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Neverwinter Nights for Linux

Marshall writes "Today I received an email from Tux Games that I never thought I'd get: confirmation that they were shipping me Neverwinter Nights complete with Linux installer! I didn't believe my eyes, so I checked out bioware's web page, and it was confirmed, the linux client is complete. Also check tuxgames.com which states that they are completing the installer and plan to ship games on Monday, 23 June."

325 comments

  1. Linux AND an OS X demo! by TexTex · · Score: 3, Informative

    Wow...a demo of NW for the OS X folks and a shipping version for the Linux team.

    Not a bad week in gaming for those who have strayed away from the flock.

    --
    -Barkeep, a draft of your most hazardous brew, for the world is slowly stepping into focus, and I don't like what I see.
    1. Re:Linux AND an OS X demo! by Matrix272 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Who the hell modded this offtopic? The topic is Neverwinter Nights for Linux... in case you're dumb, NW = NeverWinter Nights.

      --
      "It's better to have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it." ~ Christian Slater, True Romance
    2. Re:Linux AND an OS X demo! by stiggle · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Its not a Linux version - its a Linux x86 version. IT doesn't work on my Linux Alpha box, or the Linux Sparc box, so as far as I'm concerned - it doesn't work on any of my linux boxes so they are wrong in saying its out for Linux.

      It really annoys me when people say their software runs on Linux and it turns out to be Linux x86 - because they only release it as binary and they only compile it up for x86 boxes.

      Perhaps when people realise that there is more to Linux that x86, then they can truly say "It works on Linux".

    3. Re:Linux AND an OS X demo! by EnderWiggnz · · Score: 1

      grumble grumble...

      they arent about to release it in src code anytime, soon...

      --
      ... hi bingo ...
    4. Re:Linux AND an OS X demo! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      that is annoying, but x86 can reasonably be considered the "default hardware" for linux. remember? "this is a minix-like operating system for 386..."

    5. Re:Linux AND an OS X demo! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I suppose the Windows version isn't for Windows either then, as I couldn't run it on Windows NT 4 for Alpha...

      Seriously, I mean, that's just like saying "this is not a Ford engine -- it doesn't fit in my Ford Escort. Perhaps when people realise that there is more to Ford than Mondeo, then they can truly say 'It works on Ford'."

    6. Re:Linux AND an OS X demo! by Arker · · Score: 0, Redundant

      Doesn't work on LinuxPPC either. I agree, the false advertising gets very annoying.

      --
      =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
      Friends don't let friends enable ecmascript.
    7. Re:Linux AND an OS X demo! by shadow303 · · Score: 1

      But, it is for linux, you just don't have the required system specs to run it. You wouldn't complain about a program not being for Microsoft Windows just because it wouldn't run under 3.11 or because it requires a 3d-accelerated video card which you don't have.

      --
      I've got a mind like a steel trap - it's got an animal's foot stuck in it.
    8. Re:Linux AND an OS X demo! by vandan · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Now come ON!

      Windows users have a fair point that not many games are released for Linux because the market is less than 5% of the Windows market.

      You can't seriously tell us you expect them to support about 5% of the Linux market.

      If you have an Alpha linux box, it's not so you can play games on it. It's because you're serious about what you're doing. And if you are good at what you're so serious about doing, you can afford to buy a cheap-as-buscuits x86 system.

      But email them and complain, by all means. Maybe you can ask them if it will run on the latest $10,000 professional GPU, and if they can write support for those lasergun things you point at the screen. Those are cool. Oh, Oh, Oh, and force feedback. Gotta have force feeeeeeeeedbaaaaaack!

    9. Re:Linux AND an OS X demo! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Its not a Linux version - its a Linux x86 version. IT doesn't work on my Linux Alpha box, or the Linux Sparc box, so as far as I'm concerned - it doesn't work on any of my linux boxes so they are wrong in saying its out for Linux.

      It really annoys me when people say their software runs on Linux and it turns out to be Linux x86 - because they only release it as binary and they only compile it up for x86 boxes.

      Perhaps when people realise that there is more to Linux that x86, then they can truly say "It works on Linux"



      Hello, my name is Stiggle, and I am a stuck up ass hole of a loser. I don't understand the mutability of terms, and fail to comprehend why the whole world doesn't bow to minority tastes. I am uber-pissed that idiot companies like Blizzard say that their games are for the home Personal Computer, because it won't run on MY home Personal Computer, which is they very common and highly esteemed VT100 terminal. What is with these ass holes not catering to my every whim anyway? I'm the most important person in the world, and I get tired of people not recognizing that fact! Fuck all of you who think you matter, because dammit you don't! Screw market share, fuck profits. I want my game dammit! MINE MINE MINE!

    10. Re:Linux AND an OS X demo! by Simon+(S2) · · Score: 1

      "Windows users have a fair point that not many games are released for Linux because the market is less than 5% of the Windows market."

      and as long the games are only developed for windows, there will never be a linux market for them.
      you see... someone has to begin, and bioware did. that's good.
      immagine all game developers would stop writing code for windows only, and write just cross-platform games. do you see the linux (insert any other os here) market grow exponentially?

      --
      I just don't trust anything that bleeds for five days and doesn't die.
    11. Re:Linux AND an OS X demo! by Daengbo · · Score: 1

      If you don't like proprietary games, support in your country what a local PC maker did here: Liberta gave a total of one million Baht in prize money (the top prize was about two years' average salary) for best new GPLed 3D game on Linux. The company recently switched to Linux standard, with Windows upgrade available.

    12. Re:Linux AND an OS X demo! by the_real_tigga · · Score: 0, Troll

      and as long the games are only developed for windows, there will never be a linux market for them.

      I say there is already one.

      --
      my .sig is better than yours.
    13. Re:Linux AND an OS X demo! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Remember, that 5% is only for systems SOLD with Linux preinstalled. It does not count all the systems where people have setup a dual boot or just plain destroyed the Windows installation and installed Linux. I believe that the Linux base is MUCH larger than that 5%. Unfortunatly, there is no real way to measure it. But concidering how well Redhat and TransGaming are doing, I'd say there is definatly a good market out there.

    14. Re:Linux AND an OS X demo! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Well, maybe NWN doesn't, but Majesty and SoulRide from Linux Game Publishing both do. (So do two of the other LGP titles: Candy Cruncher and Ning Po.)

      All LGP titles may be purchased from Tux Games.

      And, to be fair, one should note that Hyperion's port of SIN, and Loki's ports of Civilization: Call to Power, Myth 2, Railroad Tycoon 2, Eric's Ultimate Solitaire, Heroes of Might and Magic 3, and Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri all also have Linux/PPC support.

    15. Re:Linux AND an OS X demo! by the_real_tigga · · Score: 1

      all right, mod me Troll.

      If you had spent just two seconds thinking about it "insightful" would have benn more appropriate, if any.

      --
      my .sig is better than yours.
    16. Re:Linux AND an OS X demo! by Moofie · · Score: 1

      You are a fucking moron.

      Sorry, that's all I have to say on the subject.

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    17. Re:Linux AND an OS X demo! by stiggle · · Score: 1

      If it didn't state that you needed those requirements then yes - I would be annoyed.

      Is it so much of a problem to educate people to label things properly?

      Are Bioware even aware that there is more to Linux that just x86 platforms?

      And it was possible to play all the games I used to on the Alpha under Windows (it had a nice little package called FX!32 which allowed you to run 32bit x86 applications on NT4).

    18. Re:Linux AND an OS X demo! by stiggle · · Score: 1

      A VT100 terminal is not a computer.
      All I asked for is for them to properly label it as being Linux x86.

      Where did I say I wanted a copy? I haven't even said I wanted them to relase the source......

      But then, you're an anoymous asshole with a talent for sticking your head up your ass. Try sticking your name to your words - at least I have the balls to stand by what I say.

  2. In other news by echorun · · Score: 3, Funny

    Hell freezes over

    --
    The human condition is to not accept the human condition.
    1. Re:In other news by LordDartan · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hell froze over?!?! Sweet!! Duke Nukem Forever must be right around the corner!

    2. Re:In other news by BexGu · · Score: 1

      No, No, No, if hell was really frozen over the Diablo 2 1.10 patch would be out. 1.5 years and counting.

    3. Re:In other news by fobbman · · Score: 5, Funny

      If that's the case, then there are a bunch of /. guys out there right now going to collect on those dates they were promised.

    4. Re:In other news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Wow, this got 5 points without mentioning microsoft.

    5. Re:In other news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You know, one of the layers of Baator (the Nine Hells) is frozen (Cania).

    6. Re:In other news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pardon me, I have a date with Seven of Nine.

    7. Re:In other news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Goodbye, Doctor.

    8. Re:In other news by shadowbearer · · Score: 4, Funny

      I *knew* it was no coincidence I got laid last night ;-)

      SB

      --
      It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
    9. Re:In other news by ketamine-bp · · Score: 1

      i thought you are talking about the Eagles (http://users.aol.com/jbscars/eagles/eagles.htm being the first in my search for related webpages for those who are uninformed.)

    10. Re:In other news by 3.1415926535 · · Score: 1

      And the Descent 3 v1.5 patch that fixes many long-standing and well-known issues! Hooray!

    11. Re:In other news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

      fobbman is a piece of shit! he's a luser liberal! he's probably got a rainbow flag hanging in his home! luser liberal faggot!

      ha ha ha ha ha ha ha !

  3. Shock has set in ... by Zemran · · Score: 0, Funny

    This is a day that I had given up on. I have almost completed NWN with it being the only reason for my Windows partition.

    --
    I love stacking my barbecues in the shed at the end of summer - you can't beat a bit of grill on grill action.
    1. Re:Shock has set in ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, perhaps if you had checked into it you would have realized that there was a working Linux installer for months now, hence not needing a Windows partition since..oh, around the time the installer came out.

      Nice troll, though. Not as good as some of the other ones here, but a good attempt all around.

    2. Re:Shock has set in ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anyone want my copy of it? I bought it months ago, played it for a couple of hours and it's been sitting on the shelf ever since. Horrible horrible boring game. It's one of the rare times I wished you could return opened software for a refund, I would've taken mine back. On a more positive note, let me know when Battlefield 1942 has a native Linux client. That game rocks.

  4. Tux Games knows how to Push Product by JohnnySkidmarks · · Score: 0

    Look how fast and amzing they are at (probably completely re-writing this game. Look now to a company like Blizard who have been working on a sing patch (DiabloIIx v1.10) for over a year.

    --

    I went to battle MC Escher but drew a blank

  5. Misleading Title by KoopaTroopa · · Score: 5, Funny

    This news forces me to reconsider how appropriate I believe the title Neverwinter Nights is.

    Perhaps Eventuallywinter Nights, Finallywinter Nights, or Tookadamnlongtimewinter Nights.

    --
    Sharpies don't just sniff themselves.
    1. Re:Misleading Title by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Surely it should be called, ActuallyItBeSummerNow Nights.

    2. Re:Misleading Title by troc · · Score: 4, Funny
      Me and my Mac-possessing friends are still calling it Nevereverwinter Nights


      Troc

      --
      Troc's dubious podcast and blog: http://www.trocnet.net
  6. Complete? Hardly. by eviltypeguy · · Score: 4, Informative

    I wouldn't call a client that unlike the Windows version lacks both movie playback and a toolset "complete".

    ppffttt

    Certainly not what we were led to belive we were getting when Bioware first announced a client.

    Both the Mac and Windows versions get movie playback, what do we get? Nada.

    Not only that the jackballs at Infogrames/Atari jacked up the the Linux installer included on the Shadows of Undrentide expansion disc by saving all the shell scripts using DOS line endings.

    1. Re:Complete? Hardly. by DreadSpoon · · Score: 1

      There is a Linux installer on the expansion? No need to wait for Liarware to make a separate 1.13 GB linux download?

    2. Re:Complete? Hardly. by LordYUK · · Score: 2, Informative

      Not that I disagree completely, but have you WATCHED the "movies"?

      My old SNES (NES even!) had cutscenes better than that... I'd say that BioWare went cheap, but the fact of the matter is, you CAN replicate them (instructions at nwn.bioware.com) for homemade modules, so I guess its just "showcasing" the feature...

      --
      This is my sig. Its pathetic.
    3. Re:Complete? Hardly. by AvitarX · · Score: 1

      The toolset is hardly part of the game client is it?

      I always kind of thought that is was like, you no, an editor and not the game client, am I wrong?

      As for the cutscenes? I grant you that one even if they suck.

      --
      Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
    4. Re:Complete? Hardly. by Schnapple · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Right, so instead of delaying the entire game for a year so they could deliver it to the other 10% of the gaming public they did that horrible thing people do and release it to the other 90% of the gaming public.

      And what do they get in return? Well if this thread is to be believed, nothing but gripes and complaints. No wonder they don't want to break their nuts getting a Linux port out the door - they'll get headaches either way.

      And the toolset hasn't been ported to Linux, mostly because Borland supposedly didn't come through with a compiler. And the Linux Client doesn't have movies becaue Bink's a little licensing bitch. And there's not an installer since they signed a bad contract with InstallSheild, who doesn't have a Linux version. Get over it. As Linux users you guys are supposed to be the "rebels" of the computer world - don't rebel and whine at the same time.

      FYI, hit up the Bioware forums, there's a linky in there to get the toolset running in Linux using a hacked WINE. It's got some glitches but they're minor from what I've been told.

      Also, get it right - Bioware didn't ship this game a year ago, Atari (then Infogrames) did. They had just spent a good load of cash getting Bioware away from Interplay and Bioware was in no position to tell them to sit on it a year.

    5. Re:Complete? Hardly. by JeffTL · · Score: 0

      The cutscenes are pretty good. They're Bioware-style, that's all.

    6. Re:Complete? Hardly. by trashme · · Score: 1

      I agree, the client really isn't complete. But it's definately enough to play the game with.

      As a little bonus to us Linux folks, Shadows of Undrentide includes a file called movies-SoU.txt which is a text description of the cutscenes.

    7. Re:Complete? Hardly. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I was lead to belive, by Bioware, the linux client was going to be shipped at the same time as the windows client.

      It wasn't. You ask what they get in return? My, and a lot of other peoples, $70. It's not what they get in return, it's what I was offered for my money, and was never delivered. At first it was ok, it will be out soon. Then it was irritating, but it was on it's way. Then it was starting to piss me off, but then a beta finally came out.

      Now, what if someone owed you $70 for that long? How would you take it? A little bit of bitching and complaining is more then fair from our point of view. I still haven't played the game, because I don't run windows. I may now finally get to.

