quote: Original post by Anonymous Poster

I am currently creating it for Win 98, and I''ll eventually be making it for Linux

Why do you think porting it to Linux will make it successful?

Linux users want to play games. So far, there choices include Quake III, Soldier of Fortune, UT, and a few others. There''s not much in the way of games. I''d mostly be porting it to Linux for the heck of it, not for some big business strategy. Really, I just want to see how it would turn out if I did. It''s an experiment. That''s all.

Eternity is relentless

well if you payed attention to quarterly sales,
you''d know that id lost their asses on quake3
and loki owes them so much money they dont even
really expect to get much of it back.
making games for linux right now is pretty much
a charity movement until linux becomes mainstream
(read: dumbed down for the mass public).
there''s many threads already bursting with information
like this, so i wont go into too many details..
just dont think you''re going to be making alot
of money for porting a game to linux. my formula
is this: time = money. if it takes too much time
to port, then its not worth it.

-eldee
;another space monkey;
[ Forced Evolution Studios ]

Why is it that the people who don''t capitalize are always the ones who are needlessly hostile and condescending?

In any case... I think the idea sounds pretty good, but rough.

If you want an RPG with the FPS action feel, try Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.

quote: Original post by smitty1276
Why is it that the people who don''t capitalize are always the ones who are needlessly hostile and condescending?

what exactly in my previous post makes you think i was
hostile or condescending at all ? i wasnt
shooting the kid''s dream down, just bringing
an important fact to play. if that''s condescending,
you must get your feelings hurt on a regular basis...
(no that wasn''t a hostile statement, so take your medicine)

hoping im not offending anyone...


-eldee
;another space monkey;
[ Forced Evolution Studios ]

Not shooting my dreams down? Oh, I must have been confused by your wording then. Windows 98 is going to stop being made in 16 days. That means developers will have to start making games for XP, Linux, or Mac. If they go to XP, they''ll have to spend money to buy seperate programs for each computer, since one copy of XP cannot be installed on two computers because of the log in crap. Then there''s even more money going to register it. Since most companies have more than 20 people, and XP costs around $200 at some stores, + the money to register all those copies, that''s $80,000 down the drain. That''s basically an entire game budget down the drain. $70 times 1 copy that can be installed on more than one computer, that''s $70. That is a huge difference. SuSE Linux, of which the professional version costs $70 and comes with free game programming tools, is very stable, and once Windows 98 goes away I expect that many people will be pissed and go to either Macs or Linux and as of now, either is fine with me. You''ll probably think differently, but doesn''t Microsoft already have enough money?

Eternity is relentless

quote: Original post by Magic Card
Windows 98 is going to stop being made in 16 days. That means developers will have to start making games for XP, Linux, or Mac.

Why do you say that. Win98 will probably be around for a while yet and there's not really much difference in making games for it and XP.

quote: Original post by Magic Card
If they go to XP, they'll have to spend money to buy seperate programs for each computer, since one copy of XP cannot be installed on two computers because of the log in crap. Then there's even more money going to register it. Since most companies have more than 20 people, and XP costs around $200 at some stores, + the money to register all those copies, that's $80,000 down the drain. That's basically an entire game budget down the drain. $70 times 1 copy that can be installed on more than one computer, that's $70. That is a huge difference.

Why do you assume that developers will upgrade to XP? There's no need. Most people at my company are using 98 or 2K. Only a handful have XP and that's only because they got new PCs. You're also assuming that companies will break the law and use one copy to install to every machine. We have copies for every machine. Also, since when did it cost money to register? 20 * $200 = $4000, not $80K. Just checked and the Home Edition upgrade of XP is $99 so it's actually just $2K. Still, that's $2K that's not going to be spent because developers won't upgrade just to upgrade, so it's a moot point.

Oh yeah, "first ever Action RPG". I don't think so. And the URL doesn't work for me.

Breakaway Games

[edited by - Machaira on June 12, 2002 3:03:28 PM]

quote: If they go to XP, they''ll have to spend money to buy seperate programs for each computer, since one copy of XP cannot be installed on two computers because of the log in crap.

And I''m sure you wouldn''t mind if the people who bought your game would just share one copy amongst 10 friends, each using the same CD to install the game onto their computer.
Sure, if you bill them in another way (monthly fee per account) then that''s exactly what you want, but you can''t treat Microsoft with a different set of standards than you would yourself.

quote: Windows 98 is going to stop being made in 16 days. That means developers will have to start making games for XP, Linux, or Mac.

