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Fragging on Linux and TransGaming

Posted by Zonk on from the penguin-for-the-win dept.

Kez writes "HEXUS.net has an article looking at the current state of Linux gaming and the broad number of supported games both natively and through emulation. Included in the article is a chat with the Product Manager of TransGaming - the creators of Cedega (formerly known as WineX.)" From the article: "Well, Linux certainly isn't most peoples' thought for a games-based PC. Especially one being taken to a big tournament LAN party. However, by design or trickery, none of the tournament games at the event were out-of-bounds to my Linux machine, and rousing games of Call of Duty, Quake 2 and Unreal Tournament 2004 were shared by the HEXUS.net collective and any other gamers who felt like joining in." We ran a story about a similar article back in February.

9 of 267 comments (clear)

  1. Unlike most other Linux gaming articles by bersl2 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This one seems written by somebody who knows his way around the landscape.

  2. Screw WineX, Cedega... by darth_silliarse · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's because of apps like this no-one wants to adopt Linux as a gaming platform. The road will be long and hard but we must stop buying stuff like this and also stop buying Windows games, only when the companies realise there is a genuine market for Linux games will there be any progress. I can hold out, can you?

    --
    I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born - Ronald Reagan
    1. Re:Screw WineX, Cedega... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Currently the majority of games that define "the gaming world" do not run on Linux. Give a true gamer the choice of sticking with Windows to play their game or not play their game under Linux, what will they choose? Obviously they'll stick with their game in old Windows. By having programs such as Cedegra it allows users to get a taste of gaming in Linux and show the Game companies that hey Fragging in Linux is indeed possible and inevitable. With that being said, emulation is just a crutch, once a critical mass of Linux gamers is reached native ports should follow.

  3. Interesting answer by Adam9 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    FTA:

    Q: Which Linux distributions cause the most headaches for your support people? Which ones Just Work? And which one do you use yourself, given the choice?

    A: Currently I would have to say Gentoo causes the most support requests. With bleeding edge packages and a million and one different configurations in how you can use it, Gentoo has the most support requests by far.

    I wonder if this is true for other packages out there. (This comes from me being a gentoo user)

    1. Re:Interesting answer by agraupe · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Disclaimer: I am a gentoo user.

      Some of that is true, some of it isn't. Firstly, gentoo, for me, isn't about speed or cutting-edge releases: it's about customizability and software management. Portage has never given me any hassles, other than taking up time (which I'm willing to put up with), and I know that, for each program, I get a build with my favorite features. I like debian for this same reason (ease of software managements). I also like the customizability, which comes not only in the form of USE flags, but the fact that most things must be configured to taste. Was doing the first kernel compile easy? Was setting up my soundsystem foolproof? No to both questions, but in the end I think I have a better system. But, yeah, it's a niche market. Why others can't accept that is beyond me...

  4. Re:Square peg -- Round hole by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I enjoy having access to a huge library of games, and I really enjoy not having to deal with botched textures and subpar performance just to make sure it runs on my pet OS. I'm a gamer first and foremost, and in this day and age that means Microsoft.

    Your focus is gaming, and you're right to choose Microsoft. But for me, I actually use Linux to do work, and I enjoy being able to launch Quake for a quicky, or play Xpilot online while something compiles. Dual boot isn't really an option for me, and I'm glad many games run on Linux, even if they may not give tip-top performance as under Windows. So you see, for some it's not a matter of "pet OS", but a simple question of practicality.

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  5. Re:Cube by yahwotqa · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yes, but the game itself feels like shareware from early 90s.

  6. Re:Random Thoughts by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 3, Insightful
    You also need to keep in mind that linux users dont buy software and that is the big difference between them and Mac users.

    What's the data to back up that claim? If it's a simple observation - I can offer one too. Every commercial piece of software out there, no matter what platform and to include MacOS and Windows is available as "warez". It would seem that Windows and MacOS users don't pay for software too.

    Of course, we know that's bunk. It's more complex an issue than that. Just as there are considerable offerings available for Linux without a fee... there is also commercial software available for a fee. And people do, in fact, buy that software. I know - I'm one of them.
  7. Re:good enough by Sweetshark · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You don't understand flightsimmers: we need realism.
    By what you describe Flightgear is too realistic for you. You are looking for something like this:
    http://phoenixosfs.org/
    http://targetware.net/
    Also, I have a large console (yoke, switching, throttle, prop control, mixture) that only works with MS FS2004.
    Oh, Im impressed. How do you think does that compare to this:
    http://www.flightgear.org/Projects/Genesis3000/Gen esis_3000_Overview.html