Submitted 1 day ago by fin@sh.itjust.works to games@lemmy.world
cross-posted from: lemmy.nz/post/29912814
It’s great that the number of games playable on Linux is rising. But the lack of mods is stopping me from switching. I tried to play Civilization 6 and it’s hard to play it without many quality of life improvement mods.
You can mod games on Linux though, some just need a bit of fiddling, just look it up. Never tried Civ 6 but people say it’s possible.
It’s definitely doable but I won’t pretend it’s a pleasant process compared to what people are used to with Windows modding, and Wine overhead can mean a large unoptimised mess of Stardew Valley/Rimworld/Skyrim mods are going to perform worse.
Tried switching to Mint yesterday, it’s a struggle as the guide kinda failed to mention some detail that i have to google a bit, and the result is it fail to boot(not a bootable drive error). Might try again tonight or this weekend. Honestly i can’t see mass adoption if it’s this PITA to get it working(not plug and play like windows), unless it’s provided by the manufacturer.
There was not an option to autopartition the drive you picked? Having to manually make efi partition sounds suspect to me.
I tried installing it on a new ssd so to separate window and linux stuff(and also upgrade from a bunch of very old hdd), the guide recommend me to select “something else” and create the partition accordingly. I follow their official guide here
…readthedocs.io/…/install.html
At the time i’m installing, i still have my old drive plugged in so in fear of messed thing up badly and had my whole data erased, i chose to manage the partition myself. Should i unplug everything other than the new drive, and have the installer do it automatically?
Theres literally an option in the linux mint installer to just wipe the drive and install, and it creates all partitions for you, if you dont understand what a partition is. You literally dont have to do anything except click the bubble and choose next.
The windows installer is exactly as complicated and even uses the same termino of primary and logical etc.
You literally just click the next button like 7 times. Ignore everything and it sets it all up correctly by default.
Why would you screw with advanced options for your first go. You would have the exact same problems if you did that on windows.
This just sounds like you purposefully made it harder for yourself so you could bitch.
Do you have anything else to add? Because being unhelpful doesn’t solve my issue, but to inflate your ego. Others tried, and i acknowledged my problem and will try other way to see if it helped. And you’re here to bitch about my unsuccessful attempt.
There’s some information missing. What is saying “not bootable drive”? You should make a primary partition on the target drive.
Also, even if you don’t have tpm, you may have some sort of secure boot preventing non-windows drives from booting.
What is saying “not bootable drive”? You should make a primary partition on the target drive.
When booting, after the bios screen it give me a black screen with that message, and refuse to boot.
Also, even if you don’t have tpm, you may have some sort of secure boot preventing non-windows drives from booting.
How do i navigate this? My machine is build around 2012-14 so not sure what its in. I had someone build it for me so i’m not sure what’s in it.
Idk what was your problem, but mine was not reading on filesystems when the choice occured and not knowing how awesome BTRFS is with incrimental backups.
I can’t wait to be banned for playing online from linux
I am immediately skeptical of the 90% claim. There are a lot of Windows games, going back decades! Not even 90% of those work on Windows, let alone Linux!
Actually, once you go far enough into the past, Linux has better support for legacy Windows software than modern Windows does. The claim might be true if they’re counting a lot of shovelware.
A lot of those older games that don’t run on Windows to DO run on Linux now.
And many games haven’t been assessed either. I plug my Steam account into ProtonDB, and apparently 51% of my games can be made to run perfectly on Linux, 10% are various levels of broken, but the remaining 39% has no information. I guess it’s because I have many indie games in my library.
While this is awesome we still need to have the same performance on Windows. Yes, some games run better through proton for some reason, but that’s the minority. Hopefully, proton will not be needed for new games in the future and we get native builds like CS2.
Not all games are created equally.
Rip Microsoft
Some shitty games will hold out, but as long as the majority works better under Linux, I’m fine with it.
I’m trying to get into Linux atm. Working at the kinks and work flow. I will dual boot for the exception that I really want to play that doesn’t run on Linux.
Be careful, windows can fuck up some dual boot setups and make the Linux side worse
The thing is I swapped, whenever I start using something and I dont want it to become popular because everything somehow gets ruined when it gets popular, it ends up getting popular. Im usually a late “early” adopter.
Basically if I stopped being put off by it and felt I wanted to switch, I think it may be viable for many more ppl in a year or two, or already, I swapped like almost a year ago, I typically don’t like stuff til it feels intuitive, instantly good.
This is great but my MSI laptop wasn’t very compatible with Linux.
Like how? You may need some proprietary firmwares.
Okay, but how far back does this go? It can’t really be that all games in existence that ran on Windows is being counted. Is it?
The chart is based on ProtonDB, which covers all Steam games.
When you go far enough back less games work on windows then Linux just because you need emulation and compatibility software anyways for both of them.
And they tend to be better support on Linux.
Which is always a fun time.
…Wine Is Not an Emulator
First paragraph indicates that it’s pulling from ProtonDB’s list of games:
However, the most recent stats from ProtonDB (via Boiling Steam) highlight that we are edging towards a magnificent milestone. The latest distilled data shows that almost 90% of Windows games now run on Linux.
