Discussions and news about gaming on the GNU/Linux family of operating systems (including the Steam Deck). Potentially a $HOME away from home for disgruntled /r/linux_gaming denizens of the redditarian demesne.
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So anyway, any beginner tips?
So, this one is a bit controversial but, when something doesn't work try running it from terminal.
Unlike windows, Linux doesn't tend to do "pop up errors". Running in terminal gives these alerts, and can often give you a hint as to why it isn't working - be it a missing library, a permission error, or something internal you can quickly search. Usually, someone has a fix!
Also, if it's a decent application, it probably logs stuff somewhere. Check /var/log for software installed system wide. If the logs are not there, check the install dir etc. If there's a README around, check that out first.
Good luck!
ONE OF US ! ONE OF US !
is this your production machine? If yes, dont type random commands until you know exactly what they are.
I know it's Linux and you can try many things as you want, but unless you are very experienced, dont do it on your main laptop.
It is pretty difficult because you can do things like installing new enviroments or try out different hacks for free. If you really want to tinker, do it on a 2nd laptop or just in Virtual Machine.
As this is bazzite, an immutable distro, the neat part is: if you reach finding out phase after fucking around, simply reboot and chose the previous version during boot. Very convenient for people who like to mess around with their systems :D
learn how to configure your shell now it will save you so much time and make it easier to learn if everything is already tailored to you just find documentation on your shells configuration its usually in ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
You've chosen an immutable distro based on rpm-ostree. If you want to install a program/application/app then flatpak is the way.
Heroic Launcher works great for installing GOG/Epic games but if you want to install a game or other program from an offline installer then I still fall back to Lutris.
For more in-depth read up on rpm-ostree and flatpak
Heroic I find is great for offline installers. I actually prefer it to Lutris I think. You set up your application and it creates a prefix. Before selecting the executable you press the "run installer first" button and it runs the installer on the prefix. Once it's done you select the executable and it's set up and good to go.
The Lutris method, IIRC, is you create the prefix, select the installer to run, then you modify that to target the new executable after. It's not difficult, but the Heroic experience is slightly more streamlined I think.
Yeeeah, for a fresh Bazzite install I'd agree that "swap Lutris for Heroic" is solid advice.
In Bazzite flatpak is the way so much that you will open Discover and only see flatpak, so if this was really, really beginner tips I'd suggest not learning what any of that means for as long as possible and just relying on Discover for your apps until you hit a roadbump. This guy seems well informed enough that is not a problem, but hey.
I'm also mildly annoyed that ujust is important enough to still need that terminal splash screen but not enough to be baked into the config tools by default in GUI. So weird.
That's either another thing you should try not to learn about if everything works fine out of the box or something you really should look into if it doesn't, and that's not great.
Also worth checking out all of the pre-made "ujust" recipes.
Just type "ujust" in the terminal for a list. Tons of useful shit.
The best tip I can give you is to get rid of windows, and, well, you've already done that :)
Use alternativeto.net .... not necessarily for just Windows programs alternatives; but it is also great for looking at popular utilities for any task in Linux.
Some programs I use a lot were not suggested anywhere else (e.g. Pluma as a basic text editor and Pinta for basic image editing).
A lot of games are going to work without you having to do anything and some will need some tinkering. In that case, https://www.protondb.com/ will be your best friend, telling you exactly what you need to do to get things running.
That being said, some games simply can't be run under Linux. They might work in the future as compatibility improves but some won't. If it's an issue for you, you might want to dual boot windows as a workaround.
Personally, I recommend quitting Windows cold-turkey and not dual-booting at all. If a game genuinely doesn't work without dual-booting, you don't need it. No game is so important that it's worth compromising your security, privacy, and property rights over.
Yep, and the more people do this then the more likely it will be that games support Linux (or are at least tested to work with WINE/Proton.
but dont dual boot on the same drive! get a second SSD or something because windows is a big bully and always wants to screw stuff up
+1 for Bazzite! I converted last year, and have never had to go back. My tip would be to make good use of ProtonUp-QT that should have come with Bazzite by default. Use it to get Proton GE which in my experience has been the best compatibility layer for Steam games. You can also batch update with that tool so that when a new version of GE comes out, you can set games en masse to the new version.
My best advice is:
You should never blindly copy and paste commands form the Internet into your terminal.
But...
