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Only if you buy the ~$15 Deluxe version with a Farm can you barely escape the dreaded micro-transactions. Not to mention quadruple the price of the mobile version.:(

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Quoting: Cheeseness

Quoting: s_dOh yes, certainly.  Well, at least, depending on your definition of the genre!

Recall the Amanita Designs titles, specifically Samorost 2, Machinarium, and Botanicula.  These are probably the closest (though, the narrative in Botanicula is thin enough that some, including Speedster, would prefer to call it more of a puzzle game).  Loosen your definition a little, and we can include TRAUMA, Sword & Sorcery and Stacking as well.  Loosen your platform a little, and there is, of course, the Telltale Games bundle.  Loosen both, and we might include The Room (though, it's more of a puzzle game linked by a loose plot than Botanicula!).

Oh, you are right! I can't believe I forgot about Samorost 2, Machinarium, Botanicula and Sword & Sworcery (I think they're all unarguably point-and-click aventure games).

Hahaha! Just watch me debate this categorization for Botanicula:

"Botanicula is point'n'click exploration game created by Jára Plachý and Amanita Design."

http://amanita-design.net/games/botanicula.html

That's what the DEVELOPERS of Botanicula call it, so I'm not just making this up. The emphasis is on solving puzzles while exploring unique surroundings and finding all the unique bug types, not on solving puzzles while enjoying a detailed plot like Monkey Island or Broken Sword.

I'm sure you can think of puzzle games that were also given a plot without generally being considered an adventure game, e.g. Corey Cole's Dr. Brain games, but those "puzzle games" did not feature this aspect of exploring a world full of non-puzzle-essential details -- "exploration game" seems a great fit to me.

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As this web is called "Gaming on Linux", why do you refer to GoG.com in this article?

Thay don't have intention to shell Linux games.

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Updated the article to include the new IndieGameStand deal and ShinyLoot's SGC Indie Sale 2013.

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Quoting: s_dWaveform:

Important Reminders!

• No refunds


• Upon purchase you’ll receive the DRM-free links for both the Mac & PC version of the game

WHAT SORCERY IS THIS?!? I swear there was a third bullet point in the Waveform description stating what I reported about getting Steam keys... :O  Well, I'll just update the article again -- was gonna do it anyway to add the new IndieGameStand deal and ShinyLoot's new indie sale. :P

Quoting: s_dLooks to me like the only reason Linux is happening at all on many of these bundles is by accidental Steam inclusion :-(

I suppose we ought to raise awareness. I feel like it's a damn shame that these developers expend effort, or contracting funds, to produce high-quality Linux ports that nobody can buy.

Totally agree. I don't see why many sites don't promote the Linux availability of some games in their bundles. It's not like that'd hurt their sales or anything...

On the proselytism front, a couple of weeks ago I got fed up of having to check every single GamersGate offer with signs of Linux support on them so I asked them twice to add a Linux icon to such deals, or to enable a Linux games list. They finally replied that they would look into it, but nothing's changed so far. :(

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Quoting: OZSeafordI wish Desura had more traction, they are such a great site. AND I believe totally that they can live alongside steam. Maybe steam can buy them...

Yeah.  I think they'd work well alongside Humble, actually.  Problem, I think, is the bandwidth and storage on the Desura side... and no unified and continuous community on the Humble side.  Humble is kind of detached from the world between bundles (and, in a way, even during bundles).  Desura, though, is like four guys doing everything on a shoestring budget, which is why their ModDB site can be so huge, but still need to be monetized with ads.  :(

I feel like they're two sides of a Valve-shaped coin, but their unique approaches give them a place, as you say, alongside Steam. :|

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Quoting: muntdefems

Quoting: s_dHey, Munt; do we get Linux keys to Waveform in the Race Against Time Bundle?  That would make it two games (Dungeon Hearts & Waveform)...
It says we get links to the DRM-free Win/Mac versions, rather than a Steam key, so perhaps not.

