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Deep Rock Galactic, a game about badass space Dwarves mining for goodies and one I've highlighted before continues to be awesome with Steam Play on Linux. It just had a rather sweet update too.

Update 24, the "Explosive Expansion" was released yesterday adding in a ton of new types of grenades. Each class in Deep Rock can now unlock up to three unique class-specific throwable items too and it sounds like more are on the way.

  • Engineer: L.U.R.E, Plasma Burster, Proximity Mine
  • Gunner: Sticky Grenade, Incendiary Grenade, Cluster Grenade
  • Scout: IFG, Cryo Grenade, Pheromone Canister
  • Driller: Impact Axe, HE Grenade, Neurotoxin Grenade

The loading screen and end-game screen have also been overhauled. Cosmetics you unlock are shown, making them a bit more useful and exciting to unlock and equip. There's also a ton of Steam Achievements added in now, five new varied creatures to fight against like the Naedocyte Breeder, a floating bag of slime that constantly spews out eggs so you will need to take them down quickly.

Another change, is that if you join a game in progress (it's a friendly co-op game), new players now drop into the world in their very own personal drop-pod instead of just appearing. It adds to the atmosphere quite a lot actually, although you will need to make sure they don't drop on your head. There's also a pickaxe power attack, some new models for things like the Heavy Sentry model for Engineers, new sounds and so on. A truly massive update!

Since they didn't do a trailer for this update and since I love it so much, here's a fresh look at some clips on Ubuntu 19.04 using Steam Play Proton 4.2-4 (the latest at time of writing):

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The full game from where those clips were taken took over 30 minutes, some of the missions are quite long when you're going for the secondary as well as the primary objectives. Secondary objectives aren't necessary though, so you can do some of the missions quite quickly. A higher difficulty level (which you pick before each mission) can also adjust the length due to the intenseness of it all. So much fun though, especially some of the environment interactions and the various types of enemy swarms certainly keeps you on your toes.

Honestly, this could easily make my GOTY. A huge surprise to be sure, one that seriously keeps my entire attention when playing it. Not only does it look great and perform nicely it's also incredibly intense. Without Steam Play I would have never experienced what's now one of my favourites, good times to be a Linux gamer for sure.

If you're looking for something that has a huge amount of replay value, continues expanding and works very well with Steam Play I do recommend checking out Deep Rock Galactic. You can find it on Humble Store and Steam.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly checked on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly.
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22 comments
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scaine May 16, 2019
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This is an absolute gem of a game - I have nearly 100 hours in this already. It's all the small touches I love: the way the dwarves will just shout voice lines randomly, the way you can use your laser point to call out enemies, or ores, the way you can "salute" your comrades by hitting the 'v' key. It just fosters this camaraderie you don't see in many games. Love it.

Rock and stone, brother!
soulsource May 16, 2019
The devs had an awesome talk at Unreal Fest last year, about how their levels are being made/generated (it's a semi-procedural approach). I guess the slides are online somewhere?
scaine May 16, 2019
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Quoting: soulsourceThe devs had an awesome talk at Unreal Fest last year, about how their levels are being made/generated (it's a semi-procedural approach). I guess the slides are online somewhere?

Found this article, but no slides that I could see.
Alm888 May 16, 2019
And what it has to do with gaming on Linux, again?

Is launching any random Windows game through WINE worthy of a news article?
x_wing May 16, 2019
Quoting: Alm888And what it has to do with gaming on Linux, again?

Is launching any random Windows game through WINE worthy of a news article?

With that mindset, Liam should stop making articles regarding DXVK, Proton, D9VK, etc.
marcelomendes May 16, 2019
Quoting: Alm888And what it has to do with gaming on Linux, again?
It's gaming, and it's on linux, hence, "gaming on linux".

Quoting: Alm888Is launching any random Windows game through WINE worthy of a news article?
If the game is good and runs flawlessly, I think so.
TheSHEEEP May 16, 2019
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Can you actually play the game alone? Well, I mean, I know that you CAN, but how is it?
I don't usually have people to play with and I loathe playing with totally random people. But I'd like to give the game a try as it seems really interesting.

Quoting: Alm888And what it has to do with gaming on Linux, again?

Is launching any random Windows game through WINE worthy of a news article?
To prevent useless comments like these, articles now have tags that can be ignored.
So you no longer have to suffer the terrible fate of reading Wine-related news, and other people don't have to suffer comments like yours.


