(Linux) Game won't launch - no error message

[BigBadBeef]

Hi...

I just bought X4 with all of the DLC (steam), and I'm banging my head against it for the last 2 days.

The game simply won't launch. I click on my play in the native mode, it says "syncing cloud" (which I have disabled), then it closes. The screen doesn't so much as flash or open a window. There is no error message or anything of a kind.

Proton also doesn't work. It sits idly by as "Launching..." and just grinds and takes up CPU resources.

• It does NOT download any prerequisites,
  It does NOT install anything,
  It creates a folder in compadata but there is NOTHING in it except empty sub-folders,
  After sitting in front of my pc for almost an hour I've had enough. But it hung steam and I was forced to kill it using the terminal!

Before you say anything, I would like to point out that I am an experienced tinkerer. Games usually give me something to work with, error messages, exclamations, notable exceptions, this game gives me nothing to work with. I have all the requirements, but can't seem to get any response out of it. I've had completely borked games at least get me into the main menu, which is more I can say about this one which has native Linux support, albeit experimental one.

System configuration:
PoP!_os 22.05
Xeon 1241v3 (4 cores, 8 threads, 3.9GHz)
Asus GTX 980
16GB RAM
Nvidia Driver: 535.86.05 (Vulkan driver included)

I'd prefer not to refund this game on steam, X3 has given me many hours of enjoyment as a kid.

[Alan Phipps]

Have you verified your Steam X4 game installation since last installing?

BTW, the current WHQL Nvidia driver is 536.99.

[BigBadBeef]

Have you verified your Steam X4 game installation since last installing?

BTW, the current WHQL Nvidia driver is 536.99.

I uninstalled the game and redownloaded it and verified the integrity of game files 6 times.

Driver repositories I use are curated by system76, where they skip driver versions if they do not present any significant changes. The next planned driver update will be presented with version 540 or 545. Which is IMO irrelevant since proton won't even install the prerequisites, let alone actually try to launch the game.

[BigBadBeef]

Yeah I've had enough. I will refund the game and I will repurchase it from a different vendor at a point in time in the future.

[Mookau]

It creates a folder in compadata but there is NOTHING in it except empty sub-folders,

Are/were you trying to force it to run under proton?

"compatdata" is where steam games run under proton are stored. X4 runs natively on linux, and should be under "common" in it's own subfolder in one of your steam library folders.

Right click on X4 in steam, go to properties > compatibility, and (if it's checked) uncheck "force the use of a specific steam play compatibility tool".

[BigBadBeef]

Eh, no, that didn't work. You see, I'm an experienced tinkerer and I work a lot with proton. Hell, I even got Nexus going for Fallout 4 and Skyrim.

So, you keeping that in mind, I investigated. Running under ANY version of proton would make it stuck at "Launching...". What happens in the meantime, is that in the compadata folder, it creates empty folders, save for a few text tiles. It does NOT go about installing any prerequisites, it does NOT place any compatibility files, it does nothing of a kind other than sit there.

I've already refunded the game, I will try to purchase it on a different platform at some point in the future.

P.S.: Native Linux doesn't work either.