9 Playing Linux Games In the last chapter you learned how to use Linux to help you work; in this chapter you'll learn how to use Linux to help you play A variety of challenging and exciting games is available for Linux; many of them are free In addition, you can use WINE to run a variety of commercial games originally written for Microsoft Windows 9.1 A Survey of Linux Games Linux includes several popular games In addition, many Linux games are available on the Web Table 9.1 lists some of the most popular sites offering Linux games and Table 9.2 describes some of the most popular Linux games However, you'll find almost every game you could want on the Debian web site, http://www.debian.org/ Table 9.1: Popular Linux Game Web Sites Web Site URL Freshmeat http://freshmeat.net/ Table 9.1: Popular Linux Game Web Sites Web Site URL Linux Game Tome http://happypenguin.org/ Linux Games Page http://www.linuxgames.com/ Linux Quake Page http://www.planetquake.com/linux/ linuxquake.com http://www.linuxquake.com/ Loki Games http://www.lokigames.com/ Slashdot http://www.slashdot.org/ Tux Games http://www.tuxgames.com/ Table 9.2: Some Popular Linux Games Game Type Description BZFlag Action Multi-player tank battle game Civilization: Call Strategy A commercial Linux version of the sequel To Power to Micropose's Civilization Supports network play CrossFire Resembles Rogue Supports multi-player Playing DOOM Role network play Action Classic action game Requires doom.wad file from licensed copy of game Freeciv Strategy Resembles Microprose's Civilization Supports network play Illust Logic Puzzle A paint-by-numbers puzzle, wherein you strive to paint cells of a canvas Table 9.2: Some Popular Linux Games Game Type Description Koules Arcade Multi-player action game Supports console or X11 play NetHack A quest game resembling Rogue Supports Playing Netrek Role console or X11 play Arcade Multi-player 2-D battle simulation with a Star Trek theme PySol Card Twenty different versions of solitaire Quake Action A Linux version of the commercial game Quake Requires the PAK file from the game CD-ROM diskette Supports console or X11 play Quake II Action In the opinion of many, the definitive multiplayer 3D action shoot 'em up Requires Table 9.2: Some Popular Linux Games Game Type Description license fee Supports console or X11 play Snes9X Utility A portable, freeware emulator of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) Allows you to run Nintendo64 games on a PC Starcraft Linux- Document Describes the procedures for installing and installation running the commercial game Starcraft on a HOWTO Linux system using WINE XBomber Arcade Resembles the classic Bomberman game Xmame Arcade Emulator for popular arcade games Requires ROM image from the original game XPat2 Card An assortment of solitaire games Table 9.2: Some Popular Linux Games Game Type Description XShipWars Action A graphical MUD (multi-user dungeon) with a space exploration theme As you can see, many types of games are available, including action games, arcade games, card games, puzzles, role playing games, and strategy games Some Linux games can be played from the console; others require X Many Linux games let multiple players compete at separate computers connected via a network, such as the Internet Linux games may be freeware, shareware, or commercial software In addition, Linux software such as Snes9X and WINE lets you play games originally written for systems other than Linux 9.2 Closeups of Some Popular Games In this section, you'll get acquainted with three popular games you can run under Linux:  DOOM, which runs on a console or under X  Quake II, which runs on a console or under X  StarCraft, which runs under X by using WINE 9.2.1 DOOM Originally written for MS-DOS by id Software ( http://www.idsoftware.com/), DOOM is the archetypal 3D action game You play the role of a space marine, fighting your way through a series of bases on the moons of Mars that have been invaded by aliens The game features real-time 3D graphics and stereo sound effects Figure 9.1 shows a typical game screen Figure 9.1: A typical DOOM screen If you prefer more cunning opponents, you can play the game in network mode, via modem, or an IPX or TCP/IP network Network mode lets you match wits with two to four human opponents To run DOOM in a console, type the following command: sdoom -warp 1 If you prefer to run DOOM under X, type the following command: xdoom -warp 1 To call up DOOM's main menu, simply press Esc You can learn more about DOOM by visiting the DOOM Archives at http://www.idsoftware.com/archives/doomarc.html and the Linux DOOM FAQ at http://jcomm.uoregon.edu/~stevev/Linux-DOOM-FAQ.html