Nvidia launches GTX 980, GTX 970

http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/articles/maxwell-architecture-gtx-980-970



Wonder if the "Advanced Maxwell Architecture" is different to my 750 Ti's Maxwell Architecture meaning I won't get the same driver functionality nearer to its end of life .. =(
My 8400 GS is now stuck on Nvidia's 340.x Binary driver.

Ah well, with Star Citizen supporting Linux, and probably going the OGL route for that through CryEngine's Linux builds, there'll be no need for DX 12 (which nVidia promised for current cards anyway). MS is also now on board Khronos, if only for the WebGL part (since IE sucks in that department).

Also, with Khronos asking for OGL Next (or nicknamed 5.0) comments/proposals when they announced OGL 4.5, I'll be waiting until OGL 5.0 hardware comes out for my next graphics purchase. I'm glad I moved away from notebook gaming though - that was breaking the bank for less than half the performance (for similar model names' mobile versions).

Star Citizen (finally) Officially Confirmed for Linux by the man himself!

YES, Star Citizen (finally) Officially Confirmed for Linux by the man himself!!!

"... by the way, we'll gonna be supporting Linux."

"We'll be on Linux ... we like it. I think most engineers will tell you that they prefer Linux ... to Windows actually, especially in the back-end server world."

1st quote is at 21:45 (already skipped to in that video link above.
2nd quote is at 45:20 (question & answer). CR (Chris Roberts) also says "all the major engines are supporting Linux" at [47:25]. =)


Here's another great video of Linux love and DRM hate (with an interesting developer's opinion on piracy) from last year's PC Gamer panel with more indies and game devs at PAX:




Click here for a brief history of speculation of Star Citizen on Linux on my part.
And here for an article about the rise of Linux (including gaming on Linux).

Here's also a new blog I discovered covering gaming on Linux which updates fairly frequently (multiple articles per day) as opposed to steamonlinux.com
It's like Phoronix but for games! (Since Michael is a self-professed non-gamer).

The rise of Linux

The Downfall of Windows (xP)

So I just read (or re-read) some news about ISS laptops being changed to Linux last year (2013) as Windows XP nears its EOL in April this year with no more security or technical updates. With Windows 8 being hard to use and the UI being unfamiliar, that's prompted me to write this post instead of sneaking it in a section within another post like I normally do =P
By the way, all those Windows XP users, it's a great time to switch to Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, since Win 8 users will have to familiarise themselves with a new UI anyway. WinXP/7 users would probably want to use Kubuntu/Xubuntu to have a familiar desktop environment (you can set the UI up to be almost exactly like Win XP/7). You want LTS versions because they're supported for 5 years, although you're free to upgrade to different versions anytime when they're out. (LTS versions happen every 2 years, and non-LTS versions are supported for 9 months now, instead of 18 months previously.)

The adoption of Linux in the world

So why use Linux anyway?

• It's free - as in financially and in the sense of free speech. You can freely modify and customise it to suit your needs and use it however you like!
• It's stable and reliable - updates and patches happen quickly as it's open sourced, and won't fall into the traps of things like the Mac OS/iOS SSL bug. Security by obscurity is wrong in an OS context.
• It's efficient - My Linux (Kubuntu 12.04) is pretty fast and does things faster than my Windows 7 HP 64bit, even with KDE, which is a relatively intense DE compared with things like XFCE and GNOME/forks.

In Science:

Used by people and places like:
CERN
Experiment Platforms
NASA
-MSL (Curiosity Rover)
-ISS (probably almost everything since the move to Linux on desktop laptops).

Linux in Space

United Space Alliance, a NASA contractor that supports the laptops on the ISS used the Linux Foundation to train their devs to migrate and port apps over to Linux.
Apparently they have over 140 laptops with 80 online at any time; they chose Debian 6, it being Google's choice of distribution too. They also have Scientific Linux and RHEL/CentOS on some computers already on the ISS. Robonaut R2 uses it and the ISS has used it since Linux started, but rarely on the desktop PCs.

We migrated key functions from Windows to Linux because we needed an operating system that was stable and reliable — one that would give us in-house control. So if we needed to patch, adjust, or adapt, we could.

