Linux? (Native)

[tuqueque]

Hey, this game looks like fun!... Are there any plans for supporting Linux? (natively, no Proton).

[TinyPixxels]

Hey there! Unfortunately, we are unlikely to have the resources to support Linux. We'll definitely let everyone know if our plans change though!

[Cormor]

For me, the demo crashes at launch with all currently available Proton versions (3.7-6 to 6.3-4 and Experimental). I'm interested if anyone in the community manages to make it launch

[Des]

The demo crashes at launch when running it with Proton when the game tries to play music.

[ERROR] FATAL UNHANDLED EXCEPTION: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object
  at SEngine.Content.MonogameEmbedLoad.LoadMP3SongFromEmbeddedResource (System.String FilePathFromContentFolder) [0x00075] in <e6998851b02442c487bb41cc79159744>:0 
  at SEngine.Content.ContentLoaderEntry.DoLoad (SEngine.Content.ContentLoadScheduler+Del_LoadComplete TryNextLoadDelegate) [0x0001b] in <e6998851b02442c487bb41cc79159744>:0 
  at SEngine.Content.ContentLoadScheduler.DoLoad () [0x00030] in <e6998851b02442c487bb41cc79159744>:0 
  at SEngine.Content.ContentLoadScheduler.AddContent (SEngine.Content.ContentLoaderEntry contentLoaderEntry) [0x0000b] in <e6998851b02442c487bb41cc79159744>:0 
  at TinyZoo.Audio.MusicManager.LoadMusic () [0x00053] in <deb7467ce8574369a6b778a1e0037e5e>:0 
  at TinyZoo.AssetContainer.LoadAssetsDuringSplash (Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content.ContentManager contentmanager, SpringIAP.SpringIAPManager springIAPmanager, TinyZoo.Player player, System.Int32& Index, System.Boolean& IsDone) [0x00116] in <deb7467ce8574369a6b778a1e0037e5e>:0 
  at TinyZoo.SplashScreen.SplashManager.UpdateSplashManager (TinyZoo.Player[] players, Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content.ContentManager contentmanager, System.Single DeltaTime) [0x00122] in <deb7467ce8574369a6b778a1e0037e5e>:0 
  at TinyZoo.GameStateManager.UpdateGameStateManager (System.Single DeltaTime, TinyZoo.Player[]& players, Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content.ContentManager Content, SpringIAP.SpringIAPManager springIAPmanager, Microsoft.Xna.Framework.GraphicsDeviceManager graphics, Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics.GraphicsDevice _GraphicsDevice) [0x00105] in <deb7467ce8574369a6b778a1e0037e5e>:0 
  at TinyZoo.Game1.Update (Microsoft.Xna.Framework.GameTime gameTime) [0x0018e] in <deb7467ce8574369a6b778a1e0037e5e>:0 
  at Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Game.DoUpdate (Microsoft.Xna.Framework.GameTime gameTime) [0x00019] in <115d97b957eb41cabade1b29d1e7edf4>:0 
  at Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Game.Tick () [0x00127] in <115d97b957eb41cabade1b29d1e7edf4>:0 
  at MonoGame.Framework.WinFormsGameWindow.TickOnIdle (System.Object sender, System.EventArgs e) [0x00014] in <115d97b957eb41cabade1b29d1e7edf4>:0 
  at System.Windows.Forms.Application+ThreadContext.System.Windows.Forms.UnsafeNativeMethods.IMsoComponent.FDoIdle (System.Int32 grfidlef) [0x0001a] in <4c42f337ff8541f4b3515271c21d5750>:0 
  at System.Windows.Forms.Application+ComponentManager.System.Windows.Forms.UnsafeNativeMethods.IMsoComponentManager.FPushMessageLoop (System.IntPtr dwComponentID, System.Int32 reason, System.Int32 pvLoopData) [0x00243] in <4c42f337ff8541f4b3515271c21d5750>:0 
  at System.Windows.Forms.Application+ThreadContext.RunMessageLoopInner (System.Int32 reason, System.Windows.Forms.ApplicationContext context) [0x00282] in <4c42f337ff8541f4b3515271c21d5750>:0 
  at System.Windows.Forms.Application+ThreadContext.RunMessageLoop (System.Int32 reason, System.Windows.Forms.ApplicationContext context) [0x0001a] in <4c42f337ff8541f4b3515271c21d5750>:0 
  at (wrapper remoting-invoke-with-check) System.Windows.Forms.Application+ThreadContext.RunMessageLoop(int,System.Windows.Forms.ApplicationContext)
  at System.Windows.Forms.Application.Run (System.Windows.Forms.Form mainForm) [0x0000d] in <4c42f337ff8541f4b3515271c21d5750>:0 
  at MonoGame.Framework.WinFormsGameWindow.RunLoop () [0x00011] in <115d97b957eb41cabade1b29d1e7edf4>:0 
  at MonoGame.Framework.WinFormsGamePlatform.RunLoop () [0x00000] in <115d97b957eb41cabade1b29d1e7edf4>:0 
  at Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Game.Run (Microsoft.Xna.Framework.GameRunBehavior runBehavior) [0x0008b] in <115d97b957eb41cabade1b29d1e7edf4>:0 
  at Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Game.Run () [0x0000c] in <115d97b957eb41cabade1b29d1e7edf4>:0 
  at TinyZoo.Program.Main (System.String[] args) [0x00015] in <deb7467ce8574369a6b778a1e0037e5e>:0 (1)

