Team Fortress 2 Beta Patch Adds Files Referring To Linux Support

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Team Fortress 2 Beta Patch Adds Files Referring To Linux Support

Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday October 23, 2012 @02:17PM from the let-the-speculation-commence dept.

New submitter spacenet writes "Valve has quietly released an update to the beta version of its popular online FPS Team Fortress 2. Among the modified files are some Linux-related files including a hardware driver compatibility list, optimal graphics settings, and a shell script launcher (previously only for OS X, now with a case for Linux as well). Valve has not updated their TF2 beta changelog, but has acknowledged the update in a forum post."

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GREAT!! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-23 14:25 · Score: 0

Linux is becoming a very atractive platform.
I imagine a native version of world of warcraft soem day, but I know that it's impossible :/
1. Re:GREAT!! by walshy007 · 2012-10-23 23:06 · Score: 2
  
  I imagine a native version of world of warcraft soem day, but I know that it's impossible :/
  The blizzard devs use world of warcraft on linux themselves, and the port has been kept up to date, nothing is stopping them from doing it aside from concerns of support requirements etc.
2. Re:GREAT!! by Bengie · 2012-10-24 00:45 · Score: 1
  
  Maybe this push will get the OpenGL people to finally get some sort of support for multi-threading. Last I checked, it only had internal multi-threading support, but not exposed through the API, and the main devels said they had no intent of adding it within their current foreseeable future.
  
  No huge hurry, since only DX11 current supports multi-threading and AMD drivers still don't expose this and most games still don't make use of it. I just see Linux as a platform where people are more likely to attempt multi-threaded rendering, instead of releasing yet another DX9 game for quick money.
Valve Time by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-23 14:26 · Score: 4, Funny

With Valve time we'll have it by next week (year).
1. Re:Valve Time by ikaruga · 2012-10-23 15:07 · Score: 1
  
  Can't wait for the valve_week of the Linux desktop.
2. Re:Valve Time by Minwee · 2012-10-24 06:55 · Score: 1
  
  Admiral, if we go _by the book_, like Lieutenant Newell, hours could seem like days.
Good news by kelemvor4 · 2012-10-23 14:41 · Score: 0

I don't like this game, but the lack of current games on linux is the main reason I run windows at home. Hopefully in a few years linux releases will become some kind of norm.
1. Re:Good news by lister+king+of+smeg · 2012-10-23 15:00 · Score: 2
  
  Well I for one love the game and it and Halo2 for windows are the only reasons I still have a windows seven partition on my laptop. I will seriously expanding my linux partition and deleting the windows one when it is released
  
  --
  ---Saying gnome 3 is better than windows 8 not so much a compliment as it is damning with light praise.
2. Re:Good news by cynyr · 2012-10-23 15:44 · Score: 1
  
  TF2 via Steam works great under WINE for me. I'd buy a linux copy though.
  
  --
  All of the above was encrypted with a Quad ROT-13 method. Unauthorized decryption is in violation of the DMCA.
3. Re:Good news by Anubis350 · 2012-10-23 17:57 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  TF2 via Steam works great under WINE for me. I'd buy a linux copy though.
  Well, ignoring that TF2 is free now, assuming they continue with steamplay the way they did for OSX most games (and all valve titles) that have a port and you already own for one platform will be available for Linux from your steam library with no fee
  
  --
  "goodbye and hello, as always" ~Prince Corwin, from Zelazny's Amber series
4. Re:Good news by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-23 19:18 · Score: 0
  