Last edited by TheSHEEEP on 16 May 2019 at 9:30 pm UTC
scaine May 16, 2019
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Quoting: TheSHEEEPCan you actually play the game alone? Well, I mean, I know that you CAN, but how is it?
I don't usually have people to play with and I loathe playing with totally random people. But I'd like to give the game a try as it seems really interesting.

Quoting: Alm888And what it has to do with gaming on Linux, again?

Is launching any random Windows game through WINE worthy of a news article?
To prevent useless comments like these, articles now have tags that can be ignored.
So you no longer have to suffer the terrible fate of reading Wine-related news, and other people don't have to suffer comments like yours.

You can and it's okay up to hazard level 3, if you're decent at FPS and spend a bit of in-game cash to upgrade the drone you command. But to be honest, this is a game where, almost always, "random people" are awesome. Like I say, the little touches in the game make, the way it actively encourages teamwork (driller making areas accessible, engineers laying platforms for scouts to grapple to, gunners laying down ropes for getting across chasms, or setting up shields during a swarm), just makes you happy when someone joins your game.

Honestly, when I get out my drop-pod after joining a game, I hit V, my character hefts their axe and shouts "Rock and stone, brother" and almost immediately, everyone else present will hit V and I'll get a chorus of "For Caaaaal", or "Rock and stone to the bone!" back at me. It's just pretty goddam awesome.

Should Liam be reporting about Windows games that work perfectly on Steam Play? Yep. I wouldn't be playing this indie masterpiece if he didn't. Or Overwatch. Or Path of Exile.

These games are near-as-damn PERFECT on Linux. I'd like to hear more of that, not moan about the purity of the platform. Great to see Sin streaming Rage 2 yesterday too - even better that they've just removed Denuvo from it. Playing AAA games on day 1 doesn't happen very often for us. This is a crucial technology for us, whatever your (Linux) politics are.
Liam Dawe May 16, 2019
Quoting: Alm888And what it has to do with gaming on Linux, again?

Is launching any random Windows game through WINE worthy of a news article?
Do us all a favour and add Steam Play to your list of blocked tags in the UserCP, I'm tired of answering this rubbish. Steam Play is here, it's a thing. GamingOnLinux will get left in the dust if it doesn't cover it, we're moving with the times, take it or leave it.
Luke_Nukem May 16, 2019
Damn this looks intense! I might buy it soon.

As for the comments on Proton vs native... The one game I've clocked up a lot of hours with is No Man's Sky. On Linux. It runs flawlessly, and it runs on Linux, hence I'm Gaming On Linux.

TBH, with the amount of frustration there can be with targetting Linux natively I almost prefer Proton sometimes. The Linux ecosystem is too damned fragmented, with many distros being out of sync with library versions compared to one-another. Hmm, I'd like to see DRM free games be released using either snap or flatpak now, even better would be Valve incorporating one of those in to Steam.

Seriously... several dozen distros. All packaging the same user apps and games, just differently, for a massive duplication of effort. Can we please embrace snaps and flatpaks, and get a "base" Linux install, with all user apps installed this way.
Ananace May 16, 2019
Quoting: Luke_NukemHmm, I'd like to see DRM free games be released using either snap or flatpak now, even better would be Valve incorporating one of those in to Steam.

Seriously... several dozen distros. All packaging the same user apps and games, just differently, for a massive duplication of effort. Can we please embrace snaps and flatpaks, and get a "base" Linux install, with all user apps installed this way.

Well, Valve are already incorporating Flatpak into their SteamOS since a while back, for installing desktop-mode applications.
They've also answered earlier questions/comments about having been looking into technologies like such.

So while I doubt we'll see Steam games becoming Flatpak/snap packages, I wouldn't be surprised if Steam starts adopting some features from Flatpak (or snap), if only to further reduce the work game makers have to do to support Linux.
einherjar May 17, 2019
Hi Liam,

could you reach out for the devs to ask them these two questions:

* Could they consider officially supporting SteamPlay/Proton?
As it is in Early Access and gets lots of updates, the risk to break it on Steamplay is not that low...

* How much Linux sales do they have?
As much as you advertise this game, it would be very interesting ;-)

thanks and best regards

_einherjar

PS: I like it, that you make articles like this :-)
DMG May 17, 2019
Quoting: liamdawe
Quoting: Alm888And what it has to do with gaming on Linux, again?

