Loki Software
Encyclopedia
Loki Software, Inc. was a software firm based in Tustin, California
, United States
, that ported
several video games from Microsoft Windows
to Linux
. It took its name from the Norse deity Loki
.
Although successful in its goal of bringing games to the Linux platform, the company was eventually forced to close due to financial troubles, with it declaring Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection in August 2001, and finally being disbanded in January 2002.
's then upcoming strategy game Civilization: Call to Power
for Linux. This was to become Loki's first actual product, with the game hitting stores in May 1999. From there they gained contracts to port many other titles, such as Myth II: Soulblighter
, Railroad Tycoon II
, and Eric's Ultimate Solitaire
. Throughout the next two years up until its eventual closure the company would continue to bring more games to Linux.
tools, such as the Loki installer (also known as Loki Setup), and supported the development of the Simple DirectMedia Layer
. They also started the OpenAL
audio library project (now being run by Creative Technology
and Apple Inc.) and with id Software
wrote GtkRadiant
. These are still often credited as being the cornerstones of Linux game development. They also worked on and extended several already developed tools, such as GCC
and GDB
.
The book Programming Linux Games (also available online (The Internet Archive)) by Loki Software and John R. Hall is recognized as one of the prominent tutorials for the Simple Direct Media Layer. Many of Loki's free tools are still actively used and being developed, often by former employees of the company, many of them having moved to other computer game or Linux companies.
Loki also offered a start to many figures still in the Linux and gaming industries. Ryan C. Gordon
(also known as Icculus), a former employee of Loki, has been responsible for the Linux and Mac OS X
ports of many commercial games after the demise of the company. Mike Phillips would help start Linux Game Publishing
, which was itself founded in response to Loki's closure. Nicholas Vining would go on to do some porting work and is currently the lead programmer at Gaslamp Games
. Sam Lantinga
would also later join Blizzard Entertainment
and found Galaxy Gameworks to commercially support the Simple DirectMedia Layer.
Although many Loki ports are unsupported since Loki's closure, Linux Game Publishing
managed to pick up the rights to MindRover
and offer a supported and updated version of the games Linux port. id Software
picked up the support for the Linux release of Quake III Arena
, hiring Timothee Besset
to maintain it; he would later also be responsible for porting some of id's later products to Linux. Running with Scissors
still sells a Linux port of Postal on its website. Software contractor Frank C. Earl claims to hold the porting rights for the entire Myth series and says he will port it to Linux. Kevin Bentley is working on the Descent 3 patch for Linux. In 16 October of 2011, The Tain release a new version of Myth 2 for Linux. Linux installers for linux gamers also offers installers for many Loki titles to help them run better on modern systems.
In addition to the published titles, there is also an unfinished port of Deus Ex
. The later update of Deus Ex for Microsoft Windows features the OpenGL
driver
for the Unreal engine
from Loki Software's Linux port.
Tustin, California
-Top employers:According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Tustin had a population of 75,540. The population density was 6,816.7 people per square mile...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, that ported
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
several video games from Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
to Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
. It took its name from the Norse deity Loki
Loki
In Norse mythology, Loki or Loke is a god or jötunn . Loki is the son of Fárbauti and Laufey, and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. By the jötunn Angrboða, Loki is the father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr. By his wife Sigyn, Loki is the father of Nari or Narfi...
.
Although successful in its goal of bringing games to the Linux platform, the company was eventually forced to close due to financial troubles, with it declaring Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection in August 2001, and finally being disbanded in January 2002.
History
Loki Software was founded on November 9, 1998 by Scott Draeker, a former lawyer who became interested in porting games to Linux after being introduced to the system through his work as a software licensing attorney. By December of that year Loki had gained the rights to produce a port of ActivisionActivision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
's then upcoming strategy game Civilization: Call to Power
Civilization: Call to Power
Civilization: Call to Power is a PC turn-based strategy game developed by Activision as a successor to the extremely successful Civilization computer game by Sid Meier. It was ported to Linux by Loki Software....
for Linux. This was to become Loki's first actual product, with the game hitting stores in May 1999. From there they gained contracts to port many other titles, such as Myth II: Soulblighter
Myth II: Soulblighter
Myth II: Soulblighter is a 1998 real-time tactics computer game for the PC and Macintosh developed by Bungie. It is a sequel to Myth: The Fallen Lords and the second game in the Myth series.-Gameplay:...
