Posted December 25, 2019
high rated
Two Worlds Epic Edition was released with support for Ubuntu 14.04 and later.
Unfortunately, that release does not run well (or at all) on modern Linux systems.
Ubuntu dropped a required library (libpng12) from their repository in version 18.04.
Additionally, the version of Wine (1.9.5 Staging) used to create GOG's official wrapper is significantly out of date.
As noted by shmerl in another thread, the game's cut-scene videos had to be re-encoded to work in GOG's Linux release. I'll cover that process as well.
The following should get you a well-running version on a newer Linux installation. I tested using Linux Mint 19.2 to stick with GOG's currently supported distribution (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS), so your mileage may vary with other distros, but the process will be similar.
Ensure you have the following installed before continuing:
• wine 32-bit (i386) -- tested here with wine-staging-i386:i386 5.0~rc2~bionic (WineHQ repo)
• winetricks
• libfreetype6:i386
• ffmpeg (to re-encode video)
The entire process will use terminal commands.
You should be comfortable with the command line before continuing.
INSTALLATION - Two Worlds Epic Edition
Overview
• Prepare Wine Prefix
• Install Required Winetricks
• Install Game
• Convert Video Files
• Create Run Script (OPTIONAL)
• Improve Graphics (OPTIONAL)
Tested Environment
Linux Mint 19.2
Wine Staging 5.0-rc2
winetricks 0.0+20180217-1
ffmpeg 3.4.6
GOG - Two Worlds 2.2.0.23 (Windows)
Assumptions
• Setup file downloaded to "$HOME/Downloads":
~/Downloads/setup_two_worlds_epic_edition_2.2.0.23.exe
• Installing to "$HOME/Games":
~/Games/two-worlds-epic-edition"
Prepare Wine Prefix
$ cd ~/Games
$ mkdir two-worlds-epic-edition
$ cd two-worlds-epic-edition
$ export WINEPREFIX=$PWD
$ export WINEARCH=win32
$ winecfg
Wine Configuration Window:
• Applications Tab -> Windows Version:
—— • Windows XP
• Libraries Tab -> New override for Library:
—— • Select x3daudio1_1 from the dropdown.
—— • Click "Add" button.
—— • This adds "x3daudio1_1 (native, builtin)" to the list.
• Desktop Integration Tab -> Folders:
—— • Uncheck "Link to" for each folder (OPTIONAL)
• Click "OK" button to apply and close the window.
Install Required Winetricks
$ winetricks devenum quartz wmp9 xact
Install Game
$ wine ~/Downloads/setup_two_worlds_epic_edition_2.2.0.23.exe
• When it asks to install PhysX, do so.
• The GOG installer will encounter a Runtime Error after installation.
—— • It's normal, just click "OK".
• Click "Exit" when the installation is complete. (NOT Launch!)
Convert Video Files
The game videos and cut-scenes use the "vc1" video format, which is not supported in wine.
The following will re-encode the videos using "wmv2".
$ cd ~/Games/two-worlds-epic-edition
$ cd "drive_c/GOG Games/Two Worlds Epic Edition"
$ mv Video Video.bak
$ mkdir Video
$ cd Video.bak
$ for i in *.wmv; do ffmpeg -i "$i" -q:a 0 -q:v 0 -vcodec wmv2 -acodec wmav2 "../Video/$i"; done
$ for i in *.abc; do cp "$i" "../Video/$i"; done
Create Run Script (OPTIONAL)
A run script makes it easier to start the game and create menu shortcuts.
Use any plain text editor to edit the file -- here I'm using vim.
$ cd ~/Games/two-worlds-epic-edition
$ touch start.sh
$ chmod 755 start.sh
$ vim start.sh
File Contents:
#!/bin/bash
export WINEPREFIX=$(realpath $(dirname $0))
export WINEARCH=win32
echo "WINEPREFIX: $WINEPREFIX"
echo "WINEARCH: $WINEARCH"
cd "$WINEPREFIX/drive_c/GOG Games/Two Worlds Epic Edition"
echo "Working Directory: $PWD"
echo "Running TwoWorlds.exe"
WINEDEBUG=fixme-all wine TwoWorlds.exe
The game can now be run with: ./start.sh
Improve Graphics (OPTIONAL)
The following creates a file that can be loaded in-game to enhance the graphics on modern systems. It increases draw distances, eliminates fog (which can cause render problems), and increases the field of view.
Use any plain text editor to edit the file -- here I'm using vim.
Note: This file must exist BEFORE the game is started.
$ cd ~/Games/two-worlds-epic-edition
$ cd "drive_c/GOG Games/Two Worlds Epic Edition"
$ touch _
$ vim _
File Contents:
Engine.TShadows 1
Engine.Shadows 1
Engine.UseStencilShadows 1
Engine.TrueWaterRef 1
Engine.WaterReflections 1
Engine.Farplane 2500
Engine.GFadeFar 2000
Engine.GFadeNear 500
Engine.LOD1 2000
Engine.LOD0 1000
Engine.AlphaFadeFar 10000
Engine.AlphaFadeNear 1000
Engine.SetFogParams 100 1000 0.2 0.02 0
Engine.FOV 80
Engine.FOVUpdate
The last two "FOV" lines are optional.
They allow for a more zoomed out experience on larger screens.
To load the graphics update:
• Start or Load a game.
• Press the tilde key "~" in-game to bring up a console.
• Type "@_" (without quotes) and hit Enter.
• Bring the console up again with the tilde "~" key.
• Press the up arrow to bring up the last command and press Enter again.
The command must be run twice to properly update the scene!
Unfortunately, this hack must be done manually every time the game is started.
