Starcraft II for Linux

[guitarmaniac]

As some of you have probably heard, Blizzard games has announced that its next game is going to be Starcraft II.
We have started a petition to port it to Linux here.

http://www.petitiononline.com/ibpfl/petition.html

I know that the chances of Blizzard actually listening to us are doubtful, but its worth a shot.
Please sign the petition.

Also digg this story to help spread the word

http://digg.com/pc_games/Help_get_native_Linux_support_for_Starcraft_2

Thanks
guitarmaniac.

[Polygon]

Its gonna run on mac so it will play nice with wine when it does come out

but linux support would be cool as well

[pmj]

Its gonna run on mac so it will play nice with wine when it does come out
What makes you think that?

Also, I don't think a Linux version is very likely to happen, but I guess it can't hurt to ask.

[bashologist]

Digged and signed. GL.

[mrgnash]

Is there a petition for it not to be released on any platform? I'd sign that.

[bashologist]

Is there a petition for it not to be released on any platform? I'd sign that.

Why would you want that? Did you play Starcraft and not like it or something? Are you a fan of any Blizzard games?

[Lodi]

Signed. Doubt it will do any good, but one can hope.

[guitarmaniac]

What makes you think that?

Also, I don't think a Linux version is very likely to happen, but I guess it can't hurt to ask.

If its going to run on Mac, then that means its going to use OpenGL (I'm fairly sure anyway.) OpenGL being what Linux uses (and the fact that previous Blizzard games eg. WoW work well under wine) means that the odds of it working well under WINE are fairly good.

If Linux is ever going to get major games to run natively on it, we are going to have to work hard to get it.
We are already making strides towards mainstream acceptance, Dell is just about to roll out a line of Ubuntu PCs, Edubuntu is being used increasingly among schools, and Linux is being used among more and more goverment sectors.

The future of Linux is looking bright, but he will have to work to keep it that way.

[pmj]

If its going to run on Mac, then that means its going to use OpenGL (I'm fairly sure anyway.) OpenGL being what Linux uses (and the fact that previous Blizzard games eg. WoW work well under wine) means that the odds of it working well under WINE are fairly good.

If Linux is ever going to get major games to run natively on it, we are going to have to work hard to get it.
We are already making strides towards mainstream acceptance, Dell is just about to roll out a line of Ubuntu PCs, Edubuntu is being used increasingly among schools, and Linux is being used among more and more goverment sectors.

The future of Linux is looking bright, but he will have to work to keep it that way.

While I don't agree that WoW runs well through wine at all, I guess it runs better than most other games and that you do have a point. However, since you mentioned both wine and bright future for gaming in the same post, I just have to argue with you a bit. :)

The people in this thread provides an excellent argument why to NOT port to Linux: you're prepared to buy the game anyway. The (by comparison) tiny number of potential customers that run Linux would buy the Windows version of the game, provided it would run reasonably well through wine. Where's the incentive to port when you get your money anyway, and it would be cheaper not to?

I think we need many more Linux users that are not prepared to use wine for the future of gaming on Linux to start looking bright. Because right now, not much is happening.

[guitarmaniac]

While I don't agree that WoW runs well through wine at all, I guess it runs better than most other games and that you do have a point. However, since you mentioned both wine and bright future for gaming in the same post, I just have to argue with you a bit. :)

The people in this thread provides an excellent argument why to NOT port to Linux: you're prepared to buy the game anyway. The (by comparison) tiny number of potential customers that run Linux would buy the Windows version of the game, provided it would run reasonably well through wine. Where's the incentive to port when you get your money anyway, and it would be cheaper not to?

I think we need many more Linux users that are not prepared to use wine for the future of gaming on Linux to start looking bright. Because right now, not much is happening.

I totally agree with you there, by "the the future of linux is bright" I meant that we seem to be inching towards mainstream acceptance.

I don't like the idea of buying SC2 (or any other game for that matter) and then using it with wine.

I want it to run natively and thats what the petition is for.

[mrgnash]

Why would you want that? Did you play Starcraft and not like it or something? Are you a fan of any Blizzard games?

Starcraft was kinda novel when it first came out, but only because I hadn't played very much Warcraft before then. It soon became apparent to me while playing it however, was that, like all RTSes before and after, the gameplay revolved around harvesting a bunch of resources, amassing units and then rushing the enemy's base. Given that there is very little variation to this formula in Starcraft, my overall experience with it was marked by boredom and repetition, which brings me to....

