Fallout 2 for Ubuntu?

[Anarchosyn]

Just curious. Anybody know whether it's possible to get Fallout 2 running under Ubuntu?

I'd like to install it on a driveless netbook (acer aspire one) which was kicked down to me. However, this means -- in order to try -- I have to purchase a downloadable copy from somewhere. This is all well and good but, since a native Linux version probably doesn't exist and I'm unsure how well it would run via wine, I figured asking would save me from potentially wasting money.

Sorry if this is the wrong forum.

(p.s. when I say "download it" I mean a legit copy, hence the money reference. I presume it's hosted somewhere for digital download).

 

[Lexx]

I've played Fallout 1 and 2 on Ubuntu approx one year ago. It is even possible to use Sfall, but you will need Wine for it

 

[Little Robot]

There is a downloadable version here. I've been running the Fallout games 100% perfectly under WINE. To be honest, it actually runs better than on Windows (no color problems, no problems where the screen "blacks out").

 

[Anarchosyn]

Thanks guys.

Little_Robot, did you just download and load the exe's via Wine? Just curious if you had to tinker under the hood (I'm far from a Linux pro).

Anyhoo.. thanks again.

 

[jorj82]

You're best bet would be to check out the Application Database at www.winehq.com
I got this game (among others) to work flawlessly on Ubuntu a few years ago when I couldn't afford a new Windows key.

 

[Anarchosyn]

You're best bet would be to check out the Application Database at www.winehq.com
I got this game (among others) to work flawlessly on Ubuntu a few years ago when I couldn't afford a new Windows key.

I went there ages ago but found it unhelpful:

http://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&iId=319&iTestingId=3348

What works
Autorun, Setup, "Loading..." Splash screen

What does not
The game itself.

What was not tested
The game itself.

Again, I tend to be a trial and error kinda guy. I'm only asking since the only way I can test the operation is to first pay $20~ for the privilege of downloading a copy.

 

[Little Robot]

Sorry to take a while to explain. The Fallout games actually didn't work for me for the longest time, actually. But it was a problem with the installer included in the disk. The EXE's themselves, which I transferred from Windows but which you could unpack manually, run perfectly. Since these are the same as the ones you would be downloading, you should be able to work it well. If you have problems with the installer you can always just copy the install directories from a friend's Windows machine and it should run fine without any tinkering required.

 

[Phad_Vickers]

I'd like to install it on a driveless netbook (acer aspire one) which was kicked down to me. However, this means -- in order to try -- I have to purchase a downloadable copy from somewhere.

When you mean driveless, I'm going to assume you mean no optical drive, rather than no hard drive (For those unfamiliar with Linux, Linux can be installed to and booted from USB keys, negating the need for a hard drive entirely)

If you have access to a computer with an optical drive, why don't you just copy the files off the original Fallout2 CD to a USB key and install it from that?

1. 
   This is off the top of my head, so bear with me:
   
2. From a Windows machine, format the key with FAT (backing up the USB key's files first of course).
   
3. Ensure you have view hidden files enabled. Under XP it should be under 'Tools --> Options --> View Tab --> Dot the 'View Hidden Files and Folders'. Under Windows Vista/7 it's under 'Organize --> Folder and Search Options --> View tab --> Dot the 'View Hidden Files and Folders'.
   
4. Insert the Fallout2 CD and select all files. Copy and paste it to the USB key.
   
   In Linux:
   
5. Insert the USB key. Ubuntu should automatically mount the USB key and give it an icon on the desktop with a name. The mount point should be something like /media/{whatever name it used for the desktop icon}
   
6. If the USB key doesn't show up on the desktop, then you'll have to manually mount it. To do so, open a terminal (under Applications --> Terminal I think). As your netbook probably has a SATA hard drive instead of a PATA drive, your hard drive will be located at /dev/sda. The USB key, then, *should* be /dev/sdb
   
7. In the terminal type 'sudo mkdir /media/USB' (for example). Enter your password, then type 'sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /media/USB' This will mount the first partition of your USB key to /media/USB
   
8. Once you have the USB mounted, in the terminal install wine if it's not there already: In the terminal type 'sudo apt-get install wine' to download the package from the repository.
   
9. Set up a wine profile in your home directory automatically by typing 'winecfg' in your terminal. This will create a hidden wine directory at /home/{your user name}/.wine (note the . before wine). This will also open the Wine Configuration window. From the window, set the Windows emulation to whatever you like- I suggest Windows 98 for Fallout2, though WindowsXP should also work too. Next, click the Sound (or Audio tab) to ensure that it configures sound. This probably isn't necessary, but I remember a while back I had issues with audio until I clicked that tab. Back then, ALSA was best... but it might be PulseAudio now. Whatever it selects automatically should work well.
   
10. Close the configuration window and install Fallout2 by typing into a terminal 'sudo wine /media/<USB>/{Whatever the installer is called}. I think it's SETUP.EXE (all caps), but I must admit, as I tend to use tab a lot in the terminal to fill in names for me automatically, I don't remember the character cases from when I installed Fallout2 in Linux last.

I like to play with Linux every once in a while (I dual boot) and tend to switch between Windows and Linux for periods of time. I'll use Windows for a while, then switch to Linux, then back to Windows and so on. With the recent release of Civ5 and Fallout NV, I've been using Windows pretty exclusively recently. I know I've gotten Fallout2 to work very well under Ubuntu before, and I can take a look later at my settings if you need it.

Sorry if you know most of what's the steps above...I'm moving tomorrow, and figured I'd go into a bit of detail just in case... as it also helps put off the packing. (Can't play Fallout...that's put off *too* must time already )