LinuxGameCast Weekly 301: Giggletron 9000

Turok comes to Linux, GOG gets visual, hipster-pixel racing and the best distro for gaming in 2018. Then Horizon Chase Turbo faces the ChairQAsition!

All this, plus your hate mail.

Special tanks to:
Matt K (latest patreon)
Yishan (welcome back!)

Madhi19 (XLR DAC from the wishzone)

Bradley (Light filters from the wishzone)

Subscribe:
Linux Game Cast
Linux Game Cast
LinuxGameCast LLP

Morning zoo radio thinly disguised as a Linux gaming podcast. Whether you're a seasoned Linux gamer or just starting out, we have something for everyone. So join us on our journey into the world of Linux gaming!


Listen:

Download:

Colour key: Venn Jordan Pedro


Steam News:

Censor
http://www.newsweek.com/steam-porn-crackdown-adult-games-limbo-us-lobby-group-claims-victory-937191

  • Thanks to nonperson on the Twitter for pointing this out.
  • The problem with “not banning nudity but pornography” is that there’s not really much of a non arbitrary distinction.
  • Needless to say, it looks like it generated enough of a stir to prompt valve to walk back some of their decisions
  • I like how PayPal pressure got VALVe to just send mildly threatening emails to some devs, but a bit of community backlash immediately put the kibosh on it.
  • Remember kids, if you want VALVe to do something or stop something it’s doing, you need to kick up a fuss.

Denied
http://gamasutra.com/view/news/318850/Valves_Steam_Link_app_blocked_by_Apple_due_to_business_conflicts.php

  • Not Linux but a good reminder to use the Androids.
  • Apple to offer Xbox streaming confirmed?
  • The ghost of Jobs does not want you playing games on your Apple TV or iPda Pro unless they get a cut.

Salty
https://www.rocketleague.com/news/rocket-league-salty-shores-update/

  • Oh look, *hisssss* the arena.
  • You can now report servers.

Turok
https://steamcommunity.com/games/405820/announcements/detail/1653264049369658224
https://www.patreon.com/posts/19008222

  • A Linux depot just showed up.
  • I remember playing this nonsense way back in the day.
  • I guess I’m ok with games I played on my n64 getting linux ports
  • Looks like G-money is to blame?
  • He is hinting at Turok 2 and I could probably justify spending $19.99 on that.
  • I don’t know why but I feel like playing really old FPS’s now.

Free blimps
https://store.steampowered.com/app/608800/Guns_of_Icarus_Alliance/

  • If you are listening to this on a Wednesday go ahead and skip forward a few minutes.
  • I bought this one!
  • They said they’d give us keys, back when, but I got tired of waiting and now they’ve given it to everyone!

Split Party
https://store.steampowered.com/app/711810/Never_Split_the_Party/

  • It’s an ugly looking multiplayer zelda
  • IT does have a neat twist though. Being near specific characters lets you see game stats like maps and health. IF they’re not there, you don’t have’em
  • Ya lost me at each class is a specific DLC

So Juicy
https://store.steampowered.com/app/848430/Freakout__TV_Calamity_Show/

  • It’s a less distinct looking Teleglitch!
  • Will it just be a bullet hell or will it do the procedural level generation thing
  • Find out in july
  • Fuck me, another one?

Personality Simulator
https://store.steampowered.com/app/718670/Cultist_Simulator/

  • Interesting take on gameplay, making it a card game
  • Definitely some Lovecraftian vibes
  • By the guys who brought you sunless sea

Slippy
https://store.steampowered.com/app/732810/Slipstream/

  • 2018: The year of the single player retro racer.
  • Devel promises local multi in the future.
  • I was about to praise this one for being either really stupid or really brave to go full metal single player.
  • But since it’s now having the bitch version of multiplayer, I say MEH!

News:

Burn money, burn
https://hothardware.com/news/acer-predator-x27-144hz-g-sync-hdr-preorder

  • Your scientists engineers were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.
  • Dell’s UltraSharp 27 4K has everything minus the 144 Hz refresh for 1.5K.
  • And is spares you the embarrassment of having that hideous thing on your desktop.
  • What in the actual fuck are G-Sync panels made of?
  • And is the profit of a handful of sales worth it?