World of Warcraft; this game is like a pox. I will never forgive Blizzard for inflicting this laboratory-brewed pathological nightmare upon the world. Now, rather than craft unique and innovative, or even just 'fun' games, most every developer is looking at how they can launch 'the next WoW.' This genre, the MMORPG, which they have so effectively incubated to plague proportions, is so completely devoid of anything resembling fun that rich players in Western countries are prepared to shell out big bucks to 'gold farmers' in China, Korea, and elsewhere to play it for them. It's all about enhancing online prestige, and if that's not something you're stupid enough to fall for, then you're outta luck because it's what everyone's doing now.

So yeah, the only good announcement from Blizzard would be a declaration of bankruptcy as far as I'm concerned.

[Zuuswa]

I signed the petition, and I cant wait until it is released. I will probably buy it no matter what platform it is for.

[misfitpierce]

Petition signed and dugg! :)

[Tundro Walker]

I've read several threads like this, and I'm going to interject as Devil's Advocate (well, somewhat of one)....

Gaming in Linux is a chicken and egg problem...game developers won't do games for Linux, because there's no proven stats showing Linux has a huge gaming market. And, it doesn't, because they won't do games for it. If they did games for it, I'm Linux would pick up immensely...as more younger folks would get into Linux, and that would create a whole generation raised on Linux, which can be a marketable skill. IE: I don't see "can use Xbox" showing up on any resumes these days...(LO!)

So, the way I view this problem is, you either sign a whole lot of petitions, which puts your "fate" into the game developers hands, and they're heavily against it since they're looking at cost/benefit, and a signed petition doesn't exactly translate into verifiable sales.

Or, you can focus on the other bottle-neck...a better Windows adapter for Linux. IE: toss some more donation money at WINE, or use Cedega.

I agree, it would be nice to have a direct port of a game for Linux. But, it seems you have less control over that then on a Windows Adapter for Linux.

</Devil's Advocate>

[Canuckelhead]

SIGNED! Damn right I signed

[prizrak]

I signed it but I'm sure we are not getting a Linux version. I went to the SC2 site to look at some videos and you can't even get that unless you are on Windows or Mac because instead of an actual video you get some kind of a video downloader crap.

[zugu]

I signed it but I'm sure we are not getting a Linux version. I went to the SC2 site to look at some videos and you can't even get that unless you are on Windows or Mac because instead of an actual video you get some kind of a video downloader crap.

That "crap" is actually a standalone torrent client that also has the ability to download the requested video by direct HTTP connection for people with problems with the bittorrent protocol. The client is also intended to prevent the hammering of Blizzard's servers, by offering the distributed download method by default.

So why is it "crap", apart from the fact that it doesn't run on you installation of Linux?

On-topic: given the fact that Blizzard is notorious for completely ignoring the Linux world, I am pretty sure there won't be a Linux version of SC2. Also, I find online petitions completely useless (if only the implemented digital signing).

[prizrak]

That "crap" is actually a standalone torrent client that also has the ability to download the requested video by direct HTTP connection for people with problems with the bittorrent protocol. The client is also intended to prevent the hammering of Blizzard's servers, by offering the distributed download method by default.

So why is it "crap", apart from the fact that it doesn't run on you installation of Linux?

On-topic: given the fact that Blizzard is notorious for completely ignoring the Linux world, I am pretty sure there won't be a Linux version of SC2. Also, I find online petitions completely useless (if only the implemented digital signing).

It's crap because:
a) There is no obvious link to the actual .avi
b) I already happen to have bittorent client installed, so they could provide a link to the torrent itself [in addition]
c) They obviously don't care about supporting Linux if they have that client in Mac and Windows form but not Linux.
d) Even if I were a Windows user I wouldn't want to download yet another random .exe that does only one thing.

EDIT:
Went to the site again and I'm either dumb or blind but I don't see a link to any actual .avi's there (or torrents)

[deepwave]

So yeah, the only good announcement from Blizzard would be a declaration of bankruptcy as far as I'm concerned.

I used to love playing Starcraft. But ever since Blizzard went all cease-and-desist over Freecraft, I kinda boycotted Blizzard. So I too drink to Blizzard's bankruptcy and closure.

[zugu]

Considering the size of the videos, they had to be crazy to put a direct download link. It's Blizzard, and it's Starcraft 2. Add the popularity and you have a dead server farm. And BitTorrent is clearly the easiest way to distribute large files online. Many Windows users don't really know what BitTorrent protocol is, less how to use and configure a client, so they chose to distribute their own. What's easier? Downloading an .exe that actually downloads the video file, or learning about protocols and distributed file-sharing?

