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PayPalIt's been a strange few days for Palworld on Steam Deck. Originally it was rated Steam Deck Playable, then after the major Feybreak update Valve set it as Steam Deck Unsupported and now it's back to Steam Deck Playable again.
We still don't know what happened. Valve's Deck Verified system is quite the mystery on why exactly they tag each game as they do. When a game is set as Steam Deck Unsupported, it rarely actually says why other than very specific times where the anti-cheat is clearly not enabled or the graphics cannot be set to perform well enough.
So here we are again! 3 days after Valve set it as Unsupported, it's now rated Steam Deck Playable again. However, Valve do clearly list multiple issues with it including:
- Some functionality is not accessible when using the default controller configuration, requiring use of the touchscreen or virtual keyboard, or a community configuration.
- This game sometimes shows mouse, keyboard, or non-Steam-Deck controller icons.
- Entering some text requires manually invoking the on-screen keyboard.
- Some in-game text is small and may be difficult to read.
- This game requires manual configuration of graphics settings to perform well on Steam Deck.
- This game does not default to external Bluetooth/USB controllers on Deck, and may require manually switching the active controller via the Quick Access Menu.
Even when a game is set as Steam Deck Unsupported, it doesn't always mean it won't run at all, just that Valve for some reason don't recommend it.
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After the update Palworld continues to see a lot of players jumping in with a 24 hour peak concurrent count of 198,212 players. We're still waiting to see what happens from the Nintendo lawsuit though, as there's been no official update since November last year.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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I know there's so many games on Steam that implementing this would be infeasible, I'd honestly prefer if rather than these rather broad compatibility statements, they just had a little blurb that outlined any particular issues. Given that I've played stuff on Deck that feels like it should (or shouldn't) have the tag that it does though, I suppose that might just be asking for too much.
Also, entirely unrelated but for anyone trying to log in and realizing that social media login options have been removed: Just hit the forgot your password button and you can get set back up. If you're still logged in, you can request a password from your user profile in the upper right. Custom avatars are limited. I'm sure Liam will have a dedicated post about this but I figured I'd just share the info along in case it helps. :) Happy new year, all.
Also, entirely unrelated but for anyone trying to log in and realizing that social media login options have been removed: Just hit the forgot your password button and you can get set back up. If you're still logged in, you can request a password from your user profile in the upper right. Custom avatars are limited. I'm sure Liam will have a dedicated post about this but I figured I'd just share the info along in case it helps. :) Happy new year, all.
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TheRiddick a day ago
Be nice if the developer could work on a steam prefix to resolve these minor issues.
Like it detects steam deck usage and applies tweaks to config and UI etc...
Like it detects steam deck usage and applies tweaks to config and UI etc...
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What's the point of those labels if they change willy-nilly?
I will keep hammering on this point: anything short of a label with which the developers can indicate official and legally binding support for proton and/or the deck is insufficient.
I will keep hammering on this point: anything short of a label with which the developers can indicate official and legally binding support for proton and/or the deck is insufficient.
1 Likes, Who?
pleasereadthemanual a day ago
I will keep hammering on this point: anything short of a label with which the developers can indicate official and legally binding support for proton and/or the deck is insufficient.There is a point: you can tell what games will work on the Steam Deck before buying them. It's not a guarantee of future support, and the "verified" wording could lead to some confusion. It has the same value as ProtonDB, which is superior to Valve's Verified system because it's more up-to-date and crowdreported.
I agree that there should be a separate rating system that indicates the developer's level of support for the platform. But it should not be legally binding, because nobody would do it and I don't think it's fair.
1 Likes, Who?
benstor214 a day ago
What's the point of those labels if they change willy-nilly?Would you prefer games staying on 'verified' even after they changed their anit-cheat and blocking all Steam Deck users?
These labels need to be reactive to stay informative, less they become 'this game was somewhat playable some time in the last 3 years'.
3 Likes, Who?
I wouldn't say ProtonDB was actually superior as some think. A lot of ratings are complete nosense on it, some even have completely made-up environment variables and all sorts. Both rating types have their downsides.
Deck Verified is a vitally important thing though, because there *needs* to be something for the "normies" that don't dive into Reddit comments or ProtonDB.
Deck Verified is a vitally important thing though, because there *needs* to be something for the "normies" that don't dive into Reddit comments or ProtonDB.
