This allows the added functionality to play this game without having the need to install MS Windows OS. Wine is the best emulator with high levels of stability to run WoW on Linux and Mac OS X. Wow can be installed in the very similar way on Ubuntu or Linux OS as installed on Windows. After running Wine, the user has to insert the installation CD for WoW and execute the Windows executable installation file and follow the onscreen instructions for successful installation.

Solving hardware related issues in Wine and WoW

At times users do experience graphic card and sound card compatibility issues, but those could be resolved by going to the System Administration hardware Drivers and optimize the performance of programs run via Wine. One could either install the game directly from the CD or just by copying entire files & folders from CD to the Linux Operating System.

Wine is not as good as running Windows based applications, but provides with great stability to smoothly run WoW on Linux OS. World of Warcraft has become a very popular online networking game with user database hitting over 6 million. Such an immense database of users have caused numerous server crashes and if it takes time to load game on a Linux, Ubuntu or Mac OS X, it means that the problem is not with the emulator/OS but with the game’s server.

As strange as the name sounds, it is basically an acronym of WINdows Emulator, with the first three words of Windows and the first word of Emulator combined together to form WINE. It is one of the most popular emulators used to run windows based applications on a Unix-like operating platform. The program originally was written by Alexandre Julliard and comes with the beauty of free open-source based platform that does not require any license to download, modify or upgrade as long as the emulator remains free of charge.

Wine and its rising acceptance

The popularity of Wine is due to its excellent compatibility issues to run error free on Linux. Most of the times emulators create problems in Linux kernel whereas Wine has not been reported of any such problem till date. The best part of this emulator is that along with perfect execution on Linux, it also works well on MacOS, FreeBSD and Solaris operating systems. Af of today, it is the most popular windows emulator that urns almost all of the programs with minor issues and high levels of stability. Backward compatibility to run programs is better in Wine as compared to Windows. This is because newer releases of MS Windows could force updates whereas Wine can run without any major software updates of the programs. As of December 2008, it has the onboard compatibility to execute 64-bit programs too.

Multi-OS compatibility and minimum system requirements

A great advantage of this game is the added compatibility to be played without problems on an array of operating systems including Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. This eliminates the need of installing emulators to run Windows based applications on Linux or Mac OS X. The minimum operating system requirements of Unreal Tournament 2004 are:

1. GHz CPU Processor
2. 128 MB RAM (256 MB recommended)
3. 6 GB Hard Disk space
4. Directx 9.0c
5. 32 MB graphics card
6. Networking; Internet (TCP/IP), LAN (TCP/IP)
7. Internet connection; minimum 256KBPS for stable game speeds

Unreal Tournament 2004 was welcomed by critics with positive reviews appraising game’s challenging, fast paced, and fun loving nature. The game scores 93/100 on Metacritic website making it a highly popular game amongst its fans. Its players also appraise the game’s performance due to the fact that it comes power-packed with modifications allowing freedom for game developers to modify the game.

This modification has permitted users to create gamemodes, maps, and various models suiting gamers’ own needs and tastes. The game featured an additional pack of 31 players. In the same year when it was released, Epic games held a “Make Something Unreal.” This content meant something big for the participants as it rewarded in huge sums of cash prizes to the best modifications made by the users of this game.

Popularity of Ubuntu and benefits as compared to other OS

The global database of Ubuntu users stands around at nearly 12 million users. Just like Linux, Ubuntu is a Unix-like complete operating system. The best part about Ubuntu is that every 6 months, a better and stable version gets released leading to bug fixes, better graphical interface and free applications. It was first released on 20th October, 2004. This OS is sponsored by a British firm Canonical Limited., and owned by a South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth.

The company does not earn a single penny by the software, but by selling technical support related to Ubuntu. The latest stable release is 10.10 released on 29th April, 2010. Ubuntu, just like Linux runs on the GNU General Public License that states that the users are free to run, and modify the entire Ubuntu code. Ubuntu comes bundled with exciting free open-source based softwares and games that makes it a perfect choice for LAN gaming. Some of the most famous programs include Firefox, OpenOffice, Transmission, GIMP, and games such as Sudoku. Additional software can be installed by downloading from the official website www.ubuntu.com. There are two version of this software, a 32 bit version and a 64 bit version. It is an ideal platform to be used as a web server. It is fast, free and very efficient as compared to Microsoft Windows. Ubuntu gets installed either using USB or Live CD on a Mac or Windows based operating computer.

Multilevel OS compatibility and minimum system requirements

There is no need to install emulator to get the game running for non-Windows operating systems. Due to the nature of the mature content involved in this game, it has been assigned a 15+ M rating in all countries where it was released. The game comes with beauty of modifications enabling gaming developers to create modifications, whilst adding many new things and getting it customized according to various tastes and preferences. Quake III Arena is split into six different tiers of four arenas each. In order to succeed and progress to the next level of tier, the player has to defeat all the enemies in all four arenas. Minimum system requirements for this game are:

1. 3d Graphics accelerator card with OpenGL support
2. Pentium II, 233 MHz Processor
3. 64 MB RAM
4. 8 MB Video card
5. 500 MB free HD space

Since the game is nearly 12 years old, it would not act as a surprise for its proper working on all of the high tech systems of today’s world. The game gained immense popularity for its outstanding multiplayer gaming interface and stunning graphics quality. The company released its expansion pack by the name of Quake 3: Team Arena in 2000. It included a lot of new features like new game modes, new weapons, and new items for enhanced gameplay.

