Anyone else want to?

[Corey0808]

I would like to move to linux but I don't want to give up playing my PC games. I really wish there was some way to port all the games onto linux platform. Anyone think it will ever be simple enough in linux someday like it is to install in windows?

 

[daveshel]

There's a windows emulation program called wine that lets you run windows programs. It is not easy to work with, and I understand there is another program on the way that should be better (don't remember the name).

 

[Corey0808]

Yea... I've heard of it and the extreme difficulty with it. I still don't see the point of migrating if I can't play games. I also don't feel like waiting for linux to shut down in a dual boot to play games in XP

 

[pitupepito2000]

You use wine, it's not that hard. Also you can install windows under linux using Vmware. you can also dual boot.

 

[bot2600]

I second VMWare

 

[Corey0808]

What's VMware?

 

[drag]

Check out WineX actually. It provides DirectX compatability layer, and installer tools to get past restristrictions that get put on installation CDs by the companies.

Basicly you pay them 15 dollars for 3 month subscription (at least last time I checked, things at their website seemed to have changed quite a bit.). During that period you have a vote on things like what games to concitrate on supporting next, and other policies. You get unlimited downloads and updates to take advantage of the new features..

On a scale of 1 to 10 were 10 is easy and 1 is hard, the WineX is about a 7-8 for people new to Linux.
check out this Game compatability lists

Games that are a 5 work perfectly. 4 stars have minor issues (like a menu is scambled or cutscenes or music doesn't work sometimes). 3 stars are pretty iffy, anything below that is worthless.

Depending on the Game you may see a big or a small performance hit. Lots of games may require DirectX and special install support, but for the actual game they use OpenGL so that you still get good performance under WineX (or Cedega, now I guess), other games that are pure directX will see a larger performance hit.

Also lots of popular games do have Linux versions. Doom3 will have a linux version, I play Ut2004 natively for example.


Linux Games
Linux Game Tome (personal favorite)
LinuX-Gamers

Also there are about a gazillion little homemade Linux games that are fun and are free.

 

[Corey0808]

Drag > Thanks for all the info. I went to the website and it seems like all the games I play (D2, WC3, CS, DoD, UT2k4) all score pretty well on the Cedega website. If only I knew if HL2 would work in Linux I don't want to install linux and then have to install windows again for HL2

 

[drag]

Well UT2004 runs natively on a Linux installation.

Hell on the install cdrom they ACTUALLY HAVE A LINUX INSTALLER THAT WORKS. No need for WineX or anything like that for that (although winex would mention it, silly). Runs natively in pure OpenGL mode. Loose a lot of the eye candy stuff that you get from DirectX in that game (after all it was originally designed to run in DirectX), but the gameplay should be the same.

Just a nice Nvidia card is all that is needed for that.. (ATI drivers are crap for newer stuff).

I don't know what those D2, Wk1 or whatever the rest of that stuff is.

As far as Halflife2 goes, It's going to be a LONG time before that runs in Linux. The CEO is a ex-Microsoft executive for goodness greif. So that's not something to hold your breath for.

 

[Corey0808]

That's too bad about HL2 Guess I'll have to stay with Windows for now then.