[Wine] Wine Success and Failure report

[jorl17]

Hello, (first post)

You probably don't want to hear about my Linux-related story, so I'll cut telling you that about 5 months ago I switched from XP to Ubuntu.

I've been a C/C++ programmer since I was 13 (2 years go), so I consider myself to understand a great deal of things (but hey, what is my opinion worth nowadays?)

Anyway, In this post I'd like to report my Successes and Failures with Wine...

(I'm using Ubuntu Hardy (downloaded during beta stage) 32-bit)
(It'll be usefull to know that I have the possibility to use most Windows DLLs, since I still have an XP system in this PC)

Pulseaudio

I installed Pulseaudio about a month after I started using Linux as my main OS in order to have concurrent sound from different apps. I was able to get everything configured (even wrote a guide to get Skype to work) but Wine has always been a pain.

Let's just say that I consider the Pulseaudio+Wine problem fixed at the moment (just not as I wished it to be).

Football Manager 2008

This was the first game I ever tested and it worked like a charm. it was during this test that I started configuring Wine to be handled by Compiz and all sorts of options.

I'd say It works perfectly.

How I did it: I simply executed the existing copy I had in my windows partiton, and I changed Wine's document folder to my old My Documents folder located at my Windows partition

Differences: I didn't note any differences in relation to Windows, I must say that as I tested it in a fresh new linux I did notice a better performance (Windows processes probably killed me there)

Counter-Strike 1.6 Non Steam

After getting FM08 to work I decided that I had to get my old CS to work (Yes, I do also own a legal copy, I simply hadn't configured Steam yet).

Executing my old install went just fine, but the problem was pulseaudio. For a long time I was limited and couldn't get Skype + Pulse + Wine together. I fixed that using padsp. (Oh, but pulseaudio was far from being ok with Wine)


How I did it: Executed my old Windows-Installed-Already copy. Configured Wine to use OSS and used CS1.6 with padsp.

Differences: I never had a single FPS-break in my windows build (always 60 FPS), but in Wine there are times where I get some performance breaks. (OpenGL) I'd say It is because of sound, and Pulseaudio's process grabbing the CPU.
Plus, I found some sort of bug that would duplicate my RCON messages, but I am unsure if that is a Wine bug or a Linux-CS-Server bug.

Microsoft Office 2007 Retail Edition

I tried almost everything to get Office to install properly, but I didn't manage it. Issues with rpcrt4.dll still curse me whenever I try again. I haven't quit, but it has been a pain with a bunch of crashes.

The Movies

The Movies is a game that I've been carrying around in an external drive for about 3 different PC's and it has always worked.

I was able to get it working just fine, but whenever I used padsp It never booted correctly, so I ahd to run it without padsp (Thus, no sound-ingame-recording). Does it work now, you may ask. Yes, the process I used to get Pulseaudio and Wine together has fixed this and it works 100% ok.


How I did it: Executed my old Windows-Installed-Already copy. padsp didn't do the trick, but at the moment it works with the Pulseaudio fix I talk about further in this post.

Differences: I can say that I see a small performance loss, but not much.


FIFA 2008

FIFA 2008 install went fine and so did the game work perfectly...well except for a bug I mention below.

How I did it: Installed from a CD and added a NO-CD PATCH. Started with padsp as always.

Differences: I Found a couple of bugs. First, (and this may be a linux-driver issue, which I doubt), my Saitek P2900 WIreless Pad works almost perfectly...wcept for the second joystick which does not work (and so, tricks are disabled).
Apart from that, I noticed that there was a bug with the lightning while close to the players. It seemed as if the lightning wasn't done correctly on close-biew cameras. But then again my 3D-programming experience is still evolving using Irrlicht Engine recently.
Performance was an issue. I could get FIFA to work 100% in Windows and undere Wine I have sporadic low fps periods and I have quality to minimum (except for resolution that is kept at 1280*1024).

Simcity 2004

Simcity 2004 was a game I suddenly decided to play. It was taking extremely long time to install in Wine (I think it was crashed) so I wne into my XP partition and installed it there. Copied some registry-keys and launched it in Linux. It worked

How I did it: Installed from CD in a Windows partition and copied some registry-keys (most I found to be important).

Differences: I noticed a slight performance loss.
The first times I ran the game, there was an issue with the entrance sound being stuck after finishing. Something repeating as if a buffer wasn't flushed. I don't know why it simply stopped (maybe a fix in a later Wine version?)
There is a bug that leaves part of the pop-ups and props (cars) in the palce where they were. As if the image wasn't being redrawn. I remember I fixed *most* of this by changing something in graphical options...I think i selected openGL or Software.

Simcity Societies

I Still haven't gotten Simcity Societies to work. I never tried installing it from Linux. It would complain about some missing Assembly dependencies (I couldn't get Winetricks to install dotnet or vcrun2003 (and above)). I fixed this warning by using some assemblies I had in my windows install, and, then, using a .NET folder I had, also int hat Windows directory. It would fail to boot with a NO-CD PATCH. Some kind of instant exit. I removed .NET folder (renamed it to .bak).

Out Of Order

Simple, cool, installed, worked, perfect.