ZING! Apparently they have faced a few random crashes (probably BSODs lol) and in 2008 had some virus infect the ISS LAN.

Consumer Devices:

Android (kernels are being merged, and hopefully completely in a few years)
Tesla Model S

So why is adoption important at all? I think it's especially important in gaming where the catch 22 can clearly be seen - 'everyone' uses Windows to game, so game devs only build for Windows and so 'everyone' has to use Windows to game. So when devs have this alternate option instead of being locked into Windows (and perhaps DirectX), they can build for it and the Linux gaming community can back them and get rid of this catch 22 problem. Things like the humble bundle clearly show the Linux community is ready to throw money at devs who make games for Linux.

In Gaming:

Wow, GDC 2014 just prompted announcements of Linux support everywhere!
And look, someone else did a great article about the rise of Linux gaming! =)
While Phoronix downplays (or is disappointed by) the interest in Linux at GDC, it's a great improvement, from having 0 Linux announcements at GDC to having a Linux presence with SteamOS, CRYENGINE, AMD, etc. Valve's SteamOS and Steam for Linux official release announcements were only last year, so AAA devs haven't had time to announce and demo Linux games at GDC yet - but we've already seen heaps of indies get onboard. Like a Phoronix forum user said:

We have gone from "it would be cool to have a game on Linux" to "omg the next-gen CryEngine with its OpenGL 4.3 renderer might not be perfectly ported".

Game Engines: Unity,
Unreal (announced 19/3!),
CRYENGINE (dev tools, CrySDK coming to Linux),
Source & Source 2,
Leadwerks (and the editor/IDE is on Linux thru Kickstarter too!)

Game Publishers: Steam On Linux (on a sidenote, Valve wants to move from Greenlight to a more easy self-publishing system where any dev can post something),
Desura,
 GOG.com (announced 18/3) 

Consoles/Hardware:
SteamOS, Ouya/Android, Oculus Rift

Games & Devs: Steam Library Catalogue, Upcoming games on Steam,
Devs liking OpenGL and freedom of Linux and hating Windows restrictions.
Recent announcements of games on the PC usually announce on Linux in addition to Windows.
GabeN also said devs like Linux! =)

Valve: check out these awesome vids at Steam Dev Days 2014 (where there are a whole lot more Linux and VR related stuff including):
Getting started on Linux (incl Myth-busting),
Valve seriously supporting and working on moving to OpenGL exclusively,
Modern OpenGL reducing Driver Overhead (by nVidia which looks like their portion of the GDC talk below).

Vendors: nVidia, AMD, Intel @ GDC "Approaching Zero Driver Overhead", nVidia sponsored video posted in the future. There'll probably be more news from them with the GPU tech conference in the next few days as well.
AMD plans to open-source kernel space driver support, while keeping user-space binaries for their Catalyst driver (so they can keep their "secret-sauce" optimisations away from prying eyes of nVidia). AMD roadmap/info summary from GDC here; I'm not feeling as much love as I was hoping, but tbh I mostly just care about GFX performance and that means high performing nVidia drivers, even if they're binary blobs. 


On a related note, check out all the awesome vids from Steam Dev Days (click for PDFs, etc.)! They have at least 4 talks related to Linux and OpenGL (including debugging hehe)!

Updated: 24/3 to include links to latest Phoronix wrap-up articles. 

BREAKING: CryEngine on Linux Officially CONFIRMED (and therefore Star Citizen =P)

Yes, after years of speculation, Crytek has announced that CRYENGINE will finally officially build natively for Linux.
Here's the excerpt pertaining to Linux:

During presentations and hands-on demos at Crytek's GDC booth, attendees can see for the first time ever full native Linux support in the new CRYENGINE.  The CRYENGINE all-in-one game engine is also updated with the innovative features used to recreate the stunning Roman Empire seen in Ryse – including the brand new Physically Based Shading render pipeline, which uses real-world physics simulation to create amazingly realistic lighting and materials in CRYENGINE games.

I first learnt about his when someone posted to the Star Citizen forums of a thread I was following. 
Obligatory Phoronix post. 

