time to return?

[NickStone]

I was a Kubuntu user many moons ago. Since my time away I have mainly been using MX and Artix. I am currently using Windows 11 but only because it is the only OS that allows me to play Silent Hunter III through Steam. I have tried to get it running through Steam on MX but it simply doesn't work.

Should I come back to Kubuntu?

[die.boer]

hi and welcome back , to the forum at least
1st of i'm not a gamer , i don't play games

but iv'e searched around a bit cause ima curious kinda fella

If Silent Hunter III fails on MX because Proton has a compatibility issue, there's a good chance it will fail on Kubuntu as well.

However, there are a few reasons why it might work on Kubuntu

• Different versions of:
  • Steam
  • Proton
  • Wine libraries
  • Mesa/NVIDIA drivers
  • 32-bit compatibility packages
• Ubuntu-based distributions tend to have better support from game developers and the Linux gaming community. Most Proton guides assume Ubuntu.
• Kubuntu's repositories may provide packages that MX doesn't have enabled by default.

For example, if MX was missing a 32-bit library (lib32 equivalent), Kubuntu might install it automatically and the game suddenly works


That said, Silent Hunter III is a bit of a special case:

• Released in 2005.
• Uses old DirectX components.
• Has Steam-specific quirks.
• Has fan patches and mods that sometimes expect Windows behavior.

you could maybe:
install Kubuntu 26.04 LTS.
keep a small Windows partition for Silent Hunter III.
use Kubuntu as your primary OS for everything else , and see how it goes ?

Should I come back to Kubuntu?

that is entirely for you to decide , but my thinking is , the game don't work on MX , you only have windows installed for the game to work , but your heart turns to Linux (otherwise you wouldn't be here lol)
so all you can do is try Kubuntu and see ...?

PS : in my humble opinion , and i don't want to be rude here , to stay on windows for the sake of a 20year old game , is just ridiculous

[claydoh]

Steam is the same version no matter the distro.
Proton is part of Steam, so it is also independent on the distro.

*buntu LTS will have a newer mesa and kernel than the Debian Stable variant will, even if it is using backports, I suspect.

If it isn't able to run on Artix (Arch-like), which I assume uses current versions of All The Things, then it is very likely a driver or related setup or system configuration sort of issue.

Check out ProtonDB for some hints on what other people may have needed to do on various hardware and distro setups:

https://www.protondb.com/app/15210
It is rated Platinum.