A bit of a diversion
As I was reading through some Ubuntu forums, I read that id software games generally support running in Linux natively. So, I thought I would give Enemy Territory: Quake Wars a try. The weekend/holidays are upon us, so now is a good time.
I wanted to try this for a couple of reasons: the main reason is I wanted to try out a “full-fledged” games in Linux (meaning not running under Wine like Team Fortress 2 does); and also because I really enjoyed the first Enemy Territory.
On the running of the game in Ubuntu
This was very simple: buy the game (get the Windows version). Then, download the Linux client from id software – this took me about 20 minutes. The installation is graphical text-based, and very simple. That’s it! I was up and running!
It looks great and plays very smooth.
I read you are supposed to disable the “desktop bling” of programs like Compiz Fusion, so I found a script to turn Compiz Fusion off, run ETQW, and then re-start Compiz Fusion when done. However there is one glitch to this: after ETQW is done, then AWM icons appear in the upper left corner of the desktop, while the bar itself is in the proper place. Opening a window (like alt-F2, for example), re-sets the icons immediately.
On the playing of the game in Ubuntu
As I said, I greatly enjoyed the first Enemy Territory, although it was never one of the major online FPS games. I suspect a lot of gamers rejected it for the reason I most liked it: it was complex and required teamwork. I really do not like “deathmatch” mode, where there is no point save killing everyone else – why not just have a meter that fills up according to who can click the mouse the fastest?
I like a bit of strategy, tactics, and cooperation – and I like a diversity of character classes. (This is something that Team Fortress 2 does as well, though not to the extent that ETQW does.) ETQW takes all the features of ET, and expands on them – especially in differentiating the two opposing sides. The on-screen display is a bit confusing when getting started, but largely achieves its goal of presenting an enormous amount of information in an effective manner.
Verdict
I like Enemy Territory and if you like the more complex FPS, you might want to try it. It installed flawlessly and runs great for me, and I really like that – I was a bit happy and sad with the results of Team Fortress 2 under Crossover.
Again, I am using the handle ushimitsudoki out there if you want to say hello. I’m still learning the game and how to perform all the actions of each class, so don’t expect too much out of me!