My speculation history to date:
Just recently Star Citizen advertised Kingdom Come: Deliverance which utilised the same CRYENGINE and promises a Linux port.  It's triply funded on Kickstarter now!
Remember in this post I talked about that Linux programmer position they were hiring for Frankfurt (Crytek HQ) as proof of "almost fully official" Linux builds? Filled.
Or that time Chris Roberts said in the 24 hour livestream for Star Citizen that they can't say anything about non-Windows builds yet but Linux (and Mac) users will be "pleasantly surprised"?
And then me wondering about it here?
And these posts were a year after I read Phoronix' article back in 2012 where I first speculated about CryEngine on Linux. Of course, at that time I thought the more the merrier, but in 2013 Star Citizen changed that thought into "Come out on Linux already!"

Linux is complete with gaming rant
Yes, you're getting another (slightly reworded) one ;P
With Valve's SteamOS, Steam on Linux and Source, Unity, Unreal and CRY Engines being native on Linux, games ARE moving en-masse to the Linux OS. This is welcome news, since gaming, and atm, only one particular game -Star Citizen- is the only thing holding me back from never booting Windows on my laptop.
Games I also like and play on Linux are: Dota 2, KSP, Guns of Icarus Online, L4D2, TF2, X-series, Bastion, Killing Floor, Gemini Rue, Dust, Monaco, Surgeon Simulator, and an ever increasing amount of games, indie and big-publisher alike. I find if I'm looking at a game purchase/Humble Bundle, availability on Linux is a deciding factor. I also find I can usually get a good old game on Windows that wasn't built for Linux working on Wine. Especially with WineHQ database and PlayOnLinux. =P

The past year has been - and the next few years will be - very interesting for Linux =)

_________________________________________________________________

Star Citizen Update!

So they just reached $40 million and every backer who pledges/pledged before the $42million mark will get a special Galactapedia (Hitch Hiker's Guide, if you will) viewer. They'll also get a TOWEL! HAHAHAHAHA!!!! xD

Also, since I've done an SC update on this blog, a lot of things have happened - they're at patch 11.1 with OR support in the Hangar Module; check out the stretch goals, which are just examples of the ways SC improves with the money and were usually planned long ago.
Also check out their new monthly reports (link to Feb 2014) for those of us who don't have time to follow every website post.

And they now have 3 update videos every WEEK:

• Monday - 10 for the Chairman where Chris Roberts answers 10 questions from subscribers (monthly pledgers of $10/$20).
• Wednesdays - Wingman's Hangar (now moved to Wednesdays; the original development update show). 
• Fridays - The Next Great Starship, a kind of reality TV show featuring a competition for teams to make the next starship in Star Citizen with the judging and feedback of some folks from CIG (Cloud Imperium Games, RSI's real-world company name)!

Also Jump Point print copies are available, they look gorgeous! They're also a great example of how the folks at CIG tend to over deliver on promises and are always looking for the good of the game and the players - they promised 4-6 full colour pages of magazine format development updates for monthly subscribers and now they're averaging 50 pages a month! They've released some past Jump Point sections  to everyone before, check it out on their website (link goes to all slideshows in Comm-Link)! Check all their WIPs and Jump Point stuff at the link.

Can't wait to try the Dog Fighting Module after PAX East in mid-April!


Last Updated: 2014-03-16 06:39:53 AM AEDT; corrected Jump Point frequency to "monthly", added a few links.

AMD Mantle

Having announced all their new value/bang for buck Volcanic Island cards - with one being reviewed by Phoronix here - AMD/ATI have now announced their new Graphics API Mantle.

It pretty much replaces OpenGL and DirectX, giving developers a closer, lower level access to the graphics card chips and such. This being similar to NVAPI and Glide from 3dfx. Firstly heard it from Star Citizen, which will be supporting it, characteristic of it supporting all cool advancement in PC technologies like the Oculus Rift. What this means is considerable improvement in GPU utilisation, and hopefully a Linux client via Mantle. There could also be a PS4 version if Sony lets CIG do their stuff on it, how they like. Here's some more info:


However, John Carmack (now at Oculus VR) says OpenGL can reach that (9x faster draw calls) performance, when utilising extensions from nVidia. Speaking of Oculus, a post about that should come somewhat later. =)

There should be a lot more info released during the AMD Conference on the 11th-13th this month.

