The Team Behind PlayOnLinux & PlayOnMac Reveals PortMyApps (UPDATED)

Well, so long as it works better than the wrapper Witcher 2 uses...

Quoting: SslaxxWell, so long as it works better than the wrapper Witcher 2 uses...

People have said that TW2 runs better through WINE anyways. ^_^

As flawed as the wrapper vs true port idea is, I have a feeling if the Steam Boxes prove to be successful, we will see alot of publishers rushing to get their games on Linux for SteamOS, and this may be the method of doing it.

I imagine some will be good and some very poor. Valve's goal should be able to make all of their games playable on SteamOS without having to use the streaming service (which doesn't work with some games).

All I can say is - anything that makes weaning me from Windows is a good thing.

Considering how Linux is only gaining momentum as more and more games appear for our favourite operating system, this is something that I do not want to see happening. Some of these releases are several years old, yet are still being ported so that they are native e.g. Darksiders, Civilization 5, XCOM: Enemy Unknown. I don't want that to change now when it really counts.

While wine and the like are great tools I really wish they were not "pushed" as a real solution to delvelopers and publishers of older and no longer developed apps/games instead of doing a true port. If it is a new game/app there is no excuse to not just do a native port especially if it is being ported to OGL for mac too. It gives the noobs a bad taste as perfomance is almost never on par (unless its older or already opengl (see RAGE)) and only cements the bad things these noobs have read or heard about linux.

Like I said in the steam hardware survey topic, just release the code for your older and not currently maintained titles and the awesome linux community will likely do most if not all of the leg work for you at little to no charge. Then we can just get the actual game content from our steam catalog or directly from the windows install disc(s). I would like to see steam for linux allow for the downloading of non linux games in my catalog for no other reason than to get the data. As an example, Doom3-BFG.. I needed the data for RBDoom3BFG once I compiled it.

i don't mind having option of running wine. but, this is like death by 1000 cuts for native ports and god knows how many future developments.

uninstalling POL is 1st on my list same as never buying one title made in this way is 2nd

I never thought the response to this would be so negative. While a native port would be great, in some cases the studio is either too small, or not that well off financially enough to support a native port either in house or via third party.

The way I see this is a tool for games/apps that would never see a linux release to get ported for a lot less than a full on port.


For example, Skyrim. Skyrim will probably never see a native release until the OpenMW team decides to port it 50 years from now, but it works amazingly well in a wineskin on OS X.

As a developer of PlayOnLinux, and by reading some comments, I want to make things clearer;

This tool is noway made to discorage use of native ports. In fact, you cannot use it port games because it is limited 50Mo.

It is designed for very specific apps (like the one we ported) that could not and would not be ported in other way, or very old game (in general the source code is lost).

Games that can be natively ported won't be ported with PortMyApps, it is not planed for the moment. (And there are no point for that!)

Anyway, we do not have enough resources to bring profesional support for a game played by million of users, so clearly we won't take this risk.

Quoting: tinouAs a developer of PlayOnLinux, and by reading some comments, I want to make things clearer.

This tool is noway made to discorage use of native ports. In fact, you cannot use it port games because it is limited 50Mo.

It is designed for very specific apps (like the one we ported) that could not and would not be ported in other way, or very old game (in general the source code is lost).

Real games won't be ported with PortMyApps, it is not planed for the moment.

Care to explain further? I understand the Limitation on size due to bandwidth, etc, but why not support for full games?

If a company were to contact you, would you be willing to work with them to port an AA title?

Quoting: n30p1r4t3I never thought the response to this would be so negative. While a native port would be great, in some cases the studio is either too small, or not that well off financially enough to support a native port either in house or via third party.

The way I see this is a tool for games/apps that would never see a linux release to get ported.


For example, Skyrim. Skyrim will probably never see a native release until the OpenMW team decides to port it 50 years from now, but it works amazingly well in a wineskin on OS X.

and so it works in wine if you choose so. which is kind of good publicity. you can run skyrim even though there is no skyrim for linux. in this case, running slower doesn't mean much

but, what happens when official skyrim is crappy? in that case, it is better no port at all than deficient port. and if the worst comes and lets say lots of titles get ported like this. what would that say about linux gaming? crappy performance, weak support... yea, definitely good reason why to use linux /*sarcasm*/

i really hope people POL people won't support linux, same way as wineskin doesn't. or at least people keep list of games and apps ported like this, so that list can at least be boycotted in big scale

QuoteThis tool is noway made to discorage use of native ports. In fact, you cannot use it port games because it is limited 50Mo.

that is something that makes sense and fixes the meaning twarted by article

Quoting: n30p1r4t3I never thought the response to this would be so negative. While a native port would be great, in some cases the studio is either too small, or not that well off financially enough to support a native port either in house or via third party.

If it really is a small studio who can't afford it then put your source out there (NOT the content) and let the linux community sort it out. If it's something that enough want then someone will port it for little to nothing. Then they will still get the game sale they might otherwise have not so the person can get the data needed to run on the native binary.

I just don't want to see it become even more of a crutch than it already is that they get use to using instead of doing it the right way.

Quoting: tinouAs a developer of PlayOnLinux, and by reading some comments, I want to make things clearer.

This tool is noway made to discorage use of native ports. In fact, you cannot use it port games because it is limited 50Mo.

It is designed for very specific apps (like the one we ported) that could not and would not be ported in other way, or very old game (in general the source code is lost).

Games that can be natively ported won't be ported with PortMyApps, it is not planed for the moment (And there are no point for that!)

thanks for this, makes me feel a bit better about it.

