SteamOS has a minor update to test the waters before a bigger update

Quoting: GuestFirstly, an exclusive on Linux would fail almost immediately due to low populations.

That is Wrong.
If the SteamOS/Linux exclusive game is a real big game like HL3, you gonna have several millions of Windows users dual booting just for to play the long awaited HL3.

Is the same logic behind the consoles: The People that buy every iteration of the Playstation console do that for the big exclusive games and not otherwise.

For something as big as HL3, timed exclusivity would be enough, especially if first reviews were good.

Remember, Linux is free (apart from the time to learn how to install it), so if HL3 was released on Linux 2 months before every other platform millions would install Linux. If Valve announced the next generation Steam Machines in October, preloaded with HL3, and it was released for major platforms only for Christmas, thousands of Steam Machines would sell. Even if some folks would wipe SteamOS and install Windows, some would stay.

Quoting: skinnyrafFor something as big as HL3, timed exclusivity would be enough, especially if first reviews were good.

Remember, Linux is free (apart from the time to learn how to install it), so if HL3 was released on Linux 2 months before every other platform millions would install Linux. If Valve announced the next generation Steam Machines in October, preloaded with HL3, and it was released for major platforms only for Christmas, thousands of Steam Machines would sell. Even if some folks would wipe SteamOS and install Windows, some would stay.

Hell, you could bundle a Linux with a (timed) exclusive game release.
. . . come to think of it, there's a way to do something like an exclusive without being evil. Or at least, without being as evil as exclusives. You have, like, SteamOS (or, better, Mint--heh) bundled with the new game. So then, when you go to install the game from Windows, the game installer defaults to installing SteamOS as a dual-boot and then installing the game on it. You can choose to install it differently, such as on Windows as a Windows game, but you have to make a positive choice to do that. And, maybe if you let the installer do its thing and play the first time from Linux, you get a special 'hat', so you feel exclusive and badass rather than herded and put upon. A lot of people would end up with a Linux partition on which they played their game, and might start doing other things with it.


Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 9 July 2018 at 10:47 pm UTC

Or even less intrusive, yet efficient idea: Linux-exclusive early access :)

Quoting: Purple Library GuyYou have, like, SteamOS (or, better, Mint--heh) bundled with the new game. So then, when you go to install the game from Windows, the game installer defaults to installing SteamOS as a dual-boot and then installing the game on it. You can choose to install it differently, such as on Windows as a Windows game, but you have to make a positive choice to do that.

I know it's Linux we're talking about, but a game installer messing with my partitions and boot loader to install an operating system? Evil! Okay, maybe that's a strong word, but I really think the backlash would be worse than any positive effect.

Quoting: skinnyrafOr even less intrusive, yet efficient idea: Linux-exclusive early access :)

Well this sounds workable. I still wouldn't pay for alpha/beta access, but others would.

Even something silly like a Linux-exclusive playable character or loot might do the job and make gamers curious.

Quoting: liamdawe

Quoting: gustavoyaraujoWhen will they starting developing exclusive titles?

Exclusives are just bad, no one wants them. They push platforms, sure, but they lock you into things.

How do you get locked in an OS that is free and open?

Quoting: Teodosio

Quoting: liamdawe

Quoting: gustavoyaraujoWhen will they starting developing exclusive titles?

Exclusives are just bad, no one wants them. They push platforms, sure, but they lock you into things.

How do you get locked in an OS that is free and open?

By having software that doesn't work on other operating systems. Windows can't stop you from switching to Linux. That doesn't mean Windows-exclusive software doesn't prevent some users from switching. That's a form of lock-in.

I agree with Liam. Exclusives do not fit well with the idea of an open software ecosystem, and they should't be used to push Linux. The end doesn't justify the means.

"Think $5 million vs. $100 million.
Present that to a board of directors and guess which one they will choose.[/quote]
Oh i agree I also dont believe the ones that dual boot to play hl3 will stick around once hl3 gets boring it would take a sustained program of platform exclusives to keep people on linux. Bottom line when and if Linux has parity and its day and date for all the big triple aaa releases and i mean getting gta or dead dead 2 etc then linux base will grow because the os is free.
There are a lot of barriers to coming over to linux full time, there is a learning curve I remmeber using wine for the first time i was looking at people talking about wine bottles and depenendancies and i remember thinking fuck this am out. At least on windows all i have to do is double click and wait until it installs then am free to play. But i stuck with it because well windows 8 was an abomination and windows 10 is even worse and learnt a new platform from scratch.
Other obsticles include the linux elite you know who you are that refuse to help people and just make bitchy comments and a large part of the linux community is very anti linux noob. I think in all honesty Linux has hit its status quo now we will get 3 maybe 4 big/ish games a year and a bunch of indie titles and small scale games from small publishers. It would take a big big move by valve like Team Fortress 3/Left 4 Dead 3 and Half Life 3 all exclusive to linux but financially that does not make sense.


Last edited by Whitewolfe80 on 10 July 2018 at 2:34 pm UTC

Quoting: tuubi

Quoting: Purple Library GuyYou have, like, SteamOS (or, better, Mint--heh) bundled with the new game. So then, when you go to install the game from Windows, the game installer defaults to installing SteamOS as a dual-boot and then installing the game on it. You can choose to install it differently, such as on Windows as a Windows game, but you have to make a positive choice to do that.

I know it's Linux we're talking about, but a game installer messing with my partitions and boot loader to install an operating system? Evil! Okay, maybe that's a strong word, but I really think the backlash would be worse than any positive effect.

Well, perhaps you're right.

Quoting: Whitewolfe80There are a lot of barriers to coming over to linux full time, there is a learning curve I remmeber using wine for the first time i was looking at people talking about wine bottles and depenendancies and i remember thinking fuck this am out. At least on windows all i have to do is double click and wait until it installs then am free to play. But i stuck with it because well windows 8 was an abomination and windows 10 is even worse and learnt a new platform from scratch.

To this day I basically avoid using Wine. Only thing I ever used in Wine much was Starcraft (I). I mostly just made do with whatever software was available on Linux; before there were games on Linux I pretty much didn't play games. Except Alpha Centauri and one other title from back when Loki was a thing, before it imploded.
That used to be something of a sacrifice, but these days (for my use case) it really isn't; the Free Software ecosystem for (everything except games) has matured and the games are now well past the "more than I can ever play" level. Meanwhile, Mint at least is a really easy transition from Windows (which I use at work, more's the pity). Both Cinnamon and Mate are old style interfaces like a nicer, prettier, more powerful and more configurable Windows 7. Everything works about the same except a bit better; there are occasional minor polish issues but they pale in comparison to the issues Microsoft deliberately builds into Windows. I started using Linux for political reasons and it's really been great in recent years finding that the OS I was using for theory had delivered on its promise and was now the OS I would use purely from preference.


Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 10 July 2018 at 4:27 pm UTC