Ubunchu ch.08 and PSA: Sudo powers

Here's a double release of art projects geared towards new(ish?) users/discoverers of Linux and the Ubuntu distribution.

Ubunchu chapter 8 typeset by me took a year (lol, I had no schedule and it was very on-off, next time I'll schedule it properly so I don't forget what I was doing). It's my first official type-setting/translation manga release, hope you like it. =) I was going to try and perfect it but because the project dragged on so long I thought I should just try and quickly push it out and release/ship it.
Ubunchu is about a school club in a Japanese high school which is tinkering with Ubuntu.
Read the whole series (and a better synopsis) here: ubunchu.net
My latest release (ch8): on google drive - zip of PNGs (click File -> Download),

        Shared folder here - DL in PDF (recommend you DL the zip of PNGs instead and use MComix to read get MComix1.00), 

        and on the ubunchu website (when it gets uploaded there someday).

Getting to work on an open sourced manga/project like this one is pretty nice. Especially without having to clean 'scans' using levelling, and other more sophisticated techniques. xP All of it was done in GIMP which is open source and is also available on windows due to GTK magic (but it feels nicer on my Kubuntu). I've never used photoshop properly (to a certain extent) but I can say GIMP is competitively advanced and has nice plugins too. Mostly used Blambot's fonts - free for non-commercial use.

Also would be nice to get a Wacom tablet/ergonomic mouse/SteamController (check out this demo vid!), I get RSI with at least my index finger when using conventional mice. Currently use a trackball for everyday use, but gets annoying since it doesn't have a scroll wheel. Steam controller definitely looks promising since my HKD20 PS-like controller definitely has bad resolution, and I don't imagine my PS controllers or the XBox ones will be much better. Although having fond memories of my Saitek joystick (which is so old it used a serial or parallel connection), I might use that for Star Citizen, although I'll have to test the Steam Controller first, like how I tested the OR. Which reminds me, Oculus Rift post coming soon =)

[Linux is complete with gaming rant]
With Valve's SteamOS, Steam on Linux and Source, Unity, Unreal game Engines being native on Linux as well as CryEngine soon, games seem to be moving en-masse to the Linux OS. This is welcome news, since gaming, and atm, only one particular game (Star Citizen, which has gained 4mil in crowdfunding since I last blogged about last month - 1.5mil of which was from the last 4 days) is the only thing holding me back from never booting Windows on my laptop. It's on CryEngine 3, so can't wait for that to build natively for Linux.
We've got Dota 2, KSP, Guns of Icarus Online, L4D2, TF2, X-series and an increasing amount of games, indie and big-publisher alike natively on Linux already or coming. I find if I'm looking at a game purchase/Humble Bundle, availability is a deciding factor. These next few years will be very interesting for Linux =)

[/rant]

Here's the PSA (it's related to Ubunchu ch.8), sad to say I learnt this the hard way one too many times:




_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Came across an interesting blenderguru post about why and how Blender's UI is broken and the principles of making good UI, how Blender can be fixed. The folks who made Unity should have a look =P [Sincerely, KDE/XFCE user]

UPDATE: Blenderguru made a video with suggestions, here it is!


=)

Valve and AMD reveals

So Valve has revealed their SteamOS a couple of days ago which is based on Linux, so it's pretty much a Linux distro. It will be a living room entertainment OS, so think console+xbmc combined. It is also free and open source!
Today, they also revealed SteamBox, and are offering 300 beta units for testers to be randomly selected, as long as you earn the Steam Hardware badge level 2.Unfortunately, actual specs are not disclosed, although they are saying the system is open, and you can upgrade individual components (like a PC!), as well as being free to install any OS on it or turn it into a robot! Gotta love Valve and their open/hacker/community culture. First open console since the PC =P. They are also claiming to have different boxes available in 2014 from different vendors, so PC and linux gaming seems to be ever on fire and advancing, thanks in no small part to Valve! [S2] (companion cube). It's great to see games like Dota 2, L4D2, Kerbal Space Program, X3: Albion Prelude and Guns of Icarus Online (and hopefully the Crytek 3 Engine soon) on Linux!
In a couple of days, Valve will reveal something else. Using symbols 'O' as the SteamOS reveal, and '[O ]' as the SteamBox reveal, they are revealing something along the lines of 'O+O'. They've already suggested streaming video from your gaming PC to the steambox via LAN, and family sharing for games, but it could be something different. Check the reveal here below in 33 hours:



