Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition Delayed For Linux, Again

Like always when there is a topic regarding Divinity: Original Sin - I hope all of us will follow me and won't support Larian Studios because they don't deserve our support. The only scenario to buy this game is super cheap sale with -90% price when the game is released on linux (or maybe I should use "if" instead of "when").
Otherwise your euros can be spend better. If you don't have Pillars of Eternity - buy it. If you don't have Torchlight 2 - buy it. If you don't have Sword Coast Legends - buy it. If you don't have Witcher 2 - buy it. But for the God's sake don't support developer who that takes from people money and after year and a half of Windows release laughs on those who believed in Linux port and does not provide them a product.

Ok, I'm going to be the voice that no one agrees with, but Larian is a business. No matter what they promised, no matter what we expect, their #1 goal is to make money... nothing else. So from a business perspective, it makes sense that they would focus on the largest markets first for the Enhanced Edition.

Is it kind of shitty? Yes.
Is it the reality of the world we live in? Yes.

Until Mac and Linux rise above a combined ~5 million users on Steam, we will be the last considered for most games, if considered at all. The attitudes that I've seen here, while justified, do nothing but make devs NOT want to develop for Linux. We make ourselves look like just as big of jerks as the developers appear to be many times. We ARE the minority and we HAVE to stop acting like we are entitled to anything. Unless you gave to kickstarter, but even then there are disclaimers specifically stating you are putting forth money at your own risk.... nothing was ever guaranteed.

What we should be doing instead is:

1. Be thankful that, after all the verbal abuse we put Larian through, they are still doing a Linux port.
2. Be thankful they are taking time to make sure it is a good port.
3. Offer to help beta test if they want it... they may not reply, but putting on a good face is important
4. In the Business world perception matters most. No one will take a person or group of people seriously if the perception of said group is bad. It's on US to fix the perception of Linux and Linux users and the comments on Reddit and here actually do nothing but make that perception worse.

People have every right to be upset and disappointed, but while any one of us may think the perceptions, political correctness, PR, etc are all a bunch of BS - it's what a majority of the world runs on, especially in the Business world. No one CARES what any of us think, especially if we are being total asses about it (and it doesn't matter how much in the "right" we are either).

They don't deserve our Kickstarter support (and apparently they don't need it), but wait for the port quality before we decide on if they deserve our support. We waited 3-4 years for Civ V, we shouldn't get annoyed if developers take a long time to port. We should be grateful that they port it at all and the port is good quality. However, I am not hopeful for a good quality port at this point.

This is beyond pathetic.. what's next ?

Let's take a wild guess:

The port get's released, it's filled with bugs and has low performance, even more people will piss on Larian than is the case now. Sales numbers will be terrible.. Larian will anounce not to do linux ports again...sigh

A pity really, I was looking forward to the game next week.
Would have even bought it full price to support the developers.
But now I think I will wait for a sale.
Its a good thing I didnt kickstart D:OS2 after all.
I am very disappointed with Larian.

1. Be thankful
2. Be thankful
3. Offer to help

> no game for years

You can't have it both ways. If it's a business, act like one, release your product first.

HOHOHOHOHOHOHO.
Come on you can't be serious!
With Shadowrun: Dragonfall, Pillars of Eternity, Sword Coast Legends, Wasteland 2 and many other great RPGs - that have been already able to actually release the damn port they promised - around the corner, do you think you have the legitimacy to even SELL this game to us?
Pathetic.

Larian were hit by lack of Linux developers I suspect. They develop their own engine, and unlike the above which use Unity, they actually write their own graphics code.

As was pointed out already, the fact that they didn't include Linux in their new crowdfunding campaign is very telling.


Last edited by Shmerl on 21 October 2015 at 5:16 pm UTC

Like always when there is a topic regarding Divinity: Original Sin - I hope all of us will follow me and won't support Larian Studios because they don't deserve our support. The only scenario to buy this game is super cheap sale with -90% price when the game is released on linux (or maybe I should use "if" instead of "when").
Otherwise your euros can be spend better. If you don't have Pillars of Eternity - buy it. If you don't have Torchlight 2 - buy it. If you don't have Sword Coast Legends - buy it. If you don't have Witcher 2 - buy it. But for the God's sake don't support developer who that takes from people money and after year and a half of Windows release laughs on those who believed in Linux port and does not provide them a product.

You forgot Wasteland 2!

For that matter, you can even buy Linux-compatible versions of Bioware classics like Baulders Gate 1 and 2, and Icewind Dale.

There's no need to waste a single penny supporting Larian.

No matter what they promised, no matter what we expect, their #1 goal is to make money... nothing else.

Sorry, but that in no way justifies screwing over those who invested money in Kickstarter or otherwise purchased the game based on the promise of a day-one Linux release. In fact, they had a moral obligation to release a Linux version the day the Kickstarter goal was met, so don't pretend they'll be doing us a favor if they actually release it.

For that matter, you can even buy Linux-compatible versions of Bioware classics like Baulders Gate 1 and 2, and Icewind Dale.

There's no need to waste a single penny supporting Larian.

Wasn't Baldurs gate and Icewind dale interplay classics made buy Black Isles?

It's got echoes of Carmageddon all over.
I backed that game just for the Linux port, how long have we waited for that now?

For that matter, you can even buy Linux-compatible versions of Bioware classics like Baulders Gate 1 and 2, and Icewind Dale.