[🐭]

Crashing at launch for me as well.

[Luna plays]

Crashing for me too!

[Tchey]

Hello,

Linux PC with Manjaro here, and the game (full from Steam) sadly is not playable via Proton it seems. Crash at splash screen with names of devs and editor.

Trying to change config.txt from f to t, starts in windowed mode, then crash like before.

Tried with different version of Proton, generic, experimental and GE up to 6.20-GE1

[No More Robots]

Hey all! The game was created in Monogame, and sadly Monogame is currently not supported by Proton, hence why you aren't able to run it through Proton. That's why we haven't selected Linux support on the store page. Sorry about that! Out of our hands in terms of the engine not being supported by Proton, unfortunately

[🐭]

If I had spent this much time and money making a game, I know I would want it to be on as many platforms as possible.

Think about everything that went into this; Making or paying for the art, interface, sound effects, and music. Balancing the gameplay elements and hunting bugs. Setting up legal and distribution. With all of this work already done, I wouldn't let 'a little more programming' be the hill that's too steep to climb.

Pumping that many resources into a game and not bothering to make a port, would be like me typing this whole post so far but then not bothering to finish the last sente

[Luna plays]

I gave up on discussing this with developers. They should start being aware that more and more people don't want windows anymore, because you can foresee already the direction it already goes, to charge people for every little application soon, spy out our privacy, also forcing people to buy better computers, add advertisement everywhere and earn twice that much from us dependent idiots.
I had a hard time to adapt to Linux, but I know it is the future for everyone who is intelligent and realizes what Microsoft does to us. If game developers don't even get that, they are just behind their time and trust me it will change soon enough that they will start thinking different. People always think "that's going to take a while till that happens" but five or ten years run by and suddenly they are in exactly the situation they did not want to see before and didn't want to get into.

And yes they won't sell a lot of copies, which hurts themselves. But that's just money, that is in life not the most important!

This is just my humble opinion, but it nails every point that will be fact in the future and will shock the users very soon that still turn a blind eye to it as long as they can, just out of habit and convenience.

Sad that the ones that earn a living by coding games do also still try to ignore it by not supporting Linux, which will be very soon the only alternative, not only for a few masterminds and rebels and offices that don't want to be hacked and that do already use it.

And gaming is the least of our problems.
Anyway happy gaming guys!

[huw]

Originally posted by 🐭:

If I had spent this much time and money making a game, I know I would want it to be on as many platforms as possible.

Linux has barely 1% market share on Steam. I don't blame small developers with limited resources for ignoring it

I wouldn't let 'a little more programming' be the hill that's too steep to climb.

Can't you read? They used a development framework that Proton doesn't support. This isn't just a few bugs that can be fixed, this is a major incompatibility. Why don't you petition the developers of Proton to support Monogame instead of hassling a small developer just trying to make a living?

[🐭]

Originally posted by huw:

Originally posted by 🐭:

If I had spent this much time and money making a game, I know I would want it to be on as many platforms as possible.

Linux has barely 1% market share on Steam. I don't blame small developers with limited resources for ignoring it

I wouldn't let 'a little more programming' be the hill that's too steep to climb.

