10 Points About Transgaming's Cedega/WineX 275
jvm writes "Attempting to raise the level of the discussion, Dan 'theoddone33' Olson has put together a list of ten critical observations that every potential Linux gamer should consider before buying Transgaming's WINE-based product Cedega (formerly WineX). Dan invites credible rebuttals to the points he's raised. The debate over the value of Cedega/WINE as a solution for the nascent Linux gaming community continues..."
RTFA and slashdotting (Score:3, Funny)
Re:RTFA and slashdotting (Score:2)
Doesn't Work Too Well Here (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Doesn't Work Too Well Here (Score:2)
And that's on windows.
I hate cd protection soooo much.
Re:Doesn't Work Too Well Here (Score:2)
Slashdotted, but I bought it last month, so... (Score:5, Insightful)
Have to say I was impressed... I can now play Counterstrike without rebooting, which is very nice. Doom 3 works too. It's cheap, it works, haven't seen any reason to complain.
It actually makes me think of Linux as a viable platform for games... not a viable platform in five years' time, but a viable platform now.
Re:Slashdotted, but I bought it last month, so... (Score:5, Interesting)
Transgaming has also prevented at least one native port from making it to market, as I recall; I believe it was one of the Kohan series. Perhaps another
Re:Slashdotted, but I bought it last month, so... (Score:2)
I'll certainly be downloading the native Doom 3... it should be a fair bit faster.
Similarly I'd buy any native Linux versions of games where available, for the performance boost and to get rid of the slight 'ugh' factor whenever Windows is mentioned...
When it comes down to it, I can't see giving money to Transgaming damaging the cause; if anything it helps dispel the myth that Linux users expect everything to be free...
Re:Slashdotted, but I bought it last month, so... (Score:2)
I was also impressed with the Castle Wolfenstein Li
Re:Slashdotted, but I bought it last month, so... (Score:2)
Ehm, while true, there is a pool of developers that would work on a card were the specs available. I fall into that category, for one, along with others. Some new devs would also join, were they able to get the specs to their vid card. In addition, the current devs would be more productive and deliver better, more thorough drivers had they access to complete specs.
Now, if you say that specs are generally obtuse junk, and that you'd be better off not reading them
Re:Slashdotted, but I bought it last month, so... (Score:2)
Well I've got Cedega right here, and I've never got it to run anything more than 80% as fast as Windows. Sometimes it's not even 5% as fast.
Sure, it's possible to screw anything up, and I suppose if you damaged a Windows install badly enough, then Cedega would be faster... but even Transgaming won't dare claim it's faster in normal circumstances.
NVidia's drivers have no problems on this s
Re:Slashdotted, but I bought it last month, so... (Score:2)
On the same hardware? [shrug] Some games work better than others.
Indeedy. What I meant was this: When I purchased this notebook, I had the option of either buying an ATI or one of 2-3 NVidia cards. The ATI card has been problematic for me and others, while the NVidia card (aside from issues with suspending to disk/ram) works like a charm. That is what I
Re: neverwinter nights (Score:2, Insightful)
Now, it also sounds like NWN2 is not going to be ported to Linux
Re: neverwinter nights (Score:2)
involved in any part of the process
As for recording your purchases as Linux products:
Go to the Bioware forums, register each key with a username,
and select to be displayed as a Linux user. I did.
Yes, but.... (Score:2)
If there isn't a Linux version to buy, you're still not sending that message.
Kohan series - check YOUR facts. (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Slashdotted, but I bought it last month, so... (Score:5, Informative)
Maybe, unless you want to use WineX to play something that's not an MMORPG, FPS, or RTS game, with a few exceptions - personally, the last time I tried it I couldn't get anything to work but Diablo II and Starcraft, and even then they had several major playability problems.
More specifically, I tried it about 1.5 years ago, followed the installation directions to the letter. Then tried getting several games (Starcraft, Homeworld, Warcraft II, Diablo II, Civ II, even freaking 10-year old Lemmings wouldn't run right) to work for about a month with almost no success, and cancelled my subscription in disgust.
