Best longterm offline Linux friendly games? Give me your best!
15d 16h ago by lemmy.ml/u/OhVenus_Baby in linux_gaming
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/48176362
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/48176361
I like community builders and games that I can keep a world for years and grow, watch it evolve. I enjoy Rimworld. ARK evolved series is good.
Bonus if it's multiplayer capable LAN and not online.
Oxygen not included is nice but mentally taxing sometimes. I prefer laid back chill games with economy and farming. 2d or 3d doesn't matter. I don't mind trying indie games. Survival based games are nice. I'm not super pick and choose.
Give me your greatest joy in game form. I've heard Stardew Valley is good. I tried it, reminds me of a gameboy game. I could not get into the game. My character kept falling asleep like 14 times in a day.
Openttd trains for ever
Endless Sky is a pretty cool open source space game.
Also Dwarf Fortress.
Thanks for reminding me I had Endless Sky in my library!
Endless Sky got so difficult for me that I just could not progress. I became so known and such a target that the enemies just became too difficult and I could barely move from system to system. Survival became such a chore that I just gave up. It was pretty good until then, though.
Kenshi. Sandbox rpg, citybuilder and more. Pretty unique and unforgiving, but the replayability is endless if you are into that sort of thing (lots and lots of mods as well).
I've played Stellaris for years, although I am really not liking the direction Paradox is going with their AI, and it really puts me off of their games.
Factorio
There is Luanti if you want something Minecraft like. It has a built in modding API and tons of mods available. It supports multiplayer over the LAN. It's also very lightweight, it will run on almost anything.
Or just go for Minecraft itself
Microsoft? No thanks. I'll stick with Luanti.
I wasn't talking to you
Do you know how forums work?
Do you know of Songs of Syx?
A bit like a large-scale rimworld, with a focus on managing a big population and world diplomacy/war.
A bit hard to get into, though.
Also, what about project zomboid? A bit far from your description I guess, but who knows.
I tried the demo of song of styx but didn't really manage to do anything because I didn't understand the menu symbols. Is there a tutorial or something that I missed?
Edit: The game didn't properly do full screen because of my settings so the bar with the build menu etc was not visible, I am now able to play just fine
I think there is a tutorial but I didn't touch it, I just started my hemp empire.
I don't know how long ago you tried, now the game is reaching near completion and there is a tutorial.
It is pretty hard to get into IMO, you need to get used to many concepts and sometimes weird menus and such, that is the problem of the game. I guess you can give a try to the tutorial now and see if it spikes your interest more, the game has changed a lot over the past years.
I wish I could recommend this game. It clicks all my boxes for this type of simulation. Problem is it runs like dog shit on my PC. Without fail on both native and proton versions it will drop frames after about 20 minutes of game play. Doesn't matter if it's a new map or a big city. The game is super smooth then out of nowhere the frame rate tanks to a stuttery mess. I've looked around for a solution and it seems like there is a fix for the problem but it doesn't ever work on my machine. Something tells me that writing the game in Java means the memory management side of the code goes fucking bonkers after 20 minutes. I've tried the discord and Steam forums but nothing ever gets resolved.
Then there's an even more extreme bug where if the game doesn't like my Wayland compositor it hard locks my PC on startup. It's so frustrating. It's a great game but it's technically flawed.
Starbound and Terraria come to mind. Also Planet Centauri and maybe Stardew Valley.
Also Minecraft if a DRM-free version other than the Pi Edition (which is abandoned) ever comes.
Luanti is basically open-source minecraft
Since when did Minecraft have DRM? The only real DRM on it is logging in with a microsoft account that owns the game. You don't even need to use the official launcher.
logging in with a microsoft account
Well that is a big no.
Just make a burner?
That's weird. Why would I do that?
Because you don't want to use Microsoft's ecosystem? It'll just be the same as any other account
If I don't want to use them, I am not making an account. I already have a billion accounts I don't need yet another, and certainly not a Microsoft one.
But go back to the original question OP posed: two distinct things, Offline and Long Term.
I don't trust Microsoft, Minecraft is dead to me and I cannot count on them long-term.
Requiring an account is not offline.
So Minecraft does not meet op's requirements.
Afaik, the Java version is only accessible with an account, 3rd party launchers potentially being considered cracking means. Bedrock version is tied to its platforms' DRMs, like Win10's Microsoft Store validation and a hard-to-access folder which changing permissions is a nightmare, and Google Play Services' validation on Android.
As for console versions, major consoles have DRM to their games by default, with a case like PS Vita games even requiring the user to create a dummy validation file by launching the game once to be able to use backups (also iirc all Vita cartridges have a self-explanatory gro0:/DRM/ folder). And as for cartridge overall, be them Nintendo's, Sony's, etc., being hard to access their contents due to using non-standard could be considered DRM, and some cases formally considering as in the DMCA.