EDIT* if the source is truely lost because it is that old I really don't have a problem with it as it will most likely show no difference in performance (ie frames locked to 60) than if it was run in windows. Using it as a crutch for newer stuff sucks for me personally. When running in ultra wide (5760x1080) I tend to need every ounce of power my rig has to run them natively in windows.. so when you subtract the loss in performance from using wine it's usually a show stopper for me. I also completely understand that my setup is in no way standard and that I am a minority.

Quoting: n30p1r4t3

Quoting: tinouAs a developer of PlayOnLinux, and by reading some comments, I want to make things clearer.

This tool is noway made to discorage use of native ports. In fact, you cannot use it port games because it is limited 50Mo.

It is designed for very specific apps (like the one we ported) that could not and would not be ported in other way, or very old game (in general the source code is lost).

Real games won't be ported with PortMyApps, it is not planed for the moment.

Care to explain further? I understand the Limitation on size due to bandwidth, etc, but why not support for full games?

If a company were to contact you, would you be willing to work with them to port an AA title?

It will depend on the context. I know for example that GoG use wine for old games because they have no other choice. Our role is first to give good advices. Be sure we're going to be very clear about wine disadvantages versus a real native port.

@vulture, don't worry, we won't port Skyrim.

Quoting: tinouAs a developer of PlayOnLinux, and by reading some comments, I want to make things clearer.

This tool is noway made to discorage use of native ports. In fact, you cannot use it port games because it is limited 50Mo.

It is designed for very specific apps (like the one we ported) that could not and would not be ported in other way, or very old game (in general the source code is lost).

Games that can be natively ported won't be ported with PortMyApps, it is not planed for the moment (And there are no point for that!)

This sounds like something GOG would be very interested in. Have you contacted the folks there?

Quoting: FutureSuture

Quoting: tinouAs a developer of PlayOnLinux, and by reading some comments, I want to make things clearer.

This tool is noway made to discorage use of native ports. In fact, you cannot use it port games because it is limited 50Mo.

It is designed for very specific apps (like the one we ported) that could not and would not be ported in other way, or very old game (in general the source code is lost).

Games that can be natively ported won't be ported with PortMyApps, it is not planed for the moment (And there are no point for that!)

This sounds like something GOG would be very interested in. Have you contacted the folks there?

Well, we are thinking about it, but for the moment, they are doing things on their side ;-)

Quoting: EKRboi

Quoting: n30p1r4t3I never thought the response to this would be so negative. While a native port would be great, in some cases the studio is either too small, or not that well off financially enough to support a native port either in house or via third party.

If it really is a small studio who can't afford it then put your source out there (NOT the content) and let the linux community sort it out. If it's something that enough want then someone will port it for little to nothing. Then they will still get the game sale they might otherwise have not so the person can get the data needed to run on the native binary.

I just don't want to see it become even more of a crutch than it already is that they get use to using instead of doing it the right way.

Quoting: tinouAs a developer of PlayOnLinux, and by reading some comments, I want to make things clearer.

This tool is noway made to discorage use of native ports. In fact, you cannot use it port games because it is limited 50Mo.

It is designed for very specific apps (like the one we ported) that could not and would not be ported in other way, or very old game (in general the source code is lost).

Games that can be natively ported won't be ported with PortMyApps, it is not planed for the moment (And there are no point for that!)

thanks for this, makes me feel a bit better about it.

Also, you'll notice that the website is called PortMyApps, and not PortMyBrandNewGame ;-)

Quoting: tinouAlso, you'll notice that the website is called PortMyApps, and not PortMyBrandNewGame ;-)

I know.. I'm more speaking of wine in general and not pointing at POL exclusively. I just hope it stays "PortMyApps" and doesn't end up being "PortMyGames". that's all I was getting at. Give people an inch and they take a mile =)

Cool, as long as it helps the interest for the linux scene grow, especially the old games sector and not used as a cheap workaround by devs (EDIT: obviously for new games), I'm excited for it. Thank you for the work put in to develop this, all the best!

Quoting: EKRboi

Quoting: tinouAlso, you'll notice that the website is called PortMyApps, and not PortMyBrandNewGame ;-)

I know.. I'm more speaking of wine in general and not pointing at POL exclusively. I just hope it stays "PortMyApps" and doesn't end up being "PortMyGames". that's all I was getting at. Give people an inch and they take a mile =)

Do not worry, it will stay PortMyApps ;-) As I said, Wine's results are too variable for us to afford the risk to work for very big companies, :-)

Quoting: AntaliusCool, as long as it helps the interest for the linux scene grow, especially the old games sector and not used as a cheap workaround by devs (EDIT: obviously for new games), I'm excited for it. Thank you for the work put in to develop this, all the best!

That won't happen really. Game editors that are interested in Linux do not want to give a bad image of their brand by bringing a low quality support for a title. Valve has proven it by not using wine for Steam.

this would be great for some of those much older programs and games.

Quoting: EKRboiIf it really is a small studio who can't afford it then put your source out there (NOT the content) and let the linux community sort it out. If it's something that enough want then someone will port it for little to nothing. Then they will still get the game sale they might otherwise have not so the person can get the data needed to run on the native binary.

This. The true solution for old games are source code releases, wherever possible.

If there really are enough arguments to make this not happen (other than losing the code in question) then you just demonstrated the game is still valuable enough that you should be doing it properly with a native port rather than simply using WINE.

I can accept WINE and DOSBox for abandoned games, or even if it is done by people in their own time for a specific interest, but if you are a game developer and are still actually serious about your old games, please either release the code or do a native port.