Slashdot Mirror
LGP Opens Beta Test for X2
zborgerd writes "Linux Game Publishing has announced the opening of their beta test for X2: The Threat. X2 was featured on Slashdot last month in LGP's mystery game contest. Linux gamers can apply for the beta at LGP's beta testing site.
Per their usual policy, everyone who pre-orders the game from one of their resellers is automatically qualified to enter the beta test. X2: The Threat is Egosoft's epic space simulation that is often said to be greatly influenced by the the classic games of the Elite series. A third game in the series, X3: Reunion, will soon be available for Windows (and hopefully Linux and OS X as well, if the X2 ports attract a reasonable number of fans on these platforms)."
I wouldn't really compare X2 to Elite or Privateer... the combat in the game (though I'm sure they've patched it by now) resulted in a contest to see which ship would blow up when you rammed it (the AI would always try to ram you instead of actually fighting)... and the game itself was more of a management type (you can build factories, have extra ships that are remote controlled, etc)...
Sadly, for Direct3D, it would be a struggle to port and work right. Don't worry, though, we're working on it. =)
Oolite is another free Elite type game. They have OSX, Windows and Linux versions.
Cyric, if you wanted an Elite rip-off (which is truly high praise, as Elite is great =]) that was actually open source (and good to boot!) try:
Vegastrike
When you're afraid to download music illegally in your own home, then the terrorists have won!
..or Oolite as long as you don't use Windows.
Its quite good!
No! If you want an open source Elite rip-off, try Oolite. Available for OS X and Linux. See my sig!
Oolite: Elite-like game. For Mac, Linux and Windows
OK, Soomething easier to port, maybe, but we pick the games we port carefully with regard to what people want. X2 is widely regarded as the best space game of all time, and IF it sells well for Linux, you can look to see X3 soon too.
As for more recent. *sighs* Well, sure, send me $100,000 and I'll get the license to port any recent game you like. Or, alternatively, we will port games that are realistic to port to linux.
Also X2 isnt exactly old, it has been out for 18 months. X3 is yet to be released for Windows.
The X series (iirc, I could be wrong) uses Direct 3D, porting it would be quite difficult. Surely porting a game that uses OpenGL would at least give the programmers a bit less trouble in porting?
Sure it would, but just because a game is easy to port doesnt make it any good. We pick games that are GOOD, not easy. If I wanted easy, Id be making games for consoles and driving a ferrari right now. As it is, I make games for Linux and catch a bus, cos I want Linux to have the best games it can. It means more work to get them out there, but its worth it. Easy and non-direct3d, well, pretty much all windows 3d games now use direct3d except for games by id, and they are covered for Linux versions. So that leaves 2D windows games. I hear there is yet another tetris clone for windows, but you know what, I really dont think Im going to waste my time having my company port that game to linux.
On a different note, I've yet to see any Elite clone equal the greatness that is the Elite trilogy. Here's hoping for the ever elusive Elite 4 that David Braben has been working on since the dawn of time to appear, if at all.
Well, speaking as someone that played elite from 2 months after its initial release on its first platform (the BBC micro) for 6 solid months, I can tell you, X2 is the first game I have seen in the genre that passes Elite. It is better in every aspect. I loved Elite, I really did. X2 beats it. For those Elite die-hards, there is even a small in-game homage to elite in X2. The control to activate the SETA time compression system, is J. It does exactly the same as the old Elite J Jump did.
Tux Games. Your complete source for native Linux games.
Im afraid not, only x86. There are a few reasons for this. Partially because of the size of the market (sorry PPC guys, we will do a port when we can but this one would be a LOT of extra time to get it available for you all and the numbers in this case just dont work). and also for the state of 3D hardware accelleration for linux ppc is in most cases just not up to the job.
We'd love to, but not this time. Sorry.
Tux Games. Your complete source for native Linux games.
While Im not saying anything official here, but it would be a logical assumption that if X2 for Linux does well, X3 will follow some time in the early part of next year.
Of course, Im only the CEO of the company doing the ports, so I may not have all the information, but taking an informed guess, Id say that thats the likely path.
{:-)
Tux Games. Your complete source for native Linux games.
Yup, it does doesnt it {:-)
It felt like a real, living breathing huge ass universe. You could see the seams around the sky-box of space, where the "stars" were (the textures were poorly done, so you knew you were flying around in a huge ass box)
Skybox issues were fixed, it looks better now. In fact all the bugs you mentioned were fixed in patches. The Linux version is based on the source for the latest patch and so shouldnt inherit the bugs. Also, we hope to fix some of the remaining issues to make the linux version even better than the windows version.
X2 starts with the story, feels more linear, and not quite as big a universe, but much much much better looking. Maybe it does get better (in the scale sense)
Yes, it does, the X2 universe is HUGE compared to the X1 universe. I forget the exact number but something like 3 times as many sectors. more ships, and yeah, the graphics are stunning.
Tux Games. Your complete source for native Linux games.
Yes, what you say is correct. What we aim for right now is for it to run at an acceptable speed - with game options turned down (no bumpmaps or shadows), on a 1GHz processor with a 64MB Geforce 4 class graphics card. We may not meet that goal, but we are trying.
Tux Games. Your complete source for native Linux games.
It was the first time an Elite clone didn't outright suck.
Sure, the controls are hazy at best, but most people mistook that game for what it truly is : An economy simulator with a spaceship look-and-feel GUI.
There are lots of annoying things in the game, many things that should be automatized (I'm not a native ingrish speaker, so bear with me), but the game is scriptable, has seen many outstanding mods, there's a very tight-knit community on the egosoft fora, and there is a level of satisfaction you just can't describe when you start building your economic empire, sending your universe traders gain maximum profits while your factories make the X-Universe a safe, economically balanced place.
It's one of the two games that make me say "MMORPG's? What for?" (the other one being Morrowind)
In a way, I refer to those as "Filtered MMOG's", because you only accept the input from other players of the game that you want. No trolling, play the game however you want it to be, and there are TONS of mods.
Last but not least, even best of all... In-game console!
So, Mazel Tov to this company for porting a good game to Linux. I'd have been willing to shell out the cash, and to wait, for the next installment, though.
It can vary by game.
Majesty was about 12 man months
X2 has been about 10 man months so far and more work to do before its released.
These are months of long hours and working weekends.
Tux Games. Your complete source for native Linux games.
CD requiring copy protection is more effective than purely cd key only, but it only lasts until someone reverse engineers the copy protection system, or hell, not even that much, they can do it by a big of hex editing and ensuring that the test function returns the pass value without running the test.
There IS no currently feasable copy protection that actually works. All we are going to be able to do is stop the casual copying. I have to say I can think of numerous methods of copy protection that WOULD work, but they are so draconian that I would shudder to even consider them, and would NEVER use them!
Tux Games. Your complete source for native Linux games.