LinuxGameCast Weekly 280: Reeee In The New Year

Linus explains Linux gaming, Apocryph gets an alpha, Black Mesa remains in Early Access and WHO adds “gaming disorder” to its International Classification of Diseases. All this plus your hate mail.

Special thanks to:
Corey K (new patreon)
Nubbn (new patreon)

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Colour key: Venn Jordan Pedro

Steam News:
Usage
https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/7ms6aa/steam_linux_gaming_only_41_hours_played_top_100/

PUBG has destroyed all metrics for 2017.
That said, if you want those numbers to go up spend less time spamming “no tux no bux” from your Windows box and more time playing on Linux.
Hopefully the OS specific wishlisting stuff gets a decent turnout. We need something to convince one or two larger devs that the market is there.

Forever Mesa
http://steamcommunity.com/games/362890/announcements/detail/1594703306631918308

We’re still FKN around with lighting because that makes or breaks the game, right?
- Yeah, when I think Half Life, I don’t think Lense Flare
  - Although if JJ ever made that Portal movie, we just might
I do like the change they made to long jump. The HL style always seemed really weird to me
Up to this point, over the past several years since I last played it, I still have no reason to play it because Xen is still not done!

Morealis
https://www.reddit.com/r/dreamsofhalflife3/comments/7mi63c/official_project_borealis_update_2

Fan interpretations of “Canon” stories are a double edged sword. It could be really good. More likely it’s gonna suck

Smissmas
http://store.steampowered.com/news/35830/

We should play some TF2 at some point.
FSM knows we have the people to do it.
My little brother has over 1000 hours in Team Fortress 2 but I never really enjoyed it.
I did like the little bit of Paladins I played before they deliberately broke it on WINE, so it’s not that I’m opposed to this genre.
I just never really liked TF2.
Mann Vs Machine is an alright enough mode. Could be fun for aftershow
This is some extra holiday hats, a bigger backpack and some map fixes

Chinbu
http://store.steampowered.com/app/755570/Chinbus_Adventure/

This looks more like a prototype vs an actual game.
It this a very slow yooka-laylee?
Or is this just an asset flip?
Because the dragons don’t look like they fit into the general environment.
At one point during the trailer the dragon is floating a foot above the ground and the person recording put the camera at a 90º angle pointing down, to attempt to disguise this.
I’m pretty sure this is just ripping of Spyro. Remember Spyro guys?
Actiblizzion Might sue somebody

We got DeathStar
http://store.steampowered.com/app/763770/Space_Wars_Darth_Star/

Its a co-op free Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
Smash the rebellion
This looks like something I made in university… in shockwave.
How long after this comes out do you think it’ll take for a Disney lawyer to get in touch with a developer/VALVe

Apocryph
http://steamcommunity.com/app/596240/discussions/0/2425614539585202334/#c1620599015864484959
http://store.steampowered.com/app/596240/Apocryph_an_oldschool_shooter/

Had to “chmod +x Apocryph.x86_64” out of the box because permissions.
OpenGL build runs in fullscreen without issue but I did not see an option for windowed.
Vulkan build nopes OOTB
Both builds work fine on 16.04.
The Vulkan build has that microstutter which most Vulkan games seem to have issues with.
I really does feel like a slightly more claustrophobic Hexxen where all the exploration feels more like Painkiller arena progression than anything else.
The Vulkan version can get to menu on f27, but the intro causes it to die

Ballz
http://store.steampowered.com/app/708030/Ultraball/

Rocket Cars /w legs?
- Rumble with mech suits
Need to send them a note about getting in on the Alpha/beta.

News:

Patchmortem
https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/DaveyKerr/20171226/312235/BEHOLD_Indie_gamings_greatest_failure.php

Oh, he sent us 1 (one) key for his game in 2015.
Through the contact form, deliberately ignoring the bold text he had to look past.
It’s like he honestly believes that “the press” is going to give his game a mention just because.
“Since press/influencers of any notable reach refuse to acknowledge my game, or even activate the keys I send them”
- We have no noticeable reach or influence and we still have more games then we can be bothered with.
- I hate to be the one who tells you this (not really) but amongst “game critics” ignoring a game because you have nothing positive to say about it is a real thing.

60 FERPS
https://wccftech.com/cemu-1-11-3-multi-threaded-60-fps/

It’s a cool project and all, but I really wish they’d release a linux version instead of making you run it in WINE. Mainly cuz I wanna fight Shrek as Woody and Buzz Lightyear
Today I learned there is a “cracked” version of this emulator.
If you like illicit activities in your frowned upon emulator, this is the project for you.
I guess it was inevitable when you’re putting out a proprietary emulator for windows only.