It must be done within the game world, NOT on the intro screen.
Unfortunately, that release does not run well (or at all) on modern Linux systems.
Ubuntu dropped a required library (libpng12) from their repository in version 18.04.
Additionally, the version of Wine (1.9.5 Staging) used to create GOG's official wrapper is significantly out of date.
As noted by shmerl in another thread, the game's cut-scene videos had to be re-encoded to work in GOG's Linux release. I'll cover that process as well.
The following should get you a well-running version on a newer Linux installation. I tested using Linux Mint 19.2 to stick with GOG's currently supported distribution (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS), so your mileage may vary with other distros, but the process will be similar.
Ensure you have the following installed before continuing:
• wine 32-bit (i386) -- tested here with wine-staging-i386:i386 5.0~rc2~bionic (WineHQ repo)
• winetricks
• libfreetype6:i386
• ffmpeg (to re-encode video)
The entire process will use terminal commands.
You should be comfortable with the command line before continuing.
INSTALLATION - Two Worlds Epic Edition
Overview
• Prepare Wine Prefix
• Install Required Winetricks
• Install Game
• Convert Video Files
• Create Run Script (OPTIONAL)
• Improve Graphics (OPTIONAL)
Tested Environment
Linux Mint 19.2
Wine Staging 5.0-rc2
winetricks 0.0+20180217-1
ffmpeg 3.4.6
GOG - Two Worlds 2.2.0.23 (Windows)
Assumptions
• Setup file downloaded to "$HOME/Downloads":
~/Downloads/setup_two_worlds_epic_edition_2.2.0.23.exe
• Installing to "$HOME/Games":
~/Games/two-worlds-epic-edition"
Prepare Wine Prefix
$ cd ~/Games
$ mkdir two-worlds-epic-edition
$ cd two-worlds-epic-edition
$ export WINEPREFIX=$PWD
$ export WINEARCH=win32
$ winecfg
Wine Configuration Window:
• Applications Tab -> Windows Version:
—— • Windows XP
• Libraries Tab -> New override for Library:
—— • Select x3daudio1_1 from the dropdown.
—— • Click "Add" button.
—— • This adds "x3daudio1_1 (native, builtin)" to the list.
• Desktop Integration Tab -> Folders:
—— • Uncheck "Link to" for each folder (OPTIONAL)
• Click "OK" button to apply and close the window.
Install Required Winetricks
$ winetricks devenum quartz wmp9 xact
Install Game
$ wine ~/Downloads/setup_two_worlds_epic_edition_2.2.0.23.exe
• When it asks to install PhysX, do so.
• The GOG installer will encounter a Runtime Error after installation.
—— • It's normal, just click "OK".
• Click "Exit" when the installation is complete. (NOT Launch!)
Convert Video Files
The game videos and cut-scenes use the "vc1" video format, which is not supported in wine.
The following will re-encode the videos using "wmv2".
$ cd ~/Games/two-worlds-epic-edition
$ cd "drive_c/GOG Games/Two Worlds Epic Edition"
$ mv Video Video.bak
$ mkdir Video
$ cd Video.bak
$ for i in *.wmv; do ffmpeg -i "$i" -q:a 0 -q:v 0 -vcodec wmv2 -acodec wmav2 "../Video/$i"; done
$ for i in *.abc; do cp "$i" "../Video/$i"; done
Create Run Script (OPTIONAL)
A run script makes it easier to start the game and create menu shortcuts.
Use any plain text editor to edit the file -- here I'm using vim.
$ cd ~/Games/two-worlds-epic-edition
$ touch start.sh
$ chmod 755 start.sh
$ vim start.sh
File Contents:
#!/bin/bash
export WINEPREFIX=$(realpath $(dirname $0))
export WINEARCH=win32
echo "WINEPREFIX: $WINEPREFIX"
echo "WINEARCH: $WINEARCH"
cd "$WINEPREFIX/drive_c/GOG Games/Two Worlds Epic Edition"
echo "Working Directory: $PWD"
echo "Running TwoWorlds.exe"
WINEDEBUG=fixme-all wine TwoWorlds.exe
The game can now be run with: ./start.sh
Improve Graphics (OPTIONAL)
The following creates a file that can be loaded in-game to enhance the graphics on modern systems. It increases draw distances, eliminates fog (which can cause render problems), and increases the field of view.
Use any plain text editor to edit the file -- here I'm using vim.
Note: This file must exist BEFORE the game is started.
$ cd ~/Games/two-worlds-epic-edition
$ cd "drive_c/GOG Games/Two Worlds Epic Edition"
$ touch _
$ vim _
File Contents:
Engine.TShadows 1
Engine.Shadows 1
Engine.UseStencilShadows 1
Engine.TrueWaterRef 1
Engine.WaterReflections 1
Engine.Farplane 2500
Engine.GFadeFar 2000
Engine.GFadeNear 500
Engine.LOD1 2000
Engine.LOD0 1000
Engine.AlphaFadeFar 10000
Engine.AlphaFadeNear 1000
Engine.SetFogParams 100 1000 0.2 0.02 0
Engine.FOV 80
Engine.FOVUpdate
The last two "FOV" lines are optional.
They allow for a more zoomed out experience on larger screens.
To load the graphics update:
• Start or Load a game.
• Press the tilde key "~" in-game to bring up a console.
• Type "@_" (without quotes) and hit Enter.
• Bring the console up again with the tilde "~" key.
• Press the up arrow to bring up the last command and press Enter again.
The command must be run twice to properly update the scene!
Unfortunately, this hack must be done manually every time the game is started.
It must be done within the game world, NOT on the intro screen.
Post edited December 26, 2019 by xixas