How I did it: Installed normally.

Differences: None, it just worked.



K-Lite Codec Pack

This Codec pack seemed to be working (except that I didn't notice any difference in my system), until I found that it was crashing my system. At the time I was trying to get The Movies to work and after a bunch of debug-traces I found it was this pack that was crashing most 3D-apps.

Age Of Empires III

It gave me some work to get my old Install to work but I managed to get it working. Sound remained OK, as did the graphics and the LAN-playing.

How I did it: All I was missing were some registry keys and tweaks. I started the install with the CD and then the setup asked me for Disc 2. Unaware of the eject command I simply did wineserver -k. It happens that this part of the install got my windows-installed-already AOEIII and its expansions to work again at 100% (almost). After that I copied the missing codec it complained about into my drive_c folder (from my old windows install) and did a regsvr with it to get sound to work without glitches and craches (yes, craches and also scratches xD). To play LAN I always had 8and have, but a script handles it) to do a sudo ifconfig eth0 down (my extra internet connection) to get Wine to detect my IP correctly.

Differences: First of all, It takes long to load. What I mean is that in native insstalls i can just press Space-bar twice (or three times) and it will jump the intro. In Wine, I can only press Space-bar when it is fully loaded (otherwise it doesn't react). It doesn't bother me that much.
I cannot play Online (except for LAN).
Somehow, AOEIII doesn't let me configure the game to the highest settings. Probably WINED3D limits this. I don't Know, but in my windows install in the same PC I had max settings everywhere.
Performance seems to be an issue, but only in long fights. Otherwise it works just great, me and my friends usually play over at my house on a 2*2 game. (2 linux vs 2 windows).

Steam

Oh Steam...It's been quite a brain-twister.

Let's just say It's owrking now.

How I did it: I didn't install it, but It could of had been done like this. I copied my old 11.4 GB steam folder onto a FAT32 partitions (off of NTFS partition). After that, the problem was in launching games and having sound. I talk about how I fixed these problems (Pulseaudio-related) later in this thread.

Differences: Voice-chat doesn't work (I haven't tested my new Pulseaudio-method yet) and text-char sometimes doesn't appear in the windows (though it arrives at its destination.
In-game steam had to be disabled (and, when enabled, it didn't work).

PULSEAUDIO (and Counter-Strike: Source)

This is all too recent...

First, Pulseaudio.

Nowadays I use my own wine-build (from git) and I try to keep it update on a regular basis. Since I downloaded all modules Pulseaudio has (following millions of posts and howtos) I finally got Wine and Pulseaudio to work! But... It only worked in winecfg, it didn't work anywhere else with ALSA.

ESD worked everywhere, but there was a 1~3 second delay and also some sound-distortion (I did get microphone to work here).

So what could I do? padsp worked but not for everything (Steam and Source didn't work, aswell as Movies). Besides, padsp sometimes crashes my Ubuntu System when used with Wine.

I hit a post talking about aoss and esd (just by meere luck) and I thought: "Hey, what If I got sound to go through Alsa before it goes into Pulseaudio?). BINGO! Instead of using padsp, I use aoss. This makes the sound go from Wine (with OSS driver) Into Alsa, and then into Pulseaudio and, finally to my 5.1 sound system!

aoss is critisized, I know, but it has been working 100%.

So, now to Counter-Strike:Source.

My first playable experiences were with ESD, and after that with OSS (the above method), but until I got Source  to fully work like I wanted it to I had to:

add -dxlevel 80 -width 1280 -height 1024 to launch options (dxlevel 70 broke models and resolution always went to 640*480 without the 1280*1024 reference)
Disabel in-game communication from Steam (It was making Source crash most of the times when booting).
Reduced game quality to the worse possible (thought it maxed itself...I jsut keep it like this now).
What doesn't work? Well, I'd say, NOTHING!

How I did it: I talk about this above. Check it, it has usefull information on both Pulseaudio and Counter-strike: Source (also steam)

Differences: FPS was a major issue on Source (it kind'off still is) but with the above options I've managed to get better FPS. Plus messing around with process priorities of hl2.exe and pulseaudio makes it work.

Info on what causes a crash: I found that using native ole (and all tis derivates) caused either a Steam or an hl2.exe crash, so I disabled it. As you know padsp crashes this. So does steam.community ingame and, sometimes, I still ahve global pulseaudio crashes, but they are very sporadic.

GLOBAL SUMMARY

After 5 months I've managed to get most of what I wanted to work in Wine. I am really close to ReactOS too, so I thank all of you developpers for making this happen and...oh well, everytime you need help you can count on me!

Pulseaudio and Wine together is a possiblity. I've heard of people getting ALSA to work. Well, I got it to work in winecfg, wohoo...but I have my own way of doing things...and if it works for now, I'm happy with that.

I haven't reported anything to Pulseaudio, Wine, or anything else's databes as well as bugs (curse me for being lazzy), but I promess I will soon start working on bug-reports and appDB 'boosts'

Well if you read the whole post you have to be brave!

Thanks, you may comment, swear (at your own responsability) and critisize me!

P.S: Sorry if I have any mistakes, I am portuguese.