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General discussionLinux support on GOG(1808 posts)(1808 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted November 12, 2013
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JohnnyDollar: I'll bet most here would be happy if GOG would just supply the Linux files from the dev/publisher. Tag them as not officially supported and let the Linux users here have access to them.
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nijuu: Im actually wondering why they don't do this. Probably cause there will be a segment of linux buyers who will buy the game and expect support regardless of what is said
I thought about that too.

I do know that the landscape is shaping such that the Linux platform may see an adoption increase in the not so distant future. Valve is going full ahead with Linux support and Steam OS will have an impact. I don't know how much, but Valve is collaborating with others in developing tools to help studios develop and port their games to Linux. I think that it's going to have a larger effect than just "Steam only", including seeing more games overall with native Linux support.

Maybe GOG will eventually come to the conclusion that it's in their interest to include the platform another year or so down the line.
Post edited November 12, 2013 by JohnnyDollar
Posted November 12, 2013
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nijuu: Im actually wondering why they don't do this. Probably cause there will be a segment of linux buyers who will buy the game and expect support regardless of what is said
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JohnnyDollar: I thought about that too.



Maybe GOG will eventually come to the conclusion that it's in their interest to include the platform another year or so down the line.
I wish they would move faster if this is to be the case (im not pro linux or anything...just want GOG to do stuff to help their business)
Posted November 12, 2013
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JohnnyDollar: Linux platform
I'm always confused when people talk about a linux "platform". There is by no means a linux platform, maybe posix or the external kernel interface could be seen as platform (but are insufficient), but not the jungle of varying distros, DEs, libs & components for multimedia support. I have a hard time to see here a coherent "platform" and think this ecosystem should be better called "framework" or "toolbox".

Valve, on the other hand, works now hard on creating & defining a real platform with steam. Built on top of the linux ecosystem (similar to what google did with the android platform). They would not do that if there would be already one existing.
Post edited November 12, 2013 by shaddim
Posted November 12, 2013
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Trilarion: I only see nine games there and you cannot even narrow down the search to DRM free but if you could it would be only four. However they have Linux although they probably do not offer support themselves.

So, I think from a neutral point of view GOG is hurting itself by not offersing some Linux support, if not much by means of actual sales then surely by reputation and also being an easy target for criticism.

They are surely not sleeping but they don't give the impression of being extremely agile, innovative ... ahead of the curve.

For improving the general situation regarding Linux gaming the new store is surely a step forward and increases the pressure on GOG to also do something. How much pressure exactly and if Linux games will ever come to GOG in the near future... remains a secret to us.
I think new HB store has different sales terms than their current store widgets for which they didn't have a centralized site before (all of them are collected here: http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store ).
That's why you see so few games in the new HB store. It's basically a new thing.

As for GOG they may be not sleeping, but they aren't moving fast enough either.

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JohnnyDollar: Maybe GOG will eventually come to the conclusion that it's in their interest to include the platform another year or so down the line.
That would be coming veery late to the table, so to waste go all GOG's claims about how innovating and ahead of the curve they are. If they want to compete, they need to do it here an now, not in a year down the line.
Post edited November 12, 2013 by shmerl
Posted November 12, 2013
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shaddim: ... I'm always confused when people talk about a linux "platform". ...
So what does Humble Store exactly mean when they say that a game "supports" Linux?

I guess it strongly depends on the dev but in general it might not run in my or your Linux at all. So Humble Stores claim to have Linux support for their games is shady.
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shaddim: ... Valve, on the other hand, works now hard on creating & defining a real platform with steam. Built on top of the linux ecosystem (similar to what google did with the android platform). They would not do that if there would be already one existing.
I'm just curious about the legal situation. Will they have to make this additional layer also open source or might it be a proprietary layer as well?
Post edited November 12, 2013 by Trilarion
Posted November 12, 2013
Valve doesn't create any new platforms, except with their lock-in APIs. They just use a common set of middleware, which they mostly share with most Linux distros anyway. What makes their "patform" however, is something that prevents developers to release their games outside Steam once they used it. That's a bad thing, and it was discussed above already. Other than that, they just create a common runtime, which is all listed here: https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-runtime
Posted November 12, 2013
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nijuu: I wish they would move faster if this is to be the case (im not pro linux or anything...just want GOG to do stuff to help their business)
Why did that sound like it's a bad thing to be pro LInux?
Posted November 12, 2013
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shmerl: Valve doesn't create any new platforms, except with their lock-in APIs. They just use a common set of middleware, which they mostly share with most Linux distros anyway. What makes their "patform" however, is something that prevents developers to release their games outside Steam once they used it. That's a bad thing, and it was discussed above already. Other than that, they just create a common runtime, which is all listed here: https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-runtime
I'm not denying that the steam platform is (political) a bad platform, but at least...it is a platform! (the technical details are not that interesting, there are many possibilities in creating a platform... difference to distros is that steam freezes the libs to be binary stable or bundles them.)
Post edited November 12, 2013 by shaddim
Posted November 12, 2013
Shadowrun Returns goes DRM free and will be released on GOG. But not sure what will be with the Linux version:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1613260297/shadowrun-returns/posts/659187