I'd love to give it another shot, but the only games people ever mention it working with are the same ones over and over again. As well, their game database lists a massive number of non-working titles still, and if a poster on the linked story is to be believed, they're not even updating the database anymore.
Doesn't exactly make me want to shell out more money. I'm sure there's others like you out there who are happy with it and have everything you want working, but I suspect you're in the minority.
Re:Slashdotted, but I bought it last month, so... (Score:2)
Why does Linux need another #@$@$# FPS? How about a good driving game? There are none. No, not Racer, or TORCS... they don't come close to any of at least the NFS series.
You might as well leave off RTS, though. If the site wasn't slashdotted I could point out that Age of Empires II doesn't work. Last I checked, anyway.
Re:Need For Speed Underground works -very- well (Score:2)
Re:Slashdotted, but I bought it last month, so... (Score:2)
Same with Freeciv at www.freeciv.org and Civilization II. Freeciv is a wonderful, stable game using the ruleset of Civilization II and focusing on network play. But beware of the ai. It is very strong as well.
Starcraft was already playable with "normal" Wine years ago.
Check http://koti.mbnet.fi/~hoppq/sc-howto.html for the howto. I imagine since Wine has improved over the last years, that St
Re:Slashdotted, but I bought it last month, so... (Score:2)
That said, the first two alternatives share a problem that really bugs me about a lot of Linux gaming. Note: this is not an attack on you in any way, only an observation on these projects.
If You have Warcraft II You can use the graphics from the CD and use http://stratagus.sf.net/ as an engine on Linux.
Same with Free
Re:Slashdotted, but I bought it last month, so... (Score:2)
Re:Slashdotted, but I bought it last month, so... (Score:2)
And re: the web Lemmings link, thanks, but i've got a Windows and DOS (with an old manual covered in passwords) version that runs fine already
Re:Slashdotted, but I bought it last month, so... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Slashdotted, but I bought it last month, so... (Score:2)
Hmm, I run it via Steam... doesn't that mean I auto-update whenever I play? Still works.
Actually, that may not be true -- I actually run Condition Zero, not normal CS.
Re:Slashdotted, but I bought it last month, so... (Score:2, Insightful)
What the hell is /. doing posting this tripe? (Score:5, Insightful)
These guys have a good history, yeah its not squeeky clean but so bloody what?!?
They contributed to Loki's technology, Gavriel is on good Terms with Ryan (Icculus) and there are many other linux NATIVE technologies that owe their success in part to direct help from Transgaming.
FFS, if you don't like them then DON'T BLOODY use their product, stop stabbing the poor bastards in the back.
*mutter grumble* *kicks cat*
No problems here with the games I play (Score:5, Insightful)
I spent my 15 bucks...15 measly bucks...and installed it. It works great for me on the games I play with it...the same ones that I used to play when I had XP a year ago. Everquest runs faster for me than it did on XP...Warcraft 3 runs great, Steam/Half-Life/Counterstrike runs great also...there are some bumps with Steam as it updates itself...but they fix them.
I have no complaints with my whopping 15 bucks I spent on this. If I didn't like them, or they were not doing what I wanted it to do, then I wouldn't buy it anymore. Plain and simple.
And besides, most of the other games I play have a native Linux client on them anyway.
Re:What the hell is /. doing posting this tripe? (Score:2)
Re:What the hell is /. doing posting this tripe? (Score:2)
Re:What the hell is /. doing posting this tripe? (Score:2)
The only one of my games that I want to play that even WORKS on WineX/Cedega is Diablo II. Their voting scheme may seem like the best idea, but it's a great way to alienate customers who don't live on the bleeding edge of gaming (as so
-1 Flamebait? (Score:2)
WTF is wrong with you people.. get the facts the READ them.
Transgaming is not the enemy, WE are.
Re:What the hell is /. doing posting this tripe? (Score:5, Insightful)
"Yeah, everything runs great! WTG Trangaming!! Best $15 I ever spent!"
and the other half say:
"What a piece of shit! Nothing runs, and I tried 37 games! Screw Transgaming, I want my money back!"