1 Likes, Who?
pleasereadthemanual a day ago
I wouldn't say ProtonDB was actually superior as some think. A lot of ratings are complete nosense on it, some even have completely made-up environment variables and all sorts. Both rating types have their downsides.I wouldn't say it's as black-and-white as I initially described it, but the real value of ProtonDB is description. The reports tell you exactly what works and what doesn't (assuming the previous guy or gal has answered the questions studiously), and they contain something vitally important to the committed Linux users: Tweaks and Tips. You can also find those in the Proton thread for the game on Github, but I've found the report structure ProtonDB enforces results in more useful reports you can scan quickly.
I always do reports for both ProtonDB and in the Proton Github thread (or even open a new thread).
I agree that having a nice rating in the Steam store and in your library is really important. But I'd also love to see a separate badge if the developer officially supports the Proton build (for whatever it's worth).
Actually, what I'd really love to see is when you click the badge, it has a link for "More Information" and takes you straight to the Github issue for that game. Or if it doesn't exist, it creates one! Hard to imagine how you'd programmatically link the Github issue, but I want it.
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I agree that there should be a separate rating system that indicates the developer's level of support for the platform. But it should not be legally binding, because nobody would do it and I don't think it's fair.Whatever level of support you promise at the time of purchase, you're bound to provide. Otherwise you'll be breaking consumer protection laws. At least in the EU. There's nothing Valve can do to make these promises legally non-binding, and I think that's how it should be.
Obviously limited support is fine (for software), as long as you disclose it properly on the store page.
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pleasereadthemanual 16 hours ago
Whatever level of support you promise at the time of purchase, you're bound to provide. Otherwise you'll be breaking consumer protection laws. At least in the EU. There's nothing Valve can do to make these promises legally non-binding, and I think that's how it should be.So what about in the cases of:
1. Rocket League, which provided macOS and Linux versions in 2016, but cancelled them in 2020?
2. Portal 2, where the native version is broken on Wayland with fractional scaling?
3. Several unnamed indie games where the game won't launch because the library versions are too old/new?
Most developers have limited control over the engine they're using, so they may not even be able to fix an issue with the Linux version. Take Heart of the Machine for example: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2023/08/heart-of-the-machine-from-arcen-games-dropping-native-linux-for-proton/
Unity just writes worse Vulkan calls than DXVK; nothing to be done.
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First of all, enforcement won't happen unless someone makes a complaint to a consumer protection authority. And even then, software gets more leeway than let's say hardware or electronic devices in general when it comes to level or duration of support.
I do get your point, but I doubt this would put them in trouble. Mostly due to the age of the game.
BTW: Does gamescope solve the problem? If it does, that seems like a reasonable fix.
PS: I'm no lawyer, just a consumer protection enthusiast.
1. Rocket League, which provided macOS and Linux versions in 2016, but cancelled them in 2020?They offered refunds to every Linux player, no questions asked. I know, I was one of the people who refunded the game after hundreds of hours of playtime. That seems reasonable to me, and I feel like authorities would agree.
2. Portal 2, where the native version is broken on Wayland with fractional scaling?That seems like a corner case that didn't even exist when Portal 2 was launched. It's an old game after all, and they still list Ubuntu 12.04 in the system requirements.
I do get your point, but I doubt this would put them in trouble. Mostly due to the age of the game.BTW: Does gamescope solve the problem? If it does, that seems like a reasonable fix.
3. Several unnamed indie games where the game won't launch because the library versions are too old/new?Support doesn't have to be forever, unless that's what they promise. But you can make a complaint to the authorities if you feel scammed. I'd bet that these games would get a pass though, if they work on the specific distributions and hardware they promise to support, and there's a mechanism to request a refund if they do not. Usually they'd just get a warning to update their store pages with a clear disclaimer, and to provide a fix, a workaround or a refund to the complainant.
Unity just writes worse Vulkan calls than DXVK; nothing to be done.I have a feeling authorities would consider Steam Play / Proton a reasonable workaround. I wouldn't, if I specifically buy a game for offering a native build as I am wont to do, but that's pure ideology and wouldn't actually stop me from playing.
PS: I'm no lawyer, just a consumer protection enthusiast.
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Metallinatus 4 hours ago
Wait, those listed issues can individually stop a game from receive "Steam Deck verified", this one alone:
Last edited by Metallinatus on 5 January 2025 at 12:10 pm UTC
Entering some text requires manually invoking the on-screen keyboard.has stopped several games from getting the label, including two of my favorite ones, Final Fantasy XIV and Dark Souls Remastered. So, will this change in the system apply to other games as well or only the Pokémon clone gets the privileged treatment?
Last edited by Metallinatus on 5 January 2025 at 12:10 pm UTC
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