Show Posts
1
Off topic / 2015 FOSS game round-up
« on: 9 January 2016, 10:44:51 »
Inspired by this thread, I thought I'd get a discussion going. What were your favorite FOSS games you discovered in 2015? The criteria here are that they are FOSS, they are under current or recent development, and that they are playable.
In no particular order, here are a few that have soaked up a lot of my time in the past 12 months, all of which run on Linux and Windows at the very least:
Endless Sky
"Explore other star systems. Earn money by trading, carrying passengers, or completing missions. Use your earnings to buy a better ship or to upgrade the weapons and engines on your current one. Blow up pirates. Take sides in a civil war. Or leave human space behind and hope to find some friendly aliens whose culture is more civilized than your own." Available for Linux, Windows, and Mac, this game is in a very playable state and contains many hours of campaign, dozens of ship types, and a variety of different parts to customize them. The current campaign has several branches to it, so your choices actually matter and affect the outcome on a galactic scale. There are several factions and sub-factions in the galaxy, and there's rarely a clear right-and-wrong morality. Neither the Republic nor the rebellious Free Worlds have a clear moral high ground, and there are decisions to be made about what choices are acceptable in the name of freedom. Currently, only one of the factions is available to work for, but future plans include more variety and player choice (and there already is a lot of that) and tweaks to balance. Expect flashy visuals, an engaging storyline, and weighty decisions. This was my #1 FOSS game of 2015.
Argentum Age
According to the developer (the original Wesnoth dev), "It's a game which mixes tactical battle with a deck of cards that represents creatures and spells you can cast." This is the only CCG I've played in many years, so I can't really compare it to other entries in the genre, but I've found it enjoyable. It's undergoing development but is certainly playable as-is. Multiplayer has been a priority from the beginning, but it features single-player mode with a competitive AI and a campaign mode. The rules are easy to learn but the gameplay can get challenging fairly quickly. There are no fees or microtransactions, and you unlock cards to improve your deck as you win battles.
Tales of Maj'Eyal
"Tales of Maj’Eyal (ToME) is a free, open source roguelike RPG, featuring tactical turn-based combat and advanced character building. Play as one of many unique races and classes in the lore-filled world of Eyal, exploring random dungeons, facing challenging battles, and developing characters with your own tailored mix of abilities and powers. With a modern graphical and customisable interface, intuitive mouse control, streamlined mechanics and deep, challenging combat, Tales of Maj’Eyal offers engaging roguelike gameplay for the 21st century." In many ways, ToME is more forgiving than many true Rogue-likes, but it's still plenty brutal. Make a mistake, wander into the wrong corridor, or open a door you shouldn't open, and you'll quickly find yourself dead. There's a lot to explore (much more than initially meets the eye), a wide variety of monsters to dispatch, loads of character customization, and a variety of races and classes to unlock.
FreeOrion
"FreeOrion is a free, open source, turn-based space empire and galactic conquest (4X) computer game being designed and built by the FreeOrion project. FreeOrion is inspired by the tradition of the Master of Orion games, but is not a clone or remake of that series or any other game." It's 4X in space! Explore a randomly-generated galaxy, colonize and terraform planets, discover technology through research or through alien ruins, seek out new life and new civilizations, and secure your victory through military conquest or technological achievement.
OpenRA
"OpenRA is a Libre/Free Real Time Strategy project that recreates the classic Command & Conquer titles. We include recreations of C&C (Tiberian Dawn), C&C: Red Alert, and Dune 2000. These are not intended to be perfect copies, but instead combine the classic gameplay of the originals with modern improvements such as unit veterancy and the fog of war. OpenRA's primary focus is cross-platform multiplayer between Windows, OS X, and Linux; however, we include a number of single-player missions, and also support skirmish games against AI bots." What is there to say? It's old-school C&C, slightly modernized and cross-platform.
OpenMW
I put this one in a separate category because it isn't exactly a FOSS game per se. That is to say, it's a FOSS engine reimplementation that can be used to play The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, which is proprietary and widely considered to be one of the greatest games of all time. So you can't just download OpenMW and play it, but if you have an old Morrowind CD sitting around somewhere or you want to spend $10 for a digital download, you can now play Morrowind natively on various platforms with lots of added benefits like more supported resolutions, faster performance, much better-looking water, bug fixes, physics support, and lots of under-the-hood stuff. It also runs most mods that work with the original game. Work is being done on creating a game template from which FOSS games can be created using the engine, thus removing reliance on Bethesda's IP. In its current state, OpenMW runs noticeably better than the original engine, and is (imo) the definitive way to play Morrowind on any platform it supports.
