Wine for gaming

jsimeon

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I have an old pc that I'm about to install Ubuntu on so that I can begin to really learn the system. I have another pc for gaming but had heard and read some on it while in the book store (didn't want to buy the book for a free os and figured the info is out there somewhere) that I can use wine to run major game titles that usually only work for or are best suited to Microsoft os systems. Any way my questions are this first is it worth it? And second will the game preform at an optimum level?
 
Solution
The best option is always to run a Linux version of the game if one exists.

If a Linux version doesn't exist then WINE and it's derivatives are probably your 2nd best option.

Some games run almost perfectly on WINE, others have minor problems, some have moderate problems, others severe problems and some don't run at all.

Take a look at the appDB for supported games and apps http://appdb.winehq.org/index.php

Also check out the FAQ http://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ

WINE is free and open source ( $0 - completely free to download ).

There are also commercial derivatives of WINE that you can pay for if you think they are worth it.

http://www.codeweavers.com/products/ crossover games $39.95

http://www.cedega.com/ $5 a month or $55 a year...

linux_0

Splendid
The best option is always to run a Linux version of the game if one exists.

If a Linux version doesn't exist then WINE and it's derivatives are probably your 2nd best option.

Some games run almost perfectly on WINE, others have minor problems, some have moderate problems, others severe problems and some don't run at all.

Take a look at the appDB for supported games and apps http://appdb.winehq.org/index.php

Also check out the FAQ http://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ

WINE is free and open source ( $0 - completely free to download ).

There are also commercial derivatives of WINE that you can pay for if you think they are worth it.

http://www.codeweavers.com/products/ crossover games $39.95

http://www.cedega.com/ $5 a month or $55 a year


Linux also has free open source games http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_games and commercial games http://www.tuxgames.com/browse.cgi?&category=all

Some of the commercial Linux games have free demos you can try.

Good luck :)
 
Solution

linux_0

Splendid
If you have a really nice computer with lots of RAM you could use Virtualbox which has 3D acceleration and run a windows vm on top of your linux OS ( that way you could run windows XP inside Linux ).

A real windows vm would require a license.

You can also run free operating systems inside virtualbox too like *BSD, Solaris, any Linux distribution, freeDOS, reactOS and so on and commercial operating systems as well.

Good luck :)
 

jsimeon

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Thanks for the help i'll keep the windows vm in mind for down the road :)
 

linux_0

Splendid
VMs can be slow and they usually require an expensive PC with a lot of power and virtualization extensions.

WINE is less demanding but you still need a good PC with good graphics for some of the latest games, not so much for older games.

Your mileage will vary.

The appDB and the codeweavers and cedega game DBs can give you an idea of what to expect to get out of each program compatibility wise.

Neither solution is perfect.

VMs have better compatibility than WINE, since you are actually running the real OS under a VM but your virtual sound and graphics hardware can sometimes cause major problems.

Don't forget about all the free games which run on Linux natively like..........

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_open_source_games

http://glest.org/en/index.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vega_strike

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nexuiz

and many more :)
 

randomizer

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The appDB isn't always kept up to date either, especially with less popular programs. Also, note that the latest version of Wine is not always the best. Look for the version that works best with the majority of your programs. Sometimes it can go from really functional to no even working with a single version change.
 

linux_0

Splendid
Virtualbox's performance is sometimes impressive and sometimes not, I have to admit I haven't tested it with games.

It's true sometimes you have to find a suitable version of WINE for your app or use crossover or cedega to improve the chances of the app working.

:)
 

jsimeon

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Thanks for all the info. It actually looks as if I'm going to be running Umbuntu on my new system instead of getting another copy of vista especially since win7 is out in October and might as well get to know Umbuntu on it too while I wait (who knows might not go back to microsoft, though gaming and some graphic design is what the new system is for.)

I know that some of the games I run do have serious compatibility problems with linux and have also considered a partition of sorts.

New System
PCU: AMD phenom II black
mobo: Asus crosshair III formula
ram: Mushkin xp series 4GB ddr3 more later
video: Vapor-X Radeon HD 4870 1GB with possibility of crossfire later
PSU: CORSAIR|CMPSU-850TX 850W RT
HD: WD 640GB black caviar with a second of the same later
 

randomizer

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I like how Adam Overa put it in the Tom's Hardware Ubuntu article a few months ago:

The question is not “can Linux run it?” That has never been the question with regard to Linux. Instead, you can make it do just about anything that you want it to do. The more pointed question is: “just how much of a hassle is this going to be?”
 

sub mesa

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I'm a heavy Wine-gamer, virtually all big titles can be played with wine after setting up/tweaking it should work perfectly. The only real thing that doesn't work is animated cursors, i get about 80% of the FPS i get in Windows.

If you are using an ATi card, you are in bad luck however. Since the drivers for Linux are of very low quality, certainly not as reasonable as the nVidia linux drivers, which work pretty well. Maybe if Gallium3D would work out, you can have opensource 3D drivers and all problems could be fixed by open source devs instead of proprietary coders.
 

randomizer

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I tried L4D (Source engine) in Wine and where I was getting 40-120FPS in Windows on max I was getting 2-10FPS in Wine on min graphics. Must have had the "wrong" version of Wine :lol: I was using a 9600GT too, no ATI stuff. I wonder if my GTX275 can manage 20FPS or if it's too new to break 5FPS.
 

amdfangirl

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They are getting a tad better after the AMD takeover.
 
G

Guest

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GTA san andreas runs pretty good in Wine under ubuntu 9.04. The only problem I get about 10fps due to my old crappy rig.
 

Zorak

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Does anyone know when Postal 3 is coming out? It is a source engine based game and it is supposed to have a Linux port. I am hoping that all their legwork getting source to run natively on Linux would be used to port games like Half-Life 2/Portal/Team Fortress 2. I think having those games working under Linux would help attract more gamers to our platform and improve support for Linux. Lets face it, WINE is a great project and is very useful, but native games are almost always a better option.

--Zorak
 

medjohnson77

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I have just took the dive into Ubuntu 9.04 64 bit and have to say that I have found myself trying to get everything right. It really is a totally different OS, regarding the way you as a user must work with it compared to MS. I really like some of the things you can do with Ubuntu, love the cube desktop, effects that can be done with it. I must say that my wine experience so far is not going well. I have tried several MS games, shadowrun, DOW soulstorm, DOW II, and a few others that I have not been able to get to install with wine. I got Soulstorm to install but it will not load up to the game. I can configure the grafix but thats it.

It really is too bad about the lack of support for gamers with this Ubuntu, but for the time being, I believe I am going to take the time to learn Ubuntu and how it works. I even broke down my raid setup, I got the alt. CD to install with only Vista in raid, but could not get Ubuntu to install right with Vista and Window 7 in a tripple boot. Grub was just installed in the wrong area, or atleast now that is what I think happened. I am installing vista and 7 on there own 640gb wd black and put Ubuntu on its on 640 GB drive. I have been on the Ubuntu forums doing a lot of reading, but what has really helped me out is YouTube. There is a chick on there named NixiePixel that post's all kinds of really helpful things about Ubuntu. I think this is the first I have been on tom's in days, LOL> still trying to figure Ubuntu out.
 

Pyroflea

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This is a very, VERY common misconception. Linux isn't incompatible with games; the games are incompatible with Linux. If you run a game with a Linux-native installer (Quake, and anything using the same engine I believe, to name a few), you'll notice it performs wonderfully. Unfortunately, not many people run Linux in comparison to Windoze, so the gaming companies don't 'waste' their time making a Linux-native installer for the game.

Hopefully your experience goes better, as Linux is truly wonderful. :)