      Had they not made these hints, allegations and almost promises, I would not have given them my $70. They did, now they can sit through all the whining in the world because this has been a long time coming for my money.

    8. Re:Complete? Hardly. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      hmm... yea. This box has a powerpc processor. It's definately linux, though :/

    9. Re:Complete? Hardly. by rifter · · Score: 1

      NOt only that, but you still cannot serve/host scenarios for NeverWinter Nights on a Linux box, nor create adventures on one. YOu still need Windows for that, though someone has claimed to get the scenario editor thingie to work with winex.

    10. Re:Complete? Hardly. by rifter · · Score: 0

      You cannot play this game without the toolset because that is how it works. A DM creates modules and hosts them on his/her box and you connect to it and play. This means one of the people you play with has to run windows.

    11. Re:Complete? Hardly. by 2Flower · · Score: 4, Informative

      You cannot play this game without the toolset because that is how it works. A DM creates modules and hosts them on his/her box and you connect to it and play. This means one of the people you play with has to run windows.

      Wrong.

      There's a perfectly usable Linux server -- so your earlier startement that Linux can't host the games is wrong. The DM client is not windows only, so that's wrong. The only windows only component is the toolset... but there are hundreds of modules already made by earlier users which you could download and play. So, you can have a 100% Linux solution.

      The only drawback is that the toolset is, as you note, Windows only. If you want to MAKE your own mods and not play existing ones you are out of luck. If that's going to cripple the entire experience for you, okay, don't buy it. Fair enough, vote with your dollars. But at least get your facts straight before complaining.

    12. Re:Complete? Hardly. by rifter · · Score: 1

      Honestly, since, again, the whole point of this game was the ability to make and host your own modules I would consider the experience pretty crippled.

      Thanks for the information about the server though.

    13. Re:Complete? Hardly. by Cecil · · Score: 1

      And what, pray tell, if I already spent my money, based on the premise that I could reboot into Windows to play while I was waiting the "two weeks"(!) for the Linux client to be released?

      And yes, modding is what I do, not having it does cripple the entire experience for me...

      Not that I'm really complaining about the game -- it's pretty good, or even that they're slowly releasing a second-rate Linux client. I'm only complaining that they promised everyone a concurrent release, and let's face it: this Linux client (and Mac client) release is similar to concurrent releases in the same way that "Daikatana" was too far ahead of it's time.

    14. Re:Complete? Hardly. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1
      And the toolset hasn't been ported to Linux, mostly because Borland supposedly didn't come through with a compiler. And the Linux Client doesn't have movies becaue Bink's a little licensing bitch. And there's not an installer since they signed a bad contract with InstallSheild, who doesn't have a Linux version.

      I'm missing the part where poor planning on bioware's part is supposed to be an excuse for them not delivering what they promised. Bink has shitty licensing? Don't use Bink. They could have reencoded all their video in something else and plugged it into the Linux version. While not a trivial task, it is far from impossible. The lack of a compiler forthcoming from Borland is an issue, but why would anyone trust Borland to meet its deliverable dates anyway? They chose to use Borland tools. And you say yourself that they signed a bad contract with "InstallSheild", why is this OUR problem?

      FYI, hit up the Bioware forums, there's a linky in there to get the toolset running in Linux using a hacked WINE. It's got some glitches but they're minor from what I've been told.

      Oh, this sounds good. Let's use a hacked version of Wine to run the toolset. I bet that'll be really stable.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    15. Re:Complete? Hardly. by Ravensfire · · Score: 1

      Not for me. The whole point was to play and host modules other people have created. I know my own limits - I couldn't create a decent module if I tried! But I can run someone else's effort.

      --
      "But we decide which is right, and which is an illusion"
    16. Re:Complete? Hardly. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Try again. You can serve/host scenarios under Linux.

    17. Re:Complete? Hardly. by rifter · · Score: 1

      *shrugs* To each his own I guess. At this point I will have to write a whole game from scratch just to do what I wanted to do with Bioware's product. It is something I should have done anyway, but since I am much better at creating stories and scenarios than writing code or drawing tools like this have always appealed to me more. Time to get off my butt I guess and learn how.

    18. Re:Complete? Hardly. by Chuck+Bucket · · Score: 2, Informative

      And there's not an installer since they signed a bad contract with InstallSheild, who doesn't have a Linux version.

      Incorrect, InstallShield has InstallShield Multiplatform which handles "[...] Mac OS X, OS/400, Windows, Linux, Solaris, AIX, HP-UX, and all other OS platforms you target." It creates a Java Swing GUI (commandline available by using the -console switch) which I'm using at work to create installers for our apps. Our target archs are AIX, Solaris and Linux, you layout your app, then it creates the installers for whichever archs you choose. It's really pretty nice, if you don't mind waiting for the Java GUI to load. ;)

      CB

    19. Re:Complete? Hardly. by Genom · · Score: 1

      It's not the quality of the movies - it's the fact that for the main storyline to make sense, you need at least the narrative that is given during the movies. The impression I get from the folks in the nwn.bioware.com forums is that quite a few people would be happy if they just gave static image with a sound-only voiceover, or even just displayed the text of the storyline to be read at the appropriate time.

    20. Re:Complete? Hardly. by eviltypeguy · · Score: 1

      Yes, I have watched the movies, and the movies in the expansion pack are far better than the original ones, but without the movies in the original one you'll miss part of the story (well, ok you can read it in your journal but you'll miss all of the nice artwork and a better idea of what the world of NeverWinter looks like).

      I must admit the game is still enjoyable despite these shortcomings, but they could have made several decision different. If they were really planning to make a cross-platform game they should have picked cross platform tools.

    21. Re:Complete? Hardly. by MrResistor · · Score: 1

      And the toolset hasn't been ported to Linux, mostly because Borland supposedly didn't come through with a compiler. And the Linux Client doesn't have movies becaue Bink's a little licensing bitch. And there's not an installer since they signed a bad contract with InstallSheild, who doesn't have a Linux version.

      Let that be a lesson to other developers thinking of using products from these companies.

      BUT, Bioware made promises it wasn't able to fulfill. It's perfectly valid for us to complain about that. Just because Borland or Bink or InstallShield is at the root of the problem doesn't make Bioware any less at fault. Bioware shouldn't have signed contracts that allowed third parties to be show-stoppers for them.

      They should have made sure that, for example, they would be able to use other codecs on platforms Bink didn't support. And saving Linux install scripts as DOS text files? That's just plain stupid, and shows a total disregard for the people they are allegedly supporting, since even a single test of the script would have shown that error. Any company that would release totally untested code deserves a few flames.

      Don't make promises you can't keep, and don't sell code that's untested. It's great that Bioware is putting forth the effort to support Linux, and I'll probably buy NWN now that it's officially released for Linux, but they've done a half-assed job of it, and anyone who does a half-assed job deserves the kind of treatment they're getting.

      --
      Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
    22. Re:Complete? Hardly. by rifter · · Score: 1

      Yes, I was wrong about that, but you still cannot create them, which defeats the purpose really.

    23. Re:Complete? Hardly. by doomy · · Score: 1

      The reason for this is, the BINK guys refused to do a Linux port of their bink movie player/codec for games.

      Now, I have problems with BINK, this video format doesnt even render on some high end gaming systems. I don't know why people still use BINK, it looks horrible on my Radeon 9700 (the neverwinter opening movie and so on - all blocky and stuff).

      If they cant use the game engine to make the game movies, maybe they should use something that would work on all systems right? Mayebe even DivX/XviD/Mpeg4 would do the job (And certainly be small and highly detailed).

      I just wish game companies would stop using BINK.

      --
      ...free your source and the rest would follow...
    24. Re:Complete? Hardly. by frankie · · Score: 1
      toolset hasn't been ported to Linux, mostly because Borland supposedly didn't come through with a compiler

      No. The Toolset didn't get ported mostly because Bioware chose to write it using a Windows-only tool (in this case, Borland). Then they spent then next year or so lying to the Mac and Linux fanbase that NWN was still on track to be 100% triple-compatible.

      Really, I'm quite impressed that they bothered to complete the Mac and Linux clients at all. But half a game, for full price, a year late, is not something I'm willing to buy.
    25. Re:Complete? Hardly. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well why not just aim a little lower?

      Clearly writing a Linux toolset for NWN would be far easier than writing an entirely new game. There is sufficient information out there regarding the file formats used by the toolset and scads of modules that you can examine to make up any shortfalls in the information.

    26. Re:Complete? Hardly. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Even better, have a look at Openknights. They are already working towards a portable toolset...

    27. Re:Complete? Hardly. by Moofie · · Score: 1

      I know that everybody at Bioware cries themselves to sleep every single night because you can't do what you want with THEIR PROGRAM. I can hear the sniffling from here.

      Quit your whining. Don't like the game? Don't play it.

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    28. Re:Complete? Hardly. by Moofie · · Score: 1

      Uh, you probably should have done what you should do with every single software release date since the beginning of time, and TREAT IT AS A TOTAL LIE.

      You must be new to this computer thing.

      Play the game, or don't. Nobody but you cares which you pick.

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    29. Re:Complete? Hardly. by Greg+W. · · Score: 1

      I tried watching the "movies" on my NWN installation on Windows 98 Second Edition. It was unbearable. They'd have 3 seconds of voice, then it would pause for 2 seconds, then 2 more seconds of voice, pause, etc. Eventually I just hit ESC or Space Bar or whatever it was to skip past them.

      You're not missing much. Really.

    30. Re:Complete? Hardly. by rifter · · Score: 1

      You are right, of course. But I am rebutting those who say that because we have a client we have a game. IN the case of NWN that is not true because the toolset is the whole point of the game. Without it, you're stuck with Windows if you actually want to use their program, which is their point.

      It is Bioware's prerogative, of course, to do whatever they want with their product. I fully support that. What I do not support is lying to the public as they have done (remember NWN was from the beginning supposed to be something for Linux and Mac, not just Windows, though to this day it is still just for Windows essentially) nor do I support slashdot as a medium for disseminating such misinformation. Then again I suppose that is what slashdot is for, besides the trolls.

  7. Finally... by Paleomacus · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...and to think I almost went in to work today.

    This made my year. How sad is that?

    1. Re:Finally... by Jim_Hawkins · · Score: 1
      This made my year. How sad is that?

      Yup. Pretty sad.
      (Hey...you asked...)

    2. Re:Finally... by Oliver+Wendell+Jones · · Score: 5, Funny

      This made my year. How sad is that?

      On the sadness scale of 1 to 10 where:

      1 = A Rainy Day, and

      10 = Your independently wealthy, nymphomaniac, computer literate, console game playing girlfriend who looks like a genetic combination of Pamela Anderson, Natalie Portman and Lara Croft (only with bigger boobs) crashes your new Porsche into a school bus full of nuns and orphans on their way back from rescuing puppies and kittens from the animal shelter, resulting in a huge explosion with no survivors, two days before your wedding after which you would have been a rich man and sole remaining heir to the (insert company of your choice) corporate empire.

      I'd say you're about a 12, maybe 12.5.

      --
      A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing -- Emo Phillips
    3. Re:Finally... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That was one of the funniest things I've read in months on /. Thanks!

  8. Re:This is fortuitous by mhore · · Score: 1

    So Rho... I guess that means we'll finally have to take the plunge, eh?

    M.

    --

    Mmmm......sacrelicious.

  9. Hmm by SkArcher · · Score: 0

    Shame the game sucks.

    What we need is Linux releases at the same time as the Windows releases, or even in advance. But it will be a cold day in hell before that happens.

    --

    An infinite number of monkeys will eventually come up with the complete works of /.
    1. Re:Hmm by geekmetal · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Who really needs games on Linux!

      --
      There are two kinds of egotists: 1) Those who admit it 2) The rest of us
    2. Re:Hmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      UT2003 came with the linux client on disc 3 right when it was released...

  10. Excellent by Cackmobile · · Score: 0

    I am a big fan of BLack Isle games (baldurs gate I & II). havn't played neverwinter nights but seems good. Is this the first major release for Linux. If so this could b ethe start of something big. Hopefully. Doom 3 on Linux anyone!!!

    --
    -- Karma Karma Karma Karma, Karma Chameleon - Boy George
    1. Re:Excellent by j4ck50n · · Score: 3, Insightful

      unless I have completely missed something, I dont think there is any reason not to expect D3 on *nix. All other ID games do, why not this?

    2. Re:Excellent by Cackmobile · · Score: 1

      fair enough. u learn something new everyday.

      --
      -- Karma Karma Karma Karma, Karma Chameleon - Boy George
  11. Re:This is fortuitous by Vengeance · · Score: 0

    I'm already plunged, Dess baby! I've had NWN sitting on a Windoze box for many moons now, but I pretty much just watch TV on that computer while using my Linux box for desktop work.

    --
    It was a joke! When you give me that look it was a joke.
  12. System Requirements??? by ILikeRed · · Score: 1

    What are the hardware system requirements? I can not seem to find them.

    --
    I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress -J Adams
    1. Re:System Requirements??? by Anime_Fan · · Score: 5, Informative

      The Win32 version has requirements:
      450 MHz CPU
      128 MB RAM (win2k/XP), 96MB (Win9x)
      1.2 GB HDD (Minimum Install + OS etc.)
      16 MB OpenGL 1.2 GFX ...

      Note that NWN has had problems w/ ATI cards all from the start. I'd suggest using a GeForce 2 MX card and a 1 GHz CPU for fair performance.

    2. Re:System Requirements??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am using an ATI Radeon 9800 pro with no problems at all. It looks fantastic.

    3. Re:System Requirements??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      On windows or linux?

    4. Re:System Requirements??? by rifter · · Score: 1

      Considering there are no linux drivers for any Radeon after 8500 and ATI has promised there never ever will be, I would guess windows.

    5. Re:System Requirements??? by wormbin · · Score: 1

      I thought that the latest XFree86 works by default for most Radeon chipsets. The fact that they're open source and not binary only was supposed to be a major plus over NVidia. Is this not the case? Lots of users on the red hat 9 list were crowing about how their Radeon 9xxx cards were doing 3d without any driver mucking.

    6. Re:System Requirements??? by Random+Feature · · Score: 2, Informative

      There was a hack to get ATI cards working early on (which worked great) and subsequent betas fixed the issues with ATI cards.

      I've run it on RH 8 and 9 with a Radeon 7500 and had no issues whatsoever with the ATI card.

      You might want to turn off DRI in the X config, it makes things run better.

