'USE="svga X" emerge lincity' does not pull in the virtual/x11 deps: # USE="-* svga X" emerge -epv lincity These are the packages that I would merge, in order: Calculating dependencies ...done! [ebuild N ] sys-devel/patch-2.5.9 -build -debug -static 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-devel/gnuconfig-20040214 (-uclibc) 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-libs/ncurses-5.4-r5 -bootstrap -build -debug -doc* -gpm* -nocxx (-uclibc) -unicode* 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-devel/m4-1.4.1 -nls 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-devel/bison-1.875d -debug -nls -static 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-apps/sed-4.0.9 -bootstrap -build -debug -nls -static 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-libs/zlib-1.2.2 -build -debug 0 kB [ebuild N ] dev-python/python-fchksum-1.7.1 0 kB [ebuild N ] app-arch/bzip2-1.0.2-r4 -build -debug -static 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-apps/debianutils-1.16.7-r4 -build -debug -static 0 kB [ebuild N ] app-shells/bash-2.05b-r9 -build -debug -nls (-uclibc) 0 kB [ebuild N ] dev-libs/expat-1.95.8 -test 0 kB [ebuild N ] dev-lang/python-2.3.4-r1 +X -berkdb* -bootstrap -build -debug -doc* -gdbm* -ipv6 -ncurses* -readline* -ssl* -tcltk -ucs2 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-apps/portage-2.0.51-r15 -build -debug (-selinux) 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-devel/gcc-config-1.3.8-r4 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-apps/texinfo-4.7-r1 -build -debug -nls -static 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-apps/groff-1.19.1-r2 +X -debug 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-apps/cronbase-0.3.1 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-apps/man-1.5p -debug -nls 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-devel/libperl-5.8.5 -berkdb* -debug -gdbm* -ithreads (-uclibc) 0 kB [ebuild N ] dev-lang/perl-5.8.5-r4 -berkdb* -debug -doc* -gdbm* -ithreads -perlsuid (-uclibc) 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-devel/binutils-2.15.92.0.2-r1 -bootstrap -build -debug -multitarget -nls (-uclibc) 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-devel/gcc-3.3.5-r1 -bootstrap -boundschecking -build -debug -fortran* -gcj -gtk* -hardened (-ip28) (-multilib) -multislot (-n32) (-n64) -nls -nocxx -objc -static (-uclibc) 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-apps/gawk-3.1.3-r2 -build -nls (-uclibc) 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-fs/e2fsprogs-1.35-r1 -debug -diet -nls -static 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-kernel/linux26-headers-2.6.8.1-r2 -build 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-apps/util-linux-2.12i-r1 -crypt* -debug -nls -pam* -perl* (-selinux) -static 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-apps/baselayout-1.9.4-r6 -bootstrap -build -debug -livecd (-selinux) -static (-uclibc) 0 kB [ebuild N ] sys-libs/glibc-2.3.4.20040808-r1 -build -debug -erandom -hardened (-multilib) -nls* -nptl* -pic -userlocales 0 kB [ebuild N ] media-libs/svgalib-1.9.19-r3 -build -debug 0 kB [ebuild N ] games-simulation/lincity-1.12.1 +X -nls +svga 0 kB Perhaps something like the following in DEPEND will suffice: DEPEND="virtual/libc nls? ( sys-devel/gettext ) X? ( virtual/x11 ) || ( svga? ( media-libs/svgalib ) virtual/x11 )"
fixed in CVS. Thanks for the bug report.