Tim Sweeney, the Founder and CEO of Epic Games took to Twitter again recently to answer some questions about Linux and gaming.
Why? Well, it seems the previously incorrect reports about Easy Anti-Cheat dropping Linux support like to reappear and people end up spreading it around. Even though it has since been clarified, people still end up spreading it.
In reply to someone on Twitter asking Sweeney what his "beef" is with Linux, Sweeney replied with:
Linux is a great. UE4, Epic Online Services, and Easy Anti-Cheat support it as a native runtime platform, and we’re seeking to better support Wine as a solution for running Epic Games store window titles.
Note: I did attempt to get clarification on the Wine and Epic Games Store bit in the above quote, to see if Sweeney meant the whole store in Wine or to get the store on Linux and use Wine like Valve does with Steam Play but he hasn't replied yet.
Another interesting thing Sweeney said around this, was in reply to a user asking about Easy Anti-Cheat, to which Sweeney responded with:
EAC has native Linux binaries in beta, supporting several native games in active release. This missing link is native Linux anti-cheat integration with Wine/Proton so that games running under Wine are protected. This is in the works but is a big task.
So the situation sounds pretty clear. Easy Anti-Cheat does continue to support Linux and Wine/Steam Play support for Easy Anti-Cheat should be happening. Sweeney's comments shouldn't be too surprising if you've been following our news for a while, as he previously said "WINE is the one hope for breaking the cycle".
A long time ago I would have disagreed, but since Valve came along with Steam Play (which bundles Wine, DXVK and more together in the Steam Client) I somewhat agree with this. It has opened up Linux gaming to a wider audience already, so people don't have to worry about losing their entire back catalogue of Windows-only titles and compatibility continues to improve with new each release.
As for some other interesting things that came up recently, someone mentioned Sweeney's previous comment comparing installing Linux to moving to Canada, if you didn't like "US political trends". Sweeney also replied to clarify what he meant by this:
These statements are consistent. 99.9% of game playing is on mobile, console, and PC. A game developer who’s frustrated with other platforms can’t just retreat to Linux. They couldn’t earn a living. We have to fight for our freedoms on today’s platforms as they stand.
It's the whole chicken and egg debate again, users don't want to switch to Linux due to games and game developers don't want to support Linux due to fewer users.
I do get what he's saying, but I don't think the majority mean to only support Linux. On that point, I think he missed the mark a little. It's more about supporting Linux as an additional platform to help against lock-in, monopolies and continue to help break the cycle. Although, as mentioned above Wine/Steam Play have started to slowly even the playing field a bit there.
He goes on:
What are those rights? I think it’s the user’s right to install software of their choosing from sources of their choosing, developers’ right to release software on their own, and competition among stores.
I don't think anyone can truly disagree with that. Installing software from where you choose is quite important, as is competition. Even in the open source space, competition can be very healthy and push everyone to improve. That's true for online stores as well of course, a monopoly of any sort is a bad idea.
And finally:
Does this mean ever game developer has an obligation to release their game on every store? No, it’s their creative work, and they have a right to choose how to distribute it. That includes the right to negotiate store terms and reject stores that don’t pay them adequately.
He's not wrong there either of course, it is entirely down to a developer/publisher on where they release their games and what deals they take to do it. Be it Steam, Epic Store, Humble Store, GOG, itch.io and all the smaller stores.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Quoting: Purple Library GuyAnd who is treating whom how in this discussion? You seem an imperfect instance of what you preach.I'm preaching nothing.
My last two sentences...
Quoting: johndoeYou will never get a "higher" respect when you treat people this way....were not directed towards Munk - sorry for the confusion.
Driving up the wall should not become daily routine.
It was meant in common and to be honest... it describes ME some years back.
Last edited by johndoe on 16 July 2019 at 10:21 pm UTC
Quoting: johndoeYou are telling everyone how to act--in a nutshell, that none of us should criticize public figures in general or Tim Sweeney in particular. And in a rather pushy way, tending to approach the hot-under-the-collar, although you're not getting personal. This seems preachy. I don't know about anyone else here, but personally, it gets my back up some.Quoting: Purple Library GuyAnd who is treating whom how in this discussion? You seem an imperfect instance of what you preach.I'm preaching nothing.
Quoting: Purple Library GuyYou are telling everyone how to act--in a nutshell, that none of us should criticize public figures in general or Tim Sweeney in particular. And in a rather pushy way, tending to approach the hot-under-the-collar, although you're not getting personal. This seems preachy. I don't know about anyone else here, but personally, it gets my back up some.Maybe this is because I'm older than the most people here and think differently.
I for my part want EGS for Linux - you not?
Quoting: johndoeI'm in my fifties; I had taken you for quite young.Quoting: Purple Library GuyYou are telling everyone how to act--in a nutshell, that none of us should criticize public figures in general or Tim Sweeney in particular. And in a rather pushy way, tending to approach the hot-under-the-collar, although you're not getting personal. This seems preachy. I don't know about anyone else here, but personally, it gets my back up some.Maybe this is because I'm older than the most people here and think differently.
I for my part want EGS for Linux - you not?
