Guild Wars 2

OK, sorry I’ve been absent for so much time. Family commitments and all.

Turns out (after much research) that GW2 is CPU bound. So the framerate is directly proportionate to the amount of available CPU speed. Now herein lay the problem…

WINE is not capable of using multiple cores (above setting the affinity of the process to a chosen core) other than in a rudimentary capacity.

This is a known problem, so after a certain point, your Video card is more than capable, but your “Single” available core, is too slow to cope. Therefore = Slow Framerate (even though your graphics card is able to do it).

Here is the bug report : http://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=11674

There’s no known fix just yet, but it should be coming soon, as this affects multiple games.

Ill try and keep you all updated as I find out more!

Star

OK, sorry I’ve been absent for so much time. Family commitments and all.

Turns out (after much research) that GW2 is CPU bound. So the framerate is directly proportionate to the amount of available CPU speed. Now herein lay the problem…

WINE is not capable of using multiple cores (above setting the affinity of the process to a chosen core) other than in a rudimentary capacity.

This is a known problem, so after a certain point, your Video card is more than capable, but your “Single” available core, is too slow to cope. Therefore = Slow Framerate (even though your graphics card is able to do it).

Here is the bug report : http://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=11674

There’s no known fix just yet, but it should be coming soon, as this affects multiple games.

Ill try and keep you all updated as I find out more!

Star

Fixed. Thanks

Had to move the video’s. Updated and uploaded to alternative server.

Had to move the video’s. Updated and uploaded to alternative server.

Hi guys,

When saving an edit or entry on the Wiki, the screen goes blank and then errors with this message :

Could not open socket

Just thought you should know

Star

Updated with Linux Only, installation Video.

Star

Updated with Linux Only, installation Video.

Star

Woops, sorry, I didnt read that properly. A mac version will not run on Linux. Theyre Binary incompatible.

Ill try and push with AN and see if we cant get them started on a linux client

Sevenfoot Sativa.2491:

Hey, now that a mac version is out, when do you think it will be on Wine?

From my experience, mac versions have always run better on Linux than windows because they both use openGL.

I didnt hear about that. Ill have a look into it as soon as I can! Thanks for the heads up!

Star

Sevenfoot Sativa.2491:

I’d be much happier with one compiled by someone else, but that’s pretty much what Playon is, isn’t it?

Yup, you got it. They’re ‘Bottles’. Single environments for single jobs. Ill try and get that Wine Howto done next weekend. It should help you get a few extra frames. Fingers crossed!

Star

Sevenfoot Sativa.2491:

I think the FPS is completely random now. I slimmed down, it does feel smoother after a load as that is a common lag moment, but everything else feels the same, exactly the same.

I know how you feel. There’s also the Patches to take into account. I’ve noticed a lot of complaints about the patches causing FPS issues as well, and not just on Linux. Surprisingly, its mostly Windo$e users who are complaining. Just have a poke around in the Tech Forum.

Remember its not officially supported by Wine yet. So the fact its running at all, is a miracle

If you really want the best, you could compile Wine yourself. Its not to difficult. I was thinking about doing another Vid/“Howto” on compiling Wine on your own system.

See how I feel later today

To be completely honest, the Wine Dev’s are working really hard to support GW2. It will still be some time before it can be run comparably to Windows.

There are some graphics glitches, and optimizations that have to be included before it will come close.

Remembering that Wine is only a compatibility layer, it has to do a lot of work to make it GW2 run at all, let alone well. While GW2 is a Windows Native client, then Linux will ALWAYS be playing catch up.

I personally would recommend one of two paths :
1. If you MUST stay on Linux, then Shael’s suggestion is correct. Slim down your Distro, and get rid of anything that could potentially conflict. Eg. Pulse Audio; 3D Desktop Environments etc.
2. Alternatively, dual boot Windows. In reality, most people (myself included) wont like that I’m suggesting this, but at the end of the day, its the only way to get the best out of the game (for now).

I personally would love to see AreaNet release a Linux client. That would truly make me a 100% loyal customer. Until that day, I’ll continue searching for ways of making GW2 run better through Wine.

Hope this helps Sevenfoot Sativa.

Star

Awesome info there guys. Ill keep an eye out for more info and patches. Ill add more as I find them

packed.9035:

Great Guide, Very simple.

I used this to help me install it on Lubuntu and Ubuntu.

I can tell you that the performance increase a lot on lubuntu. I was able to rotate the camera with the mouse at easy.

On ubuntu it was chugging. Maybe because I’m using a old laptop.

So yeah, if anyone is running linux on a old system give lubuntu a go, its light weight and fast.

Thanks Packed. I appreciate the feedback

I’ve noticed that Ubuntu 12.04 is laggy at the best of times. Most of the derivatives are ok, like Xubuntu and Lubuntu.

Personally if you want absolute speed, I would suggest either Arch, or Gentoo.

Arch requires a good understanding of Linux to install and configure (Archbang would be a good alternative).

Gentoo requires a lot of time, and expert knowledge to install, as it requires you to compile everything. But in terms of raw speed and power, it cannot be beaten.

Cheers!

