Timothée Besset is a French
software programmer
A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs — often for larger computer software.
A programmer is someone who writes/create ...
, (also known as TTimo), best known for supporting
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...
, as well as some
Macintosh
The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and software en ...
, ports of
id Software
id Software LLC () is an American video game developer based in Richardson, Texas. It was founded on February 1, 1991, by four members of the computer company Softdisk: game programmer, programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer T ...
's products. He has been involved with the game ports of various id properties over the past ten years, starting with ''
Quake III Arena
''Quake III Arena'' is a 1999 multiplayer-focused first-person shooter developed by id Software. The third installment of the ''Quake'' series, ''Arena'' differs from previous games by excluding a story-based single-player mode and focusing prima ...
''.
[JeuxLinux, Entretien avec Timothée Besset](_blank)
/ref> Since the development of ''Doom 3
''Doom 3'' is a 2004 survival horror first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. ''Doom 3'' was originally released for Microsoft Windows on August 3, 2004, adapted for Linux later that year, and ported ...
'' he was also in charge of the multiplayer network code and various aspects of game coding for id, a role which had him heavily involved in the development of their online game '' QuakeLive''.
He has been occasionally called "zerowing", but he has never gone by that name himself. It is derived from the community oriented system zerowing.idsoftware.com, of which the Linux port pages are the most prominent. The system was actually named by Christian Antkow based on the Zero Wing
is a 1989 side-scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Toaplan and originally published in Japan by Namco and in North America by Williams Electronics. Controlling the ZIG space fighter craft, players assume the role of protagonist Tre ...
meme.
Life and career
Besset grew up in France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, and started programming in the early 1990s. In school he majored in computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...
, as well as pursuing courses in chemistry
Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
, mechanics
Mechanics (from Ancient Greek: μηχανική, ''mēkhanikḗ'', "of machines") is the area of mathematics and physics concerned with the relationships between force, matter, and motion among physical objects. Forces applied to objects r ...
, and fluid mechanics
Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the mechanics of fluids ( liquids, gases, and plasmas) and the forces on them.
It has applications in a wide range of disciplines, including mechanical, aerospace, civil, chemical and ...
. Through school he was also first introduced to Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...
, originally only for system administration and networking, and eventually adopting it for his main system. His first serious game development project was working on ''QERadiant'', a free game editor tool for id Software
id Software LLC () is an American video game developer based in Richardson, Texas. It was founded on February 1, 1991, by four members of the computer company Softdisk: game programmer, programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer T ...
games. Through his work on the editor he got to know Robert Duffy, who was at that point working as a contractor for id. After he got hired full-time, Duffy managed to secure Timothee a contract to work on the new cross-platform ''GtkRadiant
Based on Id Software's open stance towards game modifications, their ''Quake'' series became a popular subject for player mods beginning with '' Quake'' in 1996. Spurred by user-created hacked content on their previous games and the company's ...
'' editor project in 2000. This eventually led to Timothee being hired to become id's official Linux port maintainer after they took back the support rights to the Linux release of ''Quake III Arena
''Quake III Arena'' is a 1999 multiplayer-focused first-person shooter developed by id Software. The third installment of the ''Quake'' series, ''Arena'' differs from previous games by excluding a story-based single-player mode and focusing prima ...
'' from the then floundering Loki Software
Loki Software, Inc. (Loki Entertainment) was an American video game developer based in Tustin, California, that ported several video games from Microsoft Windows to Linux. It took its name from the Norse deity Loki. Although successful in its ...
.
His first actual porting project came with the release of ''Return to Castle Wolfenstein
''Return to Castle Wolfenstein'' is a first-person shooter video game published by Activision, released on November 19, 2001, for Microsoft Windows and subsequently for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Linux and Macintosh. The game serves as a reboot of the ...
'' in 2001, with the Linux client being released on March 16, 2002. This was followed about a year later by the release of '' Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory'', with the Linux builds sharing the same release date as the Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
release. His next porting work came with the release of ''Doom 3
''Doom 3'' is a 2004 survival horror first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. ''Doom 3'' was originally released for Microsoft Windows on August 3, 2004, adapted for Linux later that year, and ported ...
'', with him releasing the first Linux builds on October 4, 2004. Around this time he also assumed the responsibility of becoming in charge of network coding for id. On October 20, 2005 he released the Linux binaries for ''Quake 4
''Quake 4'' is a 2005 military science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It is the fourth title in the ''Quake'' series, after the multiplayer ''Quake III Arena'', and a sequel to ' ...