And that was my finding...that some people get it to work, and other simply cannot (often, but not always, how much time you want to put into trying to work out all the idiosyncracies).
But that is enough of a problem: if I *pay* for a commercial product, I shouldn't have to pay and THEN find out if some games I want work for me...performance should be consistent. Further, it IS commercial; if I made you pay for software, you'd expect it to work...not that you'd have to spend 6 or 7 hours every so often to get your money out of it.
Don't get confused: we are used to Linux and other free software (as in beer) that we don't have to pay for, but have to spent hours configuring, learning and tweaking to get it to work sometimes. And its worth it, because we learn, and we get free software, and maybe can give something back to the community.
But with Transgaming, its NOT free software, and I shouldn't have to spend hours at a time trying to get acceptable performance out of games I *already* paid for once. Now I have to pay twice, AND spend a lot of time screwing around with esoteric settings, and in the end, it may or may not work, and I don't know if it will EVER work.
Name one other commerical program that charges you monthly (to the tune of $60 a year), simply to use their software which may or may not work as advertised, whose performance varies so wildly that you simply cannot predict whether it will work for you or not until you pay up. I'd say it takes a full work week of my spare time/year to try to set up games I want to play and find out if they will even run - often without success.
Man, I just convinced myself to go cancel my subscription.
Re:What the hell is /. doing posting this tripe? (Score:2)
If you actually bother to check the state of the games you want to play you'll find performance _is_ rather consistent.
"I shouldn't have to spend hours at a time trying to get acceptable performance out of games I *alre
Re:What the hell is /. doing posting this tripe? (Score:2)
Funny. I wanted to run a game (2 years old), found multiple positive comments on transgaming.org, paid the $15 for WineX, and then discovered it didn't run at anywhere near a satisfactory level. Performance was bad in all cases, and multiplayer games didn't work at all. A support request to Transgaming told me that "Online play is unsupported".
Sortof like installing windows and s
Re:What the hell is /. doing posting this tripe? (Score:2)
Re:What the hell is /. doing posting this tripe? (Score:2)
You are sorely mistaken: the game-specific forums have been "archived" because 90% contained people complaining about how X game didn't work. Now, the only forums people can post to are for 5 or 6 major games that work fairly well, and then ONE other forum that ser
Re:What the hell is /. doing posting this tripe? (Score:2)
Name one other commerical program that charges you monthly (to the tune of $60 a year), simply to use their software which may or may not work as advertised, whose performance varies so wildly that you simply cannot predict whether it will work for you or not until you pay up...
... not counting Everquest? ;-)
Re:What the hell is /. doing posting this tripe? (Score:2)
I played Everquest for years and that was exactly my experience. I stand corrected. =)
Re:What the hell is /. doing posting this tripe? (Score:2)
Re:What the hell is /. doing posting this tripe? (Score:2)
Windows games = Windows community (Score:5, Insightful)
I think this debate is pointless. If you purchase a Windows game, you are a member of the Windows gaming community, period. It doesn't matter if you play it on native Wintel platform or on Macintosh emulating x86/Windows via Virtual PC - or Linux emulating Windows APIs. The next logical step is to quit all your Linux activity and reboot your computer to MS Windows, the same game will run even better then. The *only* way to build Linux gaming community is via native Linux ports, just as the relatively small Macintosh gaming community does. Mac users got used to waiting months or years for native ports to be released. They don't complain paying premium prices for games whose Windows ports are already in bargain bins. There will be no "Linux gaming community", not until Linux gamers accept similar solution.
Re:Windows games = Windows community (Score:2, Insightful)
Fortunately, id software has a better solution. By releasing Linux binaries of their engines on the web, linux gamers can just buy the windows games and copy tha data files over from the CD. This makes much more sense than releasing a different boxed game for every port and it is probably easier on the developers too.
