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Valve adds support for games using CEG DRM through Steam Play Proton

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If you have the latest version of Proton Experimental, Valve just recently put up a new Steam Client Beta (October 28) too which allows playing Windows games on Linux that make use of their older CEG DRM. This is quite a big one actually, as it was a total showstopper for numerous games. Valve developer Pierre-Loup Griffais said on Twitter it's only "initial" support and to post any you test on the official GitHub bug report for it.

Some of the titles that may now work include:

  • Aliens vs. Predator (2010)
  • Bioshock Infinite
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
  • Hitman: Absolution
  • Just Cause 2
  • Lara Croft & the Guardian of Light
  • Mafia II
  • Saints Row: The Third
  • Sid Meier's Civilization V
  • Sniper Elite V2
  • The Typing of The Dead: Overkill

Plenty more have CEG DRM, so it will take time for all of them to be tested and reported on. Some titles probably still won't work with other issues present but it's getting another step closer. At least those that actually load up in some way now can see additional testing and work with Proton.

A new black Steam client service window will pop up when Steam goes to sort the CEG, eventually that should be hidden from users - so for now it's normal.

Giving a few titles a run myself this morning I was able to test that Saints Row: The Third, Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 seem to work well now.

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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tuubi Oct 29, 2021
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Quoting: Beamboom
Quoting: alejandro-bringasmmm yes, but they work fatal, Bioshock Infinite always have performance problems in my GTX 1060, in Windows I easily run it in Ultra 60fps, not here.

With Proton I get a very similar performance to Windows with a bit of stutter (shader cache) but it is 99% playable, much better than the native one.
Back then I always said that I suspected those "ports" from Feral to in reality be more of a "wrapped" than "ported" game. I stand by that. I think they had their own "wine-like" layer they applied to the games, where the "porting" were merely customisations for that wrapper.
Yes, I know there are Linux binaries, but noone knows what goes on in there.
Bioshock Infinite is a Virtual Programming port, and they used "eON", which is their proprietary Wine-type solution. Feral had their compile-time D3D translation layer, a bit like Valve's ToGL, but they never simply wrapped Windows binaries and called it a day. And I'm not sure all of their ports used that translation tech anyway.

Also, the few VP ports I bought might not have performed perfectly, but they did the job (even Witcher 2 after a few updates), and I had fun playing the games. Wrapped ports can make Linux look bad in comparison, but they're better than nothing as long as they're properly supported on Linux.


Last edited by tuubi on 29 October 2021 at 8:41 pm UTC
Comandante Ñoñardo Oct 30, 2021
Now they need to fix the WMF issue...
alejandro-bringas Oct 30, 2021
Quoting: ShinyaOsenJust tried GRID 2 it launches now but crashes when i select and start a profile and just cause 2 launches to a black screen using proton experimental so hopefully more work can be done. Also for some reason now there is a window that now pops up randoms thats called steam client service and when it launches it spins up my bluray drive and i loose control of what im doing really annoying happens almost every 30 seconds

its working ritght now
alejandro-bringas Oct 30, 2021
Quoting: chelobakaNot all CEG titles work so far. It seems Valve announced only the working ones.

  • Lara Croft & the Guardian of Light — works, takes a lot of time to start

  • Warhammer 40000: Space Marine — doesn't work

  • The Bureau: XCOM Declassified — doesn't work

  • Darkness II — starts, shows cinematics and crashes. Didn't start before.


The Darkness II its working fine for me
Stoney_Fish Oct 30, 2021
"Darkness II — starts, shows cinematics and crashes."

Same here
chelobaka Oct 30, 2021
Quoting: chelobakaNot all CEG titles work so far. It seems Valve announced only the working ones.

  • Lara Croft & the Guardian of Light — works, takes a lot of time to start

  • Warhammer 40000: Space Marine — doesn't work

  • The Bureau: XCOM Declassified — doesn't work

  • Darkness II — starts, shows cinematics and crashes. Didn't start before.


All above titles work with Proton Experimental bleeding-edge beta.


Last edited by chelobaka on 30 October 2021 at 11:27 am UTC
Beamboom Oct 30, 2021
Quoting: tuubiWrapped ports can make Linux look bad in comparison, but they're better than nothing as long as they're properly supported on Linux.
Better than NOTHING, true. But they most definitely made Linux look real bad.

I even think it was misleading back then to call such releases "ports" at all. But no point in beating a dead horse further. 😊👍
tuubi Oct 30, 2021
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Quoting: Beamboom
Quoting: tuubiWrapped ports can make Linux look bad in comparison, but they're better than nothing as long as they're properly supported on Linux.
Better than NOTHING, true. But they most definitely made Linux look real bad.
I doubt it had any lasting effect on anything though. Linux is doing fine. And I would never have bought and enjoyed those games if the ports didn't exist, so it's a bit hard to really agree with this line of thought.
dubigrasu Oct 30, 2021
Quoting: Beamboom
Quoting: tuubiWrapped ports can make Linux look bad in comparison, but they're better than nothing as long as they're properly supported on Linux.
Better than NOTHING, true. But they most definitely made Linux look real bad.

I even think it was misleading back then to call such releases "ports" at all. But no point in beating a dead horse further. 😊👍
They were not without issues, but overall they worked very well. At times issues reported for those ports were in fact the original game issues, (like the stutter in BI when loading new areas).
But most importantly, those ports came when we badly needed them. We are spoiled today with everything running with Vulkan/DXVK/Proton etc, but back then we only had a handful of porters that did what they could with the tools of the time and OpenGL.
Whatever the today status, those porters, VP/Aspyr/Feral/etc deserve our (at least mine) gratitude, they kept the Linux gaming going as best as they could.
Beamboom Oct 30, 2021
Quoting: tuubiI doubt it had any lasting effect on anything though. Linux is doing fine. And I would never have bought and enjoyed those games if the ports didn't exist, so it's a bit hard to really agree with this line of thought.
Oh as did I. And nobody remembers the travesty around that anymore.

But if those "ports" were the alternative way forward for gaming on Linux, there is no end to the appreciation we should feel for Steam Play/proton. To put it mildly.
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