[Armchair Commander]

Will Fate of the Galaxy run on linux?  I ask because although the FreeSpace Open project does, some of the mods based on it will not.  Either way, the progress you've made thus far is quite impressive and I wish you the best.

Thanks for your time.

[The E]

Which mods would that be? Every mod that is built to utilize the FSO engine can be run on Linux, just by using a Linux build. While TBP and WCS do not include a Linux build by default, there is nothing keeping you from enjoying their awesomeness on Linux, provided you invest the effort to get it running.

[swashmebuckle]

Fear not, we've had multiplayer tests involving Mac vs PC vs Linux.

And yes, Linux won

[Armchair Commander]

I was under the impression some mods simply wouldn't work.  WCS, TBP, and others seem to offer only windows/mac binary setup files, claim to depend on directx, and make no mention of linux in their documentation.  I know how to compile the FreeSpace Open executable from source or svn, but I've been limited to additional content for which the *.vp files are available.  I would be quite pleased to find out I am mistaken, so if you have any constructive suggestions or informative links please let me know.  Just so there's no misunderstanding, I don't mean to be critical of any of these projects.  I think it's great that people would donate their free time working on new content for people to freely enjoy.

In any event, I originally asked about this project because options for gaming on linux are somewhat limited and Fate of the Galaxy looks fantastic.  It's quite encouraging to hear about the cross-platform multiplayer testing.

Thanks for the responses.

[chief1983]

And yes, Linux won

That's cause Richard's a LPB.  But anyway, just because they only offer the setup files doesn't mean they won't work, they don't require DirectX unless they were built for a version before 3.6.9 (which previously may have been the case for TBP).  But, they may not support it because they don't have the staff to test and develop for other platforms.  Occasionally they make small adjustments to the executables, and are unable to provide their modified ones for other platforms, but normally these aren't changes that would break the mod from running on another platform.  Trust me though, FotG should run on every SCP-supported platform, as we have the staff with the hardware to make sure it does.  I alone can compile for all three platforms, although I can only really test on two.

[captain-custard]

I was under the impression some mods simply wouldn't work.  WCS, TBP, and others seem to offer only windows/mac binary setup files, claim to depend on directx, and make no mention of linux in their documentation.  I know how to compile the FreeSpace Open executable from source or svn, but I've been limited to additional content for which the *.vp files are available.  I would be quite pleased to find out I am mistaken, so if you have any constructive suggestions or informative links please let me know.  Just so there's no misunderstanding, I don't mean to be critical of any of these projects.  I think it's great that people would donate their free time working on new content for people to freely enjoy.

In any event, I originally asked about this project because options for gaming on linux are somewhat limited and Fate of the Galaxy looks fantastic.  It's quite encouraging to hear about the cross-platform multiplayer testing.

Thanks for the responses.

Tbp works in linux , this i am sure of , personally i can not see any reason that any mod etc should not work as long there is an exe for it , there is atm a RC2 linux build (both normal and Inferno as Tbp needs an inferno build ) the problem with many of the builds is the installer after that they run , i manage to run mine on both xp and ubuntu ...tbp , btrl , Fsopen and i guess ill try wcsaga but i am sure it will work

[Jeff Vader]

I was under the impression some mods simply wouldn't work.  WCS, TBP, and others seem to offer only windows/mac binary setup files

The only FreeSpace mod offering an .exe that I know of is InfR1. Others are just zipped/rar'd/7-zipped packets containing .vp files, readme files and possibly mod.inis. TBP and WCS also offer .exes as the primary form of distribution, but there is a non-exe download of TBP at freespacemods.net. And even in the worst case, you can use WINE to install a mod or total conversion somewhere, then move it to its proper place and use Linux builds to play.

claim to depend on directx

Where? Direct3D support has been dropped from FSO as of 3.6.10, and even before it it was rather flimsy. OpenGL is used instead, and it is multiplatform.

[Armchair Commander]

Where? Direct3D support has been dropped from FSO as of 3.6.10, and even before it it was rather flimsy. OpenGL is used instead, and it is multiplatform.

I remember reading, probably before 3.6.10, about requirements for directx 8.1 in various faq's/system requirements documentation on different websites.  In some cases, where I was able to try it, a mod wouldn't work and I wasn't sure if this was partly why.

...there is atm a RC2 linux build (both normal and Inferno as Tbp needs an inferno build ) the problem with many of the builds is the installer after that they run , i manage to run mine on both xp and ubuntu ...tbp , btrl , Fsopen and i guess ill try wcsaga but i am sure it will work

Ahh...I somehow missed the distinction between the regular and inferno builds.  I relied mostly on the "Guide to FS Open on Linux" to originally get things working and I don't think it mentions it, but I should have noticed elsewhere.  This explains my problems getting things to work, as I used a single build compiled from svn (wow do I feel stupid  ).

but there is a non-exe download of TBP at freespacemods.net

Thanks for pointing me to that site.  It has everything I need to get things working.

In addition to the good news about Fate of the Galaxy, learning I can run TBP, WCS, and similar mods is nice indeed.  Thanks for setting me straight.

[rsaxvc]

LPB?

edit: Also, runs great in linux, albeit a bit slow on full settings @1024x768 with my Nvidia 6800.

edit; Also, I'm planning on releasing Debian/Ubuntu packages, whenever the project is ready, as well as a generic tarball for other distros. If you have a distro you want packaged, let me know and I'll look into setting up a box with it.

[Mongoose]

LPB?

Low Ping Bastard.