  I only boot windows to run one of my favo games. I admit i got it full decorated with email, browser and other stuff, as i think in the end it hardly matters.
  Yet, i prefer to run linux. Most other stuff, including 3D, that i like to run works better on linux too. And for anything serious i got to do, like web development, i take unix over windows any day.
  So, while i understand your argument. Welcome to the world of dual-boot where you can have the best of both worlds, eliminating the worst of both worlds too. Windows is an excellent game platform. The day it gets posix complaint out of the box is the day i might reconsider my strategy (apart that i won't, but i can imagine myself the customer that would).
5. Re:Good news by lister+king+of+smeg · 2012-10-23 19:33 · Score: 1
  
  last time i tried it under wine it would die on the menu screen
  
  --
  ---Saying gnome 3 is better than windows 8 not so much a compliment as it is damning with light praise.
6. Re:Good news by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-23 23:50 · Score: 0
  
  but commercial games are closed source so what's the point? linux is an awful desktop compared to os x or even windows. the only reason to use it is for ideological reasons...and if you're already playing closed source shit on it why bother? if you want a unix environment get a mac.
7. Re:Good news by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-24 01:25 · Score: 0
  
  but commercial games are closed source so what's the point? linux is an awful desktop compared to os x or even windows. the only reason to use it is for ideological reasons...and if you're already playing closed source shit on it why bother? if you want a unix environment get a mac.
  which desktop, the only piece your phrase might refer to is X, which is just a bit behind, and can crash the gui fully unlike windows
  use the mint or kubuntu desktops, they make even mac desktop look bad, and lubuntu is the least resource intensive desktop you can get (aside from terminal+box)
  and no, its not for ideological reasons, im taking my try at programming and let me tell you, the world would be a lot better if everything ran free, editable stuff
  its so horrible right now that it takes a lot of backwork to port to all systems, even when it does get a bit easier with cross platform libraries and opengl.
  and the cross platform libraries are generally better than the ones microsoft come up with, so its a win/win
8. Re:Good news by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-24 02:07 · Score: 0
  
  but all the open source unix programming tools work on OS X but you also get a real IDE to work in (Xcode) instead of some 80s relic like emacs...
9. Re:Good news by kelemvor4 · 2012-10-24 12:36 · Score: 1
  
  but commercial games are closed source so what's the point? linux is an awful desktop compared to os x or even windows. the only reason to use it is for ideological reasons...and if you're already playing closed source shit on it why bother? if you want a unix environment get a mac.
  I think you forget that Linux is free. Windows is expensive. OSX is expensive (because of the overpriced hardware you must buy to satisfy the licensing requirements). Price is a big reason to run Linux.
  
  Also, in my opinion running closed source software on Linux does not nullify all of the ideological factors involved.
10. Re:Good news by Ailure · 2012-10-25 21:00 · Score: 1
  
  Publishers can choose to make the non-windows version a whole separate application steam-wise, meaning that you have to pay for a copy for each platform you want to play on. Thankfully, this seems to only be the case with Black ops so it's more of a exception than a rule (and I hope they keep it that way too).
11. Re:Good news by Anubis350 · 2012-10-27 18:28 · Score: 1
  
  Well, that's why I said "most" :-)
  
  /here's to hoping that stays true!
  
  --
  "goodbye and hello, as always" ~Prince Corwin, from Zelazny's Amber series
Ahh Team Fortress on Linux by Greyfox · 2012-10-23 15:15 · Score: 2

I remember playing Team Fortress on my Linux box back in the 90's on the original Quake engine! Now all we need is for Ultima Online to announce Linux support and we'll be exactly where we were in 1996!

--
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
1. Re:Ahh Team Fortress on Linux by Kraftwerk · 2012-10-23 15:44 · Score: 1
  
  Hey, anytime before pub16 was a good time in Ultima.
2. Re:Ahh Team Fortress on Linux by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-23 16:29 · Score: 0
  
  Well, they ARE making a new Ultima property.
  Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar.
  It'll be F2P.
3. Re:Ahh Team Fortress on Linux by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-23 19:39 · Score: 0
  
  Ultima Online does have 3D linux clients that are compatible with the original servers...
SPOILER ALERT: by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2012-10-23 15:19 · Score: 5, Funny

