Quake Live Dev Says Mac and Linux Are "Top Priority" 117
AlexMax2742 writes "id's Marty Stratton notes the following in his Quake Live developer blog on the subject of the Mac and Linux port of Quake Live: 'These have proved more difficult than expected, but we're getting close. We expect to also be testing Mac and Linux versions of Quake Live internally this month and then making those publicly available just as soon as we feel they are ready. This work is being done by a separate programmer in parallel with the other work that we're doing, and is his only priority — point being, that this is a top priority for us and not being delayed because of other work.' In my humble opinion, it's awesome to see that kind of (continued) dedication from a company."
The post also indicates that progress is being made on the much-awaited private server functionality, and part two makes brief mention of match broadcasting and community-made maps.
Interesting spin (Score:1, Insightful)
So is only putting one programmer on the job a priority?
Re:Interesting spin (Score:5, Interesting)
If it was designed from the start to be cross-platform compatible (e.g. using OpenGL rather than DirectX), then yes, one programmer is more than enough. All the logic, scripting, and models will carry over no matter what, which really leaves debugging whatever minor environmental and graphical inconsistencies that arise.
Re:Interesting spin (Score:5, Funny)
one programmer is more than enough
So then zero is about right?
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If it was designed from the start to be cross-platform compatible
Funny, Windows programmers always say that. But before you can port their code you always have to rewrite all their crap Windows specific code.
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So is it Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory or Return to Castle Wolfenstein?
RtCW is the game ID developed.
ET is a online-only sequel to RtCW's online component, developed by Splash Damage. I'm not sure if they also worked on RtCW's original multiplayer mode or not.
Basically, RtCW is your typical ID fps, while its multiplayer mode was a wild, class based, multiple objective, online game. ET is an expansion of that part, but also a standalone game. Free too, also with Mac & Linux ports. Go check it out.
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Well the Quake 3 engine is most definitely cross platform, and is being ported to many architectures (as seen by the ioquake3 posts here), but I think the real battle id is facing is not getting the engine itself running, but getting it to run inside the target web browsers. As far as I can tell each browser platform does this in a slightly different way, and I think there are already separate builds for IE and Firefox on Windows to accommodate this.
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That was also my first thought. One programmer? Come on!
Anyone knows if Linux client will be free software, so I can built it fo x86_64 (assuming it'll not be available for x86_64 since beginning)?
PS: Just yesterday tried new ioquake3 with VOIP and it's just great, wondering if people will switch to Quake Live anyway...
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Re:Interesting spin (Score:5, Informative)
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id Software has since exploded in size, and I think I heard they had about 40 people employed and 2 full teams going. As I under stand it currently there is a team working on Rage and another working on QuakeLive.
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Given the size of the project, absolutely. AFAIK only 4 people are working on QuakeLive.
Re:Interesting spin (Score:4, Insightful)
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I worked in the same office building as id for about a year and finally went into their offices a couple of months ago. I saw no more than five our six people working at around noon. They get things done somehow though.
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Ahh so you went in off-peak. I wonder what it's like in there around midnight? Assuming they're like any other software house I'm guessing you saw their "nightshift"
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Considering the fact that the team size is around 10 or so at this point, and it is one programmer with no other responsibilities while the rest of the team multitasks, I say yes.
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I don't think you understand exactly how large 1% is. That would mean exactly 1 out of every 100 users is a Linux user. If 90% of the US population uses a PC, and 1% use Linux, then that would mean a total of 2.7million Linux users in the US alone. Thats more than half the current install base of the PS3 in the US.
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Some people install linux who would still like to play games, WINE is a long way from a perfect solution, and rebooting is a hassle. Even though I have a dual boot system with XP, I love that I can play neverwinter nights natively in linux and play it more than my other games because of that.
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[ ] Post Anonymously
hum.. someone forgot to check this..
I honestly don't get it (Score:5, Informative)
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The point of browser-based games is that the end user doesn't need to install anything,
So where are these browser games that don't need anything to be installed?
All the browser basde games I've seen require either Java or Flash and work in the same fashion as Quake live.
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Isn't Urban Dead text-based? Show me the graphics, I'll show a plugin.
