3D games with and without Steam: Ark, Cities: Skylines, and 0 A.D.

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Conclusion

Nothing stands in your way of playing a challenging video game on Linux. None of the games tested here showed any defects attributable to the operating system. However, each of the candidates requires current, proprietary drivers. Two of the games, ARK and 0 A.D., can function to a large extent with free Nouveau drivers. For ARK, these drivers do cause serious restrictions, though. 0 A.D. has far fewer restrictions. All of the games tested are worth the purchase price, because it really does pay to spend time with them.

 

Hartmut Noack works in Celle and Hannover, Germany, as an instructor, author, and musician. He has always thought that free software and the music he composes make for an interesting combination. When he is not busy with his Linux Audio workstation, he occupies himself with web servers. You are welcome to visit him on his website at http://lapoc.de and download some of his CC-licensed audio clips produced with free music software.

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