LINUXGAMES

The OpenTTD team has released version 0.5.0 of their Transport Tycoon Deluxe clone. New features:

• YAPF: a lean-mean C++ pathfinder with far superiour performance to NPF and the original pathfinder
• TGP: a customizable random land generator
• UTF8: full unicode support throughout openttd (display, input and output)
• NewGRF: newstations, newsounds, I18n and many more fixes and features
• Multiplayer: MP stability has greatly improved, desyncs diminished

Screenshots: [ View ] Download: [ openttd.org ]

The SplashDamage Blog (which moved to myspace after some downtime at their official website) has an updatedevoted to Enemy Territory: QuakeWars’ genesis and backstory:

Firstly, by setting the game in the Quake universe and charting the Strogg invasion of Earth (as a prequel to the Quake series of single-player games), we’d have another great multiplayer environment to build the game in (as with World War II for Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory). This new futuristic setting provided a great backdrop to paint the Strogg against, inspiring lots of interesting new objectives, especially relating to how Earth’s Global Defense Force was eventually able to retaliate against Stroggos in Quake 2 with their discovery of Strogg ‘Slipgate’ technology.

Version 0.78 of the Q4Max competition modwas released to support the beta 1.4 build of Quake 4. Other changes include theaddition of multi-pov and a “follow” command for Q4TV.

Download: [ q4max.com ]

Linux Game Publishing just sent in the following announcement:

After a long wait, Knightsand Merchants has gone gold! The game is in production and is expected in stock within 2-3 weeks. We are accepting preorders for Knights in our store from both resellers and endusers. If you want to try it out, a demo is available for you to download here.

For Ubuntu Linux users, Alberto Milonehas published a Python-based command-lineutility for installing graphics card drivers (ATI or NVIDIA): Envy.

Warsownews.nethas interviewed the lead tester and PR manager for the Warsow project about the next iteration ofthe open source multiplayer FPS, which emphasies fast trick-oriented (i.e.,special moves) gameplay. Rocket arena, new maps, tournament play, and WarsowTV are discussed.

Version 1.2.2 of DropTeam was releasedearlier this month via the game’s updater. Changes:

• Sweeping network optimizations – should reduce lag for most players
• New scenario “Desert Mesa” by Toby Haynes
• Fixed brakes on wheeled vehicles
• Fixed server crash related to tactical diagrams
• Fixed automated turrets not firing when they should
• Mouse handling cleanups on the tac display
• Fixed bots failing to use beam weapons and ATGM’s properly (they wereholding their fire when they shouldn’t have been)
• Fixed server crash related to votes
• Now all chassis types are allowed to carry passengers instead of onlywheeled chassis (useful for modders)
• OBJ model lighting fixes (useful for modders)

Also, AssociatedContent has reviewedthe future-themed armored ground combat sim:

Dropteam plays very well even though it does have some pretty low key graphicsand effects. The developers put more effort and work into the games damage andpenetration models as well as the general physics to make an extremelyrealistic tactical simulation. Dropteam is well worth purchasing if you’reinto combat simulation games.

There’s also a wiki withdocumentation.

• 1up.com hasposted a new preview of Unreal Tournament III, the next title inEpic Games’first-person shooter series.
• GameVideos.com has avideo up of multiplayer gameplay in UT3 (deathmatch and CTF); there are alsomirrors @ ESReality.
• Version 4.1 of Strike Force,a Unreal Tournament 2004 modwith an emphasis on fun gameplay over strict realism, was released. There’s along list of new features at the official website too lengthy to enumeratehere; suffice to say there’s improvements and fixes across the board, as wellas new maps.
• Version 1.32 of AlienSwarm is also out; there’s also a link to a new campaign: Escape from Rhea. Alien Swarm is acooperative-multiplayer UT2004 mod played from an overhead perspective.

Lincity NG 1.1.0, a city simulation game similar to SimCity 3000, has been released. Changes include the following items:

• Display correct values for unemployment rate.
• Port connects on all land parts.
• Change background music in menu.
• Show range of markets in traffic view
• French online help
• German online help

Download: [ LinCity-NG 1.1.0 ]

Version 2.0.9 of Freeciv, an open source Civilization-style game, was released earlier this month. Changes include various bugfixes and new localizations.

