Note: Multiple updates at the bottom.
Sad news, Facepunch are no longer selling the Linux version of their survival game Rust [Official Site] after removing mentions of Linux support yesterday from their Steam page.
Linux support has been available in Rust since 2013, along with continued support during Early Access and after the official release earlier this year. It was a bit of a surprise that we got an email from a reader, to mention that the Steam store page for Rust was no longer showing the SteamOS/Linux icon or listing it in the system requirements.
Thinking it was a mistake, since nothing was announced, I reached to Facepunch to which they replied with:
Hey dude - yeah we stopped selling Rust for Linux.
I did request more information as to why and will update this article if I receive any further information. To be fair, they haven't had a lot of time to respond again yet, but I feel it's important to get the word out.
It's possible it's due to issues with the Unity game engine, which has suffered some nuisance problems with their Linux support lately. We've gone through black screens, no input in fullscreen and the latest being double-input issues—all issues that have plagued a number of games that use Unity. All of which have been solved in updated versions of Unity though. Still, it has become more of a hassle for developers to support us due to issues like this repeatedly coming up.
To be clear on something though, it might only mean that they're not actively advertising it as a Linux supported game, while still allowing Linux users to buy it and play it—something a few other developers do as well. I highly doubt they would actually remove the Linux version, after it being around for so long.
Really sad about this, we have an active community-run server with plenty of people enjoying themselves on it. Sin has livestreamed plenty of it on our Twitch Channel, purchased skins and all. With all the additions to the game, it was really becoming quite interesting. Even I was also going to be jumping back in soon, so this has me a little down as I did quite enjoy the game as well.
As always, please remain respectful in the comments. Issues like this can become quite heated, but let's not go throwing any insults around. Now is a time to show your support, not have a war of words.
Updates
Garry responded on Twitter and said this:
We stopped selling Rust on Linux because we won't/don't give it the QA support it needs. There are situations where there's a Unity Linux bug that pops up, and we ship with it - because it's the right decision for 99.99% of our players.
And while 60% of Linux users are fine with this, they understand their position in this world, it's probably not the right thing to act like it's fine. So while we're still going to ship Linux updates and keep it up to date.. we're not going to sell it anymore.
Also Linux Community - being abusive, demanding, rude to the few developers actually shipping games to your favourite OS isn't the way to go. It makes me regret ever shipping Linux versions.
I've said it before and I will say it again: Developers are human, people do need to understand that and not resort to throwing insults around right away. Even so, if you sell a game on any platform you should be doing QA on it—there's no excuse for not doing it.
Update #2 - Here's what another developer said on Reddit:
Linux is and will still be supported but the decision to remove Linux from purchase was mainly based on multiple issues in the current Unity version (2018.1.4).
We're currently unable to downgrade to a Unity version which corrects these Linux issues and we're unable to upgrade Unity to 2018.2 due to a number of new issues.
Linux is in a state of limbo in which we're unable to resolve, instead of selling a broken platform we decided to remove it from purchase but still offer it to existing players.
Once Linux is in a working state we'll review the decision.
Hat tip to Basiani for letting us know.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
1) Only the Linux community is toxic (eyeroll). Has he been in, well, almost any other Windows gaming forum at all for the sophomoric, hateful, entitled views there? Hahahaha....
2) Only Linux is a broken platform (eyeroll again). There are so many broken games, compromised engines, etc etc on Windows and, well, every other platform that to pretend it's only us is absurd.
Quoting: tonRGenuine question, I know Unity engine reputation never had being better but...
Why Unity reputation are getting worse since in the last 2-3 months?
I'm talking about the whole (outside Linux) gaming community in general.
Speaking only from what I've seen, I think Unity has had some bugs that have been show stoppers for a few Linux games in particular. For example, Tannenberg, which I love, sadly hasn't worked since the NVIDIA 390 drivers for me, and that was back in, like, April. And for those of us using DXVK, 396 series drivers are required. I think Unity has been slow (if at all?) to respond...
