Pioneers

What Was Is No More...

While there have been a number of dedicated game programmers on the Linux platform, most of the efforts have been pretty modest compared to the established gaming companies out there, but as with many new endeavors, it takes time to find your place and hit your stride. Luckily, Linux found some high level supporters along the way.

Loki, founded in the summer of 1998, was one of the early pioneers in native Linux game development. Instead of trying to convince gaming companies that they needed to refocus their efforts on Linux, Loki offered to do the hard part for them. All they asked is that they be given exclusive permission to convert the Windows-centric code so that it ran natively on Linux. Then, once they put in the hard work of porting the title, they would be able to be compensated through the commercial sale of these titles.

Early successes were notable, and to date they have produced around 20 top level titles for the Linux platform. Their product stable included hits like Heavy Gear II, Heretic II, Civilization: Call To Power, Unreal Tournament, Soldier of Fortune, Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns, Rune, Rune: Halls of Valhalla, Tribes 2, Postal Plus, Sim City 3000 Unlimited, Descent 3 and Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri with Alien Crossfire expansion pack, among others. I’ve seen some of these titles first-hand, and I have been incredibly impressed with the efforts. It is clear that Loki had a talented staff of programmers who know how to optimize code for Linux. While not all of their efforts have been perfect out of the gate, most have hit the nail on the head a lot faster than they did when they first arrived on the Windows platform.

As talented and devoted as the people at Loki have been, they just could not overcome the financial hurdles involved in establishing a commercial game market for an open source operating system like Linux. Sadly, due to insufficient financial support, Loki filed for bankruptcy, and very recently chose to liquidate rather than attempt a restructuring. Much to their credit, Loki tried to do things the right way from the get go, without taking shortcuts. Unfortunately, in the current market where immediate results are the order of the day, the amount of resources needed for a full-on conversion turned out to be prohibitively high.

When Wining Is A Good Thing

Learning from the difficulties that Loki faced in full conversions, a company called TransGaming is taking a different approach. They looked to the WINE product as a source of inspiration. WINE enables Windows applications to run on the Linux platform via an emulation environment. While not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, WINE has met with a fair level of success. By creating a single emulation environment, there is no need to reprogram each application to function in Linux. Instead, they continue to modify and optimize the emulation environment to be more compatible and stable so that eventually nearly all Windows applications will be able to function unmodified in Linux.

TransGaming is doing something similar for DirectX, with their WineX project. Like WINE, the goal of WineX is to emulate the DirectX API so that games written specifically for Windows can run virtually unmodified on the Linux platform. Some criticize this as a “Quick and Dirty” solution to the problem - an inelegant shortcut that does little to break ground for native Linux gaming. However, proponents refer to the fate of Loki and point out that you have to walk before you can run. By slowly showing Windows gamers that they can play their favorite titles on Linux without the additional cost of repurchasing titles they already own, they hope to spur them to give Linux a serious once-over. They have even teamed up with Mandrake, one of the most popular and consumer-friendly distributions, to provide a special “Gaming Edition”. This new release contains all of the TransGaming software integrated smoothly into the full-featured Mandrake environment plus a copy of one of the most popular games on the planet, The Sims by Maxis. From all the initial reviews, the package is a hit with Linux users, but has not yet melted the hearts of Windows devotees. Part of the problem may be the way TransGaming is choosing to make a profit. Part of the TransGaming model is to sell users a subscription service to ensure continued support for Windows games. The additional cost structure is deterring the very audience they sought to cultivate. The entire benefit of a no-cost port is undermined by TransGaming’s legit need to make a profit.