AMD has revealed their newest line of GPUs at every price point, and personally I'm rooting for them as they are actually supporting open source linux driver development. Unlike a certain competitor which only releases binary blobs, although they run alright. In the livestream other game devs were also featured as were a lot of audio technology.
Check out Star Citizen's Chris Roberts at 1hr 44minutes of the livestream and some new hangar module features! (And an Aurora take off sequence in the new trailer demo!). It's also set to break 20 million in crowdfunding within 24 hours. See you in the 'verse!

Watch live streaming video from amdlivestream at livestream.com

Star Citizen Hangar Module!!! (Patch 3)

Star Citizen, currently at >USD18mil in crowdfunding, getting past the halfway point of the ambitious Ubuntu Edge's goal. I've been screenshot-ing the daily pledge amount graph so analysis can be made later, but currently it's averaged >1mil/month since March, and in the 7 days during Hangar reveal it raised >1mil.

So after reading this forum thread detailing how someone ran Star Citizen's Hangar Module (a pre-pre-alpha) on a DirectX10.1 card, I was totally excited because before I thought I might need an eGPU. Star Citizen runs on CryEngine 3 and officially needs DX11 (and probably some high OpenGL level once Crytek supports Linux - hope they get a good hire). However, now I can wait for later to buy a new rig/Graphics card and get the best bang for buck =D Will probably be using a desktop > laptop to play this intense game though.

The graphics here look amazing!! And I loved the holo-table and being able to sleep in my RSI Aurora! =D I played this on low settings with a resolution of 1280x720 but I'm guessing my FPS was below 10. Maxed my GPU (GT330M) on my Samsung R580-JS02AU with i5-520M and 8GB DDR3.

Originally my GPU was overheating at ~100C and decided to turn my computer off when that happened (although I don't know how I was doing constant 105C while gaming last year before I took apart my laptop and cleaned it, reducing temperatures by ~20C (should make a post about that sometime with all the pics =P).
This time, I opted for the quick airduster into the fan intake, ejecting some dust and that seemed to cool the GPU down 10C so it hovered around 90C during gameplay.
Was doing dual screen 1366x768 and 1280x1024 had Star Citizen windowed at 1280x720 and used Greenshot. Afterwards I realised I could've just used FRAPS and got FPS data. -Facepalm-.

Here is a link to my album, and a slideshow of shots I took:

Star Citizen Hangar Module Test, Patch 3, 8/9/2013

Ubuntu Edge ... Final Hours

While I posted about Ubuntu Edge before, It's at the final hours (17) of the campaign and with only 12.25mil and just under 20mil to go, it doesn't look very likely this crowd-funding campaign will reach its goal.

At the discounted price of $695/phone, that is now 46k units instead of 40k units, which is a decent manufacturing run, although I'm not sure on the exact numbers in the economical analysis of these things.

Spec-wise, and functionality-wise it trumps anything in that price-range, Xperia Z or HTC One. Unfortunately, probably due to inadequate advertisement/social media-ring and just not enough people ready to upgrade/commit (a lot of the early adopters may have already bought something this year like the previously mentioned phones), the campaign won't be breaking crowd-funding records like Star Citizen's record breaking crowd-funding dollars.

Still, 12mil is pretty respectable, it was 11mil yesterday and comes close to the 14.6 mil that Star Citizen had when I posted about Ubuntu Edge before (see previous blog post link). Right now Star Citizen has a whopping 15.7mil and growing everyday. Hangar module comes out 24th August at GamesCon, so can't wait to see the news and test it.
I hope they release something like an OpenGL version soon because apparently it'll be DirectX11 and my GT330m doesn't have that support T_T. Also, recent look at ATI's open source driver support leans me towards getting an ATI graphics next time. These nvidia binary blobs sometimes screw up and took me an hour to get my 319 driver working with Linux 3.8 and jockey -_-.



P.S. So for Systems Engineering Analysis (ENGN2226) I get to look at nanosats woot.

