For some reason only about half my Epic games will launch in Heroic. I can’t find a legitimate reason why this is. I’ve tried different Wine releases but some games will launch with the most recent stable version and some won’t launch regardless of the version I select and install. I also can’t seem to get Heroic Bash Launcher to work at all, so I cannot import games installed via Heroic into my Steam library. Most of what I’ve read online says that most people have a similar experience and Heroic is pretty hit or miss. I’m using it for Rogue Legacy 2 right now because it seems to work perfectly. But if I want to launch other games I seem better off doing it via the Epic Launcher.
Ahhh, trying to get games installed via Heroic Launcher to launch from Steam is going to break me. I’m using Heroic Bash Launcher and I’ve followed all the instructions to a t but games will not launch from within Steam. I’ve gone through all the troubleshooting information, everything appears to be pointing to the right file path, but it just won’t launch.
Further frustrations. I assumed the cause of my inability to play Rogue Legacy 2 offline was because I was signed out of Epic. Not so. I merely need to be offline and Heroic won’t launch Epic games. It puts a final nail in Heroic’s coffin and I think I’m going to abandon it. It has promise and is a good way to get GoG games running on Steam Deck, but it just isn’t a viable replacement for the Epic Launcher. Which is sad because the Epic Launcher leaves quite a lot to be desired. It’s poor sorting options alone make it a painful application to use. I was also really hoping to get Heroic Bash Launcher to work properly so that each of my Epic games could have its own entry in Steam which allows for each to have their own controller setup. Alas, since I couldn’t play the game I wanted to play in transit I think it’s time to move on until Heroic sees some improvements.
It also leads me to think buying any more games on Epic is a mistake. It’s not really Epic’s fault, the Steam Deck is new and not Epic’s product so they are under no obligation to support it. And quite frankly what is possible is already impressive. But the hurdles it takes to play Epic games on the Steam Deck in a portable mode is too much at present and I’d rather purchase DRM free, or from Steam if no other option is available.
Ugh, so Rogue Legacy 2 won’t play offline at all even in offline mode in the Epic Launcher. The game starts up but then hangs at the Cellar Door splash screen. The only way to resolve this is to play it online. This despite the fact that the game is listed as not requiring a connection to play.
Also, even if it did work in offline mode the way the Epic launcher handles offline mode is atrocious. It almost makes me want to repurchase Rogue Legacy 2 on steam. This isn’t even just relevant to Steam Deck, this is relevant to anyone who wants to access games while offline.
Ok so I’m reading that there might be a toggle for offline play in Heroic, and I am ranting for no justifiable reason. I’m going to check and report back.
Still doesn’t solve my Heroic Bash Launcher but I found this Flatpak guide for installing Heroic Bash Launcher that I guess I missed the last time I was looking through the Git repository. Maybe this is my answer. Who knows, maybe I’ll be back later singing the praises of Heroic if I get all of this working.
Update: I’ve solved everything:
there is a toggle for offline mode in Heroic. This solves the fact that Rogue Legacy wouldn’t launch offline. But, it hangs at the Cellar Door splash screen, just like it does in the Epic Launcher. Thus I’m convinced this is Epic’s fault and now know there is no solution save from buying a DRM free or Steam copy.
using Flatseal to grant Heroic Launcher access to the folder containing the launch scripts created by Heroic Bash Launcher solved the problem wherein games wouldn’t launch from Steam. Games now launch from steam in game mode so all is good and Heroic is back to being all right in my books. Some of my ranting, therefore, was not justified.
Looks like the latest Steam Deck update quiets the fan quite a bit (although it never really bothered me) and brings over the more incremental frame rate limiter from the last beta release which is great for games like Elden Ring. Better and better every day.
Edit: I feel like I commandeered this thread, lol. This is where genuine excitement get you.
Haha. Did you get the warning from Discourse that you’ve replied too many times in a row?
This thing is super awesome, so I totally get it. I was using mine last night. It didn’t prompt me to download an update though. I’ll have to get that tonight because it does sound like a jet engine playing Elden Ring.
