Slashdot Mirror
UT2003 LiveCD
ztc writes "Gentoo has added a Unreal Tournament 2003 demo to a version of their Linux-based LiveCD. It has up-to-date nvidia graphics drivers, sound drivers, network drivers, etc. on the CD ready-to-play. LiveCDs have always been a great way to sway potential Linux-converts, but this should really impress them! You can download the iso here." A sneaky way to promote Gentoo. I like it.
Well, I don't know exactly what the LiveCD does, but I will say that if you're trying to impress them with the game, then I'm not sure that the Linux demo is going to be that impressive to Windows people. If I were a Windows-only user, I'd ask them what the big deal was, since I could play it on my Windows machine already. And I'd point out that, despite the fact that NVIDIA cards are pretty widespread, the demo on Windows supports a wider range of cards, including the lowly 3dfx Voodoo3. And that it doesn't require rebooting the machine.
If this were a Linux-only game that supported a wide range of hardware configurations and showed off graphical splendor that wasn't generally available on Windows, then that'd be impressive to lots of people. As much as my geeky side can be impressed by the idea of putting together a CD like this, I just don't see Windows people giving a hoot.
FWIW, I'm not a Windows user. I only use Linux at work and at home. Heck, I even wrote an article on the Linux demo and how it came to be. But most Windows users are still puzzled about why a Linux port even exists. They're certainly not going to want you rebooting their machine just so you can boot up Linux and play it from a CD.
Curmudgeon Gamer: Not happy
I just started using gentoo last thursday. This after 5 years of slackware, and only slackware.
It's a fantastic distro for those of you with a pretty strong system, I highly reccommend it.
-- Note: If you don't agree with me, don't bother replying. I won't read it.
I installed UT2K3 on both of my home systems - Redhat 7.3 on an Athlon 750 with a GeForce 2 MX, and WinXP on a Duron 1GHz with a GeForce 3 Ti500. It runs fine at 1024x768 on WinXP and (a slightly less choppy) 800x600 on Redhat. Obviously these two systems aren't great for a head-to-head comparison, but it does go to show that UT2K3 is capable of running better on Linux than your experience would suggest
Your point is well taken, since I often find myself playing the part of the Zealot. But there is more to it than this. I personally have been trying to get Linux to replace Windows on my PCs at home. Not simply have it there as a secondary boot. The only thing that keeps me in Windows at this point is Games. I'm a gamer, I love games, and I can't play them in Linux. This is exactly the type of thing thats needed to keep momentum moving in the right direction. We've been facing this chicken/egg situation where you cant run linux because there are no games/apps and no one will develop games/apps because no one runs linux for too long. I'm way past ready for this.
Go Gentoo!
(Offtopic: I have been able to completely convert my laptop to a Linux only box thanks to Mandrake 8.2/Ximian Gnome. I use it primarily for development, and I dont think I'll ever need to boot windows on this machine again.)
---
Jedimom.com, ever been in a turkish prison?
StrategyTalk.com, PC Game Forums
What's one of the big reasons people always give for not switching to Linux? What's one of the big reasons that many of us STILL have Windows boxes or dual-boot?
The games.
Now we've got two or three big games being released for the Linux platforms. (UT 2003, NWN(when it's done?), Quake 3(I know released heap long time ago, but it's still a big game) Proof that Linux can run major market games. May help sway some people.
The future
What *I* would like to see is games released in this Live CD fashion. So that you don't have to worry about getting the latet drivers. It almost turns any computer into a gaming console. You just put in the CD, reboot, and play. Don't have to worry about clearing out hard drive space or buying a new hard drive so you have enough space. You don't have to worry about having the drivers that work with the game. It's all bundled up in the UT OS I don't know how it was for some people, but it was a PAIN trying to get Quake and Quake2 installed and running under Linux for me.
Heck you and some friends could burn off these CD's and head to your local internet cafe or Best Buy and play some UT over the net...hehehehe
"For a successful technology, honesty must take precedence over public relations for nature cannot be fooled." -Feynman
I am quite disapointed that linux faired so much worse on my system, I really do hope that either I screwed something up or it is a peculiarity of my system or the beta level software.
;-)
It's reallly ver simple. The OpenGL UT2003 drivers are pretty much unoptimized at this point. Remember, the main renderer engine for UT is D3D which means that the game will run faster in D3D mode. Using the OpenGL engine under Windows will probably yield the same crappy result. But then again a dual Celeron 333 is really not up to speed and doesn't even come close to the minimum advertised requirements for UT2003 (At least a PIII 700, etc..). Upgrade!
-adnans
"In short: just say NO TO DRUGS, and maybe you won't end up like the Hurd people." --Linus Torvalds
I believe the point is: Show me a CD that will boot Windows and showcase a game WITHOUT the need for installing the OS.
Surely the game distributers would be on the losing end of a lawsuit.
come on fhqwhgads
So now you've turned your $1000 ($1500, $2000, $2500, etc) computer into the equivalent of a $200 console! Hooray!
Is that a point worth bragging about?
Yes, if you look at it as you have INCREASED your computers ability by the equivalent of a $200 console. You have to realize that in a general purpose computer the benefits are cumulative.
come on fhqwhgads
I like this idea, but no one really wants to go back to the days of coding for a particular piece of hardware. HAL's and API's have made things easier, and I don't think anyone who hasn't already gone over to the console side of the business really wants to shove their arms back into that particular cow's ass.
Besides, you'd have to deal with driver updates (since some drivers provide better performance, you'd better believe I want to use those) as well as providing support for hardware released after the game (Quake III had damn well better be able to run on my GF4!)
It's a cool idea, but not very workable anymore. Back in the day where it was VESA/Soundblaster, this was workable (didn't games used to come like this?) Nowadays, I don't see how it could work except for a very specific config.
I'll give this the benefit of a doubt though, and despite being a Windows user, I'll download the ISO and compare performance.