Why Unity? Why not say whatever "Inherit the Earth" used?

[Griswald1982]

Regarding the change to Unity, and your statement that it will run on more mobile devices- WHY UNITY?

If you are going to insist on changing horses mid-race why not program newer versions using whatever "Inherit the Earth" used? Steam sells a version of that game so as far as Steam goes it would work. Right now SCUMMVM has been updated to handle this game and SCUMMVM has a version for just about any device out there.

Assuming you are talking mainly about the GOG standalone version, well, just visit the SCUMMVM download page and look at all the ports of that app right here:

https://forums.scummvm.org/index.php

https://www.scummvm.org/downloads/

Impressive, no? And the more recent versions support your Wintermute modifications.

This would pretty much guarantee that "Foxtail" can be played on just about ANYTHING out there. Even someone with a Windows 95 computer could play it!

People stuck with older hardware for whatever reason are out of luck with Steam since it no longer supports XP systems (what about Vista? And so much for perpetual licenses...). Therefore they can hardly buy this game via Steam. But GOG has no such requirement, you just buy, download, and install the game via a browser. This means all you have to do is be able to actually run the game.

I've tested "Inherit the Earth" myself. It literally runs on everything I have except the ColecoVision and Atari 5200.

"Inherit the Earth" runs on the following:

All library computers tested, be they recent or older. This includes the troublesome Windows 10.

The ASUS in Windows 8/Puppy Linux 6.0.5/8 Bionicpup modes.

The ancient 2001 Sony VAIO in Windows XP/Puppy Linux 5.2.5 Lucid modes. The current version of "Foxtail" (Chapter 3) works on the Sony in Lucid mode because of SCUMMVM 2.2, something which was absolutely impossible before as Linux "Foxtail" needs GLIBC 2.29- something which cannot be installed on Lucid. Or you can play the Windows version that way, your choice. Or the Linux version in Windows mode.

(It is possible that this would work with Puppy Linux 4.)

The somewhat superior 2002 Dell laptop in the same modes.

And get this- it works on the crummy Sylvania Windows CE 6 8505 ARM 400MHz processor 50 MB RAM 2006 netbook! That's right, thanks to an old version of SCUMMVM and GAPI I played "Inherit the Earth" through 100% on that puny device!

"Inherit the Earth" works standalone on the quirky old Sony with a little help from SwiftShader 2.1. It works if the SCUMMVM app is used, even older versions.

This would also mean the pool of potential customers would be GIGANTIC. If they like this game then all they have to do is buy it and download it through GOG- it is almost guaranteed anyone not using a Commodore Vic-20 could play it. And all else the same the larger the pool of potential customers the more $$money$$ can be made.

[Pantera Północy]

This would also mean the pool of potential customers would be GIGANTIC.

Please see operating system usage: https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/Steam-Hardware-Software-Survey-Welcome-to-Steam - Windows Vista, XP and Seven are no longer supported by its vendor, Microsoft. If someone is "stuck with older hardware", then... well. Had more than enough time to get even a cheapest relatively recent computer that would run Windows 8/10 or newer (works like a charm on my old Lenovo Z570, nine years old). I've been saving several (4-5) years myself, but finally got a new machine this year - it's not impossible with some planning ahead.

Sometimes peace of mind is more important than presence on one hundred and one platforms.

[Griswald1982]

And what about the GOG version?

Windows 7 may no longer be supported but Windows 10 is a bad joke. There are still third-party entities supporting 7.

What Steam SHOULD do is offer a portable version of Steam. You download it, install it- offline even- then when online you can simply sign up. Of course there would be the usual warnings about not being supported use at your own risk, but being scared of lawsuits is foolish- I could sue claiming a Steam update messed up my whole Operating System.

And there are people who are just too poor or unable to upgrade hardware capable of upgrading. I knew someone stuck with a 2002 Dell (Pentium 4 256MB RAM). By using SCUMMVM 2.2 "Foxtail" worked perfectly. It worked perfectly on my 2001 Sony Pentium 3 VAIO, as does the Vista or better "Zniw Adventure" (courtesy of SCUMMVM 2.6)! ALL versions of "Foxtail Chapter 3" worked fine in both XP AND Puppy Linux 5.2.5 Lucid mode on that antique courtesy of SCUMMVM 2.2. At that point just about anyone out there could buy and play it. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

And in any case what does this have to do with the engine used for the game? Unity or whatever "Inherit the Earth" used, how does that affect anything involving Steam? They already sell "Inherit the Earth" and Unity games- but by using the engine used for "ITE" it's almost guaranteed anyone not using a Commodore 64 can get the game running, and I'm not 100% sure the C-64 absolutely can't...

[Suule]

I'll be honest - as long as Win7 is still supported, I'm okay with it. Cause I've bought the game as working on my system, years ago when Win 7 was STILL supported.

Now with the engine switch - the game maker suddenly switches engine and might make the game I've already paid for unplayable.

This would be really bad practice. So please take that into consideration.

[Griswald1982]

Whatever changes were made for Chapter 3 negated my success in getting 1 & 2 running on old hardware- if not for SCUMMVM 2.2 it would have been hopeless.

Will this engine change apply to the Linux version? The Windows version of SCUMMVM gets that running too.

[Suule]

Honestly there's one big issue in regards to this project switching engines - how long will it take for the engine redo to happen? 2 years? 3 years? Engine switching isn't that simple and while I understand Unity is very popular these days. Retaining that pixel feeling on Unity is tricky, hell it's even tricky on AGS and a lot of games have the tendency to 'slide' their characters.

Not even sure where this engine switch announcement happened but if the author is reading this - reconsider the switch and think of alternatives like AGS before jumping straight to UNITY. Redoing the whole project in Unity might take years.