There are debates over whether it’s better to maintain the old fan profile or adopt the new one. Some are claiming the new profile could lead to increased heat and a shorter lifespan for the unit. Maybe that’s just alarmist. Mine wasn’t bothering me to begin with because it’s either connected to the TV and we can’t hear it over the game sounds, or I’m playing with headphones in and I can’t hear it regardless of fan loudness.
How is everyone’s experience with this thing hooked up to a tv? Mine feels so slow and laggy when I hook it up to my tv through my anker usb c hub. It’s a 4k60 hub for what it’s worth. I think this thing is awesome regardless, I was just hoping for a better experience dropping it on to a tv and hooking up a controller to it.
Can you verify that the output you’re actually seeing is indeed 60Hz? I found out just this week that depending on the capability of the device, the Anker adapters may only support 30Hz. Can you compare it with the output from your M1 Max? The M1 Max should output at 60Hz.
As I mentioned I’m using a Thunderbolt dock and I can confirm that the Steam Deck output is nice and smooth so the Deck should have the ability to perform well at full screen.
Which games have you tried? If I have them I can test to see if I notice anything off.
According to the secret statistics thing on my LG, it’s running at 60Hz. It’s mostly slow on the homepage scrolling through the box art. Maybe it’s just controller lag. I’m running an 8bitdo pro 2 over bluetooth.
As far as I can tell based on my playtime, the only game the Steam Deck can play is Vampire Survivors. It keeps showing my lots of other games in my library, but I’m pretty sure Vampire Survivors (AKA, the game where you run around and it plays for you according to my son) is all this thing was made for.
Maybe. Have you tried any other controllers? I’ve only tried using a DS4 so far and I haven’t generally detected lag. Try this: navigate the menu while connected to your TV using the Deck itself and see if it still seems slow. If it doesn’t then you are probably right about lag, if it does the problem lies elsewhere. I will say that I find it very easy to disrupt the signal from my Deck to my DS4. Obstructing the line of sight between the Deck and controller is often enough to cause a disruption. However this mirrors how my PS4 and DS4 also behaved and I think this could be a fault in the DS4 design. But maybe you’re experiencing something similar. Is there anything that could be obstructing the connection between your controller and Steam Deck?
Is that playtime yours, your son’s or a combination of both?
Yeah, I had done this, and it’s definitely the controller. Using the Deck itself on the TV still isn’t super snappy, but it’s even slower with the Pro 2. I only sit 4 feet away from it on the couch with nothing in the way. I do need to hook up some other controllers and see if that’s the issue. I really like the feel of the Pro 2, but it hurts my OCD to put the Pro 2 into X Input mode, and have all the buttons have the wrong labels on them.
It’s mostly just mine. I’ve played it 7 or 8 hours. My son has played about 10 minutes total maybe. He just likes watching me sometimes. I did confirm that the Deck will play other games this past weekend finally. Elden Ring runs real nice (handheld). I think it looks kind of dingy upscaled on the 4K TV. I’d rather just play it on my PS5 instead of running it to the TV on the Deck.
You’re not using X input? Which input are you using? D?
Look at me, I’m using a DS4 with zero face buttons that match. I think I’ve just internalized the position of all buttons across all devices so I don’t really think about it, lol.
I can believe that, and I wish consoles and PC had cross save for this exact reason. I wish I could pick up my current save on my PS5 and play handheld on my Steam Deck. I can stream it to the Deck, but it’s not quite the same. I suppose then the ideal is Steam Deck handheld and PC connected to your TV for TV time.
I am using X input, I just don’t like that the buttons don’t match. The only other mode that kind of makes sense is the Switch Pro Controller mode, but that doesn’t work nearly as seamlessly as X Input mode.
I could be making this up, but I don’t think the Steam Deck can drive anything above the 1200x800. I understand the power necessary to drive higher resolutions, but it would be nice if you could have the option of running at 1080p over HDMI. It’s really not that big a deal though, it’s meant to be a handheld.
I don’t think Steam has native support for Switch controllers, right?
