[HELP] Deploying a game for Steam Deck

[Oscar92player]

Good day, everyone,

I've been making a bit of research on this, based on the fact that RPG Maker MV you allows to deploy games on Linux. However, I've found a few issues when trying to do the same for Steam Deck, which uses SteamOS (basically, Linux).

I don't think the tutorials and help within the program are made for this kind of device, and running some of the commands stated in the manual wouldn't be a good idea, based on the fact that the device is pre-made, and has its own drivers and default configuration.

So I would like to receive more support, if anyone here has more experience or knows how to create a native game deployed specifically for Steam Deck's OS, and learn step by step how to do it.

Of course... I tried to deploy the game as a Linux game on my Windows PC, download it on my Deck, and then try to run the Game.desktop file and the Game file. No success on there on my end (the game doesn't even start), so maybe I'm missing something.

Any help would be appreciated.

Greetings and thank you in advance.

 

[MechPen]

You need to update your nwjs-lnx and nwjs-lnx-test files, as the ones that ship with RPG Maker MV are too out of date to work properly on a Steam Deck.

You can probably follow the tutoiral from this thread.

 

[Oscar92player]

You need to update your nwjs-lnx and nwjs-lnx-test files, as the ones that ship with RPG Maker MV are too out of date to work properly on a Steam Deck.

You can probably follow the tutoiral from this thread.

Just changing the NWJS files would do the trick? But I thought that only affected the performance, not the compatibility with other devices.

 

[MechPen]

NW.js is an app runtime based on chromium. Newer versions will have more support for modern devices, and GPU acceleration for those devices (including a Vulkan renderer), as well as bug fixes, etc.

 

[Oscar92player]

NW.js is an app runtime based on chromium. Newer versions will have more support for modern devices, and GPU acceleration for those devices (including a Vulkan renderer), as well as bug fixes, etc.

For the sake of testing, I gave that tutorial a chance.

But it didn't work, and the game still doesn't start when trying to run the Game.desktop file or the Game file.

I know I'm missing something, I'm sure of it. I just don't know what.

EDIT: Tried to do the same updating the Windows version NJWS, and using Proton Experimental to run the game, and in the end, the game doesn't start either. And not only that, it made my Steam Deck to crash, because it was like as if the game or some process of it was running on the background.

Curiously, the deployed game for Windows without any of those changes, runs on Steam Deck using Proton Experimental, but with a few graphical glitches and lots of framedrops.

 

[MechPen]

What version did you update nwjs to? It apparently works according to people on ProtonDB

 

[Oscar92player]

What version did you update nwjs to? It apparently works according to people on ProtonDB

The latest that it is on this link:

Downloads

nwjs

nwjs.io

And it was v0.74.0.

But that ProtonDB page is only for RPG Maker MV as a program, not for the deployed games.

What I want is to try to deploy a native game with the Linux executable, that doesn't need any compatibility tool to run, which is the case for games made for Windows environments. But unfortunatelly, I can't just deploy the game for Linux and run it just like that.

 

[MechPen]

Oh!

From what I understand, building for a different operating system than you are running RPG Maker MV on causes it not to work (I cannot make Mac builds for example).

So you'll need to get a Linux environment set up. Or you could use the Steam Deck itself.

 

[Oscar92player]

Oh!

From what I understand, building for a different operating system than you are running RPG Maker MV on causes it not to work (I cannot make Mac builds for example).

So you'll need to get a Linux environment set up. Or you could use the Steam Deck itself.

How could that be? Deploying a project is simply copy-pasting the game folder into www folder from the NWJS assets that come with RPG Maker MV, right? Or is there a special process during that export?

EDIT: Tried to deploy with the Linux setting within the Steam Deck. The same results, the game does not start. Tried to open the Game.desktop executable and the Game file without extension. Nothing works.

 

[MechPen]

Just to be clear, you tried deploying on Steam Deck after updating its nwjs-lnx and nwjs-lnx-test folders? and it still didn't work?

