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Portal Released For Steam On Linux

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Re: Portal Released For Steam On Linux

#41

Post by philsnow »

sharkweek wrote: post #35
fragsworth wrote: post #32

Steam is now the de-facto "app store" of the PC as far as games go, which was no small feat. It took them more than 10 years to get to this point and it's now in jeopardy. With Google and Apple already controlling the mobile app stores, various console manufacturers controlling their own ecosystems, and Microsoft attempting to abandon their "open" Windows (so they can run their own app store) - the industry is shifti…

Spit-balling a marketing strategy that could violently backfire here; but if anyone could pull it off, it might be Valve... Ok try not to laugh.... HL3 releases in the next few years.... only available on Linux for the first few months

Don't laugh, it could work -- they could make an argument that, at least at first, doing a "soft release" on Linux first gives them access to a huge group of relatively savvy beta testers.

It would just be icing on the cake that they don't have to pay 30% or whatever to anybody else for those early adopters.

Re: Portal Released For Steam On Linux

#42

Post by philsnow »

loser777 wrote: post #21
tomrod wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't follow?

I play games at 1600cpi with a specific mouse with no acceleration. Even with the supposed fixes that disable acceleration in GNU/Linux, I don't get the same cursor response with my mouse that I would in Windows. In addition, my mouse's cpi can only be set to 1600 in software. This is especially problematic as I tend to play games where mouse accuracy is very important.

Watch out guys, we're dealing with a--

okay, just color me surprised that anybody needs that much accuracy. I stopped playing shooter games in ~2004.

Re: Portal Released For Steam On Linux

#43

Post by fps »

hdra wrote: post #25
rinon wrote: post #10

Now if we can only get semi-stable, long-term graphics driver support for Linux to be able to play these games. I think there may be light at the end of that tunnel, since hardware vendors seem to be providing more support for Linux now.

when that day comes, I am sure many would switch to Linux, especially among the developers. In the past few years using Windows, I have stopped thinking about device drivers at all, I just expected them to work. I am looking forward to the day where this comes to desktop Linux.

I feel like your and my experiences are completely reversed. I've been using Linux as my primary desktop OS for 14 years, and in the past 8 years the idea of downloading drivers or hardware not working out of the box has become completely alien to me. The last driver I had to download for Linux was for a Lexmark printer in 2005. Everything since then has just worked. When I get in front of a windows machine, though, I'm always ripping through original packaging looking for network, graphics or peripheral drivers, even in Windows 7. I remember Windows XP SP2 didn't ship with drivers for the Intel Etherexpress line of network cards when it came out after 5 years of the eepro being one of the most popular network cards on the market. Insane. My normal trick became to boot the system onto a linux live cd or USB drive, download the drivers and then boot back to windows to install them.

Re: Portal Released For Steam On Linux

#44

Post by fps »

sendob wrote: post #20
tomrod wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't follow?

I think may be referring to products such as: http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-mice/razer-naga-epic "System Requirements PC or Mac with USB port Windows® 8/ Windows® 7 / Windows Vista® / Windows® XP (32-bit)/ Mac OS X (v10.6-10.8)" I enjoy the ability to fully utilize my right hand and minimize the amount of movement I do to and from the mouse, both for work and general computing. Depending upon what you want from you…

I have the Naga, and under linux you can program the buttons of it and any other mouse using imwheel. Then your macros are in a file on a disk, not on NVRAM on a mouse.

Re: Portal Released For Steam On Linux

#45

Post by spacelizard »

fragsworth wrote: post #32

Steam is now the de-facto "app store" of the PC as far as games go, which was no small feat. It took them more than 10 years to get to this point and it's now in jeopardy. With Google and Apple already controlling the mobile app stores, various console manufacturers controlling their own ecosystems, and Microsoft attempting to abandon their "open" Windows (so they can run their own app store) - the industry is shifti…

>The software industry is heading in very bad directions, and this is at least a glimmer of hope.

