Tutorial Others Playing On Linux - Tutorials, Tools And Help

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mate2k17

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Jun 6, 2017
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You are a life saver men, i was looking for a thread like this for weeks :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

Keep up the good work!

Sorry for the bad english.
 
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User_897603

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Amazeballs. I downloaded second happiness which didn't have support so that renpy download and copy instructions worked like a charm. I'm so lazy I feel that there's a script that will make that easier ahahaha.

ahab2.png
 
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cold_arctus

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Sep 25, 2018
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Amazeballs. I downloaded second happiness which didn't have support so that renpy download and copy instructions worked like a charm. I'm so lazy I feel that there's a script that will make that easier ahahaha.

View attachment 183275
Here is a pro-tip for next time:
1. check lib folder for linux-x86_64 or linux-i686
2. if they exist, just copy and paste any bash-file (.sh) from an other ren'py game to your game and rename it the same as in folder linux-x86_64 or linux-i686 (see example)
3. if no Linux libraries are included: Download Ren'py SDK and proceed as mentioned in the instruction.

Example: Second Happiness doesn't provide a bash-file to start the game, but folder lib has all necessary libraries (linux-x86_64). Inside of linux-x86_64 and linux-i686 is a file named "Second_happiness" (the writing here is important for the bash-file). I have an other game (Harem Hotel), which include a .sh to start the game. So, I just copied the .sh from Harem Hotel and paste it into my Second Happiness folder. After renaming Harem_Hotel.sh into Second_happiness.sh (same as in lib) the game starts. No need to download Ren'py SDK ....
 

Capacitor

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Dec 8, 2017
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Here is a pro-tip for next time:
1. check lib folder for linux-x86_64 or linux-i686
2. if they exist, just copy and paste any bash-file (.sh) from an other ren'py game to your game and rename it the same as in folder linux-x86_64 or linux-i686 (see example)
I didn't know there were games already with the Linux directories but without the .sh file. That's weird... The only explanation I can imagine are either something wasn't programmed well by the Ren'Py team, or the author deleted the .sh file before distributing the game. Either way, since the solution is so simple, I'll add it to the OP. Thanks!
 
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cold_arctus

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Does someone of you guys know how to register msmpeg2vdec.dll and msmpeg2adec.dll in wine?

I try to manually register Windows Media Foundation into Wine to see, if this could help to make unity's build-in videoplayer play animations/videos in Linux and Mac. But so far I cant managed to register above dlls.

Code:
wine regsvr32 msmpeg2vdec.dll
Tells me it failed to load (same for msmpeg2adec.dll)...:confused:

Instructions you can find here:

 

Capacitor

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No idea, sorry. I didn't even know it was possible to register dlls in Wine, actually.
If you have access to a windows computer, you could try and see where these dlls are located and put your copies into the same directory on Wine. If the dlls are used directly, this should be a good solution. If instead they have to be inscribed in the registry or somewhere else, then it's probably a little bit more problematic. Have you tried some instructions to manually register dlls on Wine (if they exist)?
Alternatively, are you sure you can't obtain the same effect using Winetricks?
 

cold_arctus

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Alternatively, are you sure you can't obtain the same effect using Winetricks?
Winetricks offers Windows Media Foundation (MPEG-Decoder, Codecs, etc.), but only installs mf.dll and ignores all other dlls I need. (Known issue, see Winetricks on GitHub)

If you have access to a windows computer, you could try and see where these dlls are located and put your copies into the same directory on Wine.
I did this, but still need to register those dlls. People did this before, but no one explains anything in detail.. Because you need the exact dll as your windows build in Wine, e.g. Windows 10 setting in Wine use Windows version 17xx. So, it is possible that it only works as Windows 7 and not as Windows 10 etc... (a lot of testing!!)

I didn't even know it was possible to register dlls in Wine, actually.
If Microsoft wouldn't use their delta compression (.msu), we could install every codec, dll, etc. as we wish. And everything would be easier..

Anyway, Thnx for the reply!
 

Cirro84

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Dec 24, 2016
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A thread worthwhile to read, thanks mems, especially @Capacitor for your link in sig.
tbh, I didn't know we finally broke the damn dam. But here we are... long overdue. If there's a certain threshold of Linuxers this can be usefull to propagate compatibility, it's about time!

Feels good to know we have a bunch of actively involved Tux lovers here, may you like to form a squad and help out game devs whenever necessary?
- pointing them over to this thread and some other ressources,
- playtesting releases and giving advice for devs / players,
- providing patches and install instructions (if there is no easy way to include support officially),
- etc. (what can you think of?)

