LIBRE VIDYA NEWBIE GUIDE TO GAMING ON GNU

>Don't you know linux has no gaems?

>There are 5,000,000 shitty games on windows. Most of which I never even played. You will never have that on linux.

>How many times a day do you compile your kernel? I only re-install windows once a month.

>Linux is way too hard! Why would you want that?

This and much more retarded banter awaits those adventurous enough to enter a world of freedom. Just remember, with each piece of proprietary software you refuse to use, you are breaking another shackle.

### Test if libre graphics drivers are adequate: ###

Open a terminal emulator and use the following tools:

glxdemo

(play with the window size.)

glxheads

(again play with the window size.)

glxgears

(let it run and test the frame rates.)

For games we will use the simple glx tests, you may want to check if the libre driver is xrandr compatible for other purposes.

The following list of definitions is to help clarify what you need to install. Please consult your distros' documentation for specific package names and dependencies.
Mesa - is a libre implementation of the OpenGL standard for libre drivers
Vesa - basic libre graphics driver
Nouveau - is the libre driver for Nvidia devices
radeon - is the libre driver for AMD/ATI devices, depends on separate proprietary microcode
Intel xorg video - is the libre driver for Intel devices, there is no proprietary counterpart
Nvidia GeForce - is the proprietary driver for Nvidia devices
fglrx-legacy - is the proprietary driver for ATI devices
fglrx/AMD Catalyst - is the proprietary driver for AMD devices

### Using a terminal emulator to catch errors: ###

An unexpected crash can be difficult to deal with. Running a program from a teminal emulator can get valuable output as to why something crashed. Unfortunately it means reading.

### Knowing what command to run: ###

A common complaint from new users is they didn't install the files themselves so what is the name of the executable? Package managers often have an option to list installed files. Look for files that went into a /bin folder.
Consult your distro for package manager controls to list package contents.

### Alsa/OSS support in pulse: ###

padsp game-exec

Some older games will require alsa/oss support which means a dsp device. Pulseaudio provides padsp for this purpose. This will be indicated by a lack of sound and errors in the terminal output.

### Missing libraries: ###

ldd game-exec

Have a game shit the bed? Use the ldd command on the games executable. Some games require libraries you don't have. Looking up the required library names in the repo should solve this.
On the odd occasion you may need to visit http://pkgs.org if the libraries aren't in the repo. Failing that, compile from source, it's not as scary as it sounds.

### 32bit support on 64bit: ###

If you are running a 64bit system there should be no reason to need these support libraries. However some games simply aren't ported. My advice is they aren't worth the effort.
If you are intent on using 32bit software on your 64bit machine, you require the ia32 libraries. You can find these in your repo.

### Graphical issues-compositor: ###

The compositor can really fuck up your 3d games in unpredictable ways. Often it's stutter or shitty frame rates.
It is really recommended you have a link to disable the compositor, method dependent on your system. Consult your distro or search the web.
The unadvisable alternative is to disable it completely in xorg. Add the following lines to /etc/X11/xorg.conf
You can choose to use a different editor of your choice, I prefer nano. Use ctrl + O to save and ctrl + X to exit.

sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Section "Extensions"
Option "Composite" "Disable"
EndSection
save&exit

### Old installers: ###

export _POSIX2_VERSION=199209

Some installers were meant to run on older system before syntax standards were changed. They commonly display errors about the "+" symbol. You will probably never need this.

### Libre driver GUI: ###

For those who stuck with the libre driver, here is a nifty gui configuration tool.
https://wiki.freedesktop.org/dri/DriConf/
http://pkgs.org/search/?keyword=driconf

### Libre driver s3tc texture compression: ###

Some games require s3tc texture compression, which is often provided for when using proprietary drivers but libre drivers can't legally provide support.
These packages are not technically what you would call legal due to patent issues, although completely libre. Feel free to skip this, you might never need them.
http://pkgs.org/search/?keyword=txc-dxtn

### Playing games alone in X: ###

Want to play that game on your toaster? Try running on minimal resources to maximise game performance. This is a simple guide to bring the system down to what is called "single user mode" and run the game from there.
You can choose to use a different editor of your choice, I prefer nano. Use ctrl + O to save and ctrl + X to exit.

sudo nano /etc/X11/Xwrapper.config

allowed_users=anybody
save & exit

nano ~/.xinitrc

exec /path/to/game
save & exit

sudo telinit 1

Use this to bring the network interface up for multiplayer

/sbin/ifup eth0

Replace eth0 with your network interface. /etc/network/interfaces is the configuration file for network interfaces.

su username

startx

Now after exiting the game, we move the xinitrc file so we can resume normal X boot. Obviously this assumes you don't already use the xinitrc file, adjust accordingly.

mv ~/.xinitrc ~/xinitrc

exit

### Local exec script: ###

Some games will only run in their directory. When you want to launch the game from anywhere, use this script in the same directory as the executable:
#!/bin/bash
cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )"
./game-exec
exit 0

make it executable

chmod a+x ./exec-script

### /usr/local/games: ###

Is where games should be stored. Don't keep games in your home folder like a pleb.
Single user

sudo chown -R username /usr/local/games

Multi-user
You will need to run this each time a user installs a new game, to give everyone access.