Speaking about Starcraft...

[Thetargos]

I'm sure many of you already know that a sequel to this epic game has been officially announced, Starcraft II (http://pc.ign.com/articles/788/788627p1.html) is coming, and is a reality. Confirmed platforms, of course include Windows and Mac. May Vivendi be convinced to get us a Linux client?, as the game has still a LONG way to go in development, maybe and ONLY maybe we could convice Blizzard's parent company, Vivendi to make a Linux port of this much awaited sequel to one of (if not THE) most immersive RTS games yet.

You can google all over the place for the information pertaining this much awaited and anticipated announcement made at the comapany's WWI (WorldWide Invitational) event held in Korea on May 19th.

http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/788/788627/starcraft-2-IN1_1179566607-000.jpg (http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/788/788627/starcraft-2-IN1_1179566607.jpg)

Edit

By the way, I'm not sure the Linux users will be able to convince Vivendi to make a Linux port of this game, even if we demonstrated more than enough figures to support an assured out-sale, or if we demonstrated there were actually millions of Linux users willing to buy the Linux version of the game if it was available.

[scotta3234]

I voted for the "no way in hell" option although I wish it could be done!

[ajamison]

You know that I imagine they could simply reverse enginer the mac version because if I am not mistaken doesn't OS X run ontop of Unix?

[Thetargos]

I'm not so sure... They'd have quite a bit of the way already worked out for a Linux client with an OSX client, but not entirely. Since it will have a Mac client, most certainly it will have an OpenGL renderer, which should make running it under Wine much easier, but not necessarily warrantied.

May we see a "Crystal" down the road, as a "Wine" for Quartz? (that was intended as a joke, since the UI in OSX is programmed using an API called Quartz, maybe we'll see an "implementation" for Linux and other unices called Crystal, kind of the same of what happened with Windows API on Linux with Wine)

[ajamison]

Or who knows Blizz may make some kind of Linux binary that can run their games and then use it for all their games like a shell or something to make it work. But that is probably just me thinking to optimisticaly

[Firewing1]

It would be nice, but I doubt they would release a Linux version. Then again, that's why I have Wine installed :D
Firewing1

[ajamison]

Judgeing from the graphics on this game I doubt it would be Wine compatible until Wine improves its graphics support.

I for one love the Starcraft games and this one looks like a cool game I like some of their descriptions of new units.

The have one that can generate a black hole and suck all the enemy units within range into it and poof they are gone. I wonder if the original voice talent from Starcraft will return for the returning charecters voices.

[LinuxManMikeC]

I say yes, albeit a slim, hanging by a thread, yes. The fact that Blizard has always/often had a Mac version of their games is promising since some estimates put us at comparable market shares with Mac. And as mentioned, the fact that they do have a Mac version planned for this title means that a lot is already in place for porting to Linux, or any UNIX OS for that matter. Heck, if their programmers designed the code "the way it should be", they could probably do Linux, Solaris and BSD ports with a relatively little effort. Unfortuantely, the majority of such programmers don't bother to spend the little extra time it takes (really not much extra time if you are already in the mindset) to make portable code. Anyway, I'm hopeful, and its not like they'd be a pioneer in offering native Linux games. Come on, jump on the bandwagon! :D

[Thetargos]

The problem here, I think is not Blizzard as such, but rather Vivendi, the parent company. Also there's already history inside Blizzard that they use Linux for some stuff, it is rumored that the whole WoW persistent world runs off Linux servers (or some other Unix-type system, maybe even Solaris) and that their accounts systems and log-in servers run Linux+Oracle, also it is rumored that Battle.net at large runs off Linux servers. They're familiar with the technology, they've got the technical talent, they must have another "break" in place to stop them from actually doing the client stuff, hence and due to another highly anticiapted game, one which was rumored might even have a Linux client which did not come to fruition, allegedly due to "superior" orders was HL2... And guess what? Valve is also owned or at least controlled in some manner by Vivendi... Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not.

I don't think it is a matter of "market" as such (at this point), but rather a matter of mentallity... Then again, it is all conjecture, we don't have all the facts, we only see the effects. It could be a million other things. And I don't want to get paranoid (coo-coo!), but it could even be "strategic control of certain technologies" (yeah, that may also very well be a bunch of bull***t), that's why I don't want to get paranoid...

[ajamison]

I say yes, albeit a slim, hanging by a thread, yes. The fact that Blizard has always/often had a Mac version of their games is promising since some estimates put us at comparable market shares with Mac. And as mentioned, the fact that they do have a Mac version planned for this title means that a lot is already in place for porting to Linux, or any UNIX OS for that matter. Heck, if their programmers designed the code "the way it should be", they could probably do Linux, Solaris and BSD ports with a relatively little effort. Unfortuantely, the majority of such programmers don't bother to spend the little extra time it takes (really not much extra time if you are already in the mindset) to make portable code. Anyway, I'm hopeful, and its not like they'd be a pioneer in offering native Linux games. Come on, jump on the bandwagon! :D
But we must not forget that Dell is not going to launch their line of computers with Ubuntu so the linux population will increase and eventually become one of those platforms that is included with everything.

[LinuxManMikeC]

In fine, if it doesn't run on Linux, I won't buy it. More users need to draw lines in the sand if they really want to see Linux gaming go anywhere soon (it will eventually no matter what, just a matter of when). Whatever BS reasons they may have for NOT doing Linux can be countered if they can't sell enough without supporting Linux. The best language to use when dealing with companies is dollars and cents.

