Thanks to zakk for linking me this: Inform7 is an Interactive Fiction development system, with features such as natural-language code, and educational support. You can watch a screencast demo here; there are also written tutorials.
Download: [ inform7.com ]
The latest developer version of Wine has been announced. The following new features have been added to this release.
Download: [ Wine 1.3.0 ]
Thanks to the developers of Alien Arena 2010 for notifying us that version 7.45 (changelog) was released today:
The latest edition of this open sourced, freeware FPS for Windows and Linux has been updated with a number of important improvements and bugfixes that not only enhance the visual appearance, but greatly improve the performance of the game.
Some of the new features include:
- New Skeletal model format
- Soft shadows
- Faster, more accurate lighting
- Major optimizations for faster rendering
- Fixes for older vertex animated models
- All player models re-animated with new model format
- A number of IRC client fixes
- Many model skins updated
Download: [ icculus.org ]
I’ve been meaning to mention this game for months now, so here it is: Sleep is Death is the latest game from indie developer Jason Rohrer, who also created the acclaimed games Passage, Between, and Primrose. As with his other projects, Sleep is Death is not a traditional game, focusing on two players crafting an interactive story akin to an online multiplayer Dungeons and Dragons session minus the players’ guides.
The two people in a Sleep is Death session will take turns improvising their way through their story in “controller” and “player” roles, with a configurable time limit. There’s a community site, sidtube, with additional game assets and “flipbooks” showing the stories others have written.
As with other indie titles, Sleep is Death currently has a “pay what you want” model (the minimum is $1.75 US), which gets you two download keys for yourself and a friend.
Download: [ sleepisdeath.net ]
Thanks to humberto for letting us know Space Dream Factory have released their first beta of the game Babylon 5: I’ve Found Her for Linux.
Babylon 5: I’ve Found Her is a freeware space combat simulator game set in the universe of Babylon 5 with Newtonian-based physics and 3-axis movement. There’s an eight mission story mode and a multiplayer/simulator mode; additionally, other custom missions are available.
Screenshots: [ View ] Download [ b5.ru ]
EDIT: Thanks to a reader for pointing out this forum thread, where the developers are looking for feedback from Linux users.
Version 1.0.0.13 of The Goblin and the Butterfly, a 2D MMORPG, has been released. Changes:
Download: [ the-green-leaf.de ]
The Wine team is proud to announce that the stable release Wine 1.2 is
now available.This release represents two years of development effort and over
23,000 changes. The main highlights are the support for 64-bit
applications, and the new graphics based on the Tango standard.It also contains a lot of improvements across the board, and over
3,000 bug fixes. See the release notes below for a summary of the
major changes.
Download: [ Wine 1.2 ]
Engadget mentioned today that Gamepark Holdings is on the verge of releasing another new Linux-based handheld game console in their GP2X line, the Caanoo.
The Caanoo will have double the memory and a GPU over its predecessor, the Wiz. Engadget states that it should begin shipping on August 15 to online retailers such as Play-Asia.
The fourth telling of A Tale in the Desert, a community-oriented MMORPG set in ancient Egypt, is coming to a close as described in this press release (thanks Blue):
A Tale in the Desert 4 is swiftly coming to a close and eGenesis has announced the end-game activities. Players will vote on which of the two brothers who have been dividing Egypt all tale are to be Pharaoh. In doing so, players will also be choosing whether to have new tests or new technologies coded in A Tale in the Desert 5.
The sons of Pharaoh, who passed away after A Tale in the Desert 3, have been pulling the players in opposite directions since A Tale in the Desert 4 began. Sami believes in living the good life and in leisure, while Wahim thinks hard work and challenges are the way to find meaning. Finally the players will get a say as they choose between Sami and Wahim. The winner of a server-wide election will become the Pharaoh of Egypt as it moves into A Tale in the Desert 5.
NVIDIA has released a new Linux display driver build, version , for 32-bit and 64-bit x86 Linux systems that utilize their graphics hardware (thanks Ant!). There are many, many changes, such as unofficial GLX support and several bugfixes. As always, hit the README for additional info.
Download: [ nvidia.com ]
Linux-friendly indie developer Introversion has made the source code to their games Darwinia (available for Linux) and Multiwinia (not ported to date) available for a fee:
The code is distributed via an online subversion repository, where you can not only access the vanilla sources, but also create your own branches to share with other developers. Purchase of this product also grants you access to the Darwinia and Multiwinia development forum and wiki, where you can discuss mods with other developers.
