How to run Half-Life mods on linux

This guide will show you how to run Half-Life mods on linux. To run the mods, you will need to use either native linux builds of the mods or use Steam's Proton software.

Introduction

There is a major problem when trying to run Half-Life mods with Steam and linux. Most of the mods have been built to run exclusively on Windows. They contain source code (dynamically linked libraries, .dll files), which can only be executed on a Windows machine. Fortunately, there are still options that will allow linux users to play these Half-Life mods.

Firstly, some of the authors have compiled their mods to run on linux. Therefore, it is just a case of unziping the files to the correct directory. For the majority of mods that are solely built for Windows, linux users can use Steam's Proton software. This will allow you to emulate the game as if it were on a Windows machine and thereby run the mods (hopefully) without any issues. Both methods are very easy and will be explained in detail below.

Mods built for linux

Some authors have compiled their mods especially for linux. In order to run these mods:

1. Download the files from their website, or ModDB page.

2. Extract the folder to your Steam Half-Life directory. This can be found at:
~/.steam/debian-installation/steamapps/common/Half-Life.

Your directory may be in a different place; for example, if you don't have a debian based os, then you wont have 'debian-installation' in your path. Your directory will just be a simple variation of the one above; spend a few seconds looking for it and I am sure you will find it.

3. Launch Steam, click on Half-Life and click on the cog a the right hand side of the game page. This will bring up a menu. Select 'Properties' to bring up a pop up menu. From here, select General and look for Launch Options. Here you can type in the command line options; in our case we want to put '-game mod_name'

4. Close the menus and hit play.

5. If you have any problems running the mod, be sure to read the documentation provide by the author(s). This will usually include how to run the mod with the -game option.

Mods built for Windows: Using Proton

The majority of mods will only work with Windows. You can sometimes run a mod built for Windows using the method above, however it will usually be broken in some places and not work as intended. Luckily the Steam client allows you to run Half-Life with its Proton software. This will allow you to run the game as if you were playing it on Windows.

To run a mod using Proton:

1. Follow the steps for extracting the mod to your Steam directory above.

2. Launch Steam, select Half-Life and click on the cog on the right hand side of the games page and select Properties. This will bring up a pop up menu. From there, select the Compatibility section and check the box 'Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool' (This can be unchecked at anytime to stop using Proton).

In the drop down menu, select the latest version of Proton. Steam will then update your game. Now you can now play Half-Life via Proton.

3. To run a mod, in the same pop up menu, select General and look for Launch Options. Here you can type in the command line options. In our case we want to put '-game mod_name'.

4. Close the menus and run Half-Life.

5. Again, it is helpful to read the documentation provided by the mod author(s).

This may not be a 100% fool proof way of running a mod. We must rely on some emulation software, and this just may not work for every mod. Just try it and see!

Mods tested on linux

These lists will be added to if I test and play any other mods. Let me know if there are any mods I should add to these lists.


Native builds for linux:

Blue Shift
They Hunger


Mods run using Proton:

Absolute Redemption
Half-Life: Zombie Edition (1.1)

[GatoPan_Gamer]

It worked thanks you very much

[UBrain]

thank you

[SandManMcoy]

ok