Godot Winter Game Jam

Godot winter iconA game dev jam to create a winter-themed open source game was community-initiated at the Godot forums. The (vote-determined) winner will get a budget of USD 50 to have donated to an open source project of their choice.What is Godot?Godot editorGodot is a game engine. No wait, it's actually a game development IDE with its own Lua-based scripting language.As far as I can tell, it's a promising project that is a bit buggy, especially...

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Strife: Veteran Edition

Just in case you can stand having Steam DRM installed in your system, I recommend taking a look at Strife: Veteran Edition. Strife is a Shooter/RPG based on the Doom Engine and dating back to 1996. The developers for this new remake had the wits and sensibility to use the Chocolate Doom engine as the main code base, which is, of course 100% licensed under the GPL. With so many top quality Free Software engine remakes around here, it really astounds me why so few developers choose to use them on modern HD remakes and ports (I'm looking at YOU, upcoming remake of Heroes of Might and Magic III not using VCMI).

It gives a pretty good idea about the vanilla game mode, although the very popular (some say too popular) "Minstagib" (one shot kills) and the total conversion mod Overkill (All new player-models and weapons, with team-spawn etc.) are also shortly shown.
Not shown are the popular vehicle mod and the recently added lightning gun (still WIP), but you can try everything yourself easily by getting the auto-downloader of the latest development build here.

As with most FOSS games, they are looking for more developers (& players) and if you have some cash to spare you can currently also pledge for the creation of some NPC characters for a single-player or COOP-mode here.

Speaking of FOSS crowd-funding, another great FOSS arena shooter, Red Eclipse this currently preparing a campaign for porting their somewhat aging Cube2 engine to the much nicer Tesseract (which is technically something like Cube3).
Oh and a new version (1.5) but still with the old engine should be out very soon ;)

Happy fragging!

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Stunt Rally version 2.5 released

To celebrate tomorrow's big movie launch, I am nicknaming it Interstellar edition :DGet the all the details and download links he...

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Terminal Overload 0.3 released + support the developer on Patreon

The very innovative and awesome looking (+ fully FOSS) multiplayer FPS Terminal-Overload got a new release today. Edit: By now there is actually already a 0.4.0 release, get it here.Charged x-jump on the new ETH5 map (3rd person camera turned on)One of the new features is a charged jump that lets one take big leaps to reach good sniping spots or evade an enemy etc. Other changes for this release:- New map: ETH5 - Prettier GUI...

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Annex 4.0 RTS released!

We mentioned it a few days ago, but you can now download the latest 4.0 version of the RTS Annex: Conquer the World.Changes:– 2 New Factions: Alliance Renegades and NEO Republic– Shadow Organization units: Vixen (hero) and Sentinel– New Tilesets: Apocylapse, Metropolitian, Overcast, Brightland, and Outland– Increased Level cap, unit re-balancing and refined gameplay.– New Technology tree options: Simple Battle, Simple Deployed, Ready for War, and...

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Citadel makes big promises

There's a new big remake effort a-brewing in the Free Software world, this time for prominent shooter/RPG, System Shock. under the shape of project Citadel. According to project description, the goal is to recreate the original game using the widely known GPLed platform Darkplaces Engine, upgrading the game's graphics to full 3D but keeping game aesthetics close to the origianl game. Added modding capabilities and cooperative multiplayer will also...

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Annex:CTW RTS version 4.0 close to release

The MegaGlest based RTS Annex: Conquer The World is very close to a major update as version 4.0. Strait from the developer's mouth:Yes! We are so close we can almost taste it.He also posted a game-play video of the current development version:He also recently stated that the new release will be fully FOSS, i.e. not only GPL source-code but also all artwork under a FOSS compatible creative-commons license (most likely CC-by-SA).It's just a pity that the new much improved GUI code from MegaGlest seems to be not yet ready for the release.P.S.: Also...

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A potpourri of open-source engines for old(er) games

Yep, not much updates on the blog, but I thought I throw up a list of (mostly) obscure open-source news:Original Keen Dreams source-code liberatedAlso check out: CloneKeen, Omnispeak & Commander GeniusCaveExpress liberated (2d physics game)Pixel Dungeon RogueLike open-sourced (Android only)X-Com: Apocalypse engine reimplementationLibre content replacement project for GishStein's Gate Visual Novel Engine reimplementationLess obscure: New version of OpenMW (0.32).Big tease: Icculus works on open-sourcing a game and it seems to be a relatively...

