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Games SIG has a new documentation page at Fedora gaming

Data below is for historical reference only.

Contributing roles in the Fedora Games SIG

Contributing roles
This is only suggestions for contributing roles. Only your imagination sets the limits.


Content writer


OS Developer


People Person

Mission

Goal: to make Fedora the best Free software and open source gaming platform there is for both developers and users.

We aim to accomplish this goal through a variety of activities:

  • Creating high quality packages of games, gaming-related libraries, and game development tools
  • Documenting the available games, including wiki documentation and listing in comps.xml
  • Providing a forum where users and developers can discuss issues related to current games, requests for new games to be packaged, and game packaging issues (but not game playing help, so don't bother asking how to kill the wumpus!)
  • Seeking publicity for games in Fedora
  • Actively review each other's game packages to shorten the time it takes to get games approved and imported into Fedora Package Collection
  • Design additional guidelines on top of the Fedora Packaging guidelines that are specific to games
  • Help each other fix bugs that have been filed against game packages
  • Alerting each other about orphaned and soon-to-be orphaned games so that we can prevent their removal

Gaming News sites

Game List References

Documentation

Documentation for installation and configuration including screenshots for games in Fedora is available at Games.

Process

The Games SIG has three channels for communication. First, there is the games@lists.fedoraproject.org mailing list.

Second, there is this wiki page. Want to suggest a game? Just add it to the Games of Interest list. Working on packaging a game, or need a review for your game-related package? Just add it to the Games Being Packaged list. Interested in joining the SIG? Just add your WikiName to the list.

Third, we have an IRC channel, #fedora-games, on irc.freenode.net.

New packaging guidelines are created on an as-needed basis. As issues arise with game packages they are discussed. If the issue affects other games then we discuss the issue in the Bugzilla ticket where the issue was first found, which is often the review request for a new game. Once the issue has been discussed and a solution agreed upon, the package review completes. This serves as the first test for the new guideline. If the guideline is acceptable, that is, no problems are found after the package has been pushed to the repo, then we add the guideline to the wiki. Existing packages are not modified to conform to newer guidelines until they are updated/patched for other reasons (new version available, bug fixing). See the Bugzilla ticket for shippy for an example of this process.

The guidelines that we develop are in addition to, not a replacement for, the standard Fedora Packaging guidelines. Any guidelines that we feel should become standard Fedora Packaging policy will, of course, be brought up on the Fedora packaging mailing list. The Games SIG mailing list can be used to propose and discuss new packaging guidelines.

Games Packaging Guidelines

WishList

Available Games

There are pointers to descriptions of some individual games on the Games- list. This list and the individual descriptions is intended for end users who want to get more information on what games are available for Fedora and to help them get started playing the individual games. This is an attempt to help squash the misconception that there are no real games for Linux. Feel free to add a description of your favorite game that is already available in Fedora. Try to avoid including information that is already included in the spec file, with the exception of the %description or %summary and %url. Do include any post-install instructions, how to play information, client and server configuration details (or pointers to manpages), and screenshots.

Game Support Tools of Interest

  • GtkRadiant - Game level editor for Doom and Quake
  • xqf - Game Server browser supporting Nexuiz and netpanzer among a lot other and also commercial games and been packaged on newrpms before (feel free to take over parts of the specs).
  • Grapple - Grapple is designed to be a simple network layer, allowing the addition of multiplayer features to a game for as little as a dozen lines of code.

Games Being Packaged

For a slightly more full list, take a look at this tracker bug on Bugzilla. New games-related review requests should be made to block this ticket.

  • Omega (project / demo) - Omega Universe Simulator (track progress here)
  • libraknet (project) - Networking library for games

Orphaned Packages Needing Maintainers

None currently.

Packagers/Reviewers/People interested

General Issues

  • We need more interested packagers.
  • non-commercial clauses in game licenses render them invalid for inclusion into Fedora Package Collection. Such games are not Free and open source software and violate Clause 6 of the OSI definition. An example can be found in Moria and its derivatives such as angband (which now is released under GPLv2):
This software may be copied and distributed for educational, research, and not
for profit purposes provided that this copyright and statement are included in
all such copies.  Other copyrights may also apply.

