WaveWorks Interactive Sound Engine (Wwise) is an audio library game developers can use license to use in their games.
They have stated publicly on twitter they are planning Linux support:
I am not too clued up on things like this not being a game programmer or audio man myself, but considering it stopped LIMBO being ported natively I am betting it's not the only one.
Considering how many platforms this audio solution works on it's not surprising it's popular, their website claims it's used in over 300 games.
According to Ethan Lee who ports quite a few games to Linux, part of the problem with LIMBO not being able to be ported natively was it's use of Wwise, so this will be another barrier down for Linux game development (source).
Frozenbyte the developers behind the Trine & Shadowground games had to replace Wwise in Trine 2's Linux version because of no Linux support as well:
Source
I do wonder how many more companies will be announcing Linux support of their products in the near future thanks to Valve's support of it with SteamOS.
Not just that, but I wonder how many more games will be jumping over now we will have another middleware problem out of the way. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
QuoteWwise WaveWorks Interactive Sound Engine is the industry's only complete audio pipeline solution. Designed to suit your workflow, Wwise features the integration of an advanced audio authoring tool and a robust sound engine.
By addressing the specific needs of both audio programmers and sound designers, Audiokinetic has created the ideal solution for all of today's game development pipelines. Wwise allows you to prototype new projects right out-of-the-box; it is workgroup ready and is easily integrated into next-generation game engines. Working in Wwise will increase your productivity and enhance your creative output while saving you time and money across the audio production of any game title.
They have stated publicly on twitter they are planning Linux support:
@directhex @TwoLofBees @deepsilver Wwise will be there with SteamOS. Please contact us if you need linux support now.
Bernard Rodrigue (@decasteljau) September 27, 2013
I am not too clued up on things like this not being a game programmer or audio man myself, but considering it stopped LIMBO being ported natively I am betting it's not the only one.
Considering how many platforms this audio solution works on it's not surprising it's popular, their website claims it's used in over 300 games.
QuoteWwise is currently available for the following platforms: Android™, iOS, Mac®, Nintendo 3DS™, PlayStation®3, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®Vita, Wii™, Wii U™, Windows®, Xbox 360™, Xbox One™ and Windows Phone 8.
According to Ethan Lee who ports quite a few games to Linux, part of the problem with LIMBO not being able to be ported natively was it's use of Wwise, so this will be another barrier down for Linux game development (source).
QuoteHad Limbo used something other than Wwise, it may have gotten a native Linux version.
Frozenbyte the developers behind the Trine & Shadowground games had to replace Wwise in Trine 2's Linux version because of no Linux support as well:
QuoteWe licensed Wwise for audio and Bink for video, and they worked reasonably well. Some of the time we saved has been lost since then though, we had to write our own audio system for Linux for example.
Source
I do wonder how many more companies will be announcing Linux support of their products in the near future thanks to Valve's support of it with SteamOS.
Not just that, but I wonder how many more games will be jumping over now we will have another middleware problem out of the way. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Cheeseness Sep 27, 2013
So, what does this mean? This means that a fairly prominent audio middleware is going to be supporting Linux in the very near future (possibly thanks in part to encouragement from Valve).
Whether you're particularly fond of Wwise or not, the doors that this opens for legacy titles (anything previously published without Linux support :D ) should be pretty clear. Wwise isn't just used by indie titles like Trine 2 and LIMBO, but also by some fairly well recognised big budget mainstream titles - things like Bioshock Infinite, the Assassins Creed franchise, and the later Mass Effect games (there's a small list on Wikipedia that should give an idea of the types of titles using it as well as a carousel on the Audiokinetic site.
Also worth noting is the presence of ex-THQ franchises here such as Red Faction Armageddon, Saints Row, not to mention Total War: Rome II, a screenshot of which can be seen in the SteamOS announcement.
Whether you're particularly fond of Wwise or not, the doors that this opens for legacy titles (anything previously published without Linux support :D ) should be pretty clear. Wwise isn't just used by indie titles like Trine 2 and LIMBO, but also by some fairly well recognised big budget mainstream titles - things like Bioshock Infinite, the Assassins Creed franchise, and the later Mass Effect games (there's a small list on Wikipedia that should give an idea of the types of titles using it as well as a carousel on the Audiokinetic site.
Also worth noting is the presence of ex-THQ franchises here such as Red Faction Armageddon, Saints Row, not to mention Total War: Rome II, a screenshot of which can be seen in the SteamOS announcement.
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This is great news, another barrier down!
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Great news. Middle-ware seems to be an important hurdle to porting games that didn't get made with multi platform support in mind. As for TW:R2 it might be just an example of a streamed game, but most of the other games shown do have a Linux port. (Does anyone know what game is on the lower right image?)
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"Wwise will be there in Steam" as it's explained in the tweet. But only on SteamOS or for all Linux OS ?
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Quoting: Quote from DisGreat news. Middle-ware seems to be an important hurdle to porting games that didn't get made with multi platform support in mind. As for TW:R2 it might be just an example of a streamed game, but most of the other games shown do have a Linux port. (Does anyone know what game is on the lower right image?)Metro Last Light.
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Quoting: Quote from berillions"Wwise will be there in Steam" as it's explained in the tweet. But only on SteamOS or for all Linux OS ?It also said "Please contact us if you need Linux support now" so clearly it's for Linux. Unless the SteamOS announcement was totally inaccurate, saying something will be on SteamOS is like saying something is on fedora or ubuntu. It may not be equally convenient to run something on another distro, but it's almost always possible if you want it badly enough (unless the "it" under discussion is a binary driver which requires some specific distro kernel).
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Yeah, this is a big deal. It passes the AMD announcement in relevance by an order of magnitude, in my opinion. Let's hope their competitors follow their lead.
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Does this mean they might make a proper native port of LIMBO and I can actually allow myself to play it?
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Quoting: Quote from HamishDoes this mean they might make a proper native port of LIMBO and I can actually allow myself to play it?
Ha! That would surely be something!
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Quoting: Quote from HamishDoes this mean they might make a proper native port of LIMBO and I can actually allow myself to play it?Well, I wouldn't count on it.
They have our money already.
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