Hi everyone!
After buying only games from Steam, I’ve decided to also try to support GOG.
I’ve bought only one game so far (Earthworm Jim) and got 4 for free.
When trying to install Earthworm Jim, Heroic only allows me to install the native Linux version, when GOG says they also have the Windows version.
People on the web are saying that it’s better to use proton and not Linux versions.
Despite some research, I can’t find a way to switch versions.
Can anyone help me?
Also since I have some proton versions downloaded for Steam Os, do I need to download them again in Heroic?
Edit: Problem solved by doing the same operation in desktop mode
People on the web are saying that it’s better to use proton and not Linux versions.
I’ve been one of those people. But! That wholly depends on the game. It is often true when the Windows version received updates while the Linux version was neglected. But if the Linux version is being maintained the same as the Windows version they should be equal, with the Linux version being preferred.
So, just install the Linux version and only switch when you have problems.
What happens when you click on the drop-down menu to select the version? I’ve had issues in the past with Heroic where the drop-down menus would only work in desktop mode on the Steam Deck, FWIW.
That was it! Thanks
In game mode, clicking on the list would only show me the Linux version.
In desktop mode it allowed me to select the Windows version 👍
Glad you were able to get it working!
I need to get around to creating a bug report, I’m guessing the issue is with gamescope and not Heroic itself, but I’m not sure.
The screenshot is what happens. The highlighted border means the dropdown is active. This is a bug, because it should be showing both version. If only one version is available, then it wouldn’t show the version dropdown at all.
Ah, good catch. In that case, I’ve hit this bug before, although usually when trying to select a different version of Proton afterwards, and I managed to get the drop-down working in Desktop mode.
If OP is already in Desktop mode, then I’m not sure tbh.oh that’s a good point, I didn’t consider that game mode might be causing the problem. I guess I always install from desktop mode anyway, so I obviously never ran into problems with heroic in game mode.
since it looks like you’ve already activated the dropdown, this is a bug, probably on Heroic’s end. if you don’t see anything other than Linux in the version dropdown, I would put in a bug report on the github.
but since you own the game on GOG, you can just download the installer yourself and add it through Steam or Lutris or Bottles or [insert your preferred method]
It’s probably not detecting that you have a wine / proton installed and defaulting to Linux native version.
Check if this problem persists with other games and also check under heroic settings > manage wine versions and make sure to install one (generally proton-ge latest)
Click on the drop down menu.
If it doesn’t work, click on the drop down menu while being in Desktop Mode.
If it doesn’t work, download the windows executable directly from GOG, then install manually with Heroic. For this you can use a browser in Desktop Mode.
I will never understand why it’s better to emulate windows to play a game on Linux instead of just using the Linux version.
If the Linux version is 1.01 and the windows one is 2.5 I get it but normally that’s not the case with GOG.
Well, you listed one reason in your own post, so I suppose you could understand why. 😛
Another reason is poor support for Linux ports. Garry’s Mod crashes after ~30 minutes for me on the native Linux port, but works (mostly) out of the box under Proton.
It should also be noted that neither WINE nor Proton are emulating Windows.
Sometimes the Linux version is less supported for newer features of Linux like Wayland or some graphics APIs etc while DirectX to Vulkan with Wine is always up to date. If you don’t know the specifics and there is both a Linux and Windows version just guesswork to know which one will run faster and have less bugs.
Trying both is prudent.
Thanks for the extra info. I actually hadn’t considered the Wayland stuff.
For a couple of real world examples:
- CrossCode from GOG needs a specific version of both Proton and the underlying engine. Otherwise, the controls don’t work using the Linux Native version.
- Stardew Valley (Steam version) will not work with mods and multiplayer unless you use the Windows version and follow the manual instructions for installing the windows mod loader. The Linux version of Stardew will not connect to multiplayer.
Those are just two I could recall off the top of my head, but I’m confident there’s others like that.
I’ve definitely had issues with Linux versions + Wayland; however, most of the time they are easily cleared up by launching the Linux native version in gamescope, which plays nicer with window managers, too.
That said, there really isn’t anything wrong with running things in Proton. Sometimes you can get better performance in Proton with the Windows build versus running the game in Windows (due to various factors, including shader precaching). Compatability layer ≠ emulation, and it’s important to distinguish the two, because “emulation” does and should sound slow. Proton is not emulation, strictly speaking.
Despite some research, I can’t find a way to switch versions.
Brother, it says right in the screenshot you provided: “Select Platform Version to Install”
People on the web are saying that it’s better to use proton and not Linux versions.
In Steam, yes. In Heroic, your mileage may vary. My experience with Heroic using Proton is 50/50. Using Linux in Heroic is 100%. So try that, and see if you run into any issues.
Brother, it says right in the screenshot you provided: “Select Platform Version to Install”
the border around the dropdown shows that they have clicked the dropdown. the default state is for the installation folder to be selected.
You can always download and install manually.
To be honest I wasn’t aware GOG even had a Linux client! Maybe it doesn’t have proton like functionality, but they did make install scripts for wine once.To be honest I wasn’t aware GOG even had a Linux client!
It doesn’t. This is Heroic launcher, which is an unofficial launcher that can download games from EGS, GOG and Amazon. It does support Proton generally, not sure why it doesn’t in this case.
OK I’ll have to look into that.
