Some fun news here. ZOOM Platform, a games store that offers DRM-free games both new and old (as well as helping update some older games) now offers a special tool for Linux gamers to run Windows games with Proton.
This new tool called zoom-platform.sh was built to include "safety checks, handling updates, installing DLCs, creating desktop entries, a simple uninstaller" and more. It's based on top of the new Unified Linux Wine Game Launcher (UMU) that recently had a first release, along with protonfixes to ensure everything works as well as possible.
How many games from ZOOM Platform will work with this new tool? They said "We tested our most popular games, and we submitted our own fixes for many of them; some work out of the box, and some may not work at all." - so pretty normal stuff for running Windows games on Linux with Wine / Proton.
ZOOM Platform do offer actual Native Linux games too, but this gives you the best of both worlds. They also recently celebrated their 10th anniversary of the ZOOM Platform.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Some you may have missed, popular articles from the last month:
All posts need to follow our rules. For users logged in: please hit the Report Flag icon on any post that breaks the rules or contains illegal / harmful content. Guest readers can email us for any issues.
20 comments
blindcoder Oct 8
I have never heard of this platform before. Sounds like GOG, when it was still "Good Old Games".
I'll have a look, thanks!
I'll have a look, thanks!
14 Likes, Who?
First time I'm hearing about ZOOM. Nevertheless, it's super awesome that independent platforms/stores have much lower threshold to building their own launchers. Especially now with UMU!
9 Likes, Who?
curl zoom-platform.sh | shThat does not seem safe at all. We already have flatpack, snap and co that let dev bypass distro packaging but `curl ... | sh` feel a bit extreme.
I'm still hapy to discover a new Linux tool and platform through. Thanks Liam.
5 Likes, Who?
ContainerRunner Oct 8
curl zoom-platform.sh | sh
That does not seem safe at all. We already have flatpack, snap and co that let dev bypass distro packaging but `curl ... | sh` feel a bit extreme.
I'm still happy to discover a new Linux tool and platform through. Thanks Liam.
This appears to be only a shell tool/wrapper for proton. Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know Flatpaks are used for GUI applications. Although I have seen projects like Sunshine (Remote Game streaming) use it too, but that project distributes it only over GitHub released .flatpakref files and seems to be an exception. Yes, snaps support both (e.g. Nextcloud servers), however it's not really widespread.
Integrating it into graphical installers like Heroic or Lutris would be far better, but it's a good start. I love to see some competitions between the stores.
Last edited by ContainerRunner on 8 October 2024 at 2:27 pm UTC
0 Likes
Wow that didn't take long hahah!!! UMU is a few days old and there's already projects releasing stuff with it. Incredible.
12 Likes, Who?
Linux_Rocks Oct 8
I didn't care for Bernie Stolar, but Zoom Platform was the only way to buy older Duke Nukem games. Glad to see that they're doing cool stuff though. I'd also like to see Zoom Platform support on Heroic. Cause it'll just make accessing those games easier.
3 Likes, Who?
Hm. Ok. First download script. Hm. Licensed under the bsd 3 license. Ok. Ow. Binary encoded into script source. Ah. It's Innoextract. To extract Windoze installers.
Heh. They hook into lutris.net to get the available runners. Like dxvk or umu. They use it to get umu.
Hm. Support method. Support method. Etc. Etc.
Usage switches. How to use the script.
Unpack innoextract to tmp.
Check if umu is installed. If not download from lutris source.
Show dialog if no installer was specified.
Check file permissions.
Check for zoom guid. That's the game Id.
Set inno app ID.
Check if installer is for dlc.
Let user select path.
Show message if destination is not writable.
Some prefix validation.
Check destination is empty or not existent.
Write some stuff into c drive of prefix.
Write some stuff into prefix registry.
Launch installer.
Log file stuff during install.
Icons, Uninstaller etc.
That's basically it.
Heh. They hook into lutris.net to get the available runners. Like dxvk or umu. They use it to get umu.
Hm. Support method. Support method. Etc. Etc.
Usage switches. How to use the script.
Unpack innoextract to tmp.
Check if umu is installed. If not download from lutris source.
Show dialog if no installer was specified.
Check file permissions.
Check for zoom guid. That's the game Id.
Set inno app ID.
Check if installer is for dlc.
Let user select path.
Show message if destination is not writable.
Some prefix validation.
Check destination is empty or not existent.
Write some stuff into c drive of prefix.
Write some stuff into prefix registry.
Launch installer.
Log file stuff during install.