Of course they don't care about Linux, they never cared.

[v8YKxgHe]

Signed .... however I just sent that site an email! I selected PRIVATE for my email address, yet for some reason it is displayed to the public, _that_ is wrong and they should fix that immediately.

... But yeah, I sure do hope they make a native linux version - infact I would pay double for it! lol =D I love starcraft so much, I used to play it every day when I was younger! I was so excited when I heard about Starcraft2 the other day! :p

[Iceni]

I'll start using windows again when sc2 comes out. I used to be hopelessly addicted to the original sc, truly the best and only rts worth playing. I was (and still am) staff member on the biggest pro related sc site outside korea.

So yea, hoping it will run on linux. Signed and digged.

[compmodder26]

I'm not a fan of the games like SC or WOW, but I signed it just to further the cause for more linux gaming support.

[zorkerz]

Besides this petition (signed here also) what do you all think we can do to pressure blizzard to port it natively to linux? Does anyone even know what exactly that entails?

If it is coming out for mac it must be compatible with opengl. Besides opengl what else is needed for it to run natively in linux?

[Polygon]

they would just have to convert the engine code and the game executables and whatever else is coded specifically for windows and mac os x and code it for linux, but this should be really easy (compared to completely rewriting the engine for opengl) since its already written for open gl.

[prizrak]

Considering the size of the videos, they had to be crazy to put a direct download link. It's Blizzard, and it's Starcraft 2. Add the popularity and you have a dead server farm. And BitTorrent is clearly the easiest way to distribute large files online. Many Windows users don't really know what BitTorrent protocol is, less how to use and configure a client, so they chose to distribute their own. What's easier? Downloading an .exe that actually downloads the video file, or learning about protocols and distributed file-sharing?

Of course they don't care about Linux, they never cared.

I don't see a problem with having an actual BT link. It's a preview of a game that was popular back in the days of people having to know things about computers. BT is actually pretty ubiquotous in Windows world, just about any gamer I met (which was alot back in school) knew about it.

[zorkerz]

They could simply add a bt link and keep the other too. That way people can get it any way they want to. I suppose it is probably in blizzards best interest somehow to have everyone using their own downloading software however. In my mind the best thing for blizzard to do is for them to post an essay explaining their decisions about supporting linux, giving reasons and all that. I think many people would feel much better with that little bit of acknowledgment.

[Polygon]

tonight if you guys still want the videos, ill go unpack the Mac OS X downloader and then extract the torrent file from it and then upload it here.

[Clay_Banger]

most of the videos are on youtube, good if u just wanna watch them.

if u want the high res versions..

[jiminycricket]

Besides this petition (signed here also) what do you all think we can do to pressure blizzard to port it natively to linux? Does anyone even know what exactly that entails?

If it is coming out for mac it must be compatible with opengl. Besides opengl what else is needed for it to run natively in linux?

SDL and OpenAL are totally crossplatform. See Quake 3 and Neverwinter Nights.

[shareMenaPeace]

So yeah, the only good announcement from Blizzard would be a declaration of bankruptcy as far as I'm concerned.
I second that because the people who developed starcraft left blizzard and started a new company. Soon with games http://flagshipstudios.com

Blizzard has just become a big cow to generate money for vivendi universal.
Also i doubt they will be able to deelope any game with real success - ok in the case of starcraft they will have some success to some extend .- only from the name.
SAD it is.

[Polygon]

i wouldent count them out just yet. I mean they did create starcraft and world of warcraft, and those are quite possibly the most two popular video games in the world. They didnt make them popular just by luck.

And also people split off form blizzard and formed ArenaNet, and guild wars

[~LoKe]

Signed. Polygon, you should post this over at TL, GG and WGTour.

[Kymac]

IDK... You would think as popular a company as Blizzard would make the small effort of converting to Linux, considering that is a potentially untapped market. Also, it would probably add a lot of new fanboys (oh, and wouldn't be to bad with their public relations either).

[hikaricore]

This has already been mentioned on this thread and on the thread in gaming and leisure (i believe).
But why in the hell is my "private" email displayed? :P Along with everyone else?

Time to start a spam / flame list. ^_^ muhahahaha

[v8YKxgHe]

But why in the hell is my "private" email displayed? :P Along with everyone else?