      --
      I don't have a solution, but I certainly admire the problem.
    7. Re:System Requirements??? by mczak · · Score: 1

      Wrong. ATI's (binary only) drivers support 8500 and newer cards (though they don't have an official XFree86 4.3 driver yet, and the unofficial one will just lock up on the 8500/9000 with nwn).
      The open-source dri driver (also included in xfree 4.3) supports cards up to 8500/9000/9100/9200 (including all older cards, but not newer ones). Though there are some issues currently with nwn, you have to switch TCL off to get correct lighting and to avoid texture flickering (not all people seem to be affected by the latter problem though).

    8. Re:System Requirements??? by rifter · · Score: 1

      XFRee86 works if you use the vesa driver. Whoopie! 2D action!. But there are no native drivers for ATI Radeons past 8500, and therefore no 3d. The XFree86.org folks are saying there never will be because ATI is not going to develop them and is not going to share their data. The drivers we have now are there because tat used to be different.

      Anyway I am a pissed-off ATI user whose card does not work and will have to get Nvidia therefore. erhaps the Radeon 9XXX people you were talking about are 9700 users, since I found out today the 8500 drivers work with that card. I might have considered getting a 9700 if it had not been for ATI having the audacity to promise never to support Linux again. The XFree poeple say the drivers we have now are an accident of some drivers they made for high-end graphics cards working on consumer cards, and ATI did not actually mean to make drivers for consumer cards.

    9. Re:System Requirements??? by codeMonkeyWannabe · · Score: 1

      128 MB RAM (win2k/XP), 96MB (Win9x)

      128 MB RAM for XP? Oh, give me a break. 128 is barely enough for XP to run by itself much less play a game on top of that. It really ought to be 256 minimum. This is just like Microsoft's minimum requirements for different versions of Windows being unrealistically low. It's a disservice to consumers.

    10. Re:System Requirements??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's called "minimum" for a reason.

    11. Re:System Requirements??? by MrResistor · · Score: 1

      That's what it CAN run on, not what it would be PLEASANT to run on. That's why it's called a MINIMUM requirement.

      Every game I've bought in the last 2 years has also had a RECOMMENDED system, which is what you seem to be asking for.

      --
      Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
    12. Re:System Requirements??? by wormbin · · Score: 1

      XFRee86 works if you use the vesa driver. Whoopie! 2D action!. But there are no native drivers for ATI Radeons past 8500, and therefore no 3d.

      Actually, the open source drivers included in XFree86 do support 3d.

      For me, open source drivers are the clincher because it means the card has guaranteed support in the future. I still have an old kyro2 based card that worked great in an old kernel but broke when some kernel api changed. PowerVR decided to stop updating their binary drivers and now my card no longer works.

      While NVidia has had good linux support, they will probably, eventually stop supporting older video cards in their binary-only driver and then those cards will be junk.

      If I buy an ATI 9000 (or 9700--whatever) I know the drivers will be supported (by hackers) until the last card burns out.

    13. Re:System Requirements??? by StarTux · · Score: 1

      I did see a programmer mention the issue with ATI cards, looks as though they hit a block and now wait for ATI to either fix the driver or suggest fixes.

    14. Re:System Requirements??? by rifter · · Score: 1

      And your knowlege would be wrong. Yes, the drivers provided with XFree86 support 3d. No they do not work with all Radeons. Therefore you end up with the vesa driver which does not support 3d. I am speaking from complete experience having actually taken the trouble of participating in the xfree86.org list and having an actual ati card instead of believing bullshit I read on slashdot. You, however, are free to do what pleases you.

      I was, however, pleasantly surprised to see on the link you posted that the 9500/9700 are supported. I might go for that. But in the discussion I read on the xfree86.org list they went into excruciating detail about why later cards would not be supported. I noticed that the 9500/9700 use the Firegl driver, which fits what I read, and what I said to you.

      It is very difficult for hackers to create good drivers without information about the hardware being provided for them. What we have now we have because information was provided before from ATI. If they follow up on their promise of not providing that information, we will likely not get drivers.

      I have favored ATI in the past because the drivers were open source and I agree that is better. But when I read that this open sourceness was an accident of history and would not be repeated it made me rethink this stance with ATI.

  13. Re:Tux Games knows how to Push Product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, but blizz has like one person working on that patch. In the amount of time that it is taking them, thousands of total conversion mods have been programmed.

  14. Let's hope they plan on releasing the installer by crivens · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Let's hope they plan on releasing the installer separately so I don't have to buy another copy of the game.

    1. Re:Let's hope they plan on releasing the installer by Schnapple · · Score: 5, Informative

      Why would you need to buy another copy? The game assets are here (1.13GB). All you need is a CD Key and some FileShack patience (which would be cheaper than buying the game again).

    2. Re:Let's hope they plan on releasing the installer by Oswald · · Score: 1
      ...and some FileShack patience (which would be cheaper than buying the game again).

      How many times have I wished I could buy some patience--at any price.

    3. Re:Let's hope they plan on releasing the installer by Silvertre · · Score: 2, Informative

      There is an installer, out if you don't want to DL over a gig of files....

      http://www.nixnuts.net/nwn.htm

    4. Re:Let's hope they plan on releasing the installer by crivens · · Score: 1

      There's no way in hell that I'm going to download 1.3Gb just to play a game I already own!

    5. Re:Let's hope they plan on releasing the installer by Dimensio · · Score: 1

      There were at least two installers at the time of release of the first beta, and possibly more and better ones have come out since then (the installer that I used didn't do the 1.29 update, but I've heard that later incarnations incorporated the patch).

      While it is unfortunate and inexcusable that the installer included on the SoU CD is broken, it's easy enough to install it by unzipping the four large ZIPfiles off of the CD.

    6. Re:Let's hope they plan on releasing the installer by Moofie · · Score: 1

      You bought a game, that you can't play, because you didn't read the bottom of the box.

      Wow. If I could find you, I'd like to shake the hand of the stupidest person I've met this week.

      Do you wear a sign?

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
  15. cool by Boromir+son+of+Faram · · Score: 0, Troll

    I guess new games for Linux are always welcome, even if it's not free. Anybody have any idea how well Never Winter Knights holds up to Linux classics like Tux Racer? We Linux geeks tend to be pretty loyal, so a game will have to be damned impressive to compete with the established hits.

    --

    Boromir, son of Faramir, King of Gondor and Minas Tirith
    1. Re:cool by j4ck50n · · Score: 0, Troll
      Tux racer? Established hits...lol. oh man...

      apples n oranges.

      furthermore, your name is stupid, site name even stupider. woulda been cool uhm, 5 years before the movie was released but now its just cliche.

    2. Re:cool by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You have an interesting understanding of the definition of "cool."

    3. Re:cool by j4ck50n · · Score: 1
      what are you 12? you disagree and that means I prefer my own sex?

      now, you too can be included in Boromirs club...dumbass

  16. Linux NWN client out for months .... by dougnaka · · Score: 5, Informative

    I've been playing it with no problems. I think the likely cause of the excessively long delay to release is due to some good QA people at Bioware.
    So far everything in the game has worked flawlessly. With this and ut2003 native linux clients, Tux finally can be a gamer.
    I recommend downloading Gentoo's Unreal Tournament bootable CD if you want to demo native Linux gaming for some non-believers... Sorry, can't find a direct link... It's in their livecd folder...
    Also I recommend transgaming for Windows games on Linux. Warcraft 3, Ghost Recon, Max Payne to name a few games that run under Winex3...
    I hope more game development companies want my money, cuz from now on the only way their getting it is if the game has a native Linux client... Unless it's a ps2 game of course..

    --
    My Linux Command of the Day site : LCOD
    1. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by Moraelin · · Score: 5, Insightful
      With this and ut2003 native linux clients, Tux finally can be a gamer.

      Sadly, no. It will take a lot more than two games to get this gamer anywhere near taking Linux seriously as a gaming platform. I go through more than two games in a week.

      It's a shame, really. I know that technically Linux has all it takes, but until game companies start taking it anywhere _near_ seriously, well, it doesn't start to count as a gaming platform.

      I recommend downloading Gentoo's Unreal Tournament bootable CD if you want to demo native Linux gaming for some non-believers

      And "demo it to non-believers" is one thing I wouldn't do, either. Sorry, it's not there yet. In fact, if anyone really is a gamer, my honest advice would be not to even think about Linux to that end. Use it for your firewall, use it for editing docs in StarOffice, heck, maybe even for browsing the web. But for gaming it's _not_ the OS I'd recommend to anyone.

      Also I recommend transgaming for Windows games on Linux. Warcraft 3, Ghost Recon, Max Payne to name a few games that run under Winex3

      ... if you don't have anything better to do than spend a week configuring the damn thing to even run at all. And going through the usual Linux routine of "the app wants version 42.5.1 of some library, but everything else on the system was compiled with the incompatible 43.18.9 version, while the video card drivers can't possibly be installed without the 41.2.6 version, and is incompatible with the beta AGP drivers. And oh, each of them wants a completely different and incompatible version of 42 other libraries." So you spend a month just tracking the dependencies and downloading and compiling everything, just to play a game. No, thanks.

      You see, gaming is about, you know, _games_. Strange concept, I know.

      It's _not_ about feeling macho that you could recompile X and the kernel to run some 2 year old 2D game. _That_ is not something that your average gamer thinks of as fun.

      Your average gamer wants ideally something like the Playstation 2 that you mention: where you can just pop in a CD, and it just works.

      Don't get me wrong, I'm aware than the Winex does the best it can, and is remarkable from a technical point of view. But even with that, I still wouldn't recommend Linux as a gaming platform to anyone who isn't already a total nerd. (In which case they'll have so much fun recompiling the kernel, that they don't need more than a game per year anyway.)

      --
      A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
    2. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by Fizzol · · Score: 0, Troll
      >... if you don't have anything better to do than spend a week configuring the damn thing to even run at all.


      If you need a week to configure a game in winex then you're too braindead to play it anyway.

    3. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is no more a troll then the parent post.

      From his comments, he doesn't seem to use linux at all, just heard something that someone said about something, and that's about all his exposure to linux is.

    4. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by LDoggg_ · · Score: 1

      Sadly, no. It will take a lot more than two games to get this gamer anywhere near taking Linux seriously as a gaming platform. I go through more than two games in a week.

      Two games?

      Strange, here's a list of 282 native linux games. Some free, some commercial.
      Still, not as many as I'd like, but more than two. And if you go through 2 a week, that should keep you busy for the next two and a half years, at which time surely more games will be made or ported.

      --

      "If they have both, tell them we use Linux. And if they have that, tell them the computers are down." -Dave Chapelle
    5. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by rifter · · Score: 1

      Actually, I would say he is probably using Mandrake. That dependency hunt sounds awful familiar, and is one reason I abandoned RPM forever long ago.

      I'd be more inclined to say people who say it is easy to get games to work on Linux are the ones who use Windows. People who actually try to use LInux for games are the ones who complain. Although it is funny because his speech about taking a week to get a game working remind me very much of what it was like to try playing games on DOS (and later, again, on Win95) a few years back. So probably in a few years this won't be as much of a problem on Linux.

      However, that will not be the case if we stick our heads in the sand and ignore the criticism.

    6. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by rifter · · Score: 1

      Dude.. you just made my day, and significantly reduced the launches of nethack and xbill on my box ;) +5 informative!

    7. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by damiam · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yes, because spending my life playing XBill, Tuxracer, and the original Doom is my idea of a great time. I know, graphics aren't what makes a good game, but there are maybe five games on that list with the polish that you'd expect in a commercial Windows game these days.

      --
      It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.
    8. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by incom · · Score: 0, Troll
      And "demo it to non-believers" is one thing I wouldn't do, either.
      I'm sorry, I don't quite understand? Did you mean to write this?
      --
      True genius is grasping a situation like a peice of fruit, and peircing it just right so that it drains dry.
    9. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by mattdm · · Score: 1

      That dependency hunt sounds awful familiar, and is one reason I abandoned RPM forever long ago.

      Which is kinda silly, since it has nothing to do with RPM. In fact, RPM can help you avoid it. Just use yum or apt on top of it.

    10. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by Moraelin · · Score: 1
      I'm not going to argue with that. Yes, the average gamer is too "brain-dead" (or rather simply lacks the knowledge and inclination) to even configure X. Much less compile Winex. Heck, he or she doesn't even know where to unpack winex, if you gave him a version already compiled for his system. He doesn't even know what the heck the /var directory is, or what's the difference between /home/joe and /root. He or she thinks that mounting a disk is something perverts do, and that fsck is a swear word. (Well, ok, so without journalling it _is_ a swear word.)

      And precisely _because_ of that, I wouldn't recommend that they install Linux on their gaming machine.

      I don't doubt that he or she could eventually learn to compile the kernel, edit arcane config files in emacs, and whatever else counts as proper alpha-geek activities. It's possible. God knows it's not even half as hard as it was, say, 5 years ago.

      But for your average Random J Gamer, these skills have _zero_ practical value, and don't count as fun either. He or she would rather just pop the CD into their trusty old Windows or PS2 and spend their time actually playing.

      Basically my point of view is siding with my pal Random J Gamer here. Which option is the best for _him_, not which option does the most evangelizing for Linux. Under which system does he get more games, and has an easier time playing them?

      It's also siding with myself. I don't have the time or inclination to babysit Random J Gamer on the phone each time he has a problem compiling some library, and every time he can't figure out how to run some game in winex. That kind of thing only translates into wasted time both for him and for me. I'd rather that both him and I would do more fun stuff in that time.

      Basically I'm not saying that Linux is crap or anything. No better system for work, that's for sure.

      But before I'd start evangelizing it to my non-technical gamer friends, I'll wait for it to be as viable a gaming platform as Windows or the PS2 are. Not "somewhat viable", not "fairly viable if you're Unix literate", but at the point where you can tell Random J Gamer with a straight face that he can format his whole C: drive as a Linux partition and not miss anything gaming-wise. _Then_ I'll start evangelizing it as a gaming platform.

      --
      A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
    11. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by molarmass192 · · Score: 2, Informative

      I use Linux 100% of the time and I will concede you have a point. You're a little off base on the WineX piece taking "a week" to configure, WineX mainly works as advertised. Also, there are several excellent native games that weren't mentioned such as RTCW-ET and America's Army but, overall, Linux is not a "gamer's platform" as of yet. If you primarily use your PC for gaming, stay with Win98. The problem is that a lot of the current games use DirectX and, although some of these games do run decently under Wine and/or WineX, it's still a Windows only proposition. For Linux to become a mainstream gaming platform, DirectX has to go. However, MS hates to lose and this is one API they've done a good job pushing. DirectX provides a whole gaming API as opposed to OpenGL which is a graphics API. SDL fulfills a similar concept to DirectX for Linux and BioWare used it to port NWN but it remains to be seen if SDL will supplant DirectX, either way it's a tall order to fill.

