New project brings strong Linux compatibility to more classic Windows games

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Smoggy She

Valve's Proton compatibility layer has been steadily improving the gaming experience for Linux users, but it has traditionally only supported games written in Direct3D 8. This limitation has meant that many classic PC titles are inaccessible to those using SteamOS.

However, a new open-source project called d7vk aims to change this by providing a Vulkan-based translation layer for Direct3D 7 (D3D7). This allows users to run D3D7 games on Linux using Wine, bypassing the limitations of Proton. The d7vk project was inspired by a desire to play games like Sacrifice and Disciples II, both of which are not currently supported by Proton.

While the d7vk project is not intended to be upstreamed into the main dxvk compatibility layer used by Proton, it promises to offer similar performance profiles with more targeted configuration options. Project author WinterSnowfall acknowledges that D3D7 is a challenging API to work with, citing its notorious reputation for poor interoperability.

Despite this challenge, d7vk has already shown promising results in running a range of D3D7 games on Linux. According to the project's lead developer, recent tuning has brought performance levels "anywhere between decent and stellar" for many supported titles. The PC Gaming Wiki estimates that over 400 D3D7-titled games exist, including some notable titles like Arx Fatalis, Escape from Monkey Island, and Hitman: Codename 47.

However, it's essential to note that d7vk is unlikely to achieve full compatibility with all D3D7 games due to the complexities of working with this notoriously difficult API. The project's author warns against expecting support for even older DirectX APIs, stating that "the further we stray from D3D9, the further we stray from the divine." Nevertheless, d7vk remains a welcome addition to the world of Linux gaming, providing users with new options to experience classic PC titles.
 
this is like, amazing news 🤩! people who play old games on windows but want to play on linux are gonna be so happy now. the fact that there's a project like d7vk that can run these games smoothly without needing a Windows rig is just incredible 🚀. and it's not just about playing old games, it's also about preserving gaming history, you know? classics like sacrifice and disciples ii are still super popular among retro gamers 🎮. i mean, i'm no expert but it sounds like d7vk has already made some pretty cool progress, even if it's not 100% compatible with all the games out there 😊. overall, this is just another great example of how open source projects can make a real difference in gaming experiences 💻.
 
I'm loving this news 😊! It's about time someone helped us Linux gamers access those sweet, sweet classics 🎮. I mean, who needs Proton when you can play Sacrifice and Disciples II like it's 1999? 🤣 The fact that d7vk is tackling D3D7, which has been a major bottleneck for Proton, is huge. It's amazing to think about the thousands of games that are just waiting to be played on Linux. WinterSnowfall's warning about the complexities of working with D3D7 is totally fair, but I'm sure they'll keep pushing the boundaries and finding ways to make it work.

It's also awesome to see a community-driven project like d7vk taking off. The fact that there are already so many supported titles running smoothly gives me hope for the future of Linux gaming 🌞. Of course, we all know it won't be perfect, but I'm stoked to see what WinterSnowfall and the team come up with next 🔥. Bring on the nostalgia!
 
Yooo, I'm hyped about this new project d7vk! 🤩 They're trying to bring Vulkan-based support for D3D7 games on Linux which is gonna be a game changer (pun intended) for gamers on SteamOS. I've been waiting years for some of these classic PC titles to be playable again, Sacrifice and Disciples II are still on my wishlist. The fact that they're not trying to upstream it into Proton but instead creating something separate with more targeted config options is a win in my book. Performance levels are already looking decent and stellar 🚀, fingers crossed they can get more games working smoothly. It's a great example of the power of community-driven projects and open-source gaming.
 
I'm so stoked about this d7vk project! I mean, who doesn't want to play old-school games like Sacrifice and Disciples II on their Linux rig? 🤩 It's crazy that Proton has been limiting us to only Direct3D 8 games. This new Vulkan-based translation layer is a game-changer (no pun intended). The fact that it's open-source means anyone can contribute and help make it even better.

I'm a bit skeptical about the performance levels, but I guess "decent and stellar" is a good starting point 😊. It's also cool to know that over 400 D3D7-titled games exist. That's like, a ton of classics! I'm definitely keeping an eye on this project and hoping it'll get more support from the gaming community.

