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Leaving Lyndow [Steam], the short, but impressive adventure game has officially removed Linux support on Steam due to the amount of bug reports.
The developer explained their reasoning on the Steam forum post:
QuoteAh, yes I only recently decided to pull support less than two days ago. Anyone who has already purchased the game for Linux can still download it (apparently its working for some), but I have been getting so many bugs from so many different distros I decided to take support off the store page. Linux users account for less than 2% of our customers but over 50% of our bug reports, so I've found myself a bit over my head with Linux. I'm afraid I made a terrible error in judgement when attempting to port for linux, and its my bad. I'm sorry for the confusion!
If interested, you can see the post about it here.
It's not the first time I've heard about this, as I often see the developer of Caves of Qud tweeting about how many bug reports they get from Linux gamers. There's a number of others who I hear the same from too, which is quite a shame, but it's going to happen when developers aren't all that familiar with Linux and the game engines often have issues the developers cannot work around too.
I think a fair amount of developers rely too heavily on just pushing out builds and hoping for the best. Researching the platform and testing it each time you do updates is pretty essential. It may sound dumb and quite obvious to do so, but the amount of times I've seen developers say they don't have "a Linux machine for testing", yet they push out a Linux version and sell Linux copies is quite staggering.
It's a shame, but it's not a massive loss as it really is a short game. Perhaps someone good with Unity can help them fix it up.
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Duck Hunt-Pr0 26 Jun 2017
"Linux users account for less than 2% of our customers but over 50% of our bug reports"
I'd wager there's one main reason for that; Linux users tend to be willing to report discovered bugs faaaaaaaaaaar more often than (those lazy slob) windows users..
Last edited by Duck Hunt-Pr0 on 26 Jun 2017 at 11:19 am UTC
27 Likes, Who?
Doc Angelo 26 Jun 2017
I've played the game on Linux. I have encountered a single bug, reported it and after a few days, the bug was fixed. I agree that there are some devs out there who just spit out a Linux build without ever testing it, but I don't think this fellow is one of them.
3 Likes, Who?
I think the ideal is having a development team with at least 1 developer per platform.
1 Likes, Who?
That's disappointing. I was thinking of buying that one. I guess I'll take it off my wishlist.
Given that Linux gamers are more likely to give detailed bug reports and that this game has a small audience, I wonder if it is buggy on Windows and Mac too, but less people have reported bugs there. The fact that one of the bugs is saves not actually saving every time makes me think the game could use some more testing work all around. That doesn't sound like a Linux-specific bug.
Given that Linux gamers are more likely to give detailed bug reports and that this game has a small audience, I wonder if it is buggy on Windows and Mac too, but less people have reported bugs there. The fact that one of the bugs is saves not actually saving every time makes me think the game could use some more testing work all around. That doesn't sound like a Linux-specific bug.
2 Likes, Who?
hardpenguin 26 Jun 2017
Pro tip: when releasing a game, outsource the platforms you know nothing about, in best case scenario look for a company that will take care of multiple platforms at the same time (Mac, Linux, consoles).
3 Likes, Who?
I think that developers should be able to mention (on Steam) what distribution they're supporting. People can't seriously expect developers to support dozens of distributions.
On the other hand, I find disturbing what this developer has done. Simply removing support for a platform is really not cool and borderline illegal. What if I only had access to Linux? Plus, removing support is usually done gradually, with a lot of time in advance. Like a year, for example, so that users can find alternative solutions.
On the other hand, I find disturbing what this developer has done. Simply removing support for a platform is really not cool and borderline illegal. What if I only had access to Linux? Plus, removing support is usually done gradually, with a lot of time in advance. Like a year, for example, so that users can find alternative solutions.
2 Likes, Who?
Doc Angelo 26 Jun 2017
I think this dev is getting too much flak for what he is doing. If you read a little bit how he deals with reports and how he responds to them, you certainly will see that he doesn't mean it ill. Has he ever said that he doesn't have a Linux machine, like other devs? In the official Steam forum, I have not found such a statement.
He is doing what other devs would never do: Say that something isn't up to his standards and apologize for it. Yet, his game is more stable than other games that are still sold for Linux.
He is doing what other devs would never do: Say that something isn't up to his standards and apologize for it. Yet, his game is more stable than other games that are still sold for Linux.
6 Likes, Who?
GustyGhost 26 Jun 2017
It ran perfectly bug-free when I tested it.
0 Likes
One problem is that there are many developers that work on Mac. If Mac stops being a viable gaming platform (because of no Vulkan support) some of those devs may start working on GNU. That should push everything a little step forward.
0 Likes
so many bugs from so many different distrosOk, not to be a jerk or anything but to be bluntly honest here, in this context I think Linux users on other distros than the officially supported distro on Steam - Ubuntu - should just stuff it and stop reporting bugs and either find a solution themselves or dual boot into Ubuntu for gaming. Plain and simple.
Yeah, harsh I know, but it's only doing us a disfavour at this point in time to spam developers with issues that only occurs due to their exotic window manager, sound architecture, graphics drivers or distro quirks. You're not doing anyone a favour, guys. Nope.
Last edited by Beamboom on 26 Jun 2017 at 2:12 pm UTC
7 Likes, Who?
Well, Developing on linux myself. meh to windows ~~
I swear, I might really do it.. Release linux only when I get to that point.. <.<
What are you making ?