Re:Windows games = Windows community (Score:2)
Re:Windows games = Windows community (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Windows games = Windows community (Score:2)
Its more than a possibility, ID has said many times that they don't get enough money on the linux versions, they do it for one reason alone: "Cause linux gives me a woody" (read the readme that comes with any id linux game sometime)
Re:Windows games = Windows community (Score:2)
Yeah you're SO right. I use Linux exclusively, but I run Microsoft Office with Crossover Office [codeweavers.com]. So, I am a member of the Windows Office community.
Your logic is truly astounding. Your moderators too.
Re:Windows games = Windows community (Score:2, Interesting)
I run Linux, and I think it's much better in every way. I'm happy to purchase native linux binary games, but I am not happy to purchase WineX or games that integrate Transgaming's WineX code to run Windows binaries on Linux.
For older games, I can just use Wine, and it doesn't cost me anything. For newer games, why would I pay money to be a second-class citizen?
Dual (or triple or
Wrong direction? (Score:2, Interesting)
Of course the best solution is a XBox, as it (hopefully) carries many Windows-also titles.
So if Cedega's fees are higher or close to a XBox or a Windows license, it won't be too attractive at all.
Google's Cache of The Link (Score:5, Informative)
my reason why i dont use it.. (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:my reason why i dont use it.. (Score:2)
Re:my reason why i dont use it.. (Score:4, Informative)
ALL RADEON cards have full 2D acceleration in the latest from XOrg (and xfree as well, IIRC). The 3D support usually lags a while behind the hottest cards.
Right now the best ATI card you can get fully-free 3D acceleration on is the RADEON 9200, which ain't a bad card at all.
TransGaming helps Linux gaming (Score:5, Interesting)
I decided to try out TransGaming's Cedega product shortly after it was released. In addition to their modified wineserver, they have come out with a game manager, Point2Play. This tool has made it _easy_ to install and configure games.
I think that the fact that TransGaming has been able to successfully negotiate with vendors providing copy-protection and other proprietary code for use with Cedega is a big step towards making Linux a more predominant gaming platform. (I was pleasantly surprised to find that some of my titles, such as Warcraft III, ran better with the Cedega emulation!)
While I prefer the idea of native Linux builds of games, there are also many (older) titles that simply will never be ported over. The best thing that we can do at this point is to vote with our wallets. For now, that means TransGaming will keep getting my subscription!
Thoughts on the article (Score:5, Interesting)
I am a pretty regular gamer, and have wasted far too much time on 3D FPS titles like q3a, RtCW, ut2004 etc - and I have the doom3 linux version pre-ordered. I use linux, and really don't have any plans to set up a pc just for gaming, as the games I like are available natively on linux. I feel that the market should decide the success of transgaming - if you like it, feel free, but count me out, thanks!
The reason I'm not interested in in running windows games in linux via wine is that if we take that to its logical conclusion, there will be no market for native linux games - idsoft has it right, their games are written in a portable fashion, and have pretty much the same performance on linux/X11/DRI as on the simple pc GUI used by ms windows. Let's face it, once a gamer plays native linux games, he will be dissatisfied with the emulated variety, and it would be a real shame if that's all there was.
All in all, the wine solution is a nice hack, and useful as a temporary kludge, but we are sunk if that becomes the norm and all game development becomes ms windows centric, and we become the new OS/2, inhabiting a shrinking niche and dying a slow death. Fsck that! The native linux gaming market is the thing we need to support with our wallets, if we want to see it thrive.
Re:Thoughts on the article (Score:2)
Yes, I want, and will pay for, Linux native games.
But hey, where games aren't around that are Linux native, I think it's worth my money per month to get games I play regularly working without rebooting all the time.
Cedega gives us something NOW to get a group of people gaming, who can then push for native new releases.
And then, at least, there are SOME f
Re:Thoughts on the article (Score:2)
Shelrem said: Guess what? Almost all of it (game development) already is (windows centric).
