I’ve gone and done something I really regret – this afternoon I went and purchased a video game that doesn’t support Linux. Not on purpose mind you. And I’ve purchased games in the past that don’t have a native Linux client, but run really well under Wine.
I bought the Unreal Tournament 3 Collector Edition… which came with the Unreal Anthology, which is semi-useless to me – I already own all the games included. I knew beforehand that the client wouldn’t be on the DVD in the box, but I’d need to go and find it somewhere online.
Or so I thought … *sigh*
So I got home and went hunting for the downloadable Linux client binary for UT3 and found really, really bad news. The Linux client is delayed with no ETA.
Ryan Gordon, who’s the person ultimately responsible for the Linux client, posted the following to On October 14th: “[…]We’ll make sure there’s a downloadable Linux installer” That’s a bit out of context, but there is no Linux client at release.
So what’s the holdup? Middleware. From what I understand, one of the tools used in the games is throwing a legal hissy fit about Ryan releasing a Linux binary.
It’s hard to guess out just who exactly is responsible, since nobody is talking, and there are more than a dozen middleware companies documented on Wikipedia as being in the Unreal 3 Engine:
* Ageia’s PhysX
* OC3 Entertainment’s FaceFX
* RAD Game Tools’s Bink Video
* DivX, Inc.’s Divx
* Quazal Technologies’s Rendez-Vous and Spark
* Fonix Speech’s VoiceIn and DecTalk
* Engenuity’s AI Implant
* IDV’s SpeedTreeRT
* Digimask’s Diskmask SDK, Kynogon’s Kynapse A.I
* Geomerics’s Enlighten
* Allegorithmic’s ProFX
* PhaseSpace’s Motion Capture
* IGN’s GameSpy
* Umbra Software’s Umbra, dPVS, sPVS.
I’m going to take a wild guess and say Ageia… but that’s pure speculation. So what’s a guy supposed to do with a new game and no Linux binary to run it with? If you just thought to yourself “install Windows” – YOU’RE WRONG!
I went back out and purchased Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. Not to draw any significantly unfair comparisons here, but iD software is cream of the crop when it comes to Linux support. I downloaded a single file (updated recently to version 1.2), executed it, and it installed so easily I barely had time to blink before it was copying files and done.
I didn’t have to look hard to find the file either… right on the iD software website. I hate using this word, since it’s so overused… kudos to iD software, you don’t look like the world’s biggest jackass right about now.
I’ll have to see about returning my Collector Edition of Unreal Tournament 3… or maybe just give it away on this site… that’s a good idea… a raffle. Hmmm.
26 replies on “Unreal Tournament 3 – Linux Client Delayed”
i’ve played quake 1 for over 6 years, then q2 for a while, i play q3 even today.. well – simply put – best SF FPS ever. 🙂
and don’t give us your UT3, which won’t work on our linux boxes 😉 just throw it away, or sell it to some winboy 😛
Donate it to the Wine Project, so they can use it for ‘testing’ 😉
Epic Games has Ryan Gordon on the job. This one man super-dynamo for Linux gaming will get it done.
I think we could all make a HUGE statement if we refused to buy games unless they’re made for Linux. But, it seems like all the sheeple keep buying up those windows only games, or even buying a completely new operating system to satisfy the directx 10 requirement that just slows down your system even more.
[…] You can read the full story here […]
Hah. I did the exact same thing as you. I had it pre-ordered when it was said the binary would come on the disc. Popped it in to find only .exe’s Fortunately I dual boot so I just installed it on windows. UT3 is the ONLY thing keeping windows on my machine, I’ve gone strictly Linux/GNU (PCLinuxOS 2007) for a while now. I’m hoping that when the Linux client is released I will see a performance boost since most of my system resources will be going to the game – not windows. Once the Linux client is released I will be saying goodbye to windows for good (yay).
-Ish
Ha, thanks for this. I read it three minutes after ordering UT3. Cancelled my order immediately and ordered Quake:ET instead. 🙂 Saved me 60 Euro for a CE I wouldn’t be able to use when I got it.
