The Linux Thread - The Autist's OS of Choice

[analrapist]

If I ever do that while compiling anything it would fail 2 minutes after I left it.

Gentoo fails a lot less than any competing build system I've tried. But being light on USE flags goes a long way. People like to try and do too much with global USE. Been months since my last emerge fail.

 

[Trans Fat 41g]

Speaking of bluetooth, what do I have to do to get Bluez to acknowledge that my wireless headphones have both Audio AND Headset functionality every time it's detected?

EDIT:

To be more specific the issue is sometimes Bluez wants to detect the hands-free headset and not the audio out.

 

[SchizoDaemon]

Bluez picks up the headset automatically on mine.

Gentoo fails a lot less than any competing build system I've tried. But being light on USE flags goes a long way. People like to try and do too much with global USE. Been months since my last emerge fail.

It is more of a sod's law thing for me. I was upgrading FreeBSD ages ago now (2015), and the whole compile just died after 8 hours on a Core 2 Duo.
It is the same at work. I get a compile error at the end of a 20-minute deploy to AWS.

 

[Dread First]

Reject Enhanced Edition Modernity, Embrace S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Tradition

Testing the GOG version of the original game with the Heroic Games Launcher on Linux as of 10JUN2026

WHY DO THIS TEST?

• Steam no longer offers the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, instead offering "enhanced editions" that have many substantial changes to the original.
• GOG is the only storefront left (to my knowledge) who offers not only the original games, but also bundles in the equivalent Enhanced Edition free of charge with purchase of the original games.
• Heroic Games Launcher is my substitute for GOG Galaxy on Linux. Launcher args are more finicky to add, I can theoretically import the game into Steam, but WINEPREFIX management is much easier in Heroic relative to Steam. This includes graphical winecfg and protontricks buttons.
• All the reports on ProtonDB are horrifically outdated for the original Shadow of Chernobyl (i.e. within the last 8 months to 2 years), and do not reflect the current state of affairs with the software or hardware stacks.

HARDWARE

• CPU: Ryzen 7 5800XT
• GPU: RX 9070 XT
• RAM: 32GB

SOFTWARE

• OS: Fedora 44 (Cinnamon; all 32-bit libraries installed)
• LK: 7.0.11-200.fc44.x86_64
• WM: Muffin (Xorg)
• 3D: Mesa (4.6 Mesa 26.0.7; radeonsi, gfx1201, ACO, DRM 3.64)
• GL: Heroic Games Launcher

TESTING METHODOLOGY

1. Install the GOG version of the original game.
2. Start with Valve Proton Experimental, and work backwards through all Valve versions, all GE-Proton versions, and finally the three most recent Proton-CachyOS versions. *NO* launcher args whatsoever. It must run as close to OOTB as possible.
3. grep the logs I have to see if there are any obscure failure points (i.e. mfplat, ELFCLASS64 errors, etc)
4. Move onto the next Proton version after logging failure points, and repeat the same test.
5. No Mangohud for now. That will come with further testing at a different time.

TEST ENVIRONMENT CONSIDERATIONS

• I have modified my global game defaults under "Settings -> Game Defaults." Of note: Esync and Fsync are disabled because Fedora 44 enables `ntsync` by default rendering Esync and Fsync wholly redundant.
• RDNA4 GPU paired with Zen3 CPU using a *current* kernel/firmware/mesa stack.
• "Default" launch option in Heroic Games Launcher always selected. You can also choose "Shadow of Chernobyl" and "Settings."

PASS/FAIL RUBRIC

The goal of each test is "Am I able to do the Life of Boris 0 to Cheeki-Breeki speedrun?" To wit: How fast from the start of the game am I able to find a bandit who'll shout the Cheeeki-Breeki meme phrase at me? Normally happens in under the first 2-3 minutes of proper gameplay. Subjective questions I'm evaluating as "yes/no" or "true/false" or "pass/fail."

