First Person Shooter Games

It is often said that Ubuntu doesnt have proper first person shooter games. Tell you what, thats not quite the truth. Mentioned below is a list of the best FPS games on Ubuntu. These games are the ones which are included in the Ubuntu Software Center. (Therefore, it goes without saying that there are in all probability many more FPS games out there for Linux) Screenshots have been included below.

1. Open Arena - It is perhaps the most popular among all free, open source FPS games.

2.  Alien Arena - Another popular game based on the source code of Quake II and III. This is a graphics intensive game and requires pretty hi end graphics card for a smooth performance.

3. Nexuiz - This is a multiplayer (online) FPS game which can be played in single player mode as well. The game boasts of realistic gaming.

4. Sauerbraten - This is an extremely fast FPS game with exquisite graphics. Package includes a map editor.

5. Assault Cube - Without a doubt the most "fun" game of the lot. Exhaustive multiplayer support lends an amazing depth to the gameplay. The file size of the game is also small, around 50MB which should leave you with no excuse whatsoever for not giving it a try. A small warning though, there are literally gaming freaks playing this game, so if you're starting out with FPS, this isnt the game for you.

6. Warsow - Last, but not the least. Warsow. This is seriously one of the more "beautiful" FPS games out there. Strangely beautiful graphics with amazing gameplay makes this a must play.

This was of course a small list. Other significant games include Adanaxis (a space based FPS. Does a game get cooler that that?), Tremulous, Enemy Lines, etc.

Every single game mentioned here is available in the Ubuntu Software Center. Simply search for it and install.

(Suggestion: Search for "Tilda" in the Ubuntu Software Center. You will be pleasantly surprised. Hint: Its a terminal emulator with FPS theme)

Install Firefox 4 on Ubuntu

Firefox 4 is finally here guys! And yeah it literally romped home with the more downloads award, Internet Explorer 9 was boasting of few weeks back. With around 6 million downloads on the day of release, this is one big leap forward for the Firefox brand.

Unfortunately as you know, Ubuntu approves Firefox after quite some time adding its own bells and jingles. However the Firefox 4 without the Ubuntu add-ons works just as well. I would highly recommend going for it. From personal experience, I havent faced any issue with the release as yet.

Screenshot:

How to Install:


Go to the Terminal (Accessories > Terminal) and type in the following:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mozillateam/firefox-stable

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install firefox-4.0

If you're having trouble using the Terminal, you can use the following method:

Go to Ubuntu Software Center, go to Edit and select Software Sources. In the Other Software tab add the following line:

ppa:mozillateam/firefox-stable

Then add it and then search for Firefox in the Ubuntu software center to install (no need to search and install if you already have any version Firefox already installed)

Thats about it!

(If you're having trouble with adding repositories please check out this earlier post: http://explore-ubuntu.blogspot.com/2010/04/adding-repositories.html)

Get your Tron fix on Ubuntu

Interested in Tron? Ubuntu has loads of Tron based games on offer. Simply search for them in the Ubuntu Software Center and install. Most of these games are really low sized ones, so downloading them wont take much of your time.

The best of the lot is of course, Armagetron Advanced, which is also listed in the featured section of Ubuntu Software Center. Here's a screenshot of the actual game:

The game is around 2.7MB, so you dont have to worry about downloading large files.

The gameplay is decent and is definitely worth a try. Its in the Ubuntu Software Center. Have a go!

Super Mario anyone?

Tired of playing the same old games in Ubuntu? Its quite a myth that Ubuntu doesnt have interesting games. Take a look at these really interesting, albeit highly addictive games already there in the Ubuntu Software Center.

1. Super Tux - Remember Mario? Yea the one which required you to insert a cartridge on a really (then) classy looking video game "console". Super Tux is Super Mario with Tux replacing Mario as the protagonist. The nooks and crannies and the hidden secrets remain largely the same. Anyone familiar with the old game will feel completely at ease instantly.

2. Super Tux 2 - This is another instalment of Super Tux. Brilliantly created and immensely addictive this game quite. Best of all this game has the add ons feature which basically allows you to add various levels to the game which the developer releases.

