LINUXGAMES

Readers let us know about the release of Oddlabs‘ Tribal Trouble (screenshots). Unfortunately that isn’t Ol’-dirty-bastard labs as you might hope, just odd.

I took the time to play through some of the demo Single Player before posting, and it seems like a good RTS, pretty simple. I would say it is twenty-five dollars cool. The music in particular is very well-done, not the usual John Williams rip-offs you hear in games these days.

Oddlabs has a demo to check out before you buy the game, though it is pretty naggy, and limited. I didn’t see anybody online to play with before posting. Maybe all ya’ll could arrange a game in our forums.

Tribal Trouble Linux Demo Download: [ Oddlabs ]

Thanks go to Lightkey for letting us know about the new release of the NVIDIA Linux driver 1.0-7174 for x86_64, and ye olde x86. This release includes the recent updates for the 1.0-7167 driver. In addition, our freebasing FreeBSD friends get the same revision update. Don’t forget to look to the nV News Linux forum for driver update patches. Here are your highlights:

• Fixed performance problem when using AGPGART.
• Fixed support for GeForce2 Integrated GPUs.
• Fixed a workstation graphics stability problem.
• Improved XRandR rotation support.
• Fixed installation problems on some Linux 2.6 kernels.
• Updated documentation. Please see the text README file.

The latest and greatest version of xmame has been released. Changes are listed below as usual.

• Everything from MAME 0.95 and MESS 0.95
• Fixed a couple of spelling errors in the xmame manpage. (A. Costa)
• Forcing Xv to use YV12 (”-force-yuv 2″) no longer causes rotated games to segfault. Fixes Bugzilla bug 679.
• Fixed a bug in the OpenGL display target that could cause the bitmap to be skewed for some games, such as sfrush.
• Hotkey effect switching works again for MESS consoles. (Christopher Stone)
• Fixed the aspect ratio of the MESS SuperVision driver so that it’s quadratic. (PeT)
• Added a setting to the makefile to disable effects: DISABLE_EFFECTS. This makes the blit files compile much more quickly, especially for older releases of GCC, such as 2.95.3. This may eventually become more finely grained, so that you can disable only certain effects or certain scale factors.

Download: [ xmame/xmess 0.95 ]

Thanks to Lightkey for the notice that version 0.7.1 of ScummVM, a virtual machine for adventure games that utilized LucasArts’ SCUMM system, has been released; the relevant changes this time around are fairly minor.

ScummVM 0.7.1 Download: [ scummvm.org ]

• The Red Orchestrasite has posted the changelogfor version 3.2 of their WWII UT2004 mod, which is scheduled forgeneral release (the Windows version is only available for FilePlanet subscribers right now) onApril 1st.
• Computer Games Magazine has postedan interview withMatthew Farber of PandoraStudios about their UT2004 mod Frag.Ops and future plans. Farber statesthat a new version of Frag.Ops is in the works, as well as a stand-alonesequel (Frag.Ops: Zero Squad) slated for an Enemy Territory-stylerelease.
• If you’re interested in more UnrealEngine 3 info, there’s impressions at ActionTripand GameSpotof the Win32 build showcased at GDC thispast month; there are also videos at 1UP.COM.

Speaking of Unreal Tournament, BeyondUnreal has pointed out that the new issue of Computer Gaming World has a feature on the next game in Epic’s multiplayer FPS series. There’s a metric crapload of new information on the Unreal Engine 3-powered sequel (Ryan “icculus” Gordon has briefly mentioned work on a Linux version of UE3) in the article, which BeyondUnreal has summarized in two news posts ( First | Second ).

“Envy” (the game’s development name) will have more emphasis on AI players (with voice control) and will include a new gametype, Conquest, which has larger maps than Onslaught, Assault-style objectives, RTS-style resource management, and dynamic terrain/structures based on a team’s progress in the match (bwuh?). All of the vehicles from UT2004 will return with new features, as well as nine new vehicles for the Necris team. The weapons list appears largely identical to previous UT titles (flak cannon, redeemer, link gun, shock rifle, etc.); there’s also a few quotes from Epic developers that state Envy is intended to address the perceived flaws of UT2004.