Carnasource
http://www.moddb.com/games/carnivores-2/downloads/carnivores-2ice-age-source-code

Is this the game all those shitty android dinosaur games are based on?
It’s just the source code. Someone’s gotta go do a makefile and it sure as shootin’ ain’t gonna be me

Comment gold
https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/7mwdyu/linus_from_linus_media_group_just_made_a_video/

I swear half of the people don’t know what the hell a Linux is.
The video itself isn’t the worst thing ever produced, but it’s the same ol shit that every “intro to game on linux” article everywhere says
Ah, some good ol’ team red/team green bandwagoing. Man I’m glad I don’t waste my time arguing on the internet

Pfft! Get in line
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-care-news/articles/2017-12-26/excessive-video-gaming-to-be-named-mental-disorder-by-who

Newsflash: people can become addicted to anything used for escapism
Realistically, this is similar to compulsive gambling, which incidentally some games can actually encourage
What about sportsball?
In a world where some people become president of the United States and a certain country voted to leave the EU, and you’re constantly being reminded of your powerlessness to stop bullshit or even to find a job, I can see why a video game could become so compelling to the point you don’t feel like leaving the house.
I’m a stubborn/strong willed human being so I don’t think I could ever fall into this state.
But I met a lot of people in university that would skip entire semesters to play World of Warcrack.
Videogames aren’t the root cause of someone’s compulsion, they’re just the medium by which it manifests.
And as long as these idiots in charge of diagnosing mental issues ignore that root cause and try to fight the symptom instead, shit ain’t going to change.

CHAIRQUISITION:
– Nooope

– Not sure if want

– Check it out

– Shutupandtakemymonies

Game: Bridge Constructor Portal
Webzone: http://store.steampowered.com/app/684410/Bridge_Constructor_Portal/
Devel: ClockStone
Engine: Unity
Price: £6.99 / US$9.99 / CA$11.99

Wazzat: As a new employee in the Aperture Science test lab, it’s your job to build bridges, ramps, slides, and other constructions in 60 test chambers and get the Bendies safely across the finish line in their vehicles.

Mandatory Disclosure: The publisher, Headup Games, sent us keys

Makes with the working

V-

60 @ 1080 and 2160.
No issues to report.

J-

P-

Total-

Shiny / Sounds

V-

Not much to it, really.
If you have played BC Mideval you know what you are getting into.
This does have the added benefit of Portals.
GLADOS is nice, at first… then you wish she would STFU.

J-

Poor Ellen Mclain. Why does gabe insist on having her and her husband chained up in the valve basement until more portal shit needs to be produced?

P-

They even got the original voice actress for GLaDOS to do the voice over.

Total-

Control

V-

Point + click =’s work
However, the Steamy controlla has and issue with some input.

J-

Click and drag. Dinging it a chair due to the accuracy being a little off. Gets kinda annoying

P-

I can never remember that you need to hold down the click for half a second to move a node that’s already been placed.
That to me screams touchscreen functionality.

Total-

FUN

V-

I don’t know if I like this because it gives me thinky pain or because Portal themed.
Could be a bit of both but I lean on the Portal bit since it’s probably all we will ever get since VALe is unable to 3.
You can pick it up, fk around, rage-nope, and come right back next time you have have a few minutes to kill.
I do like puzzles where there are several ways to sort them.

J-

This isn’t a bad architecture/physics/fuckaround simulator
I was a little skeptical when I heard about this game, but the portal mechanics do gel fairly well with the bridge constructor gameplay
It brings me back to my lonely ass childhood, playing with knex because I had no friends. Alone, in my basement. Making triangles. So many triangles.
It’s also fun to try and make them as cheaply as possible. The Aperture Science way
Honestly though, this feels like it could probably be some DLC instead of another game, but at 10 bucks, you can barely tell the difference

P-

I didn’t hate it!
I can see how the game could become very samey and start to feel like a chore as you progress but they regularly introduce mechanics of the Portal games every few levels to keep it feeling fresh.
And I enjoyed the fact that adding the convoy to the goal actually makes you account for the extra weight and flailing forklifts bouncing all over the place.
I still can’t say it’s a perfect puzzle game because some levels do become a bit of an exercise in trial and error until you find the thing that works, or the connection which stops a bridge from snapping.

Total-

Final –

Hate Mail:

RAID
https://linuxgamecast.com/bradley/?SRUzhFT

for device in /dev/sd{a,b}; do sudo parted $device mklabel gpt mkpart primary 0 100%; done
mdadm –create md0 –raid-devices 2 –level 0 /dev/sda1 /dev/sdb1
Do it in the BIOS, Linux need not know.
- Firmware RAID works, I used it for a bit.
  - You people make my penis cry blood

Freemans
https://linuxgamecast.com/bradley/?TMbSDxd
https://imgur.com/a/nw17u