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UPDATE: Seemingly after I sent them an email querying the Linux support due to their last failed attempt with their previous game, they changed their FAQ. Linux is now just listed as a platform with the rest of them, instead of Linux/Mac having their own question with an answer of them being day-1. A developer has replied in our comments here to explain.

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Consortium: The Tower looks like a pretty incredible FPS/RPG that is seeking funding (and it looks like it will easily hit it) on Fig. They are promising day-1 Linux & Mac support too using Unreal Engine 4.

It's from the same developers who created Consortium, a Windows only game. Great to see them expand their platforms now with their new game.

They say if you combine the original Deus Ex with the Die Hard film you end up with Consortium: The Tower. That's enough to sell me, but looking at the actual gameplay from the pitch video included above the game actually looks like it could be brilliant. Looks like there's a ton of different ways you could play each section, and I love the freedom.

They need $300,000, but they already have $203,485 with 33 days left to go. Looks like an easy win here for us.

My only issue here, is that the original game Consortium was meant to come to Linux, but never did. They are being totally upfront this time that Linux will be day-1, but I am still concerned enough not to fund it myself as they didn't deliver at all last time. I have contact them today to ask about it, so when I get an answer I will do another article. I would very much like that issue cleared up before I can recommend any Linux gamer funding it.

It looks terribly exciting, so I hope it doesn't fail us like their last game did.

Find their crowdfunding campaign here. The Linux logo is prominently listed next to the other platform logos, and it has an FAQ section to clear it up for good. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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29 comments
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DrMcCoy Apr 8, 2016
They are being totally upfront this time that Linux will be day-1

Huh, did they change that? I could swear that a few days ago it still said "maybe" (or something to this effect), similar to what the original Consortium Kickstarter campaign said. Or did I just imagine that? O_o

And yes, I for one am also still miffed that the original Consortium never came to Linux.


Last edited by DrMcCoy on 8 April 2016 at 8:15 pm UTC
adolson Apr 8, 2016
They can release it and then maybe have my money. I'm done with paying for promises that may never materialize.
Keyrock Apr 8, 2016
They can release it and then maybe have my money. I'm done with paying for promises that may never materialize.
Same. I'm done with crowdfunding, even for companies I explicitly trust, like InXile and Harebrained Schemes. No crowdfunding, no early access, no betas, I'm only buying FULLY finished products.

Hopefully this game gets made and does indeed have Linux support (unlike the first game). If that happens, I'll look at it and think about buying it then.


Last edited by Keyrock on 8 April 2016 at 8:29 pm UTC
Segata Sanshiro Apr 8, 2016
I wouldn't put a single penny into something hosted on Fig, it's just the latest confidence trick to come out of Double Fine:

View video on youtube.com

The game itself looks good, but the crowdfunding platform is super shady, lots of small print, based in a tax haven and with lots of intermediaries. I ask anyone considering putting money into this to watch the video.
Feist Apr 8, 2016
I played through the original game and was quite impressed by it. It felt a little bit "low budget" but at the same time it was really fascinating and interesting.

Lol, after playing through it, I described the plotline as : "-The main character you play, is an alien consciousness transferred through a digital rift, into an unknown individuals body that serves as a crewmember in a futuristic flying-ship, in an alternate dimension. After that...you're on your own."

If the sequel comes to Linux, then it's a must buy for me.
RTheren Apr 8, 2016
It looks goddamn awesome.

Let's hope they will release Linux version as promised
GustyGhost Apr 8, 2016
"Day-1 Linux!"

Translated:

"Our game will launch on Windows first while we fumble around with Linux for months and try to hide all evidence of our Linux promises!"
Liam Dawe Apr 8, 2016
You can't hide my quotes :).

Will be interesting to see if I get a reply to my email, would like to see the situation cleared up.
Liam Dawe Apr 8, 2016
Update: After posting this, they actually changed their FAQ. It no longer states Linux will be a day-1 platform.

I guess they got my email.
wintermute Apr 8, 2016
They've been fairly up front about things the whole time, here is the last word about Linux (and Mac) native support for the original Consortium:

http://steamcommunity.com/app/264240/discussions/0/630802343870861177/#c530649887220207685

Seems like they've learned some things from their mistakes. And they at least made some effort to make sure it functioned in WINE:

http://steamcommunity.com/app/264240/discussions/0/613956964585243941/

I already waived my personal "no more crowdfunding" rule for this game because I already backed the failed Kickstarter which was a precursor to this Fig campaign (and so got a $5 discount backing this one). I'm rationalizing it as a re-pledge rather than a new pledge.
Liam Dawe Apr 8, 2016
I would hardly call that upfront, that's an old post before this campaign was even a thing, that linked first post states:
Can't guarantee a day 1 Linux release, but it will be something we'll be looking at from the start
Yet this campaign said Linux/Mac was day-1 in the FAQ, I email them, it gets edited with no reply to me.

I consider that a bit shady personally.

If it does come to Linux sometime, great, I will play it. There's no way I'm funding it now though.
scaine Apr 8, 2016
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Wouldn't touch these guys with a barge pole. Not only did they fail to close on their original promise (then compound the failure by pushing Linux people towards wine, urgh), they then edit their FAQ to remove the Day One promise for Linux.

Also, this:
How will the digital copy of The Tower be distributed?
Steam, GOG.COM and Humble Bundle will be our primary digital retailers of choice for the PC/Mac version of The Tower.
Emphasis mine. Such a little thing, but it speaks volumes that they don't even consider Linux as a target platform in other FAQ entries.

But then at the end:
What platforms will The Tower be available in?
PC / Mac / Linux / XBox One / PS4
Yeah. We'll see.

I can't even bring myself to gripe about their use of "PC" instead of "Windows". It would be falling on deaf ears here.

