lutris

Debian Testing no stable platform for gaming?

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I’ve been testing a lot of Linux gaming lately. My preferred platform here was “Debian Testing”. Basically, I use Debian GNU Linux for a lot of projects and that’s why I’m pretty familiar with it. But the following has happened in the last few days:

  • I performed a dist-upgrade.
  • In the course of the upgrade, many of the 32-bit components from Lutris and Wine were replaced (updated).

After the upgrade, I restarted my PC and tested everything. Ultimately, I found that some of the games I installed stopped working. World of Tanks started briefly, but ended by itself. Some Steam games did not start either. I then tried to find the error for a while, but failed.

The experiments begin

A few hours later, I didn’t want to just accept that, I thought about what the goal of “Gaming under Linux” should be or should be:

  • The “gamer” must be provided with a platform that can be easily installed.
  • Maintenance must be relatively easy to accomplish.
  • The packages should be as current as possible.
  • The distribution itself must be able to be classified as “stable”.

Pop OS!

In connection with the headline “Gaming under Linux” one reads again and again about POP OS!, which is fundamentally based on Ubuntu Linux. POP OS! should be THE gaming platform. Well, let’s try it!

I use an NVIDIA graphics card, which is why I download the ISO file with the integrated proprietary NVIDIA driver right away. The installation itself is to be classified as self-explanatory. For the installation of Steam, I use the one in POP-OS! integrated software management. In contrast to Linus Tech Tips (video), the steam installation does not destroy my X server (apparently this has been improved).

After logging in and installing some games in Steam, I noticed that NONE of the installed games (including Linux-native games) are working. When you click on Start, a window briefly pops up and the game status then jumps back to Start. The game hangs immediately after it starts. I put almost no energy into troubleshooting itself. There were some contributions to this problem, but they did not help me with my problem.

Aside from the Steam issue, Pop OS! 2-3 times, it must freeze, or show me the GUI, but no longer accept any input. Sorry, I don’t have time for that!

Bye, bye Pop OS! Unfortunately, a newcomer to Linux can’t do anything with it like this and is annoyed to be thrown in the towel.

Debian Stable

Still convinced that my original problem (Debian Testing) was triggered by the fact that Debian Testing can also be “unstable”, the good Debian Stable has now been released. After installing the NVIDIA drivers, I tried apt to install Steam, which updated (to the latest version of Steam) immediately after starting. Unfortunately, however, I never got to the login window. Why? Well, Steam crashed with a “Memory segmentation error” shortly after starting it. After never having problems with my RAM, I ruled out a hardware defect.

Unfortunately, Debian Stable did not lead to the desired goal in my test either. In that case, too, I didn’t waste much time trying to find the bug, so I jumped to the next distribution.

Manjaro Linux

It was not an easy step for me to turn my back on Debian-based distributions. Manjaro Linux is a distribution based on Arch Linux. I have 0 experience with Arch. However, Manjaro should also be suitable for “Arch beginners”. Here, too, the installation is very quick and easy. As always, an ISO file serves as the basis. Regarding the GUI, you are spoiled for choice between XFCE, GNOME and Plasma. I choose Gnome as my desktop environment. The NVIDIA installation is done directly during the installation.

Now I started installing Steam, Wine and Lutris using the “Add / Remove Software” application. The following was selected:

  • steam-manjaro
  • steam-native
  • lutris
  • playonlinux
  • wine
  • winetricks

Meanwhile, rather skeptical, I logged into Steam and tested a few games. Oh it all works. Sensational! Due to the success, I was in good spirits that my beloved World of Tanks under Lutris is running again. I shouldn’t be disappointed. Everything is running smoothly.

Conclusion and closing words

I definitely don’t want to badmouth a distribution here and just refer to whether or not you can start gaming immediately after installation. In the case of POP OS! and also Manjaro Linux I’m a total newbie. In my tests, the requirement was that everything (games and platforms) had to work immediately after installation. It is essential to mention that there is no such thing as THE distribution for games. Nor can one assume that games that were actually produced for Windows run or work consistently under “Linux”. Especially with regard to Windows games and the ongoing development of Linux (packages), incompatibilities can arise that prevent games from starting. Strictly speaking, you should (if everything works so far) no longer upgrade your installed distribution in order not to run into problems. This does not work insofar as you are dependent on security updates and these should be installed promptly. Pinning Wine, Lutris, Playonlinux etc. could possibly be carried out. (This would mean that the installed versions would no longer be updated). It remains to be seen how far I can get with Manjaro Linux.

Either way, I advise anyone interested in Linux to use Linux and, if possible, only buy games that can be run “native” on Linux.

Requests, suggestions, complaints, tips and positively intended criticism are welcome via the comment function. 🙂

 

Running World of Tanks with Debian GNU Linux & Lutris

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Many Windows games now also run under “Linux” thanks to Steam & Proton. Since I definitely want to “get away” from MS Windows at home, but can also be called a gamer, some of my games are quite important to me. In addition to many other activities, I occasionally need a game or two to “come down” after a stressful day at work.

Apart from that, it would be a shame if many of the games you bought could no longer be used. As such, many of the games work very well on Steam 4 Linux & Proton. (I will probably write a separate article on this).

Steam says “No!”

I have been indulging in this MMO game for 7 years now. From this it becomes clear that I probably already have a few rounds “under my belt” and have already researched and bought a lot in the game. You could almost think that all I have to do now is get “good at the game”. But that’s a different story ?

So far I tried unsuccessfully to get WoT to work via Steam. Basically, it always failed because WoT (and thus Wargaming) relied on their own launcher, the Wargaming Game Center. When starting WoT via Steam, it was criticized that the game center is not installed, although the necessary .EXE file has been downloaded.

