Piga Software Congratulates...

Graham · Last edited by Graham on Thu Nov 27, 2008 1:02 am; edited 1 time in total

Hello, this is a series we are setting up to commend people and organizations expanding free software gaming (our main focus) or other notable free software promoters.

Today we congratulate Raven Software, for finally listening to the Doom and free software communities and releasing the Heretic and Hexen engine source code under the GNU General Public License. This allows for greater freedoms for gamers and better cross-compatibility between the Doom and Hexen/Heretic source ports. The Raven Source License was a step in the right direction, but we are pleased with this new move.

For More: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/hexen-and-heretic
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Developer and Web Master for Piga Software, Graham L. Wilson

Fedora GNU/Linux User, Gambas Programmer

Ace Programmer, Future Poor Man. ;-D

klingoncowboy4 · Hog Joined: 24 May 2007 Posts: 127 Location: Piga Basement

fricken sweet

now we just need STVOY Elite Force... but at this rate that will take another ten years
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Free Empires Source Release Two (Linux)

Graham · Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 12:42 am Post subject:

Today we congratulate, Icculus.org, 3D Realms (Apogee), and Human Head Studios for the release of Prey (the demo currently) for GNU/Linux (though 3D Realms/Human Head should have mentioned it on their news pages!). Prey, although still proprietary, is finally able to run on a free software operating system! We at Piga, are looking forward to using all of the special powers advertised in the game. 8) Also, when id Software releases the source code for id Tech 4 (which John Carmack has promised to do next year), Prey will be another game hackers and gamers can play with. Thanks guys, and we only hope that if Duke Nukem Forever (and Prey 2) is ever released, that it will run on the penguin and the gnu's choice (and hopefully have some code and media eventually GPL'd! Wink

)

http://icculus.org/prey/

Note: we are also not very happy with Monolith Productions over this. Now that Prey is ported, there is even more evidence that GNU/Linux ports are an FPS industry standard. Id does it, Epic did it when it made PC games, Valve's doing it (porting of Source rumours that is), and now Human Head has allowed Icculus.org to do it (though to be fair, Monolith did allow Hyperion Entertainment to port Shogo: Mobile Armour Division). Come on Lith! Make sure to port Project Origin to GNU/Linux, and some of your older titles would be good too (and sequels! I have heard demands for Blood 3, Shogo 2, Claw 2, a new No One Lives Forever, a new AvP, etc). Also, to follow the trend of other companies, release the source code for your older games/engines. Evil or Very Mad

Edit: the full game has been released for GNU/Linux! Also, now 3D Realms wrote up a news article for it (though why didn't HumanHead?).
http://www.3drealms.com/news/2008/12/prey_for_linux_released.html
_________________
Developer and Web Master for Piga Software, Graham L. Wilson

Fedora GNU/Linux User, Gambas Programmer

Ace Programmer, Future Poor Man. ;-D

Graham · Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 10:16 am Post subject: 0 A.D.

Today we congratulate Wildfire Games for announcing that its long running, though sadly incomplete, multi-platform historical real time strategy game project, 0 A.D., is becoming free software. This is due to a move to open or "Bazzar" development, which it hopes will give it needed coders. It is nice that we are now even more in the same camp (first off in making RTS games for GNU/Linux, now also in making free software ones). 8)

Read this article for more information: http://www.linux-gamers.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2576
_________________
Developer and Web Master for Piga Software, Graham L. Wilson

Fedora GNU/Linux User, Gambas Programmer

Ace Programmer, Future Poor Man. ;-D

Graham · Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 6:48 am Post subject: Besset on id and GNU/Linux

Today in this rather poorly updated series I praise Timothee Besset of id Software for reaffirming the future of id Tech 5 and GNU/Linux porting. For a while there, due to John Carmack's legendary tendency for being noncommittal and unspecific, people were panicking about whether or not the engine that is going to be used in the upcoming Rage and Doom 4 is going to be ported (people have known that Carmack does not commit to anything for how long? 15 years, sheesh, stop fear mongering!).

Now Besset, the actual person behind GNU/Linux porting and thus the person people should have been talking to in the first place (also the main developer and porter of Quake Live, now in open beta), has given us a clear answer: "I'll be damed if we don't find the time to get the [GNU/]Linux builds done."

Now, I must admit we at Piga did have a little to do with this announcement (Hamish was the one who e-mailed Besset about it and greatly contributed to him making the blog post), but this move is important to gaming on free software operating systems! We have submitted the news to LinuxGames and Phoronix, with Phoronix and oddly enough Blues News and neoseeker having already mentioned the news!

There was also some sad news however about the possibility of the new id Tech 4 game Wolfenstein on GNU/Linux (since id is basically not involved in that one a port is not expected), but that is nothing too surprising, though a bit sad since last years Icculus port of Prey made it so all id Tech 4 games released at the time had ports (id Tech 4 code out next year, source port anyone? Twisted Evil

) But in the end it is mostly good news, cheers all!

Blog Post: http://ttimo.vox.com/library/post/id-software-and-linux.html
Phoronix: http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=NzUzNg
Blues News: http://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board.pl?action=viewstory&threadid=102185
neoseeker: http://www.neoseeker.com/news/11766-rage-and-other-tech5-games-might-be-linux-friendly-/

Hamish · Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 6:59 am Post subject:

My email correspondence for anyone who is interested: