this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2025
39 points (93.3% liked)
Linux
50389 readers
1361 users here now
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
Rules
- Posts must be relevant to operating systems running the Linux kernel. GNU/Linux or otherwise.
- No misinformation
- No NSFW content
- No hate speech, bigotry, etc
Related Communities
Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0
founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Ok I finally bit the bullet - Windows is blown away. I have not played Timberborn in over 2 months and having a windows machine on my network has always kinda made me feel like I had a spy in the house. Unfortunatly the wife works from home so there are still two windows machines I can't do anything about. My ASUS Vivobook i7 15" laptop is getting Debian but no GUI installed. I don't need a GUI to setup tailscale do I? Anyone know of a good settlement or city building game that is free and runs under Linux?
FYI, Timberborn plays just fine on Linux. Most games do these days.
Check out ProtonDB.com. You don't necessarily need Steam either, so you could probably do it just CLI if you really wanted.
The issue so far is that I bought the Windows version of Timberborn on Steam, so it won't install on my Linux box. Do you suppose since I own the Windows version, the makers of Timberborn would allow me to download the appropriate files for Linux? I thought I had gotten it working last night, but instead I was just streaming it from the windows box.
If you bought it on Steam, you get it in every "version" (for each OS) that the game was released on. If there's a Linux runtime, then you'd have both the Windows version, and the Linux version.
Most games don't have a Linux runtime, and that's fine. All you need to do is go to "compatibility" in the game settings in Steam, and check the box. Then click the drop-down and select a Proton version (best bet for you is prob "experimental"), and most of the time that's all you need to do. Protondb.com will tell you if there's any tweaking needed, or if a specific version of Proton is called for.
This is exactly how the Steam Deck works. Try a gaming-centric distro like Bazzite if you want an even more seamless experience (based on immutable Fedora Silverblue with a bunch of tools and presets focused on gaming. Great for everyday, non-gaming use as well).
Proton is actually incredible. I've found that I've often gotten better results with running the Windows version of a game with Proton than the actual Linux runtime.
the i7 was originally mean to be a my take away bridge over tailscale when I am away from home, and a programming machine (or perhaps a look up machine while I program on the i5 desktop)
I have loaded the laptop i7 laptop up with Debian 12, next is Steam so I will try it there. The machine I was going to run it on would not complete a launch and just sat there with the fans going full blast and a black screen...
Ok, currently, Timberborn will launch but will hang hard after a short time. I used the wrong engine (?) so I will try "Experimental" and report back.
Even with experimental it hangs...
https://www.protondb.com/app/1062090?device=pc
Try any of the launch commands there? Pretty simple, usually just have to copy/paste.
I have Timberborn, btw, and it runs fine out of the box for me on Bazzite. Though I do have AMD. Though I don't think Intel CPU should matter... Nvidia GPU, maybe. But Intel shouldn't cause any issues with gaming.
Maybe try ge-proton. This is a slightly modified version by some dude named "GloriousEggroll" who basically releases modified versions of the newest Proton that are sometimes better with respect to compatibility. It's what I use as my default (though I do have to update it manually. Experimental will update automatically). Discover store has "ProtonUp qt" or something like that, that makes it easy to download and when you do it automatically adds it as an option in the compatibility menu.
As others have said, it'll work on Linux. Right click on the game in your library, go to Properties, then Compatibility. Tick the box to Force use of Steam Play, then pick a Proton version, like Proton Experimental. This will work for most games. Check out the Proton DB website to check for any exceptions or specific settings. (You've bought a Steam licence for the game, rather than a version for a particular platform.)
You can enable Steam Play in your Linux steam client through the settings, and you should be able to install and run any Windows game you have in Steam