If GOG won't be ready with Linux support for major releases like Original Sin and Tides of Numenera - that would be pretty bad.
Posted November 12, 2013
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shmerl: If GOG won't be ready with Linux support for major releases like Original Sin and Tides of Numenera - that would be pretty bad.
You mean it would be worse, it already is pretty bad.
Posted November 12, 2013
GOG needs offer Linux versions of some games, really. Now exist another alternative to steam, is HB. Games without DRM, with OST and with Windows/Linux/Mac versions.

I like GOG, but HB is very good, and with Linux versions, maybe I change of store.
Posted November 12, 2013
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zchronos: GOG needs offer Linux versions of some games, really. Now exist another alternative to steam, is HB. Games without DRM, with OST and with Windows/Linux/Mac versions.

I like GOG, but HB is very good, and with Linux versions, maybe I change of store.
Given many of us already have a fair stash of games in the HB, it isn't crazy to think a few of us will end up doing a lot of our indie shopping there if the store fleshes out. Have to wait and see exactly how the store shapes up, but HB has enough clout to start reinventing themselves.
Posted November 12, 2013
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zchronos: GOG needs offer Linux versions of some games, really. Now exist another alternative to steam, is HB. Games without DRM, with OST and with Windows/Linux/Mac versions.

I like GOG, but HB is very good, and with Linux versions, maybe I change of store.
You posted this in the "Humble Store" thread as well, but please go back and read that thread again and do check the Humble Store once more - DRM-free is far from guaranteed and people report that the store seems to carry only the regular version of games, i.e. no extras. That leaves only Linux support which is a known thorn for GOG and no small issue for Linux users.
Posted November 12, 2013
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zchronos: GOG needs offer Linux versions of some games, really. Now exist another alternative to steam, is HB. Games without DRM, with OST and with Windows/Linux/Mac versions.

I like GOG, but HB is very good, and with Linux versions, maybe I change of store.
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HypersomniacLive: You posted this in the "Humble Store" thread as well, but please go back and read that thread again and do check the Humble Store once more - DRM-free is far from guaranteed and people report that the store seems to carry only the regular version of games, i.e. no extras. That leaves only Linux support which is a known thorn for GOG and no small issue for Linux users.
DRM-free isn't guaranteed in any way, but if such a version does exist then odds are favorable that they would be selling it that way. When deciding if someone would buy from one over the other, only games that are DRM-free on GOG are really of any concern for the discussion. And it is far more likely that HB would be also selling the DRM-free version that GOG sells than GOG selling the linux version that they sell.

The overlap may not encompass the entire HB catalog, but it doesn't need to in order to be a problem. Only large enough to swallow up GOG's indie initiative.
Posted November 13, 2013
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JohnnyDollar: Linux platform
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shaddim: I'm always confused when people talk about a linux "platform".
Don't let if confuse you. :D
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JohnnyDollar: Maybe GOG will eventually come to the conclusion that it's in their interest to include the platform another year or so down the line.
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shmerl: That would be coming veery late to the table, so to waste go all GOG's claims about how innovating and ahead of the curve they are. If they want to compete, they need to do it here an now, not in a year down the line.
It would appear so given the trend and future outlook. Reading the response in post #680 makes it sound as if their projections are showing that its too costly or too risky a move right now given their current format.

Maybe they would need to tweak their policies a little bit to cut costs in order to make it happen sooner?
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This is my favourite topic
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General discussionLinux support on GOG(1808 posts)(1808 posts)
(1808 posts)