Metro Last Light - Linux

[rashdanml]

Probably one of the best news I've heard in a while alongside Crytek hiring a Linux developer.

 

http://steamforlinux.com/?q=en/node/314

http://www.polygon.com/2013/8/13/4616750/metro-last-light-may-see-linux-release

 

For those naysayers who say Linux isn't a gaming platform - it's becoming one. Still in its infancy, but it's gaining Steam. (hehe, pun <3).

[TheRisingMyth]

This is only viable for major publishers, Linux users like free stuff, indie devs for that matter aren't willing to invest in a growing platform, this may make it a more profitable space overall, but unless drivers and support are on-par with Windows, it ain't happening that soon.

 

For me personally, it's Windows all the way, but still, happy for Linux users getting finally some AAA action going on.

[alpenwasser]

Hm, it looks like just maybe at some point my Titan might get to do something else besides

computing for BOINC. :D

EDIT:

but unless drivers and support are on-par with Windows, it ain't happening that soon.

Actually for the most part drivers are pretty decent nowadays (or let's say it's been a long

time since I have personally suffered from driver issues). At least the closed-source Nvidia

drivers did quite well last I checked (although I'll admit that was a few months back).

What's still quite lacking are all those customizeable peripheral drivers (for example for

programming macros on your mouse keyboard for RTS games and RPGs) AFAIK.

But yeah, if Linux will ever become a more popular gaming platform this certainly is only

a tentative start to a very long-term process.

[rashdanml]

http://steamforlinux.com/?q=en/node/74

 

That's being worked on and results are promising. As for Indie developers, most of the games they launch are already cross-platform and running on Linux. All of the Humble Indie bundles, for instance.

 

The switch from DirectX to OpenGL as the standard for game development will make it easier to develop across all platforms simultaneously. The problem currently is porting from DirectX to OpenGL, which is also being actively worked on to make the conversion process easier.

[91Chris]

Why can't steam games work cross platform? As i understand it devs are required to recode their apps/games for steam regardless of the platform anyways, so why not just make a standard steam version?

Why not kill 3 birds with one stone? 

More complicated that it sounds?

[alpenwasser]

The switch from DirectX to OpenGL as the standard for game development will make it easier to develop across all platforms simultaneously.

Aaargh, DirectX. I've had a dislike for that since I first started gaming back in the 90s.

Always preferred OpenGL, even on Windows back when games used to allow you to choose between

the two (or three, if we count 3dfx Glide, but I didn't have a 3dfx card).

[TheRisingMyth]

Not sure why Microsoft sticked to DirectX, but i assume they needed that for a good reason.

[alpenwasser]

Not sure why Microsoft sticked to DirectX, but i assume they needed that for a good reason.

It makes them money, I presume. Probably lots and lots of it. Not via direct sales (it's

still free for end-users, right? Haven't checked in a while), but I'm sure they have found

ways to monetize it.

I'm not really up to date on the Windows platform, but I'm assuming there are licencing costs

to pay if you want to sell a game using DX, there are programming courses to make money

from and it allows them to retain control over lots of aspects of how games and multimedia

run on their O/S, which is always something MS have striven for in all kinds of software

(office, for example).

If I'm completely off the mark someone feel free to correct me.

[rashdanml]

Why can't steam games work cross platform? As i understand it devs are required to recode their apps/games for steam regardless of the platform anyways, so why not just make a standard steam version?

Why not kill 3 birds with one stone? 

More complicated that it sounds?

Most games are developed using DirectX. That makes it exclusive to Windows and Xbox (Xbox runs a modified version of DirectX, iirc, but still based on it). It's actually interesting that most developers target PC and Consoles, so odds are, they're developing in DirectX, then porting it over to work for PS3 (which isn't running DirectX, but a different API that might be based on it).

 

Switching to OpenGL targets all PC platforms simultaneously (Windows, OS X and Linux) while adding the complexity of porting to work on Xbox/PS. I'd imagine the choice to go with DirectX was lower market share of OSX/Linux, as well as reduced complexity in porting (only have to port to PS). OpenGL would require porting to 2 console platforms to target that audience.

 

Making the conversion process from DirectX to OpenGL and vice versa would be a key step in eliminating most of the complexity.