0 Likes
Where he is talking about bugs in different distros, is there really that much difference when it comes to gaming? I'm genuinely curious.
If so, that's kind of frustrating. I always thought stuff that worked on Ubuntu would most likely work on Arch etc. Choice is good and all but standards are important too.
If so, that's kind of frustrating. I always thought stuff that worked on Ubuntu would most likely work on Arch etc. Choice is good and all but standards are important too.
0 Likes
Doc Angelo 26 Jun 2017
Ubuntu 12.04 (from the year 2012) is still supported, and will be until 2019. https://www.ubuntu.com/info/release-end-of-life
I have no idea if compatibility with Linux is harder than with Windows. Windows devs have to make sure that the games work with 7, 8, 9 and possibly XP.
I have no idea if compatibility with Linux is harder than with Windows. Windows devs have to make sure that the games work with 7, 8, 9 and possibly XP.
0 Likes
thelimeydragon 26 Jun 2017
I think that developers should be able to mention (on Steam) what distribution they're supporting. People can't seriously expect developers to support dozens of distributions.
On the other hand, I find disturbing what this developer has done. Simply removing support for a platform is really not cool and borderline illegal. What if I only had access to Linux? Plus, removing support is usually done gradually, with a lot of time in advance. Like a year, for example, so that users can find alternative solutions.
I looked on steamdb to check.
The Linux depot is still there and it's still linked with the steam store.
So anyone can still buy the game and can still run (or try to run) the game on Linux. It simply doesn't show up as being available to purchase for Linux even tho it will still install Linux once bought.
1 Likes, Who?
I wonder though, if those are Linux-specific bugs, and how many bugs there really are. Because the fact that there are a lot bug reports from Linux users doesn't say anything by itself. They may be reporting general bugs that exist across all platforms, and also many users can report the same single bug. All in all I think it's a bit lazy of the dev to shut down the Linux version just because he didn't feel like reading bug reports. If it was utterly broken, well, that would be another story.
0 Likes
thelimeydragon 26 Jun 2017
I think it was more a case of he didn't really understand Linux too well and it went a bit beyond his current ability to fix.
0 Likes
so many bugs from so many different distrosOk, not to be a jerk or anything but to be bluntly honest here, in this context I think Linux users on other distros than the officially supported distro on Steam - Ubuntu - should just stuff it and stop reporting bugs and either find a solution themselves or dual boot into Ubuntu for gaming. Plain and simple.
That's true. I have SteamOS and Arch. If something doesn't work on Arch, I first check if it works on SteamOS before bothering the devs. Sometimes it's the other way round, in that case it's worth reporting, as all games on steam should work on Ubuntu and SteamOS as they're official target platforms. Also it's something else to report a bug and to seek for help in the forums. The latter I think is ok regardless of the distro you're running, but you should state it loud and clear. Bug reports should only refer to supported platforms.
Last edited by pb on 26 Jun 2017 at 2:36 pm UTC
8 Likes, Who?
LULz, bad developer I'd say... if he continued on his work for linux support he might have been able to learn whole a lot about cross-platform game development. Not a huge loss though :)
0 Likes
That's true. I have SteamOS and Arch. If something doesn't work on Arch, I first check if it works on SteamOS before bothering the devs. Sometimes it's the other way round, in that case it's worth reporting, as all games on steam should work on Ubuntu and SteamOS as they're official target platforms. Also it's something else to report a bug and to seek for help in the forums. The latter I think is ok regardless of the distro you're running, but you should state it loud and clear. Bug reports should only refer to supported platforms.
I think this is especially important for smaller indie releases, as they can't afford to put too many resources into bug-fixing too many distros.
It can also overwhelm developers who are new to linux gaming.
0 Likes
My 2¢ on this issue. I don't know how to feel about this. I personally think that (with all due respect) the dev is making a bad decision. Linux is growing stronger as a platform every day, if I had told myself 10 years ago that I would be able to live Windows free I wouldn't have believed myself.
I do understand why, on the short term, the investment into Linux as a platform seems bad for somebody making games. But Linux is there, and AFAIK there's no major game-breaking differences between most of the major distros. I have always had consistent issues between Debian, Elementary, Fedora and SteamOS - if a game worked on one, they usually work on the rest and vice-versa.
Nowadays people moving to the Linux ecosystem are less likely than ever to come back. Linux is stable, more often than not bug free, solid and provides a good range of software. Companies like Feral making a living proves that Linux now is a viable business. And considering that most game-devs develop for a series of platforms anyway, it shouldn't be a problem to develop platform agnostic games that can be ported fairly "easy".
I do understand why, on the short term, the investment into Linux as a platform seems bad for somebody making games. But Linux is there, and AFAIK there's no major game-breaking differences between most of the major distros. I have always had consistent issues between Debian, Elementary, Fedora and SteamOS - if a game worked on one, they usually work on the rest and vice-versa.
Nowadays people moving to the Linux ecosystem are less likely than ever to come back. Linux is stable, more often than not bug free, solid and provides a good range of software. Companies like Feral making a living proves that Linux now is a viable business. And considering that most game-devs develop for a series of platforms anyway, it shouldn't be a problem to develop platform agnostic games that can be ported fairly "easy".
0 Likes
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