That's what I thought, but now you made me check again I've discovered that you can actually get a Steam key for Waveform! According to one Important Reminder (click Read More and scroll down), you've got to reach out to them to get it. I'm going to update the article to reflect this, thanks!

Wow, I never noticed that section in each game description!
I dunno, dude, I just did what you said, and the Important Reminders are clearly different between the two games;  in short, I think you were right the first time (or they have changed it!):

Waveform:

Important Reminders!

• No refunds


• Upon purchase you’ll receive the DRM-free links for both the Mac & PC version of the game

Dungeon hearts:

Important Reminders!

• No refunds


• Upon purchase you’ll receive a Steam code that will allow you to download and access your game

Looks to me like the only reason Linux is happening at all on many of these bundles is by accidental Steam inclusion :-(

I suppose we ought to raise awareness.  I feel like it's a damn shame that these developers expend effort, or contracting funds, to produce high-quality Linux ports that nobody can buy.

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Quoting: Mike FrettIncidentally, if one had bought Torchlight from the Ubuntu Software Center, an update was released today to fix the missing faces. =) Probably an updated one on your Humble Bundle page also.

Yep!  Actually, Edward Rudd sent out a tweet about that around the end of May.  Pretty happy about that fix, for sure :)

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Incidentally, if one had bought Torchlight from the Ubuntu Software Center, an update was released today to fix the missing faces. =) Probably an updated one on your Humble Bundle page also.

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Quoting: s_dHey, Munt; do we get Linux keys to Waveform in the Race Against Time Bundle?  That would make it two games (Dungeon Hearts & Waveform)...
It says we get links to the DRM-free Win/Mac versions, rather than a Steam key, so perhaps not.

That's what I thought, but now you made me check again I've discovered that you can actually get a Steam key for Waveform! According to one Important Reminder (click Read More and scroll down), you've got to reach out to them to get it. I'm going to update the article to reflect this, thanks!

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Hey, Munt; do we get Linux keys to Waveform in the Race Against Time Bundle?  That would make it two games (Dungeon Hearts & Waveform)...
It says we get links to the DRM-free Win/Mac versions, rather than a Steam key, so perhaps not.

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I might spring for the current Humble Weekly Sale as then I can get the Hard Times DLC for Rochard outside of Steam or buying the whole game again through their Humble Store widget for full price. Is this the first Weekly sale that is completely true to the main bundles, or were there any before it that I missed?

They also have this nice addition to their description:

QuoteRochard was also the premiere title to debut the Unity game engine on Linux! Unity powers a number of amazing titles and its presence on Linux can only broaden the horizons for cross-platform gaming everywhere.

See, I am not impossible to please. :P

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In the Windows version in the bin folder there is a x64launcher.exe

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The Steam client itself is still 32bit though.

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Quoting: CheesenessThe most relevant reason for distinguishing, of course (and this responds a little to Hamish's post), is native support, which the Weekly Sales have been established as not being a reliable source for. I'm definitely not denying that Humble is diminished and made "less special" by not sticking to its guns on the cross-platform, DRM free and "no middlemen" angles, but I do think that if they want to explore that stuff, relegating it to a separate, lesser product is certainly more favourable than polluting their core offerings.

Oh, it is certainly better than pulling another straight THQ one. But it all does seems a lot like what the Molson Canadian brand has become - about thirteen years ago they had this big patriotic advertisement push, the most famous being the whole "I am Canadian!" spiel they came up with which was widely parodied. Then they got bought out by Coors, and no longer were Canadian. And yet they still play the same card, trying to pump up national pride while the money earned heads south of the border, even though a large part of their previous advertisements was playing on (admittedly gentle) anti-American sentiment. The beer is still there, and objectively the same, but the spirit behind it is soiled, and their advertisements feel like feeble protestations.

Draw whatever parallels you like between that and Humble Bundle, but I can not help but feel the DRM free side of the main bundles now feel like weak protestations. I still appreciate them being there, appreciate their products, but I am under no illusion I am buying into something greater. And considering that is the message that was originally sold, it can only feel like a betrayal. At least there is still the charity aspect...