Suppose we need a tag for you, if you like to create such a group. Would be cool to see more Linux, and hopefully BSD and OSX support in here. Thank you for you participating folks, really.

btw, do we have recent listings of all the games which run fine on Linux, with no hassles?
- Would you like to compile and update one?
- With only those games you know work well, without players jumping through loops?
- Maybe divided according to engine, so people have easy choice?
This should get stickied in 'Games' section, something like 'Good Linux Games worth playing'. A special thread, short game description only. People may add games that run well, list entry pointing to main thread for discussion (so it's kept in one place).

I'd request it, or if someone of you like to, go for it. Will vote to support it.

Again, thanks for your efforts! :)
 

cold_arctus

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A thread worthwhile to read, thanks mems, especially @Capacitor for your link in sig.
tbh, I didn't know we finally broke the damn dam. But here we are... long overdue. If there's a certain threshold of Linuxers this can be usefull to propagate compatibility, it's about time!

Feels good to know we have a bunch of actively involved Tux lovers here, may you like to form a squad and help out game devs whenever necessary?
- pointing them over to this thread and some other ressources,
- playtesting releases and giving advice for devs / players,
- providing patches and install instructions (if there is no easy way to include support officially),
- etc. (what can you think of?)

Suppose we need a tag for you, if you like to create such a group. Would be cool to see more Linux, and hopefully BSD and OSX support in here. Thank you for you participating folks, really.

btw, do we have recent listings of all the games which run fine on Linux, with no hassles?
- Would you like to compile and update one?
- With only those games you know work well, without players jumping through loops?
- Maybe divided according to engine, so people have easy choice?
This should get stickied in 'Games' section, something like 'Good Linux Games worth playing'. A special thread, short game description only. People may add games that run well, list entry pointing to main thread for discussion (so it's kept in one place).

I'd request it, or if someone of you like to, go for it. Will vote to support it.

Again, thanks for your efforts! :)
Unfortunately just a few Devs are interested in compile a native Linux version of their game. The rest just focus on Windoof (Stupid Windows).

And with Unity's build-in video player it gets harder to play unity games via Wine :confused:.

EDIT: @Cirro84 are you familiar with Wine or Unity?
 
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Capacitor

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Thanks @Cirro84 for your enthusiasm!
I'm not a really active user, I mostly come here to check for new versions of a few games I'm following, but I'd be happy to help developers who want to create games for us, though it's much easier to help Linux users to run games we aren't really supposed to play. We are used to the discomfort of having to find a workaround... :D

I have to say though that most of the games developed now can work effortlessly on Linux, the only real problem is Unity, but since none of the games I'm following uses this engine, I have almost no expertise on the topic.

As for the list of compatible games, in most cases the engine used is sufficient to know if the game is compatible or if there is at least a workaround. For the remaining games I think it's more important to write down how to make them compatible. Some of them may require additional packages, others a particular setting of Wine, etc. Moreover, the different distributions and the settings/drivers used for the hardware can make a great difference in the way the game behaves, especially when 3D acceleration is involved.
My computer is too old and has too few space for me to playtest too many games, the ones that I prefer are mostly not too intensive for my hardware and use engines that are always compatible, but if someone wants to share his/her experience and compile a list, here or somewhere else, I'll be happy to link everything in the OP.
 

Cirro84

Resident Evil-doer, part-time Candyman
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few Devs are interested in compile a native Linux version
This is why I made my suggestion to you folks. I heard this often, too. I know it sucks. The market is deemed small, because 'Linux is not a gaming platform'. Bollocks!
Often it's not the numbers but the noise that makes a difference. If a dozen players are willing to support more devs trying to go the extra mile it may be helpfull in the future.

So what has to be there first? A hen, or an egg? Without people shouting out and offering their support there won't be too many devs even trying. Every dev considering an optional version is a win. /2c

tbh I've not tried set up progs in Wine for a Linux rig, consider it my workhorse. Know the usual office crap works, also some older Win-only softwares. A holy cow is not to be tainted with these. If I wanna scrap my install there's Windoof for this. :/

So I play under Win, only tried to run a Ren'Py VN on Linux (succeded because dev gave a damn, Lin libs were included). When it comes to forcing apps running on alternative platforms I'm definitely a DAU (dumbest assumable user) But I'm ready to learn to become wiser.
- For Android there's emulators, I know. Those smallish apps don't suck performance, users can run them. An Android lewd clicker game, no problem.
- Same goes for Flash, even more demanding like Vortex's games should work. Flash Projector does the job, no extras needed.

