Two bits of major news to cover for the Steam Play Proton compatibility layer, with some exciting major changes coming in with updates. Don't know what Steam Play Proton is? Go take a look at our dedicated page.
Firstly, if you have an AMD GPU and you don't mind grabbing the latest development code for the Mesa graphics drivers - Cyberpunk 2077 should actually work on Linux with the new Proton 5.13-4 release. Valve developer Pierre-Loup Griffais mentioned that CD PROJEKT RED allowed them some early testing time to get the work done for both vkd3d (the Direct3D 12 to Vulkan layer) and radv (the AMD Mesa Vulkan driver). As an NVIDIA GPU owner, this makes me quite jealous as it seems my only other current choice on Linux is Stadia or GeForce NOW (unofficially - until later in 2021).
Additionally, there's now also a new Proton Experimental branch available which has the start of major architectural changes to Wine. This brings with it a plan to reduce CPU overhead and improve performance in scenarios related to input and windowing. Seems Proton Experimental is an additional version of Proton, so you would install it along side the other versions currently available for this compatibility tool.
You can find the Proton changelog here.
Need help and / or tech support? Be sure to check out our dedicated Forum.
Wow, Linux gaming has really made giant strides lately! Some years ago we were just happy when a native AAA title like XCom 2 or Civ V got a native port. Nowadays native ports are out of the question and we are happy if a game *may* run ok in Linux using a compatibility layer tied to a specific store and only if you have a specific vendor gpu. Amazing progress!
Tied to a specific store? You do realize that Wine as a project predates Valve and Steam on Linux by a good few years, right?
And you do realize that Valve upstreams all their work to Wine proper, so Linux gamers benefit regardless of if they're using Steam or not (in fact I myself am not, I use good ole system-wide installed Wine)?
And you do realize that most often, due to various reasons that are not of relevance here, Windows games running on Wine are much more hassle-free than Linux native games, due not to some kind of special incompetence on the part of the people making them but due to the lackluster graphics/audio/input/etc Linux stack?
And you do realize that Nvidia not being as good as AMD on Linux is due to Nvidia's stubbornness and/or indifference towards Linux, and not due to some inherent flaw of Proton?
And finally, you do realize that being on a platform of less than 1%, you are in no way entitled to demand anything?
Gee, when did the Linux community become so full of itself?
Last edited by Nocifer on 10 December 2020 at 3:37 pm UTC
you can always resort to oibaf ppa
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:oibaf/graphics-drivers
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
A BIG thank you!
With Mesa 21 from this PPA black environment graphical bugs are gone, everything seems good.
Thank you again!
Some years ago we were just happy when a native AAA title like XCom 2 or Civ V got a native port. Nowadays native ports are out of the question and we are happy if a game *may* run ok in Linux using a compatibility layer
Yes, that is the harsh reality, which I see quite a lot of people have problems to come to terms with. Your point?
To add salt to the wound, if the companies behind those games did not think SteamOS is gonna be a big thing, we would have never gotten those ports, no matter how many of us would throw a tantrum.
On more positive side, said compatibility layer has come a long way and nowadays, it is usually question of when a game will run ok, instead of if.
Thanks for the script again, but it's proved too difficult for me. After resolving some issues I ended with a long log that ends with
The script is made for recent Debian testing (it can work on unstable too I suppose). So it should be OK if you are using Debian. It's not guaranteed to work with other distros, you'd need to adapt it to your needs. But it gives you the idea how to do it.
Last edited by Shmerl on 10 December 2020 at 3:48 pm UTC
The Stadia port was done by QLOC fwiw, not by CDPR themselves.
I wonder how the hell they even made this broken mess of a game work on there. The only reason it doesn't work on Nvidia with vkd3d-proton right now is because it's so buggy that we need a Vulkan extension that works around these bugs by chance, since it more closely resembles native D3D12 behaviour than our previous implementation without that extension. It's that bad.
