Ubuntu, Linux, and Gaming

Staggerwing · August 02, 2012, 05:53:59 PM

With the recent discussion of Valve starting work on a Linux based version of Steam and their recent port of L4D2 to that OS I thought it might be time to start a Linux and Gaming thread. I'm just not sure if it should be here or in Tech Talk since the topic of tweaking and fixing will invariably pop up, especially with regard to WINE. Needs be, Mods feel free to move it over. I personally know next to nothing about how Linux and it's most popular noob-friendly distro, UBUNTU, work and I wouldn't even be messing around with it if not for the easy installers so I'm no help yet to anyone but here goes...

A few quick links for those interested:

UBUNTU

WINE

Also, for those interested in UBUNTU you can order a disk from their site or make your own .iso and try it out w/out any actual changes to your system. Then, if you like, you can easily install as a dual boot with any Win version.

Nefaro · August 02, 2012, 06:16:55 PM

I've put off messing with it, which is odd for someone who was a PC tech for years... always just felt like I had better things to do with my free time. But lately I have a good amount of it. So...

How involved is loading it up for dual boot?

Approximately what percentage of your favorite games have you got working on it (relatively easily, anyway)? There's some emulator or something, right?

Staggerwing · August 02, 2012, 06:25:14 PM

I've literally just started trying to figure out gaming on it so I don't have any successes yet. Hopefully Junk2drive will drop in here for a more seasoned bit of insight. AFA dual boot, by default Ubuntu sets itself to be the first to load but you can change that either with a terminal window (like a DOS Prompt, sorta) or you can D/L a small utility that lets you change your boot order as often as you wish. Ubuntu has a sort of 'app store' thingie called the Ubuntu Software Center where you can search for programs by category or name and then install them right away. The thing is crazy-full of all kinds of stuff, all free. In the latest version it's right in the quick launch bar on the desktop.

junk2drive · August 02, 2012, 09:06:24 PM

Maybe you could retitle this as ubuntu linux and gaming as that is the only distro that I have stuck with.

First, linux is the bones of the system and distro is the skin so to speak. Much like Windows 2000 and XP are both NT systems. Some distros are bare and lightweight to run on lesser or older hardware. They don't install much software. ubuntu is full flavored and installs a lot of things that you need on a daily basis like Windows does.

You don't do disc cleanup and defrag on linux. You do need to set your browser up to clean out files or delete them manually. You do need to manually delete old junk like downloads.

Some things are done with a GUI and some with the Terminal. The terminal is where you type in Command Line Instructions ( I think that is what the I is) or CLI. If you have ever done a DXDiag or regedit in Windows, with the little DOS window, you can do CLI in a terminal. Typing everthing properly can be a pain for people like me. Fortunately most helpers in the unbuntu forums will give you CLI in a box that you can copy and paste in a Terminal.

Most linux distros and software are open source and free.

Here is a list of native linux games that don't need anything to run. Some of them are free and very good.

http://www.lgdb.org/

Here is a new game company that has Windows, linux and Mac games sort of like Steam, again some are free, some are pay.

http://www.desura.com/

Wine is a windows compatibility layer. They like to say that wine stands for wine is not an emulator. A crew of programmers write dlls that work like windows dlls but are not copies of windows.

Winetricks is a program that works within wine to assist windows redistributable programs and files to work inside wine.

PlayOnLinux (POL) is a GUI for wine and winetricks that makes installing some games easier. It does the CLI for you.

Wine has a website

http://www.winehq.org/

and a database of games in the AppDB tab. Someone gets the game to work or not and posts the results to the DB. Some are old and inaccurate.

wine folks do not like you to post success or failure using winetricks or POL. They want success to be that someone with no knowledge can run a game installer in wine and it just works. That is the goal.

POL has its own list of games that work with POL. It is easy to install a game with POL that is not on the list. It then either works or it does not. If you search the forums all over the place, you may find a tip from someone that had success. After some time you may find yourself trying some things that you have learned and pass on that procedure to others.

Mac and linux use OpenGL for graphics. Windows uses MS DirectX. Most games are made with DirectX. If a game gets ported to Mac with OpenGL, you may have better luck with it in linux because of that.

Staggerwing · August 02, 2012, 09:20:52 PM

A compromise on the title for future consideration ;)
BTW my current attempt to get CMAK (Combat Mission Afrika Corps) to run under PlayonLinux has failed. Some kind of dx thing? I'll pick it up again on Sunday given time and energy.

junk2drive · August 02, 2012, 09:24:47 PM

wine versions at this time are 1.4.something and 1.5.something. Even numbers are stable, finished, and odd numbers are still WIP. Sometimes a game works with an older version and breaks with a newer version of wine. This is called regression. POL allows you to run a game with a different version of wine. POL will install winetricks for you. If you read somewhere that a game worked with a winetrick, you can try your game again after telling POL to install the winetrick. A wine prefix is the bottle you have your wine in. It gets into more than I care for here. POL will create a prefix for you when you install a game.

