Steam on Linux: A First Look
I just recently got into the closed beta of Steam for Linux, and while things were bumpy at first, my experience smoothed out.
My system:
- Intel Core i7 2630QM 2.00GHz
- 12GB DDR3 RAM
- nVidia GeForce GTX 560M (1.5GB VRAM)
- 500GB external USB3 HDD (1TB internal for Windows)
- Dual-boot Windows 7 Professional + Ubuntu 12.04.1 x64
My OS:
- Ubuntu 12.04.1 CLI installed from Alternate CD
- SLiM
- Openbox
- ALSA (no Pulse)
- Wicd (no NetworkManager)
- nvidia-current
What works OOTB:
- Installing and updating Steam, Steam Community, and so on
- Downloading and launching games
- Big Picture
- Offline Mode
- In-game overlay
What works with tweaks:
- ALSA sound output (games and Steam itself)
What doesn't work (or minor gripes):
- Tray icon (no integration with lxpanel)
- Moving/resizing bugs right the hell out
- Whenever a Community notification pops up, it takes focus away from the current window
Game support list:
| Game | Runs? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Amnesia: The Dark Descent | Y | Justine mode kicks back to windowed mode after loading the main menu, no known workaround (normal game runs fine) |
| Aquaria | Y | Very loud compared to other games |
| Braid | N | Missing executable |
| Cogs | Y | - |
| Darwinia | Y | - |
| DEFCON | N | Missing executable |
| Dungeons of Dredmor | Y | - |
| Frozen Synapse | Y | Sometimes the launcher crashes upon quit |
| Killing Floor | Y | - |
| Limbo | N | Invalid app config |
| Multiwinia | N | Missing executable |
| Osmos | Y | - |
| Psychonauts | N | Invalid app config |
| Serious Sam 3: BFE | N | Cannot find libpci.so.3 (either provided by the libpci3 package or allowing it to install a static copy) |
| Space Pirates and Zombies | Y | - |
| SpaceChem | N | Tries to install some dependencies first (I didn't pay much attention to which ones), but still fails to load |
| Superbrothers: Swords & Sorcery EP | N | Fail with no error message |
| Team Fortress 2 (+Beta) | Y | Needs ALSA sound fix if not running Pulse |
| Uplink | Y | - |
Games I do not own (but have Linux support in the Steam Store):
- And Yet It Moves
- Cubemen
- Dynamite Jack
- eversion
- Galcon Fusion
- Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45
- Solar 2
- Steel Storm: Burning Retribution
- The Book of Unwritten Tales
- Trine 2
- Unity of Command: Stalingrad Campaign
- Waveform
- World of Goo
Posted Dec 2, 2012, 7:42 PM UTC · edited
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