I am switching from Windows 10 to Linux mint.....

[LeftHandedMagus]

Hello, I have decided that I am sick of windows and want to switch to Linux. I ran Ubuntu about 15 years ago, until I moved back to windows when I got a new computer, due to issues with finding Linux drivers for that computer. I have hated windows since the end of Windows XP, but always found a reason not to dive into Linux.

The reason I am on this forum typing this post is because VN's are the only thing keeping me on Windows Operating System, so before I switch, I want to learn the tricks I need to know to get wine working for most VN's. So can any Linux users here tell me the most common problems you have getting a VN running on wine? Is wine the best method, or would PlayOnLinux work better for VN's? I have a huge VN collection to practice on, I just want a few tips to make the switch easier, Thank You.

 

 

Edit: I found this guide: https://fglt.nl/guides/visual-novels-on-gnu-linux.html 

Let me know if this guide is missing anything, Thank you.

 

Edited October 28, 2020 by LeftHandedMagus

[kokoro]

Why not dual boot?

Honestly, use a mac. Better experience.

[Cytlan]

PlayOnLinux is pretty much dead at this point. If you want a PlayOnLinux alternative then Lutris is probably the way to go. You can use vanilla Wine for most intents and purposes, but if Wine's giving you a hard time then Valve's Proton works incredibly well.

Welcome back to Linux!

[LeftHandedMagus]

1 hour ago, Cytlan said:

PlayOnLinux is pretty much dead at this point. If you want a PlayOnLinux alternative then Lutris is probably the way to go. You can use vanilla Wine for most intents and purposes, but if Wine's giving you a hard time then Valve's Proton works incredibly well.

Welcome back to Linux!

Thanks for the advice! Does valves proton only work on steam games?

1 hour ago, kokoro said:

Why not dual boot?

Honestly, use a mac. Better experience.

 

one reason I am moving from windows is because of privacy concerns, so mac isn't that much better of an option! Dual booting sucks because every big update windows does likes to delete the boot-loader, and having to manually install boot-loader every time that happens is a pain.

Edited October 28, 2020 by LeftHandedMagus
to add

[Cytlan]

6 minutes ago, LeftHandedMagus said:

Thanks for the advice! Does valves proton only work on steam games?

You can use Proton on non-Steam games. The easiest method is just to add it as a non-Steam game to your library (Library -> ADD A GAME -> Add a Non-Steam Game...). After adding the game, right-click it in your library and select "Properties...". In the properties windows, in the General tab, click the "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool" option at the bottom. Select the most recent Proton option. Close the properties window and run your game as you would with any other Steam game.

Running Proton without Steam is a bit more of a hassle, so I don't recommend it unless you really want to avoid Steam.

[LeftHandedMagus]

15 minutes ago, Cytlan said:

You can use Proton on non-Steam games. The easiest method is just to add it as a non-Steam game to your library (Library -> ADD A GAME -> Add a Non-Steam Game...). After adding the game, right-click it in your library and select "Properties...". In the properties windows, in the General tab, click the "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool" option at the bottom. Select the most recent Proton option. Close the properties window and run your game as you would with any other Steam game.

Running Proton without Steam is a bit more of a hassle, so I don't recommend it unless you really want to avoid Steam.

Though I prefer not using steam, I am ok with using it, I just want to make sure I can still read VN's. I'll probably end up setting up a virtual machine eventually, but would prefer to only use it when absolutely necessary. I have a pretty beefed up laptop, but would prefer not to use the resources to run VM when I dont need to. 

Edited October 28, 2020 by LeftHandedMagus

[LeftHandedMagus]

3 hours ago, Cytlan said:

PlayOnLinux is pretty much dead at this point. If you want a PlayOnLinux alternative then Lutris is probably the way to go. You can use vanilla Wine for most intents and purposes, but if Wine's giving you a hard time then Valve's Proton works incredibly well.

Welcome back to Linux!

 

2 hours ago, Cytlan said:

You can use Proton on non-Steam games. The easiest method is just to add it as a non-Steam game to your library (Library -> ADD A GAME -> Add a Non-Steam Game...). After adding the game, right-click it in your library and select "Properties...". In the properties windows, in the General tab, click the "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool" option at the bottom. Select the most recent Proton option. Close the properties window and run your game as you would with any other Steam game.

Running Proton without Steam is a bit more of a hassle, so I don't recommend it unless you really want to avoid Steam.

One more question about proton, can I add packages like: corefonts, d3dx9_36, dotnet40, ffdshow, quartz, LAVFilters and vcrun6? Also is their a way to emulate Japanese Local with it? If so, do I have to directly install them through wine, or would I do it through proton?

I loved Linux back when I used it, and from what I have read, it has gone a long way in the last 1 and a half decades! I am excited, even though I am going to have to relearn the terminal! The relearning of the terminal is the only thing that I am not looking forward to, I personally think the terminal is a very powerful tool that really gives you the power to do anything you want with your computer and OS! Thanks for the advice!

[LeftHandedMagus]

@Shaun Why does switching to Linux make you sad? LOL.

 

[sarkasmus]

Concerning dual boot:

Using separate system drives for Linux and Windows should work.

[LeftHandedMagus]

On 10/29/2020 at 2:07 AM, sarkasmus said:

Concerning dual boot:

Using separate system drives for Linux and Windows should work.

I think I am going to update my ram from 32gb to 64gb, that way I should have no problem running a VM if needed! I am also thinking about getting a new ssd, so I can just replace the SSD windows is installed on, so in worse case that I absolute need to run windows, I can just swap the drives. I have had some major issues dual booting win/linux in the past which is why I would want to avoid doing it. Having them dual booting from different drives would in theory prevent data from getting corrupted, which means worst comes to worst, I would just have to reinstall the boot loader in the command line if windows decides to delete it,  but I also know Microsoft has been known to play dirty in the past (like how Microsoft destroyed Dr. Dos), and being someone who has lost data in the past due to a windows update, I would rather not take the chance. I do appreciate the advice though, Thank you! 

 

 

Edit: I wonder how many will recognize the Dr. Dos reference?

Edited October 30, 2020 by LeftHandedMagus

[LeftHandedMagus]

22 hours ago, LeftHandedMagus said:

I think I am going to update my ram from 32gb to 64gb, that way I should have no problem running a VM if needed! I am also thinking about getting a new ssd, so I can just replace the SSD windows is installed on, so in worse case that I absolute need to run windows, I can just swap the drives. I have had some major issues dual booting win/linux in the past which is why I would want to avoid doing it. Having them dual booting from different drives would in theory prevent data from getting corrupted, which means worst comes to worst, I would just have to reinstall the boot loader in the command line if windows decides to delete it,  but I also know Microsoft has been known to play dirty in the past (like how Microsoft destroyed Dr. Dos), and being someone who has lost data in the past due to a windows update, I would rather not take the chance. I do appreciate the advice though, Thank you! 

 

 

Edit: I wonder how many will recognize the Dr. Dos reference?

I changed my mind, I didn't realize that with an actual second drive you can keep windows bootloader alongside Grub, which is the reason I didn't want to dual boot in the first place. I do want to eventual move all the way to Linux, but at least this gives my the time to relearn the OS. @Cytlan , @sarkasmus Thanks for your Input, I really appreciate it!