Ah Sunday, that special day that's a calm before the storm of another week and a time for a community chat here on GOL. Today, it's our birthday! If you didn't see the post earlier this week, GamingOnLinux as of today has hit the big 11 years old! Oh how time sure flies by.
Onto the subject of gaming on Linux: honestly, the majority of my personal game time has been taken up by Into the Breach. It's so gorgeously streamlined, accessible, fun and it's also ridiculously complex at the same time. Tiny maps that require a huge amount of forward thinking, as you weigh up each movement decision against any possible downsides. It's like playing chess, only with big mecha fighting off aliens trying to take down buildings.
It's quite surprising how much room there is for coming up with a strategy, as the game continues surprising me many hours later with what's possible. Made by the same team behind FTL, Into the Breach reminds me of the same feeling I got when first discovering FTL and having that nagging need in the back of my mind calling me back to play more. Fantastic game.
I've also been quite disappointed in Crayta on Stadia, as it so far hasn't lived up to even my smallest expectations for the game maker. It just seems so half-baked, with poor/stiff animations and a lack of any meaningful content to start with. I'll be checking back on it in a few months but for now it's just not fun.
Over to you in the comments: what games have been taking up your time over the last week? Let us know what you've found to be particularly interesting.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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I recently went through Portal and Portal 2. I have started The Talos Principle, but to me it is not as engaging as the Portal games. Finishing those has also moved Bioshock: Infinite up to the top of my play list, and I have started playing it in earnest (I started a game before, but had kind of set it aside while I played other things).
I entered a bunch of my old Humble Bundle Steam keys in, so now I can see both the games from the bundles I haven't played in quite some time (which I didn't play on Steam), but also just how big my back catalogue really is.
I picked up several games in the Steam Summer Sale, but the only one that's really gotten my attention yet is Salt and Sanctuary, which after starting I can see is pretty deep. I'm not sure if I'm going to pursue that before I knock off either Bioshock or Talos, though.
I've been fiddling with my RetroPie build on a Raspberry Pi 3, and I got some really old arcade games going in Mame4All (this was just basically finding a copy of my old Mame4All folder on my OpenPandora and copying stuff over). I also have Descent and Descent II running (though I haven't tested II). I fooled around with one I used to play with my brothers on the Playstation, Soul Blade. My old PC Engine / TurboDuo games on CD (the cards are fine) are being a pain on RetroPie because they've compiled the default emulator without ogg support, so the copies I had from my OpenPandora don't work correctly. I thought maybe the direct full disc images would work, but the only thing that seems to be working are versions with WAV files, which are about as big as the disc images anyway. I'd like to save that space if I can.
Last edited by CFWhitman on 6 July 2020 at 12:07 pm UTC
I entered a bunch of my old Humble Bundle Steam keys in, so now I can see both the games from the bundles I haven't played in quite some time (which I didn't play on Steam), but also just how big my back catalogue really is.
I picked up several games in the Steam Summer Sale, but the only one that's really gotten my attention yet is Salt and Sanctuary, which after starting I can see is pretty deep. I'm not sure if I'm going to pursue that before I knock off either Bioshock or Talos, though.
I've been fiddling with my RetroPie build on a Raspberry Pi 3, and I got some really old arcade games going in Mame4All (this was just basically finding a copy of my old Mame4All folder on my OpenPandora and copying stuff over). I also have Descent and Descent II running (though I haven't tested II). I fooled around with one I used to play with my brothers on the Playstation, Soul Blade. My old PC Engine / TurboDuo games on CD (the cards are fine) are being a pain on RetroPie because they've compiled the default emulator without ogg support, so the copies I had from my OpenPandora don't work correctly. I thought maybe the direct full disc images would work, but the only thing that seems to be working are versions with WAV files, which are about as big as the disc images anyway. I'd like to save that space if I can.
Last edited by CFWhitman on 6 July 2020 at 12:07 pm UTC
1 Likes, Who?
Quoting: CFWhitmanI recently went through Portal and Portal 2. I have started The Talos Principle, but to me it is not as engaging as the Portal games.
Storywise? Because some of the puzzles are soo clever! If you want more Portal, "Portal Stories: Mel" is something I can't stop recommending. In hard mode, it's... well... hard. And so satisfying.
Last edited by Eike on 6 July 2020 at 7:27 am UTC
1 Likes, Who?
Heliborne. Incredibly addictive game, fun. No pay2win, no heavy grinding. Just a fun game.