3. Extreme Tux Racer -  Extreme Tux racer is a racing game with Tux (you're on Linux, who else did you expect in the driver's seat?) in it.

The amazing gameplay of these games make them quite brilliant. It would be a huge miss if you didnt play these on Ubuntu. Every single game listed here is available in the Ubuntu Software Center. Simply search by using the name of the game and download!

Happy gaming!

Illumination Software Creator

No sooner did Ubuntu allow paid apps to appear on the Ubuntu Software Center than apps started pouring in! The new really cool software which I'm going to mention here is called Illumination Software Creator.

Its a one of a kind application in that it allows users to "create" applications not just for Ubuntu (Python/GTK Desktop apps) but also for Maemo (Nokia N900), Android as well as Adobe Flash ones. And the clincher? Well, here's the thing, you dont need to write a single line of code to create the softwares!

Here's what the description of Illumination Software Creator reads on the Ubuntu Software Center:

The idea is simple: Arrange colorful building blocks of functionality however you like to create your own, unique, piece of software. No reading large computer programming books. No steep learning curve.

Installation:

As I mentioned earlier, its a paid app. Its $39.85 for he full version. If you want to try out the demo version, for free of course, you can get it from the official website here.

Paid Softwares start to appear on Ubuntu Software Center

Its more of a taste of things to come. Paid softwares have started to appear on Ubuntu Software Center. The only one currently in the Ubuntu Software Center is World of Goo. This is one incredibly popular game and has quite taken the Linux world, which is mostly devoid of path breaking games, by storm.

Description:

The Wikipedia page of World of Goo reads:

World of Goo is a physics-based puzzle game by 2D Boy, an independent game developer consisting of Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel, both former Electronic Arts employees, released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and WiiWare. It was nominated for the Seumas McNally grand prize, Design Innovation Award, and Technical Excellence at the Independent Games Festival.

Installation:

The game costs $19.95 on the Ubuntu Software Center. Although this is not a free game, there is a demo of World of Goo which can be found here. The demo is, of course, free. So if want to make sure that you're spending money for the right game, do download the demo and try.

Upon clicking the "Buy" button (which has replaced the "Install" button for this game) on the Ubuntu Software Center, you'll led to your Ubuntu account page where after signing in, the payment gateway will be seen. Thereafter its pretty simple.

Ubuntu alternatives to Windows Softwares

Lucid Lynx 10.04 has attracted a lot of attention. And frankly, a large number of new users are now part of the Ubuntu fraternity. A hearty welcome to all of the new converts.

This particular post is especially for the new users who might struggle to find the Ubuntu counterparts of Windows softwares. The list is only indicative and not in any way all inclusive, since in the open source field, its virtually impossible to keep a tab on development of every single project out of the billions being currently worked on.

1. Media Player - Totem (installed by default) is pretty awesome and plays nearly all formats especially once the Ubuntu Restricted Extras package has been installed (do go through this post: www.explore-ubuntu.blogspot.com/2009/11/install-restricted-extras-for-ubuntu.html to find out more about how to install this essential package). Of course, if you need to play around a bit more, VLC Media Player, available in the Ubuntu Software Center is a safe bet.

2. Music Application - A dedicated music application is always better than an all inclusive media player. Rhythmbox (installed by default) is definitely my favourite. However if you're on the adventurous side, you might want to try out Amarok, Banshee and Kaffeine.

3. Burning Software - Although Brasero installed by default does a pretty good job and is very easy to use, its a fact that it lacks a lot of features (verification of discs being one of them). My personal recommendation would be K3b (available in the Ubuntu Software Center) which works like magic. It might not be that user-friendly but once you get the hang of it, you will find it very difficult to switch to another burning tool. Another application which is quite good is GNOME-Baker (available in the Ubuntu Software Center).

4. Video Converter - For this there are many options, I prefer to use DeVeDe (available in the Ubuntu Software Center). Other options include Avidemux, Handbrake, WinFF (all available in the Ubuntu Software Center). However when it comes to video conversion I would recommend a trial and error approach.

Do give these softwares a try and let me know what you like best.

Terminator

There are times when one needs to open multiple Terminal windows to avoid complications and thats when one wishes there were a software to help one out. Terminator is a application which allows you to arrange and add multiple terminals in a single terminal window. Its unbelievably useful and honestly, in my opinion, this is one software you should try out.