Interesting and it's too bad CDPR still don't have Linux developers in-house. Such big company shouldn't be cheap about it, by outsourcing their work.
By the way, I noticed the game has a blinking issue, like in the bar where lights are flickering, the whole screen filckers (i.e. periodic black frames appearing I suppose). Is that the bug in the game or vkd3d-proton problem? I can open a bug report probably.
Last edited by Shmerl on 10 December 2020 at 3:59 pm UTC
it's so buggy that we need a Vulkan extension that works around these bugs by chance, since it more closely resembles native D3D12 behaviour than our previous implementation without that extension. It's that bad.
I suppose the game code can change with their updates throughout next year, so there might be a lot of catching up because of this.
Proton, Steam Play?! GG :D
Pay $60 and you will got $10 product because no RTX, no DLSS, no perfect performance, Proton just runs that game with low FPS and also no one knows how many times that low FPS goes to 0 when game will be updated.
Damn! Absofuckinlutely smart marketing from CD Project.
I'm not dumb to buy that sh*t. Yes, sh*t, because you are paying same as Windows users and getting maximum 25% quality compared Windows users.
Since i know RTX and DLSS are from your graphic card. You mean that 90% of its price comes from this features from your videocard? what about history? gameplay? and a long etc.. what will think CD project after 7 years of hard work that only 10% of its price is from their work XD
What you think of players that buy it on a ps4? they are scammed also?
If you want to irritate people use good arguments atleast.
Interesting and it's too bad CDPR still don't have Linux developers in-house. Such big company shouldn't be cheap about it, by outsourcing their work.You realize that you just called Valve a cheap company? They outsource most (or all?) of their Linux work.
Interesting and it's too bad CDPR still don't have Linux developers in-house. Such big company shouldn't be cheap about it, by outsourcing their work.You realize that you just called Valve a cheap company? They outsource most (or all?) of their Linux work.
Pretty sure that the main driving force behind Valve's Linux work is in house. What's outsourced? Or are you conflating sponsoring Collabora and Codeweavers work with outsourcing?
Nowadays native ports are out of the question and we are happy if a game *may* run ok in Linux using a compatibility layer tied to a specific store and only if you have a specific vendor gpu. Amazing progress!
It's because you're looking this situation in the wrong way,Linux gamers are actually happy to using a compatibility layer tied to a specific store and only if you have a specific vendor gpu from not working in Linux in any way at all!
Also I'd like to use the opportunity of this hot topic to remind us all that before start to demand linux native games, we should first start to demand Vulkan native games, so layers like Wine/DXVK could work better and developers could be one step ahead of supporting us natively in the future.
It's not just Windows OS that keep developers out of Linux, it's DirectX too
Interesting and it's too bad CDPR still don't have Linux developers in-house. Such big company shouldn't be cheap about it, by outsourcing their work.You realize that you just called Valve a cheap company? They outsource most (or all?) of their Linux work.
I believe shmerl was referring to CDPR being cheap, since the port wasn't done internally, not Valve.
Never heard of QLOC but it seems they had their hands on quite a few games. Either way I'm not in a rush for this game so by the time I get to play it, it will most likely be better optimized and runs close to native in vkd3d.
They're not reviewing the game. They're reviewing its potential.
So again, it's a "no, thanks" from me. Maybe I'll pick it up for a fiver in a few years, like I did with Prey.
You realize that you just called Valve a cheap company? They outsource most (or all?) of their Linux work.
Valve outsources things and then finds maintainers for that work. It's different from outsource and forget that's common for gaming studios. My point is, CDPR don't have any Linux expertise in house still apparently.
Last edited by Shmerl on 10 December 2020 at 5:50 pm UTC
Wow, Linux gaming has really made giant strides lately! Some years ago we were just happy when a native AAA title like XCom 2 or Civ V got a native port. Nowadays native ports are out of the question and we are happy if a game *may* run ok in Linux using a compatibility layer tied to a specific store and only if you have a specific vendor gpu. Amazing progress!
