LINUXGAMES

Thanks to Ant for pointing out that NVIDIA released a new display driver, build 260.19.36 (one day I’ll figure out what drives graphics chipset/card manufacturer naming schemes):

• Updated the NVIDIA kernel module to ensure that all system memory allocated by it for use with GPUs or within user-space components of the NVIDIA driver stack is initialized to zero. A new NVIDIA kernel module option, InitializeSystemMemoryAllocations, allows administrators to revert to the previous behavior.
• Fixed a bug that caused X servers version 1.9 and higher to crash when color index overlays were enabled.
• Fixed a bug that caused pixel value 255 to be treated as transparent in color index overlays.

Download: [ nvidia.com ]

The Wolfire Games blog pointed out a new live video show, Overgrowth Weekly, that discusses development and community happenings regarding the upcoming rabbit action game, Overgrowth. Show archives are up at YouTube, and dev updates can also always be found at the official blog.

Edit: Wolfire have also posted their weekly update showcasing new features/changes in the Overgrowth alpha (available for pre-ordering customers):

• Initial guard voice test
• Ctrl-o to load parallax scene and play camera animation
• New heavy footsteps for wolf
• Fixed problem with weapons with tangent normal maps
• Can import and play back Blender camera animations
• Editor camera exposed to scripting
• Sound label display to display all sound paths
• Jumping on alternate legs
• Loading and displaying parallax scenes with depth sort

Proxy Studios has released a patch for Conquest: Divide and Conquer:

• Added replay all animations to the R keyboard button.
• Added shortcuts for placing (and unplacing) operations to the buttons 1, 2 and 3.
• Official ranked servers’ settings can now be changed by the first player joining.
• Fixed the game not working on CPUs not supporting SSE2.
• Fixed multiplayer crash.
• Fixed unit and operation bounding boxes, they were 33% smaller than intended.
• Fixed repulsion not working.

The game’s auto-updater will pick up the patch, so no work on your part is required.

Demo Download: [ conquest-game.com ]

Zachtronics Industries released SpaceChem for Linux and other platforms. A puzzle game, it involves the construction of factories and workflows to convert material into chemical products.

The developer, Zach Barth, was also interviewed at Rock, Paper, Shotgun about SpaceChem and how a previous game project inspired Notch to create Minecraft.

Catchup time!

• This year’s QuakeCon will take place in Dallas, TX from August 4^th through the 7^th.
• id Software updated the RAGE website with more screenshots!
• Tiny and Big was named a Student Showcase winner for the 2011 Independent Game Festival!
• Arx Fatalis, a first-person RPG released for Windows in 2002, was open-sourced by Arkane Studios. Free Gamer has a recent post examining a Linux port’s progress.
• World of Padman 1.5.1 was released with bugfixes for the open source multiplayer first-person shooter.
• Gearfuse has a neat article up examining the appeal of roguelike RPGs.
• SpaceZero is 2-player space combat game (download).
• This preview @Ars Technica mentions that Voxatron will be coming to Linux in October, which I hadn’t heard before.

SillySoft, creators of Lux and other Linux strategy games, have released Castle Vox. Features include:

• Maps from many eras and mythologies
• Map editor
• Hard AI
• Online multi-player modes: relaxed and speed variants.
• Achievements.
• Mixes elements from Diplomacy and Axis & Allies board games.

Demo Download: [ sillysoft.net ]

FreedroidRPG is an isometric 3D RPG set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by robots. Last November version 0.14.1 was released, bringing with it new levels, dialogs, and engine updates:

Since this blog hasn’t been updated since version 0.11, a notification is in order, as significant improvements in the storyline and interface have occurred, including flushing out the game world, adding new missions, graphics, and other content (lots of bug-fixes).

If you would like to help us develop this further, or give us feedback, please contact us on our forum or IRC (#freedroid on irc.freenode.net).

Download: [ freedroid.org ]

The Goblin and the Butterfly has released version 1.0.0.19 with the following changes:

• GUI update part 2 brings a trade window, so players can now trade without typing text commands.
• A few new maps were added and some map bugs were fixed.

Download: [ the-green-leaf.de ]

The Legend of Edgar has been updated to 0.76:

• Fixed a crash when killing a centurion
• Corrected the makefile version number
• The fish in the Left Tower no longer become stuck if the player falls in the water
• Fixed a bug when the player becomes frozen in ice
• Fixed a bug where the player could not turn into a Slime if standing on the ground
• Added Spanish translation

Download: [ parallelrealities.co.uk ]

A reader has put together an icon pack for various popular Linux games (thanks SeanW!):

http://half-left.deviantart.com/art/Faenza-Games-Icon-Pack-189876623

Version 0.7 of Freedoom, a project which replaces the commercial DOOM game’s media assets with openly-licensed replacements (thus making Freedoom a complete FOSS game) was released. Here be the changelog.