Icons, Uninstaller etc.
That's basically it.
13 Likes, Who?
They really have to prop up their marketing - i also never heard of them. After such an announcement, i'll keep a close eye on them though ^^
5 Likes, Who?
PublicNuisance Oct 8
I'm sure it will help somebody but in this case I doubt i'd use it. I'd treat it like GOG and use Wine and HGL instead.
0 Likes
ZOOM is the only platform that still has the old releases of Duke Nukem 1, 2, 3D and Manhattan Project. They're packaged with all the expansions and 3D has some community additions as well, it's pretty nice.
8 Likes, Who?
This is great. Now GOG when? If ZOOM can do it, I'm sure you can too!
Last edited by Cyril on 8 October 2024 at 5:42 pm UTC
Last edited by Cyril on 8 October 2024 at 5:42 pm UTC
4 Likes, Who?
Oh yeah, wasn't Zoom the store that marketed itself with having "boomer shooters"? Man, it's been a while since they launched, hasn't it.
1 Likes, Who?
never heard of it, is this website legit? it has some... suspicious titles...
https://www.zoom-platform.com/product/larry-lotter-and-the-test-of-time
https://www.zoom-platform.com/product/larry-lotter-and-the-test-of-time
0 Likes
ContainerRunner Oct 8
never heard of it, is this website legit? it has some... suspicious titles...
https://www.zoom-platform.com/product/larry-lotter-and-the-test-of-time
A little search shows that this game is even on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/551840/Crystal_Shard_Adventure_Bundle/
Maybe the title is too small to get sued and then it's between the game publisher and the copyright owner and not the store.
Last edited by ContainerRunner on 8 October 2024 at 8:47 pm UTC
3 Likes, Who?
pleasereadthemanual Oct 8
Pretty cool to see ZOOM doing something similar to Steam and itch. See, GOG—it's not hard...now you're the odd one out!
I would trust rustup far more though.
Flathub hides most CLI tools from its interface so you need to download/search them via the flatpak CLI tool.
That does not seem safe at all.Wait until you see rustup does the exact same thing: https://rustup.rs
I would trust rustup far more though.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know Flatpaks are used for GUI applications.Sure, they generally are! But you can use them for CLI tools just the same so long as they don't need privileged access to certain things some CLI system admin tools expect. In the end it's really just a long-lived container, after all.
Although I have seen projects like Sunshine (Remote Game streaming) use it too, but that project distributes it only over GitHub released .flatpakref files and seems to be an exception.I created a Flatpak for my own Python download script and for a CLI news feed reader, and there's one for the MakeMKV CLI tool, and there's one for Neovim on Flathub, so there's plenty out there!
Flathub hides most CLI tools from its interface so you need to download/search them via the flatpak CLI tool.
6 Likes, Who?
This is great. Now GOG when? If ZOOM can do it, I'm sure you can too!
Gog? Linux? Let's check their interest level in such a thing:
- Galaxy 1 launches - community wishlist post for linux support gets thousands of votes. Never happens.
- Galaxy 2 launches - community wishlist post for linux support gets thousands of votes. Never happens.
- Galaxy 3 hasn't even launched yet but - community wishlist post for linux support gets thousands of votes.
They have zero interest in us.
4 Likes, Who?
BlackBloodRum Oct 10
Used them a few times, good store so far! I got me Race Driver: GRID (Original grid) that was DRM free and had a bunch of fixes (Just as well, can't buy it anymore!), along side FO:UC. Can't complain! Both have worked great! 
1 Likes, Who?
Same.
They've been around for 10 years and we've never heard of them.
Maybe because they're the other, OTHER, Zoom.
I'm very interested; it is great to have another Linux-friendly platform!
....that will probably be the successor to GOG.
They've been around for 10 years and we've never heard of them.
Maybe because they're the other, OTHER, Zoom.
I'm very interested; it is great to have another Linux-friendly platform!
....that will probably be the successor to GOG.
I have never heard of this platform before. Sounds like GOG, when it was still "Good Old Games".
I'll have a look, thanks!
1 Likes, Who?
Same.
They've been around for 10 years and we've never heard of them.
Maybe because they're the other, OTHER, Zoom.
I'm very interested; it is great to have another Linux-friendly platform!
....that will probably be the successor to GOG.
I have never heard of this platform before. Sounds like GOG, when it was still "Good Old Games".
I'll have a look, thanks!
The Other Zoom doesn't exist, we don't talk about it...
1 Likes, Who?
Patreon
PayPal
See more from me