[lgfaq] Mohaa client petition

[Colin Bayer]

^(o,o)^ Turk2000 wrote:
> But what about does it not convince the Electronic Arts leaders? 

Probably the fact that they'd have to pay icculus to port a client to a 
platform that's not shown itself capable of providing a market of more 
than ~500-1000 copies of such a client.

> Today I have read from linuxgames.com that Bioware has set up the linux 
 > home page for Neverwinter Nights client. I tnk that it has been done a
> step in progress very important. 

Yes, there's a Linux client, but only because Neverwinter Nights is an 
online RPG based upon the Dungeons & Dragons system.  Think about it. 
Are there more Linux users:

- bragging about their +3 Bifurcated Vorpal Sword of Impassivity and 
cursing out their DM for totally nerfing Scrolls of Healing and Lesser 
Flatulence,

- or saying "OMG WTF AWP CAMPER FAGGOT" and making horrible animated GIF 
sigs to spam forums with, alongside posts that are balls of concentrated 
racial slurs and AYBABTU references?

 > I'm sure that when it will be released I'll run to buy it.

Good.  That makes one sale.  But you're not speaking for anyone else.

 > The thesis for which the linux users are prevalenty pirates then they
> aren't ready to pay for get does not make sense. 

It does make sense, for three reasons:

1) Some Linux users are RMS acolytes, thinking that all software should 
be Free, and refusing to pay for software on principle.
2) Linux users tend to be more likely to know how to use USENET, which 
is one of the easier ways to get warezed games.
3) The average gamer has little concept of how capitalism or software 
development work.  Hang out on #loki on irc.openprojects.net, and expect 
half or more of the traffic to be from people demanding free Linux 
clients for games that Loki had to license (at a steep fee) and hire 
programmers (at another steep fee) in order to port.

> Why did they award you to build the server only when you should have 
> ported the client too? 

Because Linux boxes tend to be on broadband more often than Windows 
boxes.  More bandwidth on an average server leads to a better game 
experience, as does more efficient networking code.  The difference, 
however, is that you don't have to pay for server bandwidth as a 
software company. ;)

 > I begin to hold suspect the direction by M$ behind the shenes of EA
 > :-)

Hell, MS has their feet lined up to kick *everyone* squarely in the 
balls.  Remember, he who controls the API controls the software.

					-- Colin <vogon at icculus.org>