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Let's play Unvanquished

Ok we are a bit slow with updates currently, but I still wanted to share these cool Let's Play videos created for the Linux Game Award winner of last month Unvanquished:This is actually the second part, and you can see the first part here (it is mainly about the new menu and playing a tutorial thoug...

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FreeGameDev.net Outage (Fixed)

**Update 2014-08-12 22:17**It seems all is back to normal! Thanks 123-reg for sorting out it quickly although nobody emailed me or updated the support ticket, but stellar support nonetheless.If you want a domain name host, then I can happily recommend 123-reg after this experience. **Update 2014-08-12 11:14**I've been in touch with 123-reg and was told the following:This domain has entered in a renewal phase at the registry, it will be completed on the 15-Aug-2014, during this phase you cannot make any DNS changes.I asked if it would return to...

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Stunt Rally now comes with spaceships and cool ancient cities!

Stunt Rally 2.4... talk about feature creep, but I am not complaining ;)See more pictures of the release here, and don't forget to give some feedback on our forums.Oh and you can now browse cars and tracks onli...

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First public release of Terminal Overload!

You might remember the crowd-sourcing campaign from the beginning of this year to make a fully FOSS remake of a rather unique game.Well, a bit later than promised, but really awesome never the less:Note that this is a really early alpha and most of the art still has placeholder quality. It is quite playable multiplayer game already though, and there is a Linux and a Windows version for download on their website.Please don't forget to give feedback on our forums (also if you are interested in helping out).This is by the way to my knowledge the first...

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Support the development of the Terra Centauri RTS

Not exactly hot of the press, but the developer behind the MegaGlest based RTS Annex: Conquer the world has started a new project:In a lonely planet circulating a distant star, a war of survival rages on. There a sentient race, the Valkyries struggle to protect their world and themselves against the parasitic organisms Devourers. Explore large maps for resources, treasure, and other advantages to fight back the relentless horde of Devourers.Terra Centauri: The Last Stand is a new unique MG based game. While game shares a similar art style...

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Duck Marines, FOSS remake of ChuChu Rocket

Thanks to Tangram Games for pointing out to us that they just released version 1.0 of their local multiplayer game Duck Marines.They describe it as:Duck Marines is a cross-platform free software PC remake of Sonic Team’s ChuChu Rocket.Duck Marines attempts to recreate the magic from the local multiplayer of ChuChu Rocket while adding new elements like mini games, a level editor, colorful pixel art and more.But see for yourself:For those not familiar with the original on the Dreamcast here is a small description of the gameplay:The goal of the...

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DevCorner: GameDevelop goes open-source

Thanks to GamingOnLinux for pointing out that this crossplattform *no-programming* 2D game development suite has gone fully FOSS.It can export games to HTML5 and native code (x86 Linux and Windows).Read the original announcement here. The github repository is here.License infos:The IDE (in the IDE folder) is licensed with GPL v3. The Core library, the native and HTML5 platforms (respectively Core, GDCpp and GDJS folders) are LGPL v3. Extensions (in the Extensions folder) are using zlib/libpng license. The name, Game Develop, and...

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Winner of the Linux Game Awards PotM July 2014 announced!

See full announcement here.Congrats to Unvanquished, they are doing a great job for sure!While they won by a clear lead, the follow-up projects are also very much worth mentioni...

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May the source be with you

I'm a big advocate of the phrase, "Release Early, Release Often." I think it is by far the best way to keep or gain community interest in a project.Of course, that simple phrase doesn't quite sum up what you actually must do - simply uploading a release and announcing it on your mailing list is unlikely to attract interest. For example, who knew about Lincity-NG 2.9beta in lieu of the intended Lincity-NG 3.0?Lincity-NG is in a bit of a mini-crisis....