I for my part want EGS to fail, and stand as an example of what not to do for other would-be Steam competitors, in hopes that such future competitors decide to do things differently (and in the mean while a platform, Steam, which backs Linux and has certain other advantages continues to dominate). If it unfortunately succeeds, I suppose I would prefer it support Linux than not. But again, the connection you draw between this and how we talk about Tim Sweeney is mistaken.
Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 16 July 2019 at 11:39 pm UTC
Quoting: Purple Library GuyI'm in my fifties; I had taken you for quite young.
I for my part want EGS to fail, and stand as an example of what not to do for other would-be Steam competitors, in hopes that such future competitors decide to do things differently (and in the mean while a platform, Steam, which backs Linux and has certain other advantages continues to dominate). If it unfortunately succeeds, I suppose I would prefer it support Linux than not. But again, the connection you draw between this and how we talk about Tim Sweeney is mistaken.
Hats off! I'm 44 years old, married and have 2 sons dancing every day on my nose.
There is no better linux supporter than Valve, Feral, ...right.
Let me explain what I think...
Valve released Steam september 2003. It took them 10 years to release Steam for linux in 2013.
When I'm not wrong, Half Life had a linux server from the start. What took so long?
Sure, the way Sweeney chose with EGS and exclusives is not very nice. But don't let forget that they are time based.
I have waited 10 years for Steam - so I can wait one year for Metro:Exodus as an example.
He said they are working on EAC. Doesn't this sound good?. And while they are at it why should they ignore the fact, that Linux is moving into the foreground... Vulkan, more and more Mesa developers, Proton/Wine, DXVK, Valve as linux employer and developer, D9VK, Intel developing der own GPUs with linux in mind, Stadia...
EGS is only 1/2 years old and far from being complete.
I HOPE that Epic will release a linux client as soon as possible - finishing EAC is a good start.
When this happens, then we CONSUMERS have another place where we can choose to buy our games or not.
I also think that UE4 is a good engine (Everspace, _Observer, ...) and we might lose it if we treat the people behind it worse.
The best we can do is to convince more people/companies to support linux, be patient and polite.
Quoting: johndoeQuoting: Purple Library GuyYou are telling everyone how to act--in a nutshell, that none of us should criticize public figures in general or Tim Sweeney in particular. And in a rather pushy way, tending to approach the hot-under-the-collar, although you're not getting personal. This seems preachy. I don't know about anyone else here, but personally, it gets my back up some.Maybe this is because I'm older than the most people here and think differently.
I for my part want EGS for Linux - you not?
Heh... the small scope yes/no question trap. To make people lose sight of the big picture.
What I (and most of us here I think) want in general as users/consumers is not being manipulated or straight out coerced. We are especially in love with freedom.
In that regard yes: having EGS on linux is part of what I want. It gives me more choice.
Though I hope I don't have to explain with another textwall how the additional choice power derived from having EGS on linux would be overwhelmingly overshadowed by the despicable anti consumer practices Epic is actuating with it. In the big picture it would still result in a net loss of freedom.
So in the unlikely event that this happens, I'll definitely boycott it.
Last edited by Mal on 17 July 2019 at 4:59 pm UTC
Quoting: johndoeThe best we can do is to convince more people/companies to support linux, be patient and polite.I could talk about the specifics of why you have one view of Sweeney and EGS and I have a different view, but that doesn't really get to the core issue here, of universal civility to public figures.
It is unwise to be universally patient and polite. It is not generally an effective strategy; game theory makes this pretty clear. It is better to differentiate between how you treat those you have reason to be positive about and those you have reason to distrust--in "prisoner's dilemma" terms, those you should expect to co-operate and those you should expect to default.
Further, if you are in a community with common interests, it is wise to warn the rest of the community about those one has reason to distrust, lest they be suckered. Whether as individuals or a community, it is better to co-operate with those who will co-operate back, better to refuse co-operation with those who will not co-operate back but treat it as a one way street. But if you're dealing with a community, before the community overall can refuse co-operation, the word has to be spread. That requires speaking ill of the person to be warned against.
So from my perspective, Sweeney is an untrustworthy person who is likely to try to sucker us. And you are a sucker, which is OK that's your right. But what is a problem is that you are telling people they should NOT warn the community about him because warning communities is bad. You are, in the name of civility, trying to enforce bad tactics on everyone because you are under the impression they are good tactics.
You are wrong. In my considered opinion, your universal civility is a bad tactic. Certainly you will disagree--but at least consider that there is room for disagreement on this subject, that your perspective on it is not the only plausible one, and so it may not be justifiable to hector people for using a different approach as if they were naive fools. From other perspectives it is you who are the naive one.
Quoting: Purple Library GuyYou are wrong. In my considered opinion, your universal civility is a bad tactic. Certainly you will disagree--but at least consider that there is room for disagreement on this subject, that your perspective on it is not the only plausible one, and so it may not be justifiable to hector people for using a different approach as if they were naive fools. From other perspectives it is you who are the naive one.Notice taken.
Same as you I gave my 5 cents to this article/post, nothing more. I have the feeling that you sometimes read too much between the lines, but fine, I can cope with that.
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