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As I recall this is more of an experiment for Id. If it takes off they may expand upon the plug-in to be much more. We'll have to see.
Also given Id's habit of eventually releasing their source code means the same may happen and someone could take it some where completely different and we should be gra
Re:I honestly don't get it (Score:5, Informative)
That's not really the same fashion. You install Flash once to play all Flash games on the internet; you don't have to install a new browser plugin for each specific game. The advantage to the end-user there is that they can click around the internet and play things without installing new plugins, once they've done it once.
Now if id was proposing a new general browser plugin that many games could use, that'd be similar. But it seems that this is a Quake-Live-specific plugin, so it really is sort of like downloading an .exe and running it, only it's in the browser for no apparent reason.
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That's not really the same fashion. You install Flash once to play all Flash games on the internet; you don't have to install a new browser plugin for each specific game.
Requires you install Flash 5
Requires you install Flash 6
Requires you install Flash 7
Requires you install Flash 8
Requires you install Flash 9
Requires you install Flash 10
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Hey, why not see it the other way: The Quake engine becoming a standard plugin that you can expect to be there.
Imagine it being totally integrated in the site. Allowing proper 3D, and then becoming a required plugin for Kongregate. That would be so cool.
The Quake engine has seen huge amounts of love over the decade that it's existing now. And I hope with things like XreaL and High Quality Quake, it will stay a bit longer.
Oh, and as long as there is no complete support for CPMA and Defrag, I'm not going to r
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> That's not really the same fashion. You install Flash once [a week] to play [the latest] Flash games on the internet;
I fixed that for you. The tendency of the flash games designers to insist on the latest version, for absolutely no performance reason, is burdensome to web clients.
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Kingdom of Loathing is pretty modest in requirements. It does use JavaScript.
It's also frankly much better than many high end, graphical games.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you! That game is a blast. It really points out how a fun game does not need state-of-the-art graphics. It reminds me of the days playing text based adventure games on PDP-11s, including the pre-Zork game DUNGEON.
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The difference there being that most people will have Java or Flash installed already, for the 100s of other sites that demand it. For most people, having Java and Flash installed is part of the basics of having a working computer.
I'm not sure if that's the same for the Quake plugin. Will anything other than id games be using it, or will it be a download just for playing this game? If it's the latter, they might as well have just stuck with the normal client software platform that multiplayer games have bee
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hrm? i can log in at 5am and play with 12 other people easy. i dont think user base is a problem.
and the browser integration is just fine .. i hate in-game server browers with a passion - the fact that quake-live's server browser is a million times better than the best other in game server browser speaks volumes about how good of an idea it was to host the server browsing in a web browser plugin. (Not that it was the first browser-plugin-based server browser, mind you.)
dunno why people have a problem with q
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Second. QL is one smoooooth FPS.
-RobotJesus
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Adware (Score:2)
The want the game to be free to play, and supported by ads. Adware in executables has a bad rap, but people tolerate them in free online games.
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I think this is largely a test bed for software as a service.
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"The point of browser-based games is that the end user doesn't need to install anything,"
We could have said the same thing about Adobe Flash which is now ubiquitous on the web or active x plugins, or any number of web plugins.
I understand your point but really the issue is making the plugin installation easy and transparent. Ideally everything would be automated without user intervention but the political issues and general user and corporate, and malicious malware idiots of the world would find some way t
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I believe id is using the web browser/plugin for a couple of reasons. First, they want to efficiently simplify the updating system. Once you login, it always checks and updates files in the plugin to make sure they're up to date. It will also update in-game ads use. Today, this is often done by yet another program to run in the background of your computer (jusched.exe comes to mind).
The second purpose is to unify the user experience. Since Quake Live is designed to be an on-line "community", they want t
about time (Score:2)
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Just Great (Score:4, Funny)
I am so going to fail out of school.
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Nah... just as long as you don't pick up World of Warcraft, you should be fine.
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I love ID software (Score:5, Informative)
They've made a lot of great games, and they open source there older platforms. What more can you ask from a software company?
