Linux gaming
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Linux gaming refers to playing or developing video games for Linux operating systems. This can refer to open source games that run natively on Linux, or commercial games that have Linux ports. Generally speaking, there is a mindset that there are few games available for Linux.[1]
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[edit] Open source games
A few original open source games have attained notability:
- AssaultCube is a first-person shooter
- Battle for Wesnoth is a turn-based strategy game
- Blob Wars: Metal Blob Solid is a 2D platform game
- Blob Wars: Blob And Conquer is a 3D action shooter / platformer and direct sequel to Metal Blob Solid
- BZFlag is a 3D First person tank shooter (With jumping)
- CodeRED: Alien Arena is a sci-fi first-person shooter derived from the Quake II engine
- Glest is a real-time strategy game, with optional multiplayer
- NetHack and Angband are text-based computer role-playing games
- Netrek is a Star Trek themed multiplayer 2D space battle game
- Nexuiz is a first-person shooter
- OpenArena is a standalone Quake III Arena game
- Project: Starfighter a multi-directional, objective based shoot-em-up
- Sauerbraten is a 3D first-person shooter with an integrated map editing mode
- TORCS (The Open Racing Car Simulator) - considered one of the best open-source racing simulators, with realistic graphics and vehicle handling.[2]
- Tremulous is a 3D first-person shooter/real-time strategy game
- Tux Racer is a 3D racing game featuring Tux
- Urban Terror is a standalone Quake III Arena first-person shooter
- Vega Strike is a space flight simulation
- Warsow is a Quake-like, fast-paced first-person shooter
[edit] Clones and remakes
There are a larger number of open source clones and remakes of classic games:
- FreeCiv is a remake of Civilization II
- OpenTTD is a remake of Transport Tycoon Deluxe
- Frozen Bubble is an adaptation of Puzzle Bobble
- Scorched 3D is a 3D adaptation of Scorched Earth
- Ur-Quan Masters is based on the original source code for Star Control II
- Homeworld SDL is based on the original source code for Homeworld
- StepMania is a remake of Dance Dance Revolution
- Frets on Fire is a remake of Guitar Hero
- SuperTux is a remake of Super Mario
- SuperTuxKart and TuxKart are remakes of Mario Kart
- Crack Attack! is inspired by Tetris Attack
- Various remakes of Doom, Wolfenstein 3D, and Quake are based on the engines for these games
- Two different remakes of Wing Commander: Privateer are based on the Vega Strike engine
- Spring[3] originally is a remake of Total Annihilation, but actually is a platform for real time strategy games
- Head Over Heels[4], a ZX-Spectrum action platformer, was remade for Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, and BeOS.
- Cave Story[5], a platformer reminiscent of the Metroid and Castlevania series, was ported to Linux.
- Widelands, is inspired by The Settlers and The Settlers II
- Wormux, an open source clone of the Worms game using free software project mascots instead of worms.
- FreeOrion - considered one of the best open-source space games, is based on Master of Orion.[6]
- Warzone 2100 is a real-time strategy and real-time tactics hybrid computer game. Originally published by EIDOS Interactive and later released as Open Source.
[edit] Commercial games
In some cases, developers have released Linux versions of their games directly. id Software together with Raven Software ported Doom 3, the Quake series, and Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars; Bioware released Neverwinter Nights; Epic Games released Unreal Tournament 2003 and Unreal Tournament 2004 and they will port Unreal Tournament 3; Croteam released the Serious Sam series; Introversion released Darwinia, Uplink, and DEFCON. Frictional Games released Linux version of both Penumbra: Black Plague and Penumbra: Overture. S2games released a Linux client of their title Savage 2: A Tortured Soul soon after it's launch. Indie RPGs Eschalon: Book I and Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness were developed cross-platform from the start of development, including a linux version. Space MMO Vendetta Online launched with Linux support, and now maintains both Linux/32 and Linux/64 clients. eGenesis released a Linux client for its MMO A Tale in the Desert. Titan Computer published a Linux version of Jagged Alliance 2 by Sir-Tech Canada.
More commonly, an independent company has taken on the task of porting prominent Windows games to Linux. Loki Software was the first such company, and between 1998 and 2002 ported Descent³, Heretic II, Heroes of Might and Magic III, Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns, Myth II: Soulblighter, Railroad Tycoon II, Rune, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, Sim City 3000, Soldier of Fortune Tribes II, and Unreal Tournament. Linux Game Publishing was founded in 2001 in response to the impending demise of Loki, and has brought Cold War, Gorky 17, Knights and Merchants, Postal², and X2: The Threat to Linux. icculus.org has ported Aliens versus Predator, Duke Nukem 3D, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Rise of the Triad and Prey. The German publisher RuneSoft was founded in 2000. They ported the games Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood, Airline Tycoon Deluxe, Ankh, Ankh: Heart of Osiris and Jack Keane to Linux.