If you run TF2 from Linux, you can only play as an engineer. The eventual ReactOS version will lock you into playing a heavy; but unlock the secret 'Putin Pecs' item...
Are we going to get this worked up every time? by OliWarner · 2012-10-23 15:24 · Score: 3

Valve are going to be pushing a lot of these changes in the coming months because they can. Now they have L4D2 working on Linux, making the other Source engine based games Linux-compatible is likely only going to be a case of changing a few variables and hitting the magical Build button. And why wouldn't they push everything they could and sell a load more Orange Box bundles?
Anyway, my point is as Linux users we shouldn't wet ourselves every time we grep the latest binaries for instances of "linux" and find something new. It's happening.
1. Re:Are we going to get this worked up every time? by darkfeline · 2012-10-23 15:58 · Score: 2
  
  Part of the reason is (I think it was mentioned in a /. article before) it's actually easier to develop for Linux (not to mention the other perks). Maybe it's obvious, maybe not, but very few AAA scale companies took the plunge (their main consumers are on Win/Mac after all, and big companies don't take risks). Now that Valve's discovered it and is making a bum rush to port things over before Windows 8 strikes, I expect we'll see other companies following.
2. Re:Are we going to get this worked up every time? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-23 19:32 · Score: 0
  
  My understanding is the Source engine has been forked for some, if not all of their games. One of the Valve developers mentions Left 4 Dead existing in a seperate branch in this Quakecon panel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Pc42aYwcNDE&list=SP7D02F3221B551E78#t=1048s
  So for them to add Linux support to all their Source games is going to involve a bit of work than "changing a few variables and hitting the magical Build button" and instead individually merging Linux changes for multiple codebases, so no doubt it's not going to be as simple as you speculate.
3. Re:Are we going to get this worked up every time? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-23 22:39 · Score: 0
  
  I think it's very important for us to wet ourselves over this. There are two things that Linux has always been "missing" and stop people from switching. Games and Photoshop. Valve is working to fix the first part, but will only go so far when Big Publishers like EA and Activision are still ignoring Linux. The wetter we get, the more people will have to take note and accept Linux as a viable platform.
4. Re:Are we going to get this worked up every time? by OliWarner · 2012-10-23 22:53 · Score: 0
  
  Or we look like a bunch of hyperactive, incontinent children. I'm happy leaving that stereotype for the Apple superfans.
5. Re:Are we going to get this worked up every time? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-23 23:19 · Score: 0
  
  It could also be the Steambox that keeps getting rumours - a custom distro running steam in BigPicture mode on a console form factor would be the obvious implementation.
6. Re:Are we going to get this worked up every time? by Type44Q · 2012-10-24 01:33 · Score: 1
  
  It's happening.
  And why, pray tell, is that not, in itself, a perfectly good reason to wet ourselves? :)
7. Re:Are we going to get this worked up every time? by tlhIngan · 2012-10-24 03:48 · Score: 1
  
  Part of the reason is (I think it was mentioned in a /. article before) it's actually easier to develop for Linux (not to mention the other perks). Maybe it's obvious, maybe not, but very few AAA scale companies took the plunge (their main consumers are on Win/Mac after all, and big companies don't take risks). Now that Valve's discovered it and is making a bum rush to port things over before Windows 8 strikes, I expect we'll see other companies following.
  Or Valve sees an opporunity - the major platform vendors are starting to provide their own walled gardens (as an adjunct to the normally open nature). Linux has no vendor, so Valve can be the pioneer in putting their own walled garden into Linux. It starts by offering compelling content - Valve's own games, then spreads out.
  It should be no surprise that Steam is adding non-game software to the mix. Even Steambox is really just another console in the end.
  The only question is how is Steam's level of curation compared to the loosest of walled gardens, Apple's. (Apple's curation, whilst problematic (you don't get to have 700,000 things without problems), is considered very light-handed compared to Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo).
8. Re:Are we going to get this worked up every time? by Ailure · 2012-10-25 21:09 · Score: 1
  
  L4D, L4D2, Alien Swarm, Dota 2 and Portal 2 are in their own separate forks. You can see this if you poke around the file structure of Steam, and look for the dependencies for the various games.
  The most used fork is still "Source 2009" which is basically just the Orange box era Source upgraded with Mac support. They constantly port features between forks as needed though, and sometimes remains from other games is in the wrong fork (I still spot TF2 console variables in Portal 2, unused). The most significant part about Source 2009 is how it still have dx8 support for legacy hardware, while that was dropped in the forked engines.
  Interestingly, it might be worth to mention that Counter-strike Source used to be updated along Source 2009, but they stopped as a general engine update that usually came with the regular TF2 updates could sometimes be a nuisance for competitive CSS players.
9. Re:Are we going to get this worked up every time? by OliWarner · 2012-10-26 21:03 · Score: 1
  
  Yes but once. Maybe twice.
  We've been wetting ourselves every few months for the past 18 months as dribs and drabs about this have leaked out.
If steam moves to linux.. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-23 15:26 · Score: 1

I might move to linux.
1. Re:If steam moves to linux.. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-23 15:46 · Score: 0
  
  I might move to linux.
  steam might, but that doesn't mean all of the games on steam will too :)
2. Re:If steam moves to linux.. by spire3661 · 2012-10-23 16:18 · Score: 1
  
  Choice is good
  
  --
  Good-bye
3. Re:If steam moves to linux.. by s13g3 · 2012-10-23 17:08 · Score: 1
  
  There is no good reason not to develop on OpenGL, especially if you only have resources to develop for or the other, since OpenGL runs on anything, but DirectX restricts you specifically to Win* systems.
  Major studios, however, can't seem to see the writing on the wall, much less read it, which is why indie studios and crowd-funding projects are taking the industry by storm, as witnessed with the recent campaigns for Planetary Annihilation, Project Eternity and the still-in-progress Star Citizen. On all of these projects (and many others besides), the number one request by backers or potential backers has consistently been for Linux and Mac support.
  Add to that the fact that from the very beginning of the Humble Bundle program, Linux users have consistently donated more for their games (and significantly so) than Windows and Mac users, and there can be no question that just because they use a free OS, Linux users are more than willing to pay for games they can play natively, and developing for it is just a good idea all around: better performance, wider market, less licensing hassle... what's to lose?
  
  --
  "Inveniemus Viam Aut Faciemus" 'We will find a way... Or we will make one!' --Hannibal of Carthage
4. Re:If steam moves to linux.. by Zeroedout · 2012-10-23 22:51 · Score: 1
  
  Star Citizen is going to be written in Direct X and the FAQ claims to possibly support Linux (and macs). But according to the dev, since CryEngine doesn't support openGL they can't; should this change they can do a Linux port. I'm not holding my breath :(
5. Re:If steam moves to linux.. by s13g3 · 2012-10-24 02:03 · Score: 1
  
  Indeed, you are correct: my only claim in this regard was that it is the most often made request by backers, and this remains true with Star Citizen as well.
  As a CryEngine developer myself, with several close contacts in both art and code at CryTek, well... let's just say that while I think it could be done, I'm not holding my breath either for a native *nix port of Star Citizen. That doesn't change the fact that no developer these days working on a new engine has any excuse for choosing DirectX over OpenGL.
  
  --
  "Inveniemus Viam Aut Faciemus" 'We will find a way... Or we will make one!' --Hannibal of Carthage
Other linux games planned on steam by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-23 16:01 · Score: 1

This list some of the games coming to steam on linux :
http://marlamin.com/cdr/search.php?s=linux&searchby=os
1. Re:Other linux games planned on steam by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-23 20:24 · Score: 0
  
  Aside from Psychonauts, all of those games are crap.
2. Re:Other linux games planned on steam by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-23 21:14 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  I can't wait for ValveTestApp218410 to be released.
3. Re:Other linux games planned on steam by F.Ultra · 2012-10-24 00:15 · Score: 2
  