Time to start a spam / flame list. ^_^ muhahahaha

I have no idea, I sent them an email about that because I was not happy at all!

[jariku]

When you sign the petition, it asks for your email twice and the "Email:" field is not a confirmation that you typed it correctly but the publicly visible email address. I didn't sign the petition because of this.

[blueturtl]

Seeing the vids for StarCraft II actually had me very excited for a moment. Unfortunately I think this petition is not very well worded:


We the undersigned would like to see native Linux installers for the products of Blizzard Inc. It is only fair that Blizzard's products designed for both Windows and Mac should be made compatible with Linux as well, especially due to the popularity of Blizzard's released products (StarCraft, WarCraft, WoW, etc.) and their upcoming releases (StarCraft 2).
The computer world is about choices now. Not everyone wants to be stuck with a Windows or a Mac. Some people use Linux, BSD, and other OS types.
It is also suggested that perhaps the installers be released with open-source code, to adjust the installers to other various systems (BSD, Solaris, other distributions of Linux)
The installer should be in a .run file, and require the user to have already bought the product (hence a CD detection)
Blizzard's games are hailed as some of the most influential games around, and it is about time that companies start adopting the business practices of id Software.

Sincerely,
The Undersigned

There is so much arrogance and idealism in this that I think Blizzard will just wave it. We make demands and we claim that the computer world is about choices. Then we say they should do things the way id does. This doesn't bode very well. It is completely up to Blizzard what platforms they want to support. This petition while a good idea has poor execution. I think dangling money in front of them (Blizzard) would do a much better job at getting their attention; for example the petition could read "The undersigned are going to purchase StarCraft II for Linux and for no other platform". That would immediately translate into numbers. If a huge amount of Linux users sign it Blizzard can count the amount of money they're losing by not releasing a Linux version. We could also ask TransGamers (people who run Cedega) to release a number of people who run Blizzard products. Numbers and fans are the way to attract companies. The petition here reads almost like a threat, so I'm not signing it as it is probably doomed to fail anyway.

[Polygon]

Signed. Polygon, you should post this over at TL, GG and WGTour.

I might. I first posted it over at blizzards forums:

http://www.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?fn=suggestions&t=186836&s=new&#new

if you have a battle.net account, go support it!

[justin whitaker]

I second that because the people who developed starcraft left blizzard and started a new company. Soon with games http://flagshipstudios.com

Blizzard has just become a big cow to generate money for vivendi universal.
Also i doubt they will be able to deelope any game with real success - ok in the case of starcraft they will have some success to some extend .- only from the name.
SAD it is.

Wow. Just wow. That's uninformed on so many levels, it boggles the mind.

First of all, this is Blizzard. They have consistently produced titles that have been sales leaders, received GOTY nominations or awards, and spawned legions of fans. So based on that history, exactly how are they going to miss? Even reskinning the original Starcraft and adding some new missions would be enough to make South Korea happy.

Second, the fact that some developers have left for one reason or another does not mean that Blizzard suddenly becomes handicapped in producing quality titles based on the IP they own. Blizzard's quality control is miles ahead of most of the industry, particularly companies like EA, which never met code they couldn't ship.

Third, and most importantly: Vivendi Universal has left Blizzard alone to do what they want to do. From the things I have read, VU has taken a more direct approach with their other VU Games business units, but had the brains to leave Blizzard alone. So yes, VU is reaping the benefits, but I have yet to see where it has negatively impacted their customers.

[Brunellus]

It will be a cold day on Venus before Blizzard relases a native Linux version of *anything*.

[EdThaSlayer]

I really hopes this works. Thanks to the person that made this petition, may Linux gaming live on!(if only I could wish for this...).

[daynah]

...does talking too long about a new starcraft make anyone else's heartbeat race just a little bit faster?

I can't think straight. I just want starcraft. By Wine or by Windows, I'll have it.

[aroch1]

The day I get Starcraft II working under Ubuntu may probably be the best day of my very pathetic life

[KIAaze]

I know it's just a demo, but I hope they don't keep the big circles indicating the location of nuclear launches!

I mean personnally I hated the fact that I always had difficulties finding the red dots, but the stress was what made it so great. ^^
And ghosts are supposed to be stealthy.:twisted:

And I want real battlecruisers with machine guns on the side to kill small units!
Ok, maybe not... But it would be cool.

[asnesio]

Maybe the big circles can own be seen by the terran player who striked the attack. I hope the enemy can still see only the tiny little red spot :-D.

