Steam Deck, Fixing Multiplayer and Crashing Issues.

[Kilroy]

Thought I would create a serperate thread compiling all of the solutions to issues I've experienced on the Steam Deck instead of leaving comments on other peoples threads. Those who know Linux will probably find this a bit long winded, but I have tried to make this guide simple enough that anyone and their grandmother should be able to follow along (maybe with with a few quick google searches).

There are 2(3?) issues that I will be adressing in this post.
1. Sins 2 crashing during loading or shortly after finishing loading.
2. Being unable to join players on Windows systems (and having bad latency issues if you are able to connect).

******************************GameCrashing********************************
Sins 2 was crashing at the end of the loading screen any time I had more than 2-3 AI in a match, regardless of map size. I narrowed this down to a Memory issue and was able to track down a reddit post that solved the issue.

1.
Go to desktop mode

2.
Application Launcher > Search for "Konsole"

3.
If you have not set up a root password, see steps 6 and 6.1-6.3 of the multiplayer fix guide below.

4.
In the Terminal (Konsole) Enter the following, one line at a time:
'sudo steamos-readonly disable'
**Enter your root password from step #3**
'cd /home'
'sudo swapoff -a'
'sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=swapfile bs=1G count=8'
'sudo mkswap swapfile'
'sudo swapon swapfile'

(Do not copy the ` at the beginging or end of these lines. This indicates text to be copied into the Terminal.)

As you see we need to disable read only filesystem so you'll need to do the procedure for every steam OS updates.

This fix was taken from the following thread, please refer to it if you have issues.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/waiujt/how_to_increase_the_swap_on_the_deck/








*********************** Multiplayer and Latency Fix ********************
Copy-Pasting this from what I wrote in an earlier thread.

Disclaimer
I do not fully know what I am doing, I got a 3 hour crash course in Linux from a friend while trying to get this fix up and running (but hey, it worked). I will likely be unable to act as tech support for any further issues not adressed here.

0.
To simplify things, make sure Sins 2 is installed on your internal SSD, not your SD card or other external devices. (Otherwise, you are on your own when it comes to locating the Sins 2 directory)

1.
Follow this Guide and install GE-Proton9-11:
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/how-to-install-proton-ge-on-the-steam-deck

2.
In desktop mode, search the applications for "Konsole" (This is a Terminal, and will be refered to as such from here on out).

3.
Enter the following into the Terminal:
`alias protontricks='flatpak run com.github.Matoking.protontricks'" >> ~/.bashrc`

(Do not copy the ` at the beginging or end of these lines. This indicates text to be copied into the Terminal.)

4.
Right click on the Terminal icon in the task bar, open a new window, and enter the following:
`flatpak install com.github.Matoking.protontricks`
This step will not work if you continue to use the same window as step #3, you need a new Terminal window. (Not a new Terminal tab, a completely new window).

5.
"With GE-Proton9-11, launch in a terminal `protontricks 1575940 winecfg` then, in staging tab select "Hide wine version from applications" and apply/ok."-LinLo

6.
***************************************************************************
This is where I was told steamdeck updates may break this fix, and all subsequent steps may need to be repeated if you update your steamdeck.
***************************************************************************
In your Terminal, enter the following:
`sudo steamos-readonly disable`
You may need to set up a Root Password for this step.
It will not recognize any other passwords if you have not set this one up yet.
It may act like you set up a password, even if you have not done so yet.
See steps 6.1-6.3 for password methods.
You can Ignore them if you have your password setup already and know what it is.

6.1
The non terminal method:
System Settings > Personalization > Users > User (Default is "Steam Deck User") > Change Password.

6.2
To setup a password in the Terminal, enter the following:
`passwd`
Type your password and hit enter. (The characters will be invisible, so be careful!)
You will be asked to re-enter your password to confirm (The characters will still be invisible).

6.3
If you have set up a password in the past and want to change it, perform the same steps as Step 6.1, but you will be asked to enter your current password as confirmation. I had forgotten mine and had to try a few passwords out before it would let me reset. If you are unable to guess your password, you may have to factory reset your steamdeck (or wait for Stardock to fix things).

