Are you an avid Linux or macOS user who craves the excitement of playing or beloved Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic or other Windows games on your preferred operating system? If so, you're in luck! In this guide, I will walk you through the steps of playing "Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic" and other Windows games on Linux or macOS using the powerful combination of Steam and Proton.

Windows. Linux. MacOS... My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of gaming platforms once divided, each with its own unique powers and limitations. A time when if studio made game exclusivly for Windows, you had little to no chances to run it anywhere else unless you wanted to spend hours for a very little chance to even see an intro sequence... But everything changed when Steam and Proton came together.

With Steam, the mighty digital realm that connects gamers across platforms, and Proton, the compatibility force built on the ancient technology of Wine, the gaming world found balance.

Now, gamers of all platforms can unite, casting aside their differences and embracing the shared joy of gaming. Windows users, Linux enthusiasts, and MacOS aficionados can come together as one.

So, whether you're a Windows warrior, a Linux legend, or a macOS master, embrace the power of Steam and Proton. Let the boundaries between platforms fade away and embark on epic gaming adventures together.

The era of division is over. The era of gaming unity has begun.



Aight.. Enough of silly jokes and references. The following guide will provide you with step by step instructions of how to run W&R:SR using Proton.


Small update: I Guess my info was incorrect and at this specific moment Proton is NOT available on MacOS and what I've seen was incorrect. There are, however, ways to launch this game on MacOS and I will update this guide later.

Proton is a compatibility layer developed by Valve Corporation that enables playing Windows games on Linux-based operating systems. It is specifically designed for integration with the Steam gaming platform. Proton utilizes various technologies, including Wine, to provide a translation layer between the Windows application programming interfaces (APIs) and the corresponding Linux APIs.

By utilizing Proton, Linux users gain access to a vast library of Windows games available on Steam. Proton automates much of the setup and configuration process, making it easier for users to install and run their favorite games without requiring extensive knowledge of Wine or other compatibility tools. Proton also incorporates custom patches and optimizations for specific games to enhance performance and compatibility.

Overall, Proton has significantly expanded the gaming possibilities for Linux users, allowing them to enjoy a broader range of titles without the need for dual-booting or virtual machines. It continues to evolve and improve with regular updates and contributions from the gaming community.

Obviously step 1 is to download and install Steam client for your OS from the official Steam website.

2 - Enable Steam Play: Open Steam, go to the "Steam" menu, and select "Settings". In the Settings menu, navigate to the "Steam Play" tab. Check the boxes that says "Enable Steam Play for supported titles" and "Enable Steam Play for all other titles". This will allow you to run compatible Windows games on your Linux or macOS system.





2.5 - Enable Steam Play Using New Interface: Open Steam, go to the "Steam" menu, and select "Settings". In the Settings menu, navigate to the "Compatibility" tab. Check the boxes that says "Enable Steam Play for supported titles" and "Enable Steam Play for all other titles". This will allow you to run compatible Windows games on your Linux or macOS system using new Steam Interface.



I recommend you to select either version 7.x or experimental. However it was confirmed that this game also runs when using Proton 8.x.

Restart Steam afterwards.

3 - Install Windows Games: Purchase or install Windows games from the Steam store as you would normally. Ensure that the games you choose have Linux or macOS compatibility listed on their store page or have been reported to work well with Steam Play/Proton. In our case find Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic in your library and click "install" as usual.

4 - Launch Options Setup: After installing game you have to add specific launch options. To do so right click on game in library, select "Properties". While in "General" tab go to "Launch options" line and add the following:

WINEDLLOVERRIDES="xaudio2_7=n,b" %command%

Usually the above line is enough, but if you encounter problems during gameplay, you might want to add this to launch options as well

PROTON_USE_WINED3D11=1

Please remember, that if game runs without this option, do not use it.
If you use Proton 8.x, you don't need this option.

So your launch options look like this:

PROTON_USE_WINED3D11=1 WINEDLLOVERRIDES="xaudio2_7=n,b" %command%

If you still encounter problems you can edit your launch options to look like this for Proton 7.x or experimental:

PROTON_FORCE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE=1 PROTON_NO_ESYNC=1 PROTON_NO_FSYNC=1 PROTON_USE_WINED3D11=1 WINEDLLOVERRIDES="xaudio2_7=n,b" %command%

And for Proton 8.x:

PROTON_FORCE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE=1 PROTON_NO_ESYNC=1 PROTON_NO_FSYNC=1 WINEDLLOVERRIDES="xaudio2_7=n,b" %command%

4.5 - Optional: Select specific Proton version for specific game: Additionally you can force different Proton version on specific game. You might need it if in case when you have all games running with, for example, Proton 8.x, but one game only running with Proton 7.x. To do so right click on game in library, select "Properties". Navigate to the "Compatibility" tab, check box that say "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool" and select version of Proton you need.



5 - Launch Game: After finishing setup launch game as usual but run Windows 7 option. Launching Windows 8/10 version will cause various sounds problems and make your experience less comfortable.

In this parapgraph I'll explain what each of launch options arguments do. For information thank you to Broken Iris and people on the internet.

PROTON_FORCE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE=1

• Does: Tells the application it has to deal with large memory addresses.
  
• May solve: Out of Memory errors in certain games.

PROTON_NO_ESYNC=1

• Does: Very technical stuff related with eventfd.
  
• May solve: "eventfd" errors and some other crashes.

PROTON_NO_FSYNC=1

• Does: Very technical stuff related to Linux based system trying to use futexes instead of eventfds.
  
• May solve: Frame rate drop and overall framerate issues. This depends highly on your PC setup and monitor. Using it makes the game feel crisp and more responsive during camera pans.

WINEDLLOVERRIDES="xaudio2_7=n,b"

• Does: Very technical magic related to how your OS work with game sound.
  
• May solve: Various sound issues, such as missing music, some sounds being too loud, not working audio settings and so on.

PROTON_USE_WINED3D11=1

• Does: Forces game to use DirectX11 instead of Vulkan
  
• May solve: dx11 related errors and crashes.

%command%

• Does: allows you to pass additional game related command line / launch options arguments. Should always be after Proton related arguments and before game related arguments (e.g. WINEDLLOVERRIDES="xaudio2_7=n" %command% -noLauncher)

If you encounter issues, consult Steam Forums, or the ProtonDB website [protondb.com] to see if others have encountered similar problems and found solutions.


Remember that not all Windows games may work flawlessly on Linux or macOS using Proton, as compatibility can vary. However, Valve and the Proton community continue to work on improving compatibility and adding support for more games.

It's worth noting that running Windows games on non-Windows operating systems may require additional system resources, and performance may vary depending on hardware and specific game requirements.

Of course always ensure that you have a legal copy of the games you want to play, and be aware of any potential licensing or DRM restrictions that may apply.

To see reports and reccomendations from other players using Proton, visit Workers & Resources: Soviet republic page on ProtonDB[www.protondb.com]

To see requirements for Proton visit this page[github.com]

While it's not required, you still might want to change your Steam client version to latest beta. You can learn how to do it here