If your hardware is old and proprietary (designed for Windows), you might someday need to copy and paste a command from the Internet into your terminal.
Joking aside, the key is to try to understand what it does, first.
And feel free to ask the community for help if you need it.
Edit: Nevermind. Your choice of immutable distro makes it less likely you'll need this advice. Nice.
Nice! I recently tried KDE Plasma and I’ve been really impressed not just with the polish but with the look and feel that still kind of reminds me of Windows without being Windows.
Yeah, it's like all the good parts of the Windows UI (whichever version you like best) without the bad parts, and also customizable so you can make it work best for you, and not what some corporation decides is best this year.
I've seen Plasma, Xfce, and GNOME. I like the last one the most, so I'm using it on all of my systems.
Execute "ujust" and marvel at what's possible right out of the box. If you used KDE check out some simple tips on how to configure cool windows effects. A little wobble makes all the difference. Browse the apps you can install, there are some pretty neat things in there you probably never heard of before.
And don't forget: once you got the things you want working, let the system fade into the background. No need to constantly tinker with your distribution unless you enjoy it.
I'm using GNOME because I like it more
And yeah, system fading into the background is the end goal
Yes gnome > KDE
This is a hill i will die on
I try once each year for about a month but so far I just can't and I'm the opposite. Before the total style change it was also opposite and early kde was just kinda gross. Old gnome was my entry point with desktop environments and linux in general. When the change happened I tried literally everything else before kde because I didn't like the older versions but eventually it came standard on a lot of distros and I just got used to it.
⚔️ You just started a war. 😂 KDE > Gnome. 🤭
I can't get excited about the Gnome interface. It somehow works in such an unfamiliar way. What is the advantage supposed to be?
I've had to use it in vocational school, and after a few months I started to like it over Windows interface. Later on I've touched Xfce and seen people around me use KDE, but still prefer GNOME. I've got no idea why.
I totally agree - distro hoppers who complain about the "nightmare" of finding the right distro are living in a hell of their own making.
I somewhat get it. I used Mint ages ago on a laptop I had. It was fine. Two years ago I decided to see if I could use Linux full time in my desktop, and I installed Ubuntu. It was fine. Windows decided to fuck things up and I never fully recovered the system, and decided to cut Windows out and start fresh, and I installed Fedora, and it was fine. I fucked that up somewhat while messing around and learning and heard about Garuda and tried that. I love it!
I could have lived with any of the previous distros I tried. They did the job fine, and I didn't think much of it. Garuda seems perfect for me though. Being Arch based is great, but it started with most of what I needed so it wasn't the typical Arch install process (though I hear that's better now than is memed). For someone comfortable with their computer skills, I think it's the perfect option for gamers coming to Linux. I probably wouldn't recommend it for someone coming from Windows who never learned computer skills, but anyone who edited registries should be able to handle it just fine.
Almost everything is better than it's memed. Too many people treat memes like information when they're more like graffiti.
Mess around until it breaks. It's fun.
Also checkout "ricing linux." (There is a unixporn community here that can help you)
I did the same a few months ago. Installed bazzite just like you. Then installed fedora 42 workstation over it one week later.
While it's designed to be plug and play, I found bazzite frustrating. But then again, I'm a Linux vet and I'm a tinkerer. I like to customise system configuration files. Immutable distros just weren't for me.
But if you're happy then that's all that matters. Happy gaming!
Welcome in from the cold. We have hot cocoa and blankets.
Less a specific linux tip but look into Ventoy, it can carry multiple bootable ISOs and its just useful (reduces the amount of ISO Sticks to 1)
ventoy is awesome, my tip for OP is to always have a live usb in case of emergencies. you can just install ventoy onto a USB and drag and drop your bazzite ISO but having a live stick you can plug in and boot from at any moment is 100% a life saver. whether you broke something or you just wanna troubleshoot (think windows safe mode but better) you'll be glad you kept that USB lying around :)
You can blindly download and install things from the internet on Windows, you can't in Linux. If you try, it'll be confusing at best, destructive at worst. If you want to install something, best to look for it in your GUI software manager (the "app store")
If you're up for the challenge (it's extremely tedious to set up, partially thanks to its horrid instructions), you can try installing winapps. It'll save you a lot of time with running Windows programs
This is not totally true. Deb packages will just activate the package manager and will mimic the feel of installing something on windows.