By the way, Petition signed. Spreading about it in other forums.

[KIAaze]

Yes, that's possible. And maybe they'll add the possibility to modify the impact point before the missile falls.
Err, no, that would be too evil! :P

[zarilion]

This is a little *bump*!

Please sing this petition ppls :) I think it is important that the linux community gets considered as well when it comes to game development.

[DX 00]

Signed the petition. Hope we can make at least a little dent.

[zarilion]

Yeah.. the more petitions that are made the more preassure and maybe some day they will notice us.

[Brunellus]

Yeah.. the more petitions that are made the more preassure and maybe some day they will notice us.
petitions that aren't officially sanctioned by the developer are about as useful as snowshoes in the Sahara. If you want to get attention, cause them to lose money.

Linux gamers are a drop in the bucket for Blizzard. They could care less.

[Virgilius]

Read and signed! I hope this'll convince them. I really, really hope it would. *prays*

[kamaboko]

Sign the petition if you must, but it will fall upon deaf ears at Blizzard. Linux is a fringe OS. It has less than 1% of desktop users in the world. Now if you had a software business and MS accounted for 87% of the world OS market, which vendor would you target? It's a no brainer. The following numbers were taken from 2004. I will also say that I'm sure SC2 cost much more than this study estimates.

---

Unfortunately for most developers, recoupment rarely happens. For example, assume a game cost $7,000,000 to develop (about average for a new console game) and a 20 percent royalty is to be paid to the developer. The retail price is $49 and the wholesale price is $32. The fees payable to the console manufacture, marketing and distribution average around $11. That leaves $20 to be split between the publisher and the developer. It would take a sale of 1.1 million units of the game to recoup and start paying royalties to the developer.

[zorkerz]

I would say a bigger problem is not straight up market share but what kind of people in the market you tend to have. Mac also has a very small market share (though growing) but blizzard always releases games at the same time or windows and mac. I think the difference is that mac owners tend to be willing to spend money. You can't get much done on a mac without paying for something. Where as a significant portion of the linux crowd is there exactly because they don't have to pay for anything. I would not call blizzard deaf. I bet they are very aware that there are people on linux who want to play blizzard games but they probubly also believe that it is not economically beneficial for them to spend the money to make a native linux version. Especially when wine, transgamming, and crossover will eventually make the games work for free.

[kamaboko]

I would say a bigger problem is not straight up market share but what kind of people in the market you tend to have. Mac also has a very small market share (though growing) but blizzard always releases games at the same time or windows and mac. I think the difference is that mac owners tend to be willing to spend money. You can't get much done on a mac without paying for something. Where as a significant portion of the linux crowd is there exactly because they don't have to pay for anything. I would not call blizzard deaf. I bet they are very aware that there are people on linux who want to play blizzard games but they probubly also believe that it is not economically beneficial for them to spend the money to make a native linux version. Especially when wine, transgamming, and crossover will eventually make the games work for free.

That's why game vendors lack the incentive to produce products for Linux users: They want everything for free. What is the overwhelming mantra of Linux users? "Free...Free...Free...We shouldn't have to pay for software". To hell with that if you're a software developer. Moreover, it's a lose/lose situation for developers like Blizzard to produce for Linux. For example, what flavor of Linux do they cator to? Look at this list. http://www.linux.org/. I ran a search for mainstream/general public, English versions of Linux and came up with 55! Can you imagine having to field calls to support them? No, it's a mess. It won't happen. At least with MS or Mac there's just a few OS's to contend with.

[jc87]

That's why game vendors lack the incentive to produce products for Linux users: They want everything for free. What is the overwhelming mantra of Linux users? "Free...Free...Free...We shouldn't have to pay for software". To hell with that if you're a software developer. Moreover, it's a lose/lose situation for developers like Blizzard to produce for Linux. For example, what flavor of Linux do they cator to? Look at this list. http://www.linux.org/. I ran a search for mainstream/general public, English versions of Linux and came up with 55! Can you imagine having to field calls to support them? No, it's a mess. It won't happen. At least with MS or Mac there's just a few OS's to contend with.

Sorry but saying we want everything free is BS, i know tons of windows users (pretty much everyone i know) has tons of cracked proprietary software and paid zero cents for it, they really want it just for free.

Besides we´re not asking for offical "linux suport", just an installer in the cd would be fine, no need to put the OS in the minimum requirements or something like that.

[Brunellus]

Sorry but saying we want everything free is BS, i know tons of windows users (pretty much everyone i know) has tons of cracked proprietary software and paid zero cents for it, they really want it just for free.