Progs I need to use I set up on both Win and Lin, native apps, so screw it. Hardly use Win-only software anymore anyway.
- Wished I could run e.g. the sim RoR without troubles on Linux, no official build for newest versions out iirc. So Win it is.
 

kolobezka

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Apr 13, 2018
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I'll try to add a little to the Mill. I'll write about Visionaire Studio games.
Game consists of mostly portable files and game player, which is natively built for target platform. Visionaire studio has players for many platforms (Windows, Linux, MacOS + Some minor platforms like Android and consoles). We focused on Linux and MacOS support for Visionaire games.

Game authors have to pay for platform support, so mostly, they export only Windows version. We have tested Adventures of Willy D game, which is natively built for Windows and MacOS, but as it was found out, adding linux support is easy - Author makes export for linux, we grab only binaries and libraries and place them into windows game. And it runs. There is also possibility to do similar thing with MacOS player, but you have to modify folder structure a little bit (or do some symlink magic) - but it is possible.

Linux player for vis studio comes with ton of libraries (ffmpeg & stuff, sdl..) bundled, but there is libpng12 required, which is kinda obsolette in most modern distros (debian stable too, lol). Archlinux has AUR package for this, but it seems like downloading older statically linked version of libpng12 and placing it into lib64 directory of game solves problem too.

Best part is, that you can "grab" player from another game and port "your" game to desired platform. Only mandatory thing is to keep player versions same, and if I mean same, i mean even minor version numbers.
Now, vis player has version 5.0.8 (can be found by running launcher in wine), so you need 5.0.8 player for your platform, as authors update in-game stuff (like major update of lua interpret) between versions 5.0.6 and 5.0.7.

For AOWD game, there were needed some code updates to fully support linux, but I have played Cockwork Industries with AOWD version of player. I just needed to do minor tweaks to launcher script and config.ini file.

For more info let's see Adventures of Willy D thread here on forum, multiple versions of player are available through link in @Blup Blup's signature.
 

cold_arctus

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Sep 25, 2018
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And it runs. There is also possibility to do similar thing with MacOS player, but you have to modify folder structure a little bit (or do some symlink magic) - but it is possible.

Linux player for vis studio comes with ton of libraries (ffmpeg & stuff, sdl..) bundled, but there is libpng12 required, which is kinda obsolette in most modern distros (debian stable too, lol). Archlinux has AUR package for this, but it seems like downloading older statically linked version of libpng12 and placing it into lib64 directory of game solves problem too.

Best part is, that you can "grab" player from another game and port "your" game to desired platform. Only mandatory thing is to keep player versions same, and if I mean same, i mean even minor version numbers.
Now, vis player has version 5.0.8 (can be found by running launcher in wine), so you need 5.0.8 player for your platform, as authors update in-game stuff (like major update of lua interpret) between versions 5.0.6 and 5.0.7.
You are basically make a user-port version of the game as mentioned here:



Is this possible to do that with a game made in Unity 2018?
 

Cirro84

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... I mostly come here to check for new versions of a few games, but I'd be happy to help developers who want to create games for us, though it's much easier to help Linux users to run games we aren't really supposed to play.
I have to say though that most of the games developed now can work effortlessly on Linux, the only real problem is Unity, but since none of the games I'm following uses this engine, I have almost no expertise on the topic. ...

... if someone wants to share his/her experience and compile a list, here or somewhere else, I'll be happy to link everything in the OP.
Exactly, helping users to get things going is number one priority. At least I try. Sometimes more knowledgeable members post after me and provide better solutions - still learning, and I'm glad. And having a nice talk with devs leading them to people who might know more about a topic may help too. They need to code their games, can't do their job, but showing interest and asking for Linux support / offering to test builds for them may hurt nobody. :)
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May I ask which games or engines you prefer, cap? Please do not assume I wanted to force-feed my ideas to anyone! Just thought more people will complement each other with different interests and tastes, so there may be a few for every game or engine who'd like to volunteer and probably help a dev out.
 

kolobezka

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Apr 13, 2018
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You are basically make a user-port version of the game as mentioned here:



Is this possible to do that with a game made in Unity 2018?
IDK Unity 2018, i fought with some earlier versions of Unity and success differed from game to game. My previous post was about Visionaire Studio, which is kinda rare between games on this site, but Linux support is even more rare for them.
 

Cirro84

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Is this possible to do that with a game made in Unity 2018?
According to the they have created probably yes... There are entries for version 2017 and one for version 2018 atm. Is this a good sign? :)

As for a Unity 'video player' - it is the component used to play prerendered files, or doing it in real time, correct? This is causing troubles? Know about a 'Web player' running Unity games, but this app is outdated / unsupported.