Take a look at this screenshot. This is a Terminator window which has been split horizontally and vertically in order to enable multiple tasks separately in a single terminal window under different tabs:

The process of splitting windows is as simple as right clicking and then selecting horizontal or vertical split:

How to install:

Terminator is available in the Ubuntu Software Center and you can install it from there.

Alternate method:

If you want to stay updated to the very latest version of Terminator, you need to add its repository. Go to Accessories > Terminal and type the following:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome-terminator

Next type the following in the Terminal:

sudo apt-get update

And finally, type the following in the Terminal:

sudo apt-get install terminator

Adding repositories

This is a very basic guideline for installing repositories. Repository is a place where a particular software is kept or maintained. Ubuntu Software Center has loads of softwares for nearly every imaginable use. However you might still need to install additional ones. For those softwares you need to install/add repositories. Repositories are also installed to stay up to date with the very latest versions of softwares.

There are two ways of adding repositories. The graphic (GUI) way and the terminal (CLI) way. I'll discuss both here one after the other.

GUI (Graphic user interface aka graphic method):

Go to System > Administration > Software Sources

Click on the Other Software tab and then click Add.



Then simply type or copy paste the repository you want to add and thats it.

CLI (Command line interface aka terminal method):


Open the Terminal (Accessories > Terminal) and then type the following:

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

A new window will open up and there simple copy paste the repository you want to add. Remember that you need to enter the repository name in a separate line or a new line. Hence press Enter from your keyboard before pasting/adding the repository.



Remember to save the file before you exit.

There's another CLI method as well, its a more direct approach.

Go to the Terminal and type out the direct command to add the repository:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:name of repository

eg. sudo add-apt-repository ppa:pcf/miro-releases (installs the official repository for the software Miro)

Tip: Always make sure you update your repositories after adding them. To update your repositories, go to System > Administration > Update Manager and click on Check.



Alternatively, you can go to the Terminal and type sudo apt-get update

Thereafter you can install the software from the Ubuntu Software Center itself or from the Terminal as the case may be (read instructions for that particular software in its documentation or FAQ section).

Update: From Ubuntu 10.10, you can add/edit repositories from the Ubuntu Software Center as well. Go to Ubuntu Software Center, select Edit and Software Sources.

Thats was all about adding repositories in Ubuntu.

Sysinfo

Sysinfo is a small light-weight software which will give you information about the hardware as well as the OS installed on your PC. Its a very useful tool if you're not sure about the exact configuration of your computer.



How to install:

Go to Ubuntu Software Center and search for Sysinfo. Simply install it from there.

OR

Go to the Terminal and type:

sudo apt-get install sysinfo

Miro

Miro is a HD video player, cum podcast manager cum torrent client. It can play every kind of podcast, videos, HD shows, etc. Its very easy to use and the interface is simple gorgeous! Plus to top it all, it has all your favourtie shows, be it The Simpsons, TED Talk, Earth Touch HD, HBO Films, etc. etc. To take a look at whats on offer in Miro, click here: www.miroguide.com

Given below is a screenshot of Miro in use:



The version of Miro in the repositories of Ubuntu is a dated one. But its very much functional and bug free. So if you want you can install it from the Ubuntu Software Center.

But if you want the very latest version, you will have to install the software repo for Miro. Its very easy to do so.


How to install :


Go to System > Administration > Software Sources

Now click on the "Other Software" tab and then "Add" the following line (whichever is applicable):

Karmic (Ubuntu 9.10)

deb http://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/pculture.org/miro/linux/repositories/ubuntu karmic/

Mind you this is for Ubuntu 9.10. If you're using some other version of Ubuntu, see below:

Jaunty (9.04):

deb http://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/pculture.org/miro/linux/repositories/ubuntu jaunty/

Intrepid (8.10): (amd64 or i386)

Note: Miro 2.5.4 is the last release supported on Intrepid.

deb http://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/pculture.org/miro/linux/repositories/ubuntu intrepid/

Hardy LTS (8.04): (amd64 or i386)

Note: Miro 2.5.4 is the last release supported on Hardy.

deb http://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/pculture.org/miro/linux/repositories/ubuntu hardy/

After that, simply close and reload the repositories. Now that the repositories are updated, you can install Miro from the Ubuntu software CEnter itself and get the very latest version.