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not really though, it's only the overlay and stuff. game's still do not have the integration (that is achivments), so it's still a while off.

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QuoteIt won't get cheaper than $40 before next year since the retail release isn't until December so keep that in mind guys.

I can wait. I waited 10 years for Fallout 3, I have been waiting for 14 years for the next Planescape (pledged), 25 years of waiting for Wasteland 2...I could go on! :D

I could also add that I waited for years for Linux to become a ghaming platform, and this is happening right now.

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Well the just pushed out a new patch enabling building on the moon :D, it also has a new version of the UI code in which for me grabs the mouse properly but it's not working for everyone yet but it's progress, the Linux version is really shaping up :D.

It won't get cheaper than $40 before next year since the retail release isn't until December so keep that in mind guys.

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Good to know it's going to be cheaper in the future, I just hope that future is sooner rather than later :P. Just constantly spamming units and having a real all-out war is crazy fun. Thanks for the article Liam.

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the game is excellent; it runs great on wine, but I'm excited for it to get native.

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Quoting: s_dRegarding differentiating Telltale, I quite disagree.  The 11 bit studios sale feels a lot like the old one-studio bundles (which I don't think we'll be seeing ever again, as those will be converted to weekly sales, I suspect), but the Telltale sale feels like the THQ one (which was not a weekly sale).  Hence, I feel the distinction is somewhat arbitrary and unhelpful.

Actually, the THQ stuff returned as the first weekly sale. The original intention from Humble (at least when I talked to people prior to the Humble THQ Bundle going live) was that it would be presented as a different product off the main humblebundle.com page (much like the Weekly Sale and Amnesia Fortnight promotions). I view the THQ bundle as the exception (the mistake I referred to in my last post) rather than the benchmark to compare others against.

If anything, overlooking the differences between Humble's spectrum of products seems to me to be unhelpful.

It helps Humble manage people's expectations. Remember all the flack they copped between the Humble Indie Bundle #4 and The Humble Indie Bundle V when people were saying that Humble's quality had dropped and were getting cranky enough to say they wouldn't buy future bundles (it's sad how often that gets thrown around these days)? If the differentiation between the Indie bundles, Android bundles and debut bundles were better highlighted, that would have helped people make more informed buying decisions (the same also applies for all the people who missed the first Android bundle because they thought it was Android only and all the people who purchased the Mobile bundle expecting it to support desktop platforms).

The most relevant reason for distinguishing, of course (and this responds a little to Hamish's post), is native support, which the Weekly Sales have been established as not being a reliable source for. I'm definitely not denying that Humble is diminished and made "less special" by not sticking to its guns on the cross-platform, DRM free and "no middlemen" angles, but I do think that if they want to explore that stuff, relegating it to a separate, lesser product is certainly more favourable than polluting their core offerings.

Quoting: s_dHumble have always offered bundles/deals of varying sizes and apparent "value", so I don't really see why the branding should somehow cause their offerings to be considered a vastly different thing.

Humble were expecting customers to see them as being separate products/brands under the Humble umbrella, but people were still mislabeling the Humble Indie Bundle #3 as HIB4. It wasn't until the real Humble Indie Bundle #4 that people started to catch on that were more than one type of offering. Though Humble failed to communicate it, those varying styles of bundles were internally seen as discreet, differently structured products (I've touch more on Humble's branding troubles in my articles and the interview I did with RYG last year).

Quoting: s_dThe averages are certainly lower, but they run for half the duration of the other offerings, but I'm fairly certain that most of the bundle revenue comes in the first week anyway (hence the goodies added to the beat-the-average bonus halfway through).

I track hourly data on weekly sales to help make it easier to look at this sort of stuff. Sadly I missed the first two days of the Telltale sale due to markup changes at Humble's end (and a lack of free time on mine :( )


Edit: Woah, wall of text. Sorry guys :D

s_d: Would love to discuss what defines an adventure game and how the broad range of potential mechanics/presentations/styles all fit together/relate to each other, but I think I've derailed this thread enough >_<

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QuoteYes, distributing personally is great and all, but I'd much prefer Desura keys (and a standalone installer on Desura to download).