Fact is, linux does have a presence, a mindshare with the game developers. That's why I can go to the store and bu
Re:Thoughts on the article (Score:2)
Re:Thoughts on the article (Score:2)
It already is MS Windows centric and has been for a long, long time now.
we become the new OS/2, inhabiting a shrinking niche and dying a slow death. Fsck that!
You've been misled. Go ask any of the people really involved with the OS/2 scene back then, most of them say Windows compatibility was a strength not a hinderance. The reason people wrote Windows apps was because it had a higher market share, and because un
Re:Thoughts on the article (Score:2)
Gee I dunno, why don't we ask atari, activision and idsoftware, for starters. The fact is, linux does have a foothold, albeit a small one, in the form of native linux versions of games from these vendors, and that foothold needs to be encouraged, because it's the only foothold that's of any substance.
Your argument is self defeating, because if the game vendors want to do it your way, all they ne
Re:Thoughts on the article (Score:2)
It will be available through the usual channels, for instance tuxgames.com - as soon as the linux version and installer are finished.
Re:Thoughts on the article (Score:2)
Yeah, and IIRC they did something similar with RtCW...
Would a better idea be... (Score:2, Insightful)
I never got the whole "linux bit" windows is Mass market, linux will never be MASS MARKET! I'm sorry it just wont at least not for a long time. It may become mass market in emerging markets and developing countries but Consoles come first, then windows, then if you're lucky linux gets the scraps.
Re:Would a better idea be... (Score:2)
You can't be serious... (Score:2, Insightful)
Virtual machines are typically required to run multiple operating systems at the same time, unless you have multiple systems on which you can run your operating systems and then just switch between the two with a kvm switch. The problem with virtual machines is that they need a place to run, which means they still need a host operating sytem. The ones I've seen that either use Linux or Windows just don't implement the child opera
Games that work under WineX/Cedega (Score:5, Informative)
Since the article is slashdotted, here's a list of games that I run successfully under WineX 3.2.1 (not even the current version):
Hardware (Score:2)
Athlon with the NVidia card, everything works fine for some games that just don't work on the Epia.
I used an image from the Epia to setup the Athlon, so except for the kernel modules and XF86Conf
Doom 3 but no QuickBooks? (Score:5, Insightful)
I have my boss and all employees on Firefox/Thunderbird. I've removed the little E icon but pinned it to the start menu for dumb sites like Ingram Micro and - unbelievably - slashdot. If there were a bit of software similar to a multi-user GnuCash that could import quickbooks files, I cannot tell you how many businesses I could have switched by the Q4.
We have a small window of time before MS breaks all the wine/crossover compatibility with Longhorn. Don't miss it.
Re:Doom 3 but no QuickBooks? (Score:2)
Re:Doom 3 but no QuickBooks? (Score:2)
The problem is that there is no open source equivilent to QuickBooks. There's nothing close, except for Fishbowl (closed source add-on, $5000 for a 10 user license) which runs on java and only provides order procurement/fulfillment cycles.
If there were anything like Openoffice/Firefox/Thunderbird (seamless translation, easy to install, easy interface to adapt to, completely compatible file format) both Intuit and Microsoft would be hurting. Even the $5000 10 user QuickBooks uses a f
Re:Doom 3 but no QuickBooks? (Score:2)
I think in the next few years, we might see a transition from windows to linux. I think the first thing software developers should be looking at is if their programs will run in at least crossover. If they run out of the box with wine, then even
Re:Doom 3 but no QuickBooks? (Score:2, Interesting)
I have approximately 300 business's that I support, Almost ALL (99%) run windows configurations of some sort. Why ? not because of games ? Not because of office support, but because here in australia, Since the introduction of the GST it is practically IMPOSSIBLE for a business to run without using either Intuit's QuickBooks / QuickPos / QuickFuel, or MYOB Accounting / Premier / etc.
Most of these companies are not in a position to switch to linux until these products can work
Re:Doom 3 but no QuickBooks? (Score:2)
Ideal up to about 10 clients, anyway.
