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Another Steam Client Beta is out, adds the ability to force Steam Play

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Valve are working fast to improve the Steam client this year, with another beta now available including an option that was highly requested.

Firstly, Steam Input gained support for the HORI Battle Pad and HORI Wireless Switch Pad. Additionally, Big Picture mode had two bugs fixed. The usual stuff there and nothing major, that is until you get to the Linux section of the beta changelog.

Users have been asking Valve pretty much since Steam Play arrived, to add a method to force a native game to use Steam Play instead. So now, if you've opted into the Steam beta client you will see this on the properties of a game (the bottom option):

Why is that so interesting and important? Well, honestly, some Linux ports get left behind for months and years and some really just aren't good. Additionally, some Linux games have multiplayer that's not cross-platform, this could also help with that. Not to downplay the effort a lot of developers put in, it's just how it is. The ability for users to control between the version from the developer and running it through Steam Play is a nice to have option.

Linux changes:

  • Added the ability to force-enable Steam Play in per-title properties, including for native games
  • Fixed incorrect scroll offset in the in-game overlay
  • Reworked global Steam Play enable settings to only override the Proton version used by unsupported games
  • Fixed a bug where the global Steam Play enable setting wouldn't prompt for a Steam client restart

See the announcement here.

While not noted, the Steam client now actually shows what version of Proton is used for each title. Here's Into the Breach for example:


I would have played more but fullscreen is broken for me and it's a whitelisted title…

One of the next big stages for Steam Play, will be actually showing it for whitelisted titles on store pages. I'm still very curious to see how Valve will be handling that. Valve might also want to update the Steam support page too, it's rather outdated.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Beta, Steam, Valve
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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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Salvatos Jan 18, 2019
QuoteReworked global Steam Play enable settings to only override the Proton version used by unsupported games
What do they mean by that? You can't override the Proton version for a whitelisted game?
Pangachat Jan 18, 2019
So i guess Divinity Original Sin and Dying Light just works fine without any workarounds on mesa drivers. Thx Proton :)
mylka Jan 18, 2019
Quoting: Guesti bet tomb raider 2013 and rise of the tomb raider will run even better now gonna have to test this

rise of the tr has VULKAN and runs pretty good. i dont think, that it runs better with an extra DXVK layer. but maybe someone give it a shot and makes a NATIVE / PROTON comparison video. same with HITMAN

i definitely try METRO. the linux ports rly suck and have less options, than on windows
since there is no WAR THUNDER VULKAN update i think the Win version also could run better now (depends on anti cheat)

and i may can finally play DEAD ISLAND on linux
i complained a few days ago and hoped for forcing steamplay on native ports
and for some reasons 12 is better than 6 and iron snout wont work for me

but first i have to finish some games and make free space
TheRiddick Jan 18, 2019
As for devs becoming lazy, I think its well past that if they haven't fixed things for their Linux port already. ARK being a prime example..
jardon Jan 18, 2019
Quoting: Salvatos
QuoteReworked global Steam Play enable settings to only override the Proton version used by unsupported games
What do they mean by that? You can't override the Proton version for a whitelisted game?

I think it means that if a game gets whitelisted at 3.16-3 for example, the global override won't effect the whitelisted titles. So you can override all of the other ones but the whitelisted ones will be frozen at the version that they are known to be working.
Phlebiac Jan 18, 2019
Quoting: Salvatos
QuoteReworked global Steam Play enable settings to only override the Proton version used by unsupported games
What do they mean by that? You can't override the Proton version for a whitelisted game?

I think that means the global option no longer makes officially supported games use a newer version which may not work due to regressions, but you can still override on a per-game basis if you really want to. I think this is much better.

Valve has been clearing out the backlog for Steam this month, I'm loving it! I still wish they would change it so that you can have the officially supported games in the "STEAMOS + LINUX" view, but be able to launch unsupported games via Steam Play from the "GAMES" view. Right now, you have to globally enable Steam Play, and then the Linux view has both supported and unsupported games in it. Plus switching between modes requires a client restart - annoying.
mylka Jan 18, 2019
Quoting: GuestThis is great. Anyone know if it's possible to have both native and proton versions installed at the same time to quickly switch between the two for testing?

Hope I can use proton for Rocket League to finally get workshop maps working. Performance might be better too. Rocket League's Linux performance is pretty poor compared to Windows sadly.

change directory name of the game and steam wont see it (but close steam first) and you can install it again


Last edited by mylka on 18 January 2019 at 1:36 am UTC
beko Jan 18, 2019
Quoting: TheRiddickAs for devs becoming lazy, I think its well past that if they haven't fixed things for their Linux port already. ARK being a prime example..
It's also a primal example ;) *SCNR*
Faalagorn Jan 18, 2019
Port quality aside, keep in mind that there were some game license that had the Linux button, even if they contained no files, so it's great they fixed it: for example BEAT.TRIP RUNNER activated from Humble Indie Bundle 4 (it had a native version on Humble, but it was never uploaded to Steam for some reason) or TRAUMA from "Krystian Majewski Comp" from some CD-keys. Or some extreme cases when game technically lauches, but due to Linux-exclusive bugs is not even playable, for example for the owners of a removed game Jerry McPartlin - Rebel with a Cause (there's a few more obscure games in my library that didn't even want to launch too).

Quoting: gustavoyaraujoThat's pretty cool. But hey, are anyone here missing Proton updates?
:P
Maybe they are waiting for 4.0 to release? Or planning something bigger, such as more performance tweaks especially for DX9 titles (PBA? Gallium 9? VK9 eventually?) :)?
mylka Jan 18, 2019
Quoting: Cr1ogenif they want to force Linux games to work with Steamplay because they do not use windows directly? I think it's a step backwards in the fight that Valve has been doing for Linux users

do you think?
there are games with OLD linux ports.
BLACK THE FALL https://store.steampowered.com/app/308060/Black_The_Fall/
this game has a linux port, but it is very old and the newer windows version looks complete different. the developers wont answer to any questions and they dont delete the linux version

so what you gonna do? now you can install the win version and maybe it works as it should

linux needs market share and for that you need games you can play with ONE CLICK
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