I wish Desura had more traction, they are such a great site. AND I believe totally that they can live alongside steam. Maybe steam can buy them, although I suppose the whole greenlight project is just that. It is however difficult for developers to get any sales if tyhey are not greenlit.

Anyhow, pledged for this. Looking forward to this game as I sometimes enjoy just going around virtual worlds just to see the lore. I bought proteus just for that, a quiet world without too much violence, but after an hour of playing with it felt quite bored. Frontier certainly takes a lot of influence from Morrowind, possiblty Gothic as well. Looking forward to playing this from my Linux machine.

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I'm really liking this trend of devs simply doing something nice for us because they like us.  I'll definitely be supporting the Northways in the future (and I hope they transition from the Adobe suite, over to Unity3D or HaxeNME).

Incredipede is fun, and I think I'll be able to play it with my kid :)

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Quoting: CheesenessOh, you are right! I can't believe I forgot about Samorost 2, Machinarium, Botanicula and Sword & Sworcery (I think they're all unarguably point-and-click adventure games).

I'd probably place TRAUMA in whatever box Myst lives in, which gameplay-wise is fairly different from the first few mentioned.

The Telltale stuff hasn't been in a Humble Bundle though (only a Humble Weekly Sale to date), which I think is important to differentiate - Too many people have trouble telling Humble's different brands apart.

Yes, my definition contains all of those titles, and I include TRAUMA as well, with caveats.  It was an interesting, and thought-provoking, experience.  The navigation mechanic was a bit obtuse (to me) in that your last polaroid per area inevitably ended in pixel-hunt territory, but I certainly see what you mean.  Both it, and Myst, are puzzle-heavy, inventory-less, first-person adventures, with ambient/emergent story structures.  One could place The Seventh Guest (and it's ilk) in that box as well, and still, they are basically point-and-click.  For me, The Room falls over into puzzle game territory (although it purports a story as well;  I have yet to finish it, so I can't vouch for the story aspect).

Regarding differentiating Telltale, I quite disagree.  The 11 bit studios sale feels a lot like the old one-studio bundles (which I don't think we'll be seeing ever again, as those will be converted to weekly sales, I suspect), but the Telltale sale feels like the THQ one (which was not a weekly sale).  Hence, I feel the distinction is somewhat arbitrary and unhelpful.  Humble have always offered bundles/deals of varying sizes and apparent "value", so I don't really see why the branding should somehow cause their offerings to be considered a vastly different thing.  The averages are certainly lower, but they run for half the duration of the other offerings, but I'm fairly certain that most of the bundle revenue comes in the first week anyway (hence the goodies added to the beat-the-average bonus halfway through).

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Yes, distributing personally is great and all, but I'd much prefer Desura keys (and a standalone installer on Desura to download).

It appears that the Humble Store is aggressively seeking out cross-platform Kickstarter successes (such as Whispering Willows, Dog Sled Saga, and dozens of others) and offering up a Humble widget on their sites, PLUS offering to help them gather pre-orders... at only a 5% take.  That's hard for indies to say no to, and is a very, very good deal, indeed.  I still prefer Desura because I use the updater client for convenience, and back up the standalone installers to protect my investment.

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My Question: "Gog does not support linux games. Steam does not support drm-free games. Will there be an option to get drm-free version for linux?"

Lars Simkins's answer: Hello - yes, if it comes down to it I will supply a drm free Linux version
personally. A Drm free option is important to me.

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As to people complaining about the performance of Unity games, I have only played Rochard as of yet, but it ran just fine on my older card with free software drivers. So bad performance certainly does not seem to be some kind of rule with it.

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Thanks for using My Gameplay :)

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Hey if you've got the cash, go for it! :P. Had my eye on it for awhile, but I'll hang around until it's on sale for $19.95

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Supreme Commander i loved because of the scale of it, but yes it was quite tricky, you had a lot to learn especially with the upgrade system as well, thankfully PA is a bit simpler!

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