I realise this is information you might want to keep from the public. But could someone tell me if the linux version is worth it? How is the sales? And the income compared to the cost that is involved in developing a linux version. Do introversion software do this for ideological reasons or is it actually profitable? And if so, to what extent?
Could this be showing other game companies that money could be made by porting games to linux? Or are we stuck with wine?
Does linux version bring in money?
Moderators: jelco, bert_the_turtle, Chris
Hmm... my speculation.
When IV sell the game, there's no distinction between whether the game has been purchased for use on Windows, Linux systems or both, because they're both on the CD. Especially as people may play the game on both, it'll be hard to say how much profit is made explicitly from Linux people (the best indicator would be download numbers for the Linux patch, but again there are some other versions of this, such as the Gentoo one in portage).
When IV sell the game, there's no distinction between whether the game has been purchased for use on Windows, Linux systems or both, because they're both on the CD. Especially as people may play the game on both, it'll be hard to say how much profit is made explicitly from Linux people (the best indicator would be download numbers for the Linux patch, but again there are some other versions of this, such as the Gentoo one in portage).
IIRC the Linux and Mac codebases are pretty similar, with a few extra changes for the Mac one, so it may make more sense to lump Mac and Linux together in terms of "is it worth it"-ness. Not that I have any idea if that'd make the slightest difference as to whether they make money, though. I imagine the Mac version must sell, otherwise Ambrosia wouldn't bother publishing it, but this is merely speculation.
What I do know is that Epic only port the UT series because they feel that it's a bit off providing a server and not a client, and id have done it since the original Doom, where it was ported because Linux gave the porter "a woody", so I'm doubtful of the commercial gains to a massive software company of porting to Linux at this time.
What I do know is that Epic only port the UT series because they feel that it's a bit off providing a server and not a client, and id have done it since the original Doom, where it was ported because Linux gave the porter "a woody", so I'm doubtful of the commercial gains to a massive software company of porting to Linux at this time.
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NeoThermic
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Lets put it in numbers. There's more Mac users here than Linux users (although that could be xander bumping the stats 
). However, combined, they make up for about 10% of this forum's users.
Lets assume that everyone on these forums has purchased a copy of Darwinia. Thats 16,021 users, of which 1,602 of them are in theory mac/linux users. Thats quite a lot. If we say that each copy is worth £19.99 (as per the store price), that means that the linux/mac copies alone are worth £32,023.98
So yes, making a Linux/Mac version is more than worth it for IV.
NeoThermic
). However, combined, they make up for about 10% of this forum's users.
Lets assume that everyone on these forums has purchased a copy of Darwinia. Thats 16,021 users, of which 1,602 of them are in theory mac/linux users. Thats quite a lot. If we say that each copy is worth £19.99 (as per the store price), that means that the linux/mac copies alone are worth £32,023.98
So yes, making a Linux/Mac version is more than worth it for IV.
NeoThermic
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generaleskimo
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Speculation
Some speculation from someone who has had to go to the trouble of porting something to the Mac platform...
OSX is based on UNIX, which is very much like Linux (at least you don't have to code things very differently). If you are going to go to the trouble of porting something to OSX, it is sometimes only a matter of changing some header files, renaming some classes, and recompiling to make a linux build. Windows to Mac is harder because Windows uses many unique extentions to optimize operations, which Macs don't have. But, with a Mac, a program is pretty self-contained, so porting can be a breze unless u are using OSX specific functions, which you would only use if you were originally developing for the Mac, instead of a PC.
OSX is based on UNIX, which is very much like Linux (at least you don't have to code things very differently). If you are going to go to the trouble of porting something to OSX, it is sometimes only a matter of changing some header files, renaming some classes, and recompiling to make a linux build. Windows to Mac is harder because Windows uses many unique extentions to optimize operations, which Macs don't have. But, with a Mac, a program is pretty self-contained, so porting can be a breze unless u are using OSX specific functions, which you would only use if you were originally developing for the Mac, instead of a PC.
Montyphy wrote:Something tells me no one cares. The port is out and this thread had been dead over a year before you came along and posted in it.
Oh, come on, Montyphy! At least someone posted in the Darwinia forums at all, just after the release of Defcon :) Live a little! Thread necrophilia isn't all bad...[size=0]okay, maybe it is[/size]
xander
Montyphy wrote:trickfred had already posted here since Defcon's release. :P
What? Four posts in five days?
/me cries
I still love you, Darwinia.
xander
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trickfred
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xander wrote:Montyphy wrote:trickfred had already posted here since Defcon's release.
What? Four posts in five days?
/me cries
I still love you, Darwinia.
xander
Yes, but Montyphy, a sentiment just doesn't mean anything to xander unless he's expressed it himself. Multiple times, in multiple threads.
His post count is evidence of that. ;D
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