Setting up a dgamelaunch game server
Recording Games
The server automatically records the games under /var/dgl/dgldir/userdata/$user/ttyrec/rogue3
. The recordings can be watched using a ttyrec
player, such as ttyplay
. It is common for public dgamelaunch servers to offer the files for download via a web server.
Any user who connects while other people are playing may watch the ongoing games. If the game is patched for proper dgamelaunch integration, it is possible for the audience to send messages to the player. Games that support this include NetHack and Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup. Trying to deliver a message when a game has no spooldir
variable set will crash dgamelaunch, but thankfully it will not affect the instances of the people who are running games.
Conclusions
Setting a server to play old terminal games is not easy, but it is certainly doable.
There are lots of games that can be run within a dgamelaunch service. Debian has the bsdgames package in its repository, with many terminal games from the pre-Linux era, including phantasia, battlestar, and trek. With a little tweaking, incorporating these games into the game server is possible.
You can see dgamelaunch in action using Roguelike Gallery's SSH service [6] (use rodney for the username and yendor for the password). Instructions for playing Rogue are in the source tarball. If you prefer to play a modern game with a retro feel, the Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup team keeps a list of servers for playing their games [7].
Infos
- History of Rogue: https://rlgallery.org/about/rogue3.html
- dgamelaunch's GitHub repository: https://github.com/paxed/dgamelaunch
- Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup: https://crawl.develz.org/
- NAO: https://alt.org/nethack/
- Roguelike Gallery: https://rlgallery.org
- Roguelike Gallery's dgamelaunch SSH service: https://rlgallery.org:8080
- Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup online: http://crawl.chaosforge.org/Playing_online
« Previous 1 2 3
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you've found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
The GNU Project Celebrates Its 40th Birthday
September 27 marks the 40th anniversary of the GNU Project, and it was celebrated with a hacker meeting in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland.
-
Linux Kernel Reducing Long-Term Support
LTS support for the Linux kernel is about to undergo some serious changes that will have a considerable impact on the future.
-
Fedora 39 Beta Now Available for Testing
For fans and users of Fedora Linux, the first beta of release 39 is now available, which is a minor upgrade but does include GNOME 45.
-
Fedora Linux 40 to Drop X11 for KDE Plasma
When Fedora 40 arrives in 2024, there will be a few big changes coming, especially for the KDE Plasma option.
-
Real-Time Ubuntu Available in AWS Marketplace
Anyone looking for a Linux distribution for real-time processing could do a whole lot worse than Real-Time Ubuntu.
-
KSMBD Finally Reaches a Stable State
For those who've been looking forward to the first release of KSMBD, after two years it's no longer considered experimental.
-
Nitrux 3.0.0 Has Been Released
The latest version of Nitrux brings plenty of innovation and fresh apps to the table.
-
Linux From Scratch 12.0 Now Available
If you're looking to roll your own Linux distribution, the latest version of Linux From Scratch is now available with plenty of updates.
-
Linux Kernel 6.5 Has Been Released
The newest Linux kernel, version 6.5, now includes initial support for two very exciting features.
-
UbuntuDDE 23.04 Now Available
A new version of the UbuntuDDE remix has finally arrived with all the updates from the Deepin desktop and everything that comes with the Ubuntu 23.04 base.