It has been a long wait since Jane Jensen's crowd-funded game was released for Windows and Mac in April last year. Now, almost 10 months later, a Linux build is up in a closed beta on Steam.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anxAng8TtUI
As a Kickstarter backer of the game, I received an email with instructions for the beta this weekend. According to the email, developer Phoenix Online Studios' representative had played through the Linux build with few issues, but noted that animations and character lines still need some tweaking.
After having played through the first chapter of the game myself, I can conclude that their video player issues at least seem to have been sorted, as the cutscenes look consistent with those in the story trailer above. The problems with character lines noted by the developer are very noticeable, as transitions between lines are sometimes very abrupt. It's not a huge issue, but it sounds a bit out of place and it means you'll get less time to digest what is being said before being thrown into the next line of dialogue. Which is of course especially a problem with a story heavy game like this.
On the positive side, the game itself has so far been more enjoyable than I anticipated based on reviews of the game. The story is intriguing, the voice acting and music sound solid and the unique analysis mechanics are interesting. The latter do seem a bit inconsequential though, since if you're not able to solve them by reason, the number of possible permutations are few enough that they're trivial to solve by trial and error. It's possible that they get more complex as the game progresses though, so I'll reserve final judgement until I've played the entire game.
Either way, it's good to see such a high-profile Kickstarter funded game make its way to Linux. And it should also mean that the developer's popular Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller might be closer to a Linux release. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anxAng8TtUI
As a Kickstarter backer of the game, I received an email with instructions for the beta this weekend. According to the email, developer Phoenix Online Studios' representative had played through the Linux build with few issues, but noted that animations and character lines still need some tweaking.
After having played through the first chapter of the game myself, I can conclude that their video player issues at least seem to have been sorted, as the cutscenes look consistent with those in the story trailer above. The problems with character lines noted by the developer are very noticeable, as transitions between lines are sometimes very abrupt. It's not a huge issue, but it sounds a bit out of place and it means you'll get less time to digest what is being said before being thrown into the next line of dialogue. Which is of course especially a problem with a story heavy game like this.
On the positive side, the game itself has so far been more enjoyable than I anticipated based on reviews of the game. The story is intriguing, the voice acting and music sound solid and the unique analysis mechanics are interesting. The latter do seem a bit inconsequential though, since if you're not able to solve them by reason, the number of possible permutations are few enough that they're trivial to solve by trial and error. It's possible that they get more complex as the game progresses though, so I'll reserve final judgement until I've played the entire game.
Either way, it's good to see such a high-profile Kickstarter funded game make its way to Linux. And it should also mean that the developer's popular Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller might be closer to a Linux release. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Did you actually sign up for a beta at some point?
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Quoting: DisharmonicDid you actually sign up for a beta at some point?
I sent them an email saying I'd be interested in testing the Linux build after they posted an update on 3rd December asking for beta testers on Linux.
Quoting: toorI have heard this game is really really really bad, care.
Reviews of the game are very mixed, so it's worth looking into a few of them. USGamer gave the game a 4.5 out of 5 rating, while GameSpot landed on a 4 out of 10. On Steam the game has "mostly positive" user ratings, with many of the negative ones noting that the game is too short, is full of bugs and looks bad.
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Quoting: fleskThe problems with character lines noted by the developer are very noticeable, as transitions between lines are sometimes very abrupt. It's not a huge issue, but it sounds a bit out of place and it means you'll get less time to digest what is being said before being thrown into the next line of dialogue.I don't think this only happens on Linux. A friend complained of the exact same problem and I know he's running Windows 7. Not that I'm complaining if they fix it before releasing the Linux version.
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Quoting: tuubiQuoting: fleskThe problems with character lines noted by the developer are very noticeable, as transitions between lines are sometimes very abrupt. It's not a huge issue, but it sounds a bit out of place and it means you'll get less time to digest what is being said before being thrown into the next line of dialogue.I don't think this only happens on Linux. A friend complained of the exact same problem and I know he's running Windows 7. Not that I'm complaining if they fix it before releasing the Linux version.
Interesting. I've passed that on to their QA lead in case they weren't aware of it.
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Quoting: fleskThanks. The friend I mentioned said he already reported the bug (and others), but I have no idea where and how. His "bug reports" might very well have amounted to little more than a note on a forum somewhere.Quoting: tuubiInteresting. I've passed that on to their QA lead in case they weren't aware of it.Quoting: fleskThe problems with character lines noted by the developer are very noticeable, as transitions between lines are sometimes very abrupt. It's not a huge issue, but it sounds a bit out of place and it means you'll get less time to digest what is being said before being thrown into the next line of dialogue.I don't think this only happens on Linux. A friend complained of the exact same problem and I know he's running Windows 7. Not that I'm complaining if they fix it before releasing the Linux version.
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