Choose Native Linux or Windows version on Install.

[[EW] Mitsie]

When installing a game with a Native Linux port on the Deck, it should pop up with option to choose Native Linux or Windows through proton.

I've been playing Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and the latest Deck update has broken the game.

I didn't even realised the version that default installed was the Native Linux version.

If I install the Windows version, the saves in the cloud do not work between Native and Windows.

So I was 70% through the game, and now my saves are locked to the Linux Version. I can't even play Windows version on Deck. I have to start again. I also didn't know, because sometimes I like to pick up where I left off on my Desktop using the Cloud Sync function.

So literally I'm locked out of playing the Linux Port until there is a fix, and can't continue on my Windows PC.

We should definitely be alerted that we can install a port or windows version.

At the moment you have to install the Native version and then choose compatibility tool of Windows Proton. Then it redownloads the whole game again but the Windows Version.

It should be a pop up option box like when launching a game that supports VR.

-Launch Standard Game
-Launch in Steam VR

But should click the install and see:

- Install Linux Version
- Install Windows Version

So we at least have a choice, in case we want to choose to play on our other devices and not just the deck all the time.

I'm sure it will save on Bandwidth as well, instead of having to download a 30GB game, then Switch to the Windows version and redownload another 30GB.

[WarnerCK]

Lack of cross-platform saves is down to game developer ineptitude. There's nothing Valve can do about that except to tell developers to do it properly (which they do).

The way the Verified process is supposed to work when both a native Linux version and a Windows version exist is to test both of them and have the Deck automatically pick whichever worked best in testing. In practise it can be somewhat hit and miss.

You should be able to manually pick which version you're using by choosing between a Proton version or the Steam Linux Runtime in the compatibility tools section of the game's Properties; the Deck doesn't let you run native games outside of the containerised runtime like you'd be able to on desktop Linux.

Valve's position is that the Deck user shouldn't have to care whether they're running a Linux game or a Windows game unless they go digging for that information - just whether it works on the Deck: the Store on the Deck doesn't even show available platforms for a game. Whether you agree with that position or not, they aren't going to force a popup on the ~15% of the Steam catalogue that has a native Linux build.

[[EW] Mitsie]

Why not? There is no reason why it can't be displayed.

It will save other people from the problem I'm facing now.

I'm not bothered about cross platform save support, if I can install the windows version and it works on both my Desktop and the Deck I'm going to choose that version.

I like my deck to compliment my Desktop. The sales pitch from Valve was, you can use your Deck on the Go, then pick up from your desktop from where you left off.

If I don't even know I'm playing a Linux version, I have to first research every game and then do research if the game has cross-platform cloud saves.

If it alerts me that this game has linux or windows, I have the oportunity to be alerted before i invest my time in a game.

If I have the opportunity to pick and install the Windows version, I won't have this problem because the deck is just emulating Windows and I know the Cloud save function is definitely going to work on my Desktop PC.

Maybe I'm asking too much and Steam OS is overcomplicating my ability to just enjoy my games.

I've tried to persevere with Steam OS, but maybe it's time to install Windows and just be done with it, as I wouldn't have this problem..

I wouldn't be stuck in a situation where Steam OS "Stable" channel is unstable and Linux games won't work. So I can't play the games I want to play.

You can't install Linux version in Windows, so there would be no problem with cross platform cloud saves or anything.. It's becoming more trouble than it is worth Steam OS..

[Oh The Folly]

Not being able to continue a game you've spent hours playing on your Deck when you want to switch to using a Windows desktop pc--because you were playing a Linux version of a game a didn't know it--is the exact opposite of convenience.

Even if it's something people have to manually turn on, there should be on option to have the Deck always tell you when there's both a Linux and Windows available, and ask which one you want when installing.

[[EW] Mitsie]

Yeah I've been playing Borderlands: Pre-Sequel. It's a long RPG, I've put hundreds of hours into that save. Now it's unaccessible because the deck Stealth installed the Linux version without my knowledge.

So now I can't continue my game on my PC.

Oprindeligt skrevet af Oh The Folly:

Even if it's something people have to manually turn on, there should be on option to have the Deck always tell you when there's both a Linux and Windows available, and ask which one you want when installing.

Yeah something like a toggle option that says:

- Prompt before installing Native Linux versions.