Most windows installers will create a desktop shortcut for you. On unbuntu, it doesn't work. I drag them to the trash and delete them. POL will create a shortcut for you. You can then edit that shortcut and add a graphic like windows. You may have to convert the original to a png to work.

wine needs to be configured. POL can do that too and each game can have its own setup. Sometimes you may want to run a full screen game in a window. wine fakes a windows desktop if you want. You tell it the size and the game will run full screen within that fake desktop.

junk2drive · August 02, 2012, 09:41:29 PM

The current version of ubuntu is 12.04 LTS. 12 is the year 2012, 04 is the month April and LTS is long term support. It will remain somewhat unchanged for 5 years. This is to offer stability to businesses and programmers. It will be updated quarterly plus any security issues. Newer versions are done every 6 months but you do not have to upgrade until end of life. You can have geeky fun by joining the alpha/beta process of the new builds and install it on a non important computer to help find what is broken.

Software is available through the ubuntu Software Center, or through Synaptic. Software comes from repositories. Some things are not listed in the Software center but are in Synaptic. Some software requires other software to work. These are called dependencies. Most of the time these will be suggested to be installed along with your software and not break anything.

The first thing that I install in ubuntu is the ubuntu restricted extras. These are redistributable items that are not allowed to be included in a program.

junk2drive · August 02, 2012, 09:43:46 PM

Quote from: Staggerwing on August 02, 2012, 09:20:52 PM
A compromise on the title for future consideration ;)
BTW my current attempt to get CMAK (Combat Mission Afrika Corps) to run under PlayonLinux has failed. Some kind of dx thing? I'll pick it up again on Sunday given time and energy.

I don't think there has been any success running CM titles in wine. I think Redwolf had CMBB running but very slow and not worth playing. He hangs around gamesquad forums and BFC somewhat.

junk2drive · August 02, 2012, 10:02:04 PM

Dual Boot with Windows

Windows needs to be installed first. The ubuntu installer is downloaded as an iso. That is written to a CD or DVD as a data file. InfraRecorder is the preferred freeware for creating this. You can also make a USB stick work but read how at the ubuntu wiki or forums.

After making your CD, boot the computer and set your bios to boot from CD if not already set up. This will load the CD and you have what is known as a live CD. You can do a few things with it. Try ubuntu before you install it. Partition your harddrive. Go on Firefox to beg for help when things go wrong.

linux does not use letter locations. They use / and /home and such. You can set swap space like windows virtual memory but most don't need to. Best bet is to read up on installing before you start.

Removing ubuntu and going back to windows only is a pain but doable.

junk2drive · August 02, 2012, 10:14:29 PM

Last bit about dual booting. I can spend 10 minutes reading silliness on a forum but can't stand the 2 minutes it takes to shut down one and start the other. I usually stay in XP or ubuntu until I really need to switch. XP works so it's not like I have to be in ubuntu. ubuntu is just so much faster for me.

ubuntu has a main website with links to the forums and wikis. Ask ubuntu has lots of stuff. Click on Questions and then FAQ to find starter stuff like usb install and how to set up partitions for your new install.

http://askubuntu.com/

At this time linux does not need a firewall or anti virus program. The firewall is built in and you don't see it. Trojans and virus normally cannot work in linux as programs cannot run by themselves. However things change so who knows?

Staggerwing · August 02, 2012, 10:20:22 PM

Thanks for all your input. Linux gaming may turn out to be a biggie or a bust but it's best if we are informed along the way.

Nefaro · August 02, 2012, 10:43:36 PM

Thanks for the rundown. That was informative.

Huw the Poo · August 03, 2012, 12:58:49 AM

Quote from: Staggerwing on August 02, 2012, 10:20:22 PM
Thanks for all your input. Linux gaming may turn out to be a biggie or a bust but it's best if we are informed along the way.

I really think that Linux is going to go places and, loathe though I am to admit it, it's thanks to Valve.

Anyway, as a long-time Linux/Windows dual-booter I heartily endorse everything Junk2Drive has said. Don't be afraid to try Linux, especially a live distro which lets you give it a good test before it even touches your hard drive. Dual booting is easy and you get used to it in no time. In fact, if you choose Ubuntu you can even install it inside Windows - don't ask me how it works because I dunno. But if you do it that way, it's even easier to get rid of later if you don't like it. Check out Wubi.

P.S. CLI = Command Line Interface. In Linux this is usually a shell called bash, which you might see referenced on forums. Basically, CLI = terminal = console = shell = bash. As far as giving instructions, they're all the same.

Rekim · August 03, 2012, 01:18:00 AM

Quote from: junk2drive on August 02, 2012, 09:43:46 PM
Quote from: Staggerwing on August 02, 2012, 09:20:52 PM
A compromise on the title for future consideration ;)
BTW my current attempt to get CMAK (Combat Mission Afrika Corps) to run under PlayonLinux has failed. Some kind of dx thing? I'll pick it up again on Sunday given time and energy.

I don't think there has been any success running CM titles in wine. I think Redwolf had CMBB running but very slow and not worth playing. He hangs around gamesquad forums and BFC somewhat.

Suspect a 3d title like CMAK would require hardware acceleration support from the video card. I recall that driver support for this type of fuctionality was lacking in the past due to reluctance on the part of hardware companies to release their IP into the linux ecosystem. Not sure where things stand these days.

Nefaro · August 03, 2012, 02:32:55 AM

Just so happens that I have about 20 or 30 GB that I set aside in another partition, last time I reinstalled Windows, in case I decided to dual boot Win7 and WinXP. Thus far I've not needed to bother doing the reversed install of XP after a newer OS so when I eventually feel like spending time to mess with it, it should be pretty painless.