The Best Linux Games of 2001? 379
Apostata asks: "As more
and more people migrate (or consider migrating) to Linux, I'd like to
know what Slashdot readers would vote for as their top picks for
Linux-friendly games (either native or commercially ported) for
2001."
XBill!!! (Score:5, Funny)
Only the best games ever! (Score:3, Informative)
M-x tetris (Score:3, Troll)
Re:M-x tetris (Score:2)
You forgot M-x pong. Tetris and Pong are enough to last you a lifetime.
Alpha Centauri (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Alpha Centauri (Score:2)
Emulator (Score:5, Insightful)
'Course, the KDE games are coming along nicely...
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2/Return 2 Castle Wolfenstein (Score:2)
TuxRacer's always good... (Score:5, Insightful)
If I may be slightly off-topic here, I'd like to see more people involved in creating Linux games. Unlike developing for a console, there are plenty of freely available docs and tools to make it happen. Take a look for example at plib [sf.net], a portable scene graph/geometry/network enabler/GUI/sound library intended for games. It's Open Source, GPLed, has a great, easy-to-understand C++ interface, and is overall a good thing. I've been using it for nearly six months, and I can't believe the ease with which I've been able to create a couple of little games. I'd love to see more Linux-based Open Source games based around plib.
Re:TuxRacer's always good... (Score:2)
We also run on Windows and will probably run on the Mac by release time.
We're not open source (although two spin-offs, the autoupdater and armi projects on sourceforge, are), and we're not based around plib (Java+Java3D), but I saw an opportunity for a plug
It's all been downhill since (Score:3, Flamebait)
Re:It's all been downhill since (Score:5, Funny)
XSnow (Score:3, Informative)
Re:It's all been downhill since (Score:2)
X-Eyes imitates Big Brother (Score:2)
-Don
From: Jeremy Huxtable (jh@Ist.CO.UK) [google.com]
Subject: Big brother
Newsgroups: comp.windows.news
Date: 1988-07-25 07:43:13 PST
Try this out on your NeWS server.....
%!
% eye.ps
%
% Jeremy Huxtable
%
% "Big Brother" implementation in PostScript.
% Create an Eyeball class from the Default window class.
[...]
The classics are classic for a reason (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:The classics are classic for a reason (Score:2)
The Gtk+ that Slash'em has is pretty good, but I still like the QT interface better.
On the subject of Slash'em, it's fun at first but it seems like they just threw in everything without considering the impact it would have on the game. Playing as a monk is like riding around the Dungeons of Doom in a wheat thresher, running over everything that dares to oppose you. Adding lots of extra special levels makes things a little more interesting, but eventually I got so powerful that everything became tedious, nothing was a threat to me and so the game just seemed to drag on.
Everquest... (Score:5, Funny)
:)
I know the best game (Score:2, Troll)
First you must begin by being wary enough to defend your installation: are there new patches or kernels available for LINUX?
Then if you see a new update, you must go on to the difficult stage-- downloading, compiling, and installing the new kernel.
In the higher levels things get intense as there are "must have" updates that patch serious security holes, and a time limit on the "Production System" level.
If you lose at the lower levels (the training levels) you can just start over. If you lose on the higher levels, you die / get fired.
Real fun game, lemme tell ya. The Open Source Mullet guy here drinks 12 cups of coffee a morning because it's so much fun.
Easy one (Score:5, Insightful)
If you like RTSes, but hate all of the MM, or are just looking for something that isn't yet another Warcraft clone, then I highly recommend checking out Kohan.
Um, ok (Score:5, Informative)
As for the games that were ported over from Windows, Why not just go and check a place like Gamerankings.com [gamerankings.com] and see a good compilation of reviews? All you have to do is check on the games that have been ported to Linux [lokigames.com] and figure it out from there!
