@Shmerl - it's in the chain with the link I posted in the original post. I'll ask again if he misses it.

Thanks!

I also opened a thread about Linux support for VtM: Bloodlines 2 here: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/bloodlines-2-for-linux.1162040

Feel free to comment there too.

Stellaris is probably the one game from them I'd be interested in. But then I look it up on GOG and see one game and about 17 other entries for DLCs. Yuck.

I'll always prefer native Linux releases over shit play and stadia though, that's for sure. I probably sound like a grumpy old bastard, but I like Linux because I control stuff on my end, and DRM Free because there isn't phoning home and all kinds of stuff like that, and I "sort of" own the game for real. Add shteam or Skynet into the mix, and I could forget about some of the advantages that Linux (normally) bring.

I actually find it kind of staggering that there isn't more focus on this, but whatever :-/

Soon the journalist that broke some of these gigantic mass surveillance stories will be handed over to the US for frickin' espionage charges -- which is even worse than what transpired during Watergate. Imagine that. Sorry for the tangent, but these things are actually related, at least in my mind. It's why I prefer Linux. And why I don't want the tendrils of various huge corporations on my computer. Well, I try to restrict it at least.

Stellaris is probably the one game from them I'd be interested in. But then I look it up on GOG and see one game and about 17 other entries for DLCs. Yuck.

I'll always prefer native Linux releases over shit play and stadia though, that's for sure. I probably sound like a grumpy old bastard, but I like Linux because I control stuff on my end, and DRM Free because there isn't phoning home and all kinds of stuff like that, and I "sort of" own the game for real. Add shteam or Skynet into the mix, and I could forget about some of the advantages that Linux (normally) bring.

I actually find it kind of staggering that there isn't more focus on this, but whatever :-/

I want native too. I dropped Windows a long time back even though it meant cutting off a lot of my games. I did use WINE a bit at first but that didn't last long. And even though Steam Play has given me easy access to old titles I will enjoy playing, I still only buy native. I won't touch Stadia, mainly as it doesn't look cost or use effective for me and I'm already withdrawing from a number of Google services.

Steam I see as a balance. Sure, you have to download the games through it but you can switch to offline mode, and once installed you can run the binaries manually without even opening Steam, so it's not exactly DRM, it's more like a content delivery system, and you still have to login to GoG to get the downloads, so it's not hugely different. If Valve wanted to force users into a corner, they could pull all kinds of tricks to do so and make you have to run Steam, but they don't, and I think they've done a lot for the Linux community without going down the data sucking, big brother act that Google has gotten into.

For Paradox, I know they take a lot of flak for their DLC, and they have made mistakes, but they are open about it, they run their games as services, and they do development and updates years past when many other companies would. The community is also fickle. One day they demand more focus in the DLC, to pick an area of the game, the next they complain that they don't like not having global changes. You don't have to buy them all, and you can wait for a sale if you want. I personally have no issue with it, the games are radically different to their original release and massively fleshed out and improved due to it. And I still enjoyed the original form, so it's not that they cut stuff deliberately to add later, they can only do so much.

I did feel that happened with Imperator, that they lost their focus and tried to create a framework for the DLC rather than create a solid game for which DLC might come later. It was also horribly broken on Linux, and Windows too for a while, and it affected users on their target distributions as well as more niche Arch/i3 users like me (btw, did you know I'm an Arch user!?). However, they refunded it for me with no objection and were superb at listening to my feedback. I think they are an excellent publisher and developer and it'll be a shame if we do lose them. With the thousands of hours in their games, I've certainly made use of the money I've spent!

@Shmerl - it's in the chain with the link I posted in the original post. I'll ask again if he misses it.

May be you can elaborate a bit, how Stadia exactly is beneficial. I.e. potential new big market can bring enough sales to cover support for desktop Linux as well.

I would be very wary of recommending Stadia to developers before we know more about it. We don't even know how well it will work, what kind of tech it will use (will it even be desktop-compatible?), if it will be a hit or miss...

Sad news. I don't have much games from Paradox, but I know many fellow Linux gamers who have. Thanks for sharing this information @Supay

Can't keep up with so many recent bad news.

So many? There hasn't been a lot of bad news lately?

Double Fine and Obsidian being bought by Microsoft. Epic Store in general, even though not all their news affect us directly, now Paradox kind of dropping Linux from their plans short-term... they're enough for me xD

An interest development on this topic: on the latest Paradox podcast, they briefly discussed Linux specifically (the podcast is mostly about e3, but also talks about Empire of Sin, Linux and the X-Box game pass). It was pretty much the same that Shams had already said, but it was still pretty interesting.

A few highlights: they mentioned that the decision is made on a case by case basis, just like any other platform, and they haven't abandoned Linux definitely. They threw some numbers - "for some games it may cost $40,000 and we do it, for others it may cost $400,000 and there is no way". Of course, not actual numbers taken from real experience, but still a more concrete example than we usually get (at least now we know orders of magnitude :P).

The podcast is available from many places, here is the youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l5UT06ZKVU

An interest development on this topic: on the latest Paradox podcast, they briefly discussed Linux specifically (the podcast is mostly about e3, but also talks about Empire of Sin, Linux and the X-Box game pass). It was pretty much the same that Shams had already said, but it was still pretty interesting.

A few highlights: they mentioned that the decision is made on a case by case basis, just like any other platform, and they haven't abandoned Linux definitely. They threw some numbers - "for some games it may cost $40,000 and we do it, for others it may cost $400,000 and there is no way". Of course, not actual numbers taken from real experience, but still a more concrete example than we usually get (at least now we know orders of magnitude :P).

The podcast is available from many places, here is the youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l5UT06ZKVU

Exactly why Paradox Dev Studio wont drop Linux support, their engine and stuff is already there for it :)

Exactly why Paradox Dev Studio wont drop Linux support, their engine and stuff is already there for it :)

That is my hope, but also what I already expected. They just released Imperator for Linux, and it had a significant engine change, so I don't think it is likely that their grand strategy games - even those released in the (near) future - will drop support.

I'm more concerned about games from the Architect property or from Harebrained Schemes. Triumph is already releasing AOW Planetfall for Windows only (and they have said once that they regretted supporting Linux for AoW3).

Probably a good time for lots of people to pick up some Paradox games ;)