As an aside, that’s the first time I’ve ever used the acronym FOSS; do you like it? What’s your preferred nomenclature?

Download: [ nongnu.org ]

Recent episodes from the always awesome Linux Game Cast:

Episode 11 (Preview below): “OpenBOR is a fantastic game engine. But, just how do you get it running natively under Linux? GOOD question; I plan on showing how it’s done. ‘I followed the included instructions and got virtually nowhere.’ will soon be things of the past.”

Episode 12 (Preview below):

Illwinter Game Design released a patch for the turn-based strategy game Dominions 3: The Awakening this week; changes include:

• Improved performance and window responsiveness during the ‘AI thinking’ host stage.
• It was sometimes possible to continue sacrificing slaves even if your temple had burned down. Fixed.
• Fixed crash during turn generation.
• popkill now works for non-commanders as well.
• Command line switch -nonationinfo is now implemented.
• Yogini was not a female. Many a date ended with a surprise. Fixed.
• Pulseaudio on Linux no longer requires Pulseaudio dev package to be installed.
• New modding commands for underwater recruiting.
• Modding: Maximum number of spells increased to 2000.
• Modding: Maximum number of name types increased to 100.
• Many, many more changes, corrections, and additions.

You can also follow future patch changes at the dev blog.

Download: [ shrapnelgames.com ]

A new development release of Wine has been announced. This version, being 1.3.12, has the following new items included in it

• Support for multiple icon sizes in winemenubuilder.
• Improvements to the help browser.
• Initial stab at DOSBox integration.
• Various MSI fixes.
• Some fixes to the Wine debugger.
• Various bug fixes.

Download: [ Wine 1.3.12 ]

Gaming on Linux has conducted an interview with Daniel of the OpenXcom project:

I mean, on one hand the primary goal of OpenXcom is to provide the exact same experience the original did, without any risks of completely ruining it forever. Buuuuut… come on, it’s impossible to take a project like this and not wanna improve it a little, right?

We haven’t mentioned this one in a while, woops: LambdaRogue, a Roguelike RPG with story emphasis, is now at version 1.6. Changes include improvements on late-game balance, new content, and UI enhancements.

Download: [ lambdarogue.net ]

Notch, the yeoman developer of Minecraft, noted on his blog that the survival/construction game has reached one million sales. Also, another blog post mentions that cake(!) will be coming in a future update.

Finally, if you want to watch other people play Minecraft, YOGSCAST has a wealth of playthrough videos up on YouTube.

S2 Games have released version 2.0.5 of Heroes of Newerth, their DoTA-inspired strategy game. Changes include:

• Added new Alt Avatar for Arachna
• Added new Flags, Icons, and Bundles
• Fixed up Chipper recommended items
• “Ownage” now only plays on the fifth team kill streak, not all kills five or greater
• Fixed weather effects stopping when joining a new game
• Fied Alt Avatars being selected during hero loading
• Fixed a crash when someone selected an invalid Alt Avatar
• The Wards stat is now Wards Places instead of Wards Bought
• Players attempting to join matchmaking groups that are already queued for a match will now be stopped from doing so with an appropriate message and popup
• The chat server should now throttle repeated matchmaking invites sent from players trying to spam invites
• Disjointing improvements:
• All orders can now be disjointed (e.g. right clicking to attack a hero that then blinks will cancel your attack order)
• Attacks will now get canceled mid-attack if the target disjoints
• Spells will now get canceled mid-cast if the target disjoints
• Channeled spells will now get canceled if the target disjoints
• Striders:
  • Now begins to lose charges when you are within 900 units of a visible enemy hero
  • The max number of charges is lowered by 1 for every 100 units closer you are to an enemy hero
• Dampeer:
  • Fixed some abilities playing through fog
  • No longer invulnerable when charging at someone
• Legionnaire:
  • Fixed the no damage charge bug
• Keeper of the Forest:
  • Stealth is now removed when the attack completes, not when it starts

As with previous patches, the client will auto-update.

Version 1.3.11 of Wine, this being the latest development release, has been announced. Changes in this release includes the following:

• PO files now used for translations.
• Various JavaScript improvements.
• Some fixes to the Wine debugger.
• Translation updates.
• Various bug fixes.

Download: [ Wine 1.3.11 ]

Gaslamp Games let us know that they’ve posted a new trailer for their upcoming roguelike RPG Dungeons of Dredmor:

Also, Gaslamp Games have announced DoD will be released in April of this year!