[Griswald1982]

Good points.

If a modern version of Unity is used then a LOT of people are going to be out in the cold. The only chance would be if the Linux version uses the same engine (unlikely) so SCUMMVM can still run it- SCUMMVM 2.2+ runs all versions of "Foxtail," even the Steam version offline.

It ain't broke now. Don't fix it.

[rusty_dragon]

Just Because.

[Griswald1982]

Seriously- shifting to Unity, if the games I've seen by that engine are any indication, will ruin the DOS feel of the game and leave patient paying customers with older hardware out in the cold. This is a bad move, along with the other problems mentioned above.

[rusty_dragon]

It's off the rails on many levels. Don't forget oldgaming community being left behind.

[Griswald1982]

In this case it's totally unnecessary. Such a switch can fail in so many ways, and as pointed out above people who have purchased the game but have devices incapable of running Unity games are going to be out of luck- are they then eligible for a refund? In a manner of speaking the "contract" was for a Wintermute game and if it worked fine- but if the programmers decide to switch the actual engine then whose fault is that?

Plus it's unlikely a Unity game will have the same look the game has now. And it's not just a matter of adding a chapter, now everything has to be redone. More so than with Wintermute since the entire programming style must be changed as well, and that is going to take time.

It's a bad idea. We bought a Wintermute game, not a Unity (phooey) game.

[inkus]

Damn. I begin to think that investing into this game on the early access stage really was a mistake. For more than on reason.

[Artem Vodoriz]

Griswald1982,
(sorry for my google-translate-english)
Hi there. I hope you started this topic to help, but it's not what you're doing now.

The first - the need to change the programmer - was a forced measure. The war began and Serhiy supported it. He tried to support me, told me to hold on, but also said that this war was necessary and I had to go through it. I do not agree with him. All relations with him were severed on this occasion. I think it's clear now.

Secondly, our former engine (Wintermute) was not a good choice. It was an engine that Serhiy knew, but he didn't allow us to implement all the ideas, and potentially created difficulties in porting the game to other platforms (consoles). It was an archaic engine that had to be constantly updated to run on modern platforms. It took a long time.
So when my relationship with Serhiy was severed, I decided to use a modern, well-scaled and well-ported engine. This is Unity.

Third, why Unity? Because for this engine there is a very high quality tool designed specifically for creating adventure games. PowerQuest. Please read about this tool to understand how cool and useful it is for our project.
http://powerquest.powerhoof.com/getting_started.html
It is this tool that will allow us to preserve all the beauty that has already been realized. And besides, do not spoil the feeling of a good old game. The game will continue to be pixel-perfect, atmospheric and fast. And with the help of Unity, the game can be available on ALL modern platforms - mobile devices, consoles, computers.

I hope I answered the question that worried you.
My decision was forced by the prevailing conditions and this decision is final.

[rusty_dragon]

Originally posted by Griswald1982:

The ancient 2001 Sony VAIO in Windows XP/Puppy Linux 5.2.5 Lucid modes. The current version of "Foxtail" (Chapter 3) works on the Sony in Lucid mode because of SCUMMVM 2.2, something which was absolutely impossible before as Linux "Foxtail" needs GLIBC 2.29- something which cannot be installed on Lucid. Or you can play the Windows version that way, your choice. Or the Linux version in Windows mode.

Also, talking about GLIBC 2.29 requirement. Current builds of SCUMMVM 2.5.1 on official site provide dpkg package for Debian Stretch/Devuan ASCII. Which have GLIBC 2.24 and Linux 4.9

Just saying, you can run quite a few more games with that version.

[Griswald1982]

If the Windows version of SCUMMVM can run at least one version of "Foxtail" then that is good. But to my knowledge SCUMMVM cannot run any Unity game. Problem is, Unity is not good for older systems so anyone stuck with one is out of luck. Guess those images of electronics piled up like mountains in Third World landfills depress me.

The 2.6 Daily build got "Zniw Adventure" running on the 2001 Sony XP VAIO. This was remarkable because while "Zniw" is standalone it normally only runs on Vista or higher.

Maybe I'll try my hand at programming and selling a game here and on GOG. It will use the DOS engine Adventure Gaming Toolkit 1.7. It is amazing, and I could use the extra money. AGT is now freeware so anyone can use it for these things. Since it makes DOS games which even run with mobile DOS emulators on a Sylvania Windows CE netbook (really!) that game should run on almost ANYTHING. If not Apple devices well, I don't like Apple.

Still, you have more serious things to worry about. Why the hell did this or the pandemic which killed my mother last December have to happen?! Because of stupid lousy people who should be thrown into a volcano, that's why.

[Griswald1982]

Originally posted by rusty_dragon:

Originally posted by Griswald1982:

The ancient 2001 Sony VAIO in Windows XP/Puppy Linux 5.2.5 Lucid modes. The current version of "Foxtail" (Chapter 3) works on the Sony in Lucid mode because of SCUMMVM 2.2, something which was absolutely impossible before as Linux "Foxtail" needs GLIBC 2.29- something which cannot be installed on Lucid. Or you can play the Windows version that way, your choice. Or the Linux version in Windows mode.

Also, talking about GLIBC 2.29 requirement. Current builds of SCUMMVM 2.5.1 on official site provide dpkg package for Debian Stretch/Devuan ASCII. Which have GLIBC 2.24 and Linux 4.9

Just saying, you can run quite a few more games with that version. :p2chell::teacup:

?

On older hardware only SCUMMVM Windows version (with WINE and SwiftShader 2.1) can run "Foxtail." So I'm not certain what you say will help.

Now, if any one version of the game will run with SCUMMVM, then there is no problem regarding the game- it can still be done. But I am unaware of any Unity game SCUMMVM can run.