Xonotic

Xonotic
Developer(s) Team Xonotic
Publisher(s) Team Xonotic
Designer(s) Team Xonotic and Community
Engine DarkPlaces engine
Platform(s) Linux, FreeBSD, OS X and Windows
Release 8 September 2011 (version 0.5)
8 March 2012 (version 0.6)
8 June 2013 (version 0.7)
16 January 2015 (version 0.8)
26 August 2015 (version 0.8.1)
1 April 2017 (version 0.8.2)
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, Multiplayer

Xonotic (/zoʊˈnɒtɪk, ksoʊ-/)[1] is a free and open-source[2] first-person shooter video game. It was developed as a fork of Nexuiz, following controversy surrounding the game's development. The game runs on a heavily modified version of the Quake engine known as the DarkPlaces engine. Its gameplay is inspired by Unreal Tournament and Quake, but with various unique elements.

Gameplay


There are sixteen different game modes in Xonotic, including classic modes like deathmatch and capture the flag. In order to unlock more game modes, players must complete different levels of game play. To score points, players must kill enemies using futuristic weapons while completing objectives. The gameplay is very fast-paced, due to players being able to move at high speed and jump erratically. While the basic concept is inspired by other games of the same genre, there are several unique elements. Emphasis is placed on movement and player physics, with a focus on gaining speed, jumping great distances, and conquering the level geometry. This is done with classic techniques including strafe jumping, bunny hopping, and rocket jumping. Weapons have special abilities such as multiple fire modes, which increase the tactical options available to the players.

The game features a futuristic aesthetic, with maps set in high-tech environments and in space. The game runs on the DarkPlaces engine and thus supports bloom, dynamic lighting and shadowing, offset mapping, and high-dynamic-range rendering. The developers claim that the graphic quality is comparable to commercial video game titles released between 2006 and 2007.[3]

Players can also personalize their HUD according to their exact preferences.[4]

Development

Xonotic main menu screen

In March 2010, a controversy arose over the original Nexuiz being licensed to IllFonic game studios in order to create a commercial version. The original creator, Lee Vermeulen, secretly made a deal with a company known as IllFonic according to which the latter got the hold over the Nexuiz trademark. Since this turn of events was unexpected by the community and most Nexuiz developers, they promised to create a fork controlled by a community in an open manner.[5][6][7] Approximately seven months later the source code was published via Git. A preview version was released on 23 December 2010.[7][8]

Version 0.5 was released on 8 September 2011. It featured multi-language support, seven new maps, vehicle support, and enhancements to weapons and player movement, among other changes.[9] Since the release of this version, Team Xonotic's stated aim has been to "create the best possible fast-paced open-source FPS game".[10]

Version 0.6 was released on 8 March 2012. It comes with sRGB lightmap rendering, a new menu interface, 4 new maps, an integrated statistics system (XonStats), a Sandbox editing mode and the long-awaited feature of ClientSide QuakeC (CSQC) networked players. Bug fixes and optimisations have also been made.[11]

Version 0.7, was released on 8 June 2013. It features client-side rendering of players, 4 new maps and a complete re-write of the in-game chat system. Additionally the team has migrated to the QuakeC compiler, gmqcc, which generates faster, more optimized program files.[12]

The next major release of Xonotic, version 0.8, was released on January 16, 2015. It includes, among the other things, a new weapon, monsters, buffs and new maps.[13]

After that follow two minor releases: version 0.8.1, was released on August 26, 2015[14] and 0.8.2 in April 1, 2017.[15] They add new maps, new themes for the menu, and new gameplay features. In addition, the codebase of Xonotic was refactored.

Reception

Phoronix praised Xonotic's gameplay and graphics, and declared the game "one of the most visually-impressive open-source games available for [multiple platforms]". Larabel said, "For being a community-backed open-source game without the support of any major game studio, Xonotic is doing great."[9][16] Xonotic was also deemed "the Best Free Multiplayer FPS Linux Can Muster" by Softpedia.[17] Commenting on the game's community of both players and developers, About.com noted, "entering it makes you really feel like you've become a part of something bigger than just a video game."[18] Linux Format selected Xonotic in April 2015 as a "HotPick".[19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Xonotic FAQ: How do you pronounce the name Xonotic?". Retrieved 2018-07-07.
  2. ↑ "Xonotic: Legal". Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved 2013-05-08.
  3. ↑ Dan, Craciun (2011-09-28). "Xonotic 0.5 – Free Shooter Based Off Nexuiz". TuxArena. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  4. ↑ "Xonotic". LibreGameWiki. 2015-09-26. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  5. ↑ "Nexuiz Founder Licenses It For Non-GPL Use". Slashdot. 2010-03-22. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  6. ↑ "Nexuiz Related FAQs".
  7. 1 2 Larabel, Michael (2010-12-23). "A Xonotic Preview Release Comes For Christmas". Phoronix. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  8. ↑ "Xonotic 0.1 Preview Released". Team Xonotic. 2010-12-23. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  9. 1 2 Larabel, Michael (2011-09-08). "Xonotic, The Successor To Nexuiz, Is Primed". Phoronix. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  10. ↑ "Xonotic 0.5 Release". Team Xonotic. 2011-09-08. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  11. ↑ "Xonotic 0.6 Release". Team Xonotic. 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  12. ↑ "Xonotic 0.7 Release". Team Xonotic. 2013-06-08. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  13. ↑ "Xonotic 0.8 Release". Team Xonotic. 2015-01-16. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  14. ↑ "Xonotic 0.8.1 Brings New Maps, New Gameplay Features". Phoronix. 2015-08-26. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  15. ↑ "Xonotic 0.8.2 Release". Team Xonotic. 2017-04-01. Retrieved 2017-04-01.
  16. ↑ Larabel, Michael (2012-04-11). "The Best Looking Open-Source Game?". Phoronix. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  17. ↑ Stahie, Silviu (2013-06-10). "Xonotic 0.7 Is the Best Free Multiplayer FPS Linux Can Muster". Softpedia. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  18. ↑ Rankin, Dave. "5 Open Source First-Person Shooter Video Games". About.com. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  19. ↑ Linux Format 196 April 2015 page 64
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