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Many games written for Windows run faster on linux now, but the biggest limitation is anti cheat for some of the larger titles. Fortnite, despite all its open

by cma 2y ago

Many games written for Windows run faster on linux now, but the biggest limitation is anti cheat for some of the larger titles. Fortnite, despite all its open platform push, probably holds linux back the most.

mepian 2y ago
Apparently Fortnite has two different anti-cheats, and one of them works on Linux.
- jsheard 2y ago
  Both of them (EAC and Battleye, with EAC being Epics own product) can work on Linux if the developer integrating them chooses to allow it, but Epic has chosen not to allow it in Fortnite citing them being less secure when running on Linux. Which isn't an unfounded concern, judging by the state of cheating in Apex Legends ever since they started allowing Linux clients, nearly every cheat chooses to attack the Linux version now despite the vast majority of Apex players in general being Windows users. Most cheaters dual boot Linux for no reason other than to cheat.
  - almatabata 2y ago
    > citing them being less secure when running on Linux > nearly every cheat chooses to attack the Linux version now despite the vast majority of Apex players in general being Windows users. Did they give any more details as to why? It could come from cheaters preferring developing for one platform than the other. I would like to know which features windows has that makes cheats harder that they miss on linux.
    - jsheard 2y ago
      The anti-cheats run in kernel-mode on Windows and user-mode on Linux, so it is significantly easier to hide a cheat on Linux. The Linux ACs can't see anything outside of the standard process isolation sandbox.
      - almatabata 2y ago
        And to get the same for linux they would have to build a kernel module for all major distributions or open source the module and have users compile it themselves. I can see why both dont make sense for them. Thanks for clarifying.
stackskipton 2y ago
Sure with higher overhead of support. Running Windows on my gaming rig means all my games are capable without fail. On Linux, I have two recently played games which would require a ton of work to get them working. MSFS and WARNO.
baal80spam 2y ago
>Many games written for Windows run faster on linux now Is this really true? I find it _really_ hard to believe.
- BearOso 2y ago
  Steam Fossilize
- xethos 2y ago
  As someone else reviewed the other day (in the 9590X review thread), Linux gets better worst-case performance, while Windows will likely have higher highs and lower lows https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41269996 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41269996
- cma 2y ago
  For things like getting into the game, look at windows defender CPU usage during startup... At least most stuff puts everything in a single .pak file and uses sqlite databases to avoid most of the windows filesystem overheads I guess.
gradientsrneat 2y ago
I'm pretty sure Epic Games' "open platform" push has nothing to do with FOSS or antitrust and everything to do with money. Tim Sweeney's tweet comparing computer users moving from Windows to Linux to "moving to Canada" comes to mind. Also, a major way that the Epic Games store was funded was via double-digit stock investment from Tencent, one of the largest gaming monopolies and also tech monopolies. Imagine if Facebook, Paypal, Disney, and Microsoft's gaming division merged into one company, and you start to describe Tencent.
- deafpolygon 2y ago
  Tencent is using Epic Games to drive a wedge in the US-based tech companies and raise anti-trust concerns with them.
  - cma 2y ago
    They are legitimate concerns. The 30% fees on the gross amount to more than half of the profits going to platform holders even after subtracting their payment processing and bandwidth expenses. And then they charge you for marketing within the store on top of those fees, driving it way above 50% of net profits on titles that want to be seen (organic visibility based is intentionally undermined by the in-store ads system).
- BlueTemplar 2y ago
  Of course it doesn't, despite all the talk, Sweeney happily kept having his games published by Microsoft and Epic Games store released without Linux support.

by cma 2y ago

mepian 2y ago

Apparently Fortnite has two different anti-cheats, and one of them works on Linux.

jsheard 2y ago
Both of them (EAC and Battleye, with EAC being Epics own product) can work on Linux if the developer integrating them chooses to allow it, but Epic has chosen not to allow it in Fortnite citing them being less secure when running on Linux. Which isn't an unfounded concern, judging by the state of cheating in Apex Legends ever since they started allowing Linux clients, nearly every cheat chooses to attack the Linux version now despite the vast majority of Apex players in general being Windows users. Most cheaters dual boot Linux for no reason other than to cheat.
- almatabata 2y ago
  > citing them being less secure when running on Linux > nearly every cheat chooses to attack the Linux version now despite the vast majority of Apex players in general being Windows users. Did they give any more details as to why? It could come from cheaters preferring developing for one platform than the other. I would like to know which features windows has that makes cheats harder that they miss on linux.
  - jsheard 2y ago
    The anti-cheats run in kernel-mode on Windows and user-mode on Linux, so it is significantly easier to hide a cheat on Linux. The Linux ACs can't see anything outside of the standard process isolation sandbox.
    - almatabata 2y ago
      And to get the same for linux they would have to build a kernel module for all major distributions or open source the module and have users compile it themselves. I can see why both dont make sense for them. Thanks for clarifying.

stackskipton 2y ago

Sure with higher overhead of support. Running Windows on my gaming rig means all my games are capable without fail. On Linux, I have two recently played games which would require a ton of work to get them working. MSFS and WARNO.

baal80spam 2y ago

>Many games written for Windows run faster on linux now Is this really true? I find it _really_ hard to believe.

BearOso 2y ago
Steam Fossilize
xethos 2y ago
As someone else reviewed the other day (in the 9590X review thread), Linux gets better worst-case performance, while Windows will likely have higher highs and lower lows https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41269996 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41269996
cma 2y ago
For things like getting into the game, look at windows defender CPU usage during startup... At least most stuff puts everything in a single .pak file and uses sqlite databases to avoid most of the windows filesystem overheads I guess.

gradientsrneat 2y ago

I'm pretty sure Epic Games' "open platform" push has nothing to do with FOSS or antitrust and everything to do with money. Tim Sweeney's tweet comparing computer users moving from Windows to Linux to "moving to Canada" comes to mind. Also, a major way that the Epic Games store was funded was via double-digit stock investment from Tencent, one of the largest gaming monopolies and also tech monopolies. Imagine if Facebook, Paypal, Disney, and Microsoft's gaming division merged into one company, and you start to describe Tencent.

deafpolygon 2y ago
Tencent is using Epic Games to drive a wedge in the US-based tech companies and raise anti-trust concerns with them.
- cma 2y ago
  They are legitimate concerns. The 30% fees on the gross amount to more than half of the profits going to platform holders even after subtracting their payment processing and bandwidth expenses. And then they charge you for marketing within the store on top of those fees, driving it way above 50% of net profits on titles that want to be seen (organic visibility based is intentionally undermined by the in-store ads system).
BlueTemplar 2y ago
Of course it doesn't, despite all the talk, Sweeney happily kept having his games published by Microsoft and Epic Games store released without Linux support.