On a side note Quake Live is fun
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simple, gang up on the guy with the quad, so what it's ffa, I've killed the quad holder plenty of times.
Or take advantage of that 3D sound card and your knowledge of the map's sounds, and stay out of the quad carrier's way. Hearing the quad timer count down it's end without the player having gotten any kills is one of life's small pleasures.
You can also try a timeless classic: wait until he pulls out the rocket launcher, then leap out at him suddenly with the super shotgun. After you've removed his advantage via a bloody explosion, the following race from spawn points to where the quad and weapons are sitting
Part of the game, so live with it. (Score:1)
No, it is no fun turning the corner and coming muzzle to muzzle with someone who is on quad damage, but on the other hand, it is oh so satisfying to then splatter them with the good old shotgun.
The power ups and weapons are all part of the game. They do have limited shots and durations after all. /. time, dammit.
The game. Ah.
The highly addictive game.
That I have spent many, many hours playing.
That I am feeling an urge to log on to right now. (twitch, twitch.)
It is seriously cutting into my
I must work toward
Just Quake (Score:1)
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What makes it better to play in a browser?
play? nothing. But you get to have this rich beautifull interface with stats, profiles teams clans tags battles tournaments accesible from the web at no additional cost.
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Exactly, and this is breathing a lot of new life into the Quake community. I suspect many players will make their way to Vanilla Quake 3 and likely CPMA as well.
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This interface could be performed inside the game too. A brower is a crude way to do it.
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This interface could be performed inside the game too. A brower is a crude way to do it.
can you link to a game interface from email? or online forum post?
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I don't think so, and I don't want to. But this facility can be implemented with a website that will simply show the current state of matches, not require for me to go through the web interface to play a match.
QuakeLive is in a web interface because of the hype around web apps.
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Quake as a browserplugin? What's the point? What makes it better to play in a browser? I fail to get the point, you'll have to download a binary in any case.
Like many things it is because they can. Id is about paving the way with new gaming technologies, which usually are built around gaming graphics engines. Chances are any work that Id does here they will be able to license to other companies.
Just one question: If they are planning on a cross-platform web based gaming solution, then I imagine C3DL is the
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Re:priority? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Uhhh....huh? A sysadmin is going to recommend to the CTO that the company migrate their database to Quake Wars?
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A corollary to that third sentence is that the percentage of gamers or potential gamers is probably much higher among those who use or consider using Linux.
We need to keep in mind there's a big chunk of people who use Windows who tend not to be gamers. Your own parents, aunts and uncles, seniors, adults who just had a family. Never mind all the Windows users (Windows market share) in the workplace who aren't about to install games on those machines.
What, then, is the true percentage of the Windows gamer's
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I've bought every id game because they port to Linux. They've made a few bucks off me, times that by a few others and perhaps it's worthwhile.
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Why on earth would any sane company make a linux port a priority?
"A" priority doesn't mean a thing. If it were the priority it would have come out at the same time as the Windows support (or before) but since it didn't it's obviously one of those "when we get around to it" type things. As well it should be — they have already reached the largest part of the market.
Private Servers (Score:2, Insightful)
I'm really looking forward to the implementation of private servers. I know all that's holding a few of my friends back is the fact that they have to play with the unwashed masses. It'd be great if several of us could hop on for some games against opponents we know and can laugh with.
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I'm really looking forward to the implementation of private servers. I know all that's holding a few of my friends back is the fact that they have to play with the unwashed masses
...and a monthly fee [quakelive.com], of course.
What about private servers and starting my own games?
As most of you know, we currently host only public matches that all players can join. These matches are running on server boxes in various locations throughout the world that are completely controlled by us and our back-end system. There are many benefits to doing things this way - our servers run more efficiently (hosting more people per physical box), our servers are always up to date with the clients, and we can more monitor and prevent cheating, to name only a few. However, we understand that players want to be able to host private games/servers that are configured the way they choose and only accessible to their friends, clan, or others they choose. Our private game/private server integration will be the first major feature added to QUAKE LIVE in the upcoming months.