  Well I would say that Rochard, Amnesia, VVVVV, Trine 2, Steel Storm etc is quite good and fun games.
4. Re:Other linux games planned on steam by ledow · 2012-10-24 00:21 · Score: 1
  
  And I would say that Psychonauts is horrendous, personally. I got it from somewhere (probably some bundle or freebie at some point because I never bought it myself).
  I loaded it up ONCE to get an achievement for something-or-other (probably a Steam competition of some kind) and it was literally unbearable.
  In the end, I found a walkthrough for the achievement I wanted, downloaded someone else's saved game, loaded it, did the achievement and then immediately deleted it.
  Everything from the graphic design to the controls to the "story" to the actual gameplay I found horrible and never want to play it again.
5. Re:Other linux games planned on steam by 3vi1 · 2012-10-24 04:24 · Score: 1
  
  I can't wait for ValveTestApp218410 to be released.
  You didn't expect them to list it as HL3, did you?
6. Re:Other linux games planned on steam by Ailure · 2012-10-25 21:14 · Score: 1
  
  Spacechem and Dungeons of Dredmor are on there and both are amongst my favorite indie games.
  There might be a lack of AAA titles, but that does not make the list of available Linux games crap. Most of those are games that already had Linux support since long anyway.
The important question is.... by Tehrasha · 2012-10-23 17:15 · Score: 2

... will there be Tux based swag in the MANN store?
1. Re:The important question is.... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-23 18:13 · Score: 0
  
  I want an RMS beard.
2. Re:The important question is.... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-23 18:37 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  MOTHERFUCKING PENGUIN HATS.
  Yes, filter, I am yelling. I am yelling because fucking penguin hats.
3. Re:The important question is.... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-23 21:15 · Score: 0
  
  Maybe they can throw in some of his toe jam so you can chew on it just like he does.
I propose the first game... by DiamondGeezer · 2012-10-23 19:05 · Score: 4, Funny

...should be Half-Life 2 Episode 4: The Search for Episode 3

--
Tubby or not tubby. Fat is the question
1. Re:I propose the first game... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-23 19:15 · Score: 1
  
  Has 3 in its title, thereby it cannot be allowed. Sorry.
Old engine by Dunge · 2012-10-24 01:34 · Score: 1

Why are Valve working with porting an engine dating from 2004 to Linux instead of something new? This make no sense.
1. Re:Old engine by 3vi1 · 2012-10-24 04:43 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah... why use the latest version of a working engine you've been constantly improving for 8 years that already has OpenGL support and a lot of the other necessary components done? Why not throw it all away and creating a Linux engine that's not compatible with any of your existing games and has to be maintained separately from the engine being used on the other platforms?
  Maybe because it makes a hell of a lot more sense?
  Valve may be working on Source2, but it's not near ready and most likely none of the existing games will be updated to use it (though we'll likely see new installments for the existing franchises use it).
2. Re:Old engine by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-24 04:54 · Score: 0
  
  They've been updating the source engine and in turn the games that run on it for years. I've got news for you too, the extreme amount of console cvars that are exactly the same as the original quake suggests that it's running on their licensed and modified quake engine they've been using since the release of the original half-life. So that suggests at least parts of the engine are probably 9 or so years older then your estimate. Doesn't mean the code doesn't still work.
  Valve isn't in the engine business like an ID software or whoever it was that made unreal that I cant even remember. They continually update source and I think have a few options for licensing it and releasing games on steam. That seems to be mostly to drive more games and business to steam which is their bread and butter.
Re:that might have been relevant like 10 years ago by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-24 04:18 · Score: 0

Even three years ago, Linux has a bigger desktop market share than the Mac, according to Steve Ballmer.
At any rate, two things are for sure: 1) The number of Linux desktop users is way higher than it was 10 years ago (In 2011, Ubuntu shipped on over 9 million systems). 2) You're a troll.