Finally, BU has also posted a few scans of screenshots from the feature, all of which appear to be in the “you’re going to need to upgrade for this game” class, such as this one of a character model next to the revamped Scorpion jeep.

The SAS site has been updated with new map screenshots (Marina and Warehouse), shots of player weapon animations, and notice that Konami is developing a tactical shooter, called The Regiment, derived from the Unreal Tournament 2004 modification. There’s no word yet as to whether the PC version of The Regiment will have any sort of Linux support; if it doesn’t ship with any, there’s the possibility that it can be added by the community (assuming the changes from UT2004 aren’t too extensive), as happened with the retail release of Tactical Ops.

In the meantime, we can all play SAS; the next site update about the upcoming patch will have more map screenshots and info about smaller updates slated for inclusion.

The Last Man Standing mod team has announced the release of Beta 0.3 of their DOOM 3 cooperative multiplayer mod. Changes include singleplayer coop support (with waypoints and more info_player_spawn points), other maps, and code fixes. Calimer, the project lead, also notes that they now have a new double-barreled shotgun model, latency improvements, and an infrared vision mode.

You can sign up for their newsletter here.

Last Man Standing Coop Beta 0.3 Download: [ filefront.com ]

Queasy Games sent in the following press release:

(Toronto, Canada) - Queasy Games has released a new patch for their abstract action-strategy title Gate 88. The patch fixes many stability issues including a nasty bug that caused significant slowdowns in multiplayer games. It is available at the Gate 88 download site.

In addition to fixing the various stability issues, a small gameplay tweak was introduced which raises the starting resources for players. With the extra resources, players are now able to immediately execute a variety of opening strategies instead of always starting the game building factories. The result is a much tighter, and faster gameplay. Also, a new Colour Test Mode allows players to easily mod the colours of the game.

Earlier last month, a massive Gate 88 update was released, bringing a whole slew of refreshing graphical and gameplay enhancements to the game. Unfortunately, the update contained a critical bug which caused multiplayer games to eventually slow to a crawl. Although a temporary fix was released, it did not address many of the other issues covered in this release.

Gate 88 is an abstract space shooter that combines fast-paced action with compelling strategy. PC Gamer UK states “Gate 88 is to Asteroids what the Taj Mahal is to Lego. It’s a top-down shooter with remarkable depth, but it’s not just shooting: there’s territory to grab, factories to deploy, fleets to build, and people to kill.” Gate 88 takes its inspiration from classics like Herzog Zwei, Star Control, Subspace, Homeworld, and Parsec 47.

The changelog can be found here; there’s also the requisite screenshots page.

Gate88 Patch Download: [ queasygames.com ]

A reader had submitted this news item:

MESQUITE, Texas – March 22, 2005 – In August 2005, QuakeCon, the largest video game festival and tournament in North America, will celebrate a decade of “peace, love, and rockets” with an event that promises video game fans the greatest four days of gaming and entertainment. The 10th Annual QuakeCon will once again draw thousands of people from around world to the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas, from Aug. 11-14, and is open to video game fans worldwide free of charge.

Now I ask how many people still really play one of the Quake series games out there.

Interested parties who want to benchmark Unreal Tournament 2003/2004 will be pleased with the release of UMark for Linux:

UMark is an open source graphical interface and data collection system for running benchmarks with Unreal Tournament 2003/2004. It is also coupled with a searchable online database called UMark Online.

Download: [ UMark Beta 2.0 ]

Ralf let us know that RenWerx has announced that their Renegades mod will be switching from Tribes: Vengeance to GarageGames’ Torque engine:

We will be working with the Legends team to establish an amazing base, virtually redoing all the graphics and models that are currently there (along with various other additions), and then expand upon that to form the Next Generation of Renegades. Renegades will be 100% free to download once completed!

