Can't play in Ubuntu 18.04?

[Killer Br]

The game don't work in Ubuntu 18.04. When I click "play" in Steam Library, the game simply don't open. There is no black screen, any reaction. Simply crash. Whats happening?

[cp_violation]

So, for me it didn't run anymore either (on ubuntu 20.04, haven't started the game in a while).


i am pretty sure this is a common error, since it's due to the fact the game is delivered as a 32-bit executable, and most people run 64-bit systems now.

to check what's missing, use ldd:

$ ldd ./foul_play 
	linux-gate.so.1 (0xf7f67000)
	libSDL-1.2.so.0 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libSDL-1.2.so.0 (0xf7e94000)
	libGL.so.1 => /opt/amdgpu-pro/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libGL.so.1 (0xf7d94000)
	libvorbisfile.so.3 => not found
	libsteam_api.so => not found
	libstdc++.so.6 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6 (0xf7bb6000)
	libm.so.6 => /lib/i386-linux-gnu/libm.so.6 (0xf7ab1000)
	libgcc_s.so.1 => /lib/i386-linux-gnu/libgcc_s.so.1 (0xf7a92000)
	libc.so.6 => /lib/i386-linux-gnu/libc.so.6 (0xf78a3000)
	libX11.so.6 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libX11.so.6 (0xf7754000)
	libvorbis.so.0 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libvorbis.so.0 (0xf7727000)
	librt.so.1 => /lib/i386-linux-gnu/librt.so.1 (0xf771a000)
	libasound.so.2 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libasound.so.2 (0xf7604000)
	libdl.so.2 => /lib/i386-linux-gnu/libdl.so.2 (0xf75fe000)
	libpulse-simple.so.0 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libpulse-simple.so.0 (0xf75f8000)
	libpulse.so.0 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libpulse.so.0 (0xf759a000)
	libXext.so.6 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libXext.so.6 (0xf7583000)
	libcaca.so.0 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libcaca.so.0 (0xf74b7000)
	libpthread.so.0 => /lib/i386-linux-gnu/libpthread.so.0 (0xf7494000)
	/lib/ld-linux.so.2 (0xf7f68000)
	libxcb.so.1 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libxcb.so.1 (0xf7465000)
	libogg.so.0 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libogg.so.0 (0xf7459000)
	libpulsecommon-13.99.so => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/pulseaudio/libpulsecommon-13.99.so (0xf73c9000)
	libdbus-1.so.3 => /lib/i386-linux-gnu/libdbus-1.so.3 (0xf736b000)
	libslang.so.2 => /lib/i386-linux-gnu/libslang.so.2 (0xf7182000)
	libncursesw.so.6 => /lib/i386-linux-gnu/libncursesw.so.6 (0xf7140000)
	libtinfo.so.6 => /lib/i386-linux-gnu/libtinfo.so.6 (0xf7117000)
	libz.so.1 => /lib/i386-linux-gnu/libz.so.1 (0xf70f9000)
	libXau.so.6 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libXau.so.6 (0xf70f3000)
	libXdmcp.so.6 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libXdmcp.so.6 (0xf70eb000)
	libsystemd.so.0 => /lib/i386-linux-gnu/libsystemd.so.0 (0xf702f000)
	libwrap.so.0 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libwrap.so.0 (0xf7023000)
	libsndfile.so.1 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libsndfile.so.1 (0xf6f8f000)
	libasyncns.so.0 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libasyncns.so.0 (0xf6f88000)
	libapparmor.so.1 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libapparmor.so.1 (0xf6f73000)
	libbsd.so.0 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libbsd.so.0 (0xf6f54000)
	liblzma.so.5 => /lib/i386-linux-gnu/liblzma.so.5 (0xf6f28000)
	liblz4.so.1 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/liblz4.so.1 (0xf6f05000)
	libgcrypt.so.20 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libgcrypt.so.20 (0xf6e22000)
	libnsl.so.1 => /lib/i386-linux-gnu/libnsl.so.1 (0xf6e05000)
	libFLAC.so.8 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libFLAC.so.8 (0xf6dca000)
	libvorbisenc.so.2 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libvorbisenc.so.2 (0xf6d3d000)
	libresolv.so.2 => /lib/i386-linux-gnu/libresolv.so.2 (0xf6d22000)
	libgpg-error.so.0 => /lib/i386-linux-gnu/libgpg-error.so.0 (0xf6cfc000)

here, what's missing are 2 libraries.
*) libvorbisfile.so.3
this should be available on most distros. on ubuntu, install the package "libvorbisfile3:i386"
important: the ":i386" distinction at the end - this installs 32-bit libraries specifically. if your distro is multi-arch, these packages are designed to play nice alongside their 64-bit counterparts.

*) libsteam_api.so
this is actually shipped with the game, we just have to tell the linker where to look by setting the environment variable LD_LIBRARY_PATH to the local directory:

$ LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. ldd foul_play 
	linux-gate.so.1 (0xf7f82000)
	libSDL-1.2.so.0 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libSDL-1.2.so.0 (0xf7eaf000)
	libGL.so.1 => /opt/amdgpu-pro/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libGL.so.1 (0xf7daf000)
	libvorbisfile.so.3 => /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libvorbisfile.so.3 (0xf7da3000)
	libsteam_api.so => ./libsteam_api.so (0xf7d90000)

the game will still crash though, we have to tell the steam launcher to look for libraries in the game's path via LD_LIBRARY_PATH as well.
we can just set this in the 'Launch Options' (Game Properties/General):

LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. %command%

this is what was necessary on my system. your situation may vary, just be sure to install the i386 arch package versions of the missing libs.

and don't forget to set the game's launch options.