22 Jun 2009

RTS gaming in Linux

Filed under: Software and Technology by Hari
Posted at 16:05:19 IST (last updated: 22 Jun 2009 @ 16:22:08 IST)
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Thanks to Debian's huge package repository I've discovered quite a few decent Real-Time Strategy games in Linux. If you like RTS gaming, here are a few you might like to try:

Bos Wars
A futuristic RTS game with a rate-based economy system (rather than an absolute system where you collect "1000 gold, 500 wood, 50 energy" etc. I actually tried this out, but the AI is highly aggressive even in easy mode and rushes you even before you have time to build a few basic structures.
Boson
Though I've not tried it out, this is actually more than a game. It's an RTS engine that can be extended to create new games and scenarios.
Globulation 2
An unusual RTS game that does away with the usual clickity-click micromanagement usually found in most RTS of the collect-food-wood-gold-build-until-you-die" variety. Seems interesting enough to explore though graphically it seems rather underwhelming. Worth trying out.
Glest
Looks very promising for a fantasy RTS gamer. Screenshots look really tempting and attractive. Another on the must-try list.
Widelands
An Open Source RTS game inspired by Settlers 1 and 2 (which I've never played myself).

In general, RTS games in Linux seem harder to learn and master than a typical Windows RTS game. The AI also doesn't seem to be as advanced, which is quite understandable considering the effort and time needed to code a really sophisticated AI. I guess these games are mostly targetted at multiple human players over a network or the internet.

I'm not as patient as I used to be some years ago when I was really a big fan of RTS. Now I prefer Pacman and Tetris. :biggrin:

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4 comment(s)

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  1. My son liked Glest for a while, but there are still a few glitches in the game that will have to be fixed. Its a great start, though.

    Comment by MrCorey (visitor) on 22 Jun 2009 @ 22:28:19 IST #
  2. I've not tried Glest yet. What kind of glitches are there in the game, MrCorey?

    I find, for the most part, that the AI is the weakest aspect of these RTS games, because either it tends to be excessively aggressive or very defensive, thus making it near impossible for the human player to control action even for a short duration. The moment you start building, you are in a race against time.

    I also want to try out Widelands, and in the Turn-Based Strategy genre, I want to try out Battle for Wesnoth.

    Comment by Hari (blog owner) on 23 Jun 2009 @ 08:36:28 IST #
  3. Mostly, its video artifacts that I saw. He hasn't played it for a bit, though, so it may have been improved upon since.

    Battle for Wesnoth is a "top shelf" game. Its polished and quite mature. You will pobably find that its a "best of breed" kind of game.

    Comment by MrCorey (visitor) on 23 Jun 2009 @ 15:46:27 IST #
  4. I should give it a go, sometime. Only thing, I know something of the addictivity of strategy games and so I will keep them on hold until my examinations are complete.

    Comment by Hari (blog owner) on 23 Jun 2009 @ 18:08:58 IST #

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