[Obsolete] Font Fixes (Linux)

Fixing unsupported characters and incorrect font sizes for the Linux version of the game.
GameBanana mod page[gamebanana.com]

Also available for Counter-Strike: Source

Guide Moved!

This guide has been moved here[blog.lightwo.net]

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Preface

As the game was updated in an official capacity to fix all font issues, this guide is now obsolete! If you followed this guide prior, please delete all related files to avoid issues.

---

It is recommended that Windows fonts are installed before following the other instructions in this guide. Doing so also ensures the fallback DejaVu Sans (which is drawn way too small) is not used for any previously missing fonts. Instructions for Arch Linux are available in this ArchWiki article[wiki.archlinux.org]. You may use free fonts instead (please leave suggestions in the comments!), but especially in the case of the fallback font, you need to know what to look for.

Different Source games have slight variations in file locations and contents, but it is roughly the same procedure for every Source game using VGUI based on HL2 resources.

Special thanks to SvicidalBug for pointing out issues in previous versions of this guide.

Missing Glyphs

Before

After

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Instructions

Either:

• Install WenQuanYi Zen Hei font (wqy-zenhei). It's the hard coded fallback font used by the game for unsupported characters
  
• Replace that font with Tahoma, the fallback font for the Windows version of the game
  
  1. Obtain tahoma.ttf. Read the ArchWiki article[wiki.archlinux.org] for some methods
     
  2. Install and launch FontForge
     
  3. Edit tahoma.ttf
     
  4. Navigate to Element > Font Info...
     
  5. Under PS Names (default pane), change Family Name to WenQuanYi Zen Hei, confirm with OK
     
  6. Navigate to File > Generate Fonts...
     
  7. Make sure Show Hidden Files is checked
     
  8. Navigate to Home > .local > share > fonts and enter the desired name, untick Validate Before Saving and press Generate
     
  Note that alternative free fonts may be used instead of Tahoma, in which case use a font with a large character set

Chat Font

Before

After

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Instructions

1. Obtain chatscheme.res
   
   1. Install vpk_fuse
      
   2. Enter the game directory using a terminal
      
      1. Hover over the game in your Steam Library
         
      2. Navigate to Context menu > Manage > Browse local files
         
      3. Copy the path and use it in the terminal
         

         cd "<paste here>/tf"

   3. Enter these commands:
      

      mkdir -p working custom/linux_fixes/resource
      cat >custom/linux_fixes/info.vdf <<EOL
      "linux_fixes"
      {
      	"ui_version"    "3"
      }
      EOL
      vpk_fuse tf2_misc_dir.vpk working
      cp working/resource/chatscheme.res custom/linux_fixes/resource
      umount working && rmdir working
      

   4. In the following steps, use the path it was copied to (under custom > linux_fixes > resource)
      
2. Edit the chatscheme.res copied earlier using your preferred text editor
   
3. Search for ChatFont.
   What the section should look like:
   

   "ChatFont"
   {
   	"1"
   	{
   		"name"		"Verdana"
   		"tall"		"12"	[$WIN32]
   		"tall"		"15"	[$X360]
   		"weight"	"700"
   		"yres"		"480 599"
   		"dropshadow"	"1"
   	}
   	"2"
   	{
   		...
   	}
   	...
   }
   

4. For each preset (under "1" through "5"), add [$LINUX] overrides (must be above defaults):
   

   "name"		"Verdana Bold" [$LINUX]
   "tall"		"<replace me>"	[$LINUX]	// = [$WIN32] + 3
   

   Optionally replace Verdana Bold with a desired font (should be the bold variant since "weight" is broken for TTF fonts), and replace as instructed

Console Font

Before

After

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Instructions

1. Obtain sourceschemebase.res
   
   1. Install vpk_fuse
      
   2. Enter the game directory using a terminal
      
      1. Hover over the game in your Steam Library
         
      2. Navigate to Context menu > Manage > Browse local files
         
      3. Copy the path and use it in the terminal
         

         cd "<paste here>/tf"

   3. Enter these commands:
      

      mkdir -p working custom/linux_fixes/resource
      cat >custom/linux_fixes/info.vdf <<EOL
      "linux_fixes"
      {
      	"ui_version"    "3"
      }
      EOL
      vpk_fuse ../platform/platform_misc_dir.vpk working
      cp working/resource/sourceschemebase.res custom/linux_fixes/resource
      umount working && rmdir working
      

   4. In the following steps, use the path it was copied to (under custom > linux_fixes > resource)
      
2. Edit the sourceschemebase.res copied earlier using your preferred text editor
   
3. Search for ConsoleText.
   What the section should look like:
   

   "ConsoleText"
   {
   	"1"
   	{
   		"name"		 "Lucida Console" [$WINDOWS]
   		"name"		 "Lucida Console" [$X360]
   		"name"		 "Verdana" [$POSIX]
   		"tall"		"11" [$OSX]
   		"tall"		"14" [$LINUX]
   		"tall"		"10"
   		"weight"	"500"
   	}
   }
   

4. For the preset "1", add the [$LINUX] override:
   

   "name"		 "Lucida Console" [$LINUX]
   

   Optionally replace Lucida Console with a desired, preferably monospace font

[Jazztache]

Fixed since the 64 bit update. Thanks for the help! Had this guide favorited for a long time.

[ OGuiBlindao ]

Yeah, i do have some custom huds, ill try removing them later

[lightwo]

I cannot really go any further than that with my findings other than actually checking the resource files that define what fonts are being used, since the game appears to be opening every single font available on the system.

[lightwo]

It seems like Valve already addressed the issue of fonts potentially missing on the user's operating system by bundling them with the game:

Team Fortress 2/resource/linux_fonts

...so I suspect it isn't going to be that. Do you have custom HUDs installed? If so, it is possible that one of them is referring to a font that doesn't exist on your system.

[lightwo]

It sounds like you're missing some fonts. I will see if I'll have time to investigate.

[ OGuiBlindao ]

I do have them deleted tho

[PhobosAnomaly]

Delete the Linux fixes from your customs folder and it'll be normal-sized

[ OGuiBlindao ]

Fonts still tiny tho

[Tiagoquix]

Obsolete 👍

[lightwo]

Oh, right. They did post an announcement, I just failed to notice it in my RSS reader. Welp