Quoting: mulletdeathI've kinda noticed something about the Linux gaming community. I can't say for certain that it's coming from the same people; any community is bound to have a diversity of opinions. That said, the overall reaction to developers supporting (in varying degrees) or not supporting our platform seems rather inconsistent. On the one hand, you have developers who can't be arsed to support us officially in any way whatsoever, and the reaction to that game just happening to work on Linux is an overall positive one, like Linux gamers are just glad to have a bone thrown their way. And then you have situations like this where the overwhelming reaction is one of "if you're gonna support us at all, then do it *right* or bugger off forever!" Quite frankly, I'm not convinced, given our apparent permanent minority market share status, the community as a whole has the bargaining power to act that way.
No, definitely this case is out of your binary system. This guy didn't give a good QA so his product was bad in one of the supported OS he use to promote. Is this an isolated case? Of course not, but the problem is that he keeps taunting the community in order to project his failures in others, when he is a big part of the problem.
In the other hand, why would us as costumers and community can't ask for quality product? It's not just about to play the games as I would on Windows (If that the sole idea, I can also do it using wine), it's more about matching as much as possible the user experience in both OS. Giving the same experience is what some day will make Linux the prefered desktop platform. If we accept that for using some software we have to make specials scripts or workarounds by ourselves with devs that doesn't give a shit about our problems, that it's what takes us far away of the prime objetive, and that's why we shall say "go fuck yourself, you toad" to anyone that takes users money, do a mediocre work and doesn't take charge of the problem he helps to create. To make it clear: giving the *right* support doesn't mean to give a bug free software (we should all know that is impossible such thing), but it means to give some kind of support, even if it's just an anounce that mentions the problems.
Sorry guys, It is not about community, this is all about one guy being a jerk. And I don't know why many here try to justify (or protect) him of what he says against us. The way he manages his product is awful, and Linux community can't be blamed of this outcome. So please, stop bringing the "community issue" that Garret use as scapegoat, we definitely are not the problem in this case.
lucifertdark Jul 29, 2018
Quoting: GuestEr, the bugs are in Unity. That is down to the Unity devs to solve. This is like saying if you have problems driving your car, you should become a mechanic and fix it.Yes the bugs are in Unity, but I'm not expecting him to fix them himself, it's his job to report the bugs to Unity & get them to fix them.
I wouldn't think of him as a mechanic either, he's more like a used car salesman that can't open the bonnet of the car he's sold us to check if all the engine parts are in the right places.
Quoting: nitroflowHrm. First, I notice you've redefined how I was using that phrase, such that your comment probably would have been better as a standalone than a reply to me.Quoting: Purple Library GuyQuoting: rapakivBut I never seen so much hate in GOL as in this thread, relax, life is short, enjoy itHate? Really?! What bemuses me about this discussion actually is that the reaction is more extreme than the dislike of the actual developer. I don't really have a dog in this fight.
Really? What boggles my mind is that all the negativity comes from people that don't have a dog on this fight. The people that actually do play the game are understanding and sympathetic to the dev's decision, go figure...
Second, really? Have you been reading the same thread I have? I'd say it's pretty clear that some of the people who are bothered are in fact people who play the game. Others aren't, but your point is simply wrong. Also meant to be snide, far as I can tell. You can contribute to or detract from a conversation in two ways, content or tone; pity you chose to subtract on both fronts.
RussianNeuroMancer Jul 29, 2018
Quoting: GuestYou cannot expect game devs to be able to jump in and fix bugs in Unity. That is like expecting everyone who can drive a car to be a mechanic. It simply does not work that way. You also cant expect them to delay their major sales platform for the minor ones. It wont happen.You are right. We seen same thing with Everspace, they delayed Linux release because of UE4 bugs. Yet somehow people praise Everspace developers and hate Garry. Why is that? Proper communication is the key.
If, for example, Linux ports of TW2 would be released in the same way (with proper message about initial quality of the port, under alpha/beta branch, etc.) there would be much less backlash. However, since there was no such communication, Linux gaming community had it's very own "Batman: Arkham Knight" moment.
Again, what is similar in all three cases? (Rust, TW2, Batman: Arkham Knight) Lack of proper communication about quality of the port. And it have nothing to do with engine bugs, port bugs, game bugs and especially - it have nothing to do with community. Lack of proper communication is only publisher/developer fault.