Re:Doom 3 but no QuickBooks? (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually, we are almost always working on multiple things at once. Often quite a few of us are working on bugfixes for large, corporate proprietary apps - this is mostly separate to our CrossOver work where we focus on the home/enthusiast Linux users market. The contract work we do for such programs isn't public but the patches go back to WineHQ immediately just the same as work for CrossOver does.
Often these bugfixes are the sort of thing which affect many GUI desktop apps, including things like QuickBooks. So you could say we are working on it in an indirect way.
But I know, I know, you want us to work on QuickBooks specifically, so it runs in CrossOver. Believe me, we'd love to do that too - the only Windows machine in our office is used by the secretary (or as we call her, our Chief Non Geek). She's said she'd be happy to run Linux. So why doesn't she? Right, you guessed it - we use QuickBooks ourselves.
Unfortunately, being a (small) company that isn't exactly rolling in money, we have to focus entirely on what our customers are most willing to pay for. As you can see from our top voted apps list [codeweavers.com] iTunes comes first by a long way with 118 votes, and QuickBooks Pro comes in at number 22 with 16 votes. We can't magically divine what CrossOver users are willing to pay for, so we have to go via these sorts of lists.
I hope that explains our slightly odd focus. Unfortunately Linux on the corporate desktop hasn't taken off yet: given the huge resources Red Hat and Novell are marshalling behind it I'm hoping it has to happen soon, but currently, it hasn't. That means Wine development is driven mostly by personal users.
Our bugzilla isn't public so I guess you are talking about the C4 site I linked to above. Our experience shows that there is no such thing as a "simple" app when it comes to Wine - even very straightforward and apparently simple programs can make use of obscure functionality or hit edge-case bugs in Wine that mean they don't work right. By definition if somebody asked us to support it, it doesn't work correctly. We can either choose to spend the time tracking and fixing those bugs, or the bugs that affect high profile, popular apps.
Fortunately we're supported by (and in turn support) the Wine community. We resync with WineHQ regularly (every few weeks usually) so it's definitely possible that a fix for UPS Worldship will make it in from there, or we'll fix it in the course of making other apps work. We term this "collatoral damage", somewhat flippantly - basically it means that as we work on improvements for one program, all the others start working better as well. For example, Office now runs about 50% faster (according to officebench) in the upcoming CrossOver 3.1 relative to 3.0 due entirely to optimizations developed whilst working on iTunes.
OK, I hope I explained how we set our priorities well enough. Thanks for supporting us and the Wine project!
iTunes - does it work or not? (Score:2)
So does it work, or not?
Re:iTunes - does it work or not? (Score:2)
Yet another reason not to use WineX (Score:3, Insightful)
For some time now I have been considering dropping my support of this product for some of the reasons listed in the article. Another reason is the way in which WineX or Cedega is distributed. You download their Point2Play program and then from that program you install Cedega. Although Cedega is offered as a separate download I have never been able to successfully install Cedega/WineX unless I use the Point2Play program to get the copy off of their website. What this means is if I ever drop my subscription I won't be able to reinstall the software. Probably the whole point in making it that way.
I have recently upgraded my PC to a 3.2 Ghz Pentium 4 and am testing out Suse. I installed Point2Play and Cedega. I wanted to see if the extra computing power would make gaming through WineX more bearable but I can't seem to get it to work with Suse. It simply won't install anything anymore. Yet another reason to drop this product.
As Linux works its way into the mainstream desktop market, we'll see more and more games being written for Linux. I always considered Wine/WineX just a temporary bandaid to help Windows users make the transition.
What distro? (Score:2)
Check ~/.transgaming/config or something similar. Email me if you need help, but right now I haven't yet installed wineX again (probably by tomorrow)
Re:Yet another reason not to use WineX (Score:2)
Actually I have installed and configured it many times using Mandrake. Don't be a jerk.
All I was saying is that It isn't working on my new system under Suse.
The definition of irony (Score:5, Funny)
I tried various tricks (disable sound/change drivers/reinstall/different media/3 different systems) and even contact tech support.
The *only* way I was able to get past these points was to run them in Cedega on my laptop.
