Linux client support & docker server support

[Axel Szmidt 1]

Hello everyone! I would like to ask of two things for your consideration:

Linux support for game client

Docker support for dedicated server

 

Perhaps Linux is not yet the gaming beast that some hope it is but nevertheless it is still out there and its popularity is slowly but steadily growing. Knowing that this may well turn into a trend I would like to request for some form of linux support. At this stage of development that probably will not be native linux support but getting Arma to work at least through the proton compatibility layer would be great. Currently Arma reforge has the bronze status meaning that it crashes quite often.

 

Another thing worth considering for the community would be to allow for container based dedicated servers. From what I understand this would have several advantages that typically come with containerization. Just to name a few: portability, efficiency, agility, faster delivery, improved security and easier management. All of these would make hosting a server cheaper for the player base and simpler to develop.

 

Of course this is not an in depth analysis and I’m probably unknowingly omitting quite a few things but I hope that the points raised above are sufficient at least to start a discussion.

[Onno 22]

On 1/14/2023 at 8:58 PM, Axel Szmidt said:

Hello everyone! I would like to ask of two things for your consideration:

Linux support for game client 

Docker support for dedicated server

 

Perhaps Linux is not yet the gaming beast that some hope it is but nevertheless it is still out there and its popularity is slowly but steadily growing. Knowing that this may well turn into a trend I would like to request for some form of linux support. At this stage of development that probably will not be native linux support but getting Arma to work at least through the proton compatibility layer would be great. Currently Arma reforge has the bronze status meaning that it crashes quite often.

 

Another thing worth considering for the community would be to allow for container based dedicated servers. From what I understand this would have several advantages that typically come with containerization. Just to name a few: portability, efficiency, agility, faster delivery, improved security and easier management. All of these would make hosting a server cheaper for the player base and simpler to develop.

 

Of course this is not an in depth analysis and I’m probably unknowingly omitting quite a few things but I hope that the points raised above are sufficient at least to start a discussion.

 

Linux support is achieved through using Proton. If you install the BattlEye linux runtime, you should have no problem using Reforger on linux. I much prefer that solution over having an 'experimental' port which is always several versions behind the windows version, meaning that you can't play with your friends if you're on linux, which was the case before the BattlEye runtime was available.

 

As far as I know, the official server is Docker based. See the documentation on the wiki: https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Arma_Reforger:Server_Hosting

[Pyronick 21]

On 3/15/2023 at 1:37 PM, Onno said:

I much prefer that solution over having an 'experimental' port which is always several versions behind the windows version, meaning that you can't play with your friends if you're on linux, which was the case before the BattlEye runtime was available.

The experimental port, AFAIK, was a wrapper which had to be applied and adjusted everything a new build was compiled - i.a.w. when a new patch of Arma 3 came out.

 

Now that BattlEye has a native Linux runtime, and the dynamic volumetric clouds middleware is out, BIS could add a Vulkan renderer and release a native Linux build which will always be in step with the Windows version. While they are at it, they could also add a Metal renderer for Mac - however, I don't think this will be cost effective.

 

It will need quite some programming, however, but it opens lot of opportunities for Enfusion to also be used for other, mobile platforms.