I've been in contact with one of the people behind DRAG, a fantastic looking racing game which will come to Linux soon. The fun fact is that the game engine is custom built under Linux too. The developer I spoke to, Thorsten Folkers, wanted us to announce it early to gather a bit of interest. They certainly have my full attention, that's for sure.
I have to say, I'm really excited about this one. Not just because we don't have enough good racing games, but because of all the detail that's going into making it. They're simulating 4-suspension physics to make the car really feel realistic, just take a look at this:
The crazy thing is—this is built by two people, two brothers in fact.
As for the game engine, it's built to use OpenGL 4.5 with Vulkan possibly coming at a later date. They've been working on this for a while, with the game engine being a private side-project since 2001. They said the game engine really started to come together sometime in 2011, when they decided to really take it further. It's been a long road for them, but with a release coming soon they will finally be able to see what people really think of it.
It will feature:
- Singleplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Splitscreen Online Multiplayer
- Realistic physics, suspension and driving mechanics
- Support for all common Gamepads
- Windows / Linux (Steam OS) support from day one
- Available on Steam early access in 2018
- Price 29.99$
Here's some more gifs they sent me, I've converted them to small video files to save your bandwith:
And another one to show off the damage model:
If you want to read more on it, they've been keeping a development log here. They also did some more background info here in a post here.
I've been told we will get a Steam key to check it out next month and the current plan for release is around March/April, this is one to firmly mark on your calendar. Looks like it could be a serious amount of fun and good racing games is something Linux certainly needs a lot more of. If it really is anything like the shots they're showing off, it really could be a big hit with gamers.
Note: Article updated to be clear that the release is expected in March/April.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Quoting: ShmerlWelcome to GamingOnLinux! Do you plan to release your game on GOG or other DRM-free stores like itch.io? Thanks!
UPDATE: Oh, I see you are using Steam for multiplayer. That's unfortunate, since I'm personally interested in single player experience and I'm only buying in DRM-free stores.
Thanks!
We have a working matchmaking server under linux with clustered game servers. Multiplayer between a Linux machine and a Windows machine is also working fine.
To be honest it is the first time I heard about itch.io
Looking into it right now! :)
Looks very interesting!
Please note that we are a new developer and only two guys working on this game right now.
Quoting: Alm888Thank you for your response! Sadly, I'm not interested anymore and will pass. Good luck!Give it a rest please and get a beer.
Quoting: ThorstenFolkersThanks!
We have a working matchmaking server under linux with clustered game servers. Multiplayer between a Linux machine and a Windows machine is also working fine.
Sounds great! It would be also nice if the game could function in case the matchmaking server is inaccessible, by simply allowing connecting to a given address where another instance of the game is listening in the server mode. Many classic multiplayer games do that, and that's what made them future proof and playable even today many years after they were released :)
Quoting: ThorstenFolkersTo be honest it is the first time I heard about itch.io
Looking into it right now! :)
Looks very interesting!
It's relatively recent (launched in 2013), but it's a good alternative to GOG for DRM-free releases, since unlike very strict GOG acceptance filter, itch.io basically lets developers manage their games how they want. They only don't allow something surely bad there. So you can see a lot of prototype or in development games there.
Quoting: ThorstenFolkersPlease note that we are a new developer and only two guys working on this game right now.
Thanks for supporting Linux! It's an effort especially with your own custom engine.
How are you testing the game on Linux? Distro? Nvidia drivers? Mesa? AMDGPU-PRO?
Thanks for all your answers so far!
Quoting: jensGive it a rest please and get a beer.Ah! My favourite commenter! Your comments are so substantial! :) Way to go!
Quoting: ThorstenFolkersTo be honest it is the first time I heard about itch.ioI'd say itch.io is definitely worth a shot. Why choose when you can have your game everywhere? The more the merrier!
Looking into it right now! :)
Looks very interesting!
Please note that we are a new developer and only two guys working on this game right now.
And, it may sound a little too late, but welcome to GamingOnLinux!
Last edited by Alm888 on 19 January 2018 at 4:32 pm UTC
Quoting: noxLooks very interesting, but the gifs are now constantly stopping to buffer (even after playing once). Something is weird with them. (tried in private mode too, same thing - maybe even slightly worse)You need to click to play them now, or is this after you click? Works fine for me even on mobile.
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