Last game I remember that was casual like that was probably Ballistic Overkill. No official servers anymore though and I doubt there are too many players still going with it. But I'm sure it could still be good fun for a community or group.

So in my opinion THE best of these at the moment is Doom 2016's multiplayer; it's very inspired by the golden era of Quake 3 mods, it feels like a snapshot of the arena shooter in its prime that I could just stare at forever. It's got a small but dedicated player base and some really creative game modes; I've been playing if for a few years now and I love it.

https://xonotic.org/ is still great (once downloaded use the autobuild updater script for the newest version).

Quoting: EhvisLast game I remember that was casual like that was probably Ballistic Overkill. No official servers anymore though and I doubt there are too many players still going with it. But I'm sure it could still be good fun for a community or group.

I bought it (it's quite cheap being only about one and a half Euros) and it does look kinda fun but you are right - there are rather few servers.

Quoting: PinballWizardSo in my opinion THE best of these at the moment is Doom 2016's multiplayer; it's very inspired by the golden era of Quake 3 mods, it feels like a snapshot of the arena shooter in its prime that I could just stare at forever. It's got a small but dedicated player base and some really creative game modes; I've been playing if for a few years now and I love it.

Even better than Doom Eternal or whatever it's called? I actually bought DOOM when it came out but I quickly dropped it because it was too slow-paced for me, with that whole melee thing. I had a quick look at the multiplayer today and while it could be fun (reminds me of the Doom 3 multiplayer) it has the problems mentioned above (i.e. this lobby where you have to wait for other players etc). Or maybe I just didn't manage to find the server browser, yet.

Quoting: Juliushttps://xonotic.org/ is still great (once downloaded use the autobuild updater script for the newest version).

Oh, I quite forgot about Xonotic. It does look fun and fast-paced but it has a similar problem as Ballistic Overkill - very few players. It's quite a shame.

I loved playing Warsow back in the day but it's kinda dead, too, unfortunately. :/
It's too bad there aren't that many games left where you can just hop in/hop out whenever you feel like playing for a few minutes.

Thanks for the suggestion, though, guys!

Urban Terror. It's relatively barren now compared to how i remember, but the new version's supposed to drop anytime (in the next few years). I'm personally waiting for that, i think it's the most fun online shooter i played so far.

I don't actually have recommendations. Just tagging this thread to watch.

If ever a game such as the Tribes series found its way into the source-available gaming sphere, I would quickly find myself with no free time leftover.

Quoting: starfarerEven better than Doom Eternal or whatever it's called? I actually bought DOOM when it came out but I quickly dropped it because it was too slow-paced for me, with that whole melee thing. I had a quick look at the multiplayer today and while it could be fun (reminds me of the Doom 3 multiplayer) it has the problems mentioned above (i.e. this lobby where you have to wait for other players etc). Or maybe I just didn't manage to find the server browser, yet.

In my view yes, Eternal is a great game but it's singleplayer focused; the multiplayer in Doom 2016, specifically the team modes, is amazing. There are a variety of modes, some are original and great, others a derived from classic Quake series mods(Clan Arena and Soul Harvester is based on a team arena gamemode). I cannot recommend it highly enough; it's got a small community but I find it has active games at normal peak hours (evenings and nights in EST well into the morning).

There's Team Fortress 2 (but it doesn't tick the box "modern", it launched in 2007).
It ticks the other boxes though, and it's free and Linux native.

Quoting: dvdUrban Terror. It's relatively barren now compared to how i remember, but the new version's supposed to drop anytime (in the next few years). I'm personally waiting for that, i think it's the most fun online shooter i played so far.

I just installed Urban Terror and it's great! It's fun, you can join quickly and there seems to be a few populated servers so that is already good! When you said Urban Terror I was thinking of this urban shooter (I think it was also open source) where you didn't have crosshairs but had to use iron sights, just like Red Orchestra 2. Wish I could remember what it was called.

[edit]
Did a quick google search. The game I was thinking about is True Combat Elite, which is also a total conversion mod for Quake 3. Good times. :)

Quoting: GustyGhostI don't actually have recommendations. Just tagging this thread to watch.

If ever a game such as the Tribes series found its way into the source-available gaming sphere, I would quickly find myself with no free time leftover.

Oh that would be awesome. I played quite a bit of Tribes: Ascend until they stopped supporting it and made the stupid decision to focus on the stupid SMITE. Well, there was also Midair but that died, too, unfortunately. There is the community edition but it's not due for another year, which is quite a shame.
It'd be great if there was an open source version of such a game. I think Hi-Rez Studios released their older Tribes games for free but as far as I remember they never released the source code.

Quoting: PinballWizard

Quoting: starfarerEven better than Doom Eternal or whatever it's called? I actually bought DOOM when it came out but I quickly dropped it because it was too slow-paced for me, with that whole melee thing. I had a quick look at the multiplayer today and while it could be fun (reminds me of the Doom 3 multiplayer) it has the problems mentioned above (i.e. this lobby where you have to wait for other players etc). Or maybe I just didn't manage to find the server browser, yet.

In my view yes, Eternal is a great game but it's singleplayer focused; the multiplayer in Doom 2016, specifically the team modes, is amazing. There are a variety of modes, some are original and great, others a derived from classic Quake series mods(Clan Arena and Soul Harvester is based on a team arena gamemode). I cannot recommend it highly enough; it's got a small community but I find it has active games at normal peak hours (evenings and nights in EST well into the morning).

I fire up Doom 2016 but for some reason there was quite a bit of stuttering. I'll have to sort this out and then I'll see whether I can play a few rounds, thanks. :)

Quoting: DorritThere's Team Fortress 2 (but it doesn't tick the box "modern", it launched in 2007).
It ticks the other boxes though, and it's free and Linux native.

I actually regret putting "modern" in the title because I don't really care how old the game is. By modern I just mean that it's still actively played. :)
There was a news article about ET:Legacy today, which is great! I played a ton of Enemy Territory back in the day (it was really awesome of them to make the multiplayer free) with my friends from an old IRC channel I used to frequent. Good times.
I liked Quake Wars even more but unfortunately, at least as far as I know, it never got the same treatment and is pretty dead now.

I never got into Team Fortress (I tried to play once; joined a server, joined a team, picked a class and tried to play - was immediately kicked after that because apparently I "played the game wrong" or something like that). I guess that's why I was put off TF2 and never got into that, too. Maybe I should rethink that.



[edit]
Oh yeah, before I forget. I think many Quake3 engine games will fit my criteria because they have the awesome, good old-fashioned server browser and it's an awesome engine in general. If you are a Star Wars fan (I love it) you can try Star Wars Jedi Knight Jedi Academy. You can get it on Steam and after LucasArts was closed Raven Software released the source code to Jedi Knight 2 Jedi Outcast and Jedi Knight Jedi Academy, which was very, very awesome of them, since there is also now a Linux port. I should check out how active the multiplayer is because I remember having a lot of fun with these games. Best lightsaber combat in a game, Fallen Order doesn't hold candle to that.

Last edited by starfarer on 1 March 2021 at 4:07 pm UTC

I only play with family and friends and so for years we played the stuff from the 90's and many FOSS games like AssaultCube, Xonotic, Red Eclipse and OpenSpades but keep in mind we have our own servers.

Right now the only pick and up shooters for me are the following

* Destiny 2 (Stadia) - F2P - I stick to the PVP Rumble with occasional dips with the general public but most private hosted maps with the family. Rumble is FFA and very small maps with a small group of players.

* Dusk (GOG) - It seems to have a very small population but dedicated usually between 50 to 80 players online but you can also host your own server with ease. Excellent game. My family loves this one also.