Linux Games

Looking for more games? Try the Linux Game Tome, the Linux Gamer's Game List, and The problem with Linux is, there are no games.

Regnum Online

Regnum Online is a free to play MMORPG that is developed in Argentina. The world is divided into three separate realms (kingdoms) that are at war with each other. The game has both PvE and PvP, many quests, and decent 3D graphics that are on par with many other commercial MMORPGs. You can choose to be a Human, Elf, Dark Elf, Half-Elf, Morlock, or Utghar. You can be a Warrior, Mage, or Archer, and each one has two subclasses that become available in later levels - Knight, Barbarian, Warlock, Conjurer, Marksman, or Hunter. The game does have a slight commercial side to it as they sell premium content, such as renting horse health and mana regeneration potions, and an experience boosting scroll.

The information in this review may change as the game continues to develop. There are still a few bugs in the game such as NPC dialogs that are not complete and show error messages (although this usually does not affect gameplay) and some spells not working correctly. The game client seems to be fairly stable but does crash on occasion. NGD Studios is constantly updating the game so most of these issues will (or already have) been taken care of, so don’t be discouraged by my complaints.

PvP consists of each a large area or War Zone in the middle of the world where all three kingdoms fight for control of forts and castles. Each kingdom has two forts and a castle that they must defend while trying to capture the structures of the other kingdoms. Players earn “Regnum Points” for kills and assists in battle and the rankings can be found on the official War Status page. Also be sure to check out the official forums - your username and password are automatically created and will be the same as your game account.

All in all, I think this is one of the best games currently available for Linux and is one of the best free games for Windows. It is very fun to play and looks great. See the screenshot gallery to see what I mean. Better yet, download it now.

In-Game Commands

Type these commands into the chat box. Commands must be prefaced with a slash(/) as shown here or with a hyphen(-).

/reset_powers - Resets your spell points to zero so you can redistribute them
/unlock_powers - If for some reason your skills stop working (you are unable to cast spells), this should fix them.
/chat <username> - Open a private chat with the specified user. Do not type your message after the username, just wait for the new chat tab to open.
/leave - If you type this in a private chat tab, it will close the private chat
/buddy <username> - Adds a player to your buddy list. This will print a message to the chat log when your buddy logs in or out.
/remove <username> - Removes a player from your buddy list.
/ignore <username> - Ignores party and clan invites from a player as well as prevents you from seeing what they type in your chat logs.
/unignore <username> - Returns an ignored player to normal, meaning you will see their chats and invites again.
/users - Shows the number players currently online.
/help - Not yet implemented. This will eventually list all available commands.
For more commands, please check out this list at RegnumZG.com.ar.

Helpful Keyboard Shortcuts

alt + i - show/hide framerate, CPU, and bandwidth usage
alt + p - show/hide lag information
F11 - show/hide the console
tab - show/hide the GUI
more at Regnum: Zona de Guerra

Skills

RegnumZG.com.ar has two nice webapps for skills, one is a Skills Notebook that gives you a nice breakdown of each skill including its mana costs, casting times, damage, cooldown time, etc. for each skill point. The other is a Build Trainer that allows you to select your level and figure out which skills to invest in.

Linux Troubleshooting

If the sound does not work in Linux - Create a file named .openalrc in your home directory and put the following information inside:

(define devices ‘(native))

Create a symlink called libopenal.so in /usr/lib to the correct openal shared lib for sound to work (in my case /usr/lib/libopenal.so.0). You can do this by typing the following into a terminal as root:

# link /usr/lib/libopenal.so.0 /usr/lib/libopenal.so

Language Barrier

The game is developed in Argentina and although some players speak at least some English, many players only speak Spanish. Here are some useful English to Spanish translations you can use in the game. (Update: there is now a server with English as the primary language.)

zg - abbrievation that stands for “zona de guerra” in Spanish, “war zone” in English, which is player vs. player area of the game
hablo solamente Ingles - I only speak English
gracias - thank you
de nada - you are welcome (sometimes abbreviated dnd)
dame un minuto - give me a minute
entiendes? - do you understand?
no entiendo - I do not understand
tengo que irme - I have to leave
lo siento - I am sorry
buena suerte - good luck
verdes - greens (Syrtis)
rojos - reds (Ignis)
azules - blues (Alsuis)

Warsow

Warsow is a FPS built upon a modified Quake 2 engine that uses cellshading combined with fast paced action and acrobatics (trick jumps, dodging, etc) to create a hell of a game. Warsow has an unusual take on CTF where you have to touch the enemy flag spawn every ten seconds while your team has the flag or it will return to the enemy base. Warsow also has bots so you can practice by yourself.

Alien Arena

Alien Arena is yet another multiplayer FPS based off of the Quake 2 / Quake 3 GPL'ed source code. Alien Arena 2007 has many graphical effects and features include AI bots, alternate fire modes for weapons, a grappling hook, a built-in server browser, game mutators like vampire and regen, and multiple game types including CTF and Deathball. The game has a sort of 50's era sci-fi look, but it plays just like every other Quake based shooter out there.

