MegaMek and the Steam Deck

[Nerroth]

The Steam Deck - in both its LCD and OLED incarnations - runs on SteamOS, Valve's own distribution of Arch Linux.

By default, there are two ways to install new software on SteamOS. The first is to download (a game) through the Steam client: this includes Windows games running via the Proton compatibility layer.

One such game happens to be HBS' BattleTech:



The second option is to install a Flatpak in SteamOS' Desktop mode; such Flatpaks can be acquired via the Discovery Software Centre, a kind of "app store".

However, SteamOS sets a portion of the file system to read-only by default - which means the kind of line commands used to install programs on other distributions of Linux do not work. Valve say that you can disable the read-only function, but they recommend this only for those "who know what they are doing"... not least since future updates to SteamOS are liable to over-write the portions of the file system being unlocked in this manner.

So, I was wondering: have the MegaMek development team considered offering a Flatpak version of this program, so as to make it easier for SteamOS users to install it (and MekHQ and MegaMekLab) at some later point in time?

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And on a side note: if or when there is to be a "sibling" program to MegaMek capable of running Alpha Strike, might it be possible to offer a Flatpak version of that software also?

[Hammer]

A user created a Flatpak of Megamek to get it working on a Steam Deck. But be aware that there will be no support or updates from the Megamek devs for this version. Judging by the flathub page, it has not been updated for some time.

https://flathub.org/apps/org.megamek.MegaMek

The MegaMek dev team currently doesn't have the resources to manage this, we have our hands full with the programs in Java.

[Nerroth]

Thanks for the advice.

I see that Flatpak on SteamOS' Discover Software Centre: As you say, it appears that the last update (to version 0.49.11) was on the 21st of December 2022. In which case, it might be best to hold off on this for the time being.

Thanks again.