• Does the game launch?
• Am I able to get to the title screen/menu?
• Does audio/video playback work without issue?
• Does this feel "playable?"
• Is there any need for me to resort to external modding?

PRELIMINARY TESTING WITH PROTON EXPERIMENTAL

So far so good. I think it helps that the original Shadow of Chernobyl is a certified "Good Old Game." I know the certified GOGs go through an additional layer of testing and have more or less indefinite support from the GOG team themselves. How extensive is that testing? Does that testing render the need for external modding moot? I dunno. At any rate:

• Does the game launch? Yes.
• Am I able to get to the title screen/menu? Affirmative.
• Does audio/video playback work without issue? Oui, absolument.
• Does this feel "playable?" You better believe it. 1920x1080p running at the full 75FPS my monitors can support, and with all the fancy volumetric lighting and maximum detail settings enabled..
• Is there any need for me to resort to external modding? Not that I can tell, but I'm literally doing short segments of the opening map.

I'm still going through the motions of testing right now. As it stands? This is a comfortably playable experience. I might actually pause my testing right now and actually play the damn game just to see. If a certified Good Old Game is QA tested to such an extent that increasingly baroque and bespoke external modding tools are rendered obsolete, that's a huge point in this game's favour running under Proton Experimental.

WHAT DO MY PROTON LOGS SAY THUS FAR?

Nothing of importance. This game starts up without issue and closes without drama. No Media Framework bullshit, no ELFCLASS64 bullshit, no borked FMVs, the only thing that seemed concerning were all the "stubs," but they're nonfatal and more of an issue with implementation and logging defaults than anything to do with the game. As it stands: the bandits shout Russian obscenities at me. No borked Ukrainian/English hodgepodge nonsense like in the Enhanced Edition because GSC decided to remove all the goddamn Russian dialogue because of the Russia-Ukraine war (at least have the decency to make the original Russian dialogue free DLC ffs).

WILL THERE BE ANY UPDATES ON THIS ENDEAVOUR GOING FORWARD?

Maybe? Maybe not? Haven't really thought that far ahead. I was just sorta drafting my thoughts out as I was testing. Anyone else in this thread, please feel free to test the GOG version of STALKER Shadow of Chernobyl the way I did and see how it works for you.

 

[Stephanides]

Bookmarking the post above in case if I want to play the STALKER games again.

 

[Dread First]

Bookmarking the post above in case if I want to play the STALKER games again.

Upshot to the GOG version over Steam: DRM was historically a bitch and a half to overcome. The STALKER trilogy is $20 a piece, 60 bucks plus state tax, and you automatically get the equivalent Enhanced Editions for free. I was waiting for a while for the games to drop in price... but I just said "fuck it" and bought them wholesale.

 

[Stephanides]

Upshot to the GOG version over Steam: DRM was historically a bitch and a half to overcome. The STALKER trilogy is $20 a piece, 60 bucks plus state tax, and you automatically get the equivalent Enhanced Editions for free. I was waiting for a while for the games to drop in price... but I just said "fuck it" and bought them wholesale.

One of my first modding experiences as a kid was tweaking shit in the game's files to prevent my shaders and weather effects overhauls from crashing alongside Call of Chernobyl and it makes me miss the fact that Shell wasn't that necessary on Windows 7/10

 

[analrapist]

Reject Enhanced Edition Modernity, Embrace S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Tradition

Sounded like a bunch of horseshit, so I wondered how much of a headache it'd be to just do the stupidest thing with the game and see how well it worked. All on up-to-date Gentoo.

Over to archive.org. Search. Find a release labeled THC. Figured, eh, sounds fun.



Game is in .7z. Extract. There's an ISO there. Extract again with 7z. Run the installer in up-to-date Wine Staging. Asked me for a key. I just clicked Next. Everything installed. Didn't want to run at first. Just turned my monitor black. Fuckin niggers. One xkill later, okay, probably some gay fullscreen shit. Look up executable flags. -nointro and -window, nice. Add them.

And then this. Seems fine...

So what are the retardocorps doing that makes this such a challenge?