Who Is Tux, and Why Is He Everywhere?

Before starting, we need to explain why a lot of the games have Tux in their names. Tux , pictured in Figure 19-1, is a penguin who is the mascot of Linux. Linux is a popular open source operating system, so many game designers decide to honor this penguin by having him be a main character in their work. So, if you see Tux, the game is probably open source.

Figure 19-1 Tux

SuperTuxKart

SuperTuxKart is a racing game a lot like Mario Kart, except everyone is an animal, and the main character is a penguin. In Figure 19-2, you can see a typical game screen. To download and set up the game, go to https://supertuxkart.net/Download .

Figure 19-2 SuperTuxKart

The goal of the game is to race against the other players and win the race. There are three different modes: story mode, single/multiplayer, and login.

Story mode plays some videos before and after races. This gives the game a story. The main plot is that, Tuc, the King of Karts, has kidnapped the Great Wise One, the leader of a village that Tux lives in. Tuc says that if Tux can beat him in racing, then he will release the Great Wise One. If Tux loses, then the Great Wise One will be served for dinner at Tuc’s castle.

Single and multiplayer modes are the same thing, except there are no videos. You can play with up to four different players and can play with joysticks or the keyboard.

Login is where you connect to the Internet and race against other people in real time.

Overall, it is a decent game. The quality of animations is lacking, but you can still tell what is going on. We recommend this to children or adults but not for teenagers, who would like more detailed animations like in Torcs (described later). Overall, it is a well-developed game.

Xonotic

Xonotic is a first-person shooting game. You run around with a gun and shoot at your enemies, as shown in Figure 19-3. This game is designed for the older kids, mainly teens, and uses a lot of graphics, so it may slow down your computer if you are using a laptop. You can download it from www.xonotic.org .

Figure 19-3 Running and shooting

There are two different modes, single player and multiplayer. In single player mode, one person is connected through the computer to other players on the Internet. In multiplayer mode, more than one person can be connected through a single computer. The controls are fairly simple and self-explanatory, and you can figure out how the games work within seconds. There are many different terrains so you will never get bored with the layout. There are also a variety of guns that have their own distinct power. For example, one gun shoots fire and blows up your opponent. Another gun shoots six electric balls, which spread out so you can get your opponent even when they are moving.

Overall, it is a good game if you don’t get motion sickness.

2048

2048 is a simple yet addicting game. The goal of the game is to combine similar blocks next to each other into one block containing the number 2048. You can move the blocks up, down, left, and right. Each block has a number on it. For example, a “2” block can merge with another “2” block, which creates a “4” block. This game is good for phones, as shown in Figure 19-4. You can play it at https://gabrielecirulli.github.io/2048/ , or you can download it from any app store for free.

Figure 19-4 2048

We recommend this game to anyone. It is an easy game to play and can be rewarding when you finally get the tiles to display 2048.

Torcs

Torcs is another racing simulator, like SuperTuxKart, but with more detailed graphics designed for more mature players. Its home page is at http://torcs.sourceforge .

You control your car with the arrow keys, and you can choose from a variety of car models and tracks, as shown in Figure 19-5. Torcs stands for Texas Off-Road Champion Series. This game has been used as a research platform for many things car related, such as the use of AI programs in cars.

This game is a lot of fun for those who feel like they’re too old for SuperTuxKart and Mario Kart and want something a bit more challenging.

Figure 19-5 The race track

FlightGear

FlightGear is a flying simulator, where you fly your own plane. You can download it at www.flightgear.org/download/main-program/ . It is a detailed game, where you start out in the cockpit of the plane, such as the one shown in Figure 19-6, and use controls that are similar to those in a real plane.

You can also create your own flying environment, as well as choose the type of plane you want to fly. Scenery and planes have to be downloaded separately. The game comes with a long manual on how to fly the plane, so if you want to play this game properly, you’ll need commitment. There are many fun and different types of planes; for example, you could fly a space shuttle. It is a rocket ship that you get to drive into orbit, but it lands like a brick, which is really challenging.

This game requires a lot of CPU power. When we ran it on a laptop, the system became very “laggy.” We suggest downloading this on a stronger computer with a good CPU.

This game is good for young wanna-be pilots or if you are looking into flying and want to see how a plane is operated. Overall, it is a more complicated and technical game but can be fun once you learn how to play it.