There's no need to waste a single penny supporting Larian.

Wasn't Baldurs gate and Icewind dale interplay classics made buy Black Isles?

Were they? I could have sworn they were Bioware titles.

O.K., you're right about Icewind Dale, but Baulder's Gate 1 and 2 were definitely Bioware games.

http://www.bioware.com/en/games/

I should be disappointed or pissed off, but I'm not because I fully expected this. I have zero faith left in Larian and I fully expect them to **** us over again come December.

I am so very glad I stopped Kickstarting Linux games a long time ago. Far, far too many broken promises.

It's not the right attitude IMO. I don't remember having to wait for all the other kickstarted big RPGs (Wasteland, Pillars, Shadowrun) and without Linux users supporting those campaigns, we wouldn't have a Linux version.

If you're not happy with some studios delaying the Linux port, you can ask for a refund. Some will respond favorably to that (the devs of Consortium did in my case). The others do deserve all your hate. But avoiding crowdfunding entirely just because of them is not doing us any good.

For that matter, you can even buy Linux-compatible versions of Bioware classics like Baulders Gate 1 and 2, and Icewind Dale.

There's no need to waste a single penny supporting Larian.

Wasn't Baldurs gate and Icewind dale interplay classics made buy Black Isles?

Were they? I could have sworn they were Bioware titles.

O.K., you're right about Icewind Dale, but Baulder's Gate 1 and 2 were definitely Bioware games.

http://www.bioware.com/en/games/

You where more right than me but in some aspect we bought where right :D.
Baldurs gate where developed by Biowhare but published by interplay and still belongs to interplay. Thanks to wikipedia and you I learned something new today :)

I am so very glad I stopped Kickstarting Linux games a long time ago. Far, far too many broken promises.

It's not the right attitude IMO. I don't remember having to wait for all the other kickstarted big RPGs (Wasteland, Pillars, Shadowrun) and without Linux users supporting those campaigns, we wouldn't have a Linux version.

If you're not happy with some studios delaying the Linux port, you can ask for a refund. Some will respond favorably to that (the devs of Consortium did in my case). The others do deserve all your hate. But avoiding crowdfunding entirely just because of them is not doing us any good.

I buy things that exist, I don't buy on promises. Kickstarter is a written promise, nothing more. Too full of uncertainty for me, and too many bad apples have ruined it for me personally. You can feel free to pledge as you wish.

My one pledge isn't going to make all that much difference, and if it is then it can't be very interesting.

Sadly as a kickstarter backer this is the game that made me stop investing in other games... We need a Jim Sterling type to slam these guys into the mud for us few voiceless Linux lovers.... Linux version promised... promise broken, Linux version of new game promised... promise broken. Day 1 Linux release of updated original games, promise broken... SAVE US JIM! #fvcklarian!

It's got echoes of Carmageddon all over.
I backed that game just for the Linux port, how long have we waited for that now?

That was always going to be worked on post full launch.

While this obvious lack of commitment to their own promises is disappointing, I wouldn't go as far as lashing out at Kickstarter in general. KS has helped getting many games on Linux that otherwise wouldn't have seen a port in all likelihood. For me personally, of all the games I ever backed (which is quite some), only TWO didn't live up to their promises. That's...not so bad. It's the same as with Early Access - yes, there have been bad apples, but we also have seen great examples of studios handling it really responsibly and well. There is no good reason to question the validity of either KS or EA as a business model just because a few studios fail to deliver what they promised. It's more a reason to be wary of these particular studios. Will I be vary of Larian in the future? Yes. There is zero chance I will ever back any of their projects again. I might still buy their products when they are finished, but no more cash in advance from me. Lesson learned, moving on.

Ok, I'm going to be the voice that no one agrees with, but Larian is a business. No matter what they promised, no matter what we expect, their #1 goal is to make money... nothing else. So from a business perspective, it makes sense that they would focus on the largest markets first for the Enhanced Edition.

Is it kind of shitty? Yes.
Is it the reality of the world we live in? Yes.

I think you just forgot about the whole "send us your money, we're releasing this on Linux" matter, but hey as Liam says, it's only a promise.

So, let us behave the way we treat people who don't honour a (paid for) promise: distrust and boycott them. I don't mean to insult them with my reaction, I'm just telling Larian to act realistically. We're not interested in this project any longer. Just see how backers -- or I should say investors -- react to this: too little, too late.

Because you underline the fact Larian is a business, let me remind you some basic communication and marketing knowledge: distrust is the worst thing you can get as a business. Distrust from customers is one thing, distrust from investors is way more dangerous.

I know we're not as representative a market as Windows, but who cares. A business that doesn't want customers doesn't deserve customers, and one who betrays them doesn't deserve anything at all.

Larian were hit by lack of Linux developers I suspect. They develop their own engine, and unlike the above which use Unity, they actually write their own graphics code.

As was pointed out already, the fact that they didn't include Linux in their new crowdfunding campaign is very telling.

On this I totally agree, but still, we need to define more accurately the role of crowd-funding. People pay real money to play this on Linux, I don't see why they should be treated so lightly. It's not the Linux gamer reacting here, it's the basic customer, and my reaction is just as the above, i.e. distrust and boycott. And laugh at them.


Last edited by omer666 on 21 October 2015 at 8:01 pm UTC