Where are the problems with the video player, exactly? I had read here about 'unsupported 3rd-party plugins', especially in one game (which I once played). Another one may be Redamz' MGI, using videos or renders ingame to tell part of the story. If there is a Linux version out somebody might want to test this...
- Is it more the codec / library support for media files? Because closed-source code?
- Or a specific driver thing, as cap mentioned?? Maybe particular video card - driver combos to be avoided? Any experiences?
Heck, the player troubles even Win players (Redamz' MGI videos, they don't play too well ingame). Also the 'pink shader' issue mentioned in the how-to sounds familiar with Win users.

Unity itself was and is a Win-ish application to me. I'm afraid I cannot really help, don't know how to mess around. :(
Thing is, most performance you get with running engine (and game) on Win, what players care most about. Understandable. And also why it sucks so hard, because Unity is a very capable smaller 3D engine, perfect also for older computers (if devs know their business).
 

kolobezka

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Apr 13, 2018
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According to the they have created probably yes... There are entries for version 2017 and one for version 2018 atm. Is this a good sign? :)

As for a Unity 'video player' - it is the component used to play prerendered files, or doing it in real time, correct? This is causing troubles? Know about a 'Web player' running Unity games, but this app is outdated / unsupported.

Where are the problems with the video player, exactly? I had read here about 'unsupported 3rd-party plugins', especially in one game (which I once played). Another one may be Redamz' MGI, using videos or renders ingame to tell part of the story. If there is a Linux version out somebody might want to test this...
- Is it more the codec / library support for media files? Because closed-source code?
- Or a specific driver thing, as cap mentioned?? Maybe particular video card - driver combos to be avoided? Any experiences?
Heck, the player troubles even Win players (Redamz' MGI videos, they don't play too well ingame). Also the 'pink shader' issue mentioned in the how-to sounds familiar with Win users.

Unity itself was and is a Win-ish application to me. I'm afraid I cannot really help, don't know how to mess around. :(
Thing is, most performance you get with running engine (and game) on Win, what players care most about. Understandable. And also why it sucks so hard, because Unity is a very capable smaller 3D engine, perfect also for older computers (if devs know their business).
Unity itself would not hurt a lot IMO, problems come when authors code their own extension for game and build it as DLL file. It's impossible to translate it to .so od .dylib files for other plaftforms and those files are mandatory for game then.
 
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Cirro84

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...previous post was about Visionaire Studio, which is kinda rare between games on this site, but Linux support is even more rare for them.
Lewd games with this platform seem in fact so rare we cannot afford a tag, let alone a prefix for it...
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These are all I know of, with KexBoy leading the bunch. :/

Edit 2: @kolobezka alright, so the dev of 'Man of the House' may have used 3rd party plugins, as mentioned last page. This is messing things too, but people already this, the plugin is well known (as mentioned by c_a). Another thing is 'Windows Media Foundation' (also mentioned by c_a).
Plus when devs create something on their own, so no chance but to include this code and use it like a BLOB of unfree code, because there's nothing to substitute it. Those are the two areas for trouble atm?

Consider myself not a Linuxer but you seem knowledgeable. So I'm asking specifically.
 

cold_arctus

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Where are the problems with the video player, exactly? I had read here about 'unsupported 3rd-party plugins', especially in one game (which I once played)
So far I only know one game that use Unity's Videoplayer - Timestamps (update is out btw :LOL:). The animation in this game rely on Window Media Foundations dll's, which are not available in Wine. Even coping registry and dll's from Win7 as mentioned on Valve Proton Git page did not work!

Everything works in the game only the animation, when the animation starts the screen goes black and goes to the next image.

Man of the House use a 3th party plugin (AVPro Video) for animation. Since the build-in video play, this plugin became outdated (the price tag dropped from $600 to $400 and continues).

Some guys and I where able to make the animation work for Man of the House (also in 1920x1080, before only windowed-mode worked in MotH). It was a huge benefit for Mac and Linux users .. But Unity's videoplayer is a pain in the ass for all users - even for Windows user. The player does not work probably and some special Windows updates are needed.

EDIT: And more top Dev. are planning to switch to Unity.

EDIT2: If someone is interested I can share the dll's (incl. registry file and guide) I got from Valve..
 
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Cirro84

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Thanks, so this is 'Windows Media Foundation', not a driver thing but Win-only territory. Also '3rd party', basically the pimped DirectX entities, DX10 era. This is bad... :( Will make Unity way more win-specific. Hope the creators come up with a solution without WMF crap, or people are trying to create a wrapper for this peculiar component to make use of the closed source libs.
Thanks for updating me.
 
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