Our post starts off with OP sharing their hypothesis on why very few games are developed for GNU/Linux - not because of low market share, but because of 'backroom licensing and exclusivity deals'.
The post is relatively well received and generates some interesting discussion, but the slapfights begin when OP starts replying to every comment that disagrees with their assertion.
Some comments trimmed for brevity, click the links for the full text. I've linked a few nuggets but OP is all over the comments.
Is Game Pass the same thing as Windows exclusivity?
OP:
It's money from Microsoft which often implies exclusivity. [...]
Commenter:
OP:
Making vague and accusatory statements does not prove anything.
You're only trying to discredit my idea by insulting me. It's a last ditch effort of someone that lacks arguments of his own.
Do game developers have the facts? Or are their bosses lying to them?
OP:
Indie game devs never get exclusivity deals because of how small their potential sales are.
And if you're working for a big game dev company as a developer then you sure as heck aren't privileged to the reasoning behind your boss's decisions.
All you get is pretenses and platitudes just like any other employee.
Another commenter jumps in and the thread eventually ends with:
I don't usually block people here but you've crossed a line I cannot tolerate.
I really hope you seek professional help. You are a deeply disturbed individual.
Another game developer adds their take
I've tried to ask for Linux and macOS support at some of the places I've worked at (because using a different compiler helps flush out bugs) but it is very hard to argue against the data to management AND publishers. [...]
OP:
You disagree because your boss told you something else and you believe him?
Dude...
Commenter:
The Steam Hardware Survey shows the same ~1% data.
You are in complete denial over the facts.
The book club joins the fray
TLDR big word budget, rambling confused conspiratorial nonsense
OP:
Commenter:
Some commenters just go for the jugular
It's absolutely low market share. It's not that deep and you're not that smart.
OP:
and
why is this theard still up? why isnt this absolute low iq moron banned yet?
OP:
All this and more in the full comments, sorted by Q&A for your viewing pleasure. You'll have to expand to view most of OP's comments since they've been downmarseyd.
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Making a linux build is trivially easy now. Most major engines just have a "build for linux" button or flag then you could fire up a VM for testing. Unless you are using a crazy amount of windows specific system calls (idk why you would if you are already using an abstraction layer like an engine). The only tricky thing is anti cheat. Still with wine/proton getting better most devs cant even be arsed to click "build for linux" in an engine. Considering the average intelligence of modern devs (esp indie devs) they prob don't even know how to spin up a vm.
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I think the main problem is that if you offer it as an option, then you are obligated to make sure it works. Which is a whole lot more effort than just clicking build.
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Exactly. People already don't understand the reason things are poorly optimized these days is because there are so many different permutations of PC hardware, devs don't have time to test every possible configuration.
Now add Billy the Script Kiddy's rare linux distro to the mix and you have even more variables. Just not worth it.
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Because everyone uses a third party engine and doesn't know or care to optimize it?
On top of that, there's only so much optimizing you can do if the engine is a clunky piece of mess (like Unreal)
And on top of that, pretty much every programmer on AAA titles are mid at best (good programmers are neurodivergent and never make it past HR screening) and their understanding of programming is on par with a dog's understanding of planes, so when you ask them to optimize their code, they force a few code patterns in and call it a day
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Unreal is just overused by studios who don't know how to optimize it. There are plenty of UE games that run well.
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I don't doubt that laziness is a factor but there's a reason sometimes games come out beautifully optimized for PS5/Xbox but run like dog piss on PC and that's because the devs were given console dev kits and consumer hardware has the same specs.
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did you ever open any game engine ever?
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I don't think this' really the case since half the time a dev makes a linux build it's kind of granted that you'll 'figure it out'.
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Like others said, you have to test on every main distro of Linux. Each one crashes and throws vague errors and takes weeks to debug.
For what? The like 15 people that use that distro and might (probably won't) buy it?
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No you don't.
When you release a game then you say that it only supports Ubuntu, just like many games only support Windows.
You're r-slurred.
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It doesn't matter what you say because of two factors.
1. R-slurs will do it anyways and leave you a negative review when it doesn't work
2. Linux customization goes a little too deep that you can't count on people not having created some weird conflict because they copy pasted commands from online two years ago that ended up breaking it. Then they leave you a negative review when it doesn't work.
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It does matter under what conditions you release your product due to legal responsibility and repercussions.
Again you're 24 and r-slurred.
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Have you been drinking? That's totally unrelated to the headache I'm talking about
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Which only the Windowsstrags of Linuxstrags use (so like 3%)
You're no true linuxcels unless your distro has 100 installs tops and runs on libraries no older than 2015.
EDIT: Downmarsey me cause I'm right, BYATCH!
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More like cause you're
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Ubuntu is the "I wanna brag that I use Linux but I don't have to use Linux" of Linux distros.
You'd know that if you used Linux for anything other than warming up your cold, secluded server room where you have been banished.
Everyone worth something emulates Windows on Linux or God forbid sideloads his machine with a filthy non-Linux OS.
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Debian chads know to only use libraries from before 2015
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Most of these guys who ship linux builds just test on Ubuntu and it just werks on my fedora machine
. Unless ur doing so crazy butt shit alot of this stuff is generalized in engines.
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