Enemy Starfighter, the seriously cool looking space shooter is no longer coming to Linux

Noooooooooooo! I want this one so badly. :-(

Jesus christ. It is unity. It is singleplayer.
There is no reason for this -.-

I was fucking waiting for this >:(


Last edited by aristorias on 10 Apr 2016 at 11:47 am UTC

Yes, why? was really looking forward to it, especially with a VR headset :(

Sounds like another developer who painted himself into a corner with the "develop for Windows now, port to Linux later" attitude. I really hope developers will start being more conscientious about cross-platform support in the future.

Jesus christ. It is unity. It is singleplayer.
There is no reason for this -.-

I was fucking waiting for this >:(

If they are talking about a "port" possibly in the future, maybe the game is less cross-platform than we know. It should be a simple click Export to Linux, but perhaps they've highly customized it?

doesn't make sense.
rather looks like he don't want to test/support it.


Last edited by aristorias on 10 Apr 2016 at 12:53 pm UTC

On their Blog they say the following:

"

Bad News: Mac and Linux Versions

After reading a hugely informative launch thread on the Indie MEGABOOTH alumni list, Enemy Starfighter will only be launching on Windows. Mac and Linux versions are now off the schedule, and I'm not sure if/when they will come back. After doing some export tests, I came to the conclusion that I simply don't have the resources to make these versions happen without sacrificing the quality of the lead Windows build.

Oculus's decision to focus on Windows makes this an easier choice for me too. But if SteamOS gains traction, I will take another look at supporting that.

"

Thats really sad because i like such Games very much.
This was an must buy Title for me.

So sadly i have to say:
"No Tux, no Bucks !"

So they build the game for Windows and when they tried to export it they found unforseen issues with the process, as has happened countless times before. Some companies make good on their words, even if later down the road, like Larian, others simply cancel the game.

The developers should start referring to the Linux version as port, it should cause less surprises in the future when they decide to cancel or delay it. That's the difference between planing a real cross platform support and treating other systems as an afterthought. I'm fine with either, Windows has the marketshare and I understand that a developer may decide to focus on it, but at least they could say so from the beginning talking about ports and not supported platforms.


Last edited by Devlin on 10 Apr 2016 at 2:30 pm UTC

But if SteamOS gains traction, I will take another look at supporting that.

Back to the old catch 22. We need games like yours in order for it to gain traction in the first place!

Huh. Well, on the one hand, he has been working on it for years it seems, so maybe he just wants something, anything, to launch, and Windows is where the bucks are. Ok, I can get that, I suppose.

But on the other hand, maybe it's like Mountain Man posted above:

Sounds like another developer who painted himself into a corner with the "develop for Windows now, port to Linux later" attitude.

I'm wondering if his mentioned "export tests" were the first time he realized that there was going to be more to creating Linux and Mac versions than simply clicking "Export."

I'm inclined to be less impressed with Enemy Starfighter than I might have been because that, to me, implies a dearth of planning skills, foresight, and even imagination. Even the title, Enemy Starfighter, seems more like a utilitarian afterthought than any real attempt to capture the imagination.

Developers who fail to follow through on a promised Linux port are no loss to me. The loss is all theirs.


Last edited by Nanobang on 10 Apr 2016 at 2:56 pm UTC

Jesus christ. It is unity. It is singleplayer.
There is no reason for this -.-

I was fucking waiting for this >:(

If they are talking about a "port" possibly in the future, maybe the game is less cross-platform than we know. It should be a simple click Export to Linux, but perhaps they've highly customized it?

It's almost never as simple as "click Export to Linux". This is probably another middleware issue.

Not a game I had any interest in, as exploring, trading, and building stations and trading empires is my jam in space sims, and this seems completely combat focused, but it's still sad to hear.

But if SteamOS gains traction, I will take another look at supporting that.

Back to the old catch 22. We need games like yours in order for it to gain traction in the first place!

One way to gain traction would be for Valve to sponsor ports of projects like these.

So Occulus' decisions led the dev to ignore our OS more easily.

In the case of a game mainly directed towards VR, I can understand this point of view, even more so if it was not founded by Linux gamers in the first place.

At the same time, in this case I am not really interested in this game either. When a new technology is the game's main interest it always look more like a demo, and you end up with a great concept with very few content to realise it's potential.

So Occulus' decisions led the dev to ignore our OS more easily.

In the case of a game mainly directed towards VR, I can understand this point of view, even more so if it was not founded by Linux gamers in the first place.

At the same time, in this case I am not really interested in this game either. When a new technology is the game's main interest it always look more like a demo, and you end up with a great concept with very few content to realise it's potential.

Facebook is not the middle of the universe.
Even before oculus release a us senator wanted facebook to tell what data it is CONSTANTLY SUBMITTING.

And as side-note: HTV VIVE by VALVE is already released, will have linux support soon and is a drop in replacement for oculus.
It even does work with enemystarfighter already.

This is not about VR or enemystarfighter being VR focused this is about the dev just does not want to spent time on non-windows systems.

jesus christ. . . i really hoped this would replace FTL on my most favorite games ever list. :( :(

Well there is Limit Theory, that might make it to Linux and is basically this. Thought I think the developer has had some mental issues lately (probably common for people with VERY high IQ's like him).

Facebook is not the middle of the universe.
Even before oculus release a us senator wanted facebook to tell what data it is CONSTANTLY SUBMITTING.

I must confess, I don't understand the point you're trying to make here...

It's almost never as simple as "click Export to Linux". This is probably another middleware issue.

Pretty sure you are right re middleware. I have been pooping out Unity games for a while now and have not had any issues with platform compatibility. (yet) No middleware and hardly using any content from their asset store.

In other news - I recently decided to give X-Rebirth another go. I have had it since launch but it was broken as hell, and a long way from what X3 et al were. Installed the Home of Light DLC, started a new game and ... it's actually pretty decent now! I've built stations amassed a small trading fleet, lost half of said fleet, found some wacky-ass shit while exploring, went pirate-hunting.... even came across some Khaak-suckers in deep space.


Last edited by rustybroomhandle on 11 Apr 2016 at 9:38 am UTC

Facebook is not the middle of the universe.
Even before oculus release a us senator wanted facebook to tell what data it is CONSTANTLY SUBMITTING.

I must confess, I don't understand the point you're trying to make here...

Think about twice what you're buying and who is it selling . . .
It's far more than comparing specifications.


Last edited by aristorias on 11 Apr 2016 at 8:38 am UTC

If it's a single player game, why don't you just buy yourself X3 (or Rebirth, if you so derire)?


Last edited by cRaZy-bisCuiT on 11 Apr 2016 at 10:50 am UTC

Well there is Limit Theory, that might make it to Linux and is basically this. Thought I think the developer has had some mental issues lately (probably common for people with VERY high IQ's like him).

Josh Parnell posted some more positive news over the last few months.

My short form reading of those posts basically points to the incredible strain of constantly reporting updates, blog posts and making monthly release videos in the public eye rather than concentrating on getting the game to completion. Since last year, it looks like Josh has returned to the development groove and maybe we'll see where the project is some time this year. I wish him well - Limit Theory is a massive project for one developer, and with any procedural game, getting it to scale up and remain interesting is a difficult challenge.