Hey there!
I’m a solo dev working on a sci-fi grand strategy game (I didn’t manage to find if self-promo is allowed so I’ll keep the name for myself).
I was updating my planning and started to think: since my game will be published on Steam, it will be playable on Linux using Compatibility Mode even if I don’t specifically target Linux itself. I myself play on an Ubuntu and this allows me to play almost every Windows game (old ones are more capricious, but recent ones are ok).
So I’m wondering, is there really an advantage to have native Linux support nowadays? As a solo dev, the thing I lack the most is time. The days/weeks/months it would take me to add it and fix all the probable bugs it entails could be used to improve the game itself or add features instead for example.
On a more general note, what do you other Linux players expect from a Linux game?
I really appreciate when a dev puts the extra effort in to make a Linux port, but I can understand when a solo dev such as you doesn’t have much time to spend on porting. To be honest, I’m just happy if the developers at the very least test the game on Linux using Proton and WINE to make sure it’s working well and correctly. That way if making a native port really is that much of a hassle, I expect them to at least test it on Linux. I think that most large teams should make a (good) native port, though.
I’m using Ubuntu myself to develop actually so I’m kind of doing that all the time. The problem is, my machine isn’t everyone’s machine, my drivers aren’t anyone’s drivers, and so on.
In the end I think that I’ll try to give Linux builds to testers to see if they report a lot of bugs or not and decide at that moment if it’s too much work or not.
Honestly, I wouldn’t bother.
Linux is a small market and people who buy exclusively native linux games is even smaller. If your game works fine with Proton that’s great.
You’re a solo dev and should pick your battles. I would focus on getting steam deck verified instead, if possible.
If you yourself use/are familiar with Linux and willing to actually test and polish your Linux version to the same standard as your Windows version, then a native Linux version is always appreciated.
However these days, it’s probably not necessary and a lazy afterthought Linux version is like a bad console port, and because we DO have the option to run the Windows version, it’s probably worse than no Linux version at all.
So it really depends on your personal feelings towards Linux, and nobody’s going to judge you for not providing a native version you can’t personally test and support. That’s why we have Proton.
I cannot go into that site because they don’t comply with the gdpr right to not allow any legitimate interest cookies with one button, hoping I will click agree instead of going through hundreds of vendors and disabling these illegal trackers
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Please publish to GoG as well. I want to support sites that are DRM free. Also I think it’s smart to give native Linux support to show the industry that Linux is important rather than rely on compatibility tools that may or may not work well for any given game or setup.
GoG isn’t DRM free anymore
And a game on Steam doesn’t have to have DRM if the developer doesn’t integrate the DRM feature from SteamWorks API
DRM or not this is straight from Steam, you don’t own what you “purchase”. This isn’t consumer friendly:
Steam Subscriber Agreement
- REGISTRATION AS A SUBSCRIBER; APPLICATION OF TERMS TO YOU; YOUR ACCOUNT, ACCEPTANCE OF AGREEMENTS
B. Hardware, Subscriptions; Content and Services
Valve or third-party video games and in-game content, software associated with Hardware and any virtual items you trade, sell or purchase in a Steam Subscription Marketplace are referred to in this Agreement as “Content and Services;”
- Licenses
A. General Content and Services License
“The Content and Services are licensed, not sold. Your license confers no title or ownership in the Content and Services.”
I would like to learn more about DRM on GoG if you wouldn’t mind sharing.
In the past they had the Hitman game of the year edition which had DRM baked in, but they eventually removed it after some pressure, however there is a maintained list on their forum:
https://www.gog.com/forum/general/drm_on_gog_list_of_singleplayer_games_with_drm/page1
Most of it is for cosmetic things which you may feel is not a big deal, but if you read a little deeper you’ll see there are more nefarious games on there.
I appreciate the link and heads up
I didn’t know there was such a demand for GOG. Thanks to this post, your and others’ answers, it’s on my radar now :)
Oops sorry wrong thread
Steam Deck and Linux desktop user here.
I wouldn’t prioritize a native Linux binary if I were you. For some of my games that have a native Linux version, I still run the Proton compatibility version instead because it runs better. Proton is insanely well-optimized and adapted to Linux desktops, your own code will have a hard time competing with that.
Just make sure to pick an engine / tech stack that works well with Proton and find one or more testers who run SteamOS or another Linux distribution.
As a personal anecdote, recently I installed a co-op videogame on my Linux Steam machine and I couldn’t get past the main menu, I wasted quite a bit of my own and my friend’s time before realizing it was a bug in the Linux build. After reinstalling the Windows version through Proton everything worked flawlessly.
Please don’t publish a Linux build unless you plan to test and maintain it.
Native Linux support is always preferable if the developer can handle it or has the budget to do so. However, as long as it works well via Proton, that’s the important part. I don’t follow him anymore due to several reasons but Gardiner Bryant has a video about this, it’s a pretty solid watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uScsmjvdwyo