, Railroad Tycoon II
Railroad Tycoon II
Railroad Tycoon II is a game for the PC, Macintosh, PlayStation and Dreamcast in the Railroad Tycoon series. The Dreamcast version is a Gold Edition with improved graphics and gameplay...
, and Eric's Ultimate Solitaire
Eric's Ultimate Solitaire
Eric's Ultimate Solitaire is a commercial solitaire game developed by Delta Tao Software for the Macintosh. The game was later ported to Linux by Loki Software....
. Throughout the next two years up until its eventual closure the company would continue to bring more games to Linux.
Legacy
Loki Software, although a commercial failure, is credited with the birth of the modern Linux game industry. Loki developed several free softwareFree software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
tools, such as the Loki installer (also known as Loki Setup), and supported the development of the Simple DirectMedia Layer
Simple DirectMedia Layer
Simple DirectMedia Layer is a cross-platform, free and open source multimedia library written in C that presents a simple interface to various platforms' graphics, sound, and input devices....
. They also started the OpenAL
OpenAL
OpenAL is a cross-platform audio API. It is designed for efficient rendering of multichannel three dimensional positional audio. Its API style and conventions deliberately resemble those of OpenGL.- History :...
audio library project (now being run by Creative Technology
Creative Technology
Creative Technology Ltd. is a Singapore-based global company headquartered in Jurong East, Singapore. The principal activities of the company and its subsidiaries consist of the design, manufacture and distribution of digitized sound and video boards, computers and related multimedia, and personal...
and Apple Inc.) and with id Software
Id Software
Id Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
wrote GtkRadiant
GtkRadiant
GtkRadiant is a level design program developed by id Software and Loki Software. It is used to create maps for a number of video games. It is maintained by id Software together with a number of volunteers.-History:...
. These are still often credited as being the cornerstones of Linux game development. They also worked on and extended several already developed tools, such as GCC
GNU Compiler Collection
The GNU Compiler Collection is a compiler system produced by the GNU Project supporting various programming languages. GCC is a key component of the GNU toolchain...
and GDB
GNU Debugger
The GNU Debugger, usually called just GDB and named gdb as an executable file, is the standard debugger for the GNU software system. It is a portable debugger that runs on many Unix-like systems and works for many programming languages, including Ada, C, C++, Objective-C, Free Pascal, Fortran, Java...
.
The book Programming Linux Games (also available online (The Internet Archive)) by Loki Software and John R. Hall is recognized as one of the prominent tutorials for the Simple Direct Media Layer. Many of Loki's free tools are still actively used and being developed, often by former employees of the company, many of them having moved to other computer game or Linux companies.
Loki also offered a start to many figures still in the Linux and gaming industries. Ryan C. Gordon
Ryan C. Gordon
Ryan C. Gordon is a former Loki Software employee who is now responsible for icculus.org, which hosts many Loki Software projects as well as several new projects created by himself and others...
(also known as Icculus), a former employee of Loki, has been responsible for the Linux and Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
ports of many commercial games after the demise of the company. Mike Phillips would help start Linux Game Publishing
Linux Game Publishing
Linux Game Publishing is a software company based in Nottingham in England. It ports, publishes and sells video games running on Linux operating systems. As well as porting games, LGP also sponsors the development of Grapple, a free software network library for games...
, which was itself founded in response to Loki's closure. Nicholas Vining would go on to do some porting work and is currently the lead programmer at Gaslamp Games
Gaslamp Games
Gaslamp Games, Inc. is a small, independent software development company based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada currently designing video games for the Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux operating systems....
