Initial AppImages available for testing

[hyperion]

Hi everyone,

for the 0.28.0 release the plan is to make 0ad available as an AppImage together with the Windows installer and the macOS bundle. That means easier access to a binary for users uncomfortable building 0ad from source when they can't wait for their distribution to update the package.

This also means AppImages will be added to the bi-weekly builds used for testing when the support matures a bit.

By now you probably already thinking give me the link already, so here the link to where the latest test build is available from: https://jenkins.wildfiregames.com/job/test-appimage/

How to run the AppImage you ask? First you need to install fuse which allows for filesystems in userspace. Maybe the package is called libfuse for you distribution. You will need fuse version 2.x for AppImages.

Next download the artifacts and verify the downloads which can be done for example as follows:

$ md5sum -c 0ad-0.28.0dev.AppImage.md5sum
0ad-0.28.0dev.AppImage: OK
$ sha1sum -c 0ad-0.28.0dev.AppImage.sha1sum
0ad-0.28.0dev.AppImage: OK
$ minisign -V -m 0ad-0.28.0dev.AppImage -P RWTWLbO12+ig3lUExIor3xd6DdZaYFEozn8Bu8nIzY3ImuRYQszIQyyy
Signature and comment signature verified
Trusted comment: timestamp:1752172582	file:0ad-0.28.0dev.AppImage	hashed

Then make the AppImage executable

$ chmod +x 0ad-0.28.0dev.AppImage

Then launch 0ad

$ ./0ad-0.28.0dev.AppImage

Finally report if it works for you or not and what distro you are using. A note here, the basis for the AppImage is Debian 12, oldstable by the time of the 0.28.0 release. If your distribution is substantially older than that it might not work.

[Genava55]

Anyone tried? It should be tested before releasing.

[hyperion]

A few did but enthusiasm was a bit underwhelming indeed, anyway latest rc is available here https://releases.wildfiregames.com/rc/

[berndinger]

Hi, I tried rc3. Just noticed there is a rc4. I will install it now...

 

With rc3, there are now problems, as far i noticed.  (I play wiith random gigantic maps)

 

cheers, Bernd

[diagonalo]

Hi, I and several others including @Arup tried rc2 and rc3 in a handful of games.

I don't think much has changed on the user facing part since when I had a first look when I got aware of the branch about half a year ago. Do we know how many of the balancing advisors and "player-testers" if those do exist made TGs in the rcs like there were before the others alphas ?

The Germans are quite cool but we noticed some balance issues (1 severe one is fixed now). Unfortunately there likely won't be any changes before release because "strings ought not to be changed" anymore. Even if the last commits I can see do exactly that ... https://gitea.wildfiregames.com/0ad/0ad/issues/8694

The game is otherwise looking stable from what I can tell. I will download rc4 now and I expect it to be similarly stable.

[hyperion]

@diagonalo, this thread is about the AppImage only, anything that isn't related this obviously please take elsewhere where it is in context.

[diagonalo]

I wasn't aware of that from the title, thanks for clarifying.