So sounds to me like it has DRM in most versions, yeah.
3rd party launchers potentially being considered cracking means.
No, they directly integrate with the authentication servers and download the files straight from mojang. You even get an official prompt in a browser login window to connect your account to the third party launcher.
Login to access the contents afaik is still DRM, even if it takes more steps.
If it is DRM, it's hardly the DRM that people complain about. It's pretty ethical DRM. If this was a strictly offline computer, you can even install Minecraft on a USB drive and move the installation over.
I'd need to check how long the validation lasts, since it may be well be like emulated PS1 games from the PSN ("PSOne Classics") and Steam's offline mode, both that take a few years to reset, but neither permanent.
But about people complaining, they usually do so only for problems that are obvious to them. And the obvious is usually immediate.
And if it takes a few months/years to expire, I'd say it is not ethical, but pretty vile, as then people will not notice the problem at first, and when they do, they may no longer access their contents.
And considering people that forgot to upgrade their original Mojang accounts, or didn't have access to the needed tools while the change to Microsoft accounts happened, there is a precedent for Minecraft validation methods to not become available any longer.
Also, from my experience with Windows Vista, where even though I have an actually original key for it, if I try to install Vista nowadays and try to connect it to the internet, it will lock the whole system from my access on the next start-up, I'd imagine because it can't reach the validation servers. So I've seen first hand how Microsoft's preservation goes over several years. And since Minecraft may also be used online due to multiplayer, checks may still happen, and being nowadays also a Microsoft product, it may suffer from the same vices of origin.
I'd need to check how long the validation lasts, since it may be well be like emulated PS1 games from the PSN ("PSOne Classics") and Steam's offline mode, both that take a few years to reset, but neither permanent.
It would depend on the launcher. Considering that cracked launchers do exist which just bypass this step entirely, I'm sure there are plenty which only really check once just to be on the legal side of the law. Third party launchers are a thing - there is nothing stopping the application from just running the game. I don't think it would even be possible to permit third party launchers and somehow have the game break itself after a set period of time without internet connection, except for maybe an EULA which they would just have to be trusted to follow. And the EULA doesn't mention third party launchers.
Cracking also isn't really illegal in a lot of jurisdictions if you already own a licence for the game. But you wouldn't even need to crack it for Minecraft anyway.
Valheim has a local server you can set up that has it work offline. Shame it's not on gog, but it's on Humble which I don't believe has online checks like Steam, but I had it working with steam offline mode.
Valheim manages 1 fps on my iGPU equivalent to a gtx 1050.
Satisfactory, building game, a bit heavier on resources since it's 3d but it's good
There is also Factorio, game that inspired Satisfactory, less demanding on hardware as its using top-down view and retro graphics.
NetHack
Endless fun
Factorio is great, how has no one mentioned it yet? Also Dwarf Fortress, Into the breach and "FTL - Faster Than Light".
They all have native ports and are moddable.
Factorial and FTL even have huge overhaul mods, that change most stuff so they don't really get boring.
Minecraft: Java Edition. You need internet the first time, but afterwards it's fully playable offline and also has LAN support built in.
I think you mispelled Luanti.
No, they didnt.
I think you forgot to switch over to the account that made this post
Huh? What are you talking about?
You aren't OP yet you're answering as if you were.
Vintage Story. It's a very good survival, very customizable experience too.
I think it's a game that shines best in a multiplayer civilization RP tbh but even as a single player game it's a very nice survival. It may look similar to Minecraft at first but it is very very different and in all the good ways.
Plus mod support is so good, by design, even the website itself has 1-click installs.
Oh and it has chiseling.
I hadn't heard of that, looks really good!
Caves of Qud. I's like if Dwarf Fortress' adventure mode was actually good, and set in hyper-post-apocalypse scifi world where the very water you need to drink (or if you're amphibian, splash on your skin) is also the world's currency
It's a great game and all, but.. is it just me or is it a bit harder than would be expected? I would consider myself to be pretty decent at the genre, but I will usually die a stupid death on something not previously encountered while exploring, and since it takes a while to reach that stage again, I'll usually put it aside for a while and do something else.
Is it just me?
nah it's HARD. I just savescum constantly when I play it cuz I enjoy going deeper than the whole roguelike way would ever let me
Ok, makes sense then. Live and drink, friend.
Live and drink! <3
The Planet Crafter seems pretty neat, though I've only played the demo. It's a first person survival crafting game where you terraform a planet.
Starbound! That game kicks ass.
Did they ever finish it or at least finish it enough? Played it a long time ago and it had so much potential.
Not really. But the game was open sourced a couple years ago and that with mods is pretty good.
Oh cool thanks!
Maybe CDDA with some difficulty setting changes to reduce combat difficulties and push it more on survival/building.
