Put the wish list for porting projects HERE...

[Thetargos]

Most games are getting Mac ports these days, so the hard work (DX->OpenGL) is already done. As an aside, though, it also boggles me why developers stick with platform dependant APIs (eg. DirectX) for solely this reason. Using cross-platform APIs broadens your target audience significantly for no extra work (and even without explicit ports, such things help the game run better under Wine/Cedega/CrossOver).

AFAIK Apple has poured quite a LOT of money (we are talking in the order of 1 mill per game) for getting more games into the platform. Jobs is no fool and knows that gaming is a big reason why Microsoft still has such a big edge.

But speaking numbers, Wine's userbase is quite large (some estimates put it around a couple million, IIRC). Not all of it is for gaming of course, but I'd wager a sizeable portion is. TransGaming, who sell Cedega, basically advertises as a gaming-enhanced version of Wine. Codeweavers, who sell CrossOver and help fund Wine development, also does quite well. So, there are quite a few users here a publisher can sell to. But of course, we need a good game.. not many people will buy decade-old ports of games no one has heard of or cared about. The few older games that stand the test of time (eg. Morrowind) will do better, but the fresher a popular game is in the minds of gamers (Oblivion, Prey, etc) the better chances of it getting sold.

I have actually given this a lot of thought. TransGaming has been kept in business thanks to Linux gamers willing to buy this software to be able to play Windows games on Linux, and MacOS. Based on the number of subscribers of Transgaming, it would be clear that Linux gaming IS profitable, certainly there are more than 10k users interested on getting these games ported.

[Thetargos]

That's why people have been warned that we may need to pass a hat around on some of this.

The only concern is that you have money changing hands with the specific expectation for getting something for it- if you don't succeed for any reason, you have to return the money. It's messy.

I honestly need to go back through, edit the main post as well as summarize at the tail end what the list looks like so far and start wending through a few of the suggestions to see what we can manage out of the current suggestion crop.

But that's what a donation strategy would be useful for. Donation money doesn't have to be returned, not necessarily, at least. The problem would be that the donation petition would have to be extremely clear in terms of what would the money be used for and how. And the compromise to update donors with the deals their money have enabled, etc... I'm sure something will be eventually written that might satisfy most of the target audience... There's of course the issue of promoting this as well.

[RobbieAB]

The only concern is that you have money changing hands with the specific expectation for getting something for it- if you don't succeed for any reason, you have to return the money. It's messy.

Which is why I was suggesting looking for games where the initial costs are minimal. If you keep the day job, the cash demands should be minimal, you are just risking no payout on the time investment...

[niniendowarrior]

I don't exactly understand what you mean here, but I liked the game. I haven't played it a LOT since I'm still going through a second run through The Awakening, however I do like what they have done with the story. I had my doubts at first as well, but it turned out (at least in my very personal opinion) to be a rather nice game.

Well, being somewhat interested in the Lupin lore, this naturally piqued my interest. But I'd like to know how the game mechanics work. I'm always looking to dissect games and look what innovations were done. So, I'm interested to see how the game plays, what you do in the game... etc.

[Thetargos]

Well, being somewhat interested in the Lupin lore, this naturally piqued my interest. But I'd like to know how the game mechanics work. I'm always looking to dissect games and look what innovations were done. So, I'm interested to see how the game plays, what you do in the game... etc.

Ok, let me prepare a full review on the game, then. It may take me a while since I currently am away from home and I don't have the game on my laptop. When I get back and have access to my main rig, I'll start working on it.

[anyone]

Any console title that does not have a PC version planned or sold may be a difficult sale to the publishers. Even IF you have a receptive publisher, you're talking mostly AAA title territory for initial royalties, etc. Total War probably isn't going to be practical for that reason.

Total War is a PC (Windows) RTS series... though it is *very* popular, so yeah, the royalties would probably be way too high. The publisher seems to have changed a lot; some titles have been published by EA, some by Activision and the latest ones by SEGA.

[Aradreth]

Which is why I was suggesting looking for games where the initial costs are minimal. If you keep the day job, the cash demands should be minimal, you are just risking no payout on the time investment...

First problem is that people would bitch and moan over the game choice as it's too old or crap, that's the only titles you can get for "minimal" costs (which will still be a fair chunk of change).
Secondly distributing the actual game has quite a large up front cost (print dvd's etc for physical media or setting up servers and distribution method for download media)

So unless you are in a position where you have enough cash just sitting around (I wish I was in this position. ) to do the port you'll need some form of investors. (It also splits the risk over several parties so if it flops it doesn't hurt one persons finances to much)

[Thetargos]

First problem is that people would bitch and moan over the game choice as it's too old or crap, that's the only titles you can get for "minimal" costs (which will still be a fair chunk of change).
Secondly distributing the actual game has quite a large up front cost (print dvd's etc for physical media or setting up servers and distribution method for download media)

So unless you are in a position where you have enough cash just sitting around (I wish I was in this position. ) to do the port you'll need some form of investors. (It also splits the risk over several parties so if it flops it doesn't hurt one persons finances to much)

Which in turn is what is the current state of affairs with LGP, and the perceived cost for "old" titles.

[RobbieAB]

First problem is that people would bitch and moan over the game choice as it's too old or crap, that's the only titles you can get for "minimal" costs (which will still be a fair chunk of change).
Secondly distributing the actual game has quite a large up front cost (print dvd's etc for physical media or setting up servers and distribution method for download media)

*Cough* Paradox Interactive...

They have already released the code under NDA for their community to mod and/or to write new games using it. Their requirements being that they get run QA on any products, it's distributed through their web-distribution channel, and they take a cut of the profits. The price they were suggesting for such works was €5-€10. Negotiation may reduce or remove some of those burdens for a serious linux port.

OK, it's a niche market, but they run no DRM, are in the business of writing games their fans buy, and seemed amenadble to an approach for a port under the NDA based community code release.

Aiming for the really popular titles is a bad idea, for the simple reason that it will prove appallingly expensive to get at the code, and to do anything with it, especially without any track record. I would be very surprised if there no other small games companies who would be interested in an approach on a basis similar to Paradox if you have a demonstration that it makes them money. After all, even if they only make €5-10k, that's a couple of coders for a week at no real cost to get. But you need to record to show: this WILL make them money.

[Svartalf]

I have actually given this a lot of thought. TransGaming has been kept in business thanks to Linux gamers willing to buy this software to be able to play Windows games on Linux, and MacOS. Based on the number of subscribers of Transgaming, it would be clear that Linux gaming IS profitable, certainly there are more than 10k users interested on getting these games ported.

The biggest problem with Crossover Games and Cedega is that you're showing that people are willing to emulate Windows to play games- which translates into whatever numbers Transgaming and CodeWeavers have respectively for their products being votes for Windows, because it's not sales numbers for native versions. They don't apply as much common sense as the bulk of the forum posters here apply. (Think in terms of how the PHB from Dilbert works and thinks and you'd be a lot closer... )

It helps, but not as much as you'd think.

I think the suggestion for going to Paradox Interactive is a GOOD idea, really. I'm still popping in and out (gad client problems always eat time, don't they?) and haven't had time to tabulate the list, but it's one of the front-runners for a starting point on things.