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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Guide

Discussion in 'Guides' started by booman, Sep 26, 2013.

  • by booman, Sep 26, 2013 at 1:16 PM
  • booman

    booman Grand High Exalted Mystic Emperor of Linux Gaming Staff Member

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    skyrim76.jpg

    Skyrim is 5th series of the epic saga known as The Elder Scrolls. Famous for the first person shooter and open-world view, Skyrim continues the Role Playing genre retaining all the favorite aspects of Morrowind and Oblivion while introducing a bunch of new features.

    skyrim72.jpg

    New classes, new guilds, new civilizations, new state-of-the-art graphics and...
    wait for it...
    Dragons!

    Follow my step-by-step guide on installing, configuring and optimizing Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in Linux with PlayOnLinux.

    Note: This guide applies to the Steam version of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

    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

    Mint 17 64-bit
    PlayOnLinux: 4.2.8
    Wine: 1.7.49-staging

    Wine Installation

    Note: Wine versions older than 2.0.2 and 2.12-staging no longer work with Steam.

    Click Tools
    Select "Manage Wine Versions"
    wine01.png

    Look for the Wine Version: 1.7.49-staging

    Select it
    Click the arrow pointing to the right
    wine02.png

    Click Next

    Downloading Wine
    wine04.png

    Extracting

    Downloading Gecko
    wine05.png

    Installed
    wine06.png

    Wine 1.7.49-staging is installed and you can close this window

    PlayOnLinux Setup

    Launch PlayOnLinux
    Click Install
    skyrima01.png

    Click "Install a non-listed program"
    skyrima02.png

    Click Next

    Select "Install a program in a new virtual drive"
    Click Next
    skyrima04.png

    Name your virtual drive: skyrim
    Click Next
    skyrima05.png

    Check all three options:
    • Use another version of Wine
    • Configure Wine
    • Install some libraries
    Click Next
    skyrima06.png

    Select Wine 1.7.49-staging
    Click Next
    skyrima07.png

    Select "32 bits windows installation"
    Click Next
    skyrima08.png

    Wine Configuration

    Applications Tab
    Windows Version: Windows 7
    Click Apply
    skyrima09.png

    Graphics Tab
    Click "Automatically capture the mouse in full-screen windows"
    Check "Emulate a virtual desktop"
    Desktop size: 1024x768
    Click OK
    skyrima10.png

    PlayOnLinux Packages (Libraries, Components, DLL's)

    Check the following:
    • POL_Install_corefonts
    • POL_Install_d3dx10
    • POL_Install_d3dx9
    • POL_Install_tahoma
    • POL_Install_vcrun2008
    • POL_Install_xact
    Click Next
    skyrima11.png

    Note: All packages will automatically download and install

    Click Browse

    Navigate to your desktop
    Select "SteamSetup.exe"
    Click Open
    skyrima13.png

    Click Next
    skyrima14.png

    Click Next
    skyrima15.png

    Check "I accept the license..."
    Click Next
    skyrima16.png

    Select Language
    Click Next
    skyrima17.png

    Click Install
    skyrima18.png

    Click Finish
    skyrima19.png

    Updating...
    skyrima20.png

    dwrite isn't enabled yet, so there won't be any fonts
    Click The "X" and close Steam
    skyrima22.png

    PlayOnLinux Shortcut

    Select "Steam.exe"
    skyrima23.png

    Name your shortcut: Skyrim
    Click Next
    skyrima24.png

    Select "I don't want to make another shortcut"
    Click Next
    skyrima25.png

    PlayOnLinux Configure

    Back to PlayOnLinux
    Select Skyrim
    Click Configure
    skyrima26.png

    General Tab
    Wine version: 1.7.49-staging
    Arguments: -no-dwrite -no-cef-sandbox
    This fixes the missing font and store problem
    skyrima28.png

    Note: -no-dwrite will allow the fonts in Steam

    Display Tab
    Video memory size: Enter the amount of memory your video card/chip uses
    skyrima29.png

    Launching Skyrim

    Select Skyrim
    Click Run
    skyrima30.png

    Note: Click Debug to see errors and bugs

    Login to Steam
    skyrima31.png

    skyrima32.png

    Select Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
    Click Install
    skyrima33.png