Good Old Pron
https://www.gog.com/news/release_higurashi_when_they_cry_eden_sunrider_series_fault

  • Wasn’t higurashi the one where that kid’s head got chopped off
  • Like I said, with Steam poo pooing these, someone else is bound to pick up the slack
  • “acclaimed games, revered for their intricate artwork and stimulating stories”
    • Oh FK right off.
    • It’s 99% poorly drawn soft-core pron with (if you are being generous) something vaguely resembling gaming elements.
    • I’m not judging, not even in the slightest but don’t lie to yourself.
    • Like what you like and own that business.
  • I will judge, then. I will judge GOG for basically turning around and calling VALVe a little bitch on this whole porny visual novel thing.

The one you use
https://www.techradar.com/news/best-linux-distro-gaming

  • This is beyond non-relevant in 2018.
  • This is a very silly puff piece
  • Is there even a clear leader for gaming performance in 2018.
  • I’m talking something that is outside the margin of error.
  • There’s a clear loser in terms of performance, or there was. (Unity)

TF2 FanGame
https://aloe-vertex.itch.io/cartcrawlers

  • Incoming cease and desist in 3…2…1…
  • It’s done in Godot. Doesn’t pick up my laptop’s touchpad for aiming
  • It nomed a big old floppy rooster when I tried to launch it.
  • Also, chmod +x.
  • Nuclear Throne meets “Team Fortress 2”
  • The characters on the menu look sorta kinda like their TF2 equivalents.
  • The ones in game do not.

So much for that
https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/8l2kho/linux_will_not_be_included_in_the_myst_25/

  • We’re still trying to use the (fractured Linux ecosystem) defense in 2018
  • Because investigating Linux really just means “We Googled what a Linux is”
  • Time and resources?
  • Moherfu*kers you made 2+ million on a 247K crowdfunding campaign.
  • BTW WTH happened to Totes Not Myst game from the creators of Myst?
    • It released for Windows and Mac only.

KickDot
https://godotengine.org/article/ben-tristem-gamedevtv-are-kickstarting-godot-course

  • These guys want to make a 20+ Hour course on game development using godot.
  • This is a good idea
  • This is a very good idea!
  • A tool no one knows about or how to use it isn’t going to see any use.
  • It’s time Godot made it to more people.

Shove v0.1.2b
http://shuvit.org/grav/blog/v0-1-2b-release

  • It’s been a minute since we’ve seen a Blender game.
  • Woof, there is a reason people quit using the Blender game engine.

CHAIRQUISITION:
CHAIR– Nooope

CHAIRCHAIR Not sure if want

CHAIRCHAIRCHAIR– Check it out

CHAIRCHAIRCHAIRCHAIR– Shutupandtakemymonies


Game: Horizon Chase Turbo
Webzone: https://store.steampowered.com/app/389140/Horizon_Chase_Turbo
Devel: Aquiris Game Studio
Engine: Unity
Price: £15.49 / US$19.99 / CA$22.79

Wazzat: Thrilling arcade racing game, inspired by the super-fun-straight-to-the-point classic racing games from the 90s.

Mandatory Disclosure: They sent keys


Makes with the working

Venn-CHAIRCHAIRCHAIRCHAIR

  • Performance: @ 1080
    • 60 @ 1080
    • 60 @ 2160
  • Launch Control:
    • Fullscreen ✅
    • Big Picture ✅
    • Windowed ✅

Jordan-CHAIRCHAIRCHAIRCHAIR

Performance: @ 1080

    • 60 on both the Laptop and steambox. It’s not that demanding
  • Launch Control:
    • Fullscreen ✅
    • Big Picture ✅
    • Windowed ✅

Pedro-CHAIRCHAIRCHAIRCHAIR

  • Performance: @ 1080
    • VSync’ed to 60 by default
    • Average 550FerPS in a race if you disable VSync.
  • Launch Control:
    • Fullscreen ✅
    • Big Picture ✅
    • Windowed ✅
  • This game tickled that side of my brain that’s always looking for tearing.
  • It’s not actually tearing, it’s just some of the tracks going by so fast that creates that illusion.

Total-CHAIRCHAIRCHAIRCHAIR


Shiny / Sounds

Venn-CHAIRCHAIR

  • It looks like hundreds of other mobile racing games.
  • Well, it really really looks like one in particular, Horizon Chase – World Tour.
  • That’s because it’s the same game with some minor alterations.
  • It’s a low-poly visual experience without any of the pixilation nonsense.
  • It makes bleeps and bloops and the soundtrack while period accurate is inoffensive at best.

Jordan-CHAIRCHAIR

  • The actual soundtrack is super repeatitive. I’ve heard the same song, which I can only describe as a spoopy techno bar mitzvah so many times.
  • Visually it gets the job done. It looks like pretty much any other racing game out there.
  • This game’s pretty cheap on the draw distance though.