. Sam Lantinga
Sam Lantinga
Sam Oscar Lantinga was the lead software engineer at Blizzard Entertainment, where he is known to the community as Slouken. He may be most famous as the creator of the Simple DirectMedia Layer, a very popular open source multimedia programming library, and also developed the compatibility database...
would also later join Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher founded on February 8, 1991 under the name Silicon & Synapse by three graduates of UCLA, Michael Morhaime, Allen Adham and Frank Pearce and currently owned by French company Activision Blizzard...
and found Galaxy Gameworks to commercially support the Simple DirectMedia Layer.
Although many Loki ports are unsupported since Loki's closure, Linux Game Publishing
Linux Game Publishing
Linux Game Publishing is a software company based in Nottingham in England. It ports, publishes and sells video games running on Linux operating systems. As well as porting games, LGP also sponsors the development of Grapple, a free software network library for games...
managed to pick up the rights to MindRover
MindRover
Mind Rover is a video game, developed by CogniToy. The game, which can be thought of as an successor to the Learning Company's Robot Odyssey, revolves around two activities:* Assemble a virtual robots from a library of stock parts....
and offer a supported and updated version of the games Linux port. id Software
Id Software
Id Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
picked up the support for the Linux release of Quake III Arena
Quake III Arena
Quake III Arena , is a multiplayer first-person shooter video game released on December 2, 1999. The game was developed by id Software and featured music composed by Sonic Mayhem and Front Line Assembly...
, hiring Timothee Besset
Timothee Besset
Timothee Besset is a software programmer currently employed by id Software who is most well known for creating and supporting Linux, as well as some Macintosh, ports of id Software's products. He has been involved with the game ports of various id properties over the past ten years, starting with...
to maintain it; he would later also be responsible for porting some of id's later products to Linux. Running with Scissors
Running With Scissors, Inc.
Running with Scissors, Inc. is an American computer game developer based in Arizona. Their best-known title, Postal, was publicly decried by Senator Joe Lieberman and other critics due to its extreme violence....
still sells a Linux port of Postal on its website. Software contractor Frank C. Earl claims to hold the porting rights for the entire Myth series and says he will port it to Linux. Kevin Bentley is working on the Descent 3 patch for Linux. In 16 October of 2011, The Tain release a new version of Myth 2 for Linux. Linux installers for linux gamers also offers installers for many Loki titles to help them run better on modern systems.
Games published
- Civilization: Call to PowerCivilization: Call to PowerCivilization: Call to Power is a PC turn-based strategy game developed by Activision as a successor to the extremely successful Civilization computer game by Sid Meier. It was ported to Linux by Loki Software....
- Descent 3
- Descent 3: Mercenary (expansion, as downloadable installer only)
- Eric's Ultimate SolitaireEric's Ultimate SolitaireEric's Ultimate Solitaire is a commercial solitaire game developed by Delta Tao Software for the Macintosh. The game was later ported to Linux by Loki Software....
- Heavy Gear IIHeavy GearHeavy Gear is a game universe published since 1994 by Canadian publisher Dream Pod 9. It includes a tabletop tactical wargame, a role-playing game and a lesser known combat card game...
- Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.²Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.²Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.² is a third-person shooter video game made by Ritual Entertainment in 2000. A sequel to the Heavy Metal 2000 animated movie, the game stars Julie in her quest to save her home planet of Eden from GITH, an ancient entity seeking to conquer the universe...
- Heretic IIHeretic IIHeretic II is a fantasy action-adventure game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision in 1998 continuing the story of Corvus, the main character from its predecessor, Heretic....
- Heroes of Might and Magic III
- Kohan: Immortal SovereignsKohan: Immortal SovereignsKohan: Immortal Sovereigns is the first game of the real-time strategy series Kohan, developed by TimeGate Studios. It was published for Windows by Strategy First, and ported to Linux by Loki Software, both in 2001. With a high fantasy setting, the game follows immortal beings named Kohan...
- Myth II: SoulblighterMyth II: SoulblighterMyth II: Soulblighter is a 1998 real-time tactics computer game for the PC and Macintosh developed by Bungie. It is a sequel to Myth: The Fallen Lords and the second game in the Myth series.-Gameplay:...
- Postal PlusPostal (computer game)Postal is a computer game, made by Running With Scissors and published by Ripcord Games in 1997. In 2003 there was a sequel, Postal². Director Uwe Boll has bought the movie rights for the series, and has produced a film of the same name....