You might also enjoy lxDoom, a Linux port of Boom, which is an enhanced version of DOOM 9.2.2 Quake II Like DOOM, Quake II was also written by id Software However, Quake II is a much more modern and sophisticated program than DOOM For example, Quake II's multi-player mode lets as many as 32 players wander the planet of Stroggos And, the single-player mode pits you against 18 artificially intelligent adversaries, who dodge your careless shots with agile ease Figure 9.2 shows a typical Quake II game screen Figure 9.2: A typical Quake II screen To run Quake II under X, change the working directory to the directory in which you installed Quake II, and issue the command: /quake2 +set vid_ref softx To run Quake II using a virtual console, issue the command: /quake2 +set vid_ref soft Once the game is running, you can access its main menu by pressing Esc 9.2.3 Starcraft Starcraft is a real-time strategy game published by Blizzard Entertainment, in which you participate as the leader of a group of humans exiled at the edge of galactic space Your objective is to assemble a military force capable of dominating two other species, the Protoss and the Zreg To so, you must build bases, vehicles, and weapons, and train soldiers for combat Starcraft was not written for Linux; however, you can run it under Linux by using WINE Assuming that you have WINE installed on your system, the following sections explain how to install and run Starcraft: 9.2.3.1 Installing Starcraft If you have the commercial version of Starcraft, mount the CD-ROM diskette and locate the file install.exe If you want to try the Starcraft demo, download the file scdemo.exe, which is a little over 28 MB in size You can find the file on Blizzard's Web site ( http://www.blizzard.com/) and elsewhere Change the current directory to the directory containing install.exe or scdemo.exe and use WINE to install Starcraft: wine -display localhost:0 -winver win95 scdemo.exe When asked if you want to install DirectX 5, highlight the No, But Continue option and click on OK Choose the directory in which you want to install Starcraft (the default choice is generally acceptable) and click on OK If the program asks if you want to register via the Internet, respond by clicking on No Finally, click on Exit to terminate the install program Under Linux, Starcraft operates in 256-color 640�480 mode Therefore, you must adjust your X configuration to provide this mode Here's a quick way to that First copy the file /etc/X11/XF86Config by issuing the following commands: cd /etc/X11 cp XF86Config XF86Config.SAVE cp XF86Config XF86Config.StarCraft Now, edit the file XF86Config.StarCraft using the editor of your choice Find the "Screen" section that specifies the X server (driver) you use and change the Depth parameter to and the Modes parameter to "640x480" Delete any additional modes that appear When you're done, the screen section should resemble the following: Section "Screen" Driver "svga" Device "Millennium" Monitor "Viewsonic17GS" Subsection "Display" Depth Modes "640x480" ViewPort 0 Virtual 640 480 EndSubsection EndSection 9.2.3.2 Playing Starcraft To play Starcraft, replace your XF86Config file with the newly edited one: cp XF86Config.StarCraft XF86Config Then start X: startx Launch an X terminal, make the Starcraft installation directory the current directory, and start the Starcraft program: # cd "/c/Program Files/Starcraft Shareware(ED)" # wine -display localhost:0 -winver win95 -depth \ > -geom 640x480 Starcraft.exe If you installed Starcraft to a directory other than /c/Program Files/Starcraft Shareware(ED), you should adjust the commands accordingly Now, play Starcraft until you completely dominate the galaxy The tutorial mission will help you learn how to so Of course, planning and executing a winning strategy will require practice 9.2.3.3 Ending a Starcraft session When you're done, press F10 to obtain a game menu, exit the current mission, and exit the game Then, replace your original XF86Config file by entering the commands: cd /etc/X11 cp XF86Config.SAVE XF86Config ...Table 9.1 : Popular Linux Game Web Sites Web Site URL Linux Game Tome http://happypenguin.org/ Linux Games Page http://www.linuxgames.com/ Linux Quake Page http://www.planetquake.com /linux/ linuxquake.com... games are available, including action games, arcade games, card games, puzzles, role playing games, and strategy games Some Linux games can be played from the console; others require X Many Linux. .. linuxquake.com http://www.linuxquake.com/ Loki Games http://www.lokigames.com/ Slashdot http://www.slashdot.org/ Tux Games http://www.tuxgames.com/ Table 9.2 : Some Popular Linux Games Game Type Description