Also, after getting a Sinclair SpectrumNext with Z80N, been playing StarQuake again. In fact, i've been playing this for over 30 years, that's how addictive the damn game is. See https://archive.org/details/zx_Starquake_1985_Bubblebus_Software
PacMan256. Skyrim a bit. The Tomb Raider series.
Also, after getting a Sinclair SpectrumNext with Z80N, been playing StarQuake again. In fact, i've been playing this for over 30 years, that's how addictive the damn game is. See https://archive.org/details/zx_Starquake_1985_Bubblebus_Software
PacMan256. Skyrim a bit. The Tomb Raider series.
3 Likes, Who?
Been tweaking and tuning my system for VR. Built a liquourix/zen kernel for my gentoo install and tried some different power management approaches, but my 2080 and the nVidia drivers really don't cut it for VR on linux. It would mostly be okay if I ran the index at 90 hz and really cut down settings in HL:Alyx, but it would still cause nausea inducing stutters fairly frequently. 
So, I borrowed a buddy's 5700xt for the weekend. It's definitely a slower card than the 2080 in almost everything, but it performs much better in VR. The power management is a bit squirrelly, as this one seems to want to down clock itself when it doesn't think it has enough load. Which is fine, but it makes for some gnarly framerate swings in VR. Once I tweaked the minimum clock speed with corectrl it behaved much better. HL:Alyx is very smooth with high settings and only minor stuttering after a level load.
Overall, the VR experience on Linux is still quite rough and requires a fair bit of patience, trial and error. Some notes:
As for the actual VR games -
In any case the battle to make it all work well is half the fun and it really is amazing that it works as well as it does.
Last edited by yokem55 on 6 July 2020 at 7:54 am UTC
So, I borrowed a buddy's 5700xt for the weekend. It's definitely a slower card than the 2080 in almost everything, but it performs much better in VR. The power management is a bit squirrelly, as this one seems to want to down clock itself when it doesn't think it has enough load. Which is fine, but it makes for some gnarly framerate swings in VR. Once I tweaked the minimum clock speed with corectrl it behaved much better. HL:Alyx is very smooth with high settings and only minor stuttering after a level load.
Overall, the VR experience on Linux is still quite rough and requires a fair bit of patience, trial and error. Some notes:
- The lack of bluetooth power management for the base stations is very annoying.
- After a reboot, SteamVR for some reason refuses to initialize Direct Mode to the headset until I restart the headset with the steamvr destop tool.
- VR game crashes are common with about the only mechanism to restore is to completely restart steam vr.
- You really have to make sure pulseaudio is set to output the game's sound to the HMD before you put it on. Annoying.
As for the actual VR games -
- Half-Life:Alyx does a great job of putting you into City-17 but has some annoying filler chapters that don't do much to move the story along.
- Pistol Whip is absolutely fantastic and probably my favorite VR experience. It is immensely satisfying to choreograph myself into elaborate sequences of shooting, dancing and pistol whipping. And it doubles as a good workout.
- SuperHot VR is fun but it really wants a bit more space than I have in my VR room.
- Beat Saber is fun but doesn't require as much movement as Pistol Whip. That said, the custom songs capability is really great and really wants a kareoke mod.
- Boneworks - well, lets just say I'll need to uh, get my VR legs better established before I try that one again.
In any case the battle to make it all work well is half the fun and it really is amazing that it works as well as it does.
Last edited by yokem55 on 6 July 2020 at 7:54 am UTC
1 Likes, Who?
Quoting: yokem55Been tweaking and tuning my system for VR. Built a liquourix/zen kernel for my gentoo install and tried some different power management approaches, but my 2080 and the nVidia drivers really don't cut it for VR on linux. It would mostly be okay if I ran the index at 90 hz and really cut down settings in HL:Alyx, but it would still cause nausea inducing stutters fairly frequently.
2080 should be fine, especially for Alyx. Key is turn switch back to legacy reprojection and keep the headset at 80 or 90 Hz. You might get a frameskip here and there, but nothing jarring. "Normal" reprojection is so broken on nvidia that it's unusable and makes it look like the performance is low.
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QuoteOnto the subject of gaming on Linux: honestly, the majority of my personal game time has been taken up by Into the Breach. It's so gorgeously streamlined, accessible, fun and it's also ridiculously complex at the same time. Tiny maps that require a huge amount of forward thinking, as you weigh up each movement decision against any possible downsides. It's like playing chess, only with big mecha fighting off aliens trying to take down buildings.
