Full Circle Magazine FR

If you have a simple question, and “Ubuntu Touch” sounds like what happens when you get too close to Mark Shuttleworth, contact me at copil.yanez@gmail.com. Today’s question is: Q: With Ubuntu improving at such a heady pace, is Linux gaming keeping up? A: Yes. And to explain why I think so, let’s go back a bit. Say, a few millenia. For tens of thousands of years, humans survived as hunter-gatherers, living a precarious existence balanced on the knife-edge between having just enough food to live and becoming the protein layer in a saber-toothed tiger’s australopithecine sandwich. But then someone was all, hey, what the hell? There’s a perfectly good cave over there. It’s protected from the elements, has great airflow and valley views, and once we clear out the ten thousand bats living inside and sweep up a century of accumulated guano, it would make a great little walkup with easy watering hole access. It’s got curb appeal! Let’s live there.

Si vous avez une question simple et comprenez qu'« Ubuntu Touch » est quelque chose qui se passe quand vous vous approchez trop près de Mark Shuttleworth, contactez-moi à copil.yanez@gmail.com.

La question du jour est : Q : Est-ce que les jeux sous Linux s'améliorent à la même vitesse vertigineuse qu'Ubuntu lui-même ?

R : Oui; Pour expliquer pourquoi je le pense, retournons en arrière un tout petit peu. Disons quelques millénaires.

Thus was the cradle of civilization gentrified. And with gentrification came comfort. And with comfort came a desperate need to fill all those hours we used to spend hunting and gathering. Modern video games are the inevitable outcome. Gaming is the sort of leisure activity that signals a transition from hunting/gathering to shabby-chic cave living. If Linux appears to be leading from the rear with regards to gaming, it’s because Linux users didn’t always have as much time as their Windows-user counterparts. I mean, come on, Windows users had all sorts of time, hours upon hours of down-time they needed to fill. Pretty sure the Lascaux cave paintings were the work of an early Windows admin who drew them while waiting for a spinning hourglass to resolve. Before my teasing goes too far, I have a confession: I’m a Windows gamer. I would sooner give up my own kidney than get rid of my 50th-level female Nord character in Skyrim. Her name is Sheila and she’s getting married to Lydia, her faithful companion. I like Skyrim because, in addition to wielding a two-handed battle sword and killing lizard-men, I get to live in an idealized world of progressive social politics where no one bats an eyelash when two females get married. It’s like Massachusetts. With dragons.

Knowledgeable users will point out that I can play Skyrim on Ubuntu using WINE or PlayOnLinux, Windows emulators that allow you to run Windows programs on your Linux machine. They might also suggest I run a virtual machine, basically a walled off part of my computer where Windows can run free like a panda at the zoo. But none of these solutions are for the faint of heart or, like me, the stupid of brain. They require tweaking user settings, downloading Internet Explorer, and, oooh, look, something shiny just distracted me because I’m SO BORED. For Linux gaming to be competitive, it’s got to “just work.” I’m going to argue that Linux gaming has arrived. At the very least it’s putting its tray table and seat back in the upright, locked position. Users like me can now download games from trusted sources and rely on the game to automagically adjust itself to optimal playable settings. I can start playing without looking up a single dependency or rolling back a single browser or glorping a single foopsiwitz.

I came to this realization after a recent gaming bender where I went eighteen hours without food or sleep just so I could hand forge a silver wedding band for Lydia. In a matrimonial haze, full of love and tolerance, I thought I might have another look at Linux gaming. The last time I did this, Valve had just announced its Steam video game distribution platform for Linux. And the Ubuntu Software Center seemed to be featuring slick-looking video games on its front page more often. I knew there were lots of games to play. But what was the experience really like? I went looking for some free games to answer this question. I found three good candidates, all free or free-to-play (meaning, you can play the game, but advancement will eventually cost you something). Let’s take a look. The first two required the Steam client for Linux, available at http://store.steampowered.com/.

Steam isn’t a game itself. It’s software that allows you to download, play and backup games. It works on Mac, Windows and Linux (although not all games play on all platforms). There are lots and lots of games available on Steam for Linux, some of them familiar titles from other platforms (like Left 4 Dead 2 and Counter Strike). The cool thing about Steam is that if the game says it plays on Linux (and your machine meets the minimum specs), it pretty much will. What’s more, if you download a game and later reformat your hard drive or acquire another computer, you simply load your Steam profile and re-download your games. Probably the best thing about Steam gaming on Linux is that it automatically adjusts the game settings to match your PC’s specs. So if you’re rocking a multi-core processor with discrete graphics card, the game will start with higher settings. If you’re using a slower machine, you may not get all the eye candy, but you’ll still be able to play. This is important for Ubuntu users because many of us turned to the OS because it keeps us from joining the “arms race,” the desperate competition to own the most powerful computer on the block. Once you set up your Steam profile, downloading a game is a point-and-click affair. It will cost you money to play most games but older titles are cheap or free, and there are usually demos available.