For my money, though, Xbill is excellent :-)
from the tis-the-season form-making-lists dept. ? (Score:3, Funny)
Aw, Christ. Bureaucracy takes over
Re:from the tis-the-season form-making-lists dept. (Score:5, Funny)
Have a nice day, Citizen. The Computer is your friend! :)
How can you forget (Score:2, Funny)
gcc
Descent 3 (Score:5, Informative)
XMAME! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:XMAME! (Score:2)
BZFlag (Score:2, Informative)
I hate to say it, but... (Score:4, Insightful)
The games that have been ported (with a few exceptions) are almost all shooters - which I simply don't enjoy playing.
I like RPG's and turn-based strategy, for the most part.
The commercial offerings just haven't appealed to me much yet.
Re:I hate to say it, but... (Score:2)
Come see us at www.cosmgame.com. We won't be available for a year or more yet, but I think we'll satisfy your inclinations...
I'm an old Angband fan, too.
Re:I hate to say it, but... (Score:2)
Re:I hate to say it, but... (Score:2)
Re:I hate to say it, but... (Score:2)
Kernel Panic (Score:3, Funny)
Moria/Angband (Score:3, Interesting)
Everyone knows the best game ever is: (Score:4, Funny)
'Nuff said.
sokoban (Score:4, Funny)
My favorite game is... (Score:2)
Re:My favorite game is... (Score:2)
...Flash Advance Linker (program GBA carts)
...The EPROM Programmer I Built
...My Printer (which needs not be replaced)
...The touch screen for my SBC
...etc, etc, etc
Unfortuantly, I haven't had time to write USB drivers or program a USB enabled micro to handle all of the that stuff yet.
Creatures Linux (Score:4, Interesting)
Get to play with digital DNA and see evolution at work all on your Linux box.
check ds.creatures.net and also of course www.tuxgames.com
There is no best one as each Linux game brings soemthing new to Linux, perhaps if enough of these games sell we might see more of each catagory or the same.
Matt
Easy Uplink (Score:2, Insightful)
Tribes2! (Score:4, Informative)
best == most enjoyment, for me (Score:5, Informative)
1. Unreal Tournament
2. Quake 3 Arena
3. Rune
4. Heavy Metal FAKK2
5. Soldier of Fortune
6. Heavy Gear
7. Postal Plus
Out of those, the ones I enjoyed the most, in order of how much I enjoyed them...
1. Unreal Tournament (good lan party fun!)
2. Soldier of Fortune
3. Rune / Q3A (can't decide)
4. Heavy Metal (good, but a bit buggy and quirky)
I'm really looking forward to RTCW, supposed to be out in January says the guy doing the port.
After that there doesn't appear to be too much on the horizon, anyone know of any good games coming out for Linux?
Re:best == most enjoyment, for me (Score:2)
Don't wait. Multiplayer is more than half the fun of the game, and that's already available. There's lots of Christmas sales right now, go pick it up while they last.
Bah Textmode Quake rules (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Bah Textmode Quake rules (Score:3, Informative)
Re:best == most enjoyment, for me (Score:2)
The one I'm looking forward to is Neverwinter Nights [bioware.com]. It's beautiful, and will be released for Linux simultaneously with Windows. It should appeal to both to RPG fans and a little bit to FPS fans -- maybe the Heretic fans. It's due out in March 2002.
Uplink... (Score:4, Insightful)
I highly recommend Uplink for anyone that is tired of the same old $#!+.
-Ben
Re:Uplink... (Score:2)
Re:Uplink... (Score:2)
Oh, and the game is freakishly addictive. I think that they would be crazy not to make an XBox and Playstation 2 port.
Wolfenstein! (Score:2)
Tribes 2 for Linux would be great if all the people playing the Windows version weren't watching their game crash all the time. Nothing like watching someone crash while running the flag.
Re:Wolfenstein! (Score:2)
Docking Station! (Score:2, Interesting)
It's a very interesting Artificial Life game. Something like The Sims, but more oriented towards biology. It's written in its own interpreted language that you can see and modify (look in the Bootstrap folder). It's free (but not GPL'd) and you can get it here [creatures.net].
Creatures and Creatures 2 can work under Wine, but they're pretty unstable. It's also possible to play Creatures 3 with this one because they share the engine.
Kohan (Score:2)
Ok, its not from Lokigames but... (Score:2)
No, it did not have the most up to date engine.