Quoting: Purple Library GuyQuoting: nitroflowHrm. First, I notice you've redefined how I was using that phrase, such that your comment probably would have been better as a standalone than a reply to me.Quoting: Purple Library GuyQuoting: rapakivBut I never seen so much hate in GOL as in this thread, relax, life is short, enjoy itHate? Really?! What bemuses me about this discussion actually is that the reaction is more extreme than the dislike of the actual developer. I don't really have a dog in this fight.
Really? What boggles my mind is that all the negativity comes from people that don't have a dog on this fight. The people that actually do play the game are understanding and sympathetic to the dev's decision, go figure...
Second, really? Have you been reading the same thread I have? I'd say it's pretty clear that some of the people who are bothered are in fact people who play the game. Others aren't, but your point is simply wrong. Also meant to be snide, far as I can tell. You can contribute to or detract from a conversation in two ways, content or tone; pity you chose to subtract on both fronts.
I've been very much reading the same thread, I believe, and the comment wasn't meant to be snide. It's really my take on this thread.
I replied to you because I do agree with you about this being an extreme reaction but that's not really what I find surprising at all, it's the people that don't seem to have the game(or if they have it they don't mention it anywhere) and the ones that were planning to buy it(which they still can), that are behind this extremism.
In hindsight I should have expanded on the "go figure...", what I meant by it was that those who have mentioned playing it actively are aware of the issues and thus have a better understanding of things, that's why they aren't crying bloody murder, unlike mostly everyone else.
PS: This whole reaction also started before the devs had a chance to comment on this.
Last edited by nitroflow on 29 July 2018 at 10:59 am UTC
Quoting: nitroflow... and the ones that were planning to buy it(which they still can),
So it is still sold for Linux, is it installable for new customers?
Why I ask: I wanted to try it out with some friends at the end of the year. We're all on Linux. Not all friends have the game already. But they could still buy it now?
Quoting: 1xokQuoting: nitroflow... and the ones that were planning to buy it(which they still can),
So it is still sold for Linux, is it installable for new customers?
Why I ask: I wanted to try it out with some friends at the end of the year. We're all on Linux. Not all friends have the game already. But they could still buy it now?
From everything I've read so far, yes, it just means
Last edited by nitroflow on 29 July 2018 at 12:56 pm UTC
Quoting: KristianQuoting: Whitewolfe80Quoting: KristianWhitewolfe80, is it okay for Garry to act basically like he is accusing the Linux community of doing?
He not accusing he is outright saying it and is he wrong as there is plenty of shade being thrown his way on twitter
I will grant that for the sake of argument. But is it okay for him but not everyone else? If so, why?
Edit:
It just seems to me that Garry Newman is expecting much more of everyone else than of himself.
No i get it and he should absolutely practice what he is preaching.
Quoting: x_wingQuoting: Whitewolfe80As for the throw away community line we have this every so often it goes back to once again the linux die hards that think they throw f bombs and act like Stallman or Linus.
It comes as shock to them no doubt when it doesnt actually work its the reason nvidia wont embrace open source for linux is his constant rants and actively literally telling the linux team to "fuck off" in person. I ll break it down you cant do stuff like that not if you actually want people to develop games for your platform,swearing death threats etc for not bringing a game to linux.
I think you mix a lot of stuff here. First off, Torvalds rant's has a reason and he explain them quite often: he wants to be completelly sure that you understand that he doesn't like what you're doing. He can't be polite when you're doing something wrong and that's why he said "Nvidia, fuck you" years ago. Funny things is that time proven he was right, as you can see how AMD open source Linux driver end up being as good as Nvidia (if not far better). So, Nvidia doesn't embrace foss driver not because of the community, but because they want to do everything as they want, even if they do it the wrong way.
And dammit, you have no idea how much we rant to AMD with their catalyst drivers. We really fucking hated them and we really make them notice how shitty they were. But now that they are doing things as should be done, try to find anyone ranting against them. Try to find someone that doesn't recommend buying a AMD gpu to others Linux users (yes, even being slightly expensive than Nvidia counterpart).
The community has always had two coin face, and definitely nobody rants to the devs that does things right.
But my point is it doesnt matter how much Torvalds rant have a reason you cant rant period not in public feel free to say what you want behind closed doors i know people love he is blunt but business world that is a no go and it scares away big fish
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