Civ5 for Linux

[Keygen]

Originally posted by Sir Ralph

Linux on the desktop is just like Windows on the server. Horribly bad.

Not entirely true, certain distributions nowadays are quite easy to setup and pretty straightforward after you get used to it.

You do need however to wonder for some time to Linux forums out there even for the simplest issues you might face

But I've seen people who have spent lot of money to buy a laptop with Windows installed and yet trying to find how to scroll a simple page up and down

[Harovan]

Originally posted by Solver

Linux on the desktop is just like Windows on the server. Horribly bad.

Nice FUD .

Indeed. Windows on the server is not nearly as bad as many make it.

[TriMiro]

I have been using both Windows and Linux since 2000, so I have some experience. First versions of Linux were for computer scientists only, but that has changed a lot. I use Kubuntu Linux now and it is as user friendly as a system can be. The only tweaking I had to do is run a single shell command to install the graphics driver and everything else worked right out of the box (better than windows which takes couple of days to install all the drivers, anti-virus and other stuff like that, linux installs in about and hour).

DirectX 10 would eventually be supported by wine under Linux, even though I don't see a point in making any of the Civ games in DirectX. It is just a few additional effects that I don't think many people would care about. I play STALKER in DirextX 8 and it is a FPS and it looks great, why bother making a strategy game so complicated. 3D is fine, but it already hogs the system.

OpenGL is another option, it is now supported well enough by both AMD and nVidia and it has everything needed to make a game like civ, but that probably will not happen.

I have been using wine to a different degree since the beginning and that thing has gone a long way. Most applications now run on wine with a different degree of tweaking and I will make Civ work on it even if it takes me another week. BTW many people have managed to get it running and are using Linux exclusively.

What Firaxis should do is make sure their game runs under wine. Avoid some function calls that are unsupported yet and perhaps create a Loki installer for the rest. It would only take one additional guy to the project as opposed to hiring a full team to port the game.

The gaming industry is really getting the short end of the current OS deal. I pay money to Microsoft for Windows, yet the only reason why I am doing that is to play Firaxis Civ games, how much of my Microsoft money goes to Firaxis? And on top of everything else, Windows costs way more than Civ.

[Solver]

DirectX 10 would eventually be supported by wine under Linux, even though I don't see a point in making any of the Civ games in DirectX. It is just a few additional effects that I don't think many people would care about. I play STALKER in DirextX 8 and it is a FPS and it looks great, why bother making a strategy game so complicated. 3D is fine, but it already hogs the system.

If Civ5 uses DirectX 9, there should be no reason to worry. DX9 support is currently very strong under Wine - it works fully except for a few more recent effects (like HDR). I'm sure that by the time they make Civ5 Wine will have 100% support for it - it's not really far off from that now.

[Diadem]

Pfff, Civ5 won't even be released for the PC, let alone linux.

They made it a console game, for crying out loud.

And to add insult in injury, they put up banners for it here on this forum :-(

[Solver]

Last time I checked, it's called CivRev, not Civ5

[Blaupanzer]

Vista most definitely sucks. The system works fine most of the time on the home PC my wife bought. There was no real choice for her, at least from Dell. However, when Vista crashed for us, the OS had to be reinstalled to recover. No other effective alternative. I work in computers and managed to get several pros in to help, but reinstall was the only alternative. Only problem with that is the OS installation wiped out all the APIs on all of the other files on the hard drive partition. Fortunately, I have been backing up regularly to an external hard drive and could save most of her stuff. Should NOT have happened! I am most disappointed with this effort. Might as well reformat and install XP, as far as I'm concerned.

Incidentally, DoD and the military and intelligence agencies will not permit Vista anywhere in its systems. The claim is that the system leaks like a sieve and they also are finding crash recovery to be almost hopeless.

To get Civ V on linux, the developers will have to be conviced that linux is not just for geeks. Hasn't happened yet despite constant predictions that the Linux crossover is coming. Of course Microsoft is apparently trying very hard to make that day sooner rather than later. Idiots.

[Sam_Yeager]

Originally posted by Brutus66
Recommended reading for those who voted "no".

So exhibit A is a 14 month old article. Try looking at this for a more up to date view.

As far as the poll goes I get the impression that it really depends on Civ 5 using OpenGL instead of DirectX which in turn depends on wide spread availability of OpenGL in Windows. Is that likely to happen?

[snoopy369]

Um, exhibit A was POSTED 14 months ago

[TriMiro]

Originally posted by Sam_Yeager


So exhibit A is a 14 month old article. Try looking at this for a more up to date view.

As far as the poll goes I get the impression that it really depends on Civ 5 using OpenGL instead of DirectX which in turn depends on wide spread availability of OpenGL in Windows. Is that likely to happen?

This is absurd. So it took two gurus and couple of months to make Vista work? WTF!!!! When I started using Linux in 2000 people were saying that Linux's problem was that it required a lot of knowledge and skills to make it work properly, people were avoiding Linux because of that same reason. Now eight years later, people are happy if two computer pros can make Vista work in mere two months.