Figure 19-6 The cockpit

Neverball

Neverball is a game a where you guide a ball through crazy courses and get it to the target. You can install it at http://neverball.org/download.php .

The player gets to customize their ball and choose from a variety of levels. There are many fun and different levels of games. Some courses look like the inside of a ping-pong machine , shown in Figure 19-7, while others have portals that teleport the ball. Others are like a puzzle, where you have to figure it out before you can win.

The goal is simple: try to get the ball to the target. For the controls, you just use the keyboard arrows to tilt the screen in the direction you want the ball to go. You can also collect coins, which are good for the store, where you can buy different skins for your ball.

Overall, this game has great graphics and is fun for all ages. It comes with seemingly endless levels, so this game will keep you occupied for a long time.

Figure 19-7 Ping-pong machine in Neverball

Teeworlds

Teeworlds is a simple, cartoon, multiplayer shooting game. You can find it at https://www.teeworlds.com/?page=downloads . The main goal of the game is to try to be the last one standing, so you basically shoot everyone else until they are all dead.

It has a two-dimensional course that you can explore. There are a variety of different guns to use, along with different terrains and games. One game you can play is called capture the flag, shown in Figure 19-8, where there are two teams. Your team’s mission is to try to take the other team’s flag while protecting your flag from the other team. Different terrains can consist of the desert, grass, jungle, snow, and much more.

This game is great for anyone who loves shooting games but hates the motion sickness that most 3D shooting games give you. It is good if you want a simple, friendly game.

Figure 19-8 Playing capture the flag

0 A.D.

0 A.D. is a game based on the year 0 A.D., where you build civilizations and practice strategy in ancient warfare. You can get it at https://play0ad.com/download/ .

In the game, you have a certain territory where you can construct your buildings. Figure 19-9 shows a typical layout. You can expand your territory by leveling up or by building next to the border. Each type of building supports different things. There are the village buildings to sustain the people. Housing supports population. A mill is used to collect wood, metal, and stone for building. Farmstead and corrals are for growing and breeding animals for food. Docks are to build ships for fish, trade, and warfare.

There are also a variety of military buildings to protect the people. Barracks are where citizens train and become soldiers. A temple trains healers, who heal the soldiers during battle. A defense tower shoots at enemies close by. You can also build walls and fortresses for defense.

This game is lots of fun for those who love strategy games and building their own civilizations.

Figure 19-9 A normal day 2,000 years ago

OpenTTD

OpenTTD is a strategy business simulator where you make money by transporting customers using different routes and different modes of transportation, as shown in Figure 19-10. You can download it at https://www.openttd.org/en/download-stable .

The main goal of this game is to get as much money as you can by starting a transportation business. There are many factors needed to win this game, such as where to put the routes that your vehicle will travel and how much to charge for one trip. The game comes with a long manual that tells you how to place different modes of transport. There are four modes you can choose from: road, railroad, ship, and airplane. You can also earn extra money by using your business for a shipping and postal service.

Overall, this game is for those who love to strategize and build their own businesses. We recommend this to someone who has a lot of patience because it takes a long time to grow your business.

Figure 19-10 A day at work

SuperTux

SuperTux is a lot like Super Smash Bros., except the main character is a penguin. You run and jump, collect power-ups, and defeat the evil snowballs. You can download the software at http://supertux.github.io/download.html . The main goal of the game is to guide Tux through the level and get to the end.

If you took Super Mario Bros. and turned it into a second graphic penguin game, then you would have SuperTux. Everything is identical, all the way down to the powers and the enemies.

There is unique feature that you don’t have in most proprietary games, that is, debug mode. This mode allows you to “debug” the program by giving Tux special powers, like being invincible. Although designed for people working on making the program better, it doesn’t stop people from using it to “cheat” and reach the highest level without having to bother getting really good at the game.

We recommend this game to anyone who loves adventure games and wants to play an open source version of Super Mario Bros.

Summary

Supposedly there aren’t a lot of open source games available. That may be true, but there are enough fun ones out there to keep anyone entertained. Many of the simulation games are made by people fanatical on making the most realistic game out there. That’s why you have a game like FlightGear, which gives you the ability to fly a Wright biplane and a space shuttle.