No, it was not the most original idea in the world.
However, it was mad fun to play. The playability of the game was superb and the linux from whatever transfer was excellent.
Kudos to Hyperion Software.
____________________________
If you grew up playing Atari 2600 games... (Score:3, Interesting)
games for that console:
Mad Bomber, a Kaboom! clone
and
Circus Linux, a Circus Atari clone.
Both are very good.
Heffel
Duh! Nethack! (Score:2, Informative)
Isn't it obvious? Nethack is still the best game on Linux...
Kernel config adventure game, fer sure (Score:2)
Best Linux Game? (Score:2, Troll)
My favorite Linux game is seeing how long you can read the mkisofs manpage without developing stigmata wounds, bleeding from the eyes, or going insane.
The Sims/Mandrake Gaming!!! (Score:4, Interesting)
nethack (Score:2)
Can't Beat Descent 3 (Score:3, Informative)
Then again, I always said that Linux itself was the ultimate video game- it's the only one that's kept me playing continuously for 6 years.
MindRover (Score:3, Informative)
BZFlag (Score:2, Interesting)
Wanderer? (Score:2)
Maelstrom (Score:3, Funny)
.... but wait, I guess it is only tribes 2 because that is the only game that came out in 2001. Oh well.
Powermanga (Score:2)
Make some mode timings (Score:2)
If you don't want to go through the pain of designing your own video mode then this page helps quite a bit.
http://xtiming.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/xtiming.
If you're using XFree86 4.x then it also helps to know that it will look something like this when you're done:
.
.
.
Modeline "320x240@76d" 15.71 320 324 348 388 240 241 244 253 doublescan
Modeline "400x300@75d" 24.17 400 408 448 504 300 302 306 316 doublescan
Modeline "512x384@75d" 39.45 512 524 596 648 384 387 392 404 doublescan
.
.
.
Section "Screen"
Identifier "screen1"
Device "Matrox Millennium G400"
Monitor "Display 1"
DefaultColorDepth 16
Subsection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480" "512x384@75d" "400x300@75d" "320x240@76d"
ViewPort 0 0
EndSubsection
There ya go, hacky fullscreen of postage stamp displays. Enjoy.
Wolfenstein! (Score:2)
The only downside, is that they (id software) has not made a single player binary for it yet. But, who needs single player? When you can frag your best friend with a panzerfaust!
--Frank
Rogue, Tetris, and anything running under Frotz (Score:2)
Freeciv! (Score:3, Informative)
FreeCiv! [freeciv.org] Ever since I got RedHat 7.1 I've been an addict. Game is incredibly fun alone, even more fun online, and customizable to the extent that it's like having several games.
Top Linux Games - Freeciv, Kohan (Score:3, Interesting)
Here is my list:
Sokoban (Score:2)
KDE Minesweeper! (Score:2)
I've even beat the Expert mode in 2:44. Anyone done better?
My favorite linux game of all time (Score:2)
/usr/games/fortune. Today I got these gems:
and I know, don't flame me, it's a Unix game from way back.Rune, Kohan, Simcity 3000... (Score:2)
Alpha Centauri I enjoyed, but in many ways it is just "more of the same" from Sid Meier. More of the same stuff that we love, of course
MindRover looks really cool. I've had it sitting on my shelf for a while now, but my preliminary attempts at it found that it was hard to just jump right into the game. Sometime when I have a rainy day to kill reading the manual I plan to dive in...
Python Solitare...for sheer volume of card games (Score:2)
Get the extra graphics so you can play some of the more unusual games. The theme music works well, so be sure to turn it on.
As the name suggests, it has a high geek factor since it was entirely written in Python.
Not many shining gems for Linux (Score:2)
Tux Racer is one of the few games that shines for Linux, even though there is also a Windows version. Too bad it's just one of several dozen "Franchise Racer" games, though. It's a good game, but it relies on the player never having seen Crash Team Racing or Diddy Kong Racing or other such games which make Tux Racer seem lackluster.
Here's hoping for some original Linux games in 2002. The coding abilities are there, so the time is ripe for some good stuff.
