Archives For November 30, 1999

SuperTuxKart 1.2, free and open-source kart racing game, was officially released a day ago.

What’s new in SuperTuxkart 1.2:

  • Support gamepad hotplugging
  • Use SDL2 for window creation
  • New “Cartoon” theme
  • Haiku support
  • Add support for IPv6 LAN servers
  • Team chat for team games
  • A new Kiki kart and improved Pidgin and Puffy karts
  • Fixed most gamepad related bugs
  • New settings to customize the game’s camera
  • And many many enhancements and fixes

How to Get SuperTuxKart 1.2:

Source code as well as packages for Android, Linux (portable), Mac OS, and Windows are available for download at the link below:

Also, there’s an Ubuntu PPA that contains .deb packages for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Linux Mint 20 / 19.x.

1.) Open terminal from system application launcher, then run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:stk/dev

Type user password, no visual feedback, when it asks and hit Enter to continue.

2.) After adding the PPA, either upgrade from an old version via Software Updater, or run commands in terminal to install the game:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install supertuxkart

Uninstall SuperTuxKart:

To remove the PPA, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:stk/dev

To remove the racing game, run:

sudo apt remove --autoremove supertuxkart supertuxkart-data

Speed Dreams, open source motorsport simulation and racing game, now can be installed in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 18.10, and also Ubuntu 16.04 easily via Flatpak package.

Speed Dreams is a fork of the open racing car simulator Torcs, aiming to implement exciting new features, cars, tracks and AI opponents to make a more enjoyable game for the player, as well as constantly improving visual and physics realism.

The official Speed Dreams PPA was abandoned for years. Thanks to Flatpak (containerized software package), now you can install the game in Ubuntu via following steps.

1. Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T), run command to install Flatpak framework if not exist (For Ubuntu 16.04, add the PPA first):

sudo apt-get install flatpak

2. Then add the flathub repository:

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

3. Finally install Speed Dreams:

flatpak install flathub org.speed_dreams.SpeedDreams

Once successfully installed, open the game from application launcher and enjoy!

Uninstall:

To remove the Flatpak package, simply run command in terminal:

flatpak uninstall org.speed_dreams.SpeedDreams

Supertuxkart 0.9.3 Final Released (How to Install)

Last updated: November 20, 2017

The open source kart racing game, Supertuxkart 0.9.3, was released earlier today. The new release features in-game screen recording and Android support.

Supertuxkart 0.9.3 release highlight:

  • Reduced RAM and VRAM usage, reducing load times.
  • New mesh format optimized for space and hardware skinning
  • Code refactoring of both render pipelines
  • New karts Wilber, Hexley, Kiki and updated Konqi.
  • New tracks Cornfield Crossing and Candela City
  • Physics improvements and various physics bugfixes
  • Kart GFX improvements (exhaust and headlight)
  • In-game screen recording powered by libopenglrecorder
  • High quality mipmap generation by Stragus
  • New smoother camera
  • New Grand Prix win scene
  • Gamepad configuration bugfixes
  • 3 Strikes Battle: added spare tire karts
  • Various improvements (see the release note)

How to Install Supertuxkart 0.9.3 in Ubuntu:

There’s a stable PPA contains the new 0.9.3 release for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, Ubuntu 17.10, and next Ubuntu 18.04.

1. Open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching it from app launcher. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:stk/dev

Input your password (no visual feedback while typing) when it prompts and hit Enter.

2. If you have a previous release installed, just upgrade it via Software Updater.

Or run commands in terminal to install or upgrade to Supertuxkart 0.9.3:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install supertuxkart

Uninstall:

You can launch Software & Updates utility and navigate to ‘Other Software’ tab to disable or remove the PPA.

To remove the game, either use your system package manager or run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove supertuxkart

Speed Dreams is an open source 3D racing game which is initially forked from TORCS. It features high quality graphics, 3D real-time motorsport simulator for gamers and researchers, and a variety of input devices support (e.g, keyboards, mouses, joypads, joysticks, racing wheels and pedals.).

Speed Dreams works on Linux, Microsoft Windows, AmigaOS 4, AROS, MorphOS and Haiku. For Ubuntu, it can be easily installed from PlayDeb repository and below is how:

1. Add PlayDeb repository.

Open terminal from the Dash/Launcher or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When it opens, run:

echo deb http://archive.getdeb.net/ubuntu vivid-getdeb games | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/playdeb.list

2. Import the keyring:

wget -q -O- http://archive.getdeb.net/getdeb-archive.key | sudo apt-key add -

3. Launch Synaptic Package Manager (install it from Ubuntu Software Center if need), search for install speed dreams after checking for updates:

You may install all the packages listed in the above picture to get more cars and tracks.

SuperTuxKart, an open-source kart racing game, finally gets a new stable release after nearly one and a half year since the last release.

