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Left 4 Dead 2 updated with Vulkan support thanks to DXVK

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We've only just seen a new release of the Direct3D to Vulkan translation layer DXVK, and now it's powering Left 4 Dead 2 with a fresh free upgrade out now.

Much like we saw with DXVK being added to Portal 2, this new rendering mode is optional. It can be enabled by adding "-vulkan" as a command line option. To do so: right click the game and go to Properties, ensure you're on the General tab on the left, then enter "-vulkan" (without quotes) in the Launch Options box.

There's plenty else that's new including:

- Better support for ultrawide monitors in the UI and game (requires Vulkan if using Linux)
- Marked the game as DPI-aware for high DPI displays.
- Improved default settings for window size and type.
- Improved full-screen quad rendering performance.
- Made captions anti-aliased
- Marked fps_max and viewmodel_fov as FCVAR_RELEASE.
- Cvars 'survivor_incap_health' and 'survivor_incap_decay_rate' can now be changed after startup.
- New cvar 'charger_pz_claw_damage'; functions the same as equivalent melee cvars for other specials.
- New archived cvar "addons_hide_conflict_dialog" suppresses the warning dialog in the addons screen. Any conflicting addons will still be highlighted in red with conflicts printed to the console.
- Added an FOV slider to the Multiplayer settings.
- Added a +bench_demo [name]   command line parameter which will run a demo, and quit after it is finished.
- Added a -bench_settings [name] command line parameter to load a cfg/video_bench_{name}.txt file containing settings to load. There are a set of defaults provided, very_high_4k, very_high, high, medium and low.
- Lobbies that connect via a forced server IP are not considered for "Official Only" Quick Match searches.
- Overhauled UI usability on controller
• Added controller button icons across the UI.
• Made confirmation prompts accessible on controller.
• Now able to select mutations on controller.
• Now able to fully manage lobbys on controller.
• Now able to manage addons on controller.
• Now able to browse achievement details on controller.
• The game instructor (in-game hints) now shows controller buttons and hints.
• Added a flashlight binding to the default controller config.
• Made the intro video skippable by any button on a Steam Controller.

Plus a bunch of bug fixes, some of which are Linux specific including a startup crash, possible text corruption fixes for UTF-8 conversion, addon info being truncated "much earlier on Linux", the Windowed (No Border) option should now work on Linux plus a bunch of new scripting hooks for modders.

What's the point in adding Vulkan like this? Well, the original ports from Valve used a layer called ToGL which translated the original Direct3D rendering to OpenGL. With the Vulkan launch option this would replace it. It should give better overall performance, and hopefully smoother framerates. Perhaps even helping with lower end hardware, like an upcoming SteamPal handheld which would make sense for all the controller fixes.

You can play Left 4 Dead 2 on Steam.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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18 comments
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1xok Jun 15, 2021
Is Half Life (2) actually on Vulkan?
Calinou Jun 15, 2021
Quoting: 1xokIs Half Life (2) actually on Vulkan?

No, Half-Life 2 is still using ToGL on Linux. It has less demanding artwork than L4D2 or Portal 2, so it's usually not much of a problem in practice.


Last edited by Calinou on 15 June 2021 at 10:22 pm UTC
Julius Jun 15, 2021
I think this is rather a preparation for Steam on Chromebooks as those will only support Vulkan and not OpenGL (maybe with Zink).
furaxhornyx Jun 16, 2021
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QuoteTo do so: right click the game and go to Properties, ensure you're on the General tab on the left, then enter "-vulkan" (without quotes) in the Launch Options box.

Shouldn't this be
 
-vulkan %command%

?
MayeulC Jun 16, 2021
Quoting: furaxhornyx
QuoteTo do so: right click the game and go to Properties, ensure you're on the General tab on the left, then enter "-vulkan" (without quotes) in the Launch Options box.

Shouldn't this be
 
-vulkan %command%

?

No, launch options are appended to the %command%, unless it's there. So you only need it in case you want to prefix the command with other options, like an environment variable. Here, either `%command% -vulkan` or `-vulkan` works.
MayeulC Jun 16, 2021
I wish they also made it easier to play local split-screen. L4D2 hasn't seen much love since the early Steam-on-Linux days.
Faalagorn Jun 16, 2021
I genuinely wonder how performance compares to OpenGL, as L4D2 was one of the well-performing ports back then: http://web.archive.org/web/20200504112412/http://blogs.valvesoftware.com/linux/faster-zombies/


Last edited by Faalagorn on 16 June 2021 at 11:27 pm UTC
Kravensky Jul 5, 2021
I've tried to play the game about a week ago on linux and was disappointed. I've played "The Last Stand" in survival mode, some textures disappeared at some angles and the game crashed after about five minutes of gameplay. Sad.

But I didn't enabled "-vulkan" option, maybe that's was a problem.
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