Or you can use the terminal and type:

sudo apt-get install miro

gPodder - podcast client

Thanks to popey's blog, I checked out gPodder today. Its basically a podcast client, much like Miro.

The interface is user friendly and fairly simple. You should have absolutely no difficulty in figuring out the functions etc. the most interesting bit is that gPodder allows you to sync your feeds to your account which you can create on the mygpodder.org and sync feeds to any other device as well. The list of available podcast streams/feeds is fairly exhaustive. However I would be lying if I said the feeds work perfectly. I couldnt get the Ubuntu UK Podcast feed to work although the same worked perfectly on Miro.

Here's a screenshot of gPodder:



I am pretty impressed with this piece of software. But if there's a choice between Miro and gPodder, I would obviously choose the former.

How to install gPodder :

Its available in the Ubuntu repos and you can install it from the Ubuntu Software Center.

Alternatively you can add the repository for gPodder by typing the following in the Terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:thp/gpodder

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install gpodder

To launch gPodder go to Sound and Video > gPodder Podcast Client.

Avant Windows Navigator (installation and themes)

I presume most of you already use it, if not its pretty easy to install. Avant Windows Navigator (AWN) is a dock application (similar to the Mac dock) which happens to be the stablest dock I have tried. (The other popular docks include Cairo-Dock and GNOME Do, these are available from the Ubuntu Software Center)

Installation:
Go to GNOME Menu > Ubuntu Software Center, there search for AWN, install it. To start using it go to GNOME Menu > Accessories > Avant Windows Navigator.

Themes:
Now theme-ing the AWN is as important as getting it installed. Here are some themes (official AWN themes): AWN Themes

Download the ones you like. It will be in .tgz format. Now to install the theme, open the AWN Manager (it should be located on the dock itself) and then click on the 'Themes' tab. Click on the 'Add' icon and then locate that .tgz file you downloaded. It will be installed. Now to apply the theme and click 'Apply'. The following screenshot should explain things:



Thats it!

Nexuiz

Image via Wikipedia

If you're using Linux, you might feel a bit uncomfy whenever your friends tease you about Linux not having any proper games. There's no 3D first person shooter game etc etc. Well, next time you meet such people, tell them you came across Nexuiz.

Nexuiz is a first person shooter game which is much like Quake. It has both single player and multiplayer versions. The game-play is smooth and perhaps more importantly the game itself is very 'light', absolutely nothing special is required in terms of processing power and graphics capability to enjoy this game.

Its available from the Synaptic as well as the Ubuntu Software Center (I would prefer to use the latter). Type 'nexuiz' in the search bar of Ubuntu Software Center. And install it. This image will demonstrate it.



Mind you the installation can take some time, on a 256kbps connection it took me about 4-5 hours. The link to the official site of Nexuiz is here. Also, do note the Ubuntu software repos might not update itself as soon as Nexuiz releases a new version. So, do check out the download page of the site here for the very latest updates (if you're playing in the Multiplayer mode, the latest updates are necessary).

Try it out! You wont be disappointed.

Shutter - Screenshot Tool

The default Ubuntu screenshot software isnt really something spectacular. Also, it really doesnt have many options. For example, if you want the screenshot of just a window and not of the entire desktop, you'd be pretty much stuck if you were using the default screenshot app, as you would have to use some image editing software like GIMP to modify the screenshot to suit your needs.

No more... Say hello to Shutter! The perfect screenshot tool. Lets you take screenshots of windows, notifications (and even panels!). Has loads of options and is really useful.

This is how you install it:

Go to Ubuntu Software Center from your GNOME menu and search for 'Shutter', follow the links and install it! Like so:



Alternate method for users who prefer to use the terminal:

Type the following in the terminal:

sudo apt-get install shutter

And after the installation, you'll find Shutter installed in the 'Accessories' section of the GNOME menu.

Screenshots taken by Shutter can be found here.

Thats it! :)