You might remember, that back in September last year I talked a little about Lutris and Overwatch [Official Site] together and how it was working well. Here’s an update on how it’s been going.
Overwatch, developed by Blizzard, is an online team-based shooter that feels a lot like Team Fortress 2 from Valve. However, as much as I’ve tried to get into TF2 it just doesn’t stick. TF2 feels like it has no identity, it feels…bland.
Overwatch on the other hand, is an incredibly exciting experience and I’m still very much a beginner. It has a pretty loud and proud identity, along with various animated shorts which help to suck you into the world. It’s something friends play practically religiously too, so it’s one of those times where I’ve felt a bit left out, well—no more!
When I tried it previously back in September last year, the performance was pretty good. Fast-forward multiple months, a few new versions of DXVK have come along and the experience is mind-blowing. I don’t want to oversell it, but seriously it’s so smooth I completely forget that the work done to get it working on Linux wasn’t done by Blizzard directly.
I should note, there’s still one downside. Before a cache is built, it will stutter and it doesn’t look good. However, before even when the cache had built there would still be odd bits of noticeable stutter and slowdowns. Since switching over to DXVK 0.95, that’s basically all gone. Honestly, it’s smoother than the majority of actual Linux versions of games I’ve played recently and that’s saying something big.
Direct Link
My complete lack of skill aside, how smooth it is in that video I took of a recent game should speak for itself. You can see how well it performs and that’s with it on very high settings.
Additionally, an issue where the Blizzard Battle.net client would fail to login and say it went to sleep (something like that anyway) also seems to have gone away so that’s awesome too. The only issue I’m left with, is it starting in windowed mode needing a quick ALT+ENTER to fix and away I go. That’s less effort than I have to put into for some “native” Linux games, so it really doesn’t bother me.
It’s funny really, some of my own first steps on Linux involved mucking about with Wine. Here I am some thirteen years later, enjoying another game thanks to it (DXVK has helped a lot too of course). In a world without Windows, having Overwatch run rather nicely on Linux could be a big help for those looking to switch and test the waters.
Another shout out to Lutris, for making installing and managing the game a mostly painless experience. If you do have issues with Overwatch on Linux, this page can certainly help.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Also there is a complete lack of diversity among the chars. No women is really saddening. And no, Pyro doesn't count because there is no way to know that (s)he is a women.
QuoteTF2 feels like it has no identity, it feels…bland.
Come on man, Team Fortress is the one that started it all, maybe it doesn't feel "modern" for today's standards, but it's still a great game, without it Overwatch probably wouldn't exist :P
Used to play TF (Quake 1 mod) a lot when I was a teenager, then played some TFC (HL1 mod) and have a few hundred hours in TF2 :)
Overwatch is cool, but all TF versions have native Linux support, so let's give them some praise shall we :D
Quoting: shigutsoTF2 sure did become an inspiration for many games, doesn't mean it's not old and stale though.QuoteTF2 feels like it has no identity, it feels…bland.
Come on man, Team Fortress is the one that started it all, maybe it doesn't feel "modern" for today's standards, but it's still a great game, without it Overwatch probably wouldn't exist :P
Quoting: shigutsoOverwatch is cool, but all TF versions have native Linux support, so let's give them some praise shall we :DSorry, blind praise for being on Linux is something I don't and will never do
Quoting: dpanterI'm guessing the jerky aiming in the video is due to Liam playing with a controller...Nah, I'm just crap mate :P, jokes aside it's my dodgy wrist that makes FPS games difficult.
Quoting: devnullQuote... as much as I’ve tried to get into TF2 it just doesn’t stick. TF2 feels like it has no identity, it feels…bland.
Quotejust don't see it. To me, TF2 has such a basic and uninteresting design to it. It has as much character as any other shooter out there. I mean, just look at the classes, they're extremely generic. You have a Medic, a Soldier and so on. Where's the character in that? There is none.
Huh? A Medic and a Soldier have nothing in common, how is that generic? I mean, I get you never liked TF2 but trust me there are people who do, thousands of us. TF2 meta goes back a lot longer then Overwatch.
Well, from a graphical design standpoint, they are quite bland compared to e.g. Mercy and Reinhardt (I guess similar roles in both games). I played TF2 for some time, but it seemed too much pay2win (hats and equip affecting gameplay). I too find characters in Overwatch more unique and compelling - different skills required, various hero skills, very different game-play for many heroes. Sure, TF2 has some of it too, but only to much smaller degree.
Quoting: devnullQuoting: bgh251f2The main issue with TF2 for me is that the game really got worse after going free. It's harder and less fun.
It's been Free for a long time. I'd agree if you'd said since valve became hostile toward community servers but not from strictly being free.
Quoting: bgh251f2Also there is a complete lack of diversity among the chars. No women is really saddening. And no, Pyro doesn't count because there is no way to know that (s)he is a women.
... LOL, K. Overwatche(d) can keep that little political bombshell, it has no place in gaming. There are female models if it offends you that much :) I do know women who play TF2, gender has never been an issue for them.
Yeah, that is one thing I hate on Overwatch. Blizzard is trying too hard to virtue signal, censoring community, pro players and now it seems they are even threatening to steal (paid games from your account) if you trigger someone on twitch (so not even in the game itself). Their last lame attempt at deflecting backlash from sexism against men in Overwatch contenders/league (the "fake pro-girl") and racism on workplace (over year of racist remarks being allowed, even after weekly complaints, leading the dude to even consider suicide) with new lazy "lore", aka "look, soldier is gay ?".
TF2 isn't a bad game, it's not that I outright hate it or anything, just never clicked with me personally.
When comparing TF2 and Overwatch together side by side, Overwatch just has more of a draw to it. I just can't get excited about being a Soldier, a Pyro or a Scout and so on, they feel like they have no identity whereas Overwatch heroes have such big and loud designs to them and they do look (to me) a lot more interesting and that shows in the gameplay too.
But hey, keep arguing over it ;) play what you want :)
QuoteOh my, what have I done *grabs popcorn*
It's because you compared a game from 2007 and a game from 2016. Of course old fans will complain :P
Different eras of gaming, but one is the father of the other.
TF2 was freaking awesome back in the day, and still is for many people. Very far from being "bland".
Just to compare, TFC was released in 1999 and I couldn't even find the release date of the original TF, but let's say it was a few years after Quake 1 (1996). Old games that are still available to play, and they all run on Linux pretty great!
So I got some mixed settings to run it at around 80/95 FPS at 4K. Planning to upgrade my system later this year. AMD CPU for sure and hopefully also a AMD GPU, but only if the new 7nm Navi is amazing.
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