In no particular order, here are a few that have soaked up a lot of my time in the past 12 months, all of which run on Linux and Windows at the very least:
Endless Sky
"Explore other star systems. Earn money by trading, carrying passengers, or completing missions. Use your earnings to buy a better ship or to upgrade the weapons and engines on your current one. Blow up pirates. Take sides in a civil war. Or leave human space behind and hope to find some friendly aliens whose culture is more civilized than your own." Available for Linux, Windows, and Mac, this game is in a very playable state and contains many hours of campaign, dozens of ship types, and a variety of different parts to customize them. The current campaign has several branches to it, so your choices actually matter and affect the outcome on a galactic scale. There are several factions and sub-factions in the galaxy, and there's rarely a clear right-and-wrong morality. Neither the Republic nor the rebellious Free Worlds have a clear moral high ground, and there are decisions to be made about what choices are acceptable in the name of freedom. Currently, only one of the factions is available to work for, but future plans include more variety and player choice (and there already is a lot of that) and tweaks to balance. Expect flashy visuals, an engaging storyline, and weighty decisions. This was my #1 FOSS game of 2015.
Argentum Age
According to the developer (the original Wesnoth dev), "It's a game which mixes tactical battle with a deck of cards that represents creatures and spells you can cast." This is the only CCG I've played in many years, so I can't really compare it to other entries in the genre, but I've found it enjoyable. It's undergoing development but is certainly playable as-is. Multiplayer has been a priority from the beginning, but it features single-player mode with a competitive AI and a campaign mode. The rules are easy to learn but the gameplay can get challenging fairly quickly. There are no fees or microtransactions, and you unlock cards to improve your deck as you win battles.
Tales of Maj'Eyal
"Tales of Maj’Eyal (ToME) is a free, open source roguelike RPG, featuring tactical turn-based combat and advanced character building. Play as one of many unique races and classes in the lore-filled world of Eyal, exploring random dungeons, facing challenging battles, and developing characters with your own tailored mix of abilities and powers. With a modern graphical and customisable interface, intuitive mouse control, streamlined mechanics and deep, challenging combat, Tales of Maj’Eyal offers engaging roguelike gameplay for the 21st century." In many ways, ToME is more forgiving than many true Rogue-likes, but it's still plenty brutal. Make a mistake, wander into the wrong corridor, or open a door you shouldn't open, and you'll quickly find yourself dead. There's a lot to explore (much more than initially meets the eye), a wide variety of monsters to dispatch, loads of character customization, and a variety of races and classes to unlock.
FreeOrion
"FreeOrion is a free, open source, turn-based space empire and galactic conquest (4X) computer game being designed and built by the FreeOrion project. FreeOrion is inspired by the tradition of the Master of Orion games, but is not a clone or remake of that series or any other game." It's 4X in space! Explore a randomly-generated galaxy, colonize and terraform planets, discover technology through research or through alien ruins, seek out new life and new civilizations, and secure your victory through military conquest or technological achievement.
OpenRA
"OpenRA is a Libre/Free Real Time Strategy project that recreates the classic Command & Conquer titles. We include recreations of C&C (Tiberian Dawn), C&C: Red Alert, and Dune 2000. These are not intended to be perfect copies, but instead combine the classic gameplay of the originals with modern improvements such as unit veterancy and the fog of war. OpenRA's primary focus is cross-platform multiplayer between Windows, OS X, and Linux; however, we include a number of single-player missions, and also support skirmish games against AI bots." What is there to say? It's old-school C&C, slightly modernized and cross-platform.
OpenMW
I put this one in a separate category because it isn't exactly a FOSS game per se. That is to say, it's a FOSS engine reimplementation that can be used to play The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, which is proprietary and widely considered to be one of the greatest games of all time. So you can't just download OpenMW and play it, but if you have an old Morrowind CD sitting around somewhere or you want to spend $10 for a digital download, you can now play Morrowind natively on various platforms with lots of added benefits like more supported resolutions, faster performance, much better-looking water, bug fixes, physics support, and lots of under-the-hood stuff. It also runs most mods that work with the original game. Work is being done on creating a game template from which FOSS games can be created using the engine, thus removing reliance on Bethesda's IP. In its current state, OpenMW runs noticeably better than the original engine, and is (imo) the definitive way to play Morrowind on any platform it supports.
Of course, if I'm making the art, then that is my call (CC-By-SA), so there. 
