Why is there no version for Linux?

[ribbit]

Hello all,

I was wondering why there is no version of this wonderful game for Linux systems. Since it's made in Godot, which is a multiplatform engine, an additional Linux export should be a simple step... I think it's a waste as more and more people are switching to Linux/SteamOS as their main PC gaming OS, and as this is such a fun game!

[Wambie]

I think the answer is in the question.

[Mirai]

Because Linux is much harder to develop for and support games on, especially when in most cases, Proton runs Windows games flawlessly (though some times you need to swap down a Proton version), and it would open the need for a whole new 'branch' of support when the game already works on the platform you designed it for and runs fine on Linux as well. In many cases, the Windows version runs better on Linux via Proton than the native Linux version does.

Many indie developers are either working alone or with one other person, and they have to balance their game dev time with their lives, too and so it doesn't make any sense for them to open themselves up to more work when there's very little to gain.

It does mean there would be a problem if anything ever happened to Proton but indie devs just can't really worry about that, especially when their audience is still overwhelmingly using Windows (even though I hope that changes), and the odds of it are pretty slim. VALVE is huge, with lots of money and power, and their STEAM Deck has been a massively profitable venture for them. So much so they've even partnered with and are funding a Linux distro to continue and optimize development, so they are very invested in continuing to maintain Linux platform support through Proton.

[ribbit]

Because Linux is much harder to develop for and support games on => not when using a multiplatform engine such as Godot. Setting up a linux export is like a 3 click process, with no change to the codebase.

[Zat | Mo.]

Just use the compatibility layer Proton that's built into Steam? That's what the Steam Deck uses and performance is pretty decent.

[Scott]

Originally posted by Mirai:

Because Linux is much harder to develop for and support games on, especially when in most cases, Proton runs Windows games flawlessly (though some times you need to swap down a Proton version), and it would open the need for a whole new 'branch' of support when the game already works on the platform you designed it for and runs fine on Linux as well. In many cases, the Windows version runs better on Linux via Proton than the native Linux version does.

Many indie developers are either working alone or with one other person, and they have to balance their game dev time with their lives, too and so it doesn't make any sense for them to open themselves up to more work when there's very little to gain.

It does mean there would be a problem if anything ever happened to Proton but indie devs just can't really worry about that, especially when their audience is still overwhelmingly using Windows (even though I hope that changes), and the odds of it are pretty slim. VALVE is huge, with lots of money and power, and their STEAM Deck has been a massively profitable venture for them. So much so they've even partnered with and are funding a Linux distro to continue and optimize development, so they are very invested in continuing to maintain Linux platform support through Proton.

more misinformed stuff on Linux games.

One, Linux is NOT harder to port to than Windows - it's the same, arguably easier since it doesn't use proprietary software. Of course, being software development, that's still quite a bit of work - quite a bit of work done entirely by the developers of the Godot engine, not the game dev. This is not work on the back of the developers.

Linux doesn't "open a new branch of support" - that's already necessary with Proton, and Proton if anything complicates support. In fact, this layer of abstraction makes it much more likely any issues are thoroughly ignored by both Valve and the game developer. Furthermore, "new branch of support" just means "doing the bare minimum of uploading an extra .zip file" but phrased so it sounds like a lot of work. It's not.

The "Windows runs better than Linux native" is a myth made up by three primary things; the lack of Vulkan in the times pre-2016, which have since been rectified and made Linux games significantly more performant than they were under OpenGL, not to mention considerably more performant than Windows overall; old, crappy Linux ports that were basically just the Windows version bundled with Wine, which inevitably ran poorly; and Unreal Engine, which is specifically engineered to be unoptimized on Linux as Epic Games has been attempting to sabotage the platform for decades. Modern games not made in Unreal universally run better in native ports; I can attest to this myself.

Being an indie developer actually makes Linux ports SIGNIFICANTLY easier, as you're more likely to be using stock, off-the-shelf software as opposed to AAA devs using custom or heavily modified game engines, which must be ported manually. And again - the "work" required is minimal to none. You're waiting an extra 10 seconds for compilation, and an extra 15 seconds to upload to Steam. Indie devs most certainly have that time.