Actually, it is a real progress. When CivV and XCom2 got a Linux port, there were only a few AAA games playable on Linux. Wine was there but was a real option only for DX9 titles, and not even all. DXVK was a real game changer. The days of the AAA native ports are probably over, but there is now far more AAA games playable on Linux that there never was.
This is amazing, Valve have done it again :)
I will wait until Jan or so, to finish other games and see whether someone gives me the game for Christmas but otherwise, I'm pretty hyped with the game (it doesn't happen often)
Would be great if with my Ryzen 5 2600 and Radeon 5700 settings can be set to medium and 2K resolution. I know, probably not even close haha.
Indeed, someone got it for me for Christmas. Good thing I didn't buy it then :D
I have to say, the reviews for this game are atrocious.
I think when the Witcher 3 came out, it also was getting patches quite frequently. So I'm not surprised. It's recommended to wait until things slow down with patching a bit.
Pretty sure that the main driving force behind Valve's Linux work is in house. What's outsourced?I think everything that is of interest: DXVK (I think a freelancer), Proton (CodeWeavers), anything kernel related & as far as I know even the Steam runtime (Collabora). Correct me if I'm wrong, but just check the contributors on https://github.com/ValveSoftware.
Or are you conflating sponsoring Collabora and Codeweavers work with outsourcing?Of course, isn't it the definition of outsourcing: Paying someone else to do the work (in contrast to hire or train someone to do the work "in-house"). There is no difference to CDPR paying QLOC to do the port (though I think that Google paid CDPR that they're "allowed to pay" QLOC).
I believe shmerl was referring to CDPR being cheap, since the port wasn't done internally, not Valve.Yes, I know what was written. And I'm pointing out, that Valve is just as "cheap" since they're a big-company and outsource most of their Linux work, too.
Valve outsources things and then finds maintainers for that work. It's different from outsource and forget that's common for gaming studios.I don't see your point. All of the mentioned projects are, as far as I can tell, still maintained by 3rd parties and I would assume that Valve is paying for that. And it doesn't change that the projects were not started by Valve in-house. But at least you admit that Valve is "cheap" & outsources their projects.
My point is, CDPR don't have any Linux expertise in house still apparently.Again, I don't see your point: Why would they? They don't develop Linux games. Valve is, in contrast, investing a lot of Linux technology but they still outsource the work. I don't see any reason - except badmouthing - to call CDPR cheap for a common practice.
I don't see your point. All of the mentioned projects are, as far as I can tell, still maintained by 3rd parties and
Then do some research. Gaming studios which outsource Linux ports often drop support for them because they have no one left to support them. Larian, Croteam, etc.
Last edited by Shmerl on 10 December 2020 at 6:49 pm UTC
Gee, when did the Linux community become so full of itself?
Do you realize that I'm not the "Linux community"?
Gee, I didn't want to upset you and the other vulkan/proton/wine/dxvk/steam/amd/mesa/git crusaders, sorry!
I was just venting that I can't play a game I was looking forward to, and maybe pondering how the "Linux (gaming) community" (if indeed there is such a thing) is nowadays virtually invisible to developers and publishers, hidden behind the sweet sweet proton veil. Have fun with your game guys!
Do you realize that I too was venting about "the Linux community" because you are hardly the first Linux user (not even the first person on this article thread) acting like this? It's not personal.
Anyway, venting is one thing, but if you were looking forward to a game that has been known since forever that it's for Windows only, but at the same time refuse to play it via Wine and instead whine about it not being available on Linux, then it's kind of your own fault.
Also, the Linux gaming community has always been invisible to all but a few rare individuals, and in fact it only exists today because of two key times in its history: when a company called Valve decided to actively help develop Wine and promote Linux as a gaming platform, and when a guy who loved Nier:Automata decided to stop whining about it not being available on Linux and to instead do something about it; and he created DXVK. The rest is history (and the future).
So yay! :-). Who needs CP77 when they finally can play Haven!? ;-)
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