You completely glossed over the question he was asking.
90% of Windows games…but, from how far back? Are we talking 1988 with Windows 1.0? Are we talking 1995 onwards with Windows 95? Are we talking modern Windows with Windows 10 onwards? Are we strictly talking Windows 11?
There are a lot of logical jumping off points for where you can start measuring, each with a logical arguement with why you start there, but also with multiple logical arguements for why thats a bad idea.
That’s great and all but the two things that hold me back from going 100% Linux are kernel-level anticheat, and lack of graphics card acceleration in virtual environments. Once we have those I’ll be happy.
Visual Basic added to Libre Office would be really nice too, but I get that it’s not particularly feasible.
Nit having Malware Anti-Cheat support is a good thing. Hopefully it will continue this way until people realize that it’s not worth giving shitty companies like EA access to your online banking passwords just to pretend to shoot 11-year-olds in the head.
Agreed. I should have said letting the anticheat THINK it has kernel access, the same way WINE makes Windows programs think they’re on a Windows machine. I know this is an oversimplification and frankly I don’t even know what kernel-level looks like, but there has got to be a workaround that doesn’t drain resources too much.
Can confirm the viable gaming. Some need fairly annoying workarounds that require some regular fiddling to adjust (looking at you EA/Origin with your silly launcher), but in the end it’s definitely playable.
Has support for DP 2.1 or HDR in Wayland made any improvements yet? I tried Pop_OS and had lots of issues with this
github.com/NVIDIA/open-gpu-kernel-modules/…/816
I’ve been following this GitHub issue waiting for this change to make it into the next nvidia driver release but still suspect this won’t address HDR. Obviously first world problems for high end hardware but it’s one of the last pieces holding me back from trying Linux on my desktop
HDR
HDR works on KDE and GNOME desktop environments. KDE is currently the better choice if HDR support is important.
As for software:
Can’t speak for DP 2.1 since I have an AMD GPU and no hardware that uses DP 2.1 (yet).
Appreciate the info! I had been trying out the new Cosmic DE that ships with pop os and I’m guessing that’s still lacking HDR but did feel very performant. I’ll have to see if switching is worth the trade off once they nvidia driver update gets released
Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Tech-idiot, here, but Linux-curious and running Windows 10 with an ardent refusal to change it to 11.
I know there are a ton of different versions of Linux, ‘Ubuntu’ and such, but I don’t know jack about any of them… which would you recommend that’s best suited to someone who’s only ever used Windows? Looking for the most idiot-proof option. Gaming and office style work are primary use.
Emphasis on the idiot proof. I am really anxious about switching from fear of jacking up my computer, but am so sick of Window’s bullshit… probably as good a time to dive in now than any point going forward.
wavebeam@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Tbh it actually doesn’t matter that much. There’s like a million different distros, but really there’s like 3 base distros (yes Linux nuts, this is an oversimplification) of Debian, Fedora, and Arch. Ubuntu has gotten a lot of hate lately for their choice of forced package manager, but it’s probably fine. It’ll matter way more to you what desktop environment you select. I’d recommend looking into Bazzite for gaming. It’s based on fedora and it has a bunch of gaming stuff built in, but also does great for anything else. It’s made to be the steamOS for anything not a steam deck. Go with KDE for a windows-like desktop experience.
wavebeam@lemmy.world 8 hours ago
lol, lots of folks responding to me doing the exact thing i was warning about. Honestly, just pick one that seems like it offers what you’re looking for.
If you want it to feel kind of familiar to windows, pick KDE as your desktop environment. you can have this in pretty much any distro, some make it easier to set as part of the install process.
If you want it to be harder to fuck up, but with less flexibility for customization or being on the bleeding edge of support, pick an immutable distro like bazzite
If you wan full flexibility and the added danger and complexity that brings, go for an arch-based distro. lot of great comments below too with actually good details and not just “people are dumb for using X, they should use Y because i’m smarter” - specifically dubyakay and Holytimes are offering some great details.
pivot_root@lemmy.world 23 hours ago
For gamers who are newcomes to Linux, Ubuntu (or Debian) should be a hard pass. Linux gaming is advancing too fast for the 2-3 year gap between LTS versions to not matter, and trying to work around the stable (outdated) packages is typically what ends up breaking installs.
addie@feddit.uk 18 hours ago
Listen, there’s dozens of Linux users on Void, Slackware and Gentoo. Dozens! Especially the ones wanting to run the latest games. Can’t just leave all of them out.
FenderStratocaster@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Dude, we don’t know what you just said. Lol
Holytimes@sh.itjust.works 20 hours ago
The problem with bazzite is it’s just an objectively worse option then cachyOS if your using your PC exclusively to game.
Immutable distros and the lack of aur can be such a massive pain in the fucking ass if you play games with a lot of community tools.
Almost exclusively every community tool I’ve ever seen for any game only ever supports Arch and never anything else. So while you can use other things, it sucks to have to compile it all yourself every f****** update.
