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Just in time for the holidays, Linux gamers finally have version parity with other platforms. Expect to be able to spend just one more turn playing with friends on other operating systems.

The Linux version of Civilization VI [Official Site] had sadly fallen behind in getting timely updates. Today, porter Aspyr Media has rolled out the last hotfix from May of this year and added cross-platform multiplayer for us.

I haven’t had a chance to try out cross-platform gaming just yet as getting a group for a game like civ takes some effort, but given that OSX users have had it for a while, I think it’s safe to say that it should work just fine. Aspyr have also confirmed that the Intel i3 processor bug that was holding up this patch hasn’t been resolved yet but have offered a workaround for any potential crashes.

I should also note that there’s a new launcher before you get in-game and, on my Arch install, I had to point to my system freetype library to get the game to work. If you’re having the same problem as me you can add the following to your Steam launch options:

LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libfreetype.so %command%

The Spring 2018 update that we had been waiting on has a number of balance and bug changes and I’ve been eager to get my hands on it before diving into Civ 6 again. We’ll also be getting a new expansion early next year, titled Gathering Storm, and Liam has reached out to Aspyr and got them to state that a Linux release will follow shortly after. I sincerely hope it’s not a long wait as the new content looks interesting.

You can get Civilization VI on the Humble Store or Steam. You may also wish to check out Liam’s thoughts on the game at launch or my thoughts on the first expansion.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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About the author -
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History, sci-fi, technology, cooking, writing and playing games are things I enjoy very much. I'm always keen to try different genres of games and discover all the gems out there.

Oh and the name doesn't mean anything but coincidentally could be pronounced as "Buttery" which suits me just fine.
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9 comments

ryad Dec 10, 2018
Big news, finally!
Thank you Aspyr for keeping your promise. That's how you keep customers.
buenaventura Dec 10, 2018
Now plz Total War: Warhammer 2 cross platform MP! :D
slaapliedje Dec 10, 2018
I have considered getting this for the Switch, just because it is portable. Really wish something like the SMACH-Z would come out so I could play Steam games on a portable.
stretch611 Dec 11, 2018
Now that the 2nd expansion is on its way, will Civ VI start being good?

I remember playing the early DOS game... World Generation took so long that you had to listen to Leonard Nimoy recite the intro(iirc) until your computer finally completed map generation. (ok, I did a little research and the original was not voiced by Nimoy... Nimoy voiced Civ IV)

Civilization II was a great upgrade.

I was less than impressed with Civilization III, but I still played it to no end.

Civ IV was great... and it only got better with its expansions.

When Civ V came out, I didn't buy it because I was linux only at the time. I did not get it until after it was eventually ported and on Steam (for linux ofc.) I noticed it and the expansions during the my first winter sale on Steam and bought it immediately, only to play it for over 750 hours (according to steam.)

As for Civ VI... I wanted it for a while... I was not willing to buy it for windows and Aspyr took its time to port it. By the time it was out for linux, the reviews were lackluster at best. I was on the fence for a long time actually, having it in my cart during sales and removing it the last minute. I ended up getting it through the humble monthly (which I had a subscription, not just a one-off pickup.)

When I finally played it... I never got bored of a Civ title so quickly before... even now, it sits in my library with only 39 hours of playing time... less time than any other Civ; and to be honest less time than I put into the others in the first week (and most likely the first weekend for all 5 priors) even though I have had Civ VI for 11 months now.

It has been mentioned to me that Civilization is best after all the major DLC is released. While I liked Civ IV, I agreed that the DLC made great improvements to the game. As for Civ V, some people said it wasn't that great until the DLC either, but I didn't know as I waited until it was all out and I got it in one package for linux.

So, does anyone know, if the new DLC makes the game more enjoyable?
MayeulC Dec 11, 2018
I look forward to playing this with all of my friends :)

Otherwise, I agree that Civ II is very good, and runs quite well with wine, even on low-end hardware. There's also freeciv, for which I've been eying the "play-by-email" feature: https://www.freecivweb.org/ :)
kokoko3k Dec 11, 2018
Quoting: GuestStill getting low fps. Have they said something about this??
The performance is terrible.
Maybe it would be better in proton?
I'd try: https://github.com/Holston5/Native2Proton
Mountain Man Dec 13, 2018
Quoting: slaapliedjeI have considered getting this for the Switch, just because it is portable. Really wish something like the SMACH-Z would come out so I could play Steam games on a portable.
The Switch version is awesome. It's not a stripped down port but the full game, feature-for-feature identical to the PC version, and it runs great. I highly recommend it.
slaapliedje Dec 13, 2018
Quoting: stretch611Now that the 2nd expansion is on its way, will Civ VI start being good?

I remember playing the early DOS game... World Generation took so long that you had to listen to Leonard Nimoy recite the intro(iirc) until your computer finally completed map generation. (ok, I did a little research and the original was not voiced by Nimoy... Nimoy voiced Civ IV)

Civilization II was a great upgrade.

I was less than impressed with Civilization III, but I still played it to no end.

Civ IV was great... and it only got better with its expansions.

When Civ V came out, I didn't buy it because I was linux only at the time. I did not get it until after it was eventually ported and on Steam (for linux ofc.) I noticed it and the expansions during the my first winter sale on Steam and bought it immediately, only to play it for over 750 hours (according to steam.)

As for Civ VI... I wanted it for a while... I was not willing to buy it for windows and Aspyr took its time to port it. By the time it was out for linux, the reviews were lackluster at best. I was on the fence for a long time actually, having it in my cart during sales and removing it the last minute. I ended up getting it through the humble monthly (which I had a subscription, not just a one-off pickup.)

When I finally played it... I never got bored of a Civ title so quickly before... even now, it sits in my library with only 39 hours of playing time... less time than any other Civ; and to be honest less time than I put into the others in the first week (and most likely the first weekend for all 5 priors) even though I have had Civ VI for 11 months now.

It has been mentioned to me that Civilization is best after all the major DLC is released. While I liked Civ IV, I agreed that the DLC made great improvements to the game. As for Civ V, some people said it wasn't that great until the DLC either, but I didn't know as I waited until it was all out and I got it in one package for linux.

So, does anyone know, if the new DLC makes the game more enjoyable?

Didn't seem to take forever on the Atari ST version that I used to play it on. Civ II is still my favorite, I waited forever for Civ 3 to be released, then played it like once and kept looking for my Civ II disk... which I'm fairly certain a 'friend' of mine had stolen.
slaapliedje Dec 15, 2018
Quoting: Mountain Man
Quoting: slaapliedjeI have considered getting this for the Switch, just because it is portable. Really wish something like the SMACH-Z would come out so I could play Steam games on a portable.
The Switch version is awesome. It's not a stripped down port but the full game, feature-for-feature identical to the PC version, and it runs great. I highly recommend it.
The main concern I have for it is the expansions. It hasn't been announced that they will get Rise and Fall, or the new one with Canada coming out.
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