Ethan Lee's 'Proton Torpedo, the quest to bring every Steam game to Linux' is the title of a presentation Ethan Lee did at MAGFest 2019.
For readers who don't recognize the name, Ethan ported a ton of games to Linux thanks to the FNA software (a reimplementation of the Microsoft XNA Game Studio 4.0 Refresh libraries).
Back in September last year and shortly after my small interview went live, Ethan teased about having an interesting phone call which has resulted in them now working with CodeWeavers on Proton/Steam Play.
Now that little history lesson is over, grab a coffee and watch the video included below (slides available here):
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It's quite an interesting presentation, although those who've followed it all closely will have known a lot of it. However, spreading the word is important of course.
One part that I especially liked was the focus on the back catalogue of games. Not just the focus of Linux needing to work with users older games (that are still popular), but also because these games get left behind by the publishers and developers as they all move onto their next game.
Seeing Wine/Steam Play as a preservation tool, to keep these games alive is quite a fun one, especially as a lot of games will eventually stop working even on Windows too, as we see when they get re-released.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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So sad to see that there were just like 12 people :/
2 Likes, Who?
So sad to see that there were just like 12 people :/At 8:19 raised it up to 13 ... at 9:17 to 14, at 9:23 to 15, at 9:26 to 16, at 17:00 to 17, at 20:54 to 18, at 23:24 to 19, at 23:28 to 20, at 23:31 to 21 ... :)
Last edited by KuJo on 8 March 2019 at 10:16 am UTC
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Sir_Diealot Mar 8, 2019
WINE has always been about getting existing games to run and there is a huge catalog of over 20 years of Windows games out there. The only "funny" part is that people are constantly whining about the latest AAA game not working while there are thousands of games out there that do work just fine. Steamplay really doesn't change anything in that regard.
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I only have few AAA games I want to play, but I don't need to play them at the time they are released. But most of the time I have other problem, I don't have time to even play games that I already own. :-D
3 Likes, Who?
Mountain Man Mar 8, 2019
At first I read that as "MAGAfest", and I was like, "Awesome!"
1 Likes, Who?
WINE has always been about getting existing games to run and there is a huge catalog of over 20 years of Windows games out there. The only "funny" part is that people are constantly whining about the latest AAA game not working while there are thousands of games out there that do work just fine. Steamplay really doesn't change anything in that regard.I've been using WINE for over a decade and I still don't know how to configure it for each and every game in my personal library. Games simply don't always work with it.
Play-On-Linux added some needed autoconfiguration through install scripts made by others, but I still can't get everything I need to run through it, nor can I easily figure out how to alter such a script and/or submit improvements to them.
Steam Play so far has been a far easier experience for me, and I have even managed to run Port Royale through it (which is NOT in the Steam library but had to be added by me), which I have been unable to do through WINE or POL.
In my personal humble opinion, that puts Proton/Steam Play firmly ahead of WINE and POL.
3 Likes, Who?
man, this dude really does it for the linux community.
big respect
big respect
2 Likes, Who?
man, this dude really does it for the linux community.Referring to yourself? :P
big respect
1 Likes, Who?
ElectricPrism Mar 8, 2019
So sad to see that there were just like 12 people :/
You gotta correct that perspective fallacy.
For example: During a questionnaire with Bill Gates, a gamer asked for a new Age of Empires 4. Bill Gates then did some business black-magic and supposedly it's now in development.
Those 12 people could be the 12 Masters of Middle Earth gathered in Rivendale for all we know.
Even the immense power a single person can hold is not something to be underestimated. People like Gabe look somewhat homeless and here they hold the keys to our future.
Perspective & Attitude Matters. Look up to the sky, not down at your feet because you'll end up where you're gazing in life.
2 Likes, Who?
WINE has always been about getting existing games to run and there is a huge catalog of over 20 years of Windows games out there. The only "funny" part is that people are constantly whining about the latest AAA game not working while there are thousands of games out there that do work just fine. Steamplay really doesn't change anything in that regard.I've been using WINE for over a decade and I still don't know how to configure it for each and every game in my personal library. Games simply don't always work with it.
Play-On-Linux added some needed autoconfiguration through install scripts made by others, but I still can't get everything I need to run through it, nor can I easily figure out how to alter such a script and/or submit improvements to them.
Steam Play so far has been a far easier experience for me, and I have even managed to run Port Royale through it (which is NOT in the Steam library but had to be added by me), which I have been unable to do through WINE or POL.
In my personal humble opinion, that puts Proton/Steam Play firmly ahead of WINE and POL.
You tried lutris its more user friendly than pol and the script runs everything you merely need to say whether you want to use dxvk or not
1 Likes, Who?
You tried lutris its more user friendly than pol and the script runs everything you merely need to say whether you want to use dxvk or notI knew I forgot one...
I'm still a bit unsure where it concerns Lutris: I've simply not booted it often enough to get a feel for it yet.
Thanks for reminding me.
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no_information_here Mar 8, 2019
man, this dude really does it for the linux community.Ethan is a force of nature. It is hard to fathom the number of games he has ported as a one-man operation.
big respect
1 Likes, Who?
Really excellent video to watch, with good audio. Interesting presentation.. he has some great insights into the larger world of PC-gaming, through a focus of getting games working on free desktops. I am really excited to know that this lone-wolf is out there saving the "back catalog" and making it accessible. Finally have got an appreciation for Proton, too. Will be giving this video another watch, later.
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