List of games which we couldn't previously package

Some things couldn't in the past be packaged due to various issues which have now been rectified. We applaud the efforts of the upstream projects and all contributors who have worked to bring things to this state. To avoid any lingering misconceptions about the status of things here's a list of things which used to be not OK, are now OK, and which have not yet been included in Fedora.

Name Description What's been fixed
Trigger A rally racing game Pictures of real cars, including logos & brandnames, have been removed according to upstream.
Conquest A real-time, multi-player space warfare game Was Artistic License v. 1 but has been relicensed to Artistic v2.
Warsow FPS focused on the art of movement The old license was a mess, but this is fixed with the 2.0 release: https://www.warsow.gg/forum/thread/16760/1. Warsow Review Request Game data for Warsow Review Request

List of games we will NOT package

Name Description Why it won't be packaged
Aliens vs Predator Linux port of the Fox Interactive / Rebellion Developments game, Aliens vs Predator No free data
Challenge Promode Quake mod Requires original full version quake3 datafiles
Cube Modern FPS See Sauerbraten
D2X-XL OpenGL mod for the classic 3D game Descent 2 Requires original datafiles
Elite: The New Kind Advanced Elite remake Copyright holder asked a developer to stop distribution
Eternal Lands Free fantasy MMORPG Non-free data, too restrictive license
Danger from the Deep Submarine simulation The artwork is CC At-Nc-Nd 2.0/2.5. Use auto downloader?
(JF)Duke3D Duke3d Linux port The build engine license is far from opensource [1]
(most) emulators Console, Hand-held, Arcade Emulators Read this for details [2]
Exult A free ultima 7 engine There is no free data for it
FreeSCI A virtual machine made to run many classic adventure games from sierra There is no free data for it. FreeSCI funclionality was merged into ScummVM
Frets on Fire A Guitar Hero style game Patent issues prevent us from including it
Funny Boat Funny arcade sidescroller Music is CC At-Nc-Hd 2.5. Use autodownloader? Post to fedora-music list and other packages and request replacements.
High Noon with Smokin' Guns 3D FPS No free data
Isabella Coq, Naturette II and III AGI adventure games Require AGIMouse, which is AWOL
Jake2 Java port of Quake2 Requires original datafiles or demos.
PlaneShift Fantasy MMORPG Although game sources are under GPL, game data license prohibits redistribution of any kind. Use autodownloader?
Open Sonic Sonic the Hedgehog clone Trademark infringement, art seems to be copied without permission
Possible Worlds 3D submarine warfare Includes/requires FMOD, which is non-free, and some art/music might not be free
Quake II 3D FPS No free data
sauerbraten 3D FPS engine Various non commercial use clauses in the data. Use autodownloader?
Scourge A Role Playing game The artwork isn't free. Use autodownloader?
Secret Maryo Chronicles Super Mario Chronicles clone Too much like the original [3]
SoulFu 3d rogue like (continuation of egoboo by original author) Sources have GPL headers, README gives all kind of bogus clauses incompatible with GPL, data status unclear
Stepmania A DDR style game Patent issues prevent us from including it
Tile Racer Racing game Needs the non-free AGEIA PhysX SDK
WolfGL A remake of well-known Wolfenstein, FPS from ID Software Requires original datafiles

Other links

This SIG was created on Feb. 7, 2006, by JasonTibbitts, and has been growing ever since. Nostalgia:

References

  1. ↑ I've contacted Ken Silverman the author requesting to change it, but he doesn't want to do that.
  2. ↑ This does not mean we exclude emulators completely. Dosbox is an example of a great emulator for old DOS Games, and other DOS software, that has been included in Fedora. But generally, if it requires ROM files, image files, or a copy of the machines BIOS/firmware to work, we won't package it.
  3. ↑ They are open for discussion [1] Maybe problematic things can be addressed? RolandWolters. Spot has outlined what it takes for the game to be acceptable for Fedora - RahulSundaram
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