I just tried e3257cf on a Core2Quad, 8 GB RAM computer, running Ubuntu 11.10 (Linux 3.0.0-15). The only 'weak' part is it's GPU, an ATI X1650 XT with r300 open source drivers.
While the game starts up flawlessly, as soon as it runs (I'm referring to the menu screens here), the computer starts to crawl, graphics output is very slow. This is not so on vanilla Glest or MegaGlest. Surely there, too, FPS is limited, and while the values displayed in GAE are around 20-30 FPS, which should be more fluid, it actually seems to be more like 5-10 FPS and is rather sluggish. When switching to windowed mode and back to the desktop, everything else reacts rather slow, too. I'm starting the game with default settings (the configuration directory was deleted despite of the 'addons' subdirectory and its contents).
$ ./build/source/game/glestadv
[/home/tomreyn/.glestae] is in the search path.
[/home/tomreyn/.glestae/addons/project_red] is in the search path.
[/home/tomreyn/SCM/glestae/data/game] is in the search path.
config-dir: /home/tomreyn/.glestae
data-dir: /home/tomreyn/SCM/glestae/data/game
Init Window: 0 ms.
ATTENTION: default value of option vblank_mode overridden by environment.
ATTENTION: default value of option vblank_mode overridden by environment.
ATTENTION: option value of option vblank_mode ignored.
Init OpenGL: 96 ms.
Load WidgetConfig: 106 ms.
Renderer Load Config: 57 ms.
Renderer Init Resources: 415 ms.
Renderer Load Shader: 26 ms.
Init Renderer: 514 ms.
Init Sound: 59 ms.
Renderer Init Menu: 0 ms.
