Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition for Linux & SteamOS is being held up (updated)

Quoting: tmtvlEDIT: Note, I backed the game on kickstarter, so I've been waiting as long as anyone here.

So you know that it's been A YEAR AND A HALF.

Excuse me if my patience has worn thin.


Last edited by Keyrock on 19 December 2015 at 2:06 am UTC

Quoting: tmtvl

Quoting: NyamiouThis type of bug can take anywhere from 5 minutes to an eternity to fix, I hope it wont be an eternity.

At least someone here is familiar with software development.

I'm also a software developer and I know that when you take money for product that you promise on multiple platforms, you do QA on all of them from the very beginning. So you code using API that is supported on all of them, not an API that works on one platform and after everything is finished on one platform you port it to other. But even if you decide to go with porting route, you don't work on other stuff until you deliver promised ports.

I cannot forget, that Larian Studios 1,5 year ago promised Mac and Linux port "just after" Windows version, then lied that they want to provide us Enhanced Edition (but what they wanted to do was ps4 and xone ports) and now they just give us excuses. It's pathetic.

I think we'll see this sooner than later. This game isn't on my radar but if it's just memory corruption issues, this may not take them much longer to figure it out. I'm thinking 1/2016.

Well memory corruptions can be very tricky to debug (also experienced them). But from them I'd consider it more as an excuse than anything else...

MFW

Does anyone know what the "Linux status" is for the upcoming sequel to this game?

Because I can't see much reason to bother with this game, if the studio has removed Linux from their plans completely after this debacle. (I still bear an old and strong grudge against MS for releasing Halo 1&2 to windows but keeping Halo 3 an "xbox exclusive")

Quoting: FeistDoes anyone know what the "Linux status" is for the upcoming sequel to this game?

Because I can't see much reason to bother with this game, if the studio has removed Linux from their plans completely after this debacle. (I still bear an old and strong grudge against MS for releasing Halo 1&2 to windows but keeping Halo 3 an "xbox exclusive")

This is taken from their Kickstarter for number 2:

QuoteBelieve us, it's not that we're not interested in producing a version for Mac/Linux/Console, it's just that we want to get the gameplay and world fleshed out in all the detail that it needs first. Once we have the game fully worked out, we'll start looking at porting it to other platforms. That’s not something that’ll happen during the Kickstarter or indeed this year.

But - and it’s an important but - we do have most things in place to support several other platforms, since we are starting work from the Divinity: Original Sin- Enhanced Edition engine. We just don’t want to make any promises yet.

Quoting: NelAnd soon, they'll find out that elusive random memory corruption was actually hiding a larger conflict with random critical API that forces to redesign the entire engine from scratch.
You know...
delay...
computer stuff...

You think they already started to write actual code?
Elusive Random Memory Corruption: Somebody keeps steeling post-its from the interns' fridge.

please guys, stop giving us (linux users) a bad name, and put the hate aside.
even if you can't play it for the christmas holidays, the main thing is we get it down the line. everybody needs a break, and we're not lacking backlog.

Quoting: TheBossThis is taken from their Kickstarter for number 2:

QuoteBelieve us, it's not that we're not interested in producing a version for Mac/Linux/Console, it's just that we want to get the gameplay and world fleshed out in all the detail that it needs first. Once we have the game fully worked out, we'll start looking at porting it to other platforms. That’s not something that’ll happen during the Kickstarter or indeed this year.

But - and it’s an important but - we do have most things in place to support several other platforms, since we are starting work from the Divinity: Original Sin- Enhanced Edition engine. We just don’t want to make any promises yet.

Thanks!

It does sound like Linux is a distinct possibility for the sequel maybe it's even likely...
Still, not sure if I'm willing to bet on "we'll start looking at porting it to other platforms", as a guarantee for a continuation of the series on linux, which means I'll most likely put this game on hold until something more substantial is said by Larian Studios.


Last edited by Feist on 19 December 2015 at 12:15 pm UTC

This is not normal, seriously this is hilarious. Why are they keep making promises, when it's clear they are unable to deliver it on time.

Quoting: sunbeam4please guys, stop giving us (linux users) a bad name, and put the hate aside.
even if you can't play it for the christmas holidays, the main thing is we get it down the line. everybody needs a break, and we're not lacking backlog.