If you don''t like Microsoft and its products, there ARE alternatives, like the ones you stated above (Linux, Mac). If enough people start to hate Windows XP (which I don''t think will happen, since I''ve heard just as much praise as critique), and switch to other platforms, you can cater to them. Until then, if the majority of gamers continue to go with Windows XP, you''ll either have to sell out and stick with programming for XP, or keep true to your own moral standard and program for a non-XP platform.

quote: You''ll probably think differently, but doesn''t Microsoft already have enough money?

I''m sure some people will say the same thing about you, if your game becomes succesful.

quote: Original post by Magic Card
Not shooting my dreams down? Oh, I must have been confused by your wording then. Windows 98 is going to stop being made in 16 days. That means developers will have to start making games for XP, Linux, or Mac. If they go to XP, they''ll have to spend money to buy seperate programs for each computer, since one copy of XP cannot be installed on two computers because of the log in crap. Then there''s even more money going to register it. Since most companies have more than 20 people, and XP costs around $200 at some stores, + the money to register all those copies, that''s $80,000 down the drain. That''s basically an entire game budget down the drain. $70 times 1 copy that can be installed on more than one computer, that''s $70. That is a huge difference. SuSE Linux, of which the professional version costs $70 and comes with free game programming tools, is very stable, and once Windows 98 goes away I expect that many people will be pissed and go to either Macs or Linux and as of now, either is fine with me. You''ll probably think differently, but doesn''t Microsoft already have enough money?

Eternity is relentless

/me takes a deep breath.

I seriously hope PROFESSIONAL developers did not buy one copy of Windows 98 and install it on multiple machines. I don''t care what anyone says, that would be and still is 100% ILLEGAL. Companies have to be careful not to pirate software because there are such things as LICENSE AUDITS. I''m working at Johnson Space Center (NASA) right now, and belive me: they count every last license and make sure they have paid for EVERY COPY of EVERY PIECE OF SOFTWARE they are using. Is this because they are stupid? NO. This is because if you have multiple people using the software at the same time on different machines, you have to buy multiple licenses.

Granted, some licenses allow you to install the same software on multiple machines IF you do not use the software on both machines at the same time. If the license allows this, then it is perfectly acceptable.

The problem with an operating system is that people will most DEFINATELY use the software on multiple machines at the same time in order to network them.

Furthermore, a many professional companies do not buy the operating system explicitly, but buy them as part of the computer (OEM versions). They usually only upgrade operating systems when they upgrade computers. This is why many businesses will continue to use Windows 2000. And why shouldn''t they?

If your company has 20 people, it would be STUPID to spend $200 per copy at ''stores.'' I''m pretty sure the price drops with as few as five copies, and I''m pretty sure you can buy a single CD with 20 licenses. But like I said earlier, these people should already HAVE 20 licenses of Win98/ME/2000 or whatever they were using before.

And since when are game programmers NOT programming for WindowsXP? Do you really think it''s that much different than Win98 programming? If you use the Win32 API correctly, then there is no reason why a game written for Win98 would not run flawlessly on WinXP. Just remember that NT (and hence 2000/XP) is not as forgiving on some errors, due to its higher security.

Anyway, if you don''t like WindowsXP, then Windows 2000 is still a great alternative. I had been dual-booting NT4 and Win98 until 2000 came out. Since then I''ve said goodbye to DOS/Win9X, and never looked back. I can''t stand using Windows98 now, and I don''t see how you can stand it either. It''s good that it has been discontinued (I just hope that WindowsME disappears soon, as it is evil incarnate).

If you must target Linux, but are targeting Windows98 first, then PLEASE make sure you write portable code. Use SDL/OpenGL/GLUT/Socks/OpenAL/whatever it takes to make the transition as smooth as possible. There''s no reason why you can''t target both platforms at once, but don''t start with Win98 and expect to magically change to Linux someday. I applaud you for considering alternatives.

By the way, I personally know at least three Linux users who use almost nothing but open-source software that probably would not buy your game, no matter how good it was. Strangely enough two of them also own a PlayStation2. :-/

--TheMuuj

Let''s keep it to Game Design, folks. Debating portability issues and licensing is for other forums.

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