 

[Oscar92player]

Just to be clear, you tried deploying on Steam Deck after updating its nwjs-lnx and nwjs-lnx-test folders? and it still didn't work?

Yes, exactly that.

 

[MechPen]

So! turns out this is a hassle and the latest proton can run windows versions of your deployed game just fine (but its a little slow so I can understand wanting to do this.)

For this to work you must;
1. have RPG Maker MV installed on your Steam Deck.
2. go to desktop mode (may not be necessary?).
3. open up steam and go to Library.
4. right click on RPG Maker MV and select Properties..
5. Go to compatibility tab, select "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool"
6. Select Steam Linux Runtime. this will prompt steam to reinstall RPG Make MV as the linux native version (what gets installed by default is the windows version)
7. update nwjs to the latest version as above (download linux 46 bit SDK from nwjs.io and copy the files into the nwjs-lnx and nwjs-lnx-test)
8. in the nwjs-lnx and nwjs-lnx-test folders, remove the Game file (NOT the Game.desktop file). Duplicate the nw file and rename it Game.
8. open your project in the linux native version of RPG Maker MV (notice that test play does not work. that is because the contents of the nwjs-lnx-test are only copied into your project at the start, when 'new project is selected. you may copy them to the project yourself to restore test play).
9. Do a deployment. select Linux, output location, etc.

After following all these steps, you will have a linux native build of your RPG Maker MV project.

--
This however is a hassle and a half. consider dual booting linux on your PC and doing it there, or simply updating your nwjs-win and nwjs-win-test folders and building for windows. The latest version of proton can run RPG Maker MV games now.
--

Important to note is that while, the Deployment window has Platform options for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux; none of them actually work unless you are on the OS selected. The Web browsers option will work from anywhere, though.

 

[Oscar92player]

So! turns out this is a hassle and the latest proton can run windows versions of your deployed game just fine (but its a little slow so I can understand wanting to do this.)

For this to work you must;
1. have RPG Maker MV installed on your Steam Deck.
2. go to desktop mode (may not be necessary?).
3. open up steam and go to Library.
4. right click on RPG Maker MV and select Properties..
5. Go to compatibility tab, select "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool"
6. Select Steam Linux Runtime. this will prompt steam to reinstall RPG Make MV as the linux native version (what gets installed by default is the windows version)
7. update nwjs to the latest version as above (download linux 46 bit SDK from nwjs.io and copy the files into the nwjs-lnx and nwjs-lnx-test)
8. in the nwjs-lnx and nwjs-lnx-test folders, remove the Game file (NOT the Game.desktop file). Duplicate the nw file and rename it Game.
8. open your project in the linux native version of RPG Maker MV (notice that test play does not work. that is because the contents of the nwjs-lnx-test are only copied into your project at the start, when 'new project is selected. you may copy them to the project yourself to restore test play).
9. Do a deployment. select Linux, output location, etc.

After following all these steps, you will have a linux native build of your RPG Maker MV project.

--
This however is a hassle and a half. consider dual booting linux on your PC and doing it there, or simply updating your nwjs-win and nwjs-win-test folders and building for windows. The latest version of proton can run RPG Maker MV games now.
--

Important to note is that while, the Deployment window has Platform options for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux; none of them actually work unless you are on the OS selected. The Web browsers option will work from anywhere, though.

Tried to do that right now. The game fails to deploy because of a file that has an "é" in the name, something that doesn't happen on Windows (there are other files using similar symbols and accents, and I'm not gonna rename all of them). I give up.

Sorry, but it seems like working with RPG Maker MV's projects on and for Linux is a mistake, and doesn't deserve all the time I'm spending with all these experiments just to try to have a native port.

Sorry for the inconvenience. We can have this thread closed now.

 

[Shaz]

This thread is being closed, due to being solved. If for some reason you would like this thread re-opened, please report this post and leave a message why. Thank you.