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What do you do when you can't run a native game for Linux?
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Poll results: What do you do when you can't run a native game for Linux?
I play a game for Windows on Wine, Proton, etc
 
24 vote(s)
45%
I try to use different libraries, padsp, aoss, etc on my current Linux distro
 
18 vote(s)
34%
I select a different game for Linux
 
7 vote(s)
13%
I use a different computer with a different Linux distribution
 
1 vote(s)
2%
I use an older computer even if it's the outdated Linux distribution
 
1 vote(s)
2%
I use a virtual machine with a different Linux distribution
 
1 vote(s)
2%
I play a game for Windows or Mac using one of these two operating systems on a separated partition on the same computer
 
1 vote(s)
2%
I play a game for Windows or Mac on a virtual machine
 
0 vote(s)
0%
denyasis Mar 26, 2022
Quoting: gbudnyI thought that virtual machines would be more popular among Linux users

Really? I was always under the impression that dual booting was more popular. Especially with a Windows/Linux mix. Maybe I'm ignorant, but it seemed to be easier to dual boot as opposed to setting up a VM. (Not that either are terribly difficult these days).
gbudny Mar 27, 2022
Quoting: denyasis
Quoting: gbudnyI thought that virtual machines would be more popular among Linux users

Really? I was always under the impression that dual booting was more popular. Especially with a Windows/Linux mix. Maybe I'm ignorant, but it seemed to be easier to dual boot as opposed to setting up a VM. (Not that either are terribly difficult these days).

You're probably right. I thought too that is a more popular solution among Linux users.

However, no one decided to choose any of these two options.

Unfortunately, I can't agree that dual-booting is much easier than setting up a virtual machine because it's always less risky.

Especially, I'm thinking about a situation when a user decides to install Windows as the second operating system on the same hard drive. I read many times this is still a complicated process, but please correct me if I'm wrong.
Xpander Mar 27, 2022
No option in poll for me as i haven't encountered a game that doesn't work. There have been few native games that do need some minor workarounds sometimes, but those have been super rare also. so i guess the "i try to use different libraries option then"

lets say if there was one that really couldn't work no matter what workarounds i throw at it, then i would run in in proton if i really wanted to play it ofc.
gbudny Mar 28, 2022
Quoting: XpanderNo option in poll for me as i haven't encountered a game that doesn't work.

I assumed that everyone runs into a problem when playing games for Linux at some point.
Valck Mar 28, 2022
I feel for me the only valid answer would be "I select a different game", but that may include several of the other options as well; in other words, with only one possible choice, I think the poll doesn't give an accurate representation. As such, I didn't cast a vote.

If a game doesn't run out of the box, I may try a different environment (runtime/libraries etc.). I don't see a point in installing a different distribution, there are enough knobs to fiddle with.
If that doesn't work, I might or might not try other approaches depending on the game, including running its Windows version through Wine or Proton, but it would have to be a game I really want to play, and I don't have much patience with that; it either works, or it doesn't.

Should there really be a game out there that doesn't run on x86(_64) – which I really doubt there is – I might consider looking into that. Might change in the future, and I would definitely like to see more support for other architectures, even ones I personally don't have access to. But if Linux on x86 is a niche market, any other architecture is even more so regardless of OS, with the possible exception of Mac/Android on ARM; at least for the foreseeable future. And then there are emulators too to at least partially work around platform issues, just (maybe) not for the most demanding.

If none of that helps, I simply don't play that game. I haven't had to use Windows for whatever reason for well over a decade by now, and I can't see myself going back, neither using dual boot, nor in a virtual machine.
Xpander Mar 28, 2022
Quoting: gbudny
Quoting: XpanderNo option in poll for me as i haven't encountered a game that doesn't work.

I assumed that everyone runs into a problem when playing games for Linux at some point.

Usually the problem is more to do with performance. Where native performs like trash. But then again there aren't many native games i play these days. Amnesia Rebirth i think was the last one i bought and that worked with zero issues.
dvd Mar 28, 2022
Quoting: gbudny
Quoting: dvdIf it can't be solved with fiddling around with libs, i usually use a light container like whatever team has built in or conty. Not that i ran into any of those games in recent times, pretty much anything native i have seems like click and play on testing right now.

(i selected 'i use a virtual machine with a different linux distro' for lack of a better alternative)

Unfortunately, I didn't add this option, and I can't edit it.

At least everyone can read your comment about using a container instead of a virtual machine.

To be fair i have more trouble with wine games. The only native title i had a genuie issue with was Hitman 2016, which had a weird graphical glitch in it for some time. Mostly i don't care too much about performance if the game doesn't have heavy stutters, i care a lot more about being able to alt-tab and having more sounds going on at the same time, which were/are usual problem with wine. I just have the container for it as it basically makes managing/deleting it easier, as wine stuff only touches a single folder on my drive.
Pengling Mar 28, 2022
Quoting: XpanderThere have been few native games that do need some minor workarounds sometimes, but those have been super rare also.
Given the sorts of games that I play, this has been the only issue that I've encountered to date, myself (and only with one game, Tanglewood, which has a couple of easy fixes available for Linux users).

However, I know that it will come up in the future, and when it does I'll be using Proton/Wine to sort it out, so that's what I've voted for.
Mezron Mar 28, 2022
Missing the use a cloud service option
gbudny Mar 29, 2022
Quoting: ValckI feel for me the only valid answer would be "I select a different game", but that may include several of the other options as well; in other words, with only one possible choice, I think the poll doesn't give an accurate representation. As such, I didn't cast a vote.

I know that could be a little confusing. I'm not sure if you read my remarks about this poll in my first post. I mentioned the order of answers and the last option from a list when you can't run a game for Linux.
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