Man! I was looking forward to yet another great game for Linux.. however I’m content with ET:QW…
I picked up UT3 when I was at the store to get a 2nd copy ov quake wars. I thought about returning ut3 as soon as I found no linux support, but I figure epic will be able to work it out…
Only option I see is to dual boot with a pirated copy of windows to play the games that don’t support linux until they have support…then buy the game. Sticks it to the game makers and more importantly gives numphin’ to Bill since he deserves to burn for Vista
I might get Quake Wars… not sure yet. Still waiting for linux installer for UT3. I was almost going to buy it too, but thought I’d better look up if the installer was actually released but it wasn’t… You’re losing sales iD!
Its not as bad as what midway did with unreal anthology. It has tux on the f***ing box but has no linux support at all. It makes me so mad that I wasted $20 on that just to find out I couldn’t play it unless I shelled out another $150 to get a copy of windows.
An other statement from our Linux gamers could be, not to run any server when there is no Linux native client available..
Did you notice the UT3 Linux server was very quick available , no legal issues there..
Yo wayne, i just did the same fucking thing. god damn it.
Liz says hi. 🙂
Hi Liz!
This is the future calling, still no Linux UT3 client.
I’m just glad I gave my copy away so somebody could enjoy it. 🙂
How about some humbelness…? Is Linux such a great system if Epic has so much problem with legal issues just to sell the da*n game?
@Perzy: What are you mumbling about? There are no legal issues to put out a Linux client. Just look at how easily iD does it time after time.
Yeah true that. You want me to be humble when it’s something that was originally promised on the original discs, then delayed for a week?
Read or listen to the interview with John Knottenbelt – he’s convinced that Linux ports are worth doing.
Same with iD Software, they have no problem doing ports.
EPIC has gone down the wrong path as of late, just look at the lawsuits they’ve been getting into – accused of releasing a non-complete engine (UE3) and working on Gears of War instead of living up to their expectations.
Boring!
I have do the same. Bought the Game in hoped to play it a week later the Box was released, like with Quake 4. But this delay is awful. I will not blame someone for this it’s just going wrong.
If i looking forward, i suppose the client will release in six more month :/ Because there will be huge issues. Not just these legal.
After a while i bought Vista to play this game but’s not really nice there. The game work’s slow and it’s not funny to dual Boot just for this. So i don’t play it. With ETQW i found one Game i really love. But it’s just nice to play with friends in a Teamplay. It’s not the same short Instant Action i loved in UT. But the third is different. From Windows i like to drive with the Hoverboard. But’s thats after a while boring. And the Campaign-Mode is Boring too. As i saw the preview Videos i supposed a Story like Half Life 2 😉 But thats wrong its the same as in UT2004. And this is sad too. After a while you replay the maps again different Computers and as these point it gets more and more boring.
ETQW have a nice design of the maps and balanced team play its different but i like it more. But there not enough maps.
BUT i want CTF, instand Gib 🙂
My last hope is that this game will run with wine! The installer works now and just some Lightning Effects won’t work. And some Textures.
Wow, it’s been a year and still no linux client. This sucks.
A year? It
s like going to be 2 years .. When will the UT3 Linux Client be finished? I’ll not wait another years.
I want to play it NOW!
Unfortunately EPIC seems to have dropped their Linux support..
I guess I’ll return my DVD.
I wish I had never bought into a promise.
I believe that Microsoft got into talks with Epic about buying the unreal engine so that THEY could get a nice bundle from licensing it out to all the other companies.
Most likely Epic themselves will end up jammed in the trash, and Microsoft can not only then make certain that no freeloading linux user can’t play it unless they buy windows, but that no more sexy ue3 engine games come out on other rival platforms such as PS3 forcing owners of that machine into a similar position to PC users choosing not to use windows.
Wouldn’t be the first, and certainly won’t be the last company that Microsoft buys up just to throw away in order to make life for it’s competitors more difficult.
I feel your pain man. I really wanted UT3 on Linux…..