Can't you read? They used a development framework that Proton doesn't support. This isn't just a few bugs that can be fixed, this is a major incompatibility. Why don't you petition the developers of Proton to support Monogame instead of hassling a small developer just trying to make a living?

Sometimes I just honestly have no idea where to start with some people.

Can't YOU read? They said their framework (Monogame) doesn't support Proton. Not that Proton doesn't support Monogame.

Not that it matters one way or the other because anybody who would say that clearly has no clue what Proton is, how it works, or in some cases even who's developing it.

Proton is being developed by Valve, by the way. Just so you're clear on this. So you're actually suggesting we petition Valve.

Proton is also open source, which means a petition is an utterly stupid suggestion that can only be recommended by somebody who, again, clearly has no clue what they're talking about. So you're actually suggesting we petition Valve and open source software.

Anybody who would make any of these comments in a serious context just needs to stay out of it.

But on to the meat and potatoes of this post. Developers and game engines are not required to explicitly support Proton. That would be moronic, as Proton's purpose is to provide Linux compatibility where there is otherwise none. In other words, to make Windows software run on Linux, which it was never designed to do. So overcoming the occasional "major incompatibility" is something Linux folks are known for. We don't accept that excuse as an answer.

Proton works with remarkable success, but it's far from flawless. Some games will run much better than others. For the games that don't, the developers can optionally work towards Proton compatibility. Which is significantly less work than compiling a native Linux build. In fact, I would say it should be less work than debugging a Windows build since Linux is open source and gives you such low level access to the hardware, including the kernel. So at no point are you in the dark about what's happening.

It's also something of an emulated environment (although technically not) and that would also give the developers significantly more control over, and a better idea of, what's happening in the Windows environment. So ironically they would produce better and more stable Windows software on Linux than they could on Windows itself. Which is just always hilarious.

I could go on but the bottom line here is Valve has gone out of their way to make supporting Linux easier now than ever before. The only viable excuse to not provide Linux support now, even if it's only Proton support, is simple laziness. You're shilling laziness at this point.

[Tchey]

Or, they don’t have time and knowledge to do it, like many other small studios, and prefer to focus on what they have, a Windows version only.

I mean, i’m the first one to ask for native Linux build anytime i see a game i may like, but i also understand how it can be a "big task" for some studio, to provide a Linux or even a Proton supported version.

I see too many "Linux please" topics turning into battlefields...

[🐭]

Originally posted by Tchey:

Or, they don’t have time and knowledge to do it, like many other small studios, and prefer to focus on what they have, a Windows version only.

I mean, i’m the first one to ask for native Linux build anytime i see a game i may like, but i also understand how it can be a "big task" for some studio, to provide a Linux or even a Proton supported version.

I see too many "Linux please" topics turning into battlefields...

Then what excuse do the big studios have? If it's a big task for indie game developers and they support Linux way more often than AAA game companies, then gigantic, monolithic sized studios must have a doozy of an excuse. I can't wait to hear it.

Anyways, what's the extra work required for Proton compatibility again?

1. Install Linux.
   
2. Install Steam.
   
3. Install game.
   
4. Click play.
   
5. Check logs.
   
6. Debug as usual.

You might also need two computers; one running Linux and the other Windows, just to speed up debugging, assuming you're dependent on the IDE and can't get it to run in Proton.

That's pretty much the gist of it though, right?

[huw]

Originally posted by 🐭:

Proton is also open source, which means a petition is an utterly stupid suggestion that can only be recommended by somebody who, again, clearly has no clue what they're talking about. So you're actually suggesting we petition Valve and open source software.

Yes. Open source software doesn't appear by magic. It's written by actual people. It's bizarre you're apparently unaware of this. As for not knowing what I'm talking about, well, all I will say is I have been involved in the open source community for a long time. Linux is my main OS as it happens.

So overcoming the occasional "major incompatibility" is something Linux folks are known for. We don't accept that excuse as an answer.

Speak for yourself. We - or at least those of us who are reasonable - recognise that resources are finite and don't expect everything to be handed to us on a plate.

You're shilling laziness at this point.

Ah - I've been feeding a troll. Whoops. I'll stop now.

[🐭]

Originally posted by huw:

I'll stop now.

I accept your concession.