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.

Comments

Were is my pointy-horned cap?

[jvmatthe]

The submitter wrote:

LiveCDs have always been a great way to sway potential Linux-converts, but this should really impress them!

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.

Re:Were is my pointy-horned cap?

[Soko]

I agree that Windows users won't actively seek out this - especially if they're happy with thier current OS.

However, this can be the coup-de-grace for the people who are merely curious about Linux, even more so to those who are considering a switch. Observe:

WindowsUser: Y'know, I'd like to try that Linux thing but I don't want to hose my Windows machine.

LinuxAdvocate: No problem. Here's a Gentoo Linux 1.4 CD. You boot from it and it creates a temporary but fully working Linux system. You have an NVIDIA card, so you're good to go.

WindowsUser: It won't hose my system?

LinuxAdvocate: Not at all. It won't even look at your disk unless you tell it to.

WindowsUser: Hmmmmmm - OK, lemme plug it in and re-boot.

(Many minutes of playing with Linux)

WindowsUser: Seems stable and fast. It's alot like Windows, too. Not bad. What about games?

LinuxAdvocate: *ShitEatingGrin* Have I got a treat for you....

It's a marketing tool. UT2003 is just a way to draw the bees to the honey. Besides, it'd be cool to carry around your UT2003 environment wherever you go...

Soko

Reasons for the CD...

[Twister002]

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