LINUXGAMES

JEDI fired in this warning concerningthe shipping of Vicarious Visions’ Linux space simTerminus:

I just got my copy of Terminus and it’s rather battered.

First, TuxGames insists on being skimpy on their packaging.

Add to this the fact that the Terminus box has NOTHING insideto help it structurally (like the usual brown corrugated cardboard)and the the result is somewhat inevitable.

Plus, that goofy little CD folder allows the CD’s themselves to movearound every which way. Vicarious Visions should have QA’ed their box.

….can’t comment on the game yet, still futzing around with Xfree 4.01gettingit running…

BTW, I’ve had games come from France (Hopkins FBI) and Australia (UT)less damaged.

I can vouch for the sleeve complaint… the way the CDs are constantly falling out is rather annoying :/.

A Talent For War updated to note that the version 1.4 (whichquickly followed v1.3) patches have been released for the new space simTerminus, developed byVicarious Visions. Changes (in 1.3 and 1.4):

• Removed ability to create black ships in cosmetic detail screen
• Restored the Ship Manager
• Fixed disconnect while joining a multiplayer game
• Fixed comm queue overflow when starting some games
• Fixed one liner bug when ignoring player communications
• Fixed comm interface update bug

Patches:

• v1.2 to v1.3: TerminusLinuxRetailPatch12to13.tar.gz
• v1.3 to v1.4: TerminusLinuxRetailPatch13to14.tar.gz
• v1.1 to v1.4: TerminusLinuxRetailPatch11to14.tar.gz

Furthermore, there’s been some controversy over just which non-Linux-exclusive shipped firstwith multiple binaries in one box… although there’s been many contenders(Hopkins FBI,BFRIS,Krilo,Theocracy, and probably some I’m forgetting), I thinkit’s safe to say this is the most widely available retail game which includes Linux support with Win32/MacOS out of box. In any case… I’m of the opinion that it’s a rather silly thing to fight over, especiallyconsidering our tactical position of industry underdog. Let’s show some solidarity folks, ok?

Games.Linux.com has posted a press release from Vicarious Visions stating that the epic space combat RPG Terminus is now shipping. To order the game, go to Vicarious Visions’ Online Store.

As soon as you receive your copy of Terminus, you will want to patch it right away up to version 1.2. There is also a patch for the demo to bring it up to v1.2. These patches include:

• Added GameRanger support
• Fixed gauntlet docking bug
• Added force software mixing option, snd_force_softmix, to work around bad soundcards

Terminus 1.2 patches:
Retail Version: TerminusLinuxRetailPatch12.tar.gz (600 KB)
3ddownloads Mirror
Demo Version: TerminusLinuxDemoPatch12.tar.gz (500 KB)
3ddownloads Mirror

On a slightly related note, LinuxMall.com has published an article on Vicarious Visions which focuses, of course, on Terminus and Terminus’ history and development. (Thanks to Linux Today)

NOTE from Crusader: This title is something of a milestone, in that A) this is the first non-Loki-published mainstream retail Linux game B) It’s the first title to include binaries for Linux and other supported platforms all in one retail box.

The Linux version of Vicarious Visions’demo for Terminus,the space combat sim which will hit retail stores shortly, has been released byMaximum Linux. The demo weighs in 37.7 meg;thanks to Mike Hobbs for the heads up.

Linux Terminus Demo Mirrors:

Maximum Linux
A Talent For War
3D Downloads

A Talent For War will be holding theirfifth multi-developer space-sim chat tomorrow, June 10, 2000. The chat begins at1 PM Eastern (6 PM GMT) and participating developers include members fromboth the Parsec andTerminus development teams.For more information, visit theATFW chat info page.

Michael Hobbs sent in the following update from Vicarious Visions’ Karthik Bala concerning the status of Terminus, the space combat sim which will include Linux binaries in the retail box:

Hey Everyone,

I know you all are eagerly anticipating the release of Terminus, whichwentgold on May 17th. We made all our deadlines but ran into someproduction-related problems outside our direct control and consequentlytheoriginal ship date of June 8th has slipped by a couple of weeks.

The boxed copies are scheduled to come out of production on June 22nd.I’mpersonally going down to the manufacturing facility and picking up thefirst100 copies as soon as they come off the production line. The Terminusteamwill be signing, numbering the copies and shipping them out the sameday.All other pre-order copies will ship out on June 27th, the new launchdate.The game should be in retail stores across North America that week.

To tie you over until then, I’ve got some good news: We’re almost donewiththe Terminus demo! It should be going into final QA by the end of theweek.The demo will be available for PC, Mac and Linux. I don’t have an exactrelease date yet, but we’ll be releasing it as soon as QA signs off onit.

I want to thank everyone for hanging in there. We couldn’t have finishedTerminus without your loyal support and enthusiasm! We reallyappreciateit.

Karthik Bala
CEO
Vicarious Visions

Here are a few updates relating to commercial titles being developed (i.e., by the original developer as opposedto a third-party port):

• An interview with Dave Georgesonof Dynamix concerning the upcoming sci-fi multiplayer combat gameTribes 2 has been posted atGameSlice; in it, Dave discusses the Tribes 2 engine, vehicular options, arms(including anti-air missiles… it sounds like supression of enemy air defenses will be a priority for anysuccessful assault team), and new gameplay mods (thanks KungFu).It has been previouslystated that the Linux client port of Tribes 2will be released by Dynamix at some point after the initial Win32 version ships.