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OpenRA also has a new release

OpenRA is a Free Software recreation of the famed Command & Conquer engine, and it aims to support and enhance all Westwood games originally built upon it, namely Tiberian Dawn, Red Alert, and Dune 2000. However, unlike most engine remakes, OpenRA isn't a simple 1:1 recreation with a little streamlining here and there, as the project also aims to optimize and rebalance the gameplay for purposes of online multiplayer. The project has recently released the latest stable version, fixing a lot of bugs and adding plenty of new features, as seen on the following release trailer:

P.S.: Sorry for the lack of updates lately. If you are interested helping out with the blog give us a notice here.

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POTM March 2014 winner announced

Quite close outcome this time for the Project of the Month 2014 vote over at linuxgameawards.org. But there has to be a winner:Here is a closer look that which project got how many votes:Congratulations to the winner Battle for Wesno...

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GSoC 2014 mentoring organisations announced, review and apply!

After sorting through almost 400 applications of mentoring projects, Google has announced this year's list of projects students can contribute to.There aren't too many FOSS gaming related projects this time though.These are the relevant ones:Blender Foundation (task ideas) Ok, not really a gameCodeCombat (task ideas) We covered it a while agoCopyleftgames.org (task ideas) Anyone got details on this one?Crystal Space Engine (task ideas) same as every...

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FlightGear 3.0 and Bombable add-on

This week saw finally saw the official release of version 3.0 of FlightGear.Notable changes:Highlights in this release include integration of the FGCom voice communications client within the simulator, improved terrain rendering, faster scenery loading, and improved usability. This release also coincides with the release of FlightGear World Scenery 2.0 – massively improved scenery data covering the entirety of the planet and incorporating OpenStreetMap roads and detailed terrain information from a variety of sources.Also interesting is the...

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KeeperRL and OpenIG

Two interesting projects I recently came across:1. KeeperRL:Description from the author:KeeperRL is a Dungeon Keeper and Dwarf Fortress inspired dungeon simulator built on top of roguelike mechanics. My vision is that you are a Sauron-like character, searching for ultimate knowledge of destruction. What makes the game different from other RTS is that you can, and are encouraged to, control your main character and lead your minions to an open...

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DevCorner: Multiple new platforms for Torque2D MIT

I tend to focus a bit on the 3D side of things, but the recently open-sourced Torque2D (note the "2") engine is pretty cool too:And in fact it got a whole lot better in the last couple of weeks with it being ported to Linux, Android and your browser (through Mozilla's emscripten).So if you are thinking about developing an open-source 2D game targeting multiple platforms, Torque2D has just became a serious contend...

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Linux Game Awards: PotM March 2014 VOTE NOW!

It's time for another installment of the somewhat bi-monthly Linux Game Awards:The list of nominees is again quite interesting, so choose your favorite.This months winner was 0 A.D. by the way... I guess we need to increase the promotion efforts a bit in case you weren't aware...

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Preparing for a crowd-funding: Torque3D MIT Multi-platform

I mentioned the nice developments on the Torque3D OpenGL and Linux ports a few weeks back, and now it seems like it is getting even more serious:Planned platforms of Torque3DNow don't spill your beer just yet, as this is just the proposal the developer makes for a crowd-funding building up on his great previous Linux/OpenGL work.One of the first (hopefully soon to be) FOSS games that could benefit from this, is the currently also looking for crowd-funding...

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The Sky of Verdun 3D - dogfight in HTML5

Came across this seemingly fun little game over here, too bad I don't have a Occulus Rift (yet):Check their page for the Win32 and browser server/client downlo...

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Code Combat: Open Source Javascript Tutorial Gamification (In A Good Way)

youtube.com/watch?v=dCOHjERswGwCode Combat is a javascript programming learning IDE wrapped in a delicious cute RPG/2D RTS packaging that runs in the browser without any plugins. They recently announced their open source/free art release.The current set of Code Combat tutorials starts with directional movement and activation of pre-programmed behavior, continues with coordinate movement and targeting and conditional behavior and continues towards...

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Happy new year & Congrats to the LGA January 2014 winner!

Hello 2014 and happy new year to everyone!One of the new things for this year will be the regular Linux Game Awards done by various Linux and FOSS gaming site (and which has been spearheaded by the great LGDB).And the first winner is:The votes have been quite clear, but our friends from SuperTuxKart got a very respectable 2nd place:You can expect some further promotional news coming up this month for 0 A.D. so stay tuned...

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