Besides we´re not asking for offical "linux suport", just an installer in the cd would be fine, no need to put the OS in the minimum requirements or something like that.
Their toolchain (as far as I know--I could very well be wrong) is all Microsoft DirectX. That's not Linux supported.

[KIAaze]

That's why game vendors lack the incentive to produce products for Linux users: They want everything for free. What is the overwhelming mantra of Linux users? "Free...Free...Free...We shouldn't have to pay for software". To hell with that if you're a software developer.

I completely agree with jc87: Most Windows users use cracked software and games. I did so too before I started discovering all the Free alternatives.

I don't want everything gratis. I payed for games I liked. And I am willing to pay 50 euros for a GNU/Linux Starcraft 2 version. (and if they publish it under the GPL, I'll even pay 100 euros!)

And I didn't switch to GNU/Linux because it's gratis. After all, I already had an official Windows version that came with my PC (won't be the case the next time I buy one :P (or otherwise I'll ask for a refund) ). And it worked pretty well.
I switched to GNU/Linux because it's fun, great for programming, powerful, does everything I need and I stayed with it because it's Free as in freedom.



Moreover, it's a lose/lose situation for developers like Blizzard to produce for Linux. For example, what flavor of Linux do they cator to? Look at this list. http://www.linux.org/. I ran a search for mainstream/general public, English versions of Linux and came up with 55! Can you imagine having to field calls to support them? No, it's a mess. It won't happen. At least with MS or Mac there's just a few OS's to contend with.

Most GNU/Linux distributions use the same filesystem, so it shouldn't be that hard.
There are already commercial GNU/Linux games like Ankh (http://www.ankh-game.com/) for example. Recently Penumbra (http://penumbra-overture.com/) was released and will even be an episodic game.

Those games are released by some rather unknown companies. So if they are able to make GNU/Linux ports, a big company like Blizzard can certainly do it.

[Extreme Coder]

Their toolchain (as far as I know--I could very well be wrong) is all Microsoft DirectX. That's not Linux supported.
Actually, since the game is for OS X as well(which only has OpenGL), their game supports OpenGL. IMO, it wouldn't take that much to port it from OS X to Linux.

[DeadSuperHero]

Here's a thought:
If they've ported their games to Mac...
then why not make a Mac emulator for Linux? They both run on Unix-like systems. That'd actually work WAY better than Wine, and you'd get all the joys of the Blizzard games.

[Kamn]

Signed. Even though I thik it's improbable that Blizzard will make a Linux ver. It's still good for the Linux gaming community to come together for something like this.

[KIAaze]

Here's a thought:
If they've ported their games to Mac...
then why not make a Mac emulator for Linux? They both run on Unix-like systems. That'd actually work WAY better than Wine, and you'd get all the joys of the Blizzard games.

That's a good idea. :)

I googled a bit and found this: http://mac-on-linux.sourceforge.net/news.php
and this: http://pearpc.sourceforge.net/screenshots.html

I don't know if they will make it possible to run the Mac version under GNU/Linux correctly, but it would be nice. :)
(Mac OS should of course not be required)

[Polygon]

games for linux do not have to cater for a specific operating system. I have installed games like americas army, ut2004, doom 3 on linux, and i think they all use the open source Loki installer and it installs the game, and if you have the correct dependencies (basically like opengl installed, sound card, any recent kernel version) then the game runs. The only reason to support specific distros is to maybe have like package installers, like debs or RPM's. but if they just have a generic installer then it will work on any linux machine

[Enverex]

Here's a thought:
If they've ported their games to Mac...
then why not make a Mac emulator for Linux? They both run on Unix-like systems. That'd actually work WAY better than Wine, and you'd get all the joys of the Blizzard games.

It would be nice but I guess it's because of a lack of Mac software compared to what you would get if you had a Windows emulator/compatibility layer instead. I bet Apple would start changing things enough to try and break the layer and find excuses for legal action aswell (they are much worse than MS FYI).

[mokmoki]

signed the petition... :D

[Enverex]

That's a good idea. :)

I googled a bit and found this: http://mac-on-linux.sourceforge.net/news.php
and this: http://pearpc.sourceforge.net/screenshots.html

I don't know if they will make it possible to run the Mac version under GNU/Linux correctly, but it would be nice. :)
(Mac OS should of course not be required)

Mac On Linux is only for PPC based machines and PearPC is for old Mac stuff and is slow.