Oprindeligt skrevet af WarnerCK:

Lack of cross-platform saves is down to game developer ineptitude. There's nothing Valve can do about that except to tell developers to do it properly (which they do).

Well people on this forum are reporting this exact same issue with Valves own games Portal 2 and Halflife 2.

Oprindeligt skrevet af Zom-B:

Same deal here, Portal 2 now only works with Proton Experimental and I can't access the same cloud saves!

So if Valve tell developers to implement cross-platform saves, why doesn't Valve do it themselves?

The reason is that Steam perceives "Portal 2 Windows" and "Portal 2 Linux" as two completely separate games. So two completely separate cloud sync systems.

I'm all for automation for usability, but when it is something as important as this. It should at least give you the option to choose your version.

When installing some games for the first time you have to go through options to accept EULA agreements and Software license agreements. What is one more option for games that have a Linux port?

[WarnerCK]

Oprindeligt skrevet af EW Mitsie:

The reason is that Steam perceives "Portal 2 Windows" and "Portal 2 Linux" as two completely separate games. So two completely separate cloud sync systems.

No, it doesn't. It's the same game with multiple depots (and even single-platform games can have multiple depots). Exactly the same cloud sync. It's the game developer that gets to choose which files are included in the cloud sync (and the depots for that matter), and it's the game developer that controls whether the same saves work on all the builds of their game.

I appreciate that you're mostly interested in ranting to vent some frustration about the (abandoned) Linux build of a particular game, but that's no reason to be incorrect.

[[EW] Mitsie]

Oprindeligt skrevet af WarnerCK:

Oprindeligt skrevet af EW Mitsie:

The reason is that Steam perceives "Portal 2 Windows" and "Portal 2 Linux" as two completely separate games. So two completely separate cloud sync systems.

No, it doesn't. It's the same game with multiple depots (and even single-platform games can have multiple depots). Exactly the same cloud sync. It's the game developer that gets to choose which files are included in the cloud sync (and the depots for that matter), and it's the game developer that controls whether the same saves work on all the builds of their game.

I appreciate that you're mostly interested in ranting to vent some frustration about the (abandoned) Linux build of a particular game, but that's no reason to be incorrect.

If that is true, why are people on Reddit and Steam Forums saying they are having the same issue with Halflife 2 and Portal 2. That their Windows cloud saves are completely different to their Linux saves and they are having the same issue.

Are you saying Valve tell other developers to use Cross Platform saves but don't implement it themselves ?

[WarnerCK]

Oprindeligt skrevet af EW Mitsie:

Are you saying Valve tell other developers to use Cross Platform saves but don't implement it themselves ?

I'm not saying that, no, but it could be true. It's also the case that not everything that everyone says on Reddit or the Steam forums is necessarily true - for example your misunderstanding of how games are categorised on Steam.

[[EW] Mitsie]

Oprindeligt skrevet af WarnerCK:

Oprindeligt skrevet af EW Mitsie:

Are you saying Valve tell other developers to use Cross Platform saves but don't implement it themselves ?

I'm not saying that, no, but it could be true. It's also the case that not everything that everyone says on Reddit or the Steam forums is necessarily true - for example your misunderstanding of how games are categorised on Steam.

Yes I have just checked and American Truck simulator is a Linux runtime and that is sharing my Cloud syncs between the Linux and Windows. I didn't claim to know, I was just explaining the way I was perceiving it.

I've tried literally everything to get the Linux version of Borderlands: The Prequel working again. The latest update has broken the game.

I've managed to get the game working through Lutris. But the deck controller isn't working. So it's unplayable.

Valve have released a patch for Halflife 2 apparently and that Linux version is working again. Portal 2 still broken.

I'm worried that it may require the developer to patch the Linux version of the game. Which could take days, weeks, months or even years.

I'm just going to scrap Steam OS and install Windows on my deck. This hassle isn't worth the time and effort.

[WarnerCK]

Oprindeligt skrevet af EW Mitsie:

I'm worried that it may require the developer to patch the Linux version of the game. Which could take days, weeks, months or even years.

