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Sometimes you might need the Windows game files from a game on Steam, possibly for running it in an open source game engine that supports Linux. It can usually be tricky, but a little script called "steamget" from Icculus can help.

Just giving this a bit of a boost, since I thought it was neat and Icculus is a very clever boy.

The script is simple and relies on you installing SteamCMD, which is simple enough to do (instructions on that linked page). Then, you just run the script in terminal with: a Steam username, an appid (the number you get in the URL on Steam store pages), either windows/macos/linux for that platforms files and optionally a beta branch name and a password, if one is needed for that beta branch. Here's an example for X-COM: UFO Defense:

liam@liam-mate:~$ '/home/liam/Desktop/steamget.sh' liamdawe 7760 /home/liam/xcom/ windows

I've tested it myself, by doing exactly that. Then I could simply use those files in the openXcom open source game engine. It worked a treat!

I asked Icculus about why you don't need a password, he said that SteamCMD will ask for a password and a Steam Guard code if you haven't logged in recently as it's all handled by SteamCMD. I didn't get either, likely as it detected my main PC correctly.

No more resorting to running Steam in Wine for me, this little trick will do the job nicely when I need to grab Steam files. Of course, this can also help for a variety of other things and I'm sure people will find other uses for such a script.

You can find the script here. If you like this sort of thing, Icculus has a Patreon.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: HOWTO, Steam
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tuubi Sep 13, 2017
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This seems just a bit simpler than using SteamCMD directly, so why not. The only Windows game I've personally downloaded from Steam is Tesla Effect (after the Linux port fell through), and I remember having to type three or four commands in the SteamCMD prompt to do that. Actually installing Steam on Wine seemed like overkill.
lucifertdark Sep 14, 2017
I could have done with this the other week when I got it into my head to install Doom 3, I forgot about SteamCMD so I did it the hard way.
Asu Sep 14, 2017
instead of using steamcmd, bug the devs to bring their games to linux lol...
I think every game engine can produce mac and linux binary now.
lucifertdark Sep 14, 2017
Quoting: Asuinstead of using steamcmd, bug the devs to bring their games to linux lol...
I think every game engine can produce mac and linux binary now.
Bethesda won't budge.
vlademir1 Sep 15, 2017
Quoting: lucifertdark
Quoting: Asuinstead of using steamcmd, bug the devs to bring their games to linux lol...
I think every game engine can produce mac and linux binary now.
Bethesda won't budge.

Let's be fair, Bethesda/ZeniMax will be about the last and Activision/Blizzard may be the very last big non-Japanese game publishing company to budge on the Linux issue.
MayeulC Sep 15, 2017
Looks like some people went all the way to reverse engineer the steam platform: https://github.com/SteamRE/SteamKit

They also have a "Depot Downloader". Which makes it a fully open-source (afaik) way to download steam games. Now, if only we could get a shim to make wine games work with the Linux client, that would be great :)
Lakorta Sep 15, 2017
Quoting: MayeulCLooks like some people went all the way to reverse engineer the steam platform: https://github.com/SteamRE/SteamKit

They also have a "Depot Downloader". Which makes it a fully open-source (afaik) way to download steam games. Now, if only we could get a shim to make wine games work with the Linux client, that would be great :)

Someone tried to do something like that once (https://github.com/sirnuke/steambridge. Unfortunately that project is dead (also I never tried it out so I don't know how well it worked).


Last edited by Lakorta on 15 September 2017 at 1:13 pm UTC
MayeulC Sep 16, 2017
Quoting: Lakorta
Quoting: MayeulCLooks like some people went all the way to reverse engineer the steam platform: https://github.com/SteamRE/SteamKit

They also have a "Depot Downloader". Which makes it a fully open-source (afaik) way to download steam games. Now, if only we could get a shim to make wine games work with the Linux client, that would be great :)

Someone tried to do something like that once (https://github.com/sirnuke/steambridge. Unfortunately that project is dead (also I never tried it out so I don't know how well it worked).

Ah, thanks, I've been trying to find again the name of that project for quite some time. Starred it. It's a shame the project has been discontinued, though.
sr_ls_boy Sep 16, 2017
Does it have resume?
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