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Release Date: April 11, 2007
How to get it: Subscribe to TransGaming
Hottest New Titles Added: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Battlefield 2142, Need For Speed: Carbon, Madden 2007

After many months of intense development, we couldn't be more thrilled to unveil our latest and most exciting Cedega version yet: Cedega 6.0. With sweeter graphics, increased performance, vastly improved usability, and more games supported than ever before, there's never been a better time to be a Linux gamer!

TransGaming is frequently asked how we decide which new technologies and games will go into a Cedega release. The answer is simple: You, our subscribers, tell us what you want Cedega to do and we make it happen.

Better Graphics
Over the last year, you have overwhelmingly voted in favor of Shader Model 2.0 and improved Direct3D 9 support. We are pleased to report that these are two long-term projects that have finally come to fruition! GLSL support allows users access to the high-quality effects only available in Direct3D's Shader Model 2.0. At the same time, FBO improvements mean improved graphics, allow for better DirectX 9 compatibility, and make a number of new graphics features available. Along with a raft of other improvements, Cedega 6.0 lets top-tier titles play at some of the highest quality graphics settings possible. Be it the more realistic hair on your avatar's head, or the shinier sick slick of your favorite side-arm, you are sure to notice the difference!



Of course, we know you demand more from your games than just flash and pretty water. So while our graphics team was hard at work making your games as shiny as possible, the rest of the team was working under the hood on your other top requests.

Better Sound
"Play MP3s, Videos, and Games all at the same time.." Ranking third overall was improved ALSA support, and once again, TransGaming delivers the goods. Changes to our core sound system mean fewer lock-ups and cut-outs during game play. On top of that, you can now have both Mmap and Dmix working at the same time, allowing you to listen to your favorite mp3s, watch your most cherished videos, and get your game on, all at the same time, and all while experiencing the best sound performance available through ALSA.

More Older Games
Next on your wish list was support for older games. While we have not added support for any specific game titles, we have managed to integrate an entirely new memory allocator, we have updated our copy protection code, and included many other fixes that should allow any number of games to work significantly better in Cedega. Now is the time for you to dust off some of your old favorites. Prepare to be amazed!

Better Performance
Rounding out the top five of last year's poll requests was improved performance. Here is where everyone hits the jackpot. Many of the above fixes, such as the new allocator and FBO improvements also provide a wide range of performance increases. "Slicker, Faster, Better.." With more optimized file operations and the new memory allocator, you get a big boost to performance in non-graphical areas. Faster file handling, faster load times, and shorter level transitions mean you get more time playing and less time waiting. Since you'll be spending more time playing, we felt providing FBO improvements that give you even better graphical performance was absolutely essential. You will just plain have a better overall experience in a large number of games. To top it all off, an improved multimedia timer means less of your CPU time is spent mixing and manipulating sound, leaving more for your games and further maximizing your overall experience.




More Games
A smoother, slicker, faster and more high quality gaming experience in every aspect, Cedega 6.0 has brought a whole new level to Linux gaming. But as we all know, supporting new technologies means nothing without the games. So here's the part you've been waiting for: Cedega's top-voted game, Oblivion, is now fully supported in Cedega 6.0. You no longer have to rely on Oldblivion to play this game; it now works out of the box with 2.0 Shaders. Next in line, World of Warcraft has been getting updates throughout the Cedega 5.2 releases, but with Cedega 6.0's performance improvements, it feels like a brand new game. Civilization IV benefits from decreased load times and has had a number of bugs and memory issues resolved. Half-Life 2 will be looking and running better than ever, while a number of fixes have kept Steam easy to use despite frequent updates by Valve. We've also added support for a number of additional triple-A titles like top hits Need for Speed: Carbon, Madden NFL 07 and Battlefield 2142.

Cedega 6.0 Feature List

GLSL
Shader Model 2.0
Point size, scaling, sprites
Volume textures
Floating point textures
FBO Re-write
Support for new FBO extensions
New memory allocator
Optimized file operations
Anti-Aliasing
Improved ALSA
Dmix and MMap
Improved multimedia timer thread
Dynamic CPU speed support
Improved joystick functionality
D-Bus improvements
Steam improvements
Improvements for ATI users
Copy Protection improvements (SafeDisc 4.x)
Cedega UI Improvements
Ubuntu Edgy fixes
GDDB multiple volume support
Updated GDDB files
Improved mount handling
Improved richedit support
Networking improvements