Need help porting Torque games to linux
by John Quigley · in Torque Game Engine · 03/21/2003 (8:59 pm) · 2 replies
As you may know, I'm working on the linux ports of Marble Blast, Orbz, and ThinkTanks. More games are coming down the pipe, but I am nearing the limits on the amount of time I can spend doing porting.
So, I'm posting this to see if there is anyone who is willing to step up and port some games. If we share the load we can get more games ported better and faster.
Porting a torque game is not particularly difficult. It usually doesn't take long to get the basic game up and running. The bulk of the time is spent testing and in participating in beta programs. I have completed a lot of the groundwork, and I will help you with any issues you encounter, but you'll be doing the work. The main goal is to follow through and complete the port.
The first game on the list is Tennis Critters from Doyoon Kim. I think this should be a straightforward port, with the possible exception of some tweaks to the joystick code.
To work on the port, you will need access to a glibc 2.2 or 2.1 based system for building. I build on redhat 7.3. If this isn't your normal desktop, you can install a second distro and chroot to it to do builds (this is what I do). For Tennis Critters, its also a good idea if you have a joystick or can get one (Doyoon currently uses a Gravis Gamepad pro, MS Sidewinder, and Interact Hammerhead).
What do you get for this? Mostly, you get the satisfaction of a job well done. You can negotiate some form of financial compensation with the developer...but frankly, don't expect significant income. Porting games to linux is pretty much a labor of love at this point.
If porting Tennis Critters sounds like something you want to do, send me an email at john@lowestplane.org. If you have general questions you can email me or post them here.
So, I'm posting this to see if there is anyone who is willing to step up and port some games. If we share the load we can get more games ported better and faster.
Porting a torque game is not particularly difficult. It usually doesn't take long to get the basic game up and running. The bulk of the time is spent testing and in participating in beta programs. I have completed a lot of the groundwork, and I will help you with any issues you encounter, but you'll be doing the work. The main goal is to follow through and complete the port.
The first game on the list is Tennis Critters from Doyoon Kim. I think this should be a straightforward port, with the possible exception of some tweaks to the joystick code.
To work on the port, you will need access to a glibc 2.2 or 2.1 based system for building. I build on redhat 7.3. If this isn't your normal desktop, you can install a second distro and chroot to it to do builds (this is what I do). For Tennis Critters, its also a good idea if you have a joystick or can get one (Doyoon currently uses a Gravis Gamepad pro, MS Sidewinder, and Interact Hammerhead).
What do you get for this? Mostly, you get the satisfaction of a job well done. You can negotiate some form of financial compensation with the developer...but frankly, don't expect significant income. Porting games to linux is pretty much a labor of love at this point.
If porting Tennis Critters sounds like something you want to do, send me an email at john@lowestplane.org. If you have general questions you can email me or post them here.
About the author
#2
Suppose further that the game earns $150,000 in two years. Linux sales account for %10 or $15000. Do the reductions again and its about $10000 of linux developer revenue and $500 for me.
Of course, this is just one way of doing the compensation and it there is very limited sales data available. And the linux gaming market, such as it is, hasn't really noticed GG yet.
03/21/2003 (10:03 pm)
Say I charge a 5% royalty on linux sales of a game. The game's cost is $14.95. Its published on the GG site, so GG takes their cut (35%), so the developer profit to about $10. My profit from a game sale would thus be 5% of $10 or $0.50. Suppose further that the game earns $150,000 in two years. Linux sales account for %10 or $15000. Do the reductions again and its about $10000 of linux developer revenue and $500 for me.
Of course, this is just one way of doing the compensation and it there is very limited sales data available. And the linux gaming market, such as it is, hasn't really noticed GG yet.
Torque Owner Mike Stoddart