[edit] Massively multiplayer online role-playing games
This is a selected list of MMORPGs that are native on Linux.
- A Tale in the Desert III (2003, eGenesis) – A trading and crafting game, set in ancient Egypt, pay-to-play.
- Crossfire (1992) – A medieval fantasy 2D game.
- Diaspora (computer game) (1999, Altitude Productions) - 2D Space trading MMORPG. (Project Diaspora version has a linux client.[citation needed])
- Dofus (2005, Ankama Games) – A 2D fantasy MMORPG.
- Eternal Lands (2003, Radu Privantu) – A 3D fantasy game.
Eve Online(2003, CCP Games) – A sci-fi Space combat game, pay-to-play.(Support ended March 10th, 2009)- The Nethernet (2007, GameLayers) – A Steampunk MMO in a Firefox browser toolbar.
- PlaneShift (2002, Atomic Blue) – A first person medieval fantasy game in mid-beta.
- Regnum Online – A 3D fantasy game, free-to-play with premium content.
- RuneScape – Java fantasy 3rd person game.
- Tibia – A 2D Medieval fantasy game. Free-to-play with premium content.
- Vendetta Online – A 3D spacecraft MMOFPS with growing RPG elements, pay to play.
- WorldForge – A game engine. There are Linux clients available.
- Wurm Online – A Java-based MMORPG.
- Wyvern – A 2D fantasy MMORPG that runs on Java.
- Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates – A puzzle game which runs on Java.
For a list of MMORPGs, regardless of operating environment, see: List of MMORPGs.
Many virtual worlds (such as Second Life) also have Linux clients.
[edit] Emulation and compatibility layers
There are also APIs, virtual machines, and machine emulators that provide binary compatibility:
- Wine, as well as the commercial/proprietary forks CrossOver and Cedega offer compatibility layers for Windows games;
- FCE Ultra and TuxNES for the Nintendo Entertainment System;
- Snes9x and ZSNES for the Super Nintendo;
- pSX emulator, ePSXe and PCSX for the Playstation;
- Mupen64Plus and the no longer actively developed original Mupen64 for the Nintendo 64;
- gnuboy for the Nintendo Game Boy and GameBoy Color;
- VisualBoy Advance for the GameBoy Advance;
- ScummVM for LucasArts and various other adventure games;
- DOSBox and DOSEMU for MS DOS;
- UAE for the Amiga;
- Basilisk II for the 68040 Macintosh;
- Frotz for Z-Machine text adventures;
- MAME for arcade games;
- Mednafen and Xe emulating multiple hardware platforms including some of the above
[edit] Game development
As far as development is concerned, library support for Linux gaming is provided by OpenGL, ALSA, OpenAL and SDL, a cross-platform multimedia wrapper around system-dependent libraries, as well as Pygame. The DRI project provides open source video card drivers, and NVIDIA and ATI also release binary kernel modules for their video cards. Linux also runs on several game consoles, including the Xbox,[7] PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, GameCube,[8] and Wii which allows game developers without an expensive game development kit to access console hardware.
[edit] Gaming Linux Distros
- Linux-Gamers.net LIVE! is a Live DVD game-oriented Linux distribution that offers limited, if not at all, general usage. It is made as a Live DVD distribution only and doesn't contain an installer on the DVD.[9]
- Ultimate Edition gamer's edition is a Ubuntu based distribution that has included many Linux games by default but unlike Linux-Gamers.net LIVE! it is not meant as a Live DVD portable environment, and so it doesn't have some specialized driver installation.[10]
- The Fedora Project hosts a Live CD gaming spin of their Fedora operating system.
[edit] See also
- Free Software Directory
- List of open source games
- Lists of video games
- List of emulators
- List of video game console emulators
- Sega Lindbergh
- Wine (software)
- Games_for_Windows
[edit] References
- ^ Rob Williams. "Top 10 Free Linux Games". techgage.com. http://techgage.com/article/top_10_free_linux_games/. Retrieved on 2008-11-01.
- ^ Diehl, Mike (2007-10-18). "Free Games for Linux" (HTML). Linux Journal. Linux Journal. http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/1000435. Retrieved on 2007-12-04.
- ^ The Spring Project
- ^ Retrospec Head Over Heels Page
- ^ Download link needed
- ^ "Full Circle Magazine n14, page 35" (PDF). http://dl.fullcirclemagazine.org/issue14_en.pdf. Retrieved on 2009-01-04.
- ^ Xbox Linux Wiki
- ^ Gamecube Linux Wiki
- ^ Linux-Gamers.net LIVE!
- ^ Ultimate Edition
[edit] External links
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This article's external links may not follow Wikipedia's content policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links. |
- The Linux Gamers' Game List - A list of Games for Linux
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