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Linux Games For Non-Gamers?
Nethead writes "Due to some down-time, I'm looking for some Linux games to pass the time. I've been playing BattleMaster, a PHP web game but it's only two turns a day, and I'd like something a bit faster. I've not really played PC games since the Doom era so I'm really out of touch here. I don't have a real gamer box, just a simple video card. What do Slashdotters think I should try? A simple FPS or some type of networked game would do. What's out there for Linux?"
I find xmoto is an excellent time waster ..
http://xmoto.tuxfamily.org/
Also I occasionally delve into the "flash games" arena .. there's actually some decent stuff now days! (And there's always the classics like "defend the castle" and "Champion Archer")
some flash games are quite decent, like gemcraft http://armorgames.com/play/3527/gemcraft-chapter-0
Well, there is a wiki too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Linux_games I've played the Penumbra games, they are ... adventure games really but fairly atmospheric.
Cube, OpenArena, Nexuiz are all fair FPS games. Not amazing, but fun diversions. Aside from that BZFlag, Battle for Wesnoth, and FreeCiv.
A word of advice: Never play Frozen Bubble. I've lost days thanks to that bastard.
Check out http://www.happypenguin.org/. I've got the RSS enabled on the right side of /. If you ever up your video card, http://www.planeshift.it/ is an excellent open source mmorpg.
Quakelive works on linux now, have a go!
Freeciv is a good game you can play and leave, then come back to later. It doesn't require a lot of hardware, and while complicated at first, it becomes remarkably simple to play once you've played for a while.
Watch you don't get too addicted though! The urge to play 'just one more turn', or to go to bed 'after I've captured that city' is incredible.
http://freeciv.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
OpenTTD (which is based on Transport Tycoon Deluxe) is a great game and you can quickly loose track of the time building intricate train networks. You do need the original game files but this is pretty easy to do with the help of Google.
http://openttd.org/
World of Goo - check it out!
Here is a short list of some Linux games I know of:
3D Multiplayer Deathmatch:
Alien Arena
Warsow
Openarena
World of Padman
Nexuiz
Sauerbraten
3D Multiplayer team DM:
Tremulous (aliens vs. humans)
Enemy Territory (allies vs. axis), freeware
ET - True Combat Elite (terrorists vs. specops), freeware
Urban Terror (terrorists vs. specops)
2D Multiplayer Deathmatch:
Teeworlds (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!)
Artillery:
Scorched3D
Hedgewars (Worms clone)
Wormus (Worms clone with OS mascots)
Real Time Strategy:
Warzone2100
Bos Wars
The Spring Project and various mods
Turn-based Strategy:
Battle for Wesnoth (caution, addictive)
Freeciv
Racing (I'm not really into racing):
Supertuxkart
Trackmania
Jump-n-run:
Supertux
Secret Maryo Chronicles
Others:
Neverball/Neverputt
Foobillard
Frozen-Bubble (multiplayer bubble-puzzle clone)
OpenTTD
These games require fairly simple hardware -- I have played most of them on my built-in intel X3100 (i965).
If you're into strategy and don't mind losing all of your free time and some of your work time, there's FreeCiv. Think Civilization recast as a full-on client/server multi-player setup. I've not played it recently (no time to game at all lately, too much code to write!) but the graphics requirements should be fairly modest.
--GrouchoMarx
Card-carrying member of the EFF, FSF, and ACLU. Are you?
In order of my personal preferences, I'd suggest NetHack, Angband, NetHack, SLASH'EM, NetHack, ADOM, NetHack, and, oh yeah, NetHack.
Nothing for 6-digit uids?
The deepest Roguelike ever. If you aren't sure why you might want to play it, start here.
Get the Linux 40d16 version from this page
If you prefer graphical tiles to (nearly) pure ASCII (I certainly do) get the Mike Mayday tileset from this page and use the instructions to get it working.
Then watch the 40 tutorial videos to ease the neigh vertical learning curve. You will of course supplement the videos with lots of careful reading of the wiki.
This game is a time vampire, but lots of fun if you have a little patience and an attention span.
You just lost the game.
The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
Both great games from Introversion. There is also Darwinia (which I didn't like so much), but the other two, highly recommended.
The game, technically, is simple enough for almost any video card to handle (better ones don't add /that/ much extra). In the same way as checkers, it's quite easy to operate (mouse plus 4 keys or so) but takes a while to master.
The simplistic graphics and simplistic controls focuses the game on something else: gameplay. That's why it's what I spend 90% of my gaming time on it.
"Good news, everyone!"
I work for a very successfull and rapidly growing browsergame publisher (currently the largest). We do have the one or other title that was acquired and isn't all that spectacular for geeks and nerds, but we have some very neat originals, some of which have made us big and have had gotten a facelift or two recently (aside of the regular improvements and bugfixes). Since they run on browsers they are naturally x-plattform and require no installation. All are free to play.
Here's my personal favorites list from our portfolio:
OGame, a classic 4X sci-fi/space game with a brand new pimped-out Ajax interface and fresh GFX. ... And a cool trailer. (Hint: Try a non-US server if the one you got has old boring table layouts - the community is large and most of us read and write a fluent english :-) )
Ikariam, a Settlers/Civilisation type Browsergame. Scored some prestigious awards recently, including 'Browsergame of the Year 2008'.
Wild Guns, a BG with a Wild West setting. Just has gotten a total redo of the graphics by our art crew. Very neat.
KingsAge, a nice old-school BG, Defender of the Crow / Middle Ages Camelot style.
OK, slashdoters, go flood our servers and have our admins do some extra shifts. Hehehe... *leans back and takes some popcorn*
Have fun!
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
Which you can play, actually: DefCon.
We all know what to do, but we don't know how to get re-elected once we have done it