RPG Maker on pure Linux, some tips and tricks for the developer
I'm currently using Linux MInt 19.2 as the only OS on my laptop currently, and since I discovered a few weird quirks of RPG Maker VX Ace and earlier (MV has native Linux support), here's a few points to things that won't work well and some issues to work around.
1. If using Steam, even though Proton works just as well as non-Steam Wine to make RPG Maker work fine, some things to keep in mind.
A. Due to some weird issue, if you don't create a folder to dump all Steam Workshop items into and redirect all VX Ace projects to it, good luck trying to access the folders outside of the program itself. While Windows does this just fine, Linux is bit dense on this topic and forces you to do the step I just mentioned if you want to add resources to the project in any way, thanks to the goofy way Linux handles the Windows file structure and how Steam Workshop saves VX Ace projects.
B. The X window interface and DirectX can mostly play nice, but any scripts that dynamically resize the game window or stretch the game window display won't work right. This particular on the fly windows resizing feature of DirectX is not emulated properly at the time of this writing. Full screening games will work, but it will not stretch to wider than it would on a regular screen, there will be some black borders on widescreens.
C. Mods that call on DLL extenders do work, as Wine does tend to adapt to those with the appropriate DirectX calls, but it can depend on what they ask the OS to do. If possible, make sure it's not a critical feature or can be switched out in-game for something that plays nice on Linux.
D. I recommend having all the Ruby scripts you intend to work with open in a separate editor if needing to import scripts. I prefer Kate or a similar text editor, though any tabbed window supported editor, preferably with coding highlight for Ruby code, that would be ideal. If you use Notepad++ for Windows, it's equivalent in Linux will work well.
E. GIMP is a great editor to keep on hand for tileset editing. Audacity is good for the audio side. If you intend to frequently dip into DLC resource folders, might want to link to it via a shortcut somewhere, it's a bit harder to reach on Linux than Windows due to the different file pathing.
F. If possible, try to test games in a WIndows XP or later virtual machine or another machine with Windows for a better idea how the game will run there if you develop strictly on Linux. You can try ReactOS as a free substitute, but it's pretty unstable at the best of times. Windows 10 would be ideal for testing if only because Steam will only support it past 2020.
1. If using Steam, even though Proton works just as well as non-Steam Wine to make RPG Maker work fine, some things to keep in mind.
A. Due to some weird issue, if you don't create a folder to dump all Steam Workshop items into and redirect all VX Ace projects to it, good luck trying to access the folders outside of the program itself. While Windows does this just fine, Linux is bit dense on this topic and forces you to do the step I just mentioned if you want to add resources to the project in any way, thanks to the goofy way Linux handles the Windows file structure and how Steam Workshop saves VX Ace projects.
B. The X window interface and DirectX can mostly play nice, but any scripts that dynamically resize the game window or stretch the game window display won't work right. This particular on the fly windows resizing feature of DirectX is not emulated properly at the time of this writing. Full screening games will work, but it will not stretch to wider than it would on a regular screen, there will be some black borders on widescreens.
C. Mods that call on DLL extenders do work, as Wine does tend to adapt to those with the appropriate DirectX calls, but it can depend on what they ask the OS to do. If possible, make sure it's not a critical feature or can be switched out in-game for something that plays nice on Linux.
D. I recommend having all the Ruby scripts you intend to work with open in a separate editor if needing to import scripts. I prefer Kate or a similar text editor, though any tabbed window supported editor, preferably with coding highlight for Ruby code, that would be ideal. If you use Notepad++ for Windows, it's equivalent in Linux will work well.
E. GIMP is a great editor to keep on hand for tileset editing. Audacity is good for the audio side. If you intend to frequently dip into DLC resource folders, might want to link to it via a shortcut somewhere, it's a bit harder to reach on Linux than Windows due to the different file pathing.
F. If possible, try to test games in a WIndows XP or later virtual machine or another machine with Windows for a better idea how the game will run there if you develop strictly on Linux. You can try ReactOS as a free substitute, but it's pretty unstable at the best of times. Windows 10 would be ideal for testing if only because Steam will only support it past 2020.
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