Finally I gave up WoT on Steam under Linux.

Regardless, as it is not possible to link a not steam-wot-account to Steam! (If you ran WoT outside of Steam and you would like to switch to Steam, you have to start your tanking-career all over again!)

Requirements for WoT on Linux

Distribution

In terms of distribution, I use Debian Bookworm (testing). I added contrib and non-free to the Debian repository (/etc/apt/sources.list).
I’m sure that the distribution doesn’t make the difference, since you have to access additional “non-Debian” repos either way.

Important: The commands (below) are to be executed in the console. It is necessary to work with the superuser “root”!

Installation of Nvidia drivers (for NVIDIA-Card-owners)

It is important, that you use the mostly latest NVIDIA-Driver. At the time writing this, this was:

Installation of the necessary kernel headers and compiler tools

  • apt-get install linux-headers – $ (uname -r)
  • apt-get install build essential

Download the appropriate driver from www.nvidia.com. Then use the console to switch to the directory in which you downloaded the driver and make it executable:

  • chmod + x NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-470.74.run
  • Note: The driver name can vary!

Note: If you have a different graphics card, you must of course install the appropriate driver for you!

Reboot (without GUI) and start NVIDIA driver installation

  • systemctl set-default multi-user.target
  • reboot
  • Change to the directory in which the download is located
  • Call ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-470.74.run (Attention: Driver name can vary!)

The installation process now starts in the console. Please install the 32-bit libraries in any case (answer the query with “YES”). Overwrite existing files with the files of the installer and also start nvidia-xconfig.

Reboot into the GUI

  • systemctl set-default graphical.target
  • reboot

Lutris and Wine

It is important to include additional package sources. These are:

Wine  (/etc/apt/sources.list.d/wine.list)

  • deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/debian/ bookworm main

Apart from that, the architecture i386 has to be activated:

  • dpkg -add-architecture i386

And import the winehq key (apt):

  • wget -nc https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/winehq.key
    apt-key add winehq.key

Finally, wine has to be installed

I am going for the most current release possible and therefore install “wine-staging”.

  • apt-get update
  • apt-get install wine-staging

Lutris (/etc/apt/sources.list.d/lutris.list)

Additional package sources must also be added for Lutris:

  • deb http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/strycore/Debian_11/ ./

Import key (apt)

  • wget -q https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/strycore/Debian_11/Release.key -O-
    apt-key add –

Now we are installing lutris

  • apt-get update
  • apt-get install lutris

Version check

lutris:
Installed: 0.5.9.1
Installation candidate: 0.5.9.1
Version table:
*** 0.5.9.1 500
500 http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/strycore/Debian_11 ./ Packages
100 / var / lib / dpkg / status

wine:
wine staging:
Installed: 6.19 ~ bookworm-1
Installation candidate: 6.19 ~ bookworm-1
Version table:
*** 6.19 ~ bookworm-1 500
500 https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/debian bookworm / main amd64 packages
100 / var / lib / dpkg / status

nvidia driver:
Type: Proprietary
Version 470.74
Source: www.nvidia.com

Start Lutris – install World of Tanks

I already had World of Tanks installed on Windows. My first thought was to copy the WoT directory onto my “Linux disk” in the directory structure of Wine. Then “install” the Wargaming Game Center in Lutris and after starting the Wargaming Game Center simply specify the directory in which WoT is located (import game). However, this project turned out to be problematic because an error message appeared when trying to import the game into the WGGC. Basically this was: “The specified file is not a directory” – although I had selected a directory.

Note: The Lutris Games (Wine) are usually located in the home directory of the logged in user. The directory itself is hidden.

Just to illustrate: I tried to copy WOT into the directory /home/gestl/.wine/drive_c/wot and then integrate it (without downloading) into the game center. Unfortunately, as mentioned, this did NOT work.

The solution

First download the World of Tanks installer (Gamecenter): https://eu.wargaming.net/de/games/wot

Then just start Lutris and add the downloaded file “manually” using the plus symbol (top left), choosing Wine as the starter.

Below you can see that I’m adding the installer (which I downloaded) via Lutris:

Then save, run the installer via Lutris and click on “INSTALL”.

WoT is usually installed in the directory: / home / <user> /.wine/drive_c/Games/World_of_Tanks_EU.

If you have already downloaded WoT under Windows

If you have already installed WoT on a Windows disk, you can shorten the download under Linux. Let the game center start the download of WoT and run it briefly so that the corresponding directories are created. Then you cancel the download and copy the contents of the WoT directory from Windows into the folder in which “Linux-WoT” is located. You just overwrite existing files.

Add World of Tanks Starter to Lutris

The WoT launcher can also be added manually to Lutris after downloading (or copying). The file is called: /home/user/.wine/drive_c/Games/World_of_Tanks_EU/wgc_api.exe.

Then your lutris should look like this. In my case the wgc_api.exe is hidden in the “Button” World of Tanks GC:

The start of WoT

If everything went well, the game center should now start, your login into the same should be successful and WoT should start.

Additional Information – Gamecenter interferes start of WoT

Since some updates of WoT, you may notice, that the game itself runs into a blackscreen when starting it via the WoT – Gamecenter. If so, use Lutris and add the executable of WoT directly bypassing the Gamecenter. Just use the Gamecenter if you get informed, that you need to update WoT. I also noticed, that WoT is not starting (even if you use the WoT executable) if the Gamecenter runs in the background. So make sure the Gamecenter is closed, before you go for a WoT-session!