Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux • Hacker News Board

Re: Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

#101

Post by EliRivers » Fri, Jan 25, 2013, 10:08 AM UTC

nitrogen wrote: post #95

Chattered wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whenever I used to replay the original Half-Life (I think I've completed it 5 or 6 times), I would get as far as Lambda Complex, pretend that was where the game finished, and promptly stop playing. I think plenty of us hated the Xen levels, and the BM:S team knows how challenging it will be to modernise. I'm looking forward to see what they do!

I personally enjoyed the Xen levels (except the fact that Nihilanth brought my PC to a near standstill when the game came out), but to each their own. I'd be interested to hear your complaints about Xen.

A common complaint involved the tiny little orbiting platforms that had to be jumped between. It turned an excellent FPS into a frustrating 3D platformer and interrupted the rhythm of the game.

Re: Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

#102

Post by polymatter » Fri, Jan 25, 2013, 10:15 AM UTC

wtallis wrote: post #78

shmerl wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know that it's not as draconian as others, but I don't like it nevertheless and prefer to support distributors with clear DRM free stance.

What don't you like about Steam's DRM system? Does it in any way inconvenience you or restrict you from doing something reasonable with your purchases? Or are you against it for the mere reason that it's been called DRM? Based on your comments, it sounds like you might be trying to make a principled stand without being fully informed, or else there's some nuance to your principles that isn't yet clear to me.

Offline mode has made me realise just how easily DRM means denying me access to my own computer.

- need to be single-user admin with saved password - didn't know that before? tough! you're locked out from all games including DRM-free ones - happened again and still can't get offline mode? tough! - support limits how big a message you can send so I couldn't send complete info (not that they looked) - support promotes racial hatred, closing issue with poor English and telling me I didn't do what I did. - follow up support also closed. - considered small claims court but was convinced it really wasn't worth it.

lesson learned: There is no such thing as "friendly" DRM. When the system decides you are wrong, there is no recourse[1]

[1] Unless you're a famous blogger, have a personal contact or other out-of-band means unavailable to the masses.

Re: Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

#103

Post by elrzn » Fri, Jan 25, 2013, 10:24 AM UTC

archagon wrote: post #87

alexanderh wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Both of you seem to have misspoke, you meant to say http://www.moddb.com/mods/action-half-life

You meant to type http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-specialists , right?

Ahhh... those were the days...

Re: Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

#104

Post by cyxxon » Fri, Jan 25, 2013, 11:41 AM UTC

jcastro wrote: post #57

jsnell wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There was a fair amount of AAA gaming support around that timeframe (say 1996-2000). Almost a golden age. Games based on the Quake engine were the most obvious example. Besides them, Loki ported maybe 20 games over to Linux. The ones I still have CDs around for somewhere are Railroad Tycoon 2, Heroes of Might and Magic 3 and Myth 2.

I would rebuy these games again if they came to Steam, I have the original id special Edition Quake3 metal box but I lost the CDs long ago. :-/

They are on Steam... http://store.steampowered.com/search/?snr=1_4_4__12&term...

Re: Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

#105

Post by rednukleus » Fri, Jan 25, 2013, 11:43 AM UTC

scott_w wrote: post #96

rednukleus wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Valve's problem with Windows is that they perceive them to be going after a more closed system. Snubbing Windows for the far more closed OSX would be ridiculous, so that's never going to happen. The Linux market for games is absolutely tiny compared with Windows, so there's no way they are going to release a major title on Linux first either.

Valve's problem with Windows 8 is the Live Store, and Metro interface. Specifically the fact that the Live Store is the only way Microsoft will allow applications to be distributed to Metro interface, with the revenue cut that Microsoft want.

And I agree with them on that point. Closed app stores with no ability to sideload are, to put it plainly, evil.

Re: Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

#106

Post by aw3c2 » Fri, Jan 25, 2013, 11:59 AM UTC

Camillo wrote: post #15

Nowadays, you might want to play Black Mesa instead: http://www.blackmesasource.com It's officially just for Windows, but it runs fine in Wine.

At least gameplay-wise Black Mesa is very different from Half-Life. To me it is different in a bad, dumb, modern way. Please do not suggest that it is the same or even superior to the original game.

Re: Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

#107

Post by makomk » Fri, Jan 25, 2013, 12:01 PM UTC

cyxxon wrote: post #104

jcastro wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would rebuy these games again if they came to Steam, I have the original id special Edition Quake3 metal box but I lost the CDs long ago. :-/

They are on Steam... http://store.steampowered.com/search/?snr=1_4_4__12&term...

Currently, only the Windows version is on Steam.

Re: Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

#108

Post by veeti » Fri, Jan 25, 2013, 12:10 PM UTC

jsmeaton wrote: post #17

Breakthrough wrote: post #2

This is so amazing, but I'm really hoping that they release a way for mod developers to recompile their mods to work... Do they have the multiplayer aspects working? Obligatory plug for my favourite HL1 mod: http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns/ Edit: Yep, sure enough HL1 shows up in the Steam Linux CDR ( http://cdr.xpaw.ru/linux/ ), and interestingly enough, so does Counter-Strike - albeit with the message "Not Marked fo…

Natural Selection was probably the funnest mod (with CS being my favourite). I've been trying to find reviews on NS2 from those that actually played the original - any chance you've given NS2 a go?

NS2 is a great game but it seems to require a supercomputer to run. My Q6600 and GTX560Ti can run most new games smoothly at decent settings, but not this one. I can barely reach 30 fps at some points.

Re: Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

#109

Post by ysangkok » Fri, Jan 25, 2013, 12:38 PM UTC

A couple of problems/solutions for problems I encountered using Ubuntu 12.04:

* It will crash right after start using NVIDIA drivers 310.19. Upgrade to the latest, I used 310.32.

* It does not work with plain ALSA, I only get sound after starting PulseAudio.

Re: Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

#110

Post by Zr40 » Fri, Jan 25, 2013, 12:41 PM UTC

rednukleus wrote: post #91

DeepDuh wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well given (a) Valve's distaste for Microsoft's strategy and (b) their anyways insane profitability per employee I could see them at least releasing a title a few weeks earlier on linux and OSX than on Windows.

Valve's problem with Windows is that they perceive them to be going after a more closed system. Snubbing Windows for the far more closed OSX would be ridiculous, so that's never going to happen. The Linux market for games is absolutely tiny compared with Windows, so there's no way they are going to release a major title on Linux first either.

As a user of both Windows 8 and Mountain Lion, I fail to see how either can be perceived as being a closed system (other than being closed source).

In Windows: "Metro" apps didn't exist before Windows 8, and normal apps don't have any origin restrictions.

In OSX: Gatekeeper is easily bypassed by the user for specific apps or even turned off entirely.