Wormux

Linux Game

Wormux is a clone of the game Worms, where up to four teams of characters try to murder each other with a variety of weapons (some of them bizzare) in a two dimentional deformable landscape. Players take turns controlling one member of their team and have a limited amount of time to move, aim, and try to kill the other teams.

At the time of this writing, the artificial intelligence is still in development but can be tested by naming the player "AI-stupid" (without the quotes).

PokerTH

Linux Game

PokerTH is a Texas Hold'em game where you can play online against other people (for free, no betting real money) or by yourself against up to six computer controlled opponents. The artificial intelligence is pretty good and has improved with the last few releases, but it rarely trys to bluff and is not easily bluffed by you. I think PokerTH is probably one of the best computer card game I have played. Check out Linux.com's review.

Battle for Wesnoth

Linux Game

Battle for Wesnoth is a fantasy, turn based strategy in where you try to control towns on the map to gain gold and then use the gold to build your army to kick the crap out of your enemies. The game has a great storyline and a well written tutorial to get you going. My complaint with this game (and many others for that matter) is that you cannot change the difficulty without starting over.

Frets on Fire

Linux Game

Frets on Fire is a Guitar Hero style game where you hold your keyboard like a guitar and play. The game has great graphics that feel highly polished like a commercial game. More songs can be downloaded from Keyboards on Fire and FretsOnFire.net.

Enemy Territory

Enemy Territory is a FPS that was going to be an add-on to Return to Castle Wolfenstein but was released as a standalone freeware game. Join either the Axis or Allies, choose your profession, and work with your team to capture enemy objectives. It is multi-player only, fast paced, team based, and loads of fun. ***Because it's OK to kill Nazis.***

Tremulous

Tremulous is a FPS built upon the GPL'd Quake 3 engine. Aliens who can crawl up walls take on Humans and thier guns. Players build structures and kill enemies to gain points to upgrade themselves into more powerful units.

Legends - The Game

Legends - The Game is a free open source game extremely similar to Starsiege - Tribes. It has beautiful 3D graphics and supports online play with 30+ players in a match. The engine used in this game is called the Torque Game Engine and is created by some of the original authors of Tribes.

Nexuiz

Nexuiz is a 3D FPS based off of the Quake 1 source code. They have added realtime lighting and shadowing, new particle effects, and an advanced menu system, among other things. It currently has several different game modes: deathmatch, CTF, Teamplay, Runematch, and Domination.

XMoto

Linux Game

XMoto is a 2D motorcycle game where you need to master the game's physics in order to successfully beat each level in as little time as possible. The controls are very simple - you can only accelerate, brake, lean forward or backward, and turn around. Don't let that fool you because this is a very fun game. There are many levels for the game, most of which have very tricky terrain that you must figure out how to navigate without having any part of your character touch the walls, ground, or ceiling. XMoto has the ability to connect to the internet to download new levels and other player's high scores. You can watch a ghost of your high score and even compare your best to the best score on the internet. XMoto doesn't have much in the way of sound or music, but I have a feeling more will be added soon.

Warzone 2100

Warzone 2100 is a real-time strategy game released by Eidos Interactive under the open source GPL license in 2004. It has nice pseudo-3D graphics, a multiplayer mode, and is quite fun to play. The game is similar to Earth2150.

Globulation 2

Globulation 2 is a RTS game that is similar to Warcraft, but it tries to minimize micro-management by automatically giving orders to your units. Workers automatically gather resources. If you want to attack, just put your attack flag near the enemy base. The 2D graphics are good for a free game. The game has single player and LAN or Internet multiplayer.

TripleA

Linux Game

TripleA is an open source clone of the Axis and Allies board game. It is written in Java and has fully functional AI. I have been watching this game for quite a while and I am very impressed with the progress the developers have made. I am finally able to enjoy a game that I remember fondly from my childhood.

Scorched 3D

Linux Game

Scorched 3D is based on an old DOS game called Scorched Earth. This game reminds me of the classic QBasic game Gorillas. You aim your weapon, adjust the angle and power of the shot, and try to blow your enemies into smithereens. Internet and LAN based multiplayer.

Celestia

Linux Game

Celestia is a space simulation program. You can zoom in on planets and asteroids to see incredibly accurate detail and zoom out to see the entire galaxy. Until space travel becomes a reality, this is the best way to explore.

Also try Nasa's Celestia Exploration Activity.

Pysol

Linux Game

Pysol is the first time since Windows 95 that playing solitaire has been fun and exciting. With over 200 game variations, this should satisfy everyone. And yes, it does have freecell.

XaoS

Linux Game

XaoS is not a game but an incredibly fun waste of time. It is a real-time fractal viewer. What does that mean? It means you can explore colorful mathematical equations with interactive zooming, color cycling, a 3D filter, and more. Trippy.

Cube

Cube is a FPS that is similar to Quake. It features OpenGL, single/multiplayer, a physics engine, lighting, built in map editor, etc. The map editor can even have multiple people in a multiplayer game editing the map at once.

n01getsout

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