Screenshots: [ View ] Download: [ wikia.com ]

linuX-gamers.net pointed out Waterstorm, a 2D multiplayershooter with a submarine theme. There will be a Linux open beta test; you canregister here.

Linux.com has posted another new Linux game review; this one examines FreeCol:

Colonizing a new world is not a trivial task, even when you’re doing it in a clone of a famous game. FreeCol is a free-as-in-free-software Java-based clone of Sid Meier’s Colonization that’s currently at the 0.5.3 release. But even this far short of a 1.0 release, it is coming along nicely enough to have earned it the designation of SourceForge.net Project of the Month. It is certainly playable, albeit with a few rough edges here and there and a few missing pieces.

Speaking of open source drivers, there’s a project devoted to creating 3D drivers for NVIDIA graphics cards: Nouveau. There’s hardware documentation and a FAQ which mentions 2D rendering is now usable.

Name/Version: BeastieWorker 0.4
Summary: BeastieWorker is 3D sokoban-like game
Screenshots [ View ] Download [ BeastieWorker 0.4 ]

Name/Version: Brikx 0.3.5
Summary: A small puzzle game in which your goal is to remove all tiles from the table. You are held up by other tiles, gravity walls, and other things, and you can even redesign the level while playing!
Screenshots [ View ] Download [ Brikx 0.3.5 ]

Name/Version: bushsweeper 0.5
Summary: Clone of minesweeper game but you sweep bushs from your country Programmed C++ used FLTK GUI library cross platform
Screenshots [ View ] Download [ bushsweeper 0.5 ]

The Linux hardware review site Phoronix has posted two articles of interest recently:

• An evaluation of Intel’s GMA 3000 Linux graphics driver (which is open source).
• There’s also a retrospective test with NVIDIA’s most recent Linux display drivers; a look ahead to the next iterations is also included.

A reader pointed out episode 15 of the Open Source On The Air podcast, which featured Tim Ansell, from the Thousand Parsec project; Rusty Russell, a kernel hacker and contributer to the Wesnoth project; and Michael Kedzierski, from the kruel.org game dev studio. The guests discuss open source game development and issues like creating pleasing artwork.

Version 0.9.31 of Wine, an Open Source implementation of the Windows API on top of X and Unix, has been released. Changes in this release include:

• Many Direct3D fixes and performance improvements.
• Several new comctl32 test cases.
• IDL compiler improvements.
• More OLE32 marshalling fixes.
• Lots of bug fixes.

Download: [ Wine 0.9.31 ]

Faolan Devyn Aodfin has released a new front end, Foceus Emulator, to the FCE Ultra NES/Famicom emulator for Linux. It is designed for easy access to the emulator’s most used features, as well as some of the more esoteric options.

Download: [ oshkoshgeek.com ]

The Tribal Trouble team notified us about version 1.7 of their award-winning real-time strategy game. Changes include:

• Optimized landscape rendering: The landscape is now rendered faster than ever so the slow cards can play the game and the faster cards can set even higher detail.
• Improved movement: Sending a big army through a narrow passage has often made the units wait for each other causing the army to get scattered. The units are now more intelligent and move a lot faster by each other.
• Distance fog: Object seen far away are now slightly covered by fog to give a more realistic view of the islands.
• Bug Fix: The free quit time is now once again shorter for faster games.

Screenshots: [ View ] Download: [ Demo | Full Version ($29.95 USD) ]

GarageGames has released a new game for the Linux x86 platform – Kachinko:

In the style of traditional Pachinko machines, Kachinko features an onslaught of colored balls and only a few places to catch them. The name of the game is strategy and quick wits. Kachinko starts simply enough, requiring you to eliminate sets of three like-colored balls at a time. The challenge is significantly increased when you’re forced to put together longer chains and set up massive combos in order to get a score worthy of completing a level.

You can view GarageGames’ other Linux titles here. There’s a demo available for Kachinko; the full version costs $19.95 USD.

Screenshots: [ View ] Download: [ garagegames.com ]