Tux Racer Overview
Tux Racer Free Download for PC is a free software 3D computer gamestarring the Linux mascot, Tux the penguin. In the game, the player controls Tux (or one of three other characters) as he slides down a course of snow and ice collecting herring. Sliding on ice makes Tux go faster, while sliding on snow allows for more maneuverability and sliding on rocky patches will slow Tux down. There are also trees to block Tux's path and flags for the sake of marking out the course.
Gameplay
The left/right steering controls are typical of a racing simulation game, except that the up arrow key causes Tux to «paddle» with his flippers. Correct use of the paddle command is essential to getting good race times. Paddling slows Tux down when at a high speed but speeds him up at slow speeds. Paddling when in mid-air may also be used to increase the length of a jump. Jumps can be caused by the shape of the landscape or by holding down the «energy» key (usually e) and releasing it. « View full review »
Releasing the key when a jump is imminent will naturally make a larger jump. Versions with other controls instead of keyboard exist; for example, wiimote and an arcade version with a steering wheel. Tux Racer Download free Full Version.
Points are also scored by collecting herring that are scattered along the various courses. In order to progress to the next level of the game you have to both collect sufficient herring and reach the end of the course within a preset time limit. Like many open-source games, the replay value of Tux Racer is extended by easy modification of the game. New maps can be created by making three raster images to indicate height, surface, and object placement.
Development
Tux Racer was originally developed by Jasmin Patry, astudent attending the University of Waterloo (UW) inOntario, Canada, where he aimed to begin a career in the video game industry by pursuing a computer systems analyst (CSA) degree. Development of the game as a project began in August 1999 as a final computer graphicsproject in Computer Graphics Lab (CGL). The game was completed and presented in three days; a web pagefor the game was then started, when one of Patry's classmates, having enjoyed the presentation, suggested he released the software as open source. Patry felt releasing the game as open source «made sense» due to Tux being the mascot for Linux, which is open source software, and continued to work on the game throughout the year, hoping fellow students would join in on developing the game.
In December 1999, Patry and his former classmates Patrick Gilhuly, Eric Hall, Rick Knowles, Mark Riddell, and Rob Kroeger announced the foundation of the company Sunspire Studios to develop a video game project. Patry stated the game «would feature a massively multiplayer, persistent universe with real-time strategy and first-person shooter components,» [...]« something that would make the Quake 3 or Unreal engine look tame in comparison.» Fine arts undergraduate classmate Roger Fernandez was chosen as the artist; however, the project was eventually abandoned due to limitations in current graphical software. In August 2000, Knowles suggested the company resume working on Tux Racer, which became their first official project. The game was released as free software under the GNU General Public Licenseon October 2, 2000. Tux Racer Game free Download Full Version.
Tux Racer Screenshots