    Click Next
    skyrima34.png

    Skyrim is about 6 Gigs
    When its finish downloading...
    Click Finish
    skyrima35.png

    Click Play
    skyrima36.png

    Detecting Video Hardware
    Click OK
    skyrima37.png

    Optimization

    Click Options
    skyrima38.png

    Graphics Adapter and Resolution
    Adjust:
    • Graphics Adapter
    • Aspect Ratio
    • Resolution
    • Antialiasing
    • Anisotropic Filtering
    • Detail
    • Windowed
    Click Ok
    skyrima40.png

    Advanced Detail
    Adjust:
    • Texture Quality
    • Radial Blur Quality
    • Shadow Detail
    • Decal Quantity
    • FXAA
    • Water Reflections
    Click Close
    skyrima39.png

    Advanced View Distance
    Adjust:
    • Object Fade
    • Actor Fade
    • Grass Fade
    • Specularity Fade
    • Light Fade
    • Item Fade
    • Distand Object Detail
    • Object Detail Fade
    Click Close
    skyrima41.png

    Click Play
    skyrima42.png

    Rule of Thumb
    High settings = More detail, lower frame rates
    Low settings = Less detail, higher frame rates

    Conclusion:
    Skyrim ran beautifully on my GeForce 550 Ti with everything set on High or Ultra. Wine 1.7.49-staging does a great job and I didn't have too many issue:
    Tree animation was not smooth and the shadows moved irregularly
    Can not see underwater (underwater view can be disabled in the .ini files)

    Screenshots:
    skyrim73.jpg

    skyrim74.jpg

    skyrim78.jpg

    skyrim79.jpg

    skyrim84.jpg
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2019
    booman, Sep 26, 2013
    #1
    HelmiUrfi and vashin like this.
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Comments

Discussion in 'Guides' started by booman, Sep 26, 2013.

Page 2 of 7
  1. Xionwalker
    Yea, I did. It did the exact same thing afterwards. Ill post the debug.
    Xionwalker, May 21, 2014
    #21
  2. booman
    Yeah, the debug may be the best solution for figuring out what is wrong.
    booman, May 21, 2014
    #22
  3. Xionwalker
    Xionwalker, May 27, 2014
    #23
  4. jamesdonn
    Just curious, why do you need to choose 32-bit virtual drive? Doesn't that limit it to only using 4 GB of memory? Since my computer has 16 GB total, it feels like I'd be missing out on better performance.
    jamesdonn, Jun 6, 2014
    #24
  5. booman
    I chose 32-bit virtual drives because 99% of these games are only 32-bit compatible. Hence why I have had so much success in running PlayOnLinux games.
    Yes, it limits memory to 3.25 Gig, but I'm pretty sure 32-bit games can only use that much Memory anyways.
    But yes, if you want to utilize all of your memory, then use 64-bit Wine, 64-bit virtual drives and 64-bit operating system.
    But this will only benefit 64-bit games
    booman, Jun 6, 2014
    #25
    mrdeathjr28 likes this.
  6. jamesdonn
    Gotcha. Didn't realize so many games were like that.
    jamesdonn, Jun 6, 2014
    #26
  7. booman
    Yeah, 99% may be a bit off, but most games are only 32-bit. I'm no expert or programmer, but I have absorbed a lot about making games run and why they won't run. One key to remember is after you install the game and PlayOnLinux makes a shortcut, you can look for a 32-bit.exe and a 64-bit.exe
    If your virtual drive is 32-bit, then select the appropriate exe
    If your virtual drive is 64-bit, then do the same, but I have a feeling you will have to install it again and use a 64-bit version of Wine as well.

    Hell, I don't even know if PlayOnLinux needs to be 64-bit too?
    Too confusing :(
    So I have decided to stick with 32-bit for everything except Mint 17.
    When I started testing games I was using a 32-bit Mint 13 and everything was working really well. So no problems with that either. You don't even have to install 32-bit libraries.
    booman, Jun 6, 2014
    #27
  8. hphde
    Hi folks,

    I started playing Skyrim on my PS3 but it's a mess playing with controllers. So I tried to play it on my laptop and I must say the performance is great using PlayOnLinux. To bad I stumbled across the "mouse does not get trapped" problem. First I thought I do something wrong but I tried a lot of combinations on a lot of switches and also tried the virtual screen stuff. I tried WINE 1.7.22, .21 and .10 without success and also other versions (CSMT) which had sometimes a bad performance. I am using MINT 17 64 bit with Cinnamon and I am stuck. Any other ideas?

