Excited About Linux (aka "Pandora Native" ?) Games

[chad78]

I just found an article (and it's not that old, just a couple of weeks) about "30 Free Linux Games".

Now, I know, not all things "free" are open source - same goes for "Linux" (there are closed source programs that run on Linux). And I'm not expecting the Pandora to run all these games on day-one, or ever, for that matter. It just gave me an idea of what games are theorhetically possible outside of the emulators. You know, games that might actually come close to showing off what the Pandora can really do with all its power.

Here's the list if you don't want to... what is that phrase all the cool bloggers use? oh yes "Hit the Jump"... </sacrasm - I hate that phrase>

1- Tux Racer (Racing)
2- America’s Army (FPS)
3- Egoboo - Action RPG
4- Cube (FPS)
5- Flight Gear - (Flight Sim)
6- Racer, The real deal (Realistic Racing - like Gran Turismo)
7- NetHack (Open source RPG)
8- BzFlag (Action / Tank game - Multiplayer)
9- TORCS - (Racing)
10- NeverBall (Arcade)
11- Frozen Bubble (Arcade)
12- Chromium B.S.U. (Arcade Shooter)
13- Armagetron - 3D Action (Racing/Strategy)
14- Scorched 3D (Scorched Earth clone in 3D.... obviously)
15- Monkey bubble (Arcade - Frozen Bubble Clone) I don't know why they included this *and* Frozen Bubble - might as well had a few Pac Man Clones.... but anyway, I guess they just wanted to make it a nice round 30 and not 29....
16- rRootage (abstract shooter)
17- Boson (RTS - Real time strategy)
18- The Battle for Wesnoth (Turn based Strategy)
19 - Blobwars: Metal Blob Solid [2d platformmer]
20 - UFO: Alien Invasion (Turn based Strategy)
21- Glest (3D RTS)
22- Planet Shift (3D RPG)
23- SAVAGE: The Battle for Newerth (Real Time Strategy Shooter)
24- ClanBomber (Bomberman Clone)
25- Wormux (Scorched Earth type game in 2D) 2nd Scorched Earth clone, but at least one is 2D and the other is 3D
26- Tremulous (FPS with RTS elements)
27- OpenTTD (Tycoon style game)
28- Regnum Online (MMORPG)
29- The Spring Project (RPG)
30- PingUs (Lemmings Clone)

I'd add the much discussed Super Tux Kart, Tux Paint (not really a game, but darn fun!), LinCity (or Micropolis or OpenCity), Super Tux (io Bros!), of course, maybe they didn't want to flood the list with Tux games... They already have TuxRacer, PingUs, and Wormux.

Anyway - I already knew of about 1/3 to 1/2 of these to varying degrees, but the other half were brand new to me. And it was good to learn / be reminded of what awesome games there already are out there.

Just something to play with / discuss as we wait for the Pandora.

***mods - could you add quotes around and a ? after the words "Pandora Native" in the title, so it would read "(aka "Pandora Native"?)" Thanks!*** I didn't mean it to read like it does, like I'm saying all these games will, or should, run just fine on the Pandora. Sorry about that.

 

[gaterooze]

A half-dozen of those were ported to GP2X (even Egoboo, amazingly), so I imagine a lot will come to Pandora as well. Some great stuff in that list!

 

[imec]

Nexuiz seems like it could be possible (it could be a great way to show off the Pandora's graphical capabilities). I do, however, realize that it would need to be stripped down pretty far.

 

[Clad]

Armagettron would be amazing !

America's army probably won't be feasible though, I don't think it's open source (it's not even free software as far as I know). I didn't even know they were a linux client.

 

[Trip]

Racer was pretty good the last time I tried it but unfortunately it's not open source. Could be worth Craig & co getting in touch with the author though and seeing if it will port.

Might not be Gran Turismo, but it would still be a good game to play on the andora1: and it would make good use of the analogue sticks

 

[Parkydr]

I think Alien Arena is a better FPS than Tremulous or Netuiz.

 

[Julius]

A good general source for Free games is this:

http://freegamer.blogspot.com

 

[PandoraLox]

Racer on the Pandora would be a cargasim for me.

Sheeeeeeiiiiiiiiiit... if nobody is going to ask the author(s) I'll ask... very nicely of course

 

[Trip]

A good general source for Free games is this:

http://freegamer.blogspot.com


Cheers for that Julius. I've never heared of Purity before and I love the style of that game. A must have for the andora1:, when it's further along of course

 

[AireTamStorm]

Personally, I'm very interested in Original Software for the Pandora more than anything.

