Distance (Nitronic Rush spiritual succesor) fully funded!

GOG has done so much good for me, I am not about to drop them over one hiccup. Yes, the reasons do seem odd, but when they put more effort into ensuring that all games work for supported platforms, no matter how old or new, I guess it makes sense to some extent. Still doesn't stop me from having the request to add Linux versions of games to GOG in my forum signature in every forum I am a part of.

Well, what you choose to fight for is up to you, but I will continue fighting for DRM free and Linux native titles.

At this point the problem is not that GOG does not understand the desire for Linux support - they just don't want to do it. And as past efforts have shown, we will only get anywhere when developers actually want to support us. Only then can you negotiate with them.

Valve knew for years that people wanted to and were playing their games on Linux - but Linux releases did not happen until they wanted to do it for their own reasons. Same thing with Unity, and now they claim to have always loved Linux which seems quite amusing to me. id supported us back when people their wanted to support us, but with ttimo gone that sadly is no longer the case.

I do hope GOG changes their minds on this, but at the moment it does not seem to be happening anytime soon.

Quoting: "FutureSuture, post: 6772, member: 204"GOG has done so much good for me, I am not about to drop them over one hiccup.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't support them. I'm saying that you shouldn't expect Linux support from them (and that if native support is something you care about, giving those who have made the commitment, that choosing to grab your native titles from them will not only benefit both you and that publisher, but also the industry in general in that it will reveal some level of Linux user buyer behaviour that would otherwise be obscured/misinterpreted as Windows user buyer behaviour - every time you purchase a Windows game, you add one to Windows stats and unless you were planning to purchase again, you'd take one away from Linux stats).

Quoting: "Hamish, post: 6773, member: 6"Valve knew for years that people wanted to and were playing their games on Linux - but Linux releases did not happen until they wanted to do it for their own reasons. Same thing with Unity, and now they claim to have always loved Linux which seems quite amusing to me.

I don't believe that's particularly true in either case. Valve started working on Linux support long before Windows 8 was announced. Given the way that Valve work, it's sad, but understandable that it's taken this long (people work on what they want to work on, and as game developers, most of them want to work on making games). Also, I doubt they had a very clear picture of how many of their existing customers were interested in Linux support - the hardware and software survey didn't work in Wine until relatively recently, and by that time, a bug had been introduced that only allowed previous respondents to be prompted, and even after that, the survey didn't report anything specifically identifying Wine (the information submitted is a subset of what's shown in the Steam system profiler. Wine Gecko shows up as "installed software", but as the installed software section of the survey results hasn't been updated since July 2010, it's impossible to know how visible that information would be or whether it's even currently being tracked).

Conversely, I got the impression that the Unity claims were from individual developers who love/use Linux who had wanted to do this for years rather than something that's come from the company itself.

Either way, Unity and Steam fill two perceived voids that have prevented some game developers from supporting Linux (affordable engine, and publishing/distribution), and though they're fairly late to the party (it would have been fantastic to have them back when Epic, id, developers were dishing out Linux support for "AAA" titles, with Loki and then LGP around to help other devs bridge that gap).

Totally agree with you on the id front, but I think that's more attitudes coming down from Zenimax/Bethesda than a change in enthusiasm within id itself (though I won't argue against ttimo having left a big hole).

Well we all have our own opinions on why people are now jumping into bed with Linux and no one is right and no one is wrong until those companies/developers specifically state why, even then it's a question of if they are telling the truth or not which again is down to if you believe them or not....

My personal opinion is that Valve is only doing it now because Gabe is worried about the future with Windows and Mac both getting more locked down he doesn't want his company losing out - Linux is his escape goat - again that's just my opinion. I love Valve and Steam either way though I really don't care.

I also don't see GOG supporting Linux in the near future because of all the bull they seem to spout each time it's asked. They are just a shop without a desktop client so who cares we have Gameolith and Indievania if you want something like that, if you want a client Steam and Desurium fit the bill.

My main point is that it's been talking about over and over, they support us now, let's be happy about that.

Also I spoke with ttimo recently, he's hard at work on Urban Terror HD :)

Quoting: "liamdawe, post: 6777, member: 1"I also don't see GOG supporting Linux in the near future because of all the bull they seem to spout each time it's asked. They are just a shop without a desktop client so who cares we have Gameolith and Indievania if you want something like that, if you want a client Steam and Desurium fit the bill.

Well, you do have to consider the fact that GOG does have access to certain distribution rights that other distributors do not, especially with regards to many older titles. If they started supporting Linux we could see some of those titles appearing on Linux in some form, coupled with Dosbox or ScumVM. Desura already has a few games in both categories available for purchase already, but their catalogue is not nearly as vast as GOG's would be.

Quoting: "liamdawe, post: 6777, member: 1"Well we all have our own opinions on why people are now jumping into bed with Linux and no one is right and no one is wrong until those companies/developers specifically state why, even then it's a question of if they are telling the truth or not which again is down to if you believe them or not...

You can still be right or wrong - you just won't know that you are. Belief does not dictate truth. Opinions in this case are just guesses and speculation.

Edit: Oh, I see. You're saying that whether or not people choose to believe the truth of any official statements that arise is up to them. That's true.

That said, I think there's enough evidence out there that it can be considered a fact that Valve were working on Linux stuff before the future of Windows became apparent. I imagine it's probably added incentive, but the state of other platforms it's not the only reason for, and can't have been the instigator of them Linux providing Linux support.

Hamish's point about GOG having access to stuff that nobody else does is pretty valid. Their DRM-free stance, their level of service and bundled extras are also unparalleled by other digital game stores. If GOG were to eventually support Linux, this would be an awesome thing, not only for GOG customers, but also in encouraging people like Gameolith and Desura to lift their game a bit to compete.

Quoting: "liamdawe, post: 6777, member: 1"Also I spoke with ttimo recently, he's hard at work on Urban Terror HD

Oh, that's fantastic to hear :)

Quoting: "Cheeseness, post: 6779, member: 122"That said, I think there's enough evidence out there that it can be considered a fact that Valve were working on Linux stuff before the future of Windows became apparent. I imagine it's probably added incentive, but the state of other platforms it's not the only reason for, and can't have been the instigator of them Linux providing Linux support.

Well, Windows 8 was never really part of my point anyway. My point was developers will only come when they themselves want to. You can not force them by screaming and yelling. In Valve's case, something convinced them. Demonstrating the potential of Linux is fine, showing that there is a user base is fine. Making too much of a fuss may actually do more harm than good. At this point with GOG, I feel the community has made it's point when it comes to the shouting match and demands for attention, as they know we are here, and yet they are not yet satisfied. Something or someone else needs to convince them that they should do it, or show them how they should do it. Only then, when they are sufficiently sure that they want to do it, will it happen.