Find a car. It needn't be in perfect condition. It'll let you run away from many a sticky situation, carry your loot, provide light, and you can mod it. Perhaps add a minifridge or such.
Played sky islands a lot in my last run so not much deathmobile stuff. It's a nice change and can play more recklessly when death isn't the end.
Rimworld.
FYI - I've only downvoted you becuase OP already mentioned Rimworld and said he enjoys it.
Fair. I read faster than my brain processes sometimes.
It's such a fun game, always "maximizes narrative", as it says.
Similar genre: Necesse. It looks a bit ugly, but also very enjoyable.
Vntage Story is pretty neat, it does require a WAN connection to start it for the first time but AFAIK it's possible to play it completely offline afterwards.
Beimg as mechanically complex as it is you'd think you need a wiki open the entire time, but the ingame "guide" has everything you need to know.
I don't know about the state of public multiplayer servers, but it is LAN compatible and it actively supports modding!
I have had it check my account after long periods of not starting the game. Infrequent internet connections briefly appear to be required to play it. Not sure how hard that would be to bypass.
So if you are going to be without internet for a very long time then you may want to look into that in more detail. Otherwise, great game.
ICARUS. Works perfectly under proton.
Runs like shit for me. I think it depends a lot on your GPU. For me it eats all the VRAM and then runs at 3FPS.
Yep, thats fair. Its a pretty graphically intensive game.
It can run easily 60FPS, it's only after my 8GB of VRAM fills up that it turns to shit. Meanwhile some people with far less VRAM are fine. I think it's an Nvidia issue.
Ahh yep, I've had that before. Though it was Diablo 4 that had the vram issue on my 3070ti.
They did do some optimisations in the last few updates, but that vram issue needs to be fixed up by nvidia.
Shame though, I don't have it in any other games.
I never got it to work well on my laptop. Tried for ages, because it looks like a cool game that I could sink a LOT of time into, but the frame rates were always terrible.
Xcom 2: War of the chosen
Euro Truck Simulator 2
American Truck Simulator
I have thousands of hours in them 👀
East bound and down, loaded up and truckin..
A podcast in the background, hauling from Bucharest to Tallinn and then back to Frankfurt.
Promods is a game changer (and also the real economy mod)
ah goddamnit.. now I gotta reinstall one of the truck simulators, don't I?
shit.. I was in the middle of playing something else, too.
Heh whatever I do, whatever games I play, regardless of how much time has passed since I last played...in the end I always come back to ets2.
yeah, and i always come back just after a patch that cancels all my contracts and erase all my roads driven and jobsites discovered :\
That bothers me as well, and maybe an update can also break mod compatibility. I mean I'm grateful that the developers are still working on improving it! Anyways I think you can solve it when you use steam by forcing a specific version using the "beta" settings. This way I decide when I'm ready to receive major version upgrades :)
yeah. but that would depend on me remembering what version i last played on🤷.
oh well, time to hop in the cab and drive through a beautiful world I cant look at because taking my eyes off the road for 3 seconds will result in me rolling sideways down the highway lol
If you like 4x games, I would suggest X3:Terran Conflict/Albion Prelude from Egosoft. Its older, so wont be a burden,(CONTROVERSIAL OPINION ALERT) and probably the last good game from egosoft (/CONTROVERSIAL OPINION ALERT)
Space game set in a huge world with multiple factions and in a breathing world that can and does change with time with or without your actions.. hundreds of hours of gameplay, with options for building your own empire.. and its got a huge modding scene that can make it even more alive.
Once you start getting your personal economy going, you can take a more macro chill approach to the game, you can sit in a mothership issuing fleet commands and letting the AI handle everything, or you can get right into the cockpit of a corvette/fighter and dogfight yourself. While building massive station complexes to produce goods to sell and generate funds with.. or to build your own ships and fleets with.
Technically, Satisfactory (3D Factorio, but more chill) allows you to host your own servers. You can host a server in your LAN, connect to server via IP -> enter the server's local IP.
There is also Terraria which is very low spec.
I recnetly started playing a game called "StarSector"
Basically Mount & Blade in space someone said.
Really good so far, have not played more than 30h due to lack of time to play due changed life/work situation.
Edit: forgot to say that it is Single player but tons of mods that feel very much in line with the game.
Fun fact, the devs encourage people to share a serial-key to those wanting to try out the game, so you don't need to purchase it in case you wind up not liking it.
Here's a serial-key courtesy of an edgy vtuber that uses a war criminal as an avatar: TEITW-HP9ON-A7HMK-WA6YA
Again this is not piracy, the Devs actively encourage this. Which is awesome. So if you like the game, buy the game, encourage this behavior.
Farming Simulator (pick which year/edition), it's surprisingly relaxing after whole day in office.
Barony mayb slay da spire 2