Obviously we have good 3rd party options for GoG on Linux/SteamOS, but it's still really good to see official Linux support is coming.

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[–] 1 point 3 months ago (5 children)

I am new to Linux, why is Heroic better than Lutris?

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  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago

    Both Lutris and Heroic are front ends that manage the compatibility tools and runtime environments of Windows applications.

    • Lutris provides deeper, more advanced configuration options. It's better if you want to tinker. Lately it's been having some difficulties with zombie processes and failing to shut down games.

    • Heroic is a more streamlined experience with most of the advanced options tucked away in sub-menus, and it has storefront integrations for GOG, Epic, and I think Amazon. For downloading and installing games, it's comparable to Steam. I use it exclusively for games I bought on GOG.

    • Faugus Launcher is similar to Lutris, but lightweight, reliable, and without the zombie process issues. I use it for most non-Steam games.

    • Bottles is a Flatpak app that runs apps in a sandboxed environment, i.e. it doesn't expose your filesystem to the apps. It also tends to have fewer compatibility issues than other runners.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 3 months ago

    I'm not sure if this has changed, but Lutris for a long time was largely a collection of community install scripts. It used to be one of the better ways to install games on linux, but it was never super reliable, with the install scripts frequently breaking from updates or other changes. This was less of an issue when it was a more popular install platform, but now that a lot of the userbase has moved on to other launchers, the number of broken install scripts are increasing. It also typically installs the windows version of launchers (like epic/etc), which is an extra level of complexity and potential issues compared to stuff like heroic that communicates with storefront APIs directly.

    Heroic is generally a more reliable option for people who want to play specifically Epic/GOG/Amazon games, while other launchers like Bottles and Fargus have become more popular for stuff not installed directly from a game store. I'm not sure exactly why, but it also seems like most of the time when people ask for help with installing a game through lutris, it's usually a pirated copy of the game, and it's difficult to tell if the problems with the game are due to lutris or an issue with the bootleg nature of the game.

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