''. This was followed by him releasing the source code for ''GtkRadiant
Based on Id Software's open stance towards game modifications, their ''Quake'' series became a popular subject for player mods beginning with '' Quake'' in 1996. Spurred by user-created hacked content on their previous games and the company's ...
'' under the GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License (GNU GPL or simply GPL) is a series of widely used free software licenses that guarantee end users the Four Freedoms (Free software), four freedoms to run, study, share, and modify the software. The license was th ...
on February 17, 2006. His next porting project was porting '' Enemy Territory: Quake Wars'', with Linux binaries being released on October 19, 2007.
He also worked on the ''Quake Live
''Quake Live'' is a first-person arena shooter video game by id Software. It is an updated version of ''Quake III Arena'' that was originally designed as a free-to-play game launched via a web browser plug-in. On September 17, 2014, the game wa ...
'' project, with the game entering an invitation-based closed beta in 2008 and an open beta on February 24, 2009, with Linux and Macintosh support coming on August 18, 2009. In response to fears by some in the Linux gaming community that id would abandon Linux with its future titles, on September 13, 2009 in a well publicized statement he reaffirmed id's support of Linux, stating in his blog that "Fundamentally nothing has changed with our policy regarding Linux games... I'll be damned if we don't find the time to get Linux builds done".
In January 2012, Besset resigned from id Software, ending hope for future Linux builds (though ''Doom 3 BFG Edition
''Doom 3: BFG Edition'' is a Video game remaster, remastered version of ''Doom 3'', released worldwide in October 2012 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. The ''BFG (weapon), BFG Edition'' features enhanced graphics, better audio ...
'' came to Linux via source port
A source port is a software project based on the source code of a game engine that allows the game to be played on operating systems or computing platforms with which the game was not originally compatible.
Description
Source ports are often c ...
). A year later John Carmack revealed that ZeniMax Media
ZeniMax Media Inc. is an American video game holding company based in Rockville, Maryland, and founded in 1999.
The company owns publisher Bethesda Softworks with its development unit Bethesda Game Studios (developer of ''The Elder Scrolls,'' ...
"doesn't have any policy of 'unofficial binaries'", and so prevented id Software
id Software LLC () is an American video game developer based in Richardson, Texas. It was founded on February 1, 1991, by four members of the computer company Softdisk: game programmer, programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer T ...
from pursuing any sort of third-party builds as it had in the past, be it Linux ports or experimental releases, and he then suggested the use of Wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
instead.
On July 2, 2012, he was announced to have joined Frozen Sand, which is currently developing Urban Terror HD.
In September 2016, he ported Rocket League
''Rocket League'' is a vehicular soccer video game developed and published by Psyonix. The game was first released for Windows and PlayStation 4 in July 2015, with ports for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch being released later on. In June ...
to SteamOS/Linux with the help of Ryan C. GordonRocket League thoughts on Linux, initial port report, it’s also 25% off right now
/ref>
Games credited
*''Quake III Arena
''Quake III Arena'' is a 1999 multiplayer-focused first-person shooter developed by id Software. The third installment of the ''Quake'' series, ''Arena'' differs from previous games by excluding a story-based single-player mode and focusing prima ...
''
*''Urban Terror
''Urban Terror'' is a freeware multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed by FrozenSand. Originally a total conversion of id Software's ''Quake III Arena'', FrozenSand released ''Urban Terror'' as a free standalone game in 2007 utiliz ...
''
*''Return to Castle Wolfenstein
''Return to Castle Wolfenstein'' is a first-person shooter video game published by Activision, released on November 19, 2001, for Microsoft Windows and subsequently for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Linux and Macintosh. The game serves as a reboot of the ...
''
*'' Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory''
*''Doom 3
''Doom 3'' is a 2004 survival horror first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. ''Doom 3'' was originally released for Microsoft Windows on August 3, 2004, adapted for Linux later that year, and ported ...
''
*'' Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil''
*''Quake 4
''Quake 4'' is a 2005 military science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It is the fourth title in the ''Quake'' series, after the multiplayer ''Quake III Arena'', and a sequel to ' ...
''
*'' Enemy Territory: Quake Wars''
*''Quake Live
''Quake Live'' is a first-person arena shooter video game by id Software. It is an updated version of ''Quake III Arena'' that was originally designed as a free-to-play game launched via a web browser plug-in. On September 17, 2014, the game wa ...
''
See also
* Dave D. Taylor
* Ryan C. Gordon
References
External links
Timothee Besset's Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Besset, Timothee
Living people
Video game programmers
Linux game porters
Linux people
Year of birth missing (living people)