      --

      Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws-Plato
    12. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by Moraelin · · Score: 1

      You know what's either funny or sad, depending on how you want to look at it? That I was at the same stage myself, about 3 years ago. I was happily posting (not on slashdot, though) about how everyone who says that Linux isn't 100% perfect and desktop ready is astroturfing for Microsoft. Guess it just shows that what goes around comes around :)

      --
      A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
    13. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think he's astroturfing for MS, or is not pointing out some actual flaws with linux, merely he does not go into any detail, and his arguement soulds like one made by someone who just hasn't used linux lately (last year and a half), or never really used it and is regurgatating things he's heard.

      I know linux is far from 100%. It has some ways to go still. It does work for me though, and is the OS I use daily on the desktop.

      Sonny, you're talking to an old time linux user here. I've got a copy of slackware 3 sitting beside me. Perhaps it's sometimes I forget that not everyone has been using linux for as long as I have and do not have as much familiarity with it. A little planning and/or a good package manager take care of the issue he has described.

    14. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by garett_spencley · · Score: 1

      Wether the average gamer has the technical skills to configure X or recompile the kernel or not is completely irrelevant.

      I've worked as a UNIX sysadmin and C/C++ coder on Linux exclusively. I'm perfectly capable of recompiling the kernel, configuring X, compiling and installing libraries etc. That doesn't mean that when I'm ready to sit down and play a game for a few hours that I want to.

      If I have to touch X or the kernel or any libraries I'm out. I will not touch the game. I'll just boot up my Windows partition which is ready for those instances.

      When I was a teenager playing with the insides of Linux was fun. Not only that but it landed me jobs. Now that I'm all grown up and have other things to do it's my work, and while I do enjoy my work, it is quite different from my play time.

      When it comes to games I just expect the thing to fucking work. It has nothing to do with wether or not I'm capable of tweaking things, it has to do with wether or not I WANT to.

      So the point is .. if a professionally competent UNIX admin / hacker won't tweak his system so he can play the latest game on Linux you can be sure as hell that no regular joe will even consider it.

      I recommend to a lot of my freinds who constantly whine about Windows that they give Linux a try... but the one thing I make very clear is that if they are gamers they shouldn't even consider it. Aside from that, Linux will meet all their needs, but it is no where near being a competent gaming system.

      - Garett

    15. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Get off your high horse. Brain dead? Tell me, is there anything you've ever wanted done that you did not have the expertise or know how to do yourself? It's not about how smart you are, it's how you choose to spend your time. Heaven forbid a car mechanic insult you because you can't build your own car engine. No, for normal fucking people, we want to push the pedal and the car to move. We can't possibly know every last detail of every peice of shit we use, nor should we have to care. Slashdot dumbfucks need to stop actting like it should be any different.

    16. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by Joe+Tie. · · Score: 1

      ... if you don't have anything better to do than spend a week configuring the damn thing to even run at all.

      A week? On any distro a non geek should be running, it should simply involve clicking once then putting in the root password. At worst, mention that the package manager needs to automatically download and install a few other libs to go along with it. Installation of nvidia drivers is another matter, but one which isn't an issue anymore since the licencing change which will allow their inclusion on free distros.

      --
      Everything will be taken away from you.
    17. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by Joe+Tie. · · Score: 1

      Heck, he or she doesn't even know where to unpack winex, if you gave him a version already compiled for his system.

      And they shouldn't have to. Installing wineX should be as simple as downloading the rpm, clicking it once in a window manager, and hitting yes.

      I don't have the time or inclination to babysit Random J Gamer on the phone each time he has a problem compiling some library, and every time he can't figure out how to run some game in winex.

      This might sound harsh, but ask him to pay you for your time. Yes, one comes off as a jerk sometimes doing this with friends. People need to realise though, that computer tech support is a job, and that asking us to do it unpaid is as rude as asking someone to perform surgery on you for free simply because they're your friend.

      --
      Everything will be taken away from you.
    18. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by MrResistor · · Score: 1

      ... if you don't have anything better to do than spend a week configuring the damn thing to even run at all. And going through the usual Linux routine of "the app wants version 42.5.1 of some library, but everything else on the system was compiled with the incompatible 43.18.9 version, while the video card drivers can't possibly be installed without the 41.2.6 version, and is incompatible with the beta AGP drivers. And oh, each of them wants a completely different and incompatible version of 42 other libraries." So you spend a month just tracking the dependencies and downloading and compiling everything, just to play a game. No, thanks.

      I don't know what version of Linux you're using, but I've NEVER had to go through that in over 3 years of running Linux, the last 7 months using it exclusively. I know it's popular to say that Linux has this problem, just like it's popular to say that Windows blue-screens every time you move the mouse. Both statements are equally false.

      But then, I've been running SuSE the whole time, so what do I know? Maybe you've been running Rock, but then compiling everything from scratch is the entire point of running Rock. My point is, there's no reason for anyone to HAVE to go through that to get things running on Linux, provided they're willing to support a distro that takes care of that for them.

      Isn't that exactly what you're really paying for with Windows? My own experience has been that SuSE has MS beat (and not by a small margin) on ease of installation, updating, and maintainance, and I mean for the whole system, not just the OS. The ONLY count on which MS wins is 3rd party vendor support, and even that is either slipping away or simply not an issue due to Linux having equivalent apps, and games is one of those areas that's slipping away.

      As for current game selection, most FPS's have been ported. Id actually developes on *nix, so ALL of their games have native support. Tribes2, UT, ut2k3, and Allied Assault all have native support (the new AA is being ported currently IIRC). Half-life/Counter-strike run great under wine, no need to pay for the winex extensions.

      There are plenty of other ported games and games that run great under wine/winex, I just happen to play mostly FPS, so I don't know them off-hand. You can check out tuxgames.com for a fairly complete list, I think you'll be suprised.

      --
      Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
    19. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by duggy_92127 · · Score: 2, Informative
      ...if you don't have anything better to do than spend a week configuring the damn thing to even run at all. <gripe about library hell>

      Or, install Gentoo. No library hell, keeps you up to date with the latest version of video and audio drivers and whatnot. I've installed NWN and UT2003 with no issues, and Winex was also a one-line install. I played EQ on Linux for a good while.

      I agree that the quantity of games isn't there yet, but many of the problems you mention with Linux gaming have been solved, in at least one distribution, and that means the solutions will spread to the others.

      If somebody came to me as asked "I want a gaming computer, what should I install?" I wouldn't tell them Linux, either. But to say that it's near-impossible to play games on Linux is also untrue.

      Doug

    20. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The list contains many Loki games, and if you follow the link, you get eventually a "the stored has closed". Just to rain on your parade :)

    21. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by LDoggg_ · · Score: 1

      That's because loki went out business a year and half ago.

      However, with the exception of maybe one or two titles, the Loki games can still be purchased online.

      I recommend tuxgames.com when they recover from the slashdotting, they have most of them.
      I've also purchased some loki games from linuxcentral.com.

      --

      "If they have both, tell them we use Linux. And if they have that, tell them the computers are down." -Dave Chapelle
    22. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by skt · · Score: 1

      heh.. I'd expect a Windows game these day to work correctly after about 8 point releases. Some are better than others, but many Windows games (seems like mostly RPGs) out of the box are notoriously unstable and buggy. Granted that linux or Mac games wouldn't be any better, the same fact is true for all platforms: most big games are complex as hell and you don't make any money while your game is in initial development/testing.

    23. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by incom · · Score: 1

      WTF? How is that a troll? The sentence doesn't make much sense in it's context and I wanted clarification. Maybe off-topic, but troll common.

      --
      True genius is grasping a situation like a peice of fruit, and peircing it just right so that it drains dry.
    24. Re:Linux NWN client out for months .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > there are maybe five games on that list with the
      > polish that you'd expect in a commercial Windows
      > game these days
      >
      Could that have anything to do with *economics*, i.e. the very people dissing Linux releases (and thus stifling development thereof) by continuing to buy Windows versions? If at least those people would STFU when it comes to the availability of Linux games...

  17. Sweet! by Shazow · · Score: 3, Funny

    2. CD-Key: You will have to purchase a copy of the game to get a valid Neverwinter Nights CD-Key. Of course, with this purchase you also get a lovely Neverwinter Nights mapkin, a spiral-bound game manual, and three plastic-coated aluminum-reinforced W1nd0z3 brand coasters.
    Sweet! I'm getting it!!

    - shazow
    1. Re:Sweet! by drinkypoo · · Score: 1
      Of course, with this purchase you also get a lovely Neverwinter Nights mapkin

      Personally, I thought it was a neverwinter nights jiz rag, for use during periods when you do a lot of loading games. Aribeth, here I come!

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  18. It's great, but... by foxtrot · · Score: 1, Insightful

    One of the great things about Neverwinter Nights was being able to play with a bunch of random folks on the Net.

    With the Linux and Mac versions being so late, there's probably not nearly as many people still playing it now as there were, say, a year ago. Everyone playing the Windows version has played through the whole boxed module, plus a half dozen of the better fan-created modules.

    The Linux gamers finally get the game, but they get a vastly diminished community. Contrast to, say, Enemy Territory, where all the Windows and Linux people are happily fragging each other and have been since even before the actual release.

    I'm not sure anyone really cares that they're interfacing with Linux people or interfacing with Windows people, but having more people in the community playing the game can only make for better gaming.

    1. Re:It's great, but... by Winterblink · · Score: 1
      A quick look at the NWN page (when you sign in) shows the following statistics:

      1,084,184 BioWare Users:
      179 Logged In
      20 Hidden
      536 Guests
      3226 Playing Online

      Not too shabby.

      --
      "I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
      -Hoban Washburn
    2. Re:It's great, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      >> The Linux gamers finally get the game, but they get a vastly diminished community.

      Wrong.

      The community is larger than ever. I never looked at NWN as a RPG. I looked at it as a Dungeon Master/Designer/MOdder tool kit that just happened to come with an example module you could play.

      New Mods are coming out daily, the quality of these user mods keeps going up, the activity on the designer boards is frentic. In short I think you'll find the community quite active and still growing.

      I've been using the Beta Linux client for a few weeks now and other than the movies..which I believe is not implemented due to some type of legal or licensing problem it I can't tell the difference from the Windows version.

    3. Re:It's great, but... by GMFTatsujin · · Score: 1

      On the other hand, there will hopefully be lots of new Linux and Mac people online.

      I bought NWN when it first came out, and was so unimpressed by the story in the solo game that I didn't even bother with multiplayer. Then a friend of mine started talking about the game a few weeks ago, and how he had found a sweet little server that he was having lots of fun in, meeting folks to play with and so on. We've been playing like crack addicts ever since. And we've never lacked enough people around to party up with and go bust some heads.

      Plus it's nice that there always a slot open on the server. Go figure.
      GMFTatsujin

    4. Re:It's great, but... by 2Flower · · Score: 4, Informative

      With the Linux and Mac versions being so late, there's probably not nearly as many people still playing it now as there were, say, a year ago.

      Good news! You're wrong.

      The community is still hella strong -- scope out www.neverwinterconnections.com for all your multiplayer matching needs. Nobody plays the official campiagn; it's always user mods, and usually ones the DM himself whipped up. You won't have to worry about people having played through the content already and then left the community.

      You can download hundreds of good mods (amoung thousands of average ones) at nwvault.ign.com. Aside from movie playback, which is rarely used and almost always optional, you'll be able to play the same single player or multiplayer mods windows users have been enjoying.

      Trust me, it's not too late to jump into NWN. If anything, you have the advantage of not being around during the early days when mods were really clumsy and new. Now you have multiple polished masterpieces to pick from and some thriving match services./p

    5. Re:It's great, but... by Synn · · Score: 1

      Like the others have said, more people are player today than ever.

      Aside from BioWare's main http://nwn.bioware.com/ site I'd also recommend you check out http://www.neverwinterconnections.com/

    6. Re:It's great, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "The community is still hella strong"

      Dear lord, did you really use 'hella' in a sentence? What, did that episode of South Park get rerun last night?

    7. Re:It's great, but... by damiam · · Score: 1

      There are more people than that playing the original Diablo (which is what, seven years old now?) on battle.net right now.

      --
      It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.
  19. Re:This is fortuitous by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You are +1 insightful. Thanks for posting.

  20. Sticky mouse? by sys49152 · · Score: 1

    I'm going to try this out when I get home. But the most recent beta still had the "sticky mouse" problem that effectively rendered the game unplayable. There were indications that this would not be fixed for GA. If so, then I just wasted my money.

    Anyone happen to know if this problem is fixed?

    1. Re:Sticky mouse? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This post says it's fixed in version 1.30 (on the expansion pack CD). The download they offer is apparently only version 1.29 (not fixed).

    2. Re:Sticky mouse? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I DL'ed it and ran it for about 2 hours last night. No problems at all. Even used the unlockcamera=1 trick. Now, if we could get the Camera Hack to work I would be loving life. :D

  21. This may be the year... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I may just go from being the guy who only boots up his linux partition once in a blue moon to being a real live linux user. Becoming more familiar with *nix and linux in particular has been on my list of things to do for a few years now. However when I get home from a full day of coding on a wintel box, about the only thing on my mind for my home PC is gaming. With NWN on Linux, win4lin 5 out, and then considering that Doom3 and HalfLife2 will probably run on Linux either out of the box or (hopefully) quickly after release, my last real obstacles to turning my box into a dedicated linux machine are dissappearing. I figure I'll need win4lin so my wife can do office docs and we can continue to use Quicken and some other apps for a while. Now if only the Total War and Warlords games would support Linux I'd be all set.

    Who knows, maybe I'll even register here ;)

    1. Re:This may be the year... by MrResistor · · Score: 1

      I figure I'll need win4lin so my wife can do office docs and we can continue to use Quicken and some other apps for a while.

      Use OpenOffice for office docs. I've never had any problems, though I've heard of people having some, so YMMV. You can use wine, or maybe CrossoverOffice, to run MSO if she absolutely has to have it.

      Gnucash imports Quicken files just fine. I don't know if Quicken runs under wine, but I'd expect it to be the second priority for Codeweavers after MSO.

      The problem with win4lin is that you still have to have a copy of windows. Wine doesn't need that, which is why I recommend going that route wherever possible.

      Anyway, good luck. I finally ditched Windows completely back in December and I've had no regrets.

      --
      Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
  22. GROOVY! by greenskyx · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    That's great... no more booting into windows for a while. Does anyone want to direct me to some (accelerated) Linux drivers / installation instructions for a Radeon 8500LE?

