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This is going to be one of the most popular games of 2016, and is releasing for Windows and PS4. Compared to those platforms, do you think that the time it woul

This is going to be one of the most popular games of 2016, and is releasing for Windows and PS4. Compared to those platforms, do you think that the time it would take to get a Linux version up and running would be cost-effective? There are some Linux sales figures kicking around [1] and they generally show that the Linux share is under 3%. [1] https://www.gamingonlinux.com/articles/sales-statistics-for-linux-games-from-different-developers-part-4.5253 https://www.gamingonlinux.com/articles/sales-statistics-for-...

hellofunk 11y ago
And OSX. Apparently Macs are the fastest growing segment of the desktop/laptop industry, but they are often the last to get the big games.
- Tepix 11y ago
  The main reason these days is that Macs don't have good GPUs for games.
  - rangibaby 11y ago
    That's not true. Even current Macs with IGPs can play nearly any game at low settings adequately.
    - fluxquanta 11y ago
      I'm sure game developers are really looking to capture the "low setting adequacy" market.
      - rangibaby 11y ago
        They certainly are. Look at the current top 10 for Steam; there are exactly two games, Fallout and GTA, that require anything more than the world's crappiest computer to play. I have no clue about the games not represented on Steam (basically Battlefield and the Star Wars edition of Battlefield), but I bet they follow the same pattern. The Witness has has a peak of less than 5,000 players at one time so far. The top two games (and basically the only active "pro" games at the moment), which together have about one million players playing at any given time are both carefully tuned to run on toasters according to Valve's hardware survey. I like Valve's current micro transaction model. You can buy cosmetic items, but that's it. I can't speak for DOTA2, but in CS:GO they don't impact the game negatively like they did with TF2. Trading from free drops also allows kids and poor people to participate in the economy, which allows them to make more money for Valve than begging mom to buy a $60 game would.
    - xedarius 11y ago
      Sadly it is true, MAC GPU's are often the same hardware used in laptops. Also, Apple sprinkle a special kind of awfulness onto their drivers. I tested this with Quake III (a game from 1999!). My 2011 iMac could not render the game at 120fps, it managed somewhere between 50 and 70. I bootcamp into Windows, and I get a rock solid 120fps.
- flohofwoe 11y ago
  Yeah, it's easy to grow from nothing as the saying goes ;) Depending on region and target audience, Macs show up between 1.5% and 3.5% of total player base in tracking (see Steam and Unity hardware surveys, and I also see those numbers in our own games), and these have been the same for 10 years. For comparison, Linux is between 0.5% and 1.0%. Most Macs are laptops with Intel GPU which are simply too weak for most current games. The Mac OpenGL drivers have a legendary reputation for being crap since they are controlled by Apple, not the GPU makers (although, native Intel GL drivers are not much better). Sometimes the reason is simply that the additional required customers support for Mac costs money and thus the development effort can't be justified. I'm a daily Mac user and like it pretty much, but for games I also have a proper PC, attached to the TV. Most games I play there would run at most with 5fps on my MacBookPro.
pferde 11y ago
Of course, the cost/benefit ratio has to be evaluated by the developer, and I don't want to force anyone into anything. I'm just aware that plenty other developers have no problems making their games available on the OS I am running. And since their games are more than enough to fill whatever free time I have for computer games, I won't be missing this one.
- JabavuAdams 11y ago
  Do they make any money from those games, or are those mostly hobby projects?
  - pferde 11y ago
    I wouldn't know, I do not research every game developer and their financial standing. But considering the games on my list range from small indie stuff to big AAA stuff, I'd say it's a cross-section of both.
douche 11y ago
Anyone tried running it under WINE yet?
- abustamam 11y ago
  I am trying to run it using Crossover, but to no avail.
sandGorgon 11y ago
I would say - skip the Linux port and instead build an Android version. I have high hopes for the beginning for the convergence (that is already happening with RemixOS) of ChromeOS and android during google i/o.

hellofunk 11y ago

And OSX. Apparently Macs are the fastest growing segment of the desktop/laptop industry, but they are often the last to get the big games.

Tepix 11y ago
The main reason these days is that Macs don't have good GPUs for games.
- rangibaby 11y ago
  That's not true. Even current Macs with IGPs can play nearly any game at low settings adequately.
  - fluxquanta 11y ago
    I'm sure game developers are really looking to capture the "low setting adequacy" market.
    - rangibaby 11y ago
      They certainly are. Look at the current top 10 for Steam; there are exactly two games, Fallout and GTA, that require anything more than the world's crappiest computer to play. I have no clue about the games not represented on Steam (basically Battlefield and the Star Wars edition of Battlefield), but I bet they follow the same pattern. The Witness has has a peak of less than 5,000 players at one time so far. The top two games (and basically the only active "pro" games at the moment), which together have about one million players playing at any given time are both carefully tuned to run on toasters according to Valve's hardware survey. I like Valve's current micro transaction model. You can buy cosmetic items, but that's it. I can't speak for DOTA2, but in CS:GO they don't impact the game negatively like they did with TF2. Trading from free drops also allows kids and poor people to participate in the economy, which allows them to make more money for Valve than begging mom to buy a $60 game would.
  - xedarius 11y ago
    Sadly it is true, MAC GPU's are often the same hardware used in laptops. Also, Apple sprinkle a special kind of awfulness onto their drivers. I tested this with Quake III (a game from 1999!). My 2011 iMac could not render the game at 120fps, it managed somewhere between 50 and 70. I bootcamp into Windows, and I get a rock solid 120fps.
flohofwoe 11y ago
Yeah, it's easy to grow from nothing as the saying goes ;) Depending on region and target audience, Macs show up between 1.5% and 3.5% of total player base in tracking (see Steam and Unity hardware surveys, and I also see those numbers in our own games), and these have been the same for 10 years. For comparison, Linux is between 0.5% and 1.0%. Most Macs are laptops with Intel GPU which are simply too weak for most current games. The Mac OpenGL drivers have a legendary reputation for being crap since they are controlled by Apple, not the GPU makers (although, native Intel GL drivers are not much better). Sometimes the reason is simply that the additional required customers support for Mac costs money and thus the development effort can't be justified. I'm a daily Mac user and like it pretty much, but for games I also have a proper PC, attached to the TV. Most games I play there would run at most with 5fps on my MacBookPro.

pferde 11y ago

Of course, the cost/benefit ratio has to be evaluated by the developer, and I don't want to force anyone into anything. I'm just aware that plenty other developers have no problems making their games available on the OS I am running. And since their games are more than enough to fill whatever free time I have for computer games, I won't be missing this one.

JabavuAdams 11y ago
Do they make any money from those games, or are those mostly hobby projects?
- pferde 11y ago
  I wouldn't know, I do not research every game developer and their financial standing. But considering the games on my list range from small indie stuff to big AAA stuff, I'd say it's a cross-section of both.

douche 11y ago

Anyone tried running it under WINE yet?

abustamam 11y ago
I am trying to run it using Crossover, but to no avail.

sandGorgon 11y ago

I would say - skip the Linux port and instead build an Android version. I have high hopes for the beginning for the convergence (that is already happening with RemixOS) of ChromeOS and android during google i/o.