Quoting: sunbeam4please guys, stop giving us (linux users) a bad name, and put the hate aside.
even if you can't play it for the christmas holidays, the main thing is we get it down the line. everybody needs a break, and we're not lacking backlog.

It's not that it's delayed it's that it's the nth to infinity time. Seriously just missed dates and broken promises I'm actually going to be more shocked when/if it ever comes out. It's pretty sad all over and if they're catching shit for fucking around with the Linux community (yet again) they probably deserve it. That being said it "sounds" like they're trying to make a solid port which I do appreciate it's just this is pretty much a flat out joke at this point.

Edit as a side note it's showing up in my Linux library now, not available message but it's a step in the right direction!


Last edited by Xzyl on 19 December 2015 at 1:16 pm UTC

There is a small part about the linux version in the latest D:OS2 update.

Quoting: Farmboy0There is a small part about the linux version in the latest D:OS2 update.

Nice find thanks, added it to the article.

Quoting: voyager2102You think they already started to write actual code?
Elusive Random Memory Corruption: Somebody keeps steeling post-its from the interns' fridge.

I'm actually confident they already started to do some stuff around linux, since they found out that some API are not available on our platform in september last year, ~3 months after their release on Win/OSX, breaking their previous promise. :)

It's funny to read the full story, when we know where we are now:
Gaming on Linux : Search for "Divinity"

BTW, I found out an awesome website for future random excuses when they'll have to do some bugfix for their game:
Excuses for lazy coders
This should help them a lot.

Quoting: sunbeam4please guys, stop giving us (linux users) a bad name, and put the hate aside.

They should be glad we're not windows users considering the huge shitstorm for games like Batman or Assassin Creed.

Quoting: FeistDoes anyone know what the "Linux status" is for the upcoming sequel to this game?

Linux support isn't in the scheduled plans for the sequel from what they've said in the Kickstarter. That doesn't mean they won't release it for SteamOS. Their engine supports Linux. It's just they were burned by this version's port to Linux so they're not promising anything until the game is fully out

My gut tells me that a Linux port of the sequel will depend on how many issues they have with this version on Linux once it releases(is it a PITA to support) and how well SteamOS itself does. Frankly if Steam Machines do start to sell and Divinity 1 is a good port, I could see the title being the top co-op couch rpg on Steam Machines. If that happened, it'd make sense to bring the 2nd version over just for the kudos, awards, press, etc.

But if SteamOS lingers in growth and/or Divinity 1 on Linux is a drain to support/isn't received well, I don't see why they'd bother bringing the sequel onto Linux.

Guy in video:
"It's been taking a little bit longer than expected."
X)


Last edited by Eike on 20 December 2015 at 10:54 am UTC

Quoting: sunbeam4please guys, stop giving us (linux users) a bad name, and put the hate aside.
even if you can't play it for the christmas holidays, the main thing is we get it down the line. everybody needs a break, and we're not lacking backlog.

If you delay something you promissed and took money for that and then take 1,5 years (or more) to deliver, the least we should be allowed to get out of it is a little fun!
Something that I still don't understand: All those devs complain that the linux market is not commercially viable... and then they release ports ages after the main release... at a point when their software is already sold for a tiny fraction of the initial release price. How does that and the cry for a commercially viable market go together?
I would assume it's more "release it when the price is still high, or not at all" from a business perspective. They miss the marketing and their gain/cost ratio is extremely low there already, so why do a port so late in the product's life cycle (that is not just a question for Larian, they're just the most extreme example I can think of).
Just wondering (for a while already).


Last edited by voyager2102 on 20 December 2015 at 11:58 am UTC

Many games get released for Linux at launch and those games aren't seeing a lot of "commercial viability" too. The core issue is that releasing to Linux is harder than it should be at the moment. If all you needed to do as a dev is hit the "Compile for SteamOS" button on your engine/dev tool kit and whamo, you have a Linux release then the commercial viability of the platform changes because it took you all of a day to support and test for it.

It's the weeks and months of debugging, fixing issues in "cross platform" engines and so on that's the drain. The Steam Machine platform should make Linux easier to target than Windows(which has Windows 7, 7 SP1, 8, 10, etc etc) and we're all praying for Vulkan to make graphics programming work well across platforms. Also the current big engines out there have been getting better and better with their Linux support.

So the future for Linux is looking brighter. It's just not going to happen overnight.

Ok great to see that kickstarter video update. So Linux is definitely on the cards...can't wait