Edit: I wasn't aware of those corporate ties through Vivendi. Interesting.

[LinuxManMikeC]

Dell is not going to launch their line of computers with Ubuntu
Dude... I assume a typo here, Dell not doing Linux for average users? Man, you scared me for a second.

[Thetargos]

But we must not forget that Dell is not going to launch their line of computers with Ubuntu so the linux population will increase and eventually become one of those platforms that is included with everything.
I wouldn't be so sure... Not at least until others follow suit (which then will mean there is truly a market opportunity)... This will no doubt help the "ecosystem", in that there's an old saying that goes "It's all about the applications, stupid". Applications is what users want a broad, not systems, or platforms. It is an application we'd like to see on our platform...

Plus Dell has already tried in the past and failed. Again, it is all about the applications. Sure, Dell (and others) can help by means of providing the need for applications, which then creates market for MORE software, which in turn gets released for the platform... or at least does in an ideal world without dams in the flow of capital. But capital is subject to interests, and those interests create dams which hold, or divert the flow of capital... even there have been cases where it has gone "upstream"... The thing is, that there needs to be a little more than a gradient (market) to trigger the "flood". Hopefully others will follow Dell's example, and that will mean that there will be whole new market to explore (not exploit!) by the ISVs[1]... However the way Linux is being marketed doesn't help much its image either, as it is being marketed as a "budget" system. We all know that it fairs very well with budget hardware, and shines and excells with premium hardware. We need to see Linux in premium hardware for it to have a positive impact.

You know that marketing is the legal name for "brain wash", and the message being sent is to that Linux is a "budget" (low-end, lower class) system Techies know it is not, but that's not the message people who want the iPod "du ann" for christmass or those who have to have always the latest and greatest will receive... They'll judge the package as a "whole" (despite that Windows and MacOS are also sold with lower-end machines). And then there's the genius of Apple: Making their products "desireable"... I hate to say this, but we need to make Linux equally desireable. The issue transcends gaming, productivity or even multimedia... Just look at how Apple has been able to market as premium a format which would otherwise be considered to be utterly incompatible, encumbered and at times cumbersome: AAC (not that the format is "bad" as such, rather that it's "unique", better than MP3 no doubt and the star of their iTunes). Hell, how do we make Ogg and FLAC "sexy", desireable, aspirational? How do we make Linux as a whole (and Fedora in particular) that way too? Not only for "consumers" (users), but also for developers and OEMs? How do we spice things up? Linux has a LOT of hotness in it, we all Linux users know that (otherwise we'd be using something else), how do we show that hotness?[2] How do we do it right so it wouldn't mean "dumb it down", yet making it easy to use and "open it up" to threats? Linux has come a LONG way and it IS easy to use, but not so easy to maintain and administer (by totally inexperienced and lazy users), let alone "properly configure" it (if proper administration is rocket science for the average user, advanced configuration and administration is advanced quantum physics!). Again (this is sounding more like a mantra) "It is all about the apps, stupid!" Users only care about what they use their computers for: To use their applications to perform the tasks they want, need or have to do, as simple as that. Is Linux ready to provide that? Yes, but shift in models must occur (both hardware and software models have to change, so that new hardware is made with its specs available so kernel devs can write the appropriete drivers, and the OEMs would only code their client apps, etc). The abilities are there, now we only have to exploit them.

This may apparently have gone way off topic, but in actuallity it is what we want is all about: Remember "It's all about the apps, stupid!" And I think we all agree that there is a market for proprietary apps in Linux. Not only games, a bunch of other stuff like CAD, Professional video editors, simulation software, etc. There's already a bunch of proprietary programs available for advanced stuff like Matlab and others, but still more are needed. Remember, users only care about their data, not the underlying system.

PS: I must be really tired... This was supposedly to only argumentate that Dell has tried in the past to market Linux boxes, and failed. Will it succeed now? Is demand now that much bigger than before? I certainly hope so, and if it is, then most likely others will follow.


Independent Software Vendors
I'm not talking about "bling", I'm talking about raw power, beauty, stamina, speed, endurance, efficiency... Attributes we all know Linux has, and that have made it the OS of choice for the datacenter... How do you make the space shuttle and rocket science "cute"? We all know it'll be our future someday, but people simply black out at the thought of it.

[ajamison]

Dude... I assume a typo here, Dell not doing Linux for average users? Man, you scared me for a second.
yeah that is a typo it was suppoesed to say Dell Is going to do linux for average users

[Azalea0]

Call me old-fashioned, but I don't think it's something we should pursue - game developers providing binary blobs that run on Linux.

Rather, persuade game developers to make FLOSS games. We'll port it to Linux for them ourselves.

[ajamison]

Yes but how are you going to port the game without the source

[Amorphous_Snake]

Somebody started a petition on UbuntuForums. Right now it has 6987 signatures (mine included!).

Here is the link: http://www.petitiononline.com/ibpfl/petition.html

[Thetargos]

Despite the petition and all the hype and excitement, the issue still remains: What will it take to convince Vivendi to release the game for Linux, without their saying a port of any kind is next to impossible. Similarly to what happened with UT2004 (Atari had the final word about a Linux version, they simply said that it would have no support and to have it ready for the Windows debut, if they cuold do that, they'd be OK with it, just look at how well it did for them). Until Vivendi says it is OK to have a Linux port, Blizzard is not going to do so, even if they have all necessary resources in place.