Dwarf Fortress on Steam now officially available for Linux

I don't play dwarf fortress, but whats the difference with the steam release and the free version?
The free it's on text mode but you can have graphics with themes.

FOR THE GLORY OF BOATMURDERED!

It's also on Itch.io for those interested.

It didn't download the native release for me automatically, I had to force the "Steam Linux Runtime" compatibility tool. This forces the Scout runtime, or "Steam Linux Runtime 1.0" as it is now called, which is generally useful for many native Linux titles and is enforced by default on SteamOS for Steam Deck Verified native titles.

In case anyone is having difficulty, this worked for me, though hopefully the devs can address it for anyone that doesn't want to use the Steam Linux Runtime. If you're unsure of whether it's using the Windows or Linux version, aside from startup times which are faster for the native release, the game files are the giveaway - You should see '.so' library files and a standard Linux executable instead of an EXE and DLLs for the Windows release.

Following on from some testing I did with the beta, I tested out this release with SDL_VIDEODRIVER=wayland. The only two issues I could find in *very* brief testing were a scaling issue with the background image on the main menu, and also the game opened on the wrong monitor - a common thing with SDL2 Wayland games, but it was fixed by simply Alt+Dragging the window to the correct monitor. Interestingly this also happens if I run the game natively at 4k with KDE Plasma's "Apply Scaling Themselves" option, so rather than a Wayland fault it could just be the game.

Any Wayland users who are interested can give this a go. It may also be worth reporting issues you find to the devs or if relevant, upstream to the SDL folks. I'll probably test it out in future with this option.


Last edited by sonic2kk on 19 September 2023 at 7:53 pm UTC

I don't play dwarf fortress, but whats the difference with the steam release and the free version?
The free it's on text mode but you can have graphics with themes.

As far as I can tell, it is the just graphics. The control scheme is still the new style, which is a lot more mouse-oriented than the old style.

I've not tested whether tilesets can still be used in the new versions, but you've been able to use tilesets in DF since... 2008? So if that's been locked behind a paywall I'd be surprised.

It didn't download the native release for me automatically

Just tried the steam version and yeah, same here. Even after uninstalling and reinstalling.


Last edited by WorMzy on 19 September 2023 at 9:01 pm UTC

It didn't download the native release for me automatically, I had to force the "Steam Linux Runtime" compatibility tool. This forces the Scout runtime, or "Steam Linux Runtime 1.0" as it is now called, which is generally useful for many native Linux titles and is enforced by default on SteamOS for Steam Deck Verified native titles.

Same thing happened to me on Ubuntu, but forcing 'Steam Linux Runtime' indeed did the trick. Thanks.

Is DF faster on Linux native than Windows now for same fort? Linux will be compiled on opensource GCC or Clang. Windows will be proprietary Microsoft MSVC 20xx. Worth making an article if it is, as DF is used for benchmarking CPU by major sites like AnandTech.

Liam:..working in parallel on different parts of the game like the adventure mode

Yeah, I think a lot of media for steam didn't really mention DF project is trying to create simulated worlds you can interact with like a holodeck from Trek with lots of modes of interaction. And fort mode is just one where you play as a central planner. Eventually DF will even have a mode where you play as a deity.

Dwarf Fortress is amazing, and made by probably the smartest person in the gaming industry. Tarn Adams has a PHD in math and was apparently the best math major at his university without needing to take notes [1].

Jordicoma:..difference with the steam release and the free version. The free it's on text mode but you can have graphics with themes

Just the "premium" art and music pack.
The free version can be modded with graphics/music. But IIRC most modders are holding off releasing tilesets to make sure devs get enough money. The Steam release was only done due to health concerns and lack of free healthcare in US[2].
That's also the reason why DF is not already released as opensource. Devs are quite opensource friendly otherwise from what I read. They've said if they were financially secure to pay living costs and retirements etc. they'd actually go opensource, and give away unneeded money [3] - DF is set to become FOSS under the care of the Museum of Modern Art if anything untoward happens to them [4].

If you're thinking of trying the premium or free version, most info is on the Dwarf Fortress wiki. DF hack is a mod bundled along with the install and has a lot of tools and extra UI for information. Ideally DF is supposed to be played by deciding on what type of adventure you want to have, then generating worlds with detailed options, evolving it while looking through faction setup and legends mode to see what's going on in detail for inspiration for goals, selecting the best world, and then finding an embark site that looks best.

There are good youtube tutorials, Dwarf Fortress news & dev interviews by BlindIrl. DasTactic has a DF playlist where he goes through thought processes for each action. Kruggsmash does playthroughs with custom illustration and music that show some of the narratives DF can make. JustDon'tDie is also good.


Last edited by Nim8 on 19 September 2023 at 9:47 pm UTC

Yeah, I think a lot of media for steam didn't really mention DF project is trying to ...

This comment should have become an article on GoL. Thanks for all the information!


Last edited by Eike on 20 September 2023 at 6:26 am UTC

Instabought on Itch, thanks devs!

Just a small update to my previous comment: Dwarf Fortress will now automatically download the native Linux release. At the time of my comment, the store page did not even list Linux+SteamOS as a supported platform, so I assume this change just took a little while to propagate.

The correct version should now be downloaded with or without the Steam Linux Runtime. Disabling the the forced Steam Linux Runtime compatibility tool won't re-download the game either, so you can safely disable it. If you have any issues with the native port, you can always switch back to using the Steam Linux Runtime.

Windows will be proprietary Microsoft MSVC 20xx

I might misremember, but didn't Toady switch to clang++ for the Windows built too, back when df was ported to 64bit?

I might misremember, but didn't Toady switch to clang++ for the Windows built too, back when df was ported to 64bit?

Tarn uses Visual Studio, from what I remember from interviews on Blind's channel (by Tarn , Putnam ) recently and, 2021-ish interviews on stackoverflow on how Tarn manages a codebase that's 700,000+ lines of C/C++. He could be doing release builds with an external compiler like Clang. But I doubt it, as Putnam, the new programmer and former assembly level DF modder, mentioned having to clear up things related to switching compilers when porting to Linux - and I doubt it was a Clang to GCC switch.

If Liam has access to both Windows 10/11 and Linux OSes on the same machine, it will be worth an article if there's a measurable difference. If compiler flags are set well for both builds, any difference could be due to compiler and/or OS efficiency. GPU isn't likely to bottleneck FPS on DF.

DF is used in benchmarks by major CPU reviewers like this or this.

That sites' benchmarks seem to use the time taken for world generation with about 250-500 years of evolution (same seeds helps). But trying the same large-ish fort and comparing FPS without input will also work e.g. fort saves from DF file depot. Worldgen benchmarks should give pretty much the same results in the free Classic versions as Premium, as rendering is mostly irrelevant, if Liam doesn't have DF. Future benchmarks will probably use Classic for ease of access. The exact release matters, as new versions are being optimised.