Don’t you have a Series S? Pair your Xbox controller with your Steam Deck via bluetooth. The buttons will match and the beauty of that is the current Xbox controller lets you switch back and forth between your Xbox and a bluetooth connection. Once you pair to a second device I believe you switch between devices by double tapping the button at the top of the controller. It’s a very nice and simple implantation that lets you switch between console and PC, or Steam Deck in this case.
I think it can in desktop mode. When in game mode games will be locked at a max of 1200x800. For games like Rogue Legacy I don’t notice that it’s not outputting at 1080p. But when in desktop mode I have been given the option to output at higher resolutions. Some games take a performance hit and you need to reduce some graphical elements like shadows or texture quality. Some seem to run just fine and output at high settings and higher resolutions. When playing connected to a computer monitor I have run in desktop mode. But when connected to a TV I don’t care that it’s running at a lower resolution because nothing I’m playing is graphically intense. If I were to play Elden Ring it would be to play it handheld. Like you, I’d rather play it on my PS5 If playing on my TV. I am also the person who played the PS4 version on PS5 just to get locked 60fps, so take that into consideration. Although I am game to play a lot of things on my Steam Deck, it is primarily my machine to play indie games that I either already own on Steam/Epic/GoG/Itch or Indies not currently available on Switch like Rogue Legacy or Inscryption. That and Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time because playing it there is still superior to playing it streamed to my PS5.
Flycast stand-alone because folks on Reddit said Redream had issues and Retroarch gave me grief at first, but I’d verify that those things are still a factor. It’s not the best UI so I’d definitely consider Retroarch now.
Relevant to this emulation discussion, what do you suggest is the best way to play Sonic Adventure? I feel like we had an in-depth conversation about this ages ago but I can’t find it. Regardless, let’s update the topic and say, what do you think is the best way to play Sonic Adventure on Steam Deck? Dreamcast emulation or Sonic Adventure DX from Steam? Why I bring up our earlier conversation that I can’t find is that I recall you saying the DX version has issues (textures, reflections, etc.) But I am seeing that people are claiming on ProtoDB that it runs flawlessly. So, fiddle with emulation or play the DX version? Thoughts? I’ll throw in that I could also play the Xbox 360 version on Series X, but I think that’s a fallback if for some reason I have trouble playing it on Steam Deck, which is doubtful.
I’m happy to say my answer is different now than it was my first week with the Steam Deck!
When I first received it, I couldn’t get Sonic Adventure DX to work at all. So I would have said emulating the original Sonic Adventure via Flycast, making sure to use a GDI rip (not a compressed CDI one) and enabling Per-Pixel Alpha Sorting in the settings to minimize visual bugs (the Steam Deck is plenty powerful enough for this). This is still a fine way to play! If you play Flycast via Retroarch, there’s even RetroAchievements support now (if you’re into that sort of thing).
But several weeks ago I was able to abandon this method in favor of Sonic Adventure DX with the SADX Mod Installer. This has a number of benefits:
Supports widescreen and HD resolutions, with HD UI elements well to match.
Fixes a bunch of bugs introduced in the PC port.
Fixes a bunch of modern controller issues (spinning camera, etc.).
Restores the Dreamcast’s lighting engine (this is a big deal when it comes to the game’s visuals)
Restores the Dreamcast’s character models, which are lower poly but fit in much better within the world than the SA2 models.
Restores a ton of Dreamcast textures, effects, etc. that were replaced or compressed in the original port.
It does have a few drawbacks:
While playing, every now and then I experience a momentary, loud audio crackle. I don’t know why it happens, but randomly at least once a session it would happen and startle me. I wouldn’t play with headphones.
It requires more steps to install. You have to install DX, manually set the Proton version, then add the SADX Mod Installer as a non-steam game, set its Proton version to the same as DX (important), then run the SADX Mod Installer (which doesn’t display the helpful comparison images that it does on Windows, unfortunately). I can’t remember, but I think at one point I also had to find a specific command to tell Steam to launch the game with specific Proton settings… I can take a look later if that would be helpful.
You have to launch the settings option and click “play” from there, if you attempt to play the game directly it just doesn’t work.
So it’s up to you whether any of those things are dealbreakers or not.
