Little Space Duo : the near future of Linux Gaming ?

[duglambier]

Hi there !

I don't know if you noticed the release of the game "Little Space Duo" for Linux :
http://www.jugilus.com/index.html
This is a non-free game, once released only for Windows, and today available also for Mac and Linux.
This is a quite polished puzzle-arcade game, with polished graphics and a sound that remember the good old C64 musics (with today audio effects).

Unlike some budget games that don't have a plot and colorful graphics, Little Space Duo can be considered as a finished game (I don't talk about free games that are, mostly, unfinished and boring)

I bought it for $10 and finished it yesterday. I wonder if this can be the near future of the linux gaming, as :
- Big companies such as EA or Activision don't look at Linux as the marketshare is too tiny (it is not interesting to port a game for less than 10,000 copies sold)
- ID Software seems to abandon Linux support
- RuneSoft don't port Linux games anymore
- LGP only releases 3 games / year, most of them 4 times more expensive than the Windows version (unlike LSD, same pricing policy for each platform)
- Boxed copies imply postal fees, unlike a downloadable game

As the Linux gaming community grows slowly but steadily, such games can fill the gap for a undetermined period (2 to 5 years) before Linux gains acceptance in the gaming industry.

Moreover, some budget games like Osmos or Heileen are announced for Linux.

Supporting such companies will may be help to support Linux as a gaming platform alternative.

Another budget-game company reported that the Linux version sold very well (more than the Windows version) :
http://www.koonsolo.com/news/?p=33

I don't like Mystic Mine (http://www.koonsolo.com/mysticmine/) as it is, for me, too expensive and doesn't have the features needed for a $20 game (it should be priced at $5, IMO).
But the Linux support was internationaly promoted to several computer news website and blogs, and then gave a better image of Linux as an alternative gaming platform.

What is your opinion ?

[ELD]

"Indie" developers have been producing games for Linux for a long time now and have always kept us going, and as time has gone on i have seen more and more flock to Linux realising that they can make some good money out of us.

As for the "big companys" i would never expect them to support linux not at least until we gained say a 40% market share (give it another 20 years). So they would make a decent enough amount of money for a large company. Different to "indie" developers as a small income is better than nothing of course.

As for LGP the price has been talked to death, the point is that it is a new game to the platform, they need to make money and they actually support it, so what if it is old to Windows, we are NOT Windows. Try picking up Knights and Merchants with support on Windows if you find a bug, point made.

I own Osmos because it is a good game and yes they plan on supporting Linux but i won't hold my breathe on that one, but i am hopeful at the same time as it is such a nice game to play.

As for Mystic Mine, for you yes maybe it is too expensive, but as they reported a lot of people purchased it, who cares about "features" which i am guessing you actually mean graphics like most others do, if it provides you fun then it is worth it. If they sell all their hard work for $5 then i hardly think they would make much at all from it.

[myromance123]

One thing I know for sure is that if gamer makers for the linux platform dont aim high enough we won't get anywhere but if they aim too low we won't get anywhere either!

Puzzle games are good and all but seriously the Term Gamer nowadays doesn't refer to Puzzler gamers anymore so thats a place to start but not focus on.
Aiming too high would be heading straight for an MMORPG or a game like L4D or Halo and trying to make that your first project.

Start small but not too small. If I saw a rise in Games like Assault Cube, Urban Terror and games with that sort of 3D capabilities start to increase in Linux platform (and I don't mean ported versions of the game but made for linux) I think we would have a serious solid chance.

Make use of the OpenSource community! Make a game with really good capabilites but not much content and leave the content making to the community! If everyone tries to handle a game on their own they most likely wont make it.

The games you mentioned are nice but they wont take Linux to the places of Gamers.
In my opinion, more games like Assault Cube, Urban Terror and S.C.O.U.R.G.E would be a sign of people realising Linux as a viable platform. I'm not refering to the genre of those games I mentioned or how they are free but how they are 3D, incorporate good physics and have many players.
Shadowgrounds is something like a sign but its only one of the first and wasnt built for Linux in the first place so yeah.