Aspyr Media are reminding Linux gamers not to give up hope on Civilization VI

Saying It is Still possible is not very reassuring. I'd prefer if they had said nothing.

Saying It is Still possible is not very reassuring. I'd prefer if they had said nothing.

So have I. I felt like slapped in the face.


Oh please... I really want to play CivVI...

But just to understand it (maybe somebody here has a clue): Does anybody know why the
publisher (or developer) wouldn't support 3rd party porting?
They still get money (not as much as if they were porting it on their own,
but more than nothing). Or are there general porting costs involved (one fixed down payment +
share of every linux/mac version sold)?

Feel free to enlighten me!


Best regards

lagh


Last edited by lagh on 24 October 2016 at 7:44 pm UTC


Don't let your dreams be dreams!

(sidenote, Chris Roberts (of Wing Commander and Star Citizen fame) only saw that video just recently, in spite of having, y'know, lived it's message...)

Added in something they just said on Reddit.

I hope so....the game is looking really good from what I've seen so far. Although "possible" doesn't inspire a ton of confidence, I'm happy to know they are doing there best. I'd be a lot happier if the dev's would have built from the ground up with linux in mind.

Color me unimpressed. If they told us that they were focusing on the OSX port first, that would one thing. Just saying that a Linux port is possible does not inspire confidence.

Honestly, risking that this comes off more rant-y than I intend: the mere fact that so many people are playing right now on Steam shows just how important it is to get same day releases on Linux. Or, at the very least, get something a little more concrete than a maybe for a release date. It hurts Linux and SteamOS and, though I'm sure Aspyr is trying their best, this is the sort of thing that should have been sorted out a long time ago. The publisher certainly thought that Linux support was coming months in advance from release, so why can't we have the simple courtesy of hearing the same from the would-be porter? Honestly, Feral did a better job about keeping us informed about their XCOM 2 port before release and it was also a 2k/Firaxis game.

Edit: Just saw the reddit statement. I don't know what they could possibly be researching at this stage. The OSX port will be using OpenGL so it's not an additional API issue. Besides which, they've had (presumably) several months to look at the game and code. The lack of clarity and wording makes me suspect it's simply a investment/returns for man hours issue. However well rationalized by them, I still feel like I'm being treated like a second class citizen.


Last edited by BTRE on 24 October 2016 at 7:55 pm UTC


Civ 5 was a disaster. There was a free weekend, I really tried to play it but I couldn't know how? Also graphics are 90s. And hexagrams? Who still uses hexagrams?

Civ 5 was a disaster. There was a free weekend, I really tried to play it but I couldn't know how? Also graphics are 90s. And hexagrams? Who still uses hexagrams?

Umm. All great turn-based strategy games do? Because they represent front lines and possible movement along them a lot better than any other shape?

Also, Civ 5 looks loads better than Civ 6's infantile cartoon art.


Last edited by Kimyrielle on 24 October 2016 at 8:37 pm UTC

Still possible. Great. But is it still plausible?

I ain't worried. For the last several versions, Civ games really haven't been worth purchasing until at least one expansion pack are available, and they usually don't hit their full stride until the second expansion. So with any luck, when Civ VI comes to Linux, it'll be a discounted "Game of the Year" edition that will actually be worth playing. Until then, Civ V is more than sufficient to me satisfied (although more often than not I'll turn to one of Paradox's games for my Machiavellian fix).

Edit: Just saw the reddit statement. I don't know what they could possibly be researching at this stage. The OSX port will be using OpenGL so it's not an additional API issue. Besides which, they've had (presumably) several months to look at the game and code. The lack of clarity and wording makes me suspect it's simply a investment/returns for man hours issue. However well rationalized by them, I still feel like I'm being treated like a second class citizen.

Hold on a second now. The wording of their statement almost suggests they actually made a Linux port and it sucked, so 2K pulled the plug on it. Why else would they need to research and prove that their port can perform up to standards? Either that or the Mac port was not up to standards so 2K axed the Linux port.

Aspyr media and Feral interactive are great companies who are making gaming as we know it possible, no word on that. What I do care about is that other developers are SO lazy that now when they really have a chance to make gaming better for everyone thanks to Valve, SteamOS and Vulkan and still produce awesome games in all Windows, Linux and Mac with MoltenVK... they just don't care, they use shitty DX11 or 12 because they just know how to use it and it would take some time to re-learn how to do things in Vulkan. And hey, they still get rewarded with 90% of audiance for that... things really need to change. I could absolutely predict that if developers started bringing all the titles to all 3 platforms, a lot of people would transition with no concerns. I hope that Aspyr can work this out and bring Civ VI to people who would like to play this game :)

Actually I see that Tweet more as a good sign. I have a lot of trust in Aspyr. If it's possible they will do it.

Still calling bullshit on that whole feasibility thing, unless it's a middleware problem but I would be very surprised if that was the case.
Sigh, we wouldn't get this nonsense from Feral, too bad they're not in charge of Civ 6.

Oh well, I'll have more money to buy Feral games, I guess.
Better support companies that are truly committed to Linux.

Edit: Just saw the reddit statement. I don't know what they could possibly be researching at this stage. The OSX port will be using OpenGL so it's not an additional API issue. Besides which, they've had (presumably) several months to look at the game and code. The lack of clarity and wording makes me suspect it's simply a investment/returns for man hours issue. However well rationalized by them, I still feel like I'm being treated like a second class citizen.

Hold on a second now. The wording of their statement almost suggests they actually made a Linux port and it sucked, so 2K pulled the plug on it. Why else would they need to research and prove that their port can perform up to standards? Either that or the Mac port was not up to standards so 2K axed the Linux port.

On the Reddit post there is a second answer saying that there are performance issues, so they have at least some version running, even if it is only an engine test.

We don't know the kind of issue that they have found but at least they are trying to solve it and not abandoning the project right away. At the end of the day they are a company and I can understand that if the issue with this new engine cost them more than finishing the port they will need to cancel it. In any case I will be grateful to them for trying and I hope that they can use whatever they learn from it on future Linux games, and if they are successful they will have my money.

I don't understand the harsh words in some posts, if they were Firaxis I would because they should have planned a multisystem release, but they are not and they have to work with what they are provided.

Not very much a Civ fan myself, though, own it. Never got the grip on round based gaming except for xcom.. don't know why. But I can see those games fitting a large audience.

I hope they can do it. I even would buy it to give round based gaming yet another try...