Linux initial release and further successive developments

It was not until 1991 when it had commercially become a big success as an operating system platform. Unlike Windows and other operating systems, Linux is open-source and community edited. In simplest terminologies, anyone having significant programming knowledge regarding Linux technology can tweak this OS and release updates in the market. Another advantage of using this platform is its low fees. As compared to Windows OS that is regarded as a very expensive due to its license issued by Microsoft, Linux is a free open-source based OS that requires no license to install or upgrade.

According to the General GPU License, Linux can be modified and redistributed commercially or non-commercially by any programmer as long as next releases are free. According to some sources, it is said that the 10 fastest super computers in the world run on Linux OS due to its fast, efficient and secure server operating features. It has been programmed using Assembly and C language by Richard Stallman at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Linux has gained considerable popularity and best used in the popular LAMP server application stack that comprises of Linux, Apache, MySQL, and Perl/PHP. LAMP, a popular server installation tool for Linux involves the best combination of server based technology for hosting websites.

Limitations of LAN Party Gaming

Residential houses are limited in space and efficient energy sources to run dozens of computers at one time. This could lead to increased circuit blowout risk. Make sure to split up the power, using extension wires from different sources to run these systems. Do not put more than 3 computers on the same circuit. There should be proper equipment readily installed and put in place before gaming could actually take place.

Checklist and Tips & Tricks for a perfect LAN Party experience

It is advised to run and check all systems that proper networking is taking place in between all of them in order to avoid any networking issue during playing. Food and drinks should not be put on the table and not enjoyed while gaming. There should be frequent food & drink breaks. All systems should have minimum of 4 to 5 games installed. Make sure to install the most popular games as there are high chances of them being played by the ones invited over LAN parties. The cables should be systematically setup in a neat and tidy way. They should not be in place in between the user and the computer. If there is carpet, it is better to get the wires carpeted. Routers, and devices should be up and running. Continuous tests need to be conducted before playing could be started.

The most basic and required LAN Party Equipments

LAN Party equipments are all those electronic devices used to power up computers and play online gaming. These devices are routers, high speed internet connection modem, servers, LAN cables, power cords, etc. the LAN party staff would first need to look for room, big enough to accommodate for rising number of gamers. It is highly advised to buy a router with maximum number of LAN ports for connection. A network card would be required for every computer. A LAN cable would plug from all of the systems to the central LAN router. Another LAN cable would be plugged from the internet connection device (broadband modem) to the router to provide internet connection to all systems connected via the router. It is much better to arrange for power backups in case of electricity failures.

This means that there is a dire need of getting a generator, or large UPS that would continue providing power even if electricity gets interrupted. Extension cords need to be installed perfectly so that all computers are up and running without any problem. No connection should be lose and neither any wire be naked or else it would increase the risks of getting short circuited. Someone might get hurt with the electric shock. It is highly advised to setup dedicated gaming servers for faster and effective processing of games. Getting funds for LAN parties is not easy, but provided if the setup is good, many tech companies including Intel, AMD, NVidia, and Alienware would sponsor the party and even send in some latest LAN party equipment for better network gaming experience.

1. World of Warcraft
2. Unreal Tournament 2003
3. Unreal Tournament 2004
4. Prince of Persia
5. Quake 3
6. Diablo 2
7. Half-life
8. Counter-strike
9. Duke Nuke 3D
10. Enemy Territory
11. FIFA
12. Cricket
13. Command & Conquer
14. Call of Duty (All versions)
15. Savage 2
16. Age of Empires (I, II, and III)
17. Weapons Factory

Contests of LAN parties

All of the above mentioned games belong to various categories of online gaming. Most of the games popular in LAN parties are strategy and first person shooter based games in which teamwork and strategy is used. These are Counter Strike, Age of Empires, Prince of Persia, Half-Life and World of Warcraft etc. The next set of games is action oriented sports games. For example, Cricket and FIFA are usually played where 2 teams of equal players play against each other representing the selected countries.

Every game has got its own unique taste, preference and likes by the online gamers. This enables the gamers to select and play a wide variety of games. LAN Party Games are held all over the world, with the biggest event held in Sweden, by DreamHack. Big LAN parties like the ones held in Sweden and other parts of the world are usually sponsored by Nvidia, Razer, Alienware and many game development companies to offer larger prizes and funding for these tournaments.

Apple-Intel Transition and Darwine’s discontinuance

Due to the Apple Intel transition that took place in 2006, Darwine got adjusted to this change resulting in stable compatibility to run Windows programs on x86 Intel processor Macintosh. Darwine 1.0 was released on 17th June, 2008. However over the past 2 years, this program has been discontinued for good. A new emulator by the name of Winebottler is now used as the next latest Intel Mac Replacement module. Darwine was developed with the intention of dual compatibility of WINE emulator to run Windows applications on Darwin, and Mac OS X.

Developers of Darwine are Emmanuel Maillard, Pierre d’Herbemont, and Sanjay Connare with Jim White as the Project Administrator/team leader. Many further developments had been underway in order to improve Win32 API programs compatibility running on non-Windows based operating systems. However It is discontinued as of now and not used anymore. Instead CrossOver, and Wine have been started getting used as popular emulator replacements for this emulator. The powers of Darwine were given to Wine as a popular emulator alternative to Darwine. Possible reasons of its discontinuation are still not known.