FOSSPicks
FOSSPicks
Nate explores the top FOSS including the ultra-secure LibreWolf browser, new calibre features, an elegant GnuPG front end, and the graphically flawless evolution sim Thrive.
Evolution sim
Thrive
Linux games are sometimes criticized for having limited graphics support relative to Windows titles. Not so for this evolution sim, which is built using the Godot engine. The game is available to purchase on Steam for a small fee. However, it remains open source. The code can be compiled from GitHub, though the developers recommend that Linux users download the Thrive Launcher (available on Flathub) to install the game and necessary dependencies.
The game's basic premise reminds me of Spore's early stages (2008) in that the player controls a single-celled organism. Unlike Spore, you're given the choice of starting in a warm pond or hydrothermal vent. By default, the game also has the cell behave in a "real world" fashion so man-eating microbes or exotic food sources are out of the question.
The latest release (0.7.1) has introduced photosynthetic life forms. In other words, your organism now starts in a world without oxygen, so it must evolve its metabolism as the gas is introduced into the atmosphere. At regular stages, you can choose new patches for your organism, such as flagella for movement or the ability to metabolize more sources such as iron into ATP for energy.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Blender App Makes it to the Big Screen
The animated film "Flow" won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 97th Academy Awards held on March 2, 2025 and Blender was a part of it.
-
Linux Mint Retools the Cinnamon App Launcher
The developers of Linux Mint are working on an improved Cinnamon App Launcher with a better, more accessible UI.
-
New Linux Tool for Security Issues
Seal Security is launching a new solution to automate fixing Linux vulnerabilities.
-
Ubuntu 25.04 Coming Soon
Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin) has been given an April release date with many notable updates.
-
Gnome Developers Consider Dropping RPM Support
In a move that might shock a lot of users, the Gnome development team has proposed the idea of going straight up Flatpak.
-
openSUSE Tumbleweed Ditches AppArmor for SELinux
If you're an openSUSE Tumbleweed user, you can expect a major change to the distribution.
-
Plasma 6.3 Now Available
Plasma desktop v6.3 has a couple of pretty nifty tricks up its sleeve.
-
LibreOffice 25.2 Has Arrived
If you've been hoping for a release that offers more UI customizations, you're in for a treat.
-
TuxCare Has a Big AlmaLinux 9 Announcement in Store
TuxCare announced it has successfully completed a Security Technical Implementation Guide for AlmaLinux OS 9.
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.