Valve is preparing Steam for Linux (again)

[Yorus]

Mmmm… will Half-Life also make me dizzy on Linux?

[cobito]

@Yorus:

Mmmm… will Half-Life also make me dizzy on Linux?

I guess the same as on Windows because the FOV is the same. Try limiting the frame rate to 30 or 40.

[Yorus]

@cobito:

I guess it's the same as on Windows because the FOV is the same. Try limiting the frame rate to 30 or 40.

Yes, I already found out at the time and it was because of that, it happens to a lot of people. Anyway, it never hooked me, I'm more into Counter.

[kynes]

A little offtopic… Do you have a group of hardlimit users set up on steam?

[Tecnho]

@kynes:

A little offtopic… Do you have a group of hardlimit users set up on steam?

I created one a while ago and there are a few of us, I don't know if it's different from other platforms (Mac, linux) or if it's valid for everyone.

My nick is Tecnho in case anyone wants to add.

[cobito]

@kynes:

Un poco offtopic… Teneis montado grupo de usuarios de hardlimit en steam?

En la época dorada del server de CS:S de Hardlimit (Servidor HardLimit CS:S - HardLimit) creé un grupo pero no tuvo mucho éxito: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/hardlimit

[Tecnho]

The one I had created a while ago is this one we are 17

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/HARDLIMITIANOS

[Yorus]

I'll check if I have a slot and install it on my Xubuntu, and if we choose one of the two groups as a meeting point I'll be there.

I'm also not sure if the two Steams will be mixed, since I also have a Windows Steam account with only one game and I'm not sure if I'll have to create another one for Linux.

[cobito]

@Yorus:

I'll see if I have a slot and install it on my Xubuntu, and if we choose one of the two groups as a meeting point I'll be there.

I'm also not sure if the two Steams will be mixed, since I also have a Windows Steam account with only one game and I'm not sure if I'll have to create another one for Linux.

The Steams are the same. You don't need to create an account for Windows and another for Linux. The only difference is that you won't be able to play titles that haven't been ported to Linux.

[Yorus]

Ok, perfect.

I just installed it on Xubuntu and everything is perfect, with the user I already had and so on.

[Bm4n]

What?, how's Steam going for you, the only game I have that's compatible is Osmos and it works well, I'm now downloading something 3D to test it better

[cobito]

For me in Mageia 2, despite being incompatible due to old libraries, it has been running quite well.

By the way, for 2 or 3 weeks now, Counter Strike: Source has been available for Linux.

There are fewer and fewer reasons to have Windows on the PC. In fact, there is only one: BF3.

[kynes]

Any distribution that you recommend for someone who hasn't used linux regularly for eons, and wants to try steam?

[Bm4n]

Unfortunately, Ubuntu is the only one that officially supports it right now, if you want to download and install Ubuntu. If you want a slightly more advanced system, in Fedora, adding a repository where they carry Steam and installing it works perfectly.

[cobito]

In fact, there is official packaging not only for Ubuntu but also for Arch, OpenSUSE and Mageia 3 Beta. The latter added the package to its official repositories a few days ago and it works wonderfully.

However, as Bm4n says, the easiest option is probably Ubuntu.

[cobito]

As of today, Half Life 2, Eposidio 1, and Lost Coast are available for Linux.

On the other hand, Garry Newman, the creator of the popular Garry's Mod that allows us to play with the physics of Havok and Source, has said that his creation will soon be available for Linux.

Between the games and the mods, the Source engine is going to give a lot of trouble in the GNU system. For now, Valve has already managed to achieve great advances in the drivers of nVidia and Ati. And those that are yet to come.

To finish, Gabe Newell, the head of Valve, has stated that SteamBox, the company's console will run on Linux and that it will possibly be presented at the LinuxCon that will be held between the 16th and the 18th of September.

It seems to be the definitive end of the divorce between Linux and games. It remains to be seen the hardware with which the SteamBox will be motorized, although "out there" it is said that it will integrate Ati GPUs, which could give the push that its proprietary drivers need.

[Tecnho]

Great news, let's see if it goes ahead and so it gives me more desire to use more linux that I have it very parked.

[Tecnho]

This weekend I've been running steam in for a bit, for now I'm playing civilization V and it's going very well, what games have you tried? I'm using ubuntu on a low-end lenovo laptop with i3 and integrated intel graphics, the laptop is a b590.

[cobito]

So far I have only tested titles with Source engine. The performance is quite good although you only get the most out of it with Nvidia's proprietary drivers (the free ones are terrible).

In the case of AMD, their free drivers get pretty close to the proprietary ones when running Source. In fact, my recommendation for Radeon HD6000 models and older would be to forget about the proprietary driver.

For Intel, I have checked that the performance is poor with HD2xxx, HD4000 and HD4600, but these GPUs don't have any oomph in 3D, neither in Linux nor in Windows nor in anything.

[Tecnho]

Mine has an HD4000, obviously not for gaming, and I only play light games like civilization and at most a CS, I've only tried it, but it works pretty well and for the use of the laptop that my mother mostly uses, she says it works much better than with Windows XD so I'll keep trying it.