The developers have also posted a page listing their reasons for the change; there’s also a jobs page listing open positions on the project.

id Software has announced the release of Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory version 2.60 (Linux FAQ); ET is a free, stand-alone multiplayer game set during WWII. It’s noted that the ETPro mod team was of considerable help in putting this build together; changes include:

• minor optimizations in server and client engine for lower cpu usage
• demo recording and playing fixes. sound recording
• server can redirect clients to other servers when full
• mods menu
• anisotropic texture filtering is now supported in renderer
• fixed http download crashes
• various server engine crashes fixed
• fixed Antilag (it was dependent on client fps, and headshots weren’t delagged)
• upped the number of servers in the browser

Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory 2.60 Download: [ 3DDownloads (Patch) | 3DDownloads (Full Installer) | idsoftware.com | BitTorrent ]

GarageGames let us know that they’ve released Dark Horizons: Lore Invasion for Linux (it was previously available for Linspire owners). DH: Lore Invasion is an action-oriented FPS/mecha game which was named as a finalist in the 2005 Independent Games Festival Competition:

“We wanted to create a game that brought the essence of pure online player-vs-player gaming back,” said Adrian Wright, creator of DH: Lore Invasion. “Based on our love for big battling robots, mecha-style games and intense action, along with the assistance of a vibrant player community, we built DH: Lore Invasion.”

DH: Lore Invasion puts the player into the very mind of the most lethal war machines ever to engage combat in the war-torn Earth of 2155. Connected by a remote neural link, you control your Mechanized Assault Vehicle (MAV) in a squad of allied warriors while seeking to claim soil for the faction to which you have pledged your allegiance.

“We’re so excited to be working with Max Gaming Techologies and watching them craft a great game with the Torque Game Engine,” said Benjamin Bradley from GarageGames. “I think GameShark.com summed it up best when it said, “DH: Lore Invasion is pure fun. Fun the likes of which we normally equate with uber-shooting titles such as Half-Life, Doom and Unreal.”

GarageGames also held an Invasion Week event last week, with articles showcasing the game’s development and fanfiction.

Dark Horizons: Lore Invasion Demo Download (full version also available for $30 USD): [ garagegames.com ]

It’s Monday morning here in the States, so we all need a laugh, right? A reader sent in a link to Mind Bending Software, which “distributes” software designed to implant subliminal messages via OpenGL calls into Linux games for benign/nefarious (depending on your point of view) purposes. I’m donning my tinfoil hat as I write this!

A reader pointed out another X-Plane plugin that’s been released for Linux: XSquawkBox, which allows users to fly on global multiplayer flight sim networks (where other players fly aircraft and provide air traffic control) like VATSIM and IVAO.

XSquawkbox Public Beta 7c Download: [ xsquawkbox.net ]

Version 1.3.3 of Holotz’s Castle has been released; changes include:

• Added Russian translation.
• Added UTF-8 support, allowing translations to any language.
• Fixed a bug making that made the character to get stuck in the floor.

Holotz’s Castle 1.3.3 Download: [ mainreactor.net ]

GZLauncher is a Zdaemon launcher released for Linux under the GPL; it’s used to query Zdaemon servers, launch a game session, view player stats, and update your profile. Changes in version 1.06.4 can be found here.

GZLauncher 1.06.4 Download: [ sourceforge.net ]

Version 2.0.2 of the multiplayer 3D tank game BZFlag has been released to fix a few stability issues. Moreover, new server-side admin features and map texture downloading have been added.

BZFlag 2.0.2 Download: [ bzflag.org ]

A reader pointed out that the first version of GoodWay, a flight planning tool for X-Plane, has been released for Linux. Currently only the freeware version is available for Linux; the dev team states that the registered shareware release is coming soon. A forum post elaborates that the Linux version is at 90% functionality, and more testing is required.

GoodWay 3.1.0 Download: [ xpgoodway.com ]