[EDIT: Also, this:
So the short answer is yes, C2 has a much greater likelihood of seeing a Linux release. Can't guarantee a day 1 Linux release, but it will be something we'll be looking at from the start.
So... is it a target platform, or is it just "likely" that we'll see a release?? Jesus.]


Last edited by scaine on 8 April 2016 at 9:58 pm UTC
Farmboy0 Apr 8, 2016
I wish C1 actually worked with wine. It doesn't for me. After the game starts all I get is a black screen. Sometimes I get it to display graphics only to have it return to black sooner or later. The game sounds really interesting but with all the history I would be a fool to kickstart this project.
wintermute Apr 8, 2016
After the game starts all I get is a black screen.

Did you read the post on WINE I linked to earlier? Have you made the autoexec.cfg change described there?
Farmboy0 Apr 8, 2016
After the game starts all I get is a black screen.

Did you read the post on WINE I linked to earlier? Have you made the autoexec.cfg change described there?

No I didn't. I assumed your link was referring to some announcement that C1 should now work with wine which I have already read.
Please also post this info in the GOG forum for the game not only on steam.
stesen Apr 9, 2016
Hi!

I’m Duke, one of the folks over at iDGi (developers of The Tower). I thought I’d try to clear some things up. The majority of these issues just come down to miscommunication and bad timing.


Regarding OSX/Linux support in Consortium 1:

When we began development on Consortium in the Source Engine, it did not yet have support for *nix, and so our only development concerns were for Windows. This meant that when we decided to roll our own renderer (on top of code already present in the engine), it was only built for DirectX (as that’s what the engine supported).

When Valve announced native *nix support in Source, we thought “Sure! We should support as many platforms as possible!” and announced intent to eventually port to OSX and Linux. Most of the process went fairly smoothly. However, porting our in-house DirectX-based renderer to OpenGL has proven incredibly problematic, with strange bugs continuing to plague the ported version. We have a few theories, some of which would require major changes to fix, but in the end it will simply require a long-term, highly focused debugging effort for which we have not had the resources.

That effort has not been shelved, however. Once resources allow, we will redouble energy towards getting it working. That rendering code is the only component of the OSX port that is left to finish, and once it’s done it should be translatable 1:1 to a Linux port.


Regarding OSX/Linux support in The Tower:

The explanation here is much simpler. Those earlier messages/text saying Linux support was only tentative arose from a misunderstanding on our part about UE4’s Linux support. At the time of writing those messages, support for the Linux *editor* was unofficial, however support for *building* for Linux (via a cross-compiler from Windows) was fully official. We mistook the first stance as being representative of all of UE4’s Linux support. All newer text has been corrected to account for this mistake. If UE4 officially supports building for the target, so do we (excluding mobile/web of course). Assuming we don’t need to build any major custom components like we did with Source (currently looking very unlikely), building for Linux or OSX will be no different than building for Windows. Just open the project in the editor and pick a different option under Build.

Regarding the “FAQ item being removed”, that was an unfortunately-timed attempt to remove redundancy. Someone in a comment on our Community Forums pointed out that it seemed redundant with the main Platform Support item, and we agreed. The fact that it said “day-one” support was just a wording difference. Our intention has always been a simultaneous release for all supported platforms, and we didn’t realize that wouldn’t be assumed (we’ve basically been treating “platform support” as “day-one support”, where any other platforms would be considered ports and not be listed). Sorry if this was misinterpreted.


Regarding Fig itself, I can simply direct you to https://blog.fig.co/how-investing-in-game-shares-through-fig-works/

If you have any more specific questions about Fig, you can email [email protected] . They’re a pretty friendly bunch and happy to clear up any concerns you may have.

Sorry again for the confusion!
—iDGi

EDIT: If you want to be sure I am who I say I am: http://interdimensionalgames.com/verify.txt


Last edited by stesen on 9 April 2016 at 12:40 am UTC
Saladien Apr 9, 2016
Great,
that's what i call an open answer :).
Thanks for that.
I'm now happy to follow your progress and most likely buy your game.
Please don't get me wrong, but i don't want to support fig. Nothing personal ;).
After release, (if the game is polished! (why do i even have to say such a thing, should be clear but many developers don't get it)), then i will buy your game :).

Maybe im missing it but is there Vulkan support?

Greetings
stesen Apr 9, 2016
Support for Vulkan in The Tower?

Support for Vulkan really would depend on what the UE4 build we ship with supports.
I'm not sure that even the latest UE4 fully supports Vulkan at this point. It's a really new technology.

Basically it comes down to: we will officially support whatever Epic Games officially supports, platform/technology-wise, when we version-lock our engine build for release (which obviously hasn't happened yet).

We will of course list system requirements for the game when we release it.

If you mean support for Vulkan in Source 1 for porting Consortium 1? Definitely not. Our Source Engine base version is contemporary with Portal 2. I don't think Vulkan was even an idea yet at that point. Source 1 supports OpenGL 3-something, I do believe. Don't know the exact number.
scaine Apr 9, 2016
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Thanks for the update Stesen. Can I ask a couple of questions, since your update still leaves me with some uncertainty - mainly because you keep inferring things should work, but if you don't know, I don't see how you can expect us to pledge.

So my two questions are: 1) how does the Linux build work right now and 2) Can you confirm that Linux builds be available at your $50 tier "Rook"?

Given your response, if you were on Kickstarter, you'd probably have my money in the near future. Sadly, I don't trust Fig, but best of luck with your campaign.
IvoLimmen Apr 9, 2016
Nice to see that they keep trying to put this game out. I does look like a nice game. They where on kickstarter with this game as well and failed.
I did not back this game up back then since they did not intend to port the game to Linux. As a Linux only gamer I skipped it. I will sit this crowdfunding campaing out.
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