Yeah, I definitely wouldn't hold my breath for that ever happening. Many developers have good multiplatform tooling and development processes, and fix up any issues that come up with their games on particular platforms; this wasn't one of those. The primary developer - 2K Australia - got shut down after the release of the game; the Linux build was done by Aspyr, who had run out of contract by the time Gearbox broke Borderlands 2, so they just left it broken, and 2K's recent moves have been to force a launcher on all their old games, which broke the Linux builds of games like Bioshock Infinite. I don't think they even remembered that they had Linux builds of any of their games.

It's unfortunate that this has happened (obviously), but any fix is going to have to come from either Valve or the community; there's no one else that's interested in doing it. But I do hope that a solution does materialise for you.

[[EW] Mitsie]

Yeah, so do you think the solution would be for Valve to ignore Native Linux games that do not have Cloud share sync as the first priority for the deck?

Because at the moment they are saying this is the best version in regards of performance, and installing Linux builds that are not supported anymore that can't be resumed on our Windows desktop.

Shouldn't they be taking usability and portability into account over just outright performance on the Deck itself?

[WarnerCK]

The verification process (it's only games that have been through the verification process that pick a version, otherwise you get the Linux version if that exists, just like on desktop Linux) needs some serious work, and - most importantly - Valve needs game developers to actually care. If there's a developer that's maintaining their software who wants their game to work on the Deck, then none of this is a problem: whether it's Valve or the developer that inadvertently breaks something, it's definitely going to get fixed. But it's going to be a whole lot of unit sales and a whole lot more marketing clout from that green tick (which Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel doesn't have, btw) before we're at that point.

Initially, the verification process worked in a way that made the cross-platform save issue moot: they simply forgot to test the native builds. But obviously that doesn't further Valve's wider goal of making Linux known as a viable gaming platform, and is a smear for those developers who do make the effort to do multiplatform development properly. So now the process is supposed to test both and pick the one that works best. But the actual results have some distinct rough spots. I suspect they're being rather rushed.

[[EW] Mitsie]

Yeah I can imagine them trying to verify as many games as possible, quantity rather than quality.

But if games are going to break with Stable releases of Steam OS, the verification process will be a never ending task.

Like I say, I like probably the majority of Deck owners, play across their Desktop, Gaming laptops and the Deck.

And I'm guessing like me, if it is a Native Linux without Cross play save support, I simply don't want to know.

It would be good if we had the option to turn on notifications when we are installing a Linux game. alternatively make it very clear to the user which version of the game is being installed.

[WarnerCK]

Oprindeligt skrevet af EW Mitsie:

But if games are going to break with Stable releases of Steam OS, the verification process will be a never ending task.

Even without game developers (or Valve) breaking things so you have to duplicate testing, there are 78,590 games currently on Steam. They aren't getting through the verification process at a rate that will clear that backlog as well as the 35 new games that are released on Steam every day.

And I'm guessing like me, if it is a Native Linux without Cross play save support, I simply don't want to know.

And as I play on the Deck and desktop Linux, if the Deck has cloud saves that won't work there I don't want that either. The only solution that works is for developers to have functional cross-platform cloud saves. Especially since Valve also want to level up the cloud saves so that they work dynamically from just putting the Deck to sleep.

It would be good if we had the option to turn on notifications when we are installing a Linux game. alternatively make it very clear to the user which version of the game is being installed.

The place to put it is in the verification status info box. The UI does say which version you've got when the game's installed, but you don't want to have to download it (or check on SteamDB) to find out. Just, when you click on the more information button, say "this game will use the Linux Runtime" or "this game will use Proton." Popups aren't going to cut it, and most people most of the time aren't going to care; but for those that are interested, just have that information readily available with all the other stuff that came out of the verification process.

[[EW] Mitsie]

Oprindeligt skrevet af WarnerCK:

The place to put it is in the verification status info box. The UI does say which version you've got when the game's installed, but you don't want to have to download it (or check on SteamDB) to find out. Just, when you click on the more information button, say "this game will use the Linux Runtime" or "this game will use Proton." Popups aren't going to cut it, and most people most of the time aren't going to care; but for those that are interested, just have that information readily available with all the other stuff that came out of the verification process.

Yeah somewhere that is readily available would be better. As when checking through the game info page I was looking desperately for where it says it is the Linux version but it was hidden next to the Company name it said Aspyr (Linux) was nearly impossible to spot.