• Inside Mac Games fired off dual warshots with regardsto the upcoming space combat sim Terminus (whichwill include Linux, MacOS, and Win32 binaries in the retail box): Aninterview withVicarious Visions CEO Karthik Bala, and apreview of the game, which recently went gold(thanks Blue). Furthermore,Station Terminusposted their initial impressions earlier this week; nine screenshots are also included.
• The Anarchy Online site updated withthree additional screenshots from the QT-basedMMORPG; they’re available athttp://www.anarchy-online.com/game/screenshots/screenshots.html.
• Neverwinter Vault has posted ashotof Neverwinter Nights’ radialmenu UI (thanks Eurogamer.net, who, incidentally,have their own preview of NWN up). Neverwinter Nights is a multiplayer (not massive or persistent however)AD&D RPG being developed for Linux by Bioware.
• Finally, BWVault reported thatthe Black & White fansiteThe Citadel has posted severalE3 videos inMPEG format, including one with Peter Molyneux’s statements on open-sourcingthe god game to facilitate community modification.

Lee Anderson wrote in to let us know that his second article for LinuxWorld has been published: Immersed in Terminus. The article is a review of the now-golden 3D space combat sim Terminus and it covers the game’s storyline and world, training, Gauntlet and Campaign modes, graphics, sound, installation, and system requirements.

Karthik Bala, CEO of Vicarious Visions has announced that the the long-awaited space sim Terminus has gone gold. This announcement comes after approximately 3.5 years of work on the project. In the announcement it is also mentioned that a demo is now in the works and an official press release will also be put out soon.

Karthik Bala, CEO of Vicarious Visions and director of Terminus, has updated the developer journal at Station Terminus. In his latest entry he discusses the preparations they are making for E3 and what finishing touches need to be added to Terminus before it is released.

• Terry Warner has updated Games.Linux.com with a new preview of Vicarious Visions’ upcoming space sim Terminus. Moreover, the Adrenaline Vault has posted their Terminus preview as well. Screenshots of the Linux version are available here.
• MaCaBrE of the Loki Portal Page wrote in to announce the he’s launched a new section devoted to Loki’s upcoming SimCity 3000 port.

The Adrenaline Vault posted a preview of the upcoming space combat sim Terminus. The preview covers some background on the game’s setting, the Newtonian physics flight model, navigation and combat.

Shodan from Station Terminus sent in the following news regarding the limited edition of Terminus:

The contest for the 100 limited edition copies of Terminus is finallyover with. The last of the 100 vacancies were filled at 6:45PM PSTSunday night. Anyone who submitted their information after this datewill not be included in the list, however, there may be some vacanciesafter Vicarious Visions goes through the list and confirms each order.Some people may not have pre-ordered, or simply cannot be reached, sodon’t give up just yet.

If you did make the list, once Vicarious Visions has confirmed yourorder, you will be notified via email. I would like to thank everyonewho participated in this contest for taking the time to submit their

Shodan of Station Terminus sent in the following news:

Vicarious Visions, the developers of the soon to be releasedspace-sim/rpg Terminus, are allowing 100 people a chance to get alimited edition copy of Terminus. Each copy will be numbered and willcome with poster signed by the development team.

In order to get this limited edition copy you must emailjoe@stationterminus.com with your name and email address. Then go tothe Vicarious Visions Online Store(http://www.vvisions.com/online-store_frame.htm ) and pre-orderTerminus. Once the limit of 100 entries has been reached, the list willbe sent to Vicarious Visions who will then send the limited editionboxes to the pre-orders matching the information on the list.

*It is imperative that the information you send tojoe@stationterminus.com be identical to that which you use to pre-orderTerminus.*

There are currently 62 spots left so hurry up and enter, then gopre-order!

Two preview articles for the imminent Vicarious Visions space sim Terminus have been published this week:

• Vicarious Visions’ casManG has posted a preview of Terminus which relates his experiences training in and testing the game with the development team. Also included are nine new screenshots.
• Intelligamer has posted a Terminus preview article as well, which gives an overview of gameplay, graphics, sound, and expectations for the title.

The official Terminus site has been redesigned byVicarious Visions. Furthermore, the site nowstates thata VV Online Store will be launched shortly, after which pre-orders for Terminus can be made.

Screenshots from the Linux version of Terminus are also available for viewing here.

Frank Ramsay wrote in noting that Tucows has posted a preview of Terminus the imminent Linux space combat sim from Vicarious Visions. The article gives an overview of the multiplayer and AI aspects of the game, as well as the dynamic nature of the campaign.

In addition, Lee Anderson has taken a staggering 30 screenshots from a demo Linux version of Terminus, which can be viewed at

http://www.linuxgames.com/images/terminus/

• The Crystal Space project site updated today with two new shots of levels generated by the MazeD CS editor.

• [casManG's] site has posted eight shots (thanks Voodoo Extreme) from Vicarious Visions’ multi-platform space combat simulator Terminus, which will be released next month. Incidentally, Station Terminus was able to attain an image of the Terminus retail box (which will include binaries for all supported platforms); the box can be viewed here.

A short preview of Vicarious Visions’ multi-platform space combat sim Terminus has been posted at Gamespot; the piece concentrates mainly on the campaign storyline and dialogue. Nine screenshots are also included.

BeNews interviewed Don Yakielashek and Trent Oster of BioWare recently concerning the upcoming multiplayer RPG Neverwinter Nights. Of note is the mention of a target release date (“we are aiming for the first half of 2001″) and that BioWare is interested in providing all the supported platform binaries in one retail box, similar to what Vicarious Visions will be doing for Terminus this spring.