Where is Linux client?

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I would like to put forward a quote from the Steam forum from the creator of the game SpaceChem which is available on Steam and also on Linux.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/sh...ostcount=9

Originally Posted by spazzmckiwi
Does this work in reverse? Reason I am asking is because I recently purchased SpaceChem on steam but would also like to play it on my linux machine, and the game does have a linux version, however steam doesn't work naively on linux...yet (I have my hopes)

Yup! Send an email to zach@zachtronicsindustries.com and we can straighten this out for you.

This is a nice example of someone giving the ability to move between versions.

Also as the point has been made games such as Quake 1-3, Doom 3, (ID tech engine) or Unreal Tournament (Unreal Engine) software has a Linux client available to download and to get this working on the Steam version you simply drop the Linux binary into the game's folder in steamapps/common/ - this is facilitated by the fact that these games use the same cd-key between versions and you pay for a cd-key license and game art assets and not for a binary file.

I am not sure if Scrapper and Tanshaydar represent and work at Fictional Games as a whole or are just random moderators, but your attitude seems fairly rude for Customer Service representatives:

Well I don't see it in any of the user agreements. You should've learned about it before buying from Steam.

How it's Frictional Games' fault if Steam doesn't support Linux?

Your response may indeed be that Fictional Games (and perfectly within your company's right - however I have not read the license agreements, so maybe a solicitor will be able to clarify this?) will not allow uses to swap between versions but your comments seem to imply that your company feels it has a right to user's money? But it is in-fact the other way around - there are a lot of laws that will protect people regardless of if you said "we own your soul" in a license agreement, especially once money has changed hands.

Also about the comment

If you buy the Xbox360 version of Portal 2, do you expect to be able to play Portal 2 on your PS3 as well?

Didn't think so.

Actually yes I do expect this to be the case - I believe that Portal 2 on PS3 gave you a free version on Steam also? I believe the reason that it does not happen between say an Xbox360 and PS3 is simply infrastructure reasons - buying the PS3 version connects to Steam and therefore requires a Steam account and so it is trivial to activate it for the PC/Mac version also. However not many people own both consoles and you would have to distribute both discs in a box there is no business case for this - however an example could be seen with dual DVD and Blu-Ray movies (you pay slightly more and get both and also maybe a "digital copy"). There have been reasons why you cannot say activate a retail version on Steam this is due to an incompatibility such as the retail version uses different keys to the Steam version - but again there have been some games such as Prey? that you could do this with. It is fairly frustrating to have to buy a game 3 times, once on Steam, once on Mobile and once on Console and not even have saves move between - I will expect this to change in the future with more examples like Portal 2 PS3/PC version.

For a company as small as Fictional Games allowing people to download a Linux version via some proof of ownership of the Steam version seems trivial and it seems to be you already have a money grabbing and giant corporate Enterprise attitude to games - already off to a bad start as an Indie developer. But anyway it would probably be advisable not to take Scrapper or Tanshaydar 's comments as representative of the company.