- Railroad Tycoon II Gold EditionRailroad Tycoon IIRailroad Tycoon II is a game for the PC, Macintosh, PlayStation and Dreamcast in the Railroad Tycoon series. The Dreamcast version is a Gold Edition with improved graphics and gameplay...
- Quake III ArenaQuake III ArenaQuake III Arena , is a multiplayer first-person shooter video game released on December 2, 1999. The game was developed by id Software and featured music composed by Sonic Mayhem and Front Line Assembly...
- RuneRune (computer game)Rune is a third-person action computer game developed by Human Head Studios which was released in late 2000. The game is based on Norse mythology, showing the conflict between the gods Odin and Loki and the build up to Ragnarok, the end of the world...
- Rune: Halls of ValhallaRune: Halls of ValhallaRune: Halls of Valhalla is a multiplayer-only expansion to the computer game Rune.It features many new characters to choose from, thirty three new maps, and most prominently: two completely new game modes....
(expansion)
- Rune: Halls of Valhalla
- Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Planetary PackSid Meier's Alpha CentauriSid Meier's Alpha Centauri is the critically acclaimed science fiction 4X turn-based strategy video game sequel to the Civilization series. Sid Meier, designer of Civilization, and Brian Reynolds, designer of Civilization II, developed Alpha Centauri after they left MicroProse to join the newly...
- Sim City 3000: Unlimited/World Edition
- Soldier of Fortune
- Tribes 2Tribes 2-Legacy:On November 20, 2002, Sierra released an update for Tribes 2. This update contained two new game types, new maps and updates to address several issues. Sierra, which is now part of Vivendi SU, licensed the franchise to Irrational Games for a third installment; Tribes: Vengeance was...
- Unreal TournamentUnreal TournamentUnreal Tournament is a futuristic first-person shooter video game co-developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes. It was published in 1999 by GT Interactive. Retrospectively, the game has also been referred to as UT99 or UT Classic to differentiate it from its numbered sequels...
(as downloadable installer only) - MindRoverMindRoverMind Rover is a video game, developed by CogniToy. The game, which can be thought of as an successor to the Learning Company's Robot Odyssey, revolves around two activities:* Assemble a virtual robots from a library of stock parts....
In addition to the published titles, there is also an unfinished port of Deus Ex
Deus Ex
Deus Ex is an action role-playing game developed by Ion Storm Inc. and published by Eidos Interactive in 2000, which combines gameplay elements of first-person shooters with those of role-playing video games...
. The later update of Deus Ex for Microsoft Windows features the OpenGL
OpenGL
OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL...
driver
Device driver
In computing, a device driver or software driver is a computer program allowing higher-level computer programs to interact with a hardware device....
for the Unreal engine
Unreal Engine
The Unreal Engine is a game engine developed by Epic Games, first illustrated in the 1998 first-person shooter game Unreal. Although primarily developed for first-person shooters, it has been successfully used in a variety of other genres, including stealth, MMORPGs and RPGs...
from Loki Software's Linux port.
See also
- Ryan C. GordonRyan C. GordonRyan C. Gordon is a former Loki Software employee who is now responsible for icculus.org, which hosts many Loki Software projects as well as several new projects created by himself and others...
- Linux Game PublishingLinux Game PublishingLinux Game Publishing is a software company based in Nottingham in England. It ports, publishes and sells video games running on Linux operating systems. As well as porting games, LGP also sponsors the development of Grapple, a free software network library for games...
- loki installers for linux gamersLoki installers for linux gamerslinux installers for linux gamers is a website that supplies and builds game installers for Linux using the Loki and Mojo setup tools....
External links
- Loki Entertainment Software, Inc. — The Official homepage
- Loki Setup The Loki installer's new homepage
- http://www.gaslampgames.com Gaslamp Games
- Icculus.org Ryan Gordon's site, hosting many Loki projects as well as other Linux gaming resources
- Activision and Loki Partner to Bring Games to Linux Linux PR, October 11, 1999
- Linux.com - Loki: In The Trenches (Interview with Loki Software Staff)