Current versions of Linux run right out of the box (the free download from the internet box), Ubuntu is much easier to work with than any version of Windows. Also, most games do work on Linux (OK those may require a bit of tweaking, however, the amount of tweaking required by BtS for example if less than the amount of work required to install a new mod). www.winehq.org

I can keep on ranting for hours on how Windows is an insult to the computer industry simply because of the resource hog it is. Why should the OS need an entire 1GB of RAM for itself, the OS should take no more than 20-30MB (including graphics, without them it should be less) of ram and everything else should be given to the actual applications (i.e. Civ IV). Ranting is OT here so I will abstain, however, I will mention that I have seen games that on slower machines would run better under Linux than Windows.

I see no reason for anyone to use Windozer anymore, people either don't know that there is something better and/or they simply refuse to use something better being stuck to the same old "familiar" and horrible experience.

[Panag]

hi ,

, maybe they should release muliple platform games for ones and or all , .... and the mac people want a same time release also

Have a nice linux day

[Sam_Yeager]

Originally posted by TriMiro


This is absurd. So it took two gurus and couple of months to make Vista work? WTF!!!! When I started using Linux in 2000 people were saying that Linux's problem was that it required a lot of knowledge and skills to make it work properly, people were avoiding Linux because of that same reason. Now eight years later, people are happy if two computer pros can make Vista work in mere two months.

If you had bothered to read the article properly you would see that the main problems were poor driver support (early on) and naff installations from OEMs with loads of crapware bundled in.

However the point of my post was not to start yet another OS war. There's quite enough of those elsewhere.

Back on topic I think it's worth looking at what Firaxis did for Macs for both Civ3 & Civ4. In each case the conversion was farmed out to another company. If Firaxis/Take2 etc. thought that there might be a market for a linux version of Civ5 then I would expect them to farm out the conversion to another firm.

As Mac users have found out this can have downsides. The last patch for Warlords took quite a while to appear. Due to lack of sales for Warlords on Macs it seems that there will not be a Mac version of BTS. As a result a number of Mac players are either using Bootcamp to run the Windows version or else using Parallel's or similar software to host the Windows software.

[Panag]

Originally posted by Sam_Yeager


If you had bothered to read the article properly you would see that the main problems were poor driver support (early on) and naff installations from OEMs with loads of crapware bundled in.

However the point of my post was not to start yet another OS war. There's quite enough of those elsewhere.

Back on topic I think it's worth looking at what Firaxis did for Macs for both Civ3 & Civ4. In each case the conversion was farmed out to another company. If Firaxis/Take2 etc. thought that there might be a market for a linux version of Civ5 then I would expect them to farm out the conversion to another firm.

As Mac users have found out this can have downsides. The last patch for Warlords took quite a while to appear. Due to lack of sales for Warlords on Macs it seems that there will not be a Mac version of BTS. As a result a number of Mac players are either using Bootcamp to run the Windows version or else using Parallel's or similar software to host the Windows software.

Hi ,

it was a mistake not to support mac from firaxis , if there is proper support for a game , and the game is released the same day for mac , linux vista , etc , .... then it will have higher sales , .... people do buy the game now , its cheap and there is a patch if firaxis or some one else would take over and invest the money then it would be made back in no time , all the players want is to be able to play the game , .... and if they would make it production wise so that both platforms come out on the same day or alets say a month max apart and a player with a mac can play with a pc gamer without any problems or errors sales will be boosted , ....


now lets try to tell this to the big boys who are having a prejudice against mac and apple , .... and linux for that matter

Have a nice day

[OliverFA]

Originally posted by MoonWolf
I would actually like to see of there is any good reasons why Civ5 shouldn not be made for Linux as well. If people have voted "no" without any reasons... well, it's a shame...

What about production costs? Versioning the game for Linux would need extra resources or take some resources from the Windows team.

[MoonWolf]

Originally posted by OliverFA


What about production costs? Versioning the game for Linux would need extra resources or take some resources from the Windows team.

Let me quote myself, post #12 in this thread...

Originally posted by MoonWolf
(...) I mean even Enemy Territory, the free mulitplayer version of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, the commercial developers ID software released for both Windows and Linux. So I don't think it's that big of an issue. I'm not a programmer, but graphic files and sound files can be the same. I would assume the game core as well if it's written in a language than both system can understand. Or, I don't think it's that much extra effort to translate one programming language to an other as the logics are often the same (programmers knowing one language don't have problems learning/ understanding an other).

I hope some one from Take Two reads and my comment this. Ok, it will cost a few bucks extra but also opens up for a new market. And they will gain respect. Also, players don't having to buy Windows can then instead spend their money on CIv and expansion packs

The interest for Linux is increasing big time these days. Valve is probably going to port their games to Linux and this will of course give them access to a forgotten market. Of course, I too understand there are some extra costs involved, but this could be easliy cashed in again. In fact, I would assume Linux-players would rather buy than "borrow" games more than windows-players do just to support those who make games for Linux. If Firaxis now made a Linux-version of Civ4 with BtS, functioning as good as it does on windows, I would certainly buy a copy even having a windows-version already. Heck, it could even cost a few extra and I'd still buy it!

Still hoping someone from Firaxis could comment something regarding this