Proton is an incredible piece of technology, and great for getting people on the platform - but relying on it is extremely poor for long-term health of the platform. Developers like this, using tools that make it incredibly easy to natively support Linux that STILL refuse to use the technology they have only serve to further repress the platform and harm its longevity. Windows is not a long-term solution for PC games, and refusal to support Linux will only complicate PC as a platform further for years to come. It needs to start somewhere - and indie devs, especially Godot devs, are the perfect group to do just that. They have the opportunity to port their games with next to no effort and build a repertoire of native Linux games to attract more people to the plaform, with any luck shattering WIndows' monopoly and, by extension, the PC platform's reliance on Microsoft and the NT platform. This is a necessary step for a free and open PC platform - something strived for since the 70's but never fully achieved, and will invariably improve the life of everyone on PC.

Originally posted by Zat | Mo.:

Just use the compatibility layer Proton that's built into Steam? That's what the Steam Deck uses and performance is pretty decent.

Better stability, faster loading, less overhead, better compatibility, Proton basically acts like non-bypassable DRM, less reliance on Windows as a platform...there's more than a couple reasons to want a native build, even beyond the strong ideological reasons I listed above.

[HeraldOfOpera]

The problem is that Microsoft really does border on a monopoly, and that affects other companies' spending decisions. There just aren't enough people on not-Windows for most devs to bother with even a minimal-effort port.

[Mirai]

Scott's basically just trying to go against what devs are infact actually saying. You do have to open a new branch of support, this is literally true of any multi-platform game and Linux is a much harder platform to develop for, especially with so many distros and configurations, several studios have tried it in the past and found it to be a lengthy, and costly endeavour that caused them a lot of problems so they ultimately fell back on their Windows version just running better on Proton anyway.

And yes, the fact Microsoft has so much control of the market does dictate how and where people choose to spend not just their money, but their effort. Especially, as stated, when you're talking about devs who might be working alone, or at best are a 2-3 member team and have to juggle their work on their game with their actual RL jobs and families and it ends up just not making sense when their Windows version runs perfectly on Proton.

But the tide is shifting a bit, several companies have begun offering Linux support, some of whom had even sworn they would never do that and I'm seeing some of the marketing firms I interact with begin to include Linux in their research strategies, so Microsoft's hold on the market is slipping but it's slow going.

[Kusarigama]

Originally posted by Mirai:

this is literally true of any multi-platform game and Linux is a much harder platform to develop for, especially with so many distros and configurations,

And yes, the fact Microsoft has so much control of the market

Look up Microsoft and SUSE and tell me again that they do not support Linux. It’s exactly how we got .rpm for people who could not learn how to use .tar . Thinking that Microsoft does not pay Linux distribution to make software to poach and take credit for means you have never been in the IT world. If you do not remember Novell eventually turned into Fedora both of which Microsoft flagshipped on their OS because they are incompetent.

You literally have like 4 flavors of OS to account for Unix, Linux, Debian and Chromium. Google Chrome got standardized so stop telling me it could not be done for others. The difference between say Kali and Debian is how it’s packaged.

[Nevermore]

Wouldn't it be easy to go the extra step over Proton?

As far as I heard the game runs really well on the Steam Deck, which uses Proton to run games.

[Kusarigama]

I know it’s a lot for people but I have a keychain full of flash drives of OSs and I either use my Windows Flash Drive to game or a VM.

[Lumen]

Originally posted by ribbit:

Hello all,

I was wondering why there is no version of this wonderful game for Linux systems. Since it's made in Godot, which is a multiplatform engine, an additional Linux export should be a simple step... I think it's a waste as more and more people are switching to Linux/SteamOS as their main PC gaming OS, and as this is such a fun game!

No userbase and asking for pointless discussions from a tunnel vision nerd base, ain't intresting for most devellopers.
So nothing to gain and asking for unpaid trouble isn't much motivation for a additional Linux version.