[terrax]

Signed :-)

It would be nice though, if it came out for linux. I am seeing a growing linux gaming developing since the last couple of years.

[original_jamingrit]

Signed.

Although, the message of the petition may be lost. Many of the comments seem to be along the lines of "I'm looking forward to Starcraft II, it might be nice to have it on gnu/linux"!

[Unix_Wizard]

I only just found this today which either means the word hasn't spread (enough) or there's not enough enthusiasm from the community! Signed yes of course. If Macs get to play it natively why shouldn't Linux? That said I've ran most Blizzard games with ease under wine. The only problem is they might decide to remove opengl from the windows version so you can only use cedega (which can hardly be considered appropriate).

[Mr. T]

Starcraft won't be getting a Linux port, I'm almost 100% certain of this (going with Blizzard's history).

On the other hand, the more popular the game, the greater the support in things like WINE and Cedega. The developers of these tools will gravitate towards ensuring the Windows version of SCII will work in Linux, so I wouldn't worry about being able to play it in Linux. It will happen, it's just that it won't be native.

[blueturtl]

Oh darnit. I had to sign. I couldn't help it, the little boy within me wishes. :)

I think the wording has improved a bit also. It no longer reads like a threat.

Truth be told, Blizzard's RTS games have recently been pretty much the only ones worth playing. The C&C series hasn't been a real challenger since the original. I own the StarCraft, WarCraft III and now I want to own StarCraft II, but I know I won't be buying the game if it won't run on Linux.

[Skorzen]

Signed.


12812 Signatures Total

[newbie2]

kinda deja vue...:roll:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=462409&postcount=63

f**k blizzard :evil:

[bluglue]

I support your campaign, although I don't see it happening. Blizzard release few games and always port to Apple which being based on BSD is not far from Linux, surely? Also I would like to add that in Korea Starcraft is akin to a National sport with TV tournaments and Korea is exactly the sort of country that I imagine would love to be MS Windows non-dependent! Also I don't see how come no major game company has seen that the Linux user market has huge potential, maybe not in profit terms but in loyalty terms. Sure us Linux people don't like to pay for software but we wouldn't have a choice if we wanted to play on the game developers server's also due to the lack of games we would probably be playing the same game for years and not end our use of the company's servers which in the case of WOW e.t.c are NOT free. And again due to the lack of games a Linux user may subscribe 4 times longer! Also now that Dell are are shipping ubuntu machines a shrew software house must realise that with a decent title they might get a crack at offering their title as a part of a bundle and something that the people selling at the point of sale have something to demonstrate the graphics capability of the unit . This may buy favour with Dell who could posibbley offer more favourable deal on bundling the same title with their Windows units, this could be used to counteract any loses that the developer may incur when trying to break into the Linux market , This would mean that Dell would be paying for the Developer to expand their user and fan base. Which would earn them a lot of respect as the move to ship Ubuntu already has.

[KIAaze]

John Carmack about Rage: (http://www.linuxgames.com/)

There is certainly no plans for a commercially supported linux version of Rage, but there will very likely be a linux executable made available. It isn't running at the moment, but we have had it compiled in the past. Running on additional platforms usually provides some code quality advantages, and it really only takes one interested programmer to make it happen.

If Blizzard's code is so that they can port to Mac, maybe this is also true for them.
This certainly changes the profit/cost ratio of porting to GNU/Linux...

[hoctro]

Yeah, do it plz. I hate dual boot only for game

[bigb_thedestroyer]

Read this quote from the Starcraft 2 website. If Blizzard decides to go with DirectX 10 exclusively, I think we will be out of luck for getting it to work ever for Linux.


Will StarCraft II take advantage of DirectX 10? What other graphical goodies are included?
The game will be compatible with DirectX 10, and we're still considering whether there will be exclusive DirectX 10 graphic effects, but the graphics engine will also be very scalable to ensure that a wide range of different systems will be capable of running StarCraft II. The new engine is also capable of rendering very large units, as well as large numbers of units on screen together. Havok physics have been integrated into the engine for added realism as well.

[vexorian]

You are misinterpreting the quote.

Blizzard is considering whether they would actually use "directX only effects" but if they use them the engine will still have to work without it, since they are making an openGL version (aka Mac)

If I had to bet I would say sc2 will be very friendly with WINE even if blizzard doesn't acutally intend so (All blizz games tend to be friendly with WINE mostly because they have to be ported to mac)

What worries me is whether the editor will be friendly with WINE. It looks to me blizzard is insisting on the monolythic tool approach for the editor that has raised all the problems we have with war3's world editor...