Is launching any random Windows game through WINE worthy of a news article?
Do us all a favour and add Steam Play to your list of blocked tags in the UserCP, I'm tired of answering this rubbish. Steam Play is here, it's a thing. GamingOnLinux will get left in the dust if it doesn't cover it, we're moving with the times, take it or leave it.

Always will be someone, who do not like something. It's just life. But I like your articles, so keep writing. And I like to find new interesting games, even if they work only on steam play. So far I played on steam play only "Life is Feudal: Forest Village".
rustybroomhandle May 17, 2019
Unfortunately former Mojang guy Daniel Kaplan at Coffee Stain is really negative about Linux.
Liam Dawe May 17, 2019
Quoting: rustybroomhandleUnfortunately former Mojang guy Daniel Kaplan at Coffee Stain is really negative about Linux.
Not really sure how that's in any way related?
rustybroomhandle May 17, 2019
Quoting: liamdawe
Quoting: rustybroomhandleUnfortunately former Mojang guy Daniel Kaplan at Coffee Stain is really negative about Linux.
Not really sure how that's in any way related?

Oh woops, that was meant to be a response to @einherjar regarding asking they'd consider officially supporting SteamPlay/Proton. This is not super likely to happen.
Alm888 May 17, 2019
Quoting: liamdaweDo us all a favour and add Steam Play to your list of blocked tags…
I refuse.
Quoting: liamdaweI'm tired of answering this rubbish.
I did not insult anyone by using the "rubbish" word. But if you insist, then fine, this whole "news" is trash, IMO.
Quoting: liamdaweSteam Play is here, it's a thing.
Does not serve as an excuse for the advertisement of the Windows-exclusive game.
Quoting: liamdaweGamingOnLinux will get left in the dust if it doesn't cover it…
This "news" doesn't cover "Steam Play"™. It is a shameless Windows-exclusive game advertisement.
Liam Dawe May 17, 2019
Quoting: Alm888
Quoting: liamdaweDo us all a favour and add Steam Play to your list of blocked tags…
I refuse.
Warning given, see your PM.

Quoting: Alm888
Quoting: liamdaweI'm tired of answering this rubbish.
I did not insult anyone by using the "rubbish" word. But if you insist, then fine, this whole "news" is trash, IMO..
If it's trash, don't read it. Jeezus, it's not rocket science.

Quoting: Alm888
Quoting: liamdaweSteam Play is here, it's a thing.
Does not serve as an excuse for the advertisement of the Windows-exclusive game.
Quoting: liamdaweGamingOnLinux will get left in the dust if it doesn't cover it…
This "news" doesn't cover "Steam Play"™. It is a shameless Windows-exclusive game advertisement.
It's like you don't even have the tiniest clue what Steam Play is. This is already way past being ridiculous.

To anyone else, keep making comments like this and you will be placed into a mod queue. I'm done with it.
Nanobang May 17, 2019
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Quoting: scaine... I get out my drop-pod after joining a game, I hit V, my character hefts their axe and shouts "Rock and stone, brother" and almost immediately, everyone else present will hit V and I'll get a chorus of "For Caaaaal", or "Rock and stone to the bone!" back at me. It's just pretty goddam awesome.

Although I bought it some time ago on sale, I've been holding off on playing DRG so it would still be fresh when it came out of Early Access. This little tidbit about saluting upon entering a game speaks volumes about the culture of gamers playing this game. I don't think I can wait any longer. It's time to install this puppy and get Dwarfish.
Liam Dawe May 17, 2019
Quoting: Nanobang
Quoting: scaine... I get out my drop-pod after joining a game, I hit V, my character hefts their axe and shouts "Rock and stone, brother" and almost immediately, everyone else present will hit V and I'll get a chorus of "For Caaaaal", or "Rock and stone to the bone!" back at me. It's just pretty goddam awesome.

Although I bought it some time ago on sale, I've been holding off on playing DRG so it would still be fresh when it came out of Early Access. This little tidbit about saluting upon entering a game speaks volumes about the culture of gamers playing this game. I don't think I can wait any longer. It's time to install this puppy and get Dwarfish.
I can echo Scaine's thought on that, I've often played a mission or two, then told people in the text chat I was off and I usually see replies of "thanks for playing" and so on. The community does seem really nice in it, makes it all the better to play. Haven't found one single idiot in it yet, very surprising.
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