    1. Re:GROOVY! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Try downloading them @ http://www.ati.com/support/faq/linux.html?cboOS=Li nuxXFree86&cboProducts=RADEON+9800+PRO+%2F+RADEON+ 9800&eula=&choice=agree&cmdNext=Next

    2. Re:GROOVY! by rifter · · Score: 1

      You had me there for a second. But no, ATI has kept their promise with no 9800 drivers for Linux. Whoever modded grandparent down is a dick. What's the point of a game for Linux to someone who cannot play it because Linux does not support their hardware? In other news, Nvidia does have drivers for their latest hardware, created by them.

      They are closed source, which is why I had been supporting ATI all this time, but now that ATI has gone 180degrees on us Nvidia is the last Linux-friendly video card company so I guess we have to take what we can.

  23. did they fix the video problems? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    just last week i downloaded beta 6 and the gameplay was SLOW(read unplayable -- though it works find under Windows). I've got a Radeon 7500, which I'm guessing is a pretty damn common video card. So, question is, did they fix the client or is it still an nvidia-only club?

    1. Re:did they fix the video problems? by The+Darkness · · Score: 5, Informative
      1) are you sure you have DRI running properly?
      2) Are you running in 16 or 24bpp.

      There were problems with 24bpp on my radeon 8500le until beta 3 or 4. Now it runs great.. as long as I turn off hardware TCL. The T and C are fine, but the Lighting part in XFree86 DRI is messed up.

      --
      There are two kinds of people: 1) those that need closure
    2. Re:did they fix the video problems? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      i was playing ( more was trying to play ) from beta1 to the current release so far and it is as slow as a snake on dope on my computer. it's a very common one here in germany. Red Hat 9, 1.4 Ghz and a Nvidia GeForce TI 4600 with the latest drivers from them.

      but!!! great work from bioware to realease a game for linux. Thank you ver much. really!

    3. Re:did they fix the video problems? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      i'm running dri.
      X is 24bpp.
      every other opengl app runs blazingly fast....

      NWN is slow as hell!

  24. Linux Installer on SoU - but beware! by DG · · Score: 5, Informative

    The expansion pack Shadows of Urdentide even ships with a Linux installer on the CD

    Almost...

    It seems that the CD mastering tool BioWare/Atari used converted all the text files - that includes shell scripts, mind - to Windows-style text, and when you try to run the installer /bin/sh chokes on all the ^M characters.

    Happily, there is a workaround. See HERE

    Note to all single-player-campaign people - pick up the SoU expansion pack and install it concurrently with NWN. The expansion pack adds many more spells, classes, feats etc and they work with the original game, plus some minor bugs are fixed in the process (the SoU expansion patches the original game content too)

    Huh, I submitted this as a story this AM, and it was rejected in favour of this. Go figure.

    DG

    --
    Want to learn about race cars? Read my Book
    1. Re:Linux Installer on SoU - but beware! by paulds · · Score: 1

      Regarding the installation script not working, I delved into it and discovered that all it eventually really does is run another installation program. So ignore the script and just run: ./setup.data/bin/Linux/x86/glibc-2.1/setup.gtk ...for a gtk GUI install, or: ./setup.data/bin/Linux/x86/setup ...for a text-mode install (didn't test this one). Ignore the "total progress" bar in the installer, as it appears to be completely nonfunctional. Once the installer is done copying files, exit and run ./fixinstall. Then you need to fix a couple broken symlinks; cd into the "lib" and "miles" subdirectories, and it should be relatively obvious what needs to be fixed.

      Whee, you're done. Run the game, enter your SoU CD key, and you're golden.

  25. Just in time... by fudgefactor7 · · Score: 1

    ...for the release of the Shadows of Unrentide expansion... Rejoice, dammit!

    1. Re:Just in time... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Urinetide? Sounds pretty cool. I have a vision of yellow smelly waves crashing against a beach of poo.

  26. Clarification by MP*Birdman · · Score: 1

    The Bladur's gate series and Neverwinter Nights were all made by Bioware, not by Black Isle games.

    1. Re:Clarification by Cackmobile · · Score: 1

      really. ok. who are blakc isle then. i just remember there logo coming up first. and going to the website to get updates etc. are they just publishers.

      --
      -- Karma Karma Karma Karma, Karma Chameleon - Boy George
    2. Re:Clarification by MP*Birdman · · Score: 1

      I believe so, yeah, similar to how Atari is listed in NWN (IIRC).

    3. Re:Clarification by JeffTL · · Score: 1

      Black Isle is the division of Interplay that published Baldur's Gate.

    4. Re:Clarification by blazer1024 · · Score: 1

      IIRC, Black Isle was the actual "producer" of the Baldur's Gate games. They're part of Interplay. They had the D&D license, they wrote the story, they produced the movies, they hired the voice actors, etc. Bioware just wrote the engine and AI and such. I may be wrong, though.

  27. Re:Great timing! by BiteMeFanboy · · Score: 0

    Hardly, there is still a tremendous amount of activity going on, thanks to the toolset. And with the expansion coming out the game will certainly get a refresher.

  28. Does this include the toolset too? by BiteMeFanboy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Or just the client. I'd be happy with either, but I'd obviously prefer the toolset as well. This may revitalize my gaming, since it's a pain to switch from Linux to Windows just to play a game (yeah I'm lazy). Of course I could buy a new machine...

    1. Re:Does this include the toolset too? by qirien · · Score: 1

      Nope, the toolset still only works in Windows (or a much-hacked Wine).

      --
      -- Qirien, Academy of Defenestration
      "Who do you want to defenestrate today?"
  29. not at all. by pb · · Score: 5, Informative

    The NWN community has been getting broader and more interesting, perhaps mainly due to the VAST number of third-party modules out there, and the new module content that Bioware puts out as well. Think of it as another manifestation of the miracle of Open Source; a lot of things that were added to the latest NWN expansion pack actually came from the community and were added in.

    From your post, it's obvious to me that you know nothing about this, and the only reason I'm replying is because it pains me to see such an uninformed post sitting at +5.

    --
    pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate.
    1. Re:not at all. by foxtrot · · Score: 1

      From your post, it's obvious to me that you know nothing about this, and the only reason I'm replying is because it pains me to see such an uninformed post sitting at +5.

      Actually, I was speaking as someone who played the Windows version for a few months and played through everything that looked interesting-- I particularly liked the first part of Witch's Wake, for example-- but, in typical short-attention-span gamer fashion I gave up on waiting for something else and moved to another timesink.

      It is certainly possible that I'm the only one, but from what I've seen of the gamer community, we all tend to move on to another game after some period of time. Probably good for the game industry-- if we were all still playing Fallout they'd've never bothered to make Neverwinter Nights, it wouldn't sell. Not that we'd be playing Fallout; we'd still be playing Bard's Tale I... My point that I probably didn't make clear enough was that this tendency is exactly why more effort should be made to release the Mac or Linux versions of a game at the same time as everything else.

      -JDF

  30. Bittorrent by kyoko21 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Off topic, but it would be nice if someone that has the completed client resource files create a bittorrent link and allow for quicker distribution than to wait in line in fileshack. Just a thought...

    1. Re:Bittorrent by PapaZit · · Score: 1

      I have the files and I'd be happy to participate in the seeding, but I'm on a laptop that will be moving in a few hours, so I don't want to set up a tracker.

      I suspect that there are others in the same boat: have the files, willing to participate in a torrent, unwilling to take the hammering that would ensue from a FTP/HTTP mirror.

      --
      Forward, retransmit, or republish anything I say here. Just don't misquote me.
    2. Re:Bittorrent by mxs · · Score: 1

      Somebody has already done that ;) I linked the .torrent on http://f.scarywater.net/ , the original location is http://fnord.andrew.cmu.edu/nwn/index.html ... Have fun ! :)

  31. Installer.. heh by xNullx · · Score: 3, Informative

    The poster seems to have left out the fact that the Linux installer in the expansion is full of ^M characters and dies on syntax errors (Refer to the nwn linux forum). Oh well, you can easily install the expansion by just unzipping 4 zips into your NWN root directory. Still funny that they never tested the installer before shipping it though.

    1. Re:Installer.. heh by Eric+Ass+Raymond · · Score: 1

      Were you trying to run the installer as the root? No? That explains your problem.

    2. Re:Installer.. heh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you are worried about the ^M all over the place, just open up your handy vi editor and run this command :1,$! tr -d '\015'
      Filter out that pesky ^M in files you edited on your PC.
      Let's break down this command :1,$ Line addressing : Apply some action to lines 1 thru the end of the file ($).
      ! Use a Unix command as a filter: In this case we use the tr command to remove \015 which is the ascii code for ^M

      Voila!

    3. Re:Installer.. heh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You could probably use "%" instead of "1,$" I think.

    4. Re:Installer.. heh by ShecoDu · · Score: 1

      Here you have yet another way to do it. :%s/^M//g

      ^M is the control character, to get it, press Control+V and then Control+M.

      You can also try converting to unix filetype :set ff=unix

    5. Re:Installer.. heh by StarTux · · Score: 1

      Most likely it was tested at Bioware before Atari got their hands on it. And I very much Atari tested it.

    6. Re:Installer.. heh by StarTux · · Score: 1

      Forgot to mention, Atari also forgot to put the CD keys in the manual, so most expansions come with a red leaflet. Heard a few horror stories where they didn't come with the keys...Oh yes I very doubt Atari had tested it.

  32. Should Mention This Too by DG · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Damn, forgot this in the parent post. SlashDot needs an "edit" feature...

    The Linux game client binary on the SoU expansion CD is V1.30, where the game client on their website is V1.29. So the SoU version is NEWER than this one.

    I can confirm that the "sticky mouse" problem that showed up on some resolutions is fixed with V1.30. I actually finished the game at 800X600 with 1.29B5. I tried running at 1024X768 with B5, and got the "sticky mouse". Tried it again with 1.30 after I installed SoU, and it worked - although I seem to have hit the bandwidth limits of a PCI-based GeForce MX400, 'cause it was a little slow.

    At 800X600, Athlon 2100+, RH8, latest NVidia drivers, 32Mb textures, game was nice and snappy.

    I expect that with a more modern, AGP-based card, the game would scale better to the higher resolutions.

    I didn't get very deep into the SoU single-player campaign last night, but the little bit I did shows that it is MUCH improved from the original. The BioWare module people are getting very good. Lots of nice little touches. This is a game worth picking up.

    DG

    --
    Want to learn about race cars? Read my Book
    1. Re:Should Mention This Too by mbourgon · · Score: 1

      One problem you should be aware of: there is no final 1.30 patch (as of last night). The servers are only at 1.29, unless you are running the beta version. So, if anyone's in an online campaign (I know I am), don't install SoU yet - you won't be able to play on most servers. You could grab the beta server and run that, but then everyone else would have to grab the 1.30 beta patch, which could be a pain.

      Fortunately my copy comes in today (fsck Gamestop, by the way - they have a warehouse 30 miles from here, but because I pre-ordered it, they shipped it from Jersey - if I'm lucky I get it today. Morons.), my campaign runs on Saturday nights, so I'll spend Sunday in Undrentide. :)

      --
      "Sometimes a woman is a kind of religion, she can save your soul & set you free from all your sins" - Bad Examples
  33. Re:therefore, it's offtopic... or outright false. by SegFaultCM · · Score: 1
    Wow, that was hard to do:

    http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/06/17/ 1719237

    --
    -- SegFault
    "One day, some time ago, something important happened."
  34. Lovely by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    TuxGames.com has been slashdot'd and now it's unaccessible. So much for me trying to order Tribes 2. :/

  35. Where are you Adobe? by mr_bojangels · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Now, if Adobe could just employ the same common sense as Bioware and start porting their line of applications to Linux it would send the Linux Desktop soaring!

    What the hell are you waiting for?

  36. Re:therefore, it's offtopic... or outright false. by SegFaultCM · · Score: 2, Informative
    Ok, so it was obviously harder for me to remember the proper syntax:

    OS X NWN Demo Story on Slashdot

    --
    -- SegFault
    "One day, some time ago, something important happened."
  37. Re:fp by Eric+Ass+Raymond · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I would like to know how vladinator's real identity was discovered. By some sort of accident I suppose?

  38. Wow, what a day ! by Katchina'404 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Bunch of new toys/fun stuff, just in time for the summer vacations... Harry Potter, end of the US LZW pattent, new PowerMacs and now a NWN Linux client.

    --
    Ceci n'est pas une signature
  39. yes, and... by pb · · Score: 1

    I was playing NWN on Linux for months before that, originally with WineX, in fact. :)

    However, I like the Linux client quite a bit; I'm only using beta 4, and even that is much better than the Windows client, IMO.

    --
    pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate.
  40. Software requirements. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Make sure you include that license royalty payment to SCO.

  41. Yeah but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... it's damn hard to locate unless you know exactly what you're looking for on the disc ahead of time.

  42. Joy! by kajoob · · Score: 4, Funny

    Both linux gamers will enjoy this tremendously! ;-)

    --
    Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur
  43. ATI sucks by mo2 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Yeah now if ATI would just get off their butts and publish the drivers for XFree86 4.3 I could actually avail myself of the release.

    Sorry about the troll but darn it I wish ATI would stop playing games so I could.

    --
    I love every bone in her body, especially mine!
    1. Re:ATI sucks by dinivin · · Score: 2, Informative

      Try the release candidates at:

      http://www.schneider-digital.de/html/download_ati. html

      They work find with 4.3.0

      And a little research on the NWN linux boards would have pointed you in the right direction.

      Dinivin

    2. Re:ATI sucks by mo2 · · Score: 1

      Vielen dank, many thanks. Gee I thought the place to look was ATI.com - silly me.

      --
      I love every bone in her body, especially mine!
  44. humm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    any chance they finish their BeOS port?

    1. Re:humm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The BeOS openGL Beta was never released publicly hence Bioware cannot really release the BeOS version.

      Only possibility is if the 'Zeta' project somehow has permission to include Be Inc.s openGL but that seems like a pipe dream.

      My understanding was that it was finished enough to release...

  45. Sweet by Realistic_Dragon · · Score: 1

    I already have the game, but need a CD key to play online (been waiting for a new video card to turn up, so haven't bothered buying a copy yet - just nabbed a windows installation off a friend for when I was ready).

    You can be sure that I will pay for the Linux version to show up on the stats that way rather than the Windows version. Much appreciated.