OpenShot video editor v 2

So I realise I've been blogging about games (most on Linux) lately, especially with my yearning for Star Citizen to hurry up and get made.
This post, I won't use the 'games' tag. =)

So I was casually browsing kickstarter as you do, and found THIS. Evoking memories of trying hard to find a proper video editing software, finding the most feature filled one on Linux being a readily crashable OpenShot video editor ;P It also kind of reminds me of getting blender and being completely stumped at how to use it. (Along with Maya).
This was back in 2010, and we were able to put together a simple video:


Now, I'm happy to see more work being done, OpenShot getting a new framework, fixing apparently 99% of previous bugs, and cross-platform support.
Oh, and they're switching to Qt from GTK. I liked GTK back on Ubuntu10.04 with GNOME, because Qt would usually look ugly or fail, but now that I'm on Kubuntu12.04, both work pretty well from an end-user point of view. Here's a funny port GIMP to Qt thread that descends into mini-flamewar from the middle till near the end.
Anyway, obligatory iframe of latest blog post (which includes a restrained comment on Operating Systems for devs which I can understand/agree upon):


P.S. Yes, I'm running out of holidays to finish two arty projects in the works, one which was intended to be released a while ago =S; Also, may be starting a eng/tech project (finally!)

FYEAH - Star Citizen On Linux woot!

I know I've posted some rumoury stuff about CryEngine 3 on Linux but:
Here is a 24 hour livestream past video from twitch on their 1st channel, go to 4:46:51 and enjoy a non-announcement about an announcement they can't make yet that will make Linux and Mac owners "happily surprised" ;P


Watch live video from roberts_space_ind_ch_1 on TwitchTV

Youtube version: (go to 16m48s)

Now this comes over a year since the rumour about a native port of CryEngine 3 on Linux =3
Thanks to the lurkers on the 24hr livestream chat for filling us in! =)


Also, here's some links to Chris Roberts on Linux support for Star Citizen questions on Campaign Reddit's AMA:
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/12grru/i_am_chris_roberts_creator_of_wing_commander/c6ux0x3
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/12grru/i_am_chris_roberts_creator_of_wing_commander/c6v1fep


This news comes after this poll during the original fundraising (including kickstarter). You'll find that 21% of votes wanted Linux support! (And 8% for Mac).
https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/12760-Poll-Additional-Stretch-Goals

______________________________________________________________________________________


Also, since I've last posted on Star Citizen on this blog (but have been filling my FB with it =P) CGI's SC is now the most funded crowdfunding project of all time. It surpassed the pebble watch, and make sure you check out the 300i commercial! Fully in-universe an in-engine =)


This 2nd video was released as a director's cut during the 24 hour livestream:

CryEngine 3 on Linux?

So I'd be super hyped if CryEngine 3 did come on Linux - mainly because of Star Citizen.
And there's quite a bit (21% of voters) of support for it over at RSI's Star Citizen

Now, since DirectX is a MS product, and trawling through a few forums seem to suggest that non-MS consoles (ie PS3/4 and Wii/Wii U) must therefore use OpenGL. (I still don't have a concrete answer on this, there is lots of talk about Wii U having DirectX 11 capabilities, but no concrete answer from a reputable source - general forum-poster consensus is that it uses OpenGL)

If that is the case, then this: Cry Engine 3 fully supports Wii U should mean something. Possibly something very shiny.

Star Citizen - RSI, from the makers of Freelancer etc.

from the makers of Freelancer ... THIS. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cig/star-citizen

• A rich universe focused on epic space adventure, trading and dogfighting in first person.
• Single Player – Offline or Online(Drop in / Drop out co-op play)
• Persistent Universe (hosted by US)
• Mod-able multiplayer (hosted by YOU)
• No Subscriptions
• No Pay to Win

Only thing missing from it is shiny MMORPGFPS gameplay on the planetary surface found in the likes of Precursors (which gameplay-wise was amazing =D).
What makes me so excited: MMO persistent universe, FPS elements, Ship combat which is like Freelancer and not MOBA-style (sorry DoTA2, D3, Torchlight, just not so into click click click =P).
Shameless plug for my favourite game of all time (Tribes 1) remade into an arcade style FPS: less gameplay complexity, and weird speed gain when skiing but nevertheless FUN.