7.
Once you have entered your password for Step 6, enter the following, in order:
`sudo pacman-key --init`
`sudo pacman-key --populate archlinux`
`sudo pacman -Syu`
`sudo pacman -Syyu`
`sudo pacman-key --populate holo`
`sudo pacman -S curl`
`sudo pacman -S cabextract`

7.1
If Curl or Cabextract error out or say files are corrupted, you will want to re-run the following and try again:
`which curl`
`which cabextract`

The file path after each of those commands should look like this:
"/usr/bin/curl"

If it looks like this, you will want to re-run the commands from the start of Step 7.:
"error: cabextract: signature from "GitLab CI Package Builder <[e-mail]>" is unknown trust
:: File /var/cache/pacman/pkg/cabextract-1.11-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst is corrupted (invalid or corrupted package (PGP signature)).
Do you want to delete it? [Y/n]"

8.
Download the Script provided by LinLo:
https://pastebin.com/k1P9NKKx
Make sure ".su" is at the end of the file name and not ".su.su".
You can fix it by rightclicking and renaming the file, removing the second ".su"
For the purpose of this guide, this is the only change to the name you should make.

9.
Right click on the Script > Open With > KWrite
This will allow you to edit the file and save the changes made.

10.
Change the "${USER}" in line #5 of the Script to the Username linked to your steamdeck account. Follow Step 6.2 to navigate to your account information. Make sure to use the "Username". Do not use the "Name".

When in doubt, the default Username appears to be "deck".

Save the changes to the Script.

11.
Search the applications for "Dolphin".
This will be your file explorer.
Enter the following into the adress bar:
"/home/deck/.steam/steam/steamapps/"
(You will be unable to navigate here manually, as the ".steam" directory is hidden)
Ensure that you can find the "compatdata" folder, and that there is a subfolder called "1575940".

12.
Replace the "${STEAM_DIR}" in line #7 of the Script with the path to your steamapps folder.
Eaxample:
"/home/deck/.steam/steam/steamapps/".

This is the default directory if you installed Sins 2 on your internal drive.

The end result should look like:
"/home/deck/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/1575940"

Save the file

13.
In the terminal try running the following command:
`dos2unix ./fix_desync_sins2.sh`

If it doesnt work, run this command in the Terminal:
`sudo pacman -S dos2unix`

Then, try running the command again:
`dos2unix ./fix_desync_sins2.sh`

The reason for this step, is that the script will not run and will error out on the Steam Deck otherwise.

14.
In the Terminal, enter "cd" followed by the directory where you saved the script.
Example:
`cd /home/deck/Downloads/Fix_Sins_2/`

(I placed the script in a folder inside of my "Downloads" named "Fix_Sins_2")

15.
In the Terminal, enter:
'sh ./fix_desync_sins2.sh'
This should run the script.
If it runs correctly, you should now be able to join your friends on windows without latency issues.


This was taken from a comment in the following thread, all credit to LinLo for coming up with the solution, I just went into the finer details of how to perform it:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/1575940/discussions/5/7026264603287379799/

To reiterate, I do not know Linux very well. I only just started learning in order to fix these issues, so I will likely not be helpful in any troubleshooting beyond what is written here.

[TehJustOne]

Maybe I suggest you should make a steam guide so it would be easier to find and save the steps to do. Also thanks, might convince me to buy finally buy the game.

[Kilroy]

Originally posted by TehJustOne:

Maybe I suggest you should make a steam guide so it would be easier to find and save the steps to do. Also thanks, might convince me to buy finally buy the game.

Done
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3311876099

[Sol Inherent]

how the hell did you figure this out haha

[Kilroy]

Originally posted by Sol Inherent:

how the hell did you figure this out haha

I have a friend who is very familiar with Linux.

[BHZ]

OK, so bottom line is that this is again the Microsoft Visual C++ redistributable that is being packaged with the game.

Same fix as multiplayer desync for Age of Empires 2 and 4, Dawn of War, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, etc. All those are fixed by now. Unfortunately, this issue is so common that some of us have the script above downloaded.

Hopefully, Valve will package the correct binaries in upcoming updates, either with the game itself or through a Proton update.

[AzDraon]

I am not understanding Multiplayer Step 5. I have no idea what this is telling me to do.

[TehJustOne]

Originally posted by AzDraon:

I am not understanding Multiplayer Step 5. I have no idea what this is telling me to do.

When you already installed ProtonGE9-11 and ProtonTricks from the previous steps in the guide, use the the terminal and paste the command in the terminal and follow the rest of the guide.