 

[God Ginrai]

A good general source for Free games is this:

http://freegamer.blogspot.com


Cheers for that Julius. I've never heared of Purity before and I love the style of that game. A must have for the andora1:, when it's further along of course


Agreed. That looks like it will have some awesome multiplayer capabilities. ^_^

-God Ginrai

 

[Kings]

Wow what an old list...

No Saurbraten, X-Moto or BZFlag

Saurbraten would be my choice to show off the Pandora.

 

[Trip]

Saurbraten would be my choice to show off the Pandora.

Blood Frontier would be better.. when it's been developed enough anyway. It's Sauerbraten, but highly polished and looking damn sexy so far

The Sauerbraten engine is way better than the overall game IMO.

 

[AireTamStorm]

I don't know why people do not see the potential in original software as much as ports or emulators... the Pandora is a very powerful piece of hardware. Rather than running something that is by nature inefficient (such as emulation) or ports from open source games, I think that original content designed FOR the hardware has the best potential to shine.

 

[imec]

I think Alien Arena is a better FPS than Tremulous or Netuiz.

Well then, I think you're unworthy to reproduce.

What about Warsow? Doesn't run well at all on my laptop, anyone believe a decent port is possible?

 

[morgushong]

I don't know why people do not see the potential in original software as much as ports or emulators... the Pandora is a very powerful piece of hardware. Rather than running something that is by nature inefficient (such as emulation) or ports from open source games, I think that original content designed FOR the hardware has the best potential to shine.

I disagree. A lot of really good games that were made for systems like nintendo, SNES, N64, and PSX were made by teams of people who were able to put many more man hours into a game than the usual single homebrew coder. The complexity and length of these games is usually greater than the average homebrew game. Yes, a game designed for the hardware has the potential to run much better and utilize the hardware much better, but this doesn't mean the gameplay is going to be as good as an emulated game. Porting an already fun game is much easier than starting from nothing and creating an equally fun game.

-my 2 cents

 

[Sphinxter]

The tip of the iceberg for linux gaming is
http://www.happypenguin.org

I don't know why people do not see the potential in original software as much as ports or emulators... the Pandora is a very powerful piece of hardware. Rather than running something that is by nature inefficient (such as emulation) or ports from open source games, I think that original content designed FOR the hardware has the best potential to shine.

I disagree. A lot of really good games that were made for systems like nintendo, SNES, N64, and PSX were made by teams of people who were able to put many more man hours into a game than the usual single homebrew coder. The complexity and length of these games is usually greater than the average homebrew game. Yes, a game designed for the hardware has the potential to run much better and utilize the hardware much better, but this doesn't mean the gameplay is going to be as good as an emulated game. Porting an already fun game is much easier than starting from nothing and creating an equally fun game.

-my 2 cents


On behalf of independent home brew game developers everywhere, "fuck you". Time invested is no measurement of fun, size does not equal power.

 

[PoisonedV]

Personally I don't get how ANYONE like Warsow, nexuiz, tremolous, or alien arena. they are all shit and I would rather play UT GOTY any day of the week

Oh and Sphinxter, on behalf of logic everywhere, "fuck you"

 

[God Ginrai]

I don't know why people do not see the potential in original software as much as ports or emulators... the Pandora is a very powerful piece of hardware. Rather than running something that is by nature inefficient (such as emulation) or ports from open source games, I think that original content designed FOR the hardware has the best potential to shine.

I completely agree that the potential for homebrew is amazing. But I disagree with your view that nothing else should compare. Every time we harp about emulation or ports, you're here harping about how we should be harping about homebrew instead.

Don't you realize that all we can harp about homebrew is that it will happen, and that it will be good? We can only harp for genres of games or for certain coders when it comes to homebrew, that's why we aren't making so many topics about it. With ports and emulators we can talk about all the possibilities and the things that we could see happening. With homebrew, you don't know what's going to happen until someone has gone and made it. That's the nature of homebrew. Unless you're a homebrew dev making a topic about what your game is going to be like, we can't really sustain too many topics about homebrew.

Homebrew is something that achieves worship after it exists on the platform, because it shows the system's potential, and brings some sort of game experience that is unique to that game. We can't really talk about something we don't know about. The homebrew devs themselves have to start describing their plans or work for us to expand on them in topical form.


Wow, that was sort of long-winded. I hope you understand what I'm trying to get at.

-God Ginrai

 

[Tozarian]

Scorched 3D is amazing. I would love to see such an awesome game ported to the Pandora.