You'll still need to run SS in wine.

When we forked irrlicht for some reason (unknown to me) we decided to optimize for DirectX 3D and ditch OpenGL. D3D, like all of the DirectX API's, is proprietary and only run on Windows (and game consoles with previous legal twaddle in the background). For *nix (including Mac) there is OpenGL. While it's possible to compile SS client to use OpenGL instead of D3D it's less performant and worse looking than when C2 was released.

I'll say this once and only once, the leveling is too hard and getting skills is extremely difficult. People who play this game will not appreciate the idea of using multiple clients if they have to pay for each. There are several ways to fix this, but I will be honest, taking an approach like you have in the past to people getting up and running quick in the past will not work. This doesn't mean top players can't get ahead and progress, problems exist there too. But your steam launch could be a lot better if you just soften the blow to new players.

IDK which old guard you are talking about. I also feel the game's not inviting enough to new players. I don't claim that there aren't good ways to level; Caly has added a lot of mid-range content including lots of mission XP. What remains is a problem that the game is very tough if you try to strike out on your own. I took an EFBC with decent gear and 9 Paxi slaves out into deep warp 2 EF and got my ass absolutely handed to me, over and over.

So my point is that either the game isn't clear enough about what paths are going to be successful, or the consequences for trying something suboptimal are just way too severe. I am not asking for in-game tutorials to help players get on the right track, but just pointing out that if you don't happen to make good choices you are going to have a bad time.

You can level up with any gear in other MMOs. In SS you need good gear and augs for leveling. Easy fix: give -stat skills for all low-mid level AIs.

The game misses directions and help after starting area you are still pretty much thrown in the deep and it's just to tough to be succesfull on your own, so if you dont join a good and friendly newbie team explaining you the basics you'll just quit.

+1

hehehehehe! Got meh! I was like... What day is it today? Oh F**K! its Saturday!

IDK, I have not really been effected by the changes over the years so much as all you players who have been playing for a lot longer than me. (I think I started in 2008?).
My level of involvement is not as immersed as you. But I still love this game none-the-less and prolly always will.
I think the main reason is the player base, small it might be; it is still so damn entertaining and fun to be a part of. Thank you guys! <3

On the subject of Nexus and SS infancy:
I have started a couple of silly little F2P accounts over the years along side my main P2P.
Though they never eventuated into much (I focused my attention on my P2P) I find levelling has gotten easier...

yeah...

+1

=2

It is soo much easier to level now then what it use to be, have you seen missiles? or MagCannon devices?

This is not the solution at all, i wholeheartedly agree with what enkelin said before and believe that the lack of direction and more tutorial-like gameplay is what's missing and causing players not to reach mid/endgame.

Not asking for tutorials. If the game needs to take time to teach itself to players, it's too complicated. BUT it still is way too hard if you just freestyle it instead of leveling up the easy ways that experienced players know about. This could be addressed by lightening up AI aggro in EF layer and getting rid of all the AI teams. You should not get camped indefinitely by half a dozen SBG just because you accidentally aggroed them.