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Comment by wolletd | Hacker News Reader

According to ProtonDB, you just launch it: https://www.protondb.com/app/268910

I haven't had a Windows for Gaming in 10 years. The first seven years of that, I haven't played many games. However, CS:GO, Factorio, Civilization and Stardew Valley, among others, all had native Linux support and I wasn't bored.

Then the Steam Deck and Proton came. I ticked a box in Steam settings to not restrict "Steam Play" to verified games, installed a Windows game and started it. It just worked. When Cyberpunk 2077 came out, Proton was updated in time and I launched Cyberpunk 2077, a demanding modern game, in my Linux Steam Client as if it was nothing special.

It's three years later and I'm still thrilled. You bascially don't have to care anymore. I still take a look into ProtonDB before buying a game, but I can't remember the last time it wasn't working (excluding Anti Cheat-Stuff for Multiplayer, but even that is being worked on).

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Thanks, I agree Steam has seen the light, and I hope they keep focused on improving fun stuff.

Also, Classic FreeCIV on the web looks like fun too, definitely have to find a weekend for a round. The Anti-cheat stuff is unfortunately a necessity for multiplayer games, as even Pokemon GO PvP cheats lamed up the game. lol

Cheers =)

Oh, I didn't want to critique Anti-cheat for existing and not properly working (yet) in Proton.

It's software that tries to validate the environment the game is running in and is suddenly confronted with "wait, thats not a Windows system at all". And as you already argued, just ditching Anti-cheat is not an option.

So they either ignore Linux/Proton altogether or have to start actually implementing anti-cheat for a Linux/Proton environment. Even if they go with the second option (as e.g. EAC is, iirc), it simply takes time to implement.

Someone needs to add a lag-switcher Nerf feature on all platforms. They would make serious coin. =)

> So they either ignore Linux/Proton altogether or have to start actually implementing anti-cheat for a Linux/Proton environment.

Most of the popular anti cheats do work on Proton. EAC, Punkbuster, Battleye, and VAC all work fine, which I think covers most games with anti cheat. Unfortunately some of those require opt-in by the developer to work on Proton, and therefore some developers have neglected to opt in.

A handful of other games use their own anti cheat that does not work, and unfortunately those games have the resources to do that because they are very popular (CoD, Valorant).

> Steam has seen the light

Valve took a look at how hard Steam Machines bombed, and tried again with Proton. They saw some companies anti-cheat rootkits weren't working, and didn't let that stop them from making all the other games work.

Valve saw the light over a decade ago. Hell, I'd argue they always saw Linux as second-class, but worth not completely ignoring or actively breaking.

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