I don't buy this -- Steam is just another walled garden app store with the same conflicts of interest that we're used to seeing, such as giving top billing to their own products on their store, using DRM, promoting itself as an advertising space, etc.

The problem I have is: where are all the GPL'ed games? The Torque Engine was just released with a permissive free license, which is good, but it will probably take a really good engine being released as GPL to get people to really start embracing the development of games in a community-driven way, rather than being stuck in the ivory tower like most games are now. There really isn't any other meaningful way for us to oppose these abusive "app stores" rather than shunning them so that we can turn to more community-driven efforts.

Re: Portal Released For Steam On Linux

#46

Post by BHSPitMonkey »

stephengillie wrote: post #18
jaredmcateer wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well steam is already on android, just no games

Right now, they have an app with which you can view Steam profiles and text chat. I'm excited for the eventual Steam Apk Store and Steam Games for Android.

Don't forget the app's main purpose (buying games).

Re: Portal Released For Steam On Linux

#47

Post by Afforess »

Skoofoo wrote: post #36
fragsworth wrote: post #32

Steam is now the de-facto "app store" of the PC as far as games go, which was no small feat. It took them more than 10 years to get to this point and it's now in jeopardy. With Google and Apple already controlling the mobile app stores, various console manufacturers controlling their own ecosystems, and Microsoft attempting to abandon their "open" Windows (so they can run their own app store) - the industry is shifti…

I would sympathize with Valve if they didn't completely ignore Linux before acting like the Linux community's best friend when it became apparent that they had nowhere else to turn to [1]. Like many, I'm a fan of their games and their flat management, but they have a history of being as short-sighted and callous as EA and I wish more people would see that [2]. I have a lot more respect for the people behind Humble Bu…

What? Humble BundLe totally sold out their integrity after they let THQ sell their games with the Humble Bundle brand, without linux versions and with DRM.

[1] http://www.penny-arcade.com/report/article/the-humble-thq-bu...

[2] http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/11/humble-thq-bundle-thre...

Re: Portal Released For Steam On Linux

#48

Post by likeclockwork »

dmoy wrote: post #39
loser777 wrote: post #11

Yet another reason to lament the lack of decent mouse driver support in GNU/Linux. As long as I have to relearn how to move my mouse in order to play a game, I'm going to keep a Windows box handy for games.

Yea my mouse is wonky as hell in Linux. Keyboard drivers too :( The mechanical keyboard I have at home doesn't even work in linux. Every keystroke registers as three other characters (e.g. the F1 key types out 'mij'). None of the keys work. But it works flawlessly on Windows. I realize this is as much the keyboard manufacturer's fault as anyone, but it just adds one more thing I'd have to sink hours into if I wanted…

Weird. I use a Das Keyboard and a $10 logitech mouse. I've never had any problems with mouse or keyboard on linux, ever.

They have always 'just worked'.

Is everyone with these stories using some obscure hardware which requires propietary windows drivers and/or some obscure distribution or something?

I'm not trying to be snarky or dismissive, but I've been using Linux for the last 14 years and I've never had any of these problems people talk about with regard to basic input devices or audio drivers.. even when I went through my Gentoo phase.

Re: Portal Released For Steam On Linux

#49

Post by rexignis »

Afforess wrote: post #47
Skoofoo wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would sympathize with Valve if they didn't completely ignore Linux before acting like the Linux community's best friend when it became apparent that they had nowhere else to turn to [1]. Like many, I'm a fan of their games and their flat management, but they have a history of being as short-sighted and callous as EA and I wish more people would see that [2]. I have a lot more respect for the people behind Humble Bu…

What? Humble BundLe totally sold out their integrity after they let THQ sell their games with the Humble Bundle brand, without linux versions and with DRM. [1] http://www.penny-arcade.com/report/article/the-humble-thq-bu... [2] http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/11/humble-thq-bundle-thre...

I think you're being very hyperbolic. They were very explicit saying the games were Windows only and had DRM (Steam). It was its own isolated bundle.
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