The Wine Development Release 1.7.10 Is Now Available

The progress of WINE is great but they need to start adding support for DX10/11 soon.

The progress of WINE is great but they need to start adding support for DX10/11 soon.

I'm quite sure that those guys know what they need to do. They lack the manpower to actually do it.

The wine D3D implementation while it has gotten better, still relies in a lot of cases on the original files from the MS DX9 redist package. If, for some reason, MS were to pull that package since, you know, it's not needed on Vista and later, running even DX9 games on wine could become a problem. I'm aware that the package could still be found on various mirrors... so that would mitigate the move somewhat.

Think I've read it somewhere that for Windows 7, MS had a few thousand people working on it... compare that to what the wine project has and you'll probably understand why you can't wish for stuff to magically appear overnight in wine.

I would not hold my breath for DX10/11 support to appear any time soon, though I really wish to be proven wrong...

I'm not sure it's true that the DX9 redist isn't required post-XP. I think it's required (at least) for anything that uses D3DX. (See here Plenty of games still use D3D9 though, which is good for us Wine users.

Of course the real solution is that the developers use GL so we don't have to workaround DX (even if it isn't a native port). I am pretty happy with the Windows only titles that do work well with wine/pol even though it's a pita.

I'm not sure it's true that the DX9 redist isn't required post-XP. I think it's required (at least) for anything that uses D3DX. (See here Plenty of games still use D3D9 though, which is good for us Wine users.

Umm, that does not mean that MS has to still offer that package as a download. The devs can get it from them by other means.

Hopefully, I'm wrong and nothing changes :)

I haven't been interested too much in the upcoming/new Windows-based games. I mainly use Wine to run few older games that I doubt will ever be ported like Skyrim, Fallout-series, Halo: Combat Evolved and so on, so if Wine can manage running those with minimal issues I am fine with that and the new releases that support Linux.

I'm not sure it's true that the DX9 redist isn't required post-XP. I think it's required (at least) for anything that uses D3DX. (See here Plenty of games still use D3D9 though, which is good for us Wine users.

Umm, that does not mean that MS has to still offer that package as a download. The devs can get it from them by other means.

Hopefully, I'm wrong and nothing changes :)

I see you posted before you read the link and ninja edited. :P

Games will need to distribute it in order to check the correct version is installed, so it'll be part of the installer for the game that needs it. Microsoft can't revoke that.

I'd be interested to run the upcoming Witcher 3 in Wine (which will be one of the very few DRM free games which use DX11). Unfortunately I doubt Wine will enable DX11 support in time for that (and not only DX11, Witcher 3 will be strictly 64 bit and Wine also lags behind with that). I still hope CDPR will add Linux support to the Witcher sometime after the release, since now with all the SteamOS rise they might pay more attention.

I'm quite sure that those guys know what they need to do. They lack the manpower to actually do it.

Alright, I can see how my original post could come off as arrogant and self-entitled...so let me elaborate a little.

I don't discredit or lack appreciation for the epic work the WINE team has done. Also, I have a limited understanding to what man-power, skills and time is required to work on WINE (what has been invested, currently is and will be). The only reason I mentioned DX10/11 support is that it will help improve gaming on Linux much, much more.

There will come a point where most games will support Linux as well....so for the back catalog, for titles that will never be ported, WINE is the go-to software to take care of that. So games form x point onward, native Linux...prior Windows titles will be run via WINE. As alot of games now, from this point onward, will be working with DX11 it makes sense to add it as soon as they can. This is from the perspective of seeing Linux gaming improve. :)