BOARDING SHIP MECHANIC explained
Multiplayer and Single player instancing explained.
Because, FIREFLY for inspiration. =) - would love that job xD
Support Linux at the poll for stretch goals (click thru to RSI website for the poll), give CryEngine3 the incentive to go to the quickest growing gaming platform right now with Source, Steam, Unity supporting =) Linux. Speaking of Linux, Humble Bundle for Android 4 finishes in 6 days!


Final-week's (3 days left to pledge!) pitch:


FINAL WEEK PUSH from Roberts Space Industries on Vimeo.

So a few points of our next major stretch goal (from boarding ship mechanic post and RSI star citizen website):
$4.0 million Level Additions

• Melee & Heavy Weapons
• Zero-gravity Simulation
• Suit HUD Options
• Increased Customization
• Outside-the-ship combat (magnetic boots on a hull; think Moonraker)
• Pro MOD TOOLS FREE to players!
• Persistent Universe (forever instead of 30 months), 50 star systems
• More Squardron 42 campaign gameplay
• Increased community updates

- According to RSI website, we need $250k left till $4mil. Also, back on Kickstarter, your pledge will go towards stretch goals of BOTH kickstarter and the overall stretch goals at RSI.  
SO PLEDGE ON KICKSTARTER NOW =D.


I've always wanted to do Precursors MMO'd with friends. This is the closest thing I have ever seen. No amount of procedural universe generation, even if done by big industry pros would sway me. Just damn good gameplay with friends =).
That said, I've had my eye on Infinity Universe for years, because dang-it, its got great gameplay and scale, just without the FPS element >=| and definitely will be happily playing when it comes out.

Steam for Linux finally arrives! (in beta, x86, with more than a score of games)

HELLO new era of gaming, with Steam's big picture mode (finally, console experience on PC! wireless controller on wishlist! =D) saw it on steamforlinux's FB, post here: http://steamforlinux.com/?q=en/node/130

**Update: This pretty much means Steam's Big Picture mode pwned Ouya for me, PCs are more open than consoles, in terms of compatibility and you're not locked into a certain device anyway =P
Pictures of me playing World of Goo thru Steam on Linux soon in a post another time =)
***

Valve stuff:
Press release: http://store.steampowered.com/news/9289/
Hub (latest news): http://steamcommunity.com/linux or http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410
Game group page (not sure what this is used for anymore): http://steamcommunity.com/games/221410

Got so excited, downloaded the .deb, realised it was built for x86. And I also didn't have a 'key' but I heard there were ways of getting around that on the hub >.>
Just waiting for 64-bit release or source with lovely configure and make files =D
In the meantime, will CrossOver/WINE my Client/TF2 ^^

This news probably released just after/around the same time as this one, but nVidia's news travelled faster?? =S:

nVidia supports Steam Linux beta in latest drivers:
http://steamforlinux.com/?q=en/node/127

Also, all you friends out there, add me on Steam!! >=D

Now .. that I've got that out of my system .. time to study >=D

TF2 beta on Steam for Linux!

Yay! My 2nd favourite game of all time (Tribes 1 being my most favourite) is here!
http://marlamin.com/cdr/search.php?s=linux&searchby=os

The above links to the data streamed from Steam CDR (read the about page for more details).
There are at least 38 games listed for Linux, including a lot of games from the Humble Bundles.
It's great to know that alongside TF2, there's Killing Floor =)

Can't wait to get my hands on the client (set to run on Ubuntu and closed beta release this month) and test their >200fps L4D2
http://blogs.valvesoftware.com/linux/

There's also some good news occasionally updated here:
http://steamforlinux.com/

Cuda on linux =3

So following this link here https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Cuda , I got Cuda working on Linux!! (My main Kubuntu 12.04)

The FluidGL thing works really well! If only the colours would change depending on velocity ...

Hiccups:

• Note to self - installed it in default directory /usr/local/bin instead of /opt as suggested by Ubuntu/Cannonical's philosphy thing
• Forgot to install dependencies before building as usual -_-" according to:
Then, install required packages:

sudo apt-get install libxi-dev libxmu-dev freeglut3-dev build-essential binutils-gold

So the plan now is to see if BOINC can utilise some of this CUDA action =)
IF I can get it working that is ...