Quoting: Purple Library GuyI have this feeling that there has been a shift over the years when it comes to this stuff. Some time ago, when someone cancelled their promise of a version of the game for an OS, they would just cancel the Linux version but they'd usually still do the Mac version. These days, they cancel Linux and MacOS if they're going to cancel at all. I'm not sure that's good, misery loves company maybe? but it's different.

It's not really good, no. In the old days, avoiding platform-specific lock-in and having an OpenGL render path got you Linux and Mac. Ditching Linux but keeping Mac was a specific "we love those turtle necks, but fuck those weirdy-beardy Linux folks." Now, Mac work doesn't help Linux work at all - if you can avoid single-platform stuff and use Vulkan for both Windows and Linux you still need an entirely separate render path for Mac. And Mac has a smaller share than Linux. Making a Mac build but not a Linux build (which people still do) is quite misguided. So we get "fuck those weirdy-beardy Linux folks, and fuck those turtle necks: we're perfectly comfortable with Microsoft having a monopoly on the platform we can be bothered with" instead. Macs using Vulkan and not destroying their share of the gaming market would have been much better for us.

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Quoting: SilverCode

I can organize a refund for you out of pocket.

Out of pocket? I had to check the definition of this to make sure it meant what I thought it meant, and it does - "having lost money in a transaction"

It doesn't mean that they've lost money, it means they're paying the money themselves (rather than accounting for it specifically from Kickstarter funds). Literally taking the money out of their own pocket to pay for it.

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It's been on my wishlist for a while, but with the ability to comfortably power through games on the Deck my scope for games that require a big time commitment of being at the desktop has been very much reduced. I've still got some, but new ones will have to wait till I've got through the ones I've already got.

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In case anyone else is also considering it for a younger audience, according to the discussion pages there is an option to disable the blood.

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Quoting: Mountain ManI can remember the early days when there was only a handful of native Linux games in Steam. How far we've come.

The only thing that bothers me is that Linux gaming is essentially synonymous with Steam. I was really hoping that other developers would be inspired by Valve to support Linux directly, but it has been left to Valve to do all the heavy lifting, and as much as I appreciate what they have done for Linux gaming, it makes me nervous having all the eggs in one basket, as the saying goes.

Especially because the big motivation for Valve to put resources into Linux - Microsoft has the power to lock games distribution into their own store - affects all the others just as much as it does Valve. Sony, EA, Ubisoft, Rockstar, Epic all want to avoid being beholden to Valve, but they won't avoid being under Microsoft's thumb.

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Also Shadowrun Dragonfall should have the same Playable rating (KB/M controls, no automatic keyboard, and small text; fair enough) as the other two Shadowrun games. They're all similarly great on the Deck.

And the achievements in Kona don't work on the Deck despite the green tick, so that's not "all game functionality."

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Do you have any issues with the Steam Deck Verified rating on something? Let me know in the comments.

I platinumed Horizon Zero Dawn on the Deck, and it played well and looked amazing on the OLED, but it hung on exit every single time. It definitely detracted from it being a "seamless, comfortable experience." Valve have provided a force-close function, but it would be better if games with the green tick didn't need to use it.

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Quoting: finaldestI think the Linux gaming community needs to make a push for official support using Proton as an option. I don't like relying on Proton simply because the publisher can simply wash their hands and claim no support was guaranteed unless on windows. I have no problem using Proton but I want official support should a problem arise.

FWIW, although it's currently not that common, "official support and testing for the game in Proton" is the second-highest-paying tier of my "more Tux, more bucks" hierarchy. Quick précis of the tiers, since I've laid out the full reasoning here enough times that people are probably annoyed by it.
Full price: native games
Half price: games with official support for Proton
75% off: Deck Verified Windows-only games
90% off: game happens to work in Wine (for now)
Won't pay anything: game doesn't work on Linux at all.
The more a game dev supports me as a Linux gamer, the more financial support I'm willing to give them in exchange.

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Quoting: Purple Library GuyIt's certainly the preferred solution. But I dunno, if cheaters can get around anticheat, which as far as I can make out they can, I don't see why Wine/Proton couldn't. It'd have to be an unofficial version, ideally developed in some country/ies where it is not illegal to circumvent blah blah blah. So there would be problems with distributing it. But it could surely be done.

Then they'll just check for Wine & Proton and ban anyone they detect using it. That's not a solution.

That's why you need the developers & publishers on board, and for that you need market size.

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Quoting: westurnerWhat are some solutions to anti-cheat on
Linux?

Grow Linux so that it's too big a market for anyone to decide to just ignore. That's it; that's the only solution.

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