LINUXGAMES

For people who want to keep an eye on their game servers from their desktop, may be interested in skQstatwhich utilized the python module qstat.py to obtain stats.

Download: [ skQstat 0.3 ]

The open source real-time strategy game project Globulation 2 (screenshots) is now at version 0.8.10; changes:

• settings for custom/default cursors
• YOG shows IRC users
• Campaign support
• Test campaign
• Warrior behaviour improved
• Network connection/join/map download bugs fixed
• Areas fixed in network game
• Several small bugs fixed, typo upgrade and memory trash removed

Thanks to the Linux Game Tome for the heads up.

Globulation 2 v0.8.10 Download: [ ysagoon.com ]

Version 1.43 of the Super NES emulator Snes9X is now available; changes include:

• Rewrote keyboard setup code
• unmap all joystick buttons before applying -joymapX
• AMD64 compilation fixes
• Loading a zip file on binaries without zip support
• Added install target with proper –prefix handling

Snes9X 1.43 Download: [ lysator.liu.se ]

Version 1.40 of the Super NES emulator ZSNES has been released; the gargantuan changelog can be found here.

ZSNES 1.40 Download: [ zsnes.com ]

Version 0.16 of Brendan Burns’ Quake 2 source port Quake2 for Linux has been released (thanks linuX-gamers.net). Changes include:

• Improved joystick support
• ALSA sound support
• Improved x86_64 support

Quake2 for Linux 0.16 Download: [ icculus.org ]

The version 8.04 beta release of the flight simulator X-Plane is now available; 8.04 adds simulation for several flight systems (electric, hydraulic, pressurization, and vacuum), which includes specific system failure modeling.

Also, GoodWay, a flight planner for X-Plane, will be released for Linux in the near future.

X-Plane 8.04 Beta-1 Download (acts as a demo for non-registered users): [ x-plane.com ]

Slashdot pointed out that a bootable Knoppix Linux distribution which includes a large amount of games has been released; it’s available for download via BitTorrent here.

Tom’s Hardware ran a feature article this past week looking at the state of gaming on the Linux platform. The prevalence of Direct3D, graphics driver support, and Cedega issues are all mentioned as current shortfalls.

KaPooka version 0.3, a puzzle game, has been released. Changes include the implementation of all interface buttons, and the addition of background graphics and music.

KaPooka 0.3 Download: [ sourceforge.net ]

John Carmack (id software’s lead SMAERTY MAN GRAPFX CODAR, and genuine rocket scientist) updated his relatively new Blog hosted at the Armadillo Aerospace site. In addition to his thoughts on graphics, he posted this regarding the lack of a Quake 3: Arena source release:

I intended to release the Q3 source under the GPL by the end of 2004, but we had another large technology licensing deal go through, and it would be poor form to make the source public a few months after a company paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for full rights to it. True, being public under the GPL isn’t the same as having a royalty free license without the need to disclose the source, but I’m pretty sure there would be some hard feelings.

Previous source code releases were held up until the last commercial license of the technology shipped, but with the evolving nature of game engines today, it is a lot less clear. There are still bits of early Quake code in Half Life 2, and the remaining licensees of Q3 technology intend to continue their internal developments along similar lines, so there probably won’t be nearly as sharp a cutoff as before. I am still committed to making as much source public as I can, and I won’t wait until the titles from the latest deal have actually shipped, but it is still going to be a little while before I feel comfortable doing the release.

Check out his blog for more on this subject, and others.

The Last Man Standing team has released beta 0.1 of their DOOM 3 modification. Features:

• Brand new menu with new graphics, sound, etc.
• Shoulder flashlight
• The maps include four different difficulty levels for players of varying skill
• Score system
• End of game score display
• Kicking soundtrack to every map
• Walkspeed changed to equal runspeed
• Pistol is 3 shot
• Double barrel shotgun – single shot autoreload version (a new model for this weapon is planned for the next release)
• Chaingun with 300 round belt and a lower rate of fire
• Plasmathrower – Turned the plasmagun into a flamethrower using plasma (a new model for this weapon is planned for the next release)
• Six new maps, which feature monsters hunting down the player

Cooperative multiplayer is not included in this release, but calimer sent along this note:

We have made a lot of progress in terms of coop. Iplan on posting screens of it in action when I can.Also Burn is working on putting together a video of afew us playing coop. I’m not 100% sure when he isgoing to have it completed but I think it should be inthe next couple of days at the very longest. I’ll besure to post more news about it when it is ready, socheck back soon!

Other additions planned for the next beta include at least one new map, and additional weapons models/tweaks.

Last Man Standing Beta 0.1 Download: [ filefront.com ]