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Linux compatibility? I use Windows.

A topic by DannySmashChamp created Mar 11, 2023 Views: 337 Replies: 6
Viewing posts 1 to 3

I use Windows to make my games but i have heard that Windows files can be used by Linux operating systems through a program called Wine but having never used Linux before i'm not sure if my games should be Linux compatible through this restriction or if my games should remove compatiblity for Linux.

(1 edit) (+1)

You must remove it. When someone sees that the game is compatible with linux, they expect it to run natively on linux, not wine.
Checking the  linux compatible box could be considered cheating if you only have a windows executable (if I remember correctly, this is even said somewhere in the itch tutorials about quality)

Wine allows you to run applications created for windows, but depending on many factors, it may be simple or it may require many previous configurations in wine, even your game may not run or run with poor performance.

Also don't say it's compatible with wine unless you test it first, even proton which is an improved version created by Steam can't ensures that all games will run on linux.

Thanks for replying, i have removed the compatibility for Linux and changed the information on the install instructions.

Moderator(+1)

Hechelion is right, but also: thanks for thinking of us Linux users. If you have the time and patience, you could try to set up a Linux VM and test your game in Wine. If it's compatible say so in the game description, it will be appreciated and you'll gain a few more players.

But please use another archive format, RAR is a pain in the behind to deal with. Thanks.

I might try this at some point, it's something i've never even considered doing, what format do you suggest, i could just upload the executable files but i thought if i did there's more chance the file could end up getting corrupted during the upload process.

Moderator

Zip is enough nowadays, and pretty much any operating system can open it natively. If you really need better compression, consider 7z. The Windows app is just as friendly, and it's open source, so more widely available, without issues.

I think i'll probably zip my game files in the next couple of days or so, thanks for the advice, i actually never though RAR would be complicated but anyway i could make my games easier to download and help anyone who plays them jump through less hoops is something i will definitely do.

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