 

If the new generation of consoles support both DirectX and OpenGL, that's more good news for Linux. The switch to OpenGL would be a lot easier, allowing simultaneous development on all PC and Console platforms (with optimzations for console). PS4 supposedly supports both DirectX 11 and a heavily modified version of OpenGL made by Sony.

 

And yeah, DirectX makes Microsoft money in licensing fees. OpenGL is open-source, so there's no licensing involved with it (it may actually make games cheaper to develop >.>)

[EChondo]

Most games are developed using DirectX. That makes it exclusive to Windows and Xbox (Xbox runs a modified version of DirectX, iirc, but still based on it). It's actually interesting that most developers target PC and Consoles, so odds are, they're developing in DirectX, then porting it over to work for PS3 (which isn't running DirectX, but a different API that might be based on it).

 

Switching to OpenGL targets all PC platforms simultaneously (Windows, OS X and Linux) while adding the complexity of porting to work on Xbox/PS. I'd imagine the choice to go with DirectX was lower market share of OSX/Linux, as well as reduced complexity in porting (only have to port to PS). OpenGL would require porting to 2 console platforms to target that audience.

 

Making the conversion process from DirectX to OpenGL and vice versa would be a key step in eliminating most of the complexity.

 

If the new generation of consoles support both DirectX and OpenGL, that's more good news for Linux. The switch to OpenGL would be a lot easier, allowing simultaneous development on all PC and Console platforms (with optimzations for console). PS4 supposedly supports both DirectX 11 and a heavily modified version of OpenGL made by Sony.

There's also the difference between changing from Windows to Unix.

 

Just because something is on PC doesn't mean it works on all operating systems, they have to be coded for it.

 

Good write up Rashdnml.

[rashdanml]

Just because something is on PC doesn't mean it works on all operating systems, they have to be coded for it.

Good point. I'm not sure how complex that is though. For cross-platform programming languages (Java, C, C++), the same code theoretically runs the same on all platforms - the compiler on each platform takes care of the necessary work to get it to run. Minor modifications may be necessary though, to get the code to compile. Also depends on which OpenGL version too, since it can be heavily modified due to the open-source nature.

[alpenwasser]

Got curious about this: According to this wiki article, the PS3 runs PSGL and libgcm, based

on OpenGL ES (OpenGL subset for embedded systems) and Nvidia Cg, customized and extended by

Sony for the PS3.

[91Chris]

So basically Microsoft are throwing their weight around to dictate what developers develop for? This is, of course, assuming they're sticking with DirectX on the new Xbox?

 

It really frustrates me. I'm an OS X user (Genuine Mac's and  a Hackintosh) and i hate how i'm forced to boot up Windows just to play a game, I have no other uses for it.

 

I'm not sure you really answered my question though? I thought Steam requires it's own version of a game for each platform, regardless of weather a "native" version exists or not. I.e, If a game already exists for Windows, another version is required for the Windows version of Steam? Or am i wrong? I'm sure i read something along these lines a while ago?

[rashdanml]

I'm not sure you really answered my question though? I thought Steam requires it's own version of a game for each platform, regardless of weather a "native" version exists or not. I.e, If a game already exists for Windows, another version is required for the Windows version of Steam? Or am i wrong? I'm sure i read something along these lines a while ago?

Afaik, Steam doesn't require anything special to be done to the code to work on Windows, either natively or through Steam. The only thing they'll probably require is modification to work with Steampipe, which is a newer method for transferring game files. Don't know what that entails for developers. The actual game code is still the same, it's simply launched through Steam.

 

The only exception are source based games (anything Valve develops or modders create), which has its own file formats (and specific code to go with it, I imagine), which are again made to work with Steampipe.

[Ethnod]

Freakin awesome news

[91Chris]

Arh Ok never mind. After googleing i realise that it was probably this article i read, which is Mac specific.

 

Realistically, how close do you guys think we are to cross platform releases? I'm sure the developers are keen to get their work onto as many platforms as possible. At the end of the day more is more, regardless of which platform is more lucrative.

[Atomicnerd64]

As Linus once said about Windows, OS X and Linux, One of them is different and it's not from apple and it isn't Linux.

(Or.........sth along those lines)