    --
    Beep beep.
  46. D&D lovin'. by readpunk · · Score: 1

    Doesn't it make sense that a D&D based game should come to linux? I mean don't know they know their target audience? Also, someone go over to valve/sierra and rape everyone there until counter-strike runs on freebsd (winex sucks, blah blah blah blah).

    --

    ./revolution
  47. heh... by pb · · Score: 1

    I also played the Windows version for a while (now the Linux version, but you get the idea...) but I've been going through it slowly. I'm somewhere in the middle of chapter 2 now, and I also played around with a few different mods and servers in the past.

    But apart from our personal habits, the fact of the matter is, the NWN community is still going strong, and it'll be a while before their engine runs out of steam. (and hopefully when it does, there will be an upwardly-compatible NWN II to replace it, but we'll see, eh? :)

    You're right that gamers tend to move on to bigger and better things, but not all gamers rush out and buy games when they're first released, and I know I often come back to games I like to play them more--and ESPECIALLY if they release new content. Sometimes it's all about the expansion packs. ... and I'm probably the guy who would still be playing Bard's Tale I; as much as I like NWN, I liked the Baldur's Gate games better. Maybe someone can hack in a zoomed-out, low-detail, top-down view into NWN??

    --
    pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate.
  48. I want my coasters by oliverthered · · Score: 2, Funny

    "2. CD-Key: You will have to purchase a copy of the game to get a valid Neverwinter Nights CD-Key. Of course, with this purchase you also get a lovely Neverwinter Nights mapkin, a spiral-bound game manual, and three plastic-coated aluminum-reinforced W1nd0z3 brand coasters."

    Kazaa NWN keygen (he he he he.....)

    --
    thank God the internet isn't a human right.
    1. Re:I want my coasters by Deth_Master · · Score: 1

      Dude, you're a ho. Support the company and buy the software. If people don't pay for this stuff, then it won't be developed.

      Come on, cough up the $50 spot it'll take to forward the future of Linux gaming.

      --
      find ~your -name '*base* | xargs chown :us
    2. Re:I want my coasters by qirien · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yeah, keygen programs work fine for playing it single-player, but not for doing anything that has to contact their server (downloads from their website, multiplayer, etc).

      I know because my husband and I wanted to play together, but there's no way we're buying two copies of a game for one household. But, fortunately, we're playing on a LAN, so we just decided that NWN didn't need to have any external internet contact while we're playing to check on CD keys and send who-knows-what other information.

      But at least buy one copy of the game -- it's not even that expensive, anyway.

      --
      -- Qirien, Academy of Defenestration
      "Who do you want to defenestrate today?"
    3. Re:I want my coasters by oliverthered · · Score: 1

      I frequently download cracks so that I can play windows games under wine/winex.

      Supporting the NWN developers is a good thing, but not as good as downloading the linux version so that next time they have linux support off of the shelf.

      --
      thank God the internet isn't a human right.
    4. Re:I want my coasters by Ravensfire · · Score: 2, Insightful

      People like you are why we have to deal with Sen. Hatch and the RIAA assholes.

      Thanks a lot.

      --
      "But we decide which is right, and which is an illusion"
    5. Re:I want my coasters by TeraCo · · Score: 1

      How will they know you're using it though? Also, as an aside, without a legit CD key, you're missing out on the online component, which arguably is the best bit :)

      --
      Not Meta-modding due to apathy.
    6. Re:I want my coasters by The+Darkness · · Score: 1
      In my experience, you only need the external contact if you are using the browsing functions. In my experience you can easily connect >1 client with the same Key using the "Direct Connect" option.

      This method helps when the authentication server thinks your key is already is use (like if the client crashes at an inconvenient time).

      --
      There are two kinds of people: 1) those that need closure
    7. Re:I want my coasters by dlb · · Score: 1

      How about supporting the company and buying the game?

      F'ing cheapskate.
      May you live to be a 90 year old virgin.

    8. Re:I want my coasters by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Kazaa, a windnows only program, for a Linux keygen? I know it can be run via wine, but even aside from the legalities, it's not the best of solutions when native alternitives exist.

    9. Re:I want my coasters by cptgrudge · · Score: 1
      Kazaa NWN keygen (he he he he.....)

      I don't care if this is supposed to be 'funny' or not. Buy the game if you really want to play it. If you use one of those then you'll be screwing yourself out of a bunch of online play, which is the best part, IMHO.

      So what if it's a bit late? They actually followed through and released a Linux client for the game.

      Loser.

      --
      Qualitas edurus commercium, nullus penitus net rimor, nullus deus beneficium
    10. Re:I want my coasters by trashme · · Score: 1

      Actually, now the game is only $30. It's really not that expensive.

  49. ^M fix by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    vim setup.sh
    :%s/\r//g
    :wq

    move on to the next file

    enjoy!

    1. Re:^M fix by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except that it's on the CD, which is read only.

  50. It's a start, I suppose by jd · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Every games company that releases a title for Linux is increasing the awareness of Linux among the student & teen populations. Those're the ones not set in their ways, are certainly OK with paying less, and (more importantly) comprise the next generation of workforce.

    Sure, this version lacks some features, which is grotty. Sure, it's horribly late, which will massively reduce interest in it. Sure, it's very unlikely you'll see this version hitting the stores (which is where you need the Linux versions!) but it's better than nothing. Just.

    Am I over-dramatizing all this? Can games really make that big of a difference? Well, yes, they can. To use a term I detest, but it's all-too-accurate, it's all about mindshare. Every time someone sees a Linux title on the shelf, every time someone sees Linux placed alongside the mainstream choices, Linux gains mindshare. People consider it as a real option. Something they can actually use.

    At the moment, it's generally seen as a "fairy-tale" OS - something that sounds all magical and unreal. That's because it gets mentioned a little but sightings are still rare. It becomes the computer version of Bigfoot.

    Now, you start seeing stores stocking Linux software - not just the distributions, but actual applications, games, utilities, etc - then you will see a gradual dawning on people that Linux actually does exist, and actually does something.

    The games market is key, though. Companies are loath to change what they use, but students are less likely to care, so long as it's cheap, simple, and covers the same titles as Windows. Younger kids certainly won't care, so long as they can make things go splat.

    To get to these people, you need to get titles in the stores. Current titles. Hot-selling titles. Stuff that people will gravitate towards, not just glance at. The Linux port of NWN is not that, by a long way, and I doubt I'll see it stocked on the shelves anywhere soon.

    But, it is a step in the right direction. It has got the company aware of what it takes to write Linux code, and it now has their graphics engine ported. Both of those are essential ingredients in the brew that'll get the company releasing titles for both Linux and Windows at the same time. However, they are just two ingredients. It's got to be clear to these people how to write Linux code well, how to make money from it, and how to promote it.

    We're not seeing any of those, here. We've not really seen any of them from any other porting effort. Without those, companies won't bother.

    Here's the kicker, though. Once teens & students switch to Linux in a serious way, the more visible Linux will become to everyone. The more visible Linux is, the more mindshare it'll grab. The more mindshare, the more it'll be used.

    Nobody wants a system they can't use, but equally nobody wants to be seen as an ignorant has-been. There is a "critical mass" of people which, if you can reach it, the popularity will massively explode. Below that point, usage will stabilize and eventually fizzle out. The reason people use Microsoft has nothing to do with quality, it's because: (a) they know others use it, (b) they know about it, (c) it's easy to get and (d) it does what they (think) they want.

    You need titles on shelves. Preferably games titles, as those sell more than office suites and other "big" applications. You only need one word processor, but most games-players have more than one game.

    NWN, Quake, et al, are all great in that people are learning what it takes to get these games onto Linux. The skills are valuable. But that's not enough. The day Linux titles are stocked by corner stores, video stores (they rent computer games), Wal-Mart and all the other major outlets, then Linux will become a mainstream OS and (in turn) more profitable for companies to write for.

    As of right now, Linux looks destined to dominate t

    --
    It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
    1. Re:It's a start, I suppose by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Can games really make that big of a difference?

      I wouldn't be a programmer today if it weren't for the video games of my youth. That's where my interest in IT started, and frankly it's still a big part of my interest in technology. Right now the default path of the gamer to IT worker almost always starts with MS operating systems.

  51. DOS line endings by YeeHaW_Jelte · · Score: 0, Redundant

    You can replace the DOS line endings in the scripts with vim. Load the file, and do: :sno///g

    If you get an empty line between lines, forget the last ^M

    --

    ---
    "The chances of a demonic possession spreading are remote -- relax."
    1. Re:DOS line endings by JerkBoB · · Score: 3, Informative
      Load the file, and do: :sno///g

      Since you're using vim, why not just do it this way:
      :set ff=unix
      :w

      The advantage is that you learn more ways to use the tool. It would be kludgy to reverse the process your way, but my way, you'd just do this:
      :set ff=dos
      :w

      Eh. Just a thought.

      --
      A host is a host from coast to coast...
      Unless it's down, or slow, or fails to POST!
    2. Re:DOS line endings by rifter · · Score: 1

      Thanks for the informative post! People who use *nix would do well to harness the power of the *vi* editors.

  52. So how long till they port the by Archfeld · · Score: 1

    NEW expansion of NWN...3 years ?? I am glad to see some games make their way onto Linux but geeze, I played the game thru 3 or 4 times and then uninstalled it. I just recently dug it out, for the expansion pack that is out now....

    --
    errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
    1. Re:So how long till they port the by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      but...the expansion pack was released simultaniously as a Windows and Linux CD...so you have to wait about as long as it would take you to drive to a store.

    2. Re:So how long till they port the by Genom · · Score: 2, Informative

      Err...you mean Shadows of Undrentide? It shipped with linux binaries for the player and DM clients (sadly, no toolset). Small issue being that the install script got pooched during the CD mastering process, so it's in DOS format rather than UNIX format - but there are workarounds.

      Check out http://nwn.bioware.com - all the info is there, or in the forums.

  53. darn by YeeHaW_Jelte · · Score: 1

    I should have used the preview button =)

    it's %sno/CTRL-V ENTER/CTRL-V ENTER/g

    --

    ---
    "The chances of a demonic possession spreading are remote -- relax."
  54. Constructive Criticism by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 5, Insightful


    Right, so instead of delaying the entire game for a year so they could deliver it to the other 10% of the gaming public they did that horrible thing people do and release it to the other 90% of the gaming public.

    And what do they get in return? Well if this thread is to be believed, nothing but gripes and complaints. No wonder they don't want to break their nuts getting a Linux port out the door - they'll get headaches either way.


    Bioware got a lot of press around these parts for their promise of concurrent Linux and MacOS releases. They screwed up. Badly. Not only did they miss a concurrent release... but they've missed it by over a year (considering the MacOS isn't 1.0 yet and the caveats with the Linux version).

    It is also a valid point that they got further delayed by technology they didn't own. Borland, Bink, and InstallSheild didn't help. But then, Bioware is supposed to be a professional outfit. Where was the process that ensured the technology being used would be cross platform?

    Bioware's savings grace is that they've slogged through the experience and are finally delivering... more or less. It seems they are trying to make good, despite obvious inexperience in doing this kind of thing. Maybe they've learned enough to make the next time (and I hope there is a next time) go smoother. After all, other game houses have managed to pull this off.

    The Bioware guys seem to be honest enough to admit to their mistakes and take the criticism. And they deserve that criticism. Keep in mind that they are selling commercial software. If their Windows release had the same issues as the Linux version, they'd get the same criticism and more. You wouldn't have people saying "we should all buy this despite how rough it is... after all, they could have just made a version for the PS2 and ignored Windows."

    Having said all that - there is that saving's grace. Its a good game. They're trying. And they're doing a decent enough job at delivering. I'll be buying my copy today after work. I'll even buy the expansion set if its available.

    But I'll still point out when and where they screwed up. As well as where they succeeded.

    Nobody is above contructive criticism.
    1. Re:Constructive Criticism by StarTux · · Score: 1

      One thing abotu the expansion:

      The installer got broken by the publisher, got converted into DOS short names so it doesn't work unfortunately.

      Here is a workaround that you'll need after installing the main game:

      http://nwn.bioware.com/forums/viewtopic.html?top ic =224864&forum=72

      Do install the expansion before using even the original campaign as it adds a lot to the original (spells, feats etc).

      StarTux

    2. Re:Constructive Criticism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nobody is above contructive criticism.

      Except, of course, RMS.

    3. Re:Constructive Criticism by Schnapple · · Score: 1
      Where was the process that ensured the technology being used would be cross platform?
      I'm not a developer or a publisher, but it seems to me that, except for products for consoles, cross-platform isn't that important to the people in the industry (bold for emphasis, not shouting). Neverwinter Nights took a long time to complete - it was even announced for BeOS, an OS long dead by the ship date. Along the way tons of decisions had to be made, and I'm sure Bink or InstallSheild didn't make any efforts to point out their little licensing snags. And why didn't Bioware notice? It might have had to do with their legal tussles with changing publishers. Plus ultimately they delivered for the biggest customers.

      So right now it's "Windows, then maybe Linux and Mac". Until this changes it will either be a situation where the Linux client is announced but never promised (and doesn't ever get put in the box), or it's kept secret to keep people from getting pissed off.

      Ergo, when a publisher sees 10,000 angry penguins headed their way, their first instinct will be to pull the plug. Constructive criticism is fine, but wanting Bioware's head on a stick for taking too long to deliver on their promise isn't going to advance the cause.

      On the other hand the fact that they promoised might mean something. If they had cancelled the Linux port then they maybe could have gotten sued by a class-action lawsuit of people who bought the game in anticipation of Linux support, Maybe that was the plan all along - while Atari is hounding them to forget Linux and move on, Bioware points to the penguins with lawyers and says "no, we have to finish this first..."

    4. Re:Constructive Criticism by MrResistor · · Score: 1

      I very much doubt that Atari is the problem here, since Atari and Epic have managed to release ut2k3 for Linux with basically no issues other than the minor one of there being nothing on the box to indicate that Linux support was included. There have been very few subsequent problems with patches and expansions on Linux (I've had no problems, but I've heard of some people having some, and even those were less serious than the issues with Tribes2 on Windows in the few months after it was released).

      No, the problems still rest squarely on Bioware, since they started developement with Bink, Borland, and InstallShield before Atari was even involved, and those companies are at the root of their porting problems.

      --
      Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
    5. Re:Constructive Criticism by feder · · Score: 1

      If their Windows release had the same issues as the Linux version, they'd get the same criticism and more. You wouldn't have people saying "we should all buy this despite how rough it is... after all, they could have just made a version for the PS2 and ignored Windows."

      No, obviously, since something like 90% of all gamers are on a Windows platform. They could not have ignored Windows. But they certainly could have ignored Linux.