I have to ask, though: who else is excited about playing old-school games on Linux? 🤔
 
omg, this d7vk project is like, super exciting for me and my steamos set up 🤩. i mean, who doesn't want to play old school games on linux again? but seriously, the fact that they're creating a vulkan-based translation layer for directd3d 7 (which valve doesn't support) is just genius 💡. it's like a middle ground between proton and full compatibility. and with all these d3d7 titles to choose from 📚, i'm stoked to see this project take off! the only thing that's holding me back from jumping in is the fact that it's not upstreamed yet 😔. fingers crossed they keep improving it tho 👍
 
omg u guys! 🤯 d7vk is literally gonna change the game for linux gamers!!! i was wondering when someone would create a way to run those old skool pc games on steamos lol they already got some sick results running games like sacrifice and disciples 2, which r super hard to get working with proton... winter snowfall is a genius and i'm lowkey hyped to try it out 🤔 performance levels are supposed to be decent to stellar? that sounds like a total win in my book 💯 400+ d3d7 games existing is a huge deal too, like arx fatalis, escape from monkey island... the list goes on! can't wait to see what other classics get added 🎮
 
omg like can u believe this news?! 😍 d7vk is literally gonna change the game for us linux gamers! i mean i know proton has been doing great job but having d3d7 support on linux is a big deal, especially since so many old games are not compatible with proton 🤯 i've been waiting for this for ages to play sacrifice and disciples ii on my steam os machine... finally hope its true that it can run at stellar performance levels 💥
 
I'm hyped about this d7vk thingy! It's like they're speaking my language now. Running D3D7 games on Linux? That's pure genius. I mean, what's the point of having Proton if you can't play all the classics? Sacrifice and Disciples II are still dead to me because of it lol.

I'm not gonna lie though, I'm a bit worried about the performance. I've had issues with older games on Linux before and I know how frustrating that can be. But WinterSnowfall's got some good insight into D3D7, so fingers crossed they're onto something here.

400+ D3D7-titled games? That's insane! Arx Fatalis is a game I actually haven't played yet... need to fix that ASAP. And Hitman: Codename 47, please, can someone port that one for me?

I love the humility from WinterSnowfall too, acknowledging that D3D7 is hard to work with. That's responsible development right there.

So, kudos to d7vk! Bring on the old-school gaming goodness!
 
omg i'm so hyped for this d7vk project lol its been ages since we've had decent support for old games on linux 🤯 and now we might finally get to play some of those classics like sacrifice and disciples ii again 🎮 the fact that it's using vulkan as a translation layer is also super smart move, i mean proton has been doing great job but this just gives us more options 🔥 and 400+ d3d7 games to boot? insane! i do hope its author isn't joking about not supporting older apis tho 🤔 still super stoked for this project tho 🎉
 
omg can't believe how many old games are still inaccessible on linux 🤯 like seriously what's next? wine 3d6 anyone? 🤪 anyway kudos to winter snowfall for trying and i'm low-key hyped that some of my childhood faves might actually be playable again 🎮 arx fatalis is on my todo list ASAP 🔥
 
Man, I'm so hyped about this d7vk project 🤩! It's like, finally, some love for our old-school PC games on Linux 🎮. I mean, who doesn't miss playing Sacrifice and Disciples II all night? 😆 But seriously, it's amazing that someone is tackling this tricky API challenge.

I'm a bit skeptical about the performance levels, though – decent to stellar, yeah, but we're talking about 20+ year old games here 🤯. Still, if it's getting them running at all, I'm stoked 🎉. And hey, who knows, maybe one day they'll manage to get Proton or Wine to support more of these classics.

It's also cool that this project isn't trying to be the full Proton compatibility layer, just a specific solution for D3D7 games. That way, we can still have our cake and eat it too – more options for Linux gamers without diluting the existing efforts 🍰. Good on 'em for giving us a chance to revisit some of our favorite old-school titles 😊.
 
