On: Cryengine 3.8.1 Adds Support for Linux, OpenGL and...

[eterm]

That's a technologist's falacy.

Sure, they could enable a linux build with a "push of a button", but to have linux support they require a support department to support that build.

Actually supporting something is a lot more than just the technology required.

[smcleod → eterm]

Release it as a beta - perhaps even for a reduced price and let the community provide bug reports or even submit fixes if parts are open sourced. This has worked very well for non-game software so the same principles likely apply at least in part.

[charlesdm → smcleod]

This is Blizzard - they would never do that. They don't want to erode their 'we only release stuff when it's properly finished' brand.

[maccard → charlesdm]

Both hearthstone and heroes of the storm were in very long closed/open betas

[baq → charlesdm]

um, they've eroded it with SC2 and D3 already.

[charlesdm → baq]

Are there official SC2 and D3 builds?

[vetinari → charlesdm]

He meant the 'properly finished' part of the quote.

[johnchristopher → smcleod]

Support period for unsuccessful games is wayyyy shorter than support for unsuccessful or buggy first release of open source softwares that can benefit from bug fixes and patches in the long run. Games are not in the long run.

[Crito → johnchristopher]

Games with a critical mass of followers will receive better support from open source communities than they ever will from companies.

Try to get Quake 3 support today. Then try to get support for ioquake3.

Alternatively, try to get support for Transport Tycoon. Now try to get support for OpenTTD.

It's not a matter of "game or not game". We have these examples of formerly commercial games for which commercial support no longer exists, but for which open source community support is plentiful.

[johnchristopher → Crito]

But the critical mass needed to get that kind of support is in the Quake 3 range... I seriously doubt many games are going to reach that threshold and prove that `à la linux' support can work. Especially on the long term (ie: further along the line than the game launch window).

I am of the opinion that Quake3 is an exception, not the rule.

[MrDosu → johnchristopher]

Ofc Quake3 is exceptional, everyone who says otherwise is a heretic.

[jebblue → johnchristopher]

I've found first release of open source software to often be more stable and release ready than commercial software I paid for.

[johnchristopher → jebblue]

Your point being ? Whatever the platform the vast majority of games are never going to be supported for as long as open source software running on Linux is.

So if the game is successful but doesn't work out of the box players will not bother and simply run the Windows version while the Linux gang will lament how it's not yet the year of Linux gaming. If the game isn't successful the Linux version will die out the same but faster.

Thinking an AAA game that missed its launch might benefit `from the community bug reports` is wishful thinking.

edit: And it's not due to the technological aspects or the software philosophy of the platform, it's about having the money and the time to support a product for a niche platform.