For those specifically interested in modding Multiwinia, we are running an entirely separate Metaserver for multiplayer testing. Each copy of the Soure Code includes five authentication keys, meaning you can code changes to Multiwinia and test with 4 players and still have a key spare.
Note: You will need Windows and Visual Studio 2008 to build the games. We have tested that the code compiles correctly on the PC, but you will need to put some effort in to compile for Mac / Linux. There is no Xbox code in this release.
[...]
This continues Introversion’s long term plan to eventually release the source code to all of its games, a process started with the Uplink Dev CD several years ago. We hope to continue doing this in the future!
I can’t say I’ve ever seen this particular mode of source access before; Ryan Gordon had this to say about it on twitter:
I’m not sure it qualifies as “releasing your source code” if you charge for access to the Subversion repository. Interesting idea, though.
We’ll keep watch for interesting projects that utilize the source, such as a Multiwinia port.
Gaming on Linux noted that Wildfire Games has announced the release of a third pre-alpha version of 0 A.D., a free, open-source game of ancient warfare. It’s not playable yet, but this build includes multiplayer support, improved GUI, improved pathfinding, and more.
A new release candidate of Wine has been announced. This release contains the usual bugs fixes and translation updates associated with Wine release candidates.
Download: [ Wine 1.2-rc7 ]
The incredible Nemoder let me know that the popular Dwarf Fortress has been updated to 0.31.09 fixing many of the combat bugs and other problems. See the full release notes for details.
Dwarf Fortress is a real-time fantasy simulation in which the player manages a colony of industrious dwarves. While there is no way to win, per se, there are nearly infinite ways to lose. Most of these can be hilariously fun.
The default game is rendered entirely in ASCII characters (screenshot) however there are several very nice 3rd party graphical tilesets for those seeking less eyestrain (such as Mayday – screenshot).
Some useful links cribbed from the informative SA thread:
Download: [ bay12games.com ]
A request for assistance:
We are small group of indie developers who has been working on their first game since 2008.
Steel Storm is a 3D top down arcade shooter with distinct visuals and fun gameplay. Single player and multiplayer modes are supported.
The game is being developed on Linux, for Linux, Mac and Win platforms.
We are working hard to get the first public alpha-demo out pretty soon.
More information can be found on the game’s Facebook page.
The Flying Penguin is a game where you try to fly the penguin as far as possible with limited fuel. While in the air, you have to collect floating fish to gain extra fuel. This is a native OpenGL game inspired by the flash game Hedgehog Launch.
Thanks to the creator of Mattery, an online browser strategy game, for sending us a heads up about the release of version 1.36:
LinuxLinks has posted an overview of the various Sega Mega Drive/Genesis emulators available:
The Sega Mega Drive (Sega Genesis) was a leading 16-bit video game console system. The console was developed by Sega Corporation in 1988. By current console standards, the Mega Drive’s specification seem positively pedestrian. However, at its launch the console’s specifications surpassed competitors in many respects. Demand for the Mega Drive took off with the release of the classic game, Sonic the Hedgehog.
To provide an insight into the quality of software that is available, we have compiled a list of 6 high quality Mega Drive emulators. Hopefully, there will be something of interest here for anyone who wants to relive their mis-spent youth.
While I was on sabbatical, Protektor sent in a whole mess of Linux games we’ve yet to mention:
This post was submitted by Protektor.
Catch-up time: Following in the footsteps of other Humble Indie Bundle titles, the source code to Aquaria was released by Alec Holowka:
Releasing code is hard for me. It’s always imperfect (or in my case, mostly a mess) and it feels extremely personal. Especially with Aquaria – a game that involved a lot of stress and heartbreak over the course of its development. (a significant portion of the code was written while under the influence of Canadian Club Whisky)
[...]
In any case, hopefully some people will find the code useful, and hopefully some will manage to improve it.
You can find the details of the code over at Wolfire.com. And much thanks to the amazing Ryan C. Gordon for porting the game to Linux (and Mac again) and organizing the open source release. What a guy.
Here’s a tally of the games that have released source code under the Humble auspices to date:
Aquaria – Source
Gish – Source
Lugaru – Source
Penumbra: Overture – Source