Tactical Ops... (Score:2)
My picks thus far:
1) Unreal Tournament
2) Tactical Ops
3) Return to Castle Wolfenstein
They really should release a playable demo for Tribes 2 linux...
Best games for Linux? Why Zork, of course... (Score:2, Funny)
Phantom EFX Reel Deal (Score:2, Interesting)
I took home two copies; one for them and one for me (I like to play video poker, lol). It's not blow your doors awesome like Wolfenstein, but at 19.95 they've put out a VERY realistic slot machine game. Rated pretty highly by Casino Player Magazine, too.
My Personal List... (Score:5, Informative)
Another note: Linux Game Publishing [linuxgamepublishing.com] is shipping a port of Creatures Internet Edition [creatures.net] which should reach resellers [linuxgamepublishing.com] after Xmas.
Tribes 2 (Score:2)
Tribes 2 has incredibly graphics, the game runs BETTER under Linux than Windows on my 500Mhz Athlon / 64MB DDR Radeon / 384MB. And it is totally immersive. If I just had ping times of less than 500ms everything would be sweet!
I've got the ultimate. (Score:2)
(I would say
The best game is... (Score:2)
UT (Score:2)
I hope the singleplayer Wolfenstein comes out for linux soon. I'm not buying it until it does!
Other than that, the OS itself is a beautiful game! My favorite 'game' is windowmaker, rox-filer, and useful little perl and sh scripts to tie it all together!
That's Easy! (Score:2)
Nothing beats Solitaire (Score:2)
My favorite game is... (Score:2, Funny)
Instruction sites (Score:2)
Re:no stable games for linux.... (Score:2)
If you are only interested in fast-twitch games, why did you use such a trollish subject line? You might have made a point, but instead you just look like a fool to people who know that strategy games like the wonderful FREECIV are plenty stable - more so than many non-linux games.
--Charlie
Re:no stable games for linux.... (Score:2, Interesting)
Either you didnt read the DRI docs or use a modern distro which supports OpenGL pretty well on more than a few cards or was just bad luck . i know had some headaches when I first started to setup dri (XF86 cvs)
OpenGL supported cards are:
Matrox G400,G450,G550
nVidia TNT and above
3dfx Voodoo3 and above (OpenGL w. Glide)
Radeon, Rage128
Except for the nVidia all the other cards are supported by XFree86 natively. nVidia has its own binary drivers (best supported by games).
A default install of Mandrake sets up DRI for you where you can play Quake3 w/o problem if you have a DRI supported card. I played Q3, Q2, Q1, Tribes2 (after the Matrox Multitexturing patch), Unreal Tournament on my G400 MAXX. NO problems
FreeCiv!!! (Score:3, Interesting)
And what I find nice about FreeCiv is that I can play it in one Virtual Window, go to another VW to do stuff, then return to where I left off in FreeCiv. It nicely works with the multi-tasking environment of Linux, unlike the Loki ports I have tried.
Geoff
Re:I've read all the posts... (Score:4, Interesting)
I've wasted a *lot* of time with it.
The *REAL* Falcon's Eye (Score:2)
This was the One True.
Long live Mehul Patel!
Re:The *REAL* Falcon's Eye (Score:2)
nethack! (Score:4, Informative)
Useful links to learn more:
http://www.nethack.org [The official Nethack site)
http://www.nethack.de (A good all around reference)
http://www.spod-central.org/~psmith/nh/ (the *best* place for spoilers)
http://nethack.devnull.net (home of the recently mentioned-on-slashdot tourney where some incredible players put up some incredible scores).
Happy hacking!
Re:RETURN TO CASTLE WOLFENSTIEN (Score:5, Interesting)
Cryptnotic
Re:I like Ultima 7 Black Gate and Serpent Isle (Score:5, Informative)
Probably the only thing left for them to do is a multiplayer game.
Cryptnotic
Re:tribes 2 (Score:2)
You can't just DL the Linux binaries; Loki doesn't get paid by Sierra for the port, rather *they* paid *Sierra*, so any user of the Linux version who only purchased the Windows one is costing them money.