Gaming on Linux for n00bs

Aaron

Aaron

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I've been a Windows user since Windows for Workgroups 3.11 back in the day. But I've all but got to the point where I've given up on it. I'm using Win7 at the moment but have decided that once I have to upgrade my machine I will think long and hard of switching to Linux. Now, practically the only qualm I have about Linux is my gaming hobby. Fortunately Steam and a few other (mostly Indy devs) seem to be anticipating this shift.

Now, as a complete noob on this subject, I have two (or three) questions:

1. Owning many games that support multiple platforms on Steam, I do take it that if I do change to Linux, I won't need to buy a new copy of those games, right?

2. There are lots of different versions of Linux out there, are they all gaming (and PI specifically) compatible, or are there ones that are better than others? If so, which?

3. (optional) Speaking as a total noob on this subject, what sort of additional advice would you give someone contemplating a shift to Linux based gaming?
 
Noodleface

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aaron_sl said:
I've been a Windows user since Windows for Workgroups 3.11 back in the day. But I've all but got to the point where I've given up on it. I'm using Win7 at the moment but have decided that once I have to upgrade my machine I will think long and hard of switching to Linux. Now, practically the only qualm I have about Linux is my gaming hobby. Fortunately Steam and a few other (mostly Indy devs) seem to be anticipating this shift.

Now, as a complete noob on this subject, I have two (or three) questions:

1. Owning many games that support multiple platforms on Steam, I do take it that if I do change to Linux, I won't need to buy a new copy of those games, right?

2. There are lots of different versions of Linux out there, are they all gaming (and PI specifically) compatible, or are there ones that are better than others? If so, which?

3. (optional) Speaking as a total noob on this subject, what sort of additional advice would you give someone contemplating a shift to Linux based gaming?
Click to expand...
1) Pretty sure you don't need to buy the games again.

2) You'll get the most support probably on more popular variants like Ubuntu, Mint, Debian. I imagine any can be used as they are open source. You'll need to look up graphics card and sound card support to make sure that they work and are supported in whatever version of Linux you look at.

3) One thing I can add is that even if a game isn't on steam, you may still be able to play it under Linux. I know that WoW has a WINE-compatible version that I played for awhile on Linux Mint.
 
Alkorin

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1. You don't need to buy new copies, for sure.

2. Try Linux Mint first as it's basically point-and-click (including WINE for stuff that isn't native to Linux).

3. See above. WINE, and commercial versions thereof (Cedega, Crossover, etc) are able to play a great many games, even newer stuff, on Linux. Sometimes it takes a bit of tweaking. More often than not, it doesn't, as long as your video driver is working properly.
 
Joeboo

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I've never run Linux of any kind. Is there any sort of performance hit when playing a windows-based game in Linux? Is it through some sort of a software emulator that adds an extra layer of complexity and hurts the games performance, or is it basically the same as running in a 100% windows environment?
 
Mist

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Yeah Linux native games are generally faster, depending on the quality of the drivers supplied for your hardware.
 
ShakyJake

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Doesn't OpenGL have less visual effect features than DirectX? When I used to mess with Windows-on-Linux gaming, admittedly years ago, there was a definite visual quality difference in favor of Windows.
 
Aaron

Aaron

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I'll have to take a look at Mint, I've heard good things about it - whereas Ubuntu seems to be falling out of favour with many. When it comes to hardware, is there a preference for certain types (nvidia vs ATI, Intel vs AMD, efc)?

Are there any good linux gaming websites that have discussions or guides?
 
M

mixtilplix

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aaron_sl said:
I'll have to take a look at Mint, I've heard good things about it - whereas Ubuntu seems to be falling out of favour with many. When it comes to hardware, is there a preference for certain types (nvidia vs ATI, Intel vs AMD, efc)?

Are there any good linux gaming websites that have discussions or guides?
Click to expand...
I do know that Nvidia makes a linux driver though they seem to be reluctant and/or lackadaisical about it. I guess they see it as too much of a niche.

Ubuntu is easy to use but a lot of people despise unity. But if you are a linux noob and aren't comfortable using the command line to install deb packages then Ubuntu is the way to go. Since most linux noobs gravitate towards ubuntu you will a ton of tutorials and help on their website. You can easily find most stuff in the software center app. Mint is a distro based off of Ubuntu/Debian but does not use unity or the stock gnome 3 ui. Still uses the same repos based on the version of mint you download.

Anyways I don't think I could ever use Linux as a desktop I just can't stand the hinting/aliasing. I need my text to be sharper ugh.
 
ronne

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If you're doing this for the love of god do NOT buy an AMD gpu. Their driver support is just abysmal for linux distros.
 
Noodleface

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Celestein_sl said:
I'd use ubuntu for linux gaming, pretty much all game builds target Ubuntu primarily, it'll have the most compatibility.
Click to expand...
Linux Mint is based off of Ubuntu (basically Ubuntu with some added features). I find it leaps and bounds better than Ubuntu and more user and noob-friendly.
 
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