Pedro-CHAIRCHAIRCHAIR

  • Back in the olden times when these games were common, the short draw distance was a symptom of poor hardware performance.
  • Now it’s a stylistic choice.
  • A stylistic choice which I feel takes something away from the game.
  • If you’re doing a retro inspired game, either go whole hog and earn the hipster pixel title or you make it as modern looking as possible. Staying true to the mechanics but with modernish graphics is something I’d like to see done properly, still.
  • That said, I didn’t hate either the visuals or the audios.
  • I criticized Ballistic Overkill for having no charm, no distinguishing features from thousands of other FPSs.
  • I’m glad to see they decided to make a stylistic choice here and stuck to it.

Total-CHAIRCHAIR


Control

Venn-CHAIRCHAIRCHAIRCHAIR

  • Works with the Steam controlla.
  • Default layout was logical.
  • Controls were tight and allowed me to reliably slam into the AI opponents.

Jordan-CHAIRCHAIRCHAIRCHAIR

  • For whatever reason, I seem to play better using the arrow keys.

Pedro-CHAIRCHAIRCHAIRCHAIR

  • The cars turn in by themselves on the corners, you just use the steering keys to make sure it doesn’t go off the track and attempt to dodge the AI cars.
  • I guess it would take someone wanting to deliberately make this game with bad controls for that to happen.
  • The control in Horizon Chase Turbo are perfectly acceptable, once you wrap your head around the fact the car is doing ALL of the heavy lifting.

Total-CHAIRCHAIRCHAIRCHAIR


FUN

Venn-CHAIR

  • I’ve stomped Pedro and Foxy so it has that going for it.
  • My working theory is that the AI has rear view mirrors.
  • I don’t have rear view mirrors.
  • How elks can they know to swerve in front of me with such precision?
  • Dodge Cars, the game.
  • Hate Least
    • It does a solid job of recreating the arcade racers of old with the upgraded graphics of a mobile game
  • Hate Most
    • Winning a race is totally reliant on how much of a dick the AI feels like being.
    • Also, not a huge fan of the petrol mechanic.
    • No online multiplayer.
    • $19.99 for a mobile “port” is a bit, steep.

Jordan-CHAIRCHAIRCHAIR

  • I don’t completely hate it, and that’s a rarity for me and racing games
  • Hell, I’ve enen managed to start kinda groking it.
  • I beat a couple of Venns’ time, so I got that going for me
  • The lack of draw distance certainly does get annoying especially when you start zooming
  • Also Venn’s 100% right about the cars actively trying to position themselves right in front of you
  • Makes me kinda want a dash cam

Pedro-CHAIRCHAIRCHAIR

  • This is a great game if you have kids and want to do some local multiplayer with them.
  • It’s not the kind of game I see myself obsessing over for hours and hours but it’s not a bad game by any means or measure.
  • It has the same appeal that Action Henk does.
  • Most of the mechanics are automated and your limited input is used solely to try to get the best time.
  • And in doing that and not trying to be anything else, I salute it.
  • I’m very much looking forward to what else this brazilian theme can bring to the table.
  • Also, I could rail on about the cheating AI and the frankly absurd amount of rubberbanding happening here, but that goes along with the retro inspired gameplay so I won’t
  • It’s painfully obvious when you’re racing your own ghost, which in the previous race ended in 4th place and you’re 2nd place in this one and you’re still about 2 seconds behind yourself.

Total-CHAIRCHAIR


Final –CHAIRCHAIRCHAIR


Hate Mail:

Review
https://linuxgamecast.com/bradley/?dURQYUo

Tear it up
https://linuxgamecast.com/bradley/?cqSngZz

  • Save this as ~/.config/compton.conf : https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_Sjl8VrDtFlLUxuN1FoMmpjc0k
  • It’s my own personal config which I use on the laptops.
  • If you see tearing in fullscreen videos or games, enable ForceFullScreenCompositionPipeline for your gaming monitor in nvidia-settings and save the configurations to /etc/X11/xorg.conf
  • Before you do any of that business disable the XFCE compositor.
  • Then use my compton.conf that has no tearing ever and will disable all the shadow / fade transition bullsh*t.
  • https://drive.google.com/open?id=1RHfNxX2GzUz7qAlUFvw-RinZWSArqYln
    • Somehow I find it hard to believe you get no tearing with the xrendr backend without using the NVidia composition pipeline settings.

WINE
https://linuxgamecast.com/bradley/?5axywfJ

0 Comments

Leave Your Reply