    HP
    hphde, Jul 22, 2014
    #28
  9. booman
    Your main problem is the mouse going outside the game window or is it your character can't turn all the way around?
    Are you still using a controller in Linux?

    Normally the "virtual desktop" setting in Wine configuration and "capture the mouse in full screen windows" does the trick...
    If you use the "virtual desktop" method try to match the resolution of your desktop in Skyrim.
    If that doesn't work, then try disabling "virtual desktop" and make sure the game has the same resolution as your Linux desktop.
    Some times that requires lowering your Linux desktop to 1440x900 or even 1024x768 first, then setting the resolution in game.

    If neither of those work, try going to Configure in PlayOnLinux and click the Miscellanous Tab.
    There is a Mouse-override checkbox
    That might help or make it worse
    booman, Jul 22, 2014
    #29
  10. hphde
    Hi,

    yes - my view angle and thus my turning is limited. I don't use a controller - I want to use a mouse of course. I tried to change resolutions in Linux and the virtual WINE settings. The force override did not help.
    hphde, Jul 22, 2014
    #30
  11. Will Ondiron
    Will Ondiron, Jul 23, 2014
    #31
  12. Will Ondiron
    Sorry for doublepost, seems i can't handle the edit/erase post;

    what i wanted to add to this: i had the latest playonlinux although it said there is an update but i was unable to actually update it (probably due to the already latest version so maybe just a mistell).

    The game i could start so far but i couldn't get very far since i tried to customize the keys used ingame what turned into a desaster what i couldn't undo. So i tried to change one key into another and got kind of "0X000123" instead of the wished key what also replaced a totally different key and so on. I also tried to fix the issue using another keyboard layout and/or keys (i.e. z instead of y) - i... gave up then (for now)
    Will Ondiron, Jul 23, 2014
    #32
  13. booman
    No success with changing resolution?
    Try installing the packages: xinput
    Also try using a newer version of Wine 1.7.22
    booman, Jul 23, 2014
    #33
  14. booman
    I had the exact same problem with Skyrim!
    So I ended up playing it with the default keyboard layout. sucks, but I'm getting used to it.
    Normally I play left-handed and use the numpad, but now I'm playing right handed and getting much better at it.
    booman, Jul 23, 2014
    #34
  15. hphde
    Hi,

    xinput is installed and I wrote that I already tried .22 and others.
    Today I installed Ubuntu 14.04 on another partition and linked the PlayOnLinux folder to a new user. Guess what? That works. I now think that it's related to cinnamon/muffin since Ubuntu is using unity/compiz. But most of the other stuff is the same.

    HP
    hphde, Jul 24, 2014
    #35
  16. booman
    Ah... Nice!
    So it could be cinnamon, but I mostly use it and rarely have problems with mouse-lock.
    I only have problems when I do screenshots, otherwise it works well.
    booman, Jul 24, 2014
    #36
  17. Aremis
    Hey,

    I have a good 17 - 25 frames per second on here but every time I play there is no sound.

    I also have the issue of wanting to quicktravel with the map and then the game crashes or the screen becomes pixelated colors.

    ????? I have no clue what this crap could be caused by.
    Aremis, Jul 28, 2014
    #37
  18. hphde
    The only thing that didn't work for me was seeing under water. As long as some part of the sky was visible everything was fine. But under water it was just ony color.
    hphde, Jul 29, 2014
    #38
  19. booman
    Yes, I had the same problem as well. But I have not tested Skyrim in newer versions of Wine to see if it has been fixed either.
    Maybe you could try Wine 1.7.23?
    booman, Jul 29, 2014
    #39
  20. booman
    I didn't have problems with fast travel or frame rates. What are your system specs?
    What distro are you using?
    What video card/chip do you have?
    booman, Jul 29, 2014
    #40
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