Star

Swordbreaker.2581:

That was really cool for you to put that together for people ^5

Cheers man. I appreciate the feedback.

Xpander.5729:

fps could be a little better tho
but works pretty well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aXu8Cvg26g

You’re right of course Xpander. But the mission was to get it installed and running. Everything else from that point on is a tweak.

Also, keep in mind that wine are not officially supporting GW2 yet anyway. There has been some preliminary work done though. I imagine that dev on the GW2 portion will now start to ramp up, as there is a lot more call for it.

If you want the best out of wine/GW2, then you really need to slim down the distro you’re using, and compile wine yourself.

This was just a straight forward guide to get people started.

The intention at the end of the day, is to make it as simple as possible for people to make the move to Linux. If I can ease the transition, then mission accomplished!

Ultimately, you’re right though. So thanks for mentioning it. Perhaps Ill make another one at a later date, on how to improve your frame rates.

Cheers!

Star

KerrMD.2617:

It’s a failing of mine. I like CLI for some things.

LOL! I know what you mean. But in the interests of being as straight forward as possible for the n00b and expert alike… grin

Hi folks!

I’m Posting this here at the request of one of the people who posted on the Original Thread in the Tech Support Forum.

I’ve just completed a video tutorial on how to install/configure Guild Wars 2 on Linux, using Wine or Play on Linux.

Downloaded on Windows – Install on Linux : http://youtu.be/dA7FWgEy-oY

Download and install – Linux Only : http://youtu.be/MFmojaEHx08

GW2 doesn’t play perfectly on Linux, but its getting better.

I hope it helps all my fellow Linux buffs out there!

Cheers!

Star

EDIT*** Replaced the music within the second video to better comply with the Creative Commons License.

EDIT*** Replaced the music within the first video to better comply with the Creative Commons License.

EDIT*** Added second video, showing how to install, using ONLY Linux, without the need to download the content on MS Windows.

EDIT*** Due to requests, Audio levels have been adjusted. Music is now more quiet, and Voice has been boosted.

Also, thanks to KerrMD for pointing out the web address for the Guild Wars 2 wiki entry for Linux : http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Guild_Wars_2_on_Wine

Thanks to all those who have posted so far. Its really encouraging. Ok, so based on feedback, I’ve adjusted the Audio levels. Maybe this will make it easier to hear?

Let me know!

Star

That’s a bad suggestion.
His ram is fine and the bulldozer cpu’s suck.
Even phenom II X4 beats it and thats their own previous gen.

True, but he has a budget of 200 pounds. The Bulldozer CPU has a high clock speed, which works well for gaming, and combined with a 6870, would be a decent gaming machine on a budget.

You cant disregard the fact that its cheap. We all want bigger and faster, but not all of us can afford it. I would rather give him something that would do the job, than try and blow out his budget because I think he needs more than would actually be sufficient.

Any true technician (myself included), will never condone Over Clocking, unless it is a last resort. Over Clocking shortens the lifespan of your hardware, and could potentially destroy your system. ie. money down the drain.

Balance your specifications first. Even out the CPU; Motherboard; RAM and Graphics, then tweak your system accordingly.

Never just jump straight to a CPU Over Clock.

Star

Your graphics card – if you hunt around for a second hand XFX 6870, it will hands down blitz the majority of the 7XXX HD series at about 1/2 the price.

Also, If you want a good bundle (Im assuming youre in the UK) try this one :
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-188-OK&tool=3

Thanks for the feedback guys. I will re work it tonight. Ill adjust the Music and Voice volumes.

Its strange, because when I play it on Linux, the volumes through Flash are near perfect. Then when I switch over to Windows, its all out of whack. Silly Windows

Oh, and KerrMD : I cant find a command line switch for OpenGL, so unfortunately, its in DirectX9. Also that link you posted is basically where I got the information from. I just thought a vid might be easier to follow for some people, especially if I can cut out most of the cli, and introduce Play On Linux’s GUI instead.

Anyway, Ill update tonight!

Cheers!

Star

Cheers man Its good to hear that you like it. You know its always difficult when you put yourself out there.

This is my first really public vid, so I’m glad it’s gone down well

Hi folks!

I’m Posting this here at the request of one of the people who posted on the Original Thread in the Tech Support Forum.

I’ve just completed a video tutorial on how to install/configure Guild Wars 2 on Linux, using Wine or Play on Linux.

Downloaded on Windows – Install on Linux : http://youtu.be/dA7FWgEy-oY

Download and install – Linux Only : http://youtu.be/MFmojaEHx08

GW2 doesn’t play perfectly on Linux, but its getting better.

I hope it helps all my fellow Linux buffs out there!

Cheers!

Star

EDIT*** Replaced the music within the second video to better comply with the Creative Commons License.

EDIT*** Replaced the music within the first video to better comply with the Creative Commons License.

EDIT*** Added second video, showing how to install, using ONLY Linux, without the need to download the content on MS Windows.

EDIT*** Due to requests, Audio levels have been adjusted. Music is now more quiet, and Voice has been boosted.

Also, thanks to KerrMD for pointing out the web address for the Guild Wars 2 wiki entry for Linux : http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Guild_Wars_2_on_Wine