Valve Announces STEAM for LINUX Proton: Windows to Linux compatibility layer

Started by the-pi-guy, Aug 22, 2018, 12:19 AM

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the-pi-guy

Valve Announces STEAM for LINUX Proton: Windows to Linux compatibility layer | ResetEra

 
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https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410#announcements/detail/1696055855739350561

 
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As a result of this work, today we are releasing the Beta of a new and improved version of Steam Play to all Linux users! It includes a modified distribution of Wine, called Proton, to provide compatibility with Windows game titles. Here are some of the improvements it brings to the table:
  • Windows games with no Linux version currently available can now be installed and run directly from the Linux Steam client, complete with native Steamworks and OpenVR support.
  • DirectX 11 and 12 implementations are now based on Vulkan, resulting in improved game compatibility and reduced performance impact.
  • Fullscreen support has been improved: fullscreen games will be seamlessly stretched to the desired display without interfering with the native monitor resolution or requiring the use of a virtual desktop.
  • Improved game controller support: games will automatically recognize all controllers supported by Steam. Expect more out-of-the-box controller compatibility than even the original version of the game.
  • Performance for multi-threaded games has been greatly improved compared to vanilla Wine.
Click to expand...
ENORMOUS for Linux Gaming. WOW. Special bundled version of Wine for Steam that will allow Windows games to run in Linux without the end user having to mess with stuff or set it up, and improved performance over normal wine.

 WOOOOOOW.  

Legend

Will this stop devs from making linux ports though?

darkknightkryta

Will this stop devs from making linux ports though?
Most devs don't do their Linux ports on their own. I guess indies do. This will at least let larger publishers just add QA for Linux to their Steam port. The rest of the devs will still make a Linux port since this isn't future proof with Direct X 13.

Legend

Most devs don't do their Linux ports on their own. I guess indies do. This will at least let larger publishers just add QA for Linux to their Steam port. The rest of the devs will still make a Linux port since this isn't future proof with Direct X 13.
What do you mean with QA?

darkknightkryta

What do you mean with QA?
Quality Assurance. It's the testing/debug phase.

Legend

Quality Assurance. It's the testing/debug phase.
Yeah I know QA, but how does this software affect that?

darkknightkryta

Yeah I know QA, but how does this software affect that?
If you're a dev, you're not going to waste resources on a Linux port. If this is just testing, you can make a Linux test case and make your testers try this with this software at very little costs.

Legend

If you're a dev, you're not going to waste resources on a Linux port. If this is just testing, you can make a Linux test case and make your testers try this with this software at very little costs.
But could they fix any problems QA found?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding but I thought this was software that Valve made and it's designed to "just work." Devs wouldn't want to waste time trying out how the software handles their title.

darkknightkryta

Aug 22, 2018, 11:19 PM Last Edit: Aug 22, 2018, 11:33 PM by darkknightkryta
But could they fix any problems QA found?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding but I thought this was software that Valve made and it's designed to "just work." Devs wouldn't want to waste time trying out how the software handles their title.
You have to QA regardless. Having the software ready is now an option. If the game passes QA on Linux then the game is ready for it and it would cost a few months of a few people testing.
Like it's easier to make a case to use this software for Linux "ports"

Legend

You have to QA regardless. Having the software ready is now an option. If the game passes QA on Linux then the game is ready for it and it would cost a few months of a few people testing.
Like it's easier to make a case to use this software for Linux "ports"
This works for all games. Devs don't need to bother with testing how the game runs on linux since it's not a game feature-it's a steam feature.

the-pi-guy

Aug 23, 2018, 12:03 AM Last Edit: Aug 23, 2018, 12:04 AM by the-pi-guy
Will this stop devs from making linux ports though?
Funnily enough, there's a dev in the resetera page asking if he doesn't need to do linux anymore. 

But could they fix any problems QA found?
I don't know enough about windows/linux system calls to really give a great response.  Like I know a bit about them, but I don't know how hard it is to try mapping one to the other.

It's probably possible that you could switch out a windows command, and use a different one that would work better. In that case, QA could fix issues.

But there are also some things, between linux and windows that don't have 1:1 matches.  I remember there was some call that I used on Linux, that windows had 3 different commands for.

Maybe most or all of those things can be dealt with, that's a bit beyond the extent of what I know. 

Valve has this:
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Q: Are there any games that will never work with Proton?

It's likely that some games using complex DRM or anti-cheat systems will be difficult, or even impossible to support.
This works for all games.
Kind of, it's a Steam wide feature.  But it's not going to affect every game quite yet.
They have a short list of games that they are opening it up to, right now. 

This is also something that's kind of a work in progress.

Devs don't need to bother with testing how the game runs on linux since it's not a game feature-it's a steam feature.
The game is still going to get run through the software, and it's totally possible for the game to run into compatibility issues.
But of course, as the software gets better, it'll probably be incredibly unlikely for it to get issues.

darkknightkryta

This is also something that's kind of a work in progress.
The game is still going to get run through the software, and it's totally possible for the game to run into compatibility issues.
But of course, as the software gets better, it'll probably be incredibly unlikely for it to get issues.
This is what I've been trying to say!  ::P Thanks Pi.

Legend

This is what I've been trying to say!  ::P Thanks Pi.
I didn't realise it had to be greenlit per game. My bad  ???

the-pi-guy

Here's the current list:
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This goes hand-in-hand with an ongoing testing effort of the entire Steam catalog, in order to identify games that currently work great in this compatibility environment, and find and address issues for the ones that don't. The initial set of supported games that we are enabling with this initial Beta release is as follows:



Beat Saber
Bejeweled 2 Deluxe
Doki Doki Literature Club!
DOOM
DOOM II: Hell on Earth
DOOM VFR
Fallout Shelter
FATE
FINAL FANTASY VI
Geometry Dash
Google Earth VR
Into The Breach
Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012
Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013
Mount & Blade
Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword
NieR: Automata
PAYDAY: The Heist
QUAKE
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
Star Wars: Battlefront 2
Tekken 7
The Last Remnant
Tropico 4
Ultimate Doom
Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® - Dark Crusade
Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® - Soulstorm



We will be enabling more titles in the near future as testing results and development efforts progress; in the meantime, enthusiast users are also able to try playing non-whitelisted games using an override switch in the Steam client. Going forward, users can vote for their favorite games to be considered for Steam Play using platform wishlisting.
More VR games than I would have expected. :o



I didn't realise it had to be greenlit per game. My bad  ???
They'll likely open it up, once they are feeling confident enough with Proton.

darkknightkryta

I didn't realise it had to be greenlit per game. My bad  ???
Not so much greenlit, but you don't want to waste money making a linux port.  This gives you the port, you just have to test it.