Linux porting

Hi!

First of all, thanks for this awesome game. I've been playing since 2006, and this 2010 is really amazing. Really, a great job.

But I have a little doubt about the developing. The game is written in Java (just a little of research), and is compatible with Windows and Mac system. Is really so hard to make it works on Unix/Linux systems? One of the advantages of main features of Java is that it is multi-platform, and everything you write in Java, should work on any system.

Taking that in count, why Sports Interactive do not release a native version for Linux? Nowadays, distributions like Ubuntu are increasing the users of this kind of system, and would be great to enjoy games like this in our computers, no matter what system we use.

I'm aware that the game use to work using wine, but since the game is written in Java, it shouldn't be necessary.

How do you know it's written in Java?

I think it's graphics engine that is the main problem area here.

How do you know it's written in Java?

I think it's graphics engine that is the main problem area here.

Well, launching the game using wine on Linux, you can follow a trace, and throws some Java exceptions. And also if you see the installation folder, you could see a sub-folder named JRE (Java Runtime Environment).

About the graphics engine, I don't think so. If it's works on Windows & Mac, probably is written with OpenGL, wich is also multi-platform.

Probably I'm wrong in one of this affirmations, but is just a doubt in my head waiting for response

Tbh, I don't think the Linux user range is large enough for them to release versions for Linux.

Also, consider that Linux derives from Unix (IIRC), as does Mac. Or something along them lines, so technically speaking Mac and Linux use the same platform.

But as said, I don't expect that the Linux user range is large enough.

I think you're write about Java though I've never tried to run FM on Linux. In fact it's for FM, I'm still dual booting to Windows.

I would also love to see it ported to Linux. But SI isn't simply not doing it in near future AFAIK. Still need to stick with windoze.

Tbh, I don't think the Linux user range is large enough for them to release versions for Linux.

Also, consider that Linux derives from Unix (IIRC), as does Mac. Or something along them lines, so technically speaking Mac and Linux use the same platform.

But as said, I don't expect that the Linux user range is large enough.

I'm agree in games programmed on Directx, written on languages like C++ that you have to recompile on any system, fix failures for each one... probably the cost is bigger that the users.

But:

• FM is written in Java, and works on Mac. This port should be trivial.
  
• If a company begins to release its games on Linux, could be a begging.
  

Steam will be release next summer for linux... We can imagine FM2011 will be code for linux too ^^

Only the installer is java iirc

As much as I'd like to see the game on Linux too, very few gamers use Linux. Linux itself has a low marketshare too, so from a corporate standpoint it makes little sense. Perhaps particularly to Linux as it has a zillion different versions, which all would need testing and support.

It sort of works via Wine. IIRC the generated playerphotos don't work, but I think most else does. FMtux has some info on how to set it up, but it looks like you already know how since you mention it works in Wine

With Valve releasing Steam for Linux I have begun to pray for Football Manager being ported to my favourite OS. I have no hopes for the reasons already discussed here, but dreaming is free...

The age old problem of no new games being available for linux, therefore users are forced to use windows/mac, therefore the linux user base isn't seen as being big enough, because there are no new games made for linux, so people have to use windows/mac, so the user base isn't seen as big enough... and so on..

I know many people who would gladly ditch Windows/Mac, but ONLY if they could game on the platform. There's very little else that can be done on ONLY Windows/Mac besides gaming, and the list is getting shorter all the time, but apparently nobody has the gonads to give it a try. Sure, there's hacks and changes that can be made to make games almost run smoothly, but it's not quite the same as native support. How we get from the current stage, to one in which linux IS seen as a prosperous gaming platform, I really do not know, but somebody, somewhere has to actually start the ball rolling somehow. Linux flavours are becoming more and more user-friendly with each new release, and although there are thousands of flavours, it could be nailed down to just the most popular distros, support wise.

It's a damn shame..

sudo apt-get install football-manager-2011

football-manager-2011 &

Oh I could dream...

Yes it would be wonderfull !!

For those on Linux, I have had the game running without any issues on Wine, so it's worth a try

I think a more important and better option would be for them to ignore this and instead make a 64-bit version as its becoming more the norm1 and would help the game processing no end!

It works fine with wine 1.2 (although It seems to fail with the latest git of wine, but that could be me)

http://www.fmtux.net/ has loads of guides and stuff.

Yeah, I've played FM09 using wine for quite some time. No exceptions.

I did change a lot of stuff on wine though, by myself. I felt it really got more stable. Oh if I still had time to play around like in those days..

I believe FM10 should run fine. Give it a try

Theres no way a game of this nature would be written in java.

actually java is needed for the installer software and for the ads in game if memory servers, the game doesn't use it