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I don't think any MS game will ever be ported, unless Linux is proven to be at least as good if not much better than Windows, and still then, I highly doubt it.
I don't think any MS game will ever be ported, unless Linux is proven to be at least as good if not much better than Windows, and still then, I highly doubt it.
it really has nothing to do with one being better than another...it has to do with the financial loss to microsoft, no need for there os if it is ported to linux...
The Unreal series of games are all playable in Linux, just find the installers for Unreal (original) and Unreal Tournament (UT99) (www.liflg.org). UT2K3 comes with an installer in the last CD (CD 3 I think), American McGee's Alice runs fine through Wine/Cedega and you could use DosBox to run your favorite DOS based games (like Duke Nukem 3D).
Thanks for pointing out www.liflg.org, i'll look there when I have a bit more time. I have to note though that the 'installer' from the UT2k3 disks for Linux is broken (splash freezes when trying to start the game) and now outdated.
But it's a bit bothersome that there's 4 unsure (faults, etc. when trying to get something to work properly) ways to accomplish 1 goal - to play a game. :/
Doesn't mean I won't try, but it's very difficult to see a someone wanting the latest and greatest to be that persistant and willing to part with more money to keep something working like it should.
Cedega, while really nice featured and probably the best choice, isn't an option for me because I can't get a subscription (payment options limited to credit cards). I already paid for my games, it's not economical to keep paying for them when they won't change at all.
Cedega, while really nice featured and probably the best choice, isn't an option for me because I can't get a subscription (payment options limited to credit cards). I already paid for my games, it's not economical to keep paying for them when they won't change at all.
I completely agree with you here. Transgaming has all on their side to become a porting company, while they provide a great service by allowing us to play unmodified versions of Windows games (especially true for older games), for newer games they should be advocating native ports and even assist in the porting proces, sort of what Loki games did back in the day, with the advent that they've also have this product to help people get their games to run when they will not get ported. I don't understand why they don't take this route (or maybe they have, but game studios have declined their offer to port their games to Linux, who knows).
I hate to disagree with you in tht regard. Picasa for Linux is a joke. Not only does it add way too much overhead, but it also does *not* work properly, especially with .png files (an open format, by the way). See for instance these two screenshots:
Wine and Cedega are good for gettin to work older games which can't stand a chance of being ported, but Transgaming should be advocating for its users and subscribers and try to convince game studios to go native, and if possible assist them in the port or conduct it themselves, like Loki back in the day, and what they actually do for MacOS X. Is not like Cedega will suddenly become useless and there will not be a reason for Linux gamers to keep renewing their subscriptions... I've actually given a lot of thought about that particular issue as of late.
I only know that having things running through compatiblity libraries (otherwise called emulation) is not the answer IMO, especially not for gaming where games are bound to get more complex, not any simpler, and even though it'd be a problem to port, it's much better than suffering with them not working in Wine/Cedega.
It isn't perfect, ok, but seen the load of patches Google submitted to Wine? What I think is that the game makers who don't support Linux(HL2 already has a couple of expansion packs, and no notice regarding native ports of Valve's games for Linux), probably never will, you can wait for them, but they can never show up, what will you do?
If enough effort is made in having a good set of libs that give windows libs functionality for games to work in Linux (wine's a set of them, and wine isn't an emulator), you can put a bandaid in the bigger issue. I agree with you that it is not _the_ solution, but for people who don't change to Linux because of a couple of games (and Linux users who don't play them because they're not available) it's _a_ solution. It's the next best thing. If enough people move to Linux because the games work even if not natively, maybe the game makers think twice the next time they start a project.
Cedega picking up loki installer and bundling packages with Cedega patched up for specific games would gather support, I think.
I know Wine Is Not an Emulator, but an Implementator of the Win32 API on Linux and other Unix-like systems. Still their libs are not perfect which incur in a severe problem of performance (or glitches), since they don't have support from the original makers of the Win32 API, Microsoft™, they had to resort to implement what was available throuh programming libraries and even back-engineering. Transgaming staff, on the other hand (and to quote them) "know DirectX better than anyone else, excpet maybe for Microsoft DirectX developers", and is just that degree of knowledge of the API that they should be promoting native ports and even submiting improvements to the OpenGL working group so needed features for OpenGL get integrated in the spec faster.
I have to agree with you that a killer app may include a Loki installer (just like UT2003/4 did) even if it packs a specially crafted version of either Wine or Cedega, which could be even another way of producing revenue for Transgaming, by licensing to the game studios in this way... and pretty much becoming what it already is, officially: the DirectX for Linux.
Yup. Transgaming could make a 2 in 1 by releasing easy to install cedega packages with a buy once license and a lower price (since people would have to also buy the game), since the subscription scares people a bit, and at the same time increase the pressure on game studios with the gathered user base. "We have n hundred/thousand users playing your games and ranting about not having native support", yada yada.
Developing the whole engines for DX and having to port it to OpenGL and ALSA must be almost like making the whole game a second time, no? Are the two libs so different? Anyone with experience regarding the kind(and amount) of work needed to make such port?
Since Cedega converts DirectX calls into OpenGL calls, they already have the knowledge to do that, it would be even easier for them to convert these directly in the game's code.
I'd like to see a few of LucasArts' games made fully compatible with WINE/Cedega, namely Star Wars Episode I Racer, Rogue Squadron, Battle for Naboo, and Shadows of the Empire.
Just for the record, I know emulating an application isn't the same thing as porting it, but I don't think LucasArts will port anything to Linux anytime soon.
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