LinuxGameCast Weekly 311: Hipsters From Vulkan

Valve’s Artifact gets a release date, Rocket League enables graphs, Feral teases Total War: WARHAMMER II and Battle Royale finally comes to Linux.

Special thanks to:
Stein Erik Svendheim (latest patreon)

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Colour key: Venn Jordan Pedro

Steam: News

Just a blip
https://www.pcgamesn.com/steam-user-count

Sorta have to agree with the article’s conclusion. There isn’t really one dominant factor causing user decline
certainly some very popular games have come out recently that aren’t being deployed via steam
This is only one data point though. Curious if the trend keeps up next year. Cue the wheel of booga booga
Steam is a long damn way from dying but we’re all hoping they will pull a Summer.
I don’t think every studio releasing their client is the solution.
Fortnite being the most popular game right now and it not being on Steam is certainly pulling some people away.
That said, and they mention this, Steam always has a bit of a drop during the summer.
There are no AAA games coming out for Windows during this time, so people go do other stuff.

Cards against Penguins
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/08/valves-first-new-game-in-5-years-artifact-coming-in-november-starting-at-20/

Given basically everything valve has put out aside from alien swarm have made it to linux, this isn’t a surprise
Will the cards in artifact be the same as the regular steam trading cards?
Hey, at least they didn’t diddle around with saying what platforms it will be available on.
So it’s $20 on release… how long until it goes full DotA and become free to play?

Steam item scams
https://www.reddit.com/r/Steam/comments/9315ju/steam_direct_shovelware_developers_creating_fake/

So people are creating games, copying the art and names from other cards/items and putting them in their own. Supposedly these items are indistinguishable from the originals
- Is that illegal? Probably, but the issue here is that they’re trying to scam item traders
Apparently scams like this this can get you more than the $100 to get on steam, so we’re probably going to see more of this sort

The fix
https://www.reddit.com/r/Steam/comments/93au7a/valves_response_to_shovelware_spoofed_item/

Valve’s solution for now is to warn you that the item is coming from a game you don’t own
Better fix: Quit trading imaginary bullshit.
I like how VALVe is only slightly sidestepping the issue instead of curbing it outright.
Oh! That’s right. VALVe still makes money off of these scam transactions, that’s why they’re not interested in killing it.

Writer returns
https://www.pcgamer.com/portal-2-co-writer-jay-pinkerton-seems-to-be-back-at-valve

Kerbel Out
http://www.valvetime.net/threads/kerbal-developers-depart-valve.258102/

I’m only half joking when I say things but they probably wanted to make games.

Barry returns
https://www.vg247.com/2018/08/03/steam-sales-flash-deals-coming-back-report/

“…arguably one of the worst aspects about the old format…”
- That’s just like… your opinion, man!

Steam: Game Updates

Rocket performance
https://www.rocketleague.com/news/patch-notes-v1-49/

It’s got what graphs crave.
Guessing this is some internal shite they enabled for the end user.
The new FKY track is live for multi.

Regular Human Release
https://store.steampowered.com/app/661940/Regular_Human_Basketball/

It’s out. It’s cheap. It’s 100% distilled aftershowzen bait

4X 40k
https://steamcommunity.com/games/489630/announcements/detail/1728704962870350884

I’m not the biggest fan of 4X. I do love me some 40k though. Grimdark and cheesy
You get Orks, Space Marines, Imperial guard and Necrons. I wants me some Tau though
- For the greater good
Maaaaaaay take a crack at this for a Thursday strem

Ultra Update 1
https://steamcommunity.com/games/323670/announcements/detail/1707313586209361220

If they would come down on the EA price I would pick up a few copies to play around with.
Apparently they didn’t make their linux stretch goal, but eventually acquiesced
Yeah, this game does not have online multiplayer support.
Says it does on the store page, but it don’t.
Devel said two years ago he was working on it and last month posted an update saying it’s not going to happen because reasons.
It’s a Mario Kart clone that’s been in development for three years.
This is designed to be played with others.
Without proper online multiplayer I’d rather play Super Tux Kart.

Steam: New Games

Meh
https://twitter.com/feralgames/status/1025400517210656768

New skin-pack for Total WAR being sold as a new game.
However, if this is your thing, good news!
Well, if it’s your thing and you only do the singleplayer bit.
First tweet reply is asking about cross-platform multiplayer.
Something tells me that may not happen.

Totally Not Fortnite, You Guys
https://store.steampowered.com/app/834730/Crazy_Justice/

Fig funded game.
I honestly want this not to suck.
We’re never getting PUBG and or Fortnight.
Jeez…It looks exactly like fortnite
- Yup. wonder if the PUBG guy will trying suing them as well.

Forsaken Remasterd
https://store.steampowered.com/app/668980/Forsaken_Remastered/

This looks a lot like forsakenX but that’s not a bad thing.
Ported by ole Ickybutts.
- S’why you should be supporting him on Patreon
And unlike Turok, the Linux version came out at the same time as the Windows version.

Chasm
https://store.steampowered.com/app/312200/Chasm/

ProcGen metroidvania.
It actually looks pretty good
Asking price is a wee steep, but if the quality is there then it might just be worthit

Early Panzer
https://store.steampowered.com/app/837500/Leder_Panzer

Still not 100% sure how I feel about jank as aesthetic

Feathers
https://store.steampowered.com/app/545040/Feather/

It’s a walking simulator. But you’re flying
Might be fun if you’re on shroom.