I like into the breach. There's one issue though. I got my "Victory" achievement in one game and two hours of play because the game "lets" you. Now I need to find a reason to play it again to see what more the game has to offer, but so far I haven't done that. The whole "you can go to end game any time you want" thing hasn't been helpful to keep me in the game.
Last edited by Ehvis on 6 July 2020 at 8:10 am UTC
1 Likes, Who?
1 Likes, Who?
Kallestofeles Jul 6, 2020
Dwarf Fortress. Finally tried it out after pushing it aside for over 10 years now, but after I had to RMA my GPU, I was left with little choice which would run on my old laptop... and it is absolutely amazing!
I now have the 2080Ti back from the repairs and I still cannot find time to play anything else but Dwarf Fortress. :D
Last edited by Kallestofeles on 6 July 2020 at 9:35 am UTC
I now have the 2080Ti back from the repairs and I still cannot find time to play anything else but Dwarf Fortress. :D
Last edited by Kallestofeles on 6 July 2020 at 9:35 am UTC
1 Likes, Who?
Arehandoro Jul 6, 2020
Mainly Yakuza 0 and NBA 2K20.
0 Likes
Quoting: andy155War Thunder High Tier - Noob Gameplay.
https://youtu.be/8TMEWyI2vr0
Very confused by this game to be honest. There's one moment, around the 19m mark where you put three shells into an enemy tank and it's still going, whereas your tank is frequently one-shotted, often from so far away, you can't even see the enemy that killed you on the map.
I have a friend who SWEARS by World of Tanks, and it's basically the same - pixel perfect shooting from kilometres away with seconds-long reloads. I... just don't get it!
1 Likes, Who?
Dying Light. My friend and I are only about halfway through the first play-through and are already Legendary lvl 6. We'll often spend hours just running around killing zeds without doing a mission. I mean, we set out to do a mission, but get distracted killing zombies en route and ... well, you get the picture. We're having a lot of fun. ;)
1 Likes, Who?
DarkVantage Jul 6, 2020
Still enjoying weekly tabletop games with friends on Tabletop Simulator. I actually enjoy it more than in-person because it's easier to see the board and game pieces. For solo gameplay, 
keeps me coming back. I also just picked up Area 86, which is a challenging escape room puzzler with fun mechanics and a cute robot, although some of the "challenge tasks" seem a little too random. And picked up 
to rekindle my Scorched Earth nostalgia from the 80s. I've only played a few solo missions so far, but I'm going back to it right after I finish writing this reply. :-)
1 Likes, Who?
Currently playing The Bard's Tale IV. A really-good Skyrim-like RPG with many puzzles and good battles!
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Quoting: robvvCurrently playing The Bard's Tale IV. A really-good Skyrim-like RPG with many puzzles and good battles!
Never heard this comparison...
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Quoting: EikeI'll second both of those statements. :) I thought TTP was a pale imitation of Portal at first, too. But it draws you in. I might even rate it higher than Portal 2 now, if I'm honest. And PS: Mel is almost good enough to be an official Valve title. It's a pity the team didn't carry on with more “Portal Stories”, as they intended.Quoting: CFWhitmanI recently went through Portal and Portal 2. I have started The Talos Principle, but to me it is not as engaging as the Portal games.
Storywise? Because some of the puzzles are soo clever! If you want more Portal, "Portal Stories: Mel" is something I can't stop recommending. In hard mode, it's... well... hard. And so satisfying.
1 Likes, Who?
playing Black Mesa, Ion Fury, runs brilliant in Steam Play, and have been gifted Railway Engineer, its not bad, as TS 2020 is a pig under Proton, grabbed Diesel Railcar Simulator, that seems to run fine in Steam Play.
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I finally decided to give Proton a try and dusted off my copy of Skyrim this weekend. Although ultra widescreen support takes a bit of work to get going it runs flawlessly.
I also continued my never-ending quest to try and finish Pathfinder:Kingmaker. Maybe this time I've finally settled on a PC I'll stick with through the end.
I also continued my never-ending quest to try and finish Pathfinder:Kingmaker. Maybe this time I've finally settled on a PC I'll stick with through the end.
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Quoting: BigPoppaI also continued my never-ending quest to try and finish Pathfinder:Kingmaker. Maybe this time I've finally settled on a PC I'll stick with through the end.
Does Pathfinder: Kingmaker work for you with the latest kernel?
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