      Choosing to make a cross-platform product is not a small decision. If you've read some of the things Bioware have said about the development of Aurora, the engine Neverwinter Nights is based on, you will understand how big an impact the compatibility considerations have had on the design process.

      With a petty 10% increase in sales at best, it must have been pretty difficult to get the corporate mandate for something giving an at least 10% increase in expenses, especially with all the post-release development time that has gone into it.

      So, some of us are asking ourselves, why did they make a Linux version at all? Perhaps the suits figured it would make the company look cooler - think John Carmack. But if all it got them was bad publicity, will they (and other developers watching them) ever try walking that road again?

    6. Re:Constructive Criticism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Several nice things about the release:
      1) The Aurora engine is now running in Linux, and it's not likely to go away any time soon. More of this type of game will be relatively easy to develop for Linux now that the basic engine is up and running.
      2) The windows users beta tested the game for us for the last year. I'm happy NWN for Linux didn't come out a year ago, I would have hated it and would have felt cheated out of $50. Now that it's out and running at version 1.29, it seems like most of the basic bugs have been solved.

    7. Re:Constructive Criticism by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 1


      I'm not a developer or a publisher, but it seems to me that, except for products for consoles, cross-platform isn't that important to the people in the industry (bold for emphasis, not shouting). Neverwinter Nights took a long time to complete - it was even announced for BeOS, an OS long dead by the ship date. Along the way tons of decisions had to be made, and I'm sure Bink or InstallSheild didn't make any efforts to point out their little licensing snags. And why didn't Bioware notice? It might have had to do with their legal tussles with changing publishers. Plus ultimately they delivered for the biggest customers.


      The fact that being cross-platform isn't an industry-wide consideration is pretty plain. If it was, Windows wouldn't have the clear lead in the shere amount of games available. But that's not the point.

      Bioware announced that they would be releasing their product for multiple platforms. This alone should have impacted the development process. At all aspects of the development cycle, the basic question "but will this work with X platform?" should have been asked.

      BeOS dying out is a non-issue. And while its fortunate they managed to deliver to their biggest market, it still doesn't negate the fact that they stumbled.


      Ergo, when a publisher sees 10,000 angry penguins headed their way, their first instinct will be to pull the plug. Constructive criticism is fine, but wanting Bioware's head on a stick for taking too long to deliver on their promise isn't going to advance the cause.


      When a publisher attract the attention of 10,000 penguins they should expect to deliver. Sure - some people are taking this whole episode too far. But you'll note that I'm the one going out to buy a copy in another hour.

      There will be unreasonable criticisms. There will be blinded fan-boys. And there will be justified criticism. If that criticism is fair - Bioware should be adult and thick-skinned enough to accept it. And you know what - it seems that they are.

      I hope Bioware learns a valuable lesson from this. I hope they do more multi-platform releases and, having learned from this attempt, they will be far smoother.
    8. Re:Constructive Criticism by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 1


      No, obviously, since something like 90% of all gamers are on a Windows platform. They could not have ignored Windows. But they certainly could have ignored Linux.


      They certainly could have ignored Windows. There's an entire market flourishing off of console-only sales. I'm sure your 90% guess is based off of PC gamers... not the entire gamer marketplace. But yes, ignoring Linux would have been an easy decission to make.

      But that's not the point.

      Again - if the Windows release had the same issues, they would have suffered as much if not more criticism.


      Choosing to make a cross-platform product is not a small decision. If you've read some of the things Bioware have said about the development of Aurora, the engine Neverwinter Nights is based on, you will understand how big an impact the compatibility considerations have had on the design process.


      Don't get me wrong - I'm not claiming this was a trivial feat. I think very highly of them for tackling the issue. Again - I'll be showing my appreciation within an hour with a purchase. But they did blunder. They made bad decissions. Ignoring these mistakes won't help.


      So, some of us are asking ourselves, why did they make a Linux version at all? Perhaps the suits figured it would make the company look cooler - think John Carmack. But if all it got them was bad publicity, will they (and other developers watching them) ever try walking that road again?


      You'll note that Carmack can pull this multi-platform stuff off. So can Epic. Kudos to them. If Bioware wants those kudos also, they need to deliver.

      Will they walk that road again? I hope so. They certianly paid for the experience. It would be a shame to waste that knowledge. And now they have an engine that'll enable them to make future cross-platform releases that use that engine.

      Ya know what. Kudos to Bioware too. With caveats. But still. I did mention that I'll be buying my copy (and the expansion), didn't I?
    9. Re:Constructive Criticism by sevensharpnine · · Score: 1

      I very much doubt that Atari is the problem here, since Atari and Epic have managed to release ut2k3 for Linux with basically no issues [...]

      There's still one lingering issue: the fact that ut2003 runs faster in Windows than it does in Linux. On some machines it's been reported to be around 10%-15%. They obviously didn't put as much effort into the OpenGL renderer as they did in the D3D one (just like Unreal Tournament...). Given that most native games I've bechmarked run 10%-20% faster in Linux (using nvagp and low-latency scheduling), the performance of ut2003 in Linux is considerably worse than in Windows. I'm still glad they ported the client, mind you, but this borders on behind a cheap last-minute hack.

      --
      "God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh." -Voltaire
    10. Re:Constructive Criticism by kubrick · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but what's the performance like in the Windows OpenGL renderer? Pretty close to the Linux one, isn't it? This implies that it's not a problem with their code base on Linux, more a problem with parts of the Unreal engine that have likely been designed around Direct3D rather than GL.

      --
      deus does not exist but if he does
  55. Considering the timing by Arker · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Perhaps Eventuallywinter Nights, Finallywinter Nights, or Tookadamnlongtimewinter Nights.

    MidSummerNights?

    --
    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
    Friends don't let friends enable ecmascript.
  56. Now if only... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...they can port Pac-Man to Linux. That will r0x0r my b0x0rz!

  57. Hooray ... by Kryptkrwlr_XTC · · Score: 0, Troll

    Out of Office Autoresponse: Enabled ~ Definately not FP ~

  58. um... by ed.han · · Score: 1

    "genetic combination of pamela anderson, natalie portman and lara croft (only with bigger boobs)..."

    bigger than pamela anderson? what are you looking for, bowling balls? :>

    ed

    1. Re:um... by Oliver+Wendell+Jones · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Didn't Pamela have her implants removed? I don't really follow celebrity implant news, but I seem to recall hearing about this on the radio at one time. Maybe she just had them replaced, or something...

      --
      A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing -- Emo Phillips
    2. Re:um... by PapaZit · · Score: 1
      Didn't Pamela have her implants removed?

      Actually, she just gets 'em rotated every thousand...

      ...uh, nevermind.

      --
      Forward, retransmit, or republish anything I say here. Just don't misquote me.
    3. Re:um... by shadowbearer · · Score: 1

      thousand...

      squeezes?

      --
      It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
    4. Re:um... by rikkards · · Score: 1

      I feel I must be the only person who is actually repulsed by Pamela Anderson. I find she is too plastic looking. Plus whenever she opens her mouth and talks it gets worse. I saw her on a Howard Stern show (yes that doesn't say much about me but I used to watch it but I digress) with the other girls from VIP and she was very open about her sexual practices to the point that you wish she wasn't)

      Mind you, she has gotten better since removing her implants and this is just my small opinion floating in a sea of others.

    5. Re:um... by MrResistor · · Score: 1

      I feel I must be the only person who is actually repulsed by Pamela Anderson. I find she is too plastic looking. Plus whenever she opens her mouth and talks it gets worse.

      No, you're not the only person who feels that way.

      --
      Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
    6. Re:um... by sharkey · · Score: 1
      bigger than pamela anderson? what are you looking for, bowling balls? :>

      Chelsea!

      --

      --
      "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
    7. Re:um... by swv3752 · · Score: 1

      Er, that's not work safe :(

      --
      Just a Tuna in the Sea of Life
    8. Re:um... by Moofie · · Score: 1

      *BLLLLAAARRRGH!*

      OK, for the record, a BIG FUCKING VEIN sticking OUT OF YOUR TIT is NOT ATTRACTIVE.

      Yuck!!!!!

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    9. Re:um... by Moofie · · Score: 1

      Yeah, because most of the links to .jpg's on hotmovies2000.com are perfectly work safe.

      Caveat clicker, you wanker.

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    10. Re:um... by Moofie · · Score: 1

      She's terrifying.

      Violently ugly.

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
  59. No by Synn · · Score: 3, Informative

    No native toolset and the game client won't play the movies from the official campaign and first expansion because they're in .bik format.

    The toolset works fine under wine though.

  60. NeverWinter Nights IS an alive game. by 4ginandtonics · · Score: 1

    Diminished community? What do you know?

    Actually, there are many, many online players of NeverWinter Nights. The persistant worlds out there alone, have hundreds of players.

    Check out the NWN Worlds links yourself.

    Actually, at release, NWN left much to be desired in the module-building toolset. With a year under their belt, Bioware, and the players have come a LONG way in making NWN a fun game.

    Maybe you better go check out what you call a "vastly diminished community".

    In conjuction with this release, NeverWinter Nights is actually releaseing their first expansion as well!

    Shadows of Undrentide

  61. Scary by JSkills · · Score: 1
    I have an unopened copy of Neverwinter Nights sitting on my desk at home since Christmas. I am so certain that I am going to love it, that installing it will only lead to the opening of a black hole that will suck me in, making hours/days pass by in a blink.

    The only thing that has saved me is keeping my PC's dual boot defaulted into going into Linux.

    Now a Linux version - this might be the the final straw. I wish I didn't love games so much - especially the D&D kind. I know my wife and kids feel even more strongly about that ...

  62. More than a client by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 2, Interesting


    The toolset is hardly part of the game client is it?

    I always kind of thought that is was like, you no, an editor and not the game client, am I wrong?


    I would suggest that you're missing a LOT of what NWN if you focus on the game client alone. After all, the stand-alone module that comes with the game is a nice introduction to the environment. But it is hardly a compelling game (and not up to the standards of other Bioware releases like Baldur's Gate).

    NWN is not just a game. It is a complete gaming arhictecture package. The ability to create, edit, and run one's own modules is a major part of that.

    The gaming world is a tough place. Games often become passe in less time than it takes to develop them. But there are exceptions.

    One noticeable exception is Quake. There are STILL people playing with the origional Quake engine. Its not because Quake was such an amazing game that no others could take its place. Its because iD made the engine accessible. Quake could be, and was modifiable. Mods built a community - one that still exists, even if it is shrinking. And an approximate 7 year run is pretty impressive for any game.

    What Quake was for first-person shooters, NWN could be for computer RPGs. It is more than just a client.
    1. Re:More than a client by drinkypoo · · Score: 1
      One noticeable exception is Quake. There are STILL people playing with the origional Quake engine. Its not because Quake was such an amazing game that no others could take its place. Its because iD made the engine accessible.

      It's also because Quake had truly amazing net code, which IMO has still to be surpassed by any game in terms of playability. You could play quakeworld over a 14.4kbps modem and actually have a quite good experience. Try THAT with Q3A.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  63. Don't listen to the whiners by Vicegrip · · Score: 2, Interesting

    For those of us who play NWN on a practical daily basis and have enjoyed a ton of custom modules, we say a BIG THANKS...

    I am exceptionally happy with the way the Linux client has evolved. Anybody bitching is either a Troll or clueless.

    Signed: One happy Bioware customer and Linux user who is looking forward to getting his hands on Shadows of Undrentide.

    --
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    1. Re:Don't listen to the whiners by b1t+r0t · · Score: 1
      Anybody bitching is either a Troll or clueless.

      Or uses a Mac.

      --

      --
      "Open source is good." - Steve Jobs
      "Open source is evil." - Microsoft
  64. Linux needs to be primary os for users by rinkjustice · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I suspect the reason why Linux gaming hasn't taken off is because alot of "users" have Linux installed on a pos secondary computer stashed somewhere in the corner of the laundry room and not on their main system where the serious hardware is.

    Neverwinter Nights (as sweet a game as it looks) will need some serious power to run it, and a significant number of units sold for it to be worthwhile.

    1. Re:Linux needs to be primary os for users by hughk · · Score: 1
      The things is that Win2K and its derivatives need fairly serious hardware just to breath. If you add office on there you need a 1GHz system with 256MB before you start wanting to play games.

      Linux runs on almost anything. However, I agree that if anyone wanted to use it for serious gaming, then that 64MB 120 MHz P2 isn't enough. However, miltiboots work fine and there is nothing really stopping people from running Win and Linux on their fats computer. The trouble is that Linux non-game performance on such a system will just blow people away.

      --
      See my journal, I write things there
    2. Re:Linux needs to be primary os for users by bucky0 · · Score: 1

      I disagree on the resourse hoggedness on linux compared to windows. I am your typical linux newb and when I first installed linux (last month), I installed KDE and OO. On an athlon 2100, 512megs of ram, load times were horrid. OpenOffice took nearly 2 minutes to load the writing program and KDE took it's time loading up at the beginning. I'm sure that there's ways to optimise it, but I generally came away with a bloated feel with it.

      Just my 2 cents.

      --

      -Bucky
    3. Re:Linux needs to be primary os for users by Cereal+Box · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "The things is that Win2K and its derivatives need fairly serious hardware just to breath. If you add office on there you need a 1GHz system with 256MB before you start wanting to play games."

      Oh please. You're either a zealous Linux fanboy or getting all your information about Windows from Slashdot or both. Win2K and XP ran very nicely on my old PIII-550 with 256MB RAM and the system was always nice and responsive, even when playing GAMES. And Linux GUI performance has never blown me away, in fact Windows presents a much more responsive and smooth GUI than X even could.

    4. Re:Linux needs to be primary os for users by rifter · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I have to agree this is a problem in the Linux community, but it is a chicken-egg problem. People keep Windows on their main hardware when they think they can only do their usual work on Windows. That is why when I decided to take the plunge several years back and use only Linux I made sure to install it on my main machine. Linux on decent hardware is a far better experience than Linux on a POS, though it is still fun to see what you can accomplish on a properly configured/tweaked 486 running Linux.

      The problem is, people won't do this unless they can do on Linux what they normally do on Windows, and most people aren't adventurous enough to force themselves to figure out the 5000 things they need to to do this. Just judging by /., there are at least a few who were ready to take the plunge because they can play this game on Linux now. That is good.

      More focus needs to go into this IMHO. It is not just about making Linux useful to Joe Sixpack, which many Linux developers do not care about. It is about making LInux more useful so people are empowered by their computer (instead of being controlled by it like Microsoft wants you to be).

