News for Linux on GOG

[WizardStan]

Did they replace the ScummVM interface or hide it or something ? what is their implementation like ?

You can start a specific game in ScummVM and then have it exit when the game closes, the end user doesn't need to be aware of the interface at all. I don't know what you mean by "their implementation", it's literally just ScummVM.

DO they mention it in the store page?

I've never seen them mention anywhere how they get games working. Most users don't care whether it's the original game, a modern port, or run through DosBox or ScummVM; all anyone cares is that it runs with as little interference as possible.

In which games do you see issues with Dosbox ?

The only specific game I can think of right now is Might and Magic 4/5: World of Xeen. I've played that a lot over the years so it is hard stuck in my head. Depending on the music you select, the output is obviously glitchy, containing pops and pings that aren't there on original hardware.Another thought I just had, if a game has midi music then you are almost certainly using a modern sound font on your system so you are already not having the exact same original experience.

edit:

You are right for Eduke32, but ScummVM is not a port for example

Yes, but ScummVM has been a side discussion. My beef is still about not using eduke32.

The problem I have with Eduke32 is that you add new renderers (OpenGL) new visual effects, allow for higher textures supports, etc... in the end are you still playing the same game or an enhanced, rebooted version of it ?

All are optional. The code doesn't contain new models, new graphics, new sounds: in order to take advantage of any of the new features you need to have the assets. If you use just the original assets you are getting the original game.Incidentally, high res texture packs are officially supported by the original Duke Nukem 3D engine anyway. It's one of the recommended mods from GoG.

 

[rygD]

Has anyone tried DEFCON.  I read about it at some point and thought it might be fun, but it isn't the type of games I play often. 

I play defcon already (steam iirc) and it is ok, better with human opponents IMO but still a fun game if you pick it up cheap enough.

I will let you know if I get it.

 

[mcobit]

Afaik Ken Silverman himself ported the build engine to Open GL.


Thats the Polymost renderer. The added Polymer renderer is completely optional like all enhancements.


Some code NEEDS to be updated when you want to run on a newer system.


Also there are a lot of Bugfixes for the original game, too.


Also compare the speed of eduke with the speed of dosbox running duke3d. Guess who wins...


Eduke also supports playing the music in mp3 format. There are files recorded directy from the synthesizer it was composed on. There is no better emulation than that.

 

[Klumpen]

http://www.gog.com/news/gogcom_now_supports_linux

Yeah, I've seen it too and think it's just awesome.

This would never have happened if Linux support wouldn't have been to popular on the community wishlist.

Here is the first bunch of games.

Does anybody know where to download the GoG downloader for Linux?

 

[WizardStan]

First time it's sold for Ubuntu and Mint officially as a deb. That's probably what they mean. Pandora does not fall into that bucket anyway

Ok, I've thought about this, and that's a fair point. I don't like how they said it but that's just semantics which are (almost) never worth fighting over. Complaint withdrawn.

 

[levi]

Is that the same thing as Gog Galaxy? Judging by the press release, there's been no public movement on that yet, so for now it's just deb files or tarballs.

 

[_jr_]

GOG Galaxy is in beta with the Witcher Adventure Game thingy. Funnily it was Windows only and doesn't even install in WINE last I checked.

 

[notaz]

wow, flatout running on Linux. Sweet!! 

It's just wrapped under wine though..

Not that it's a bad thing, wine can run certain things better than windows itself.

 

[EvilDragon]

wow, flatout running on Linux. Sweet!! 

It's just wrapped under wine though..

Not that it's a bad thing, wine can run certain things better than windows itself.

And if they wrap it up, you don't need to fiddle with the settings yourself, which is appreciated as well

 

[rygD]

Not that it's a bad thing, wine can run certain things better than windows itself.

Windows isn't exactly known for always running smooth and stable, so no surprise there.

 

[_jr_]

One of the first post on the GOG forum was going on about how wine isn't real linux support, blabla...


GOG linux support resulting in some wine improvements could do more for linux gaming in general than some isolated native ports. It's surpisingly good already even on top of recent (10.2) mesa/nouveau.


BTW: thanks to notaz for getting patches into wine upstream!

 

[thatgui]

Did people really expect that gog.com would start making native version of their whole catalogue (- the, mostly, indie titles that already have one) ?

 

[comradekingu]

In my head GOG has support for WINE. WINE has already, to ability, support for the games GOG distributes. What microsoft did to get market dominance wasnt ok, but unfortunately

many games are still influenced by that. And hopefully that will become part of the actual past that it should be, rather than a legacy that benefits the abuser.

I dont understand how being treated like a second rate customer is worth my money.

I understand not being able to port everything at once, just as i understand honesty. Linux-gaming isn't worth much if you can get publicity this way.

Facilitating something second hand is a far cry from enabling it. If for all purposes the Linux support is the same as anything else, the difference becomes meaningless.

Its almost like everyone forgot that games were good back when you could buy them and not get a lot of hassle in return.

Now there are a few cancerous players left and lots of distribution-networks looking to out-do them in being controlling. If they do nothing else then why in the age of the internet is there a need for them?

So its like playonlinux only WINE benefits, and they _control_ my games. That does not sound good to me, nor is it particularly brilliant with respect to real support if GOG becomes big enough.

Supporting driver development, WINE itself, or a developer or two helps linux support, directly.

TLDR i know next to nothing about GOG, and was baited into clicking.

Edit: Keep buying the games you like and supporting best effort wasnt good enough before. The worst elements in the games industry take advantage and become whatever choice you have down the road.

Real stuff for real money is what works.

 

[levi]

I dont understand how being treated like a second rate customer is worth my money.

We're still not on a par with Windows, but at least we can buy games that work out of the box, and it's a boon for Pandora use now you won't have to muck about with innoextract and the likes to get the data files.
And at least we get Flatout. IIRC it's not even an option for Mac!

 

[comradekingu]

Explain why GOG will ever put you on par with Windows. Bear in mind Microsoft managed to corrupt a whole industry when the competition wasn't subscribing to their control-schemes.

For pandora for the time being its even worse, as WINE for ARM isnt all that good yet.  GOG support for linux through WINE is the equivalent to buying fish from someone who wants to prevent you from fishing. With many hops in between.

 

[WizardStan]

When you're starving, a single fish is a banquet.

 

[comradekingu]

That is the mindset of a slave. Remember who took the games away.

 

[fusion_power]

Not that it's a bad thing, wine can run certain things better than windows itself.

Which Windows Games do run better under wine? I don't use Wine or Linux on Desktop so I only heared that Wine usualy costs alot of performance (onto the same hardware) compared to native running Windows games.

 

[_jr_]

I think there are some numbers relating to that in the context of the CSMT patchset currently under development.

http://wiki.winehq.org/FOSDEM2014?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=d3d-drivers.odp

 

[WizardStan]

That is the mindset of a slave

It's the mindset of someone who is starving.