Traditionally, the process of letting players rent private servers is something that is handed off to various game server providers (GSPs). Each of these GSPs sets their own prices, which are typically anywhere from about $15-$30/month for 16 player slots in a single, fixed location. Each GSP also typically has it's own interface for managing that server that in no way is integrated with the game.
Our plan is to completely integrate the ability to start and manage private games directly through QUAKE LIVE, utilizing all of the friends, awareness and notification features we have available through the site. This ability will be the cornerstone of a QUAKE LIVE Premium Service that will be offered for a small monthly fee (likely less than $5 per month). So, for 1/3 to 1/6 the price that it normally costs to run a private match, we'll be offering players the ability to easily start a private match with these benefits:
--On demand - whenever you want to play privately, you simply set it up, play, and when you're done, those slots go back into our "public pool." This is how we can offer it for a substantially lower cost than is typical.
--Each match you set up can be in a different location. For example, if you're in NY and you want to play a friend in CA, chose a neutral location in Illinois or Texas. If the next time you play, you want to invite a friend also on the east coast, then run the match in Virginia.
--The interface is completely integrated into QUAKE LIVE and uses all of the back-end friends and friend awareness systems that we have at our disposal. So, when setting up a match, you'll be able to select the friends you want to invite and have a pop-up automatically alert them to your invitation - allowing them to join with one click.
--Private matches will also have access to more competitive game features that can not be practically used for public matches - like locked teams, timeouts, etc. (more on this below).
This is a very high-level summary, but we're excited about what we'll be able to offer players. When we get closer to rolling this out, we'll include more details on what additional features will be included in the private match system as well as additional benefits included with the Premium subscription. It is important to note in all of this, that we will not at all be charging for any content - this premium fee is basically for an extended service that includes private "space" on physical hardware.
The real news... (Score:1)
A thought, although potentially off topic (Score:3, Interesting)
I wish I could get to see the numbers (or percentages) they (ID Software) estimate to be the potential size of Linux and Mac OS X users. I suspect, though I am biased, that their numbers would surpass in quality and quantity the recent estimate based on web site traffic that set Linux use at one percent. I suspect too those figures would be less prone to tweaking or to external third party pressures.
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I wish I could get to see the numbers (or percentages) they (ID Software) estimate to be the potential size of Linux and Mac OS X users.
How can software on a remote system at ID Software estimate the size of Linux and Mac users? :-P
the real question about the linux client... (Score:3, Funny)
is not when will it be released but will it have a tux model available.
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Bah!!! *shakes cane* id an acronym? dream on! (Score:2, Informative)
What's the next one on the list to go over, how about the fact that Trolltech's (now Nokia's) toolkit is a word, not an acronym. Qt (pronounced cute) - not Q.T. grr. I could go on with you and your "unix daymon" retarded pronunciatio
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The Irony...it BURNS!!!! (Score:2)
Now that's a bold statement from someone that has this as his sig!
Please learn the difference: à la = "in the style or manner of" ; aka = "also known as"
Fsckin' moron! LOL!!!
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"I've already gone through the posts and see people typing "ID" referring to the company as if they're initials or something. The damn word is id!"
id as in lid, yes I know. But for most people who played doom it was eye-dee, I mean you can't name your company something like id (as in lid) and then expect people to know the proper pronunciations.
More importantly eye-dee software sounds way better then "id" software. I've always referred to them as eye-dee and not 'id'.
Quite frankly it shouldn't matter sinc
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I could go on with you and your "unix daymon" retarded pronunciation habit as well, but my arm is getting tired of the cane shaking.
Honestly, I don't really know how daemon is supposed to be pronounced. I've always pronounced it daymon.
Works fine under Parallels (Score:2)
Quake Live works fine under Parallels; the only gotcha is you have to press fn-F3 to ready yourself.
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that's great. We need more of these game companies (Score:1)
I am happy of course to see that having a Linux native version is a priority at least for some developers.
Too bad I really don't like Quake-like games, or any FPS.
If only the RPG companies would have Linux in their mind. Like Bioware, which delivered Neverwinter Nights (thanks!), but now turned its back on us with Dragon Age.
Great! (Score:2)
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2/10
Kudos to id (Score:2)
Hats off to id software for making Linux versions of all their games!