    5. Re:Linux needs to be primary os for users by rifter · · Score: 1

      You are correct sir. KDE and OO are bloated because they are trying to be Windows and Office. Therefore they are very slow no matter what. I am sure they could be optimized somehow (for instance if you compiled them for your hardware or changed some of the things that are being loaded for you in the background). However, Linux is not in itself slow.

      Personally, I have similar hardware to yours and run fvwm2 as my window manager. I also use the sourcemage distro because it makes compiling difficult packages (like kde and oo) easier. I can still run the kde applications (like koffice) so long as I compile/install kde as well, but I have less overhead because I am basically running a window manager and whatever app I am using. Since I compile everything on my system it improves performance even more, and keeping things straight is even easier than it was with Mandrake.

      Anyway you may or may not like fvwm2 but I suggest you give it a try no matter your distro. What I have said also applies with other slimmed down window managers as well.

    6. Re:Linux needs to be primary os for users by hughk · · Score: 1
      I have now just one full-time system with win 2K and 256MB and 2 PII-450s. Performance for playing games is great but only if you play minesweepe and solitaire. I have a part-time system, a laptop with a PIII at 500 MHz, but it is also slow when I want it to do serious work.

      If I try to do something serious under Wundows, like dtp, it reminds me of working with Framemaker on a VAXstation 60 with 32MB of memory about ten years ago. You don't *have* to run Gnome or KDE to use X.

      As for smoothness under Unix, this is largely a factor of your hertz settings. If you interrupt more, there is more responsiveness but more overhead. It is easy to choose.what you want (and to get rid of services you don't need). It is much harder to do this to Win2K or XP.

      I also prefer the brick wall that Unix has between GUI and kernel. Sure it slows things down from the gamong point of view, but I can restart a GUI without rebooting the system.

      --
      See my journal, I write things there
    7. Re:Linux needs to be primary os for users by sithlord2 · · Score: 1


      I ran Win2k + MS Office 2K on a Pentium II 200Mhz with 96MB RAM and it worked perfectly.
      Booting took some time, but after that it ran flawlessly...

      --
      ...You are over-qualified and under-paid. If we give you a raise, we will break the cosmic balance of the universe.
    8. Re:Linux needs to be primary os for users by hughk · · Score: 1
      I can run it too - but then I started Word and wanted to access a spreadsheet.

      Five minutes later......

      works fine for a little bit

      Five minutes later....

      Believe me, it is too slow. I see the end result of telling developers that memory and cpu power are no object.

      --
      See my journal, I write things there
    9. Re:Linux needs to be primary os for users by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      On an athlon 2100, 512megs of ram, load times were horrid. OpenOffice took nearly 2 minutes to load the writing program [snip]

      I call bull shit!
      OO takes about 20 sec to load the first time on my athlon 900 with 512Mb RAM.

      I find your claim of 2 minutes hard to believe.

      Either there is something weird going on with your system, or you are just throwing numbers out there.

      You actualy timed it at 2 minutes?

  65. Re:So Long by TedCheshireAcad · · Score: 0

    Well,

    call me when Microsoft goes under, until then, NWN.

  66. PIss Poor Single Player by Cenuij · · Score: 2, Informative

    After reading all your responses I hope that the anticipation of this release will not be dampened by the frankly poor single player game.

    Limited plot, gameplay and modules. Not to mention the sheer annoyance of having to deal with a sidekick that has a mind of it's own.

    BUt I know you lot :) It's the multiplayer your after isnt it? Well in this respect the game is considerable stronger with module building tools and what not.

    Don't say you werent warned about the single player...

    --
    my other sig is written in brainfuck ;)
    1. Re:PIss Poor Single Player by Joe+Tie. · · Score: 1

      Well in this respect the game is considerable stronger with module building tools and what not.

      Given that we're not getting the module building tools, this comment somehow is not making me feel better.

      --
      Everything will be taken away from you.
  67. That's great but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Does it run Linux? yeah, go ahead, mod this way down.

  68. Petition for Linux port of Half Life 2 by trtmrt · · Score: 4, Interesting

    There is a petition to port Half Life 2 to Linux on
    riblet that would be given to Valve. They have about 3000 confirmed entries by now. This is a good way to show how much interest there is to port games to Linux.

    1. Re:Petition for Linux port of Half Life 2 by The_Shadows · · Score: 1

      There is a petition to port Half Life 2 to Linux on riblet that would be given to Valve. They have about 3000 confirmed entries by now. This is a good way to show how much interest there is to port games to Linux.

      Wow! A whole 3000 confirmed entries! 3000 out of the how many million that will go buy HL2, regardless of platform, on it's release date?

      Hell, if Valve said I needed a frigging Apple IIc to play it, I'd scrounge around until I had one.

      3000 signatures is not going to change Valve's perspective on this. 100,000 might. But they'll still release the major Windows version first.

      That's all I have to say.

    2. Re:Petition for Linux port of Half Life 2 by Moofie · · Score: 1

      Yeah, by the results on /. so far, if I were an HL2 developer, I'd tell the Linux zealots to piss off.

      "Wah wah! You promised this a year ago, and you're only giving it to me now! Wah wah! I want the toolset too! Wah wah! Gimme the source code!"

      Funk dat noise.

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
  69. In other news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    SCO sues Bioware for using unlicensed code in their Linux client

  70. Too bad NWN is not that great of a game.... by DiracFeynman · · Score: 1

    IT doesn't match up to the BG series...

  71. Yay! Now I can Upgrade! by Greyfox · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    My old Athlon mobo still hangs on 3D so I guess it's time to upgrade. The dual xeon I'm drooling over will run me about $1500 when all is said and done, so this may end up being the most costly game I've ever bought.

    Or I could just pretend I never saw this story and wait for a motherboard with PCI Express...

    --

    I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

  72. This really is news by KalvinB · · Score: 4, Funny

    An installer for a Linux product!

    Ben

  73. Distro? by PapaZit · · Score: 1

    Does this work "out of the box" with any of the released major distributions (not beta or rc)?

    My experience with linux games has been that they work with the released version EXCEPT something. i.e. EXCEPT you need to compile your own version of XFree86 from CVS to get some patch or another.

    Maybe that's why Gentoo users always respond with "what's the problem?". ;-)

    --
    Forward, retransmit, or republish anything I say here. Just don't misquote me.
    1. Re:Distro? by Joe+Tie. · · Score: 1

      Does this work "out of the box" with any of the released major distributions (not beta or rc)?

      The beta releases have been working fine for me in Debian Unstable, and I did not need to install anything extra to get it running. If it's working here, I'd expect similar from other modern distros.

      --
      Everything will be taken away from you.
  74. Great! by Tighe_L · · Score: 1

    Thanks, now I can go to your freaks list and add them all as my friend! Thanks for collecting those!

    1. Re:Great! by fobbman · · Score: 0, Troll

      What? She still said no?

    2. Re:Great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      he was refering to your signature.

    3. Re:Great! by Tighe_L · · Score: 1

      Yup, that's it, here it is if anyone has signatures disabled.

      "George W. Bush: Too stupid to know any better. Ninety-Five Conservatives on my Freaks list. wooHOO!"

      I'm no dirty hippie.

  75. Awesome... by Garion911 · · Score: 1

    Too bad I'll be on vacation when it arrives.. Argh... I only had my order in since March 2001! I suppose I can wait till I get back.. (and no, I have not played it even, not even windows..)

    --John

    --
    Slashdot is like Playboy: I read it for the articles
  76. what's the big deal? by ksheff · · Score: 1

    What's so special about this game that it warrants the occasional /. update story? I don't play games much, but my kids do. Is this something that they would like if they enjoyed Heavy Gear & Tribes2?

    --
    the good ground has been paved over by suicidal maniacs
    1. Re:what's the big deal? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What's so special about this game that it warrants the occasional /. update story?
      It's for Linux?

    2. Re:what's the big deal? by DeathPenguin · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's one of the only times a company has made an in-house port of the game. Not just another 3D Tetris or something, but a real gamer's game.

      Tribes and Heavy Gear certainly were great thanks to the efforts of Loki, don't get me wrong. And we have SDL, Loki_update, and some other great tools thanks to Loki.

      However, when Loki went out of business, support for most of their games got dropped as well. You could not call up a company like Sierra and ask for Tribes 2 support for Linux. Patches were also discontinued. In the case of Tribes 2, it was just luck that Sam Lantinga was working for Sierra (Blizzard, to be more specific) and was allowed to patch the Linux version as well.

      Bioware has made a commitment. They will always support Linux. They will, not a third party who may go out of business at some point while the game is still being developed. In-house porting is what makes the Linux port of NWN so signifficant.

  77. Senseless Sarcasm and a Valuable Contribution by Tighe_L · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Yes, you are right, it is not a linux version, it won't run on PS2 and Zaurus! Let's not forget all the other linux devices! Down with Never Winter Nights! Only support TRUE linux developers!

    Now that I got that sarcasm out of my system, may I suggest that anyone who wants to see more Linux games buy NWN, even if you won't play it. I am not into that game, but I feel that I should support it, so I am buying the Linux version.

    If it does well enough, it might convince other developers to make linux versions of their games.

    Then through hope and the grace of God we might be free of the Microsoft beast!

    Or am I just crazy?

    Side note: Never buy Microsoft Windows 666.

    1. Re:Senseless Sarcasm and a Valuable Contribution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am not into that game, but I feel that I should support it, so I am buying the Linux version.

      ...

      Or am I just crazy?


      And if your plan works out maybe they'll port more games you don't want to play to Linux. Then you can buy and not play those too, that'll be fun.

  78. Or you could have just downloaded it months ago... by OrangeTide · · Score: 4, Informative

    The linux client has been on their page for months now, at least I've been playing it for months on my linux box. So it's not like the game is "just out" on linux. (ps. is uses SDL and OpenGL if you're wondering).

    The thing this article talks about is that NWN has an actual installation program, so you don't have to install it under Windows then copy it to your Linux box.

    It's big news to people who don't have some Windows machine they can borrow. Most of us have a neighbor or girlfriend with one, so it's not a terrible thing.

    Besides, PLEASE, how hard can it be to write an INSTALL program?

    --
    “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
  79. No, you're not the only one by BattyMan · · Score: 1

    Nothing more to see here, move along......

    --
    Exceeding the recommended torque is not recommended.
  80. This has nothing to do with Open Source by goldspider · · Score: 1
    "Think of it as another manifestation of the miracle of Open Source"

    Microsoft provided a mod tool for their popular Dungeon Siege game, and many new modifications and additional content has been created by users. Does that make it Open Source? Hardly (comon, this is Microsoft we're talking about).

    I'm afraid a modification tool is a far cry from Open Source (don't tell me they let you download the source code of NWN, did they?).

    --
    "Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
  81. NWN sucks as a single player game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It aint no BGI/II, if you go into this game expecting that you are in for a huge disappointment.

  82. LMAO!!! I get it "W1nd0z3 brand coasters!!!!" by 8282now · · Score: 1

    "[snip] ... 2. CD-Key: You will have to purchase a copy of the game to get a valid Neverwinter Nights CD-Key. Of course, with this purchase you also get a lovely Neverwinter Nights mapkin, a spiral-bound game manual, and three plastic-coated aluminum-reinforced W1nd0z3 brand coasters. "

    No. Seriously. It made laugh... Really, I thought it was funny....

    Maybe it's just me.... sorry....

  83. Bittorrent Link by PapaZit · · Score: 3, Informative
    Here ya' go

    BitTorrent link with the resources and the client. I've not even unpacked it, let alone tested it. I'm just hoping that Fileshack gave me a good copy.

    --
    Forward, retransmit, or republish anything I say here. Just don't misquote me.
    1. Re:Bittorrent Link by kyoko21 · · Score: 1

      Nice. Will give this a try. Cool deal for setting up the tracker as well. :-) Let the NWN swarmming begin!

    2. Re:Bittorrent Link by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank you man! You have to love BitTorrent!

    3. Re:Bittorrent Link by schon · · Score: 1

      Doesn't work for me - your server is sending content-type text/plain..

    4. Re:Bittorrent Link by PapaZit · · Score: 1

      D'oh!

      I cut-and-paste the URL when I use BitTorrent, so I didn't notice.

      Webserver fixed and restarted. Try again.

      --
      Forward, retransmit, or republish anything I say here. Just don't misquote me.
    5. Re:Bittorrent Link by PapaZit · · Score: 1

      Just for the record, downloads have slowed to a crawl, and the machine that I borrowed to host the .torrent will be moving on Friday night.

      So, the tracker and torrent are going down.

      --
      Forward, retransmit, or republish anything I say here. Just don't misquote me.
  84. Did I say that? by pb · · Score: 1

    I never claimed that NWN was open source; the open source phenomenon here is that people are writing their own--freely available--mods, which sometimes even get folded back into the game itself! The platform in this case is NWN; the mods are the source.

    I'm sorry if my analogy was unclear to you, but I don't think it was at all inaccurate, though perhaps a bit vague. Would you concede that it's possible for open source Java apps to run on a closed-source JVM? As far as I'm concerned, this is a similar situation.

    And is there a thriving Dungeon Siege mod community, and does Microsoft work with them to improve the game? Seriously, I don't know anything about it. :)

    --
    pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate.
    1. Re:Did I say that? by goldspider · · Score: 1
      "And is there a thriving Dungeon Siege mod community"

      There is quite a collection out there of various mods and 'siegelets' to choose from.

      "and does Microsoft work with them to improve the game?"

      That I couldn't tell you, other than that I know MS hasn't released a modpack with the most popular user contributions.

      --
      "Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
  85. I agree with most of your points, except by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That the NWN is a good game. The out of the box senario sucks. However the toolset is cool and there is custom content out there which is pretty cool (Penultimate scenario is great). I'm glad that they are finally getting the linux client/server deivered.

    However, I'm still waiting for the BeOS simultaneous release I was promised. ;)

  86. Changelog? by festers · · Score: 1

    I can't seem to find an changelog anywhere. Is this release just Beta 6 repackaged, or have changes been made?

    --


    -------
    "Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief."
  87. *applause* by doc_traig · · Score: 1

    That was fantastic. I think that really is the saddest the saddest scale could reach. Thank you!

    --
    So long, michael. Don't let the door hit you...
  88. Excellent post by Arker · · Score: 1

    The morons that modded me and the other guy down should have saved their points and modded you up. Informative post! Good links!

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  89. Um.. by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    Why buy the linux version for $46 when you can buy the windows version for $30, and then download the linux binaries? If the linux version has working movies that'd be one thing though...

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