setting up some sort of linux installer. But what options do they really have? The way I see it they could either set up some sort of mini-wine distribution on their installation CD to extract the data from the EXE, or find out the compression scheme that this EXE uses and hack together some native linux program to get the PAK data out. Either way, it doesn't sound like a lot of fun.

They are not selling a linux version by itself, but Tux Games will be selling RTCW as a Win32 Version bundled with a Linux Binary CD.

Go buy it and send a message back to ID Software...