News:

The price of games
https://www.mcvuk.com/development/when-we-made-hollow-knight

What can be done for £32,381?
One of the best platformers released in the last decade.
- One of the best games released in the last decade! – FTFY
That’s what.
And here I was thinking I was done sucking off Team Cherry.
They made Hollow Knight with a budget of 40K.
- They made about 4 games worth of content on a budget of 40K
And and they delivered a day-1 Linux port.
I want everyone to keep all of the above in mind the next time a developer bitches out on delivering a Linux port.
Hell, I want you to keep it in mind the next time a developer delivers a busted peice of nope and demands gratitude for it.
- Hi, Garry!

Humble Sports
https://www.humblebundle.com/games/sports-bundle?partner=linuxgamecast

You can pick up Dirt, Hockey, and F12017 for $12.
Worth the £4.52 for DiRT Rally.

0.44
https://openmw.org/2018/openmw-0-44-0-released/

New stuff includes a search bar for spells, advanced launcher options and superior save scumming
Shadows are not implemented yet.
In the video they say version 0.45 is coming soon with a lot more performance improvements.

Never include the assets (eMpTy)
https://torrentfreak.com/ea-takes-down-open-source-simcity-2000-remake-180730/

Empty had the right conclusion in Discord earlier in the week
- Bee-tee-dubs, you should totally join our discord by becoming a patreon
EA’s a scumbag organization, but they were in the right here
The project is apparently going to get rehosted minus the assets
“I just wish they’d have reached out first, I would’ve gladly removed the content quickly and without issue,”
- Oh FK right off.
- Everyone told you and unless you have to wear arm floaties when eating soup you knew better.
We just talked about OpenMW, there’s a reason they called it OpenMW and not OpenMorrowind.
Bethesda gets very litigious when they sniff anything that might trespass on their trademarks.
Do you think Credit Cards Electronic Arts would let that fly?

SCUMM Trekk (eMpTy)
https://github.com/scummvm/scummvm/pull/1263

Support for the DOS Star Trek: 25th anniversary, and potentially Star Trek Judgement rites has been added to ScummVM
- Judgement Rites uses the same engine, but who knows
Apparently the ship combat hasn’t been implemented, so playing the game throught ScummVM will skip those segments for now

Demo of Glyph
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/legitgames/glyphs-of-eldamir-a-pay-what-you-want-dungeon-rogu/posts/2251371?ref=2h8pg0

He just clicked export, but at least he’s upfront about it
As long as dude is upfront about it and you know the level of support you will be getting in the future.

Retro pew pew
https://github.com/klaussilveira/qengine

Guy’s trying to provide a basic.no frills and clean engine for quake II style games
Can’t say removing the graphics layer won’t get rid of a bunch of deps, but at that point who the hell is going to want to use it to develop anything?

Retro Python
https://github.com/kitao/pyxel

Simple 2d Game engine done in python
Available via PIP if you don’t wanna build it yourself

OpenRA Playtest
https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Changelog/c4a2b3411de6c1daf521efe20ba9cbae195fb4f6

Smart move ditching the .deb package for appimages.
As a fedora user, it always kinda bugged me when projects would only provide ubuntu installers
- Don’t worry, in the future installation will be a Snap.

CHAIRQUISITION:
– Nooope

– Not sure if want

– Check it out

– Shutupandtakemymonies

Game: Super Blood Hockey
Webzone: Super_Blood_Hockey
Devel: Loren Lemcke
Engine: Monogame
Price: £5.59 / US$7.99 / CA$8.79

Wazzat: Relive the golden age of arcade sports gaming with Super Blood Hockey — A violent homage to classic 8-bit and 16-bit ice hockey games.

Venn:

Does It Launch

OOOTB

Performance @ 1080

60 hipster-pixels-per-second… most of the time.

Graphics

One glitch in the tutorial but it sorted itself.

Control

Steam controller mapped correctly.

Jordan:

Does It Launch

Performance @ 1080

Make sure to disable vsync for maximum ferps

Graphics

Zoom issue was there, sorted itself out

Control

Picks up the dual shock 4

Pedro:

Does It Launch

Actually remembers fullscreen/windowed settings.

Performance @ 1080

Performance is great, unless you’re attempting to record it.

Graphics

Much like Venn, during the fight scene in the tutorial, the game zoomed in all the way.

Control

Controllers work, both the 8bitdo and the Mistress.

QA Score:

Fedora:
Soulless:
Ubuntu:

Fun?

Venn:
- Someone put MegaMan music in my hockey game.
- This reminds me of NES sports and that’s not a bad thing.
- It’s dead simple and hard to cock up.
- On easy it’s a proper challenge.
- Cutting the blood up to 500% is, cute.
- Has a battle mechanic like the old basketball fighting game.
- Lot’s of mutators to tinker with but some have to be unlocked.
- No online multiplayer :(
- It’s alright and a safe thing to try because you will know if it’s your JAM in the first five minutes.
Jordan
- Man I fucking hate this game
- I like how the AI has all it’s shit together while your team is derptastic
- Honestly I’ve never really got the appeal of sports games. I haven’t played too many of them
- This is not one that changes my mind in any capacity
Pedro
- I hate sports games.
- I thought maybe, with its focus on the goofy stuff and the emphasis on violence, may I could find something to enjoy here.
- I didn’t.
- It’s hipster pixel hockey game with perhaps the most annoying soundtrack I’ve heard since Pawarumi. Minus points for reminding me of that game!
- The only so called sports games I enjoy are racing ones and even then I draw the line on F1 games.
- Don’t like it. Didn’t change my mind on the genre and got itself muted pretty damn quickly.