Linux Game Development In 2015

Our team uses Java to develop a cross-platform game.

All run Ubuntu 14.04 and we will never look to any other OS for our development.

Setting up the programming environment is done so fast, using symlinks is a dream come true,
using Version Control (git) via command line is native (in windows it's ugly and buggy), and it's just stable.

On the art side, sure. There is too much "Windows Only" software.
However I would always use Blender and Inkscape over their costly alternatives.

As for Gimp, well it's Gimp. I don't have Photoshop experience but it has to be easier to use.

Blender, Inkscape and GIMP are certainly real alternatives for today's developer, especially those without lot of initial cash investment to spend on expensive software. As for GIMP it is certainly good for basic to intermediate work and only special filters is something it lacks (and there's lot of sub based image services to fill that niche). Blender is comparingly hard to other 3D editors, but it certainly make up with slew of features it has for it's cost (t.i. free). Also very active community and developers is something worth of gold. Said that, there's also lot of training available for it so it's clearly an option. And Inkscape this year released their big upgrade with list of features.

As for tools in general, it is really about how developers are willing to learn new things. If you combine your skills as coder and tool sets available for you on Linux you can create wonders without huge initial monetary investment. Biggest hurdle is various plugins and extensions used by commercial software to make development faster.

Quoting: PeciskBlender, Inkscape and GIMP are certainly real alternatives for today's developer, especially those without lot of initial cash investment to spend on expensive software. As for GIMP it is certainly good for basic to intermediate work and only special filters is something it lacks (and there's lot of sub based image services to fill that niche).

I appreciate that you have a accurate appraisal of the situation - GIMP certainly will accommodate basic & intermediate users needs.

For professionals, however, the truth is simply - not yet. However one day I wouldn't be surprised to see GIMP surpass Photoshop simply because the GIMP Registry has free addons. Additionally, GIMP does have a plugin that lets you use Photoshop Brushed in GIMP which is fantastic.

I get the feeling Adobe has been paid off by Microsoft/Apple to never come to Linux so the only way we're gonna win this tug of war is with GIMP, Krita, Karbon, Blender, LightWorks and Inkscape.


Last edited by ElectricPrism on 7 September 2015 at 8:44 pm UTC

Quoting: ElectricPrismFor professionals, however, the truth is simply - not yet.

There are tons of different professional use cases and for many of them GIMP is just fine. The UI is hardly streamlined but it's slowly getting there.

Quoting: ElectricPrismI get the feeling Adobe has been paid off by Microsoft/Apple to never come to Linux...

Conspiracy theories are fun. It's more likely that Adobe - like most large desktop software businesses - simply does not see Linux as a worthwhile market just yet.


Last edited by tuubi on 7 September 2015 at 10:13 pm UTC

Odd that Yanick says in the article that statically linking against SDL was a requirement. Bundling dynamically linked libs has been an option for a long, long time. IIRC, Loki were adjusting rpath to be relative for that purpose back in the 90s.

It's not specifically Linux game development per se, but it's great to see recent posts by Media Molecule and PolyKnight Games using Blender for different areas of production. Developers who use cross-platform tools are more likely to consider Linux a viable option in the future than developers who don't, and by showing that cross platform tools are suitable for "serious" use, these non-Linux using developers are offering validation to aspiring developers who want to work on Linux.

For my development personally, not a lot has changed recently. SDL2 is nice, but SDL was serviceable before that. MinGW for cross compiling has been around for ages, as has the JRE for Java stuff.

I think the big changes that are happening now are in visibility and accessibility - the kind of noise that Unity Technologies, CryTek and Epic are making helps raise the profile of developing on and for Linux in ways that empowers people on our platform. That's going to have a lasting impact, I think.

Quoting: tuubi

Quoting: ElectricPrismFor professionals, however, the truth is simply - not yet.

There are tons of different professional use cases and for many of them GIMP is just fine. The UI is hardly streamlined but it's slowly getting there.

I've found that Krita's UI feels very professional and includes some tools that you can't get in PS. The first tool I'm thinking of is the "Wrap Around Mode" which is great for 3D/seamless textures. I very seldom even pop Gimp open anymore and don't even have it installed right now. I have sold some of my professional artist friends pretty easily on using Krita, but Gimp would be an extremely hard sell. If the Gimp team cleans up the UI to feel less like a 90's interface and more modern I think it would make a great professional tool.


Last edited by natewardawg on 8 September 2015 at 1:36 am UTC

If SteamOS really takes off, are you guys not afraid that game developers will just test and debug their games for it and will leave we, who used Linux decades before that, empty-handed?

I'm afraid developers will release stuff for SteamOS and new users will not even realize it's Linux. The spotlight might be on SteamOS, not on Linux developing and gaming... Or I am very wrong?

The spotlight will be on SteamOS, but we are not going to be left empty handed. If even 5% of people using SteamOS realise it's Linux, that'll be a HUGE win for us.