Nutteman@lemmy.world 1 day ago
As someone who went through something similar, Linux Mint is a really great option. Based off Ubuntu so lots of software, cinnamon desktop environment for a windows familiar feel and layout, and stable releases.
mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 hours ago
If you want a windows-like experience, Linux Mint is hard to beat. It will feel very familiar.
If you enjoy gaming (which I’m assuming you do, considering the article) then maybe Bazzite would be a good option. It comes with GPU drivers (which have historically been a giant pain in the ass for Linux) ready to go. It’s an immutable distro, which is… Contentious in the Linux community. It means you won’t be able to accidentally break your OS, but it also means it isn’t as customizable. The newer users appreciate the safety net, but the experienced power users see it as overly restrictive coddling.
Holytimes@sh.itjust.works 19 hours ago
It also pisses off new users frequently when they start to try to use any community tools for most games… Bazzite is a fucking nightmare for gaming because of it. It’s God damn funny counter productive issue.
The steam deck has the same problem to be fair.
Also historically is right, installing drivers has been trivial on every distro I can possibly think of for the last fuck, almost 20 years.
There have been one click gui installers for fucking ever at this point. Lol
pivot_root@lemmy.world 1 day ago
For gaming, you can’t go wrong with Bazzite. It’s meant for gaming to mostly just work out of the box, so you likely won’t need to tinker with anything.
It’s that tinkering that introduces stability risks. Adding third-party package repositories and trying to install newer software on top of older LTS distros is what tends to end up breaking them.
knatschus@discuss.tchncs.de 9 hours ago
I would recommend creating a bootable flash drive with Mint, I had to use rufus since balena etcher gave an error, and try it out without installing it yet. If you don’t like the looks and feeling of it you can just pick another recommend distro.
jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 22 hours ago
How new is your computer?
I found Pop!_OS worked out of the box fine on my new desktop.
Mint had problems, but worked fine on my older computers.
Back up any important software (like, on a separate drive or online). Get a couple flash drives. Try out mint, popos, bazzite. They’re all free so it doesn’t matter that much if you don’t like one.
I don’t recommend trying to dual boot on one drive because windows is a rude room mate.
balance8873@lemmy.myserv.one 23 hours ago
Depends on how much you care about security. Some distros are still very focused on “I operate my desktop in my locked house and don’t expect police to knock” use cases.
Holytimes@sh.itjust.works 19 hours ago
Rule 1 you do not get better instructions, manuals and documentation then arch and it’s family. Full stop. It’s great
Holytimes@sh.itjust.works 20 hours ago
If you need a computer that’s reliable for office work, use Debian, if you want a more console-like experience and less likely it’ll break your computer, use bazzite, if you want to be able to use new hardware, the moment it’s released to the market have the best compatibility with all games and software and the widest range of supported hardware and software use cachyOS.
Debian is stable because it updates so slowly. It makes sure everything works under pain of death. So having compatibility issues, new hardware being supported, having to do weird little things for a less than popular application is pretty normal. But if it works, it’s literally the most stable thing you can possibly put on a computer.
Bazzite it’s kind of your middle ground. It’s up to date in 95% of all cases while support. Basically everything but it is immutable which makes it hard to tinker with or change things should you need to. Which is both a benefit and a downside. Does mean you’re less likely to break your computer while you’re learning on the flip side.
CachyOS is based on Arch the most up-to-date core that you can have for any computer. It’s what steamos is based on in many other bleeding edge options. It has a focus on hardware support, gaming support, software support doing so as up-to-date as physically possible. If you need something to be supported, it’s more likely to be supported here than anywhere else. While the old joke Arch likes to randomly break itself isn’t untrue. It’s also about 15 years out of date in how true it is. Modern Arch rarely ever breaks and when it does so will every other option barring debian almost exclusively.
Realistically speaking, when it comes to actually installing and using any of these options day-to-day, they’re completely identical. Typically, if you have the ability to rub two brain cells together, read and have even a 5th grade level of critical thinking skills. If you’re planning on gaming as your main use of your computer not work, not art, just gaming, just use cachyOS.
There is one last thing to be aware of when choosing any option. If it’s based on Arch, it’s going to have the best documentation in the most user-friendly possible way. Arch has the single. Best, wiki there is. Which for a new user can be a godsend if you actually know how to read.
wavebeam@lemmy.world 8 hours ago
despite your weirdly hard-line anti-bazzite stance elsewhere, this is an excellent expansion on some of the other comments in this thread.
saltesc@lemmy.world 23 hours ago
It’s really easy and quick to install a distro so you can just test them out. Get three you think you’d like, try em out, you’ll probably like all of them, but you get to pick your fav.
There is no “best”, just “best for you”.
If gaming is your focus and you just want to go into Linux without research, I’d start with Ubuntu or Mint for a couple weeks. If you’re liking it, check out some others, but don’t be surprised if you go back to Ubuntu or Mint simply because you found them easy and working just fine. There’s no wrong choice, just lots of good ones. It is all up to how you like it with no anxiety of making a bad choice 😁