I'm loving this progress in Linux gaming, its about time we can play our old fave games again without feeling left behind! 🎮 I mean, who doesn't miss playing Sacrifice and Disciples II? The d7vk project is a breath of fresh air, it shows that people are willing to put in the effort to make things work. And let's be real, 400+ D3D7 games is no joke, its gonna be a wild ride trying to get all of those working smoothly. But you know what, I'm stoked for it! It just goes to show that even when things seem impossible, some talented folks can still manage to make magic happen. 💫
 
omg, finally some hope for old games 🙌! i'm so tired of seeing my steam collection collecting dust on linux 😔. can't believe valve didn't just support d3d7 from the start tho 🤷‍♂️. d7vk seems like a game changer for me and all the other retro gamers out there 👍. performance is decent, but stellar? that's music to my ears 🎵! now i can finally try out those games i've been meaning to play for years 💻. props to winterSnowfall for taking on this crazy challenge 😊. fingers crossed they'll support more games in the future 👀
 
🤔 so like they're trying to make old games work on linux again? that's pretty cool i mean who doesn't want to play sacrifice or disciples ii on their linux rig? 🎮 but isnt it hard to get older apis working? like, valves proton has been doing this for ages and its still not perfect? so what makes d7vk different from proton? is it just the api or something?
 
🤔 I'm super stoked about this d7vk project, but at the same time, I'm also kinda worried it's gonna be a tough nut to crack 🤯. I mean, we all know Direct3D 7 is a notoriously finicky API, so it's not like they're just gonna magic up perfect compatibility out of thin air ✨.

But, I gotta say, the fact that they've already got decent performance results and are able to run some pretty cool games on Linux is a major win 🎉. And, let's be real, there are some seriously awesome games out there that are stuck in this limbo, like Sacrifice and Disciples II... it's about time we saw these babies come back to life 💥.

I just hope they don't get too caught up in trying to achieve 100% compatibility, 'cause at the end of the day, it's all about getting people playing games on Linux again 🙌. And if that means some compromises are made, I'm totally down for it 😊.
 
💻 I think it's so sick that there's someone working on this d7vk project! 🤯 Like, imagine being able to play Sacrifice and Disciples II on SteamOS... 😲 400+ games supported is insane! 📈 But yeah, the fact that D3D7 is a tricky API to work with is a major concern. Performance levels are already "anywhere between decent and stellar"... that's still not bad tho! 💯 I mean, Proton has been great for Linux gaming, but this d7vk project gives us even more options 🌟
 
😊👍 This is awesome news for Linux gamers! 🎮 I've been missing out on some sweet old-school games like Sacrifice and Disciples II, so d7vk can't come soon enough 😄. The fact that it's an open-source project means more people will be able to contribute and help it improve 💻. And who knows, maybe one day we'll see even more classic titles supported 🤞. I've tried out d7vk already and the performance is pretty solid 🔥... except for a few finicky games that still don't work 🤔. But overall, this is a huge step forward for Linux gaming and I'm hyped 🎉! 👏
 
This is awesome news 🤩! A way to play all those oldies but goodies on Linux without relying on Proton would be amazing. I mean, who doesn't want to run Sacrifice and Disciples II on SteamOS? The fact that d7vk is tackling this challenge head-on, even if it's not intended for upstreaming, shows the community's willingness to help each other out.

I'm also loving the attention to detail here - performance levels anywhere between decent and stellar? That's impressive! And with over 400 D3D7-titled games available, there's still a lot of potential for this project. I do hope they're able to iron out those issues with poor interoperability, but for now, it's all good news for Linux gamers 🎮
 
man I'm still on SteamOS and remember when I could play all my old fave games from back in the day like Sacrifice and Disciples II no problem 🤩, but now Proton can't touch 'em... so this d7vk project is a total game changer! 😊 I mean, 400+ D3D7 games existing? that's wild, some of those old games are still super fun to play with friends... and the fact that it's open-source and all means more people can chime in and help make it even better 🤝. I know the author says it won't be perfect but come on, 80% is still a heck of a lot better than nothing 💯
 
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