Thus, in some situations, Cedega is more compatible with Windows games than Windows itself.
Cedega is needed (Score:2, Interesting)
Linux Gaming (Score:2)
we need a real Linux game company (Score:2, Interesting)
My wife was using Cedega to play Zoo Tycoon last night in fact, I needed Linux to be up for some other work I was doing. Unfortunately, about 1 hr into the game it crashed for some unknown reason. Also, it didn't help that the text boxes were unledgable and all the dollar amounts were in
Re:Slashdotted already? (Score:5, Informative)
# Performance
Cedega is designed to maximize compatibility with Windows games. However, many users find that their favorite games work poorly in Cedega, if at all. While TransGaming offers voting services to determine the most popular games, there are still hundreds of games that are not playable in Cedega. For games that are not officially supported by TransGaming, users may find that the performance of Cedega is "hit or miss."
# Pricing
TransGaming charges $5 a month for the use of the commercial version of Cedega, yet makes a development version freely available. The commercial version has additional support for games that use copy-protection methods such as SafeDisc, among other features. The commercial version of Cedega requires a minimum subscription of 3 months, and all games that it can be used with must be purchased separately.
# Progress
TransGaming's list of supported titles has not grown significantly since the first release of WineX in 2001. Today, less than 10 games have been given a 5-star rating, meaning that they can be expected to run without problems. Many games run with only minor annoyances, but they are not officially supported. TransGaming has also been criticized for slow release times, with 3 month subscriptions starting and ending without seeing a new release.
# Potential
TransGaming has stated that their goal is 100% compatibility with Windows games. However, it is highly improbable that they will ever attain this goal. Windows and Direct3D are in active development, and TransGaming developers will always be playing a game of "catch-up", while at the same time trying to find and fix current bugs in Cedega. In a sense, Cedega's destiny is tied to Microsoft as much as it is tied to TransGaming.
# Priorities
While TransGaming still offers Cedega to Linux gamers for the time being, it is clear that their primary interests reside elsewhere. They actively produce titles for Mac OSX, and their website advertises plans to support XBox and PS2 in the future. TransGaming has stated that no income from Cedega subscriptions is used to fund their other ventures, but while their finances may not be divided, the same cannot be said of their interests.
# Promises
TransGaming began with the promise to release their changes to the Wine project under an "open" license when the number of subscribers reached 20,000. Shortly after this, they introduced code into the project which they are not able to release openly due to contractual obligations. While the current number of subscribers has not been publically announced, it is doubtful that TransGaming would be able to release all of their changes when this milestone is reached. TransGaming has, however, given code back to Wine at various times.
# Packaging
While TransGaming offers a free development version of Cedega, they have repeatedly threatened Linux distributions that have offered packages of it to their users. Debian and Gentoo have both withdrawn packages of the development version of Cedega at the request of TransGaming, who stated that they would no longer offer the free version if it was packaged by third-party Linux distributions.
# Portability
TransGaming advertises Cedega as the world's foremost portability solution, and they claim that it can be used to migrate applications seamlessly between platforms such as PC, PS2, and even PDAs. These claims are sketchy for a variety of technical reasons. One example is that most PC games use over 100M of memory, while the PS2 has only 32M of main RAM. Cedega's strategy of reinterpreting runtime calls is likely to add more overhead than it can reduce, and is not sufficient for this task.
# Propaganda
For as long as TransGaming has had a website, it has been filled with dubious claims about the company, about the game industry, and about porting software. Unsurprisingly, most of these claims paint TransGaming in a positiv
Re:Slashdotted already? (Score:5, Insightful)
I see nothing particulary evil or bad of transgaming. Seems like a small company struggling to get along. They provide a service, and some people pay for it. $5 a month is next to nothing.
Re:Slashdotted already? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Slashdotted already? (Score:5, Insightful)
The games I play actually run faster on my system than they do on my wife's XP system. I guess I'm doing something wrong.
# Pricing
15 bucks...wow...that's like...3/4 of a $20...
