Building a Retro Linux Gaming Computer – Part 18: Run Away and Join the Circus – GamingOnLinux

Continued from Part 17: The Llama Master

In writing this seriesI have spent a great deal of time searchingeBayfor older Linux games to cover, and one night I came across acurious sight. Although being sold forWindows, I founda listing for aphysical copy of the freegame Circus Linux! as published by Alten8. At first I figured it wouldjust be another keep case in my collection with "Linux" on the cover, but upon inspecting the contents of the disc, it soon became apparent just how cheap this retail release was.

All that Alten8 seemsto have done was package the source directory with aWindows binary already built, with the install instructions urging you to "copy and paste the folder CIRCUS from the CD" and then click on the circuslinux.exe file. With the source code included I decided it would be trivial to also build the game forLinux, and in fact the included INSTALL.txt file even tellsyou how to compileand install the game on Linux with GNU Automake.

You do need the relevant SDLdevelopment libraries as packaged byyour distribution, and unfortunately Alten8 did seem to strip away some of the game's documentation files, meaning that the build willfail at first. To get around this I just used the "touch AUTHORS.txt COPYING.txt CHANGES.txt README-SDL.txt" command to create blank placeholders, but you really are just better off grabbing the source code yourself online apart from the novelty.

Circus Linux!itself is a remake ofthe older Circus Atari, which was itself a home consoleversionof the even olderCircus arcade cabinetby Taito. Circuswas a block breaker game inspired by Breakout, with the main change being that the game is now simulating a teeterboard act, with the blocks becoming balloons and your paddle a seesaw. This does have a marked difference on the gameplay, as you need to ensure your clown lands on the correct endof the teeterboard.

Circus Linux!goes all in on the theme in a way that the original Atari version never could, sportingbright colourfulanimated graphics and fun upbeat music and sound effects, showing off the power of the then still freshSimple DirectMedia Layer. One aggravation is that the mouse canleave the window when not playing full screen, butthe game does at least support a number of screen modes, including a lower graphics setting for less powerful computers.

Needless to say even on full the game did not cause my Pentium III 500 Mhz tobreak a sweat, but I appreciate the option. Beyond this the game features a number ofgameplay modifiers: "Barriers" which can block your shots, "Bouncy Balloons" that can cause the clown to careen back down on contact, and "Clear All" that demands every balloonbe popped on a stage before proceeding to the next screen.

Like most arcade gamesCircus Linux! is a test of both your dexterityand endurance, challenging you to hold on to your lives for as long as possible while racking up the highest possible score. The game also has support for local hot seat multiplayer, either in a cooperative mode where you both get the chance to help one another pop balloons, or an adversarial mode where you compete to earn the highest possible score.

Perhaps more compelling thanCircus Linux! on its own is the legacy of its creator Bill Kendrick and his development house New Breed Software, a prolific figure in the free and open source gaming scene. He is most famous for starting work on the platformer SuperTuxandcrafting the drawing programTux Paint, helping to popularize Tux as a gaming icon with others in the Tux4Kids initiative, allalongside the work of people like Steve Baker and Ingo Ruhnke.

Bill Kendrick has also created a number of other arcade conversions, edutainment, and experimental software toys which he ports to the widest possible range of platforms, all of which can still be found on the New Breed Software website. Five of them, X-Bomber, Mad Bomber, 3D Pong, ICBM3D, and Gem Drop X,were included on100 Great Linux Games.He even made a chat bot called Virtual Kendrick, inspired by a comment that he should port himself to the Zaurus handheld.

I have avoided it long enough, but I am feeling the itch to play a first person shooter again. As has already been made clear Linux has never had ashortage of them, but some are a lot harder to find today than others.The next game I am to cover isone of the rarest of themall, due to its limited physical distribution, and an attachment to a Belgian company now more knownfor maintainingan operating systemthan porting games.

Carrying on in Part 19: Sinsational

Return toPart 1: Dumpster Diving

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Building a Retro Linux Gaming Computer - Part 18: Run Away and Join the Circus - GamingOnLinux