I downloaded two games from the Steam Store, both free. Team Fortress 2 Steam Team Fortress 2 will be familiar to anyone who’s played Unreal Tournament. Or, you know, Team Fortress 2 on another platform. Basically, it’s teams of mercenaries on a strange planet fighting for control of a map. Or something. Whatever, it’s a bunch of people fragging each other with plasma guns and rocket propelled grenades. This game has an online component that allows you to play with anonymous players on a server or set up your own game that only you and your friends can access. TF2 has been around since 2007. I mean, that was before Twitter, man! As such, the likelihood of the game looking dated is very high. So I was surprised at how well the graphics have held up. Seriously, unless you think every game should be as photorealistic as Skyrim, the gameplay and look of TF2 won’t leave you wanting for anything. Probably the biggest surprise for me was how fast the game played. I am running Ubuntu 13.04 on a three-year-old AMD-based machine. It’s got a separate video card, so I didn’t expect the graphics to move like molasses on a cold day. But I also didn’t expect the stutter-free gameplay I experienced. And I didn’t need to tweak anything myself to get it. Steam automatically detected my setup and prepared the game for optimal play. Nice. I had fun running around, blasting people with my gatling gun, and watching as my limbs flew apart whenever I was killed by another player. If you’re into team-based first-person-shooters, check it out. Team Fortress 2 Verdict: 8 Severed Limbs out of 10

Amnesia: The Dark Descent Steam Amnesia is a creepy horror game where you run around a dark castle, looking behind closed doors and basically acting like every horror movie victim you’ve ever seen. Hear that noise over there that sounds like the crusty nails of a long-dead woman? Yeah, let’s go look there. I just needed someone behind me yelling, “Call the police, you moron, there’s a murderer behind that door!” Amnesia came out in 2010 and there’s a sequel in the works. The atmosphere is dark and the sound design is great. You’re never quite sure what’s around the next corner but looking is half the fun. The game even recommends you play it in a dark room with headphones on. I’m not sure I’m brave enough to try that, but I can see the appeal. Again, the smooth gameplay and effortless set up was a pleasant surprise. This is why I say that we’re really getting somewhere with Linux gaming. Never underestimate the power of, “It just works!” If you enjoy scary movies, check out the demo for Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Amnesia: The Dark Descent Verdict: 7 Unholy Phantasms out of 10

For the final gaming test, I tried something from the Ubuntu Software Center. We all know how easy the USC is. It lists all the titles from trusted sources, offers free and paid software, and pulls in all the bits and pieces you need to run the software of your choice, without any effort on your part. Is the Ubuntu Software Center the open source counterpart to Steam? Vendetta Online Ubuntu Software Center My dream has always been to get a job as a planet-hopping space hippie. I’d bring my laser-lute and photon-harp, and jam with all the other smelly long hairs from around the galaxy. So, pretty much my life ported to an online game. VO is a MMORPG, a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game, set in space. You get to build a spaceship and fly around blasting enemies and acquiring resources, which you then use to upgrade your ship and weapons. Rinse and repeat. This game was originally released back in 2002, when dinosaurs still roamed the earth. Or at least AOL did, anyway. This might explain the rudimentary graphics.

But, once again, gameplay trumps just about everything else. Within a few minutes of loading the game and choosing my ship class, I was floating among asteroids, shooting at roving enemy ships and docking at space ports. All I needed was my laser-lute and I was good to go! And the gameplay was super fast and stutter-free. Again, much of this has to do with the simpler game engine. But the fact that I can do this with an older computer, for free, without having to look up any tricks or tweaks to get it working, is pretty cool. Vendetta Online Verdict: 6 Warp Drives out of 10 Three great games with absolutely no hassle to get running. I honestly believe we’ve turned a corner with Linux gaming. The Steam/Ubuntu Software Center model should work well for more complicated games (*cough* Skyrim *cough*). Those who need all the fancy graphics can shell out their hard earned cash for faster computers. Those of us who just need a peaceful brook overlooking a quiet valley where we can have a romantic picnic with our life-partner (and the occasional dragon sighting) can play, too. With such radical advancements in gaming, can there be any doubt that fragging cartoon avatars using face-melting pulse guns represents the peak of human evolution? The answer is no, there cannot. Good luck and happy Ubuntuing!