# Progress
In the 3 months I've "subscribed" to it they've had 2 major releases.
# Potential
True, they play catch up with MS...but what else can they do, they have to see where MS is going so they know how to emulate the calls MS is calling for etc etc. They can't just make the shit up and hope MS follows THEM? Right?
# Priorities
Oh, so a company can't have two areas where they're branching off? Apple released the iPod, did everyone start screaming saying they were going to abandon the Mac or now their interests lay elsewhere? Come on.
# Promises
Sounds like a wash here. No opinion either way. They do release back to the community though, but perhaps not enough it seems.
# Packaging
Agreed here. They should let the distos have it as a package at least. The development package.
# Propaganda
Sounds like this point is propaganda itself. Notice that he offers no proof that they "fail to hold up under scrutiny". Ok, how so? Honestly, I'd like to know...break it down for me because frankly I'm too lazy. But then again, I don't belive 90% of the claims of any product...even the ones I like. lol (i'm joking people...don't get your panties in a bunch).
# Prevention
He states: There is speculation that Cedega... Ok...SPECULATION? So, how is this a bad mark on their part? I could speculate also doesn't make it true. And as we can see, companies are still making ports for Linux. But he did pull it together at the end.
I don't know...he makes some points to make one think...and they would be worth thinking if it weren't for the fact that Cedega cost me all of $15 bucks and it works great with the games I throw at it.
And that's kind of a hard thing to complain about...if it works, it works. And for me it works. Doesn't work for you, not much I can do about it. I can't rally around something that works for me and doesn't work for others. I mean, how can I do that? I would just be repeating what others are saying and not going from personal experience: "Boo...down with Transgaming! BOOO...Yes, it works for me on the games I play...but I've heard that others have problems with it...so BOOO!"
I'd sound like and idiot! Ok...perhaps I already do.
Re:Slashdotted already? (Score:5, Informative)
They've also been dishonest about not competing with native ports. Yet Quake and RTCW were, last time I looked, on the list of supported games.
I'm glad you're having such good luck with the product. For me, even games with a '4' rating generall work horribly, or are such a PITA to install that it's not worth it.
You're also very lucky to get one new release with a three month subscription. I'd feel way less decieved by these guys if they'd just sell the product for 10 or fifteen bucks and not pretend that I was becoming a 'member' of something.
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
Stop whining. (Score:2)
#Performance:
Complaining that unsupported games don't always work is ridiculous. That is what 'unsupported' means.
#Pricing:
Boo hoo. Complaining that you have to buy the games is just STUPID. Did you expect to get your games for FREE? They cost millions to make, you know. And it isn't Transgaming who makes them.
Also, it seems to be a negative thing that they give things away for FREE.
#The rest
I'll stop here, since it
responses (Score:2)
# Performance
Many users also find that their games work great in Cedega. If none of their games do work, the most they are out is $15. Chances are, most gamers own 2 or 3 level 4 to level 5 titles that will run perfectly with Cedega. Its true, and obvious to anyone with 1/2 a brain, out of the thousands of titles that exist in the world, Cedega supports only a very small fraction.
# Pricin
Re:Slashdotted already? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:WINE is not just for "basic apps." (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:WINE is not just for "basic apps." (Score:2)
These are probably chm files -- which might be readable with libchm, FYI.
Re:Transgaming doesn't deserve support. (Score:3, Insightful)
They're hindering progress by running a separate branch and charging for it when they could be working with the wine developers in creating a FREE solid application that would otherwise make people seriously think about switching to Linux.
Hello captain misinformed. Have you checked out thier CVS server? Its all there except for the copy protection code and other proprietary code they licensed. Check it out, ./configure; make; make install.
Not to mention, many of the biggest Linux software companies
Re:Transgaming doesn't deserve support. (Score:2)
How appropriate for what the software enables you to run....
Re:Explanations and Insights Please. (Score:2)
http://sourceforge.net/cvs/?group_id=17631
Re:Can be useful... (Score:2)
Re:Isn't this counterproductive? (Score:2)