SuperTuxKart 0.9 comes with a new rendering engine that’s fully shader-based, two completely new tracks, online log-in support, different Kart physics, an achievement system, and numerous other improvements. With now needing OpenGL3.1+, SuperTuxKart developers recommend at least having one of below graphics for playing the game:

  • AMD Radeon HD 3650
  • Intel HD Graphics 3000
  • NVIDIA GeForce 8600

Highlights of SuperTuxKart 0.9:

  • Fully shader-based rendering engine
    •  New tracks Cocoa Temple and Gran Paradiso
    • Graphical improvements to many other tracks
    • New karts Amanda, Gavroche, Sara (as wizard and racer)
    • Improved tux, adiumy, Suzanne and Xue.
  • Online login which allows to:
    • connect with friends and see when they are playing
    • vote for addons
    • collect online achievements
  • Different kart physics
  • In-game Grand Prix editor
  • Random Grand Prix generation
  • Achievement system

How to Install SuperTuxKart 0.9 in Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Elementary OS Freya:

1. For all Linux users, select download “supertuxkart-0.9-linux.tar.gz or “supertuxkart-0.9-linux.tar.xz” from the link below:

Download SuperTuxKart 0.9

2. Install the required library libopenal1 via Ubuntu Software Center, or by running below command in terminal:

sudo apt-get install libopenal1

3. Unpack the downloaded archive and run the run_game.sh script from in the result folder to start the game:

For those who don’t see the Run option, go to Nautilus file browser’s menu Edit -> Preferences -> Behavior -> select “Run executable text files when they are opened”, and re-open the file browser.

To Create a launcher for the game, so you can launch it from Application Menu or the Unity Dash.

In below steps, I assume that you’ve extracted the game to your user Downloads folder.

1. Open terminal from menu or the Dash. When it opens, run command to edit the .desktop file:

gedit ~/Downloads/supertuxkart-*-linux/data/supertuxkart.desktop

When the file opens, replace values of Icon and Exec with file path to the icon and run_game.sh script.

In below picture, you may replace “handbook” (without quotes) with your username.

2. Finally copy or move this file to user’s Home .local/share/applications/ folder (press Ctrl+H to view hidden folder), so that your system can read it.

Do it in your file browser, or just run below command in terminal:

mv ~/Downloads/supertuxkart-*-linux/data/supertuxkart.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/

Stunt Rally is an open-source VDrift and OGRE based racing game with track editor. Stunt Rally 2.2 was released recently with many new features and bug fixes. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy.

What’s New in Stunt Rally 2.2:

  • 146 tracks (19 new)
  • Game
    • Challenges (new game mode)
      • Short series of tracks. Only the best drivers will succeed.
        Drive with no mistakes to win bronze,silver or gold prize.
        Normal simulation, no driving aids.
    • Multiplayer updated
      • Host can press new game and continue on other track (no need to quit and create)
      • Game info text, track info now on track tab
    • Hud
      • New layout (gauges on right, minimap on left)
      • Times bar shows current points and time difference each checkpoint
      • Lap result window (last, best times, final points) on right
    • Input checkbox to bind 1 axis to both throttle and brake
    • Rocks with better collision (triangle mesh)
    • Better water and mud particles
    • Damage repair each lap option
    • Auto camera change in loops (by marking checkpoints in editor, key 7)
  • Common
    • Gui reworked, more icons, also on Input tab
    • Graphics presets now on Screen tab (need to quit after change)
    • All sliders have default value, press RMB on slider to reset
  • Other
    • New objects for caves, pipe obstacles, column for rocks
    • New loading screens
    • Tire force circles visualization
    • Separated differential settings in .car, center of mass length offset, better TW handling
    • Road total on-pipe percentage (need to mark segments in editor, key 8)
    • Road stats banked angle average and max
  • Editor
    • Some edit fields now also with slider and sliders with edits
    • Checkpoint radius restrictions (1 to 2.5 on terrain, constant on bridges and pipes), force with ctrl
    • Objects
      • Selection mark (glow)
      • Better mouse picking
      • Selection scale, rotate (only simple works)
    • Gui revamp
      • Split tabs into Track window, Grasses tab, Settings on 3 tabs
    • Change in road point keys
      • 1,2 Roll, 3,4 Yaw, alt-1,2 angle type, 5,6 snap, alt-shift-1 zero angles
  • Fixes
    • Optimization, less batches for Hud, opponents list hidden by default
    • Fixed broken translations (wrong check, loading etc.)
    • Fixed input on gui edits (ctrl is stuck, press it to fix) in chat after network game or in find box
    • Linux release archive was outputting user data into wrong location (was in .local/data)
    • Fixed minimap road preview save in editor (shader errors)
    • No simulation before game start (fix multiplayer jumps, but shows car landing more)
  • Sources
    • Huge changes in headers and cpp, split to more (CGame,CHud,CGui,CApp), fixed includes
    • Gui Init code shorter, grouped controls in CGui.h, common Gui code in GuiCom class
    • Using own classes SliderValue and Check
  • Install Stunt Rally 2.2:

    The PlayDeb has made the new release into its repository for Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy. So we can follow the steps below to install it.

    1. Add the PlayDeb repository

    Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run commands below to add the repository:

    sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://archive.getdeb.net/ubuntu saucy-getdeb games" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/playdeb.list'

    Then get the key:

    wget -q -O- http://archive.getdeb.net/getdeb-archive.key | sudo apt-key add -

    2. Install the required package: ttf-liberation

    The game requires package ttf-liberation which is available in all other Ubuntu releases except Ubuntu 13.10. Don’t know why, but you can download it from:

    ttf-liberation for raring

    3. Check for udpates and install Stunt Rally

    sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install -y stuntrally

    Once installed, open the game or track editor from menu or Unity Dash.

    For source code and Windows EXE installer, go to sourceforge download page.

    For more details go to Stunt Rally project homepage