Bioshock 2 Guide

Bioshock 2 takes place 8 years after the incidents of Bioshock 1. Your character was revived as a "Big Daddy" and now your mission is to protect "Little "Sisters". Tear through Splicers, turrets and even a new "Big Sisters". Take advantage of the new weapons, the environment, plasmids and Eve to survive!

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Follow my step-by-step guide on installing, configuring and optimizing Bioshock 2 in Linux with PlayOnLinux.

Note: This guide applies to the Steam version of Bioshock 2. Other versions may require additional steps. The retail version of Bioshock 2 can be activated on Steam in order to use the "patched out" Games For Windows Live version.

Tips & Specs:

Try SteamPlay before using this guide as Valve now uses a fork of Wine called Proton and should run most Windows games.

To learn more about PlayOnLinux and Wine configuration, see the online manual: PlayOnLinux Explained

int 17 64-bit
PlayOnLinux: 4.2.5
Wine: 1.7.26

Wine Installation

Note: Versions of Wine older than 2.0.2 and Wine 2.12-staging no longer work with Steam

Click Tools
Select "Manage Wine Versions"
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Look for the Wine Version: 1.7.26

Select it
Click the arrow pointing to the right
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Click Next

Downloading Wine
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Extracting

Downloading Gecko
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Installed
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Wine 1.7.26 is installed and you can close this window

Downloading Steam

Go To: http://www.steampowered.com
Click Install Steam
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Do not click "Install Steam Now"
Note: It will automatically install Linux Steam. Since Bioshock 2 isn't made for Linux, we will download the Windows Steam instead.

Click "Windows" under the green button
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Navigate to your desktop
Click Save
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Setup PlayOnLinux

Launch PlayOnLinux
Click Install
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Click "install a non-listed program"
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Click Next

Select "Install a program in a new virtual drive"
Click Next
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Name you virtual drive: bioshock2
Click Next
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Select all three options:
  • Use another version of Wine
  • Configure Wine
  • Install some libraries

Click Next
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Select Wine 1.7.26
Click Next
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Select "32 bits windows installation"
Click Next
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Configure Wine

Applications Tab
Windows Version: Windows 7
Click Apply
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Graphics Tab
Check: Automatically capture the mouse in full-screen windows
Check: Emulate a virtual desktop
Desktop size: 1024x768
Click Ok
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Install Libraries

Check the following libraries:
  • POL_Install_corefonts
  • POL_Install_dxfullsetup
  • POL_Install_msxml3
  • POL_Install_Physx
  • POL_Install_registeredfonts
  • POL_Install_tahoma
  • POL_Install_vcrun2005

Click Next
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Installing Steam

Click Browse
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Navigate to your desktop
Select: SteamSetup.exe
Click Open
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Click Next

Click Next

Check: I accept the license...
Click Next

Click Next

Click Next

Click Install

Click Finish

Updating Steam

More updating, extracting and installing

When Steam is done installing the login screen will pop up. You probably won't see any text because there is a font bug.
Click the "X" to close Steam login
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PlayOnLinux Shortcut

Select Steam.exe
Click Next
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Name your shortcut: Bioshock 2
Click Next
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Click Next

More PlayOnLinux Configuration

Back to PlayOnLinux
Select Bioshock 2
Click Configure
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General Tab
Arguments: -no-dwrite -no-cef-sandbox
This fixes the missing font and store problem
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Note: -no-dwrite only works if you launch Steam from PlayOnLinux. Steam is automatically set to launch when Windows starts, which means if you do a "Windows Reboot" from the Wine tab -no-dwrite won't execute. Just close Steam and try again.

Display Tab
Video Memory Size: size of memory on your video card
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Miscellaneous Tab
Mouse warp override: force
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Close Configure

Launching Steam

Select Steam
Click Run
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Note: Click Debug to view errors and bugs

Click "Login to existing account"
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Login
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Steam Overlay

Steam overlay has been known to cause problems launching games.
Click Steam menu
Click Settings
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Select "In-game"
Uncheck "Enable Steam Commuinty In-Game"
Click OK
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Go To your Library
Select Bioshock 2
Click Install
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Click Next
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Click "I Agree"
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Click Finish
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When Steam is done downloading Bioshock 2
Click Play
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Click Play
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Optimization

Click Options
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Click Graphics Options
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Select fullscreen resolution

Adjust:
  • Shadow maps
  • Post Processing
  • Detail Shaders
  • Reflections
  • Distortion
  • Global Lighting
  • Graphics Quality
  • Actor Detail

Critical - Texture detail must be on medium!

Click Apply
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Conclusion:
Bioshock 2 would not initially work because of Games For Windows Live, but the Steam version has patched GFWL out! So now Bioshock will play in Linux with PlayOnLinux & Wine.
One downside is the Texture Quality. If you crank textures up to high, it will definitely crash with a memory leak error. This is known in Windows as well. The only way to play without crashing is with textures on Medium. It definitely doesn't display the beauty of Bioshock, but plays perfectly!
I will continue researching and testing Bioshock with newer versions of Wine to see if this leak is fixed.
Feel free to try using a newer version of 64-bit Wine or Staging version of Wine.

Screenshots:

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Last edited:
Click to expand...
booman
Thanks MrDeathJr!
With textures set to Medium it runs fine every time I played it.
I will continue testing with Newer versions of Wine to see if the Memory leak is fixed.
 
M
booman said:
Thanks MrDeathJr!
With textures set to Medium it runs fine every time I played it.
I will continue testing with Newer versions of Wine to see if the Memory leak is fixed.
Click to expand...

I want test this title but wine 1.7.29 give error with vsync in many titles (in git stay solution now but dont appear until next wine, this friday 31 if dont wine devs dont think different)

:)
 
M
booman said:
I tested with wine 1.7.29 and still get crashing with textures set on high.
Click to expand...
Error still continue, this error stay reported in bugzilla?????

Maybe can test because stay testing various titles, i install mint 17 32bits but XFCE edition and appear huge fps boost in many games

Very impressive how desktop enviroment (i disable desktop effects in both desktop enviroment KDE-XFCE) steal fps performance


:)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
booman
I didn't really think about the desktop environment causing memory leaks. Has that happened before?
I can easily test Bioshock 2 in Openbox and report my results.
 
M
booman said:
I didn't really think about the desktop environment causing memory leaks. Has that happened before?
I can easily test Bioshock 2 in Openbox and report my results.
Click to expand...

At simple seek DE enviroment (i talk about this because affect fps performance) affect fps performance but in bioshock case, is different because have relation with textures (maybe have more relation with wine or graphics drivers)

:)
 
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