[KIAaze]

Read this quote from the Starcraft 2 website. If Blizzard decides to go with DirectX 10 exclusively, I think we will be out of luck for getting it to work ever for Linux.

Yes, you are badly misinterpreting the quote.

If Blizzard goes with DirectX 10 only, they'll loose all XP and Mac users... (and all previous Windows versions too of course, but that's probably as important to them as it is to Valve (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_%28content_delivery%29#Changes_to_minimum_sp ecifications).)
Given the current situation with Vista, only Microsoft sponsored companies will go DirectX 10 only I think.

[Akis]

First of all I signed the pension too.

but I feel there are two reasons this is not going to happen.
1) Linux ppl are generally regarded as "freebie-users", that wont pay a few euros to get vista
2) making a product available to linux makes it more vulnerable to reverse engineering, hacks etc.

Unlike to what many believe popularity isn't the problem... now roughly only 2% of the users use linux, but this could become 5% or more in the years to come (ex. Dell) and even mac usage.

see more on wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_desktop_operating_systems)

[Afoot]

First of all I signed the pension too.

but I feel there are two reasons this is not going to happen.
1) Linux ppl are generally regarded as "freebie-users", that wont pay a few euros to get vista
2) making a product available to linux makes it more vulnerable to reverse engineering, hacks etc.

Unlike to what many believe popularity isn't the problem... now roughly only 2% of the users use linux, but this could become 5% or more in the years to come (ex. Dell) and even mac usage.

see more on wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_desktop_operating_systems)
Hopefully the "freebie" problem will go away when Dell Ubuntu gets more marketshare.

[stomponthis]

I signed! Good post. Thanks for bringing this to everyones attention ! :-) I wish linux was an easier environment to game in. I'm not overall that annoyed by it, cause I waste so much time when I start getting into a game!! lol

[vexorian]

1) Linux ppl are generally regarded as "freebie-users", that wont pay a few euros to get vista
2) making a product available to linux makes it more vulnerable to reverse engineering, hacks etc.


I am not sure where are you getting this information from, I can sat that at least #2 is ridiculous.

[DeadSuperHero]

Haha, old memories. I remember when I started that petition. Maybe we should start telling Blizzard about it...

[Lostincyberspace]

it has been brought up in the blizzard forums.

[toupeiro]

Blizzard has a Microsoft Drip.. I gave up on that company ever crossing the lines officially.

When WOW was in beta, they actually had a native linux client and they abandoned it.

[KhaaL]

I just played the original last night and remembered how good it was... I'm really hoping for the sequel to be playable under linux!

[bwhite82]

On one hand, I can't wait for this game to be released, on the other hand, I'm dreading it, because I will cease to have a life for quite a while until I'm bored of it. There was a lifeless era in my past when the original came out and it lasted a couple of years. :(

[guitarmaniac]

Wow.
This must be one of the oldest surviving threads in this forum.
I started this tread in May last year.
Have some popcorn for the effort :popcorn:

[bwhite82]

Yeah, I did a search for 'starcraft2' and decided to post in this one instead of creating a new thread.

[k2t0f12d]

I play OC Broodwar nearly every day. Take my John Hancock!

:guitar:

[DeadSuperHero]

I think a good way to get good ports is actually to have a team natively code Linux versions, for free, voluntarily. There's several projects out there to recreate the original StarCraft and WarCraft games using Linux engines, if we showed a finished product to Blizzard, they could port in no time!

http://stargus.sourceforge.net/

http://wargus.sourceforge.net/

I figure if we want good ports, we're going to have to work our butts off on it first, then show it to Blizzard. After they start releasing the ported versions, I think we'll inevitably get official Linux ports of all sorts of games.

[frenchn00b]

I think a good way to get good ports is actually to have a team natively code Linux versions, for free, voluntarily. There's several projects out there to recreate the original StarCraft and WarCraft games using Linux engines, if we showed a finished product to Blizzard, they could port in no time!

http://stargus.sourceforge.net/

http://wargus.sourceforge.net/

I figure if we want good ports, we're going to have to work our butts off on it first, then show it to Blizzard. After they start releasing the ported versions, I think we'll inevitably get official Linux ports of all sorts of games.

Can we play starcraft 2 by now ?

the screenshots are cool !
http://starcraft2.com/screenshot.xml?s=60