# Zimarus / Tanarus on Linux (Fedora, Ubuntu, anything with Steam)

Latest version of this file and the launcher: https://tan.zimmey.com/linux.php

The 2002 client is a 32-bit Windows program. It runs well under **Proton** — Wine's
built-in DirectDraw gives it a real hardware-accelerated renderer (parallax sky, translucent
shields), sound works, and it plays online against Windows players on the same server.
This is how it is played daily on the developer's Ubuntu box (GE-Proton10 and Proton
Experimental, launched with `proton run` by hand — the same thing the script below does).
Not yet tried on Fedora, but nothing here is distro-specific; if something misbehaves, tell us.

## What you need

* Steam installed, with **Proton Experimental** (or GE-Proton) installed under
  *Steam → Library → Tools*. Native (RPM/deb) Steam is easier than the Flatpak — see the
  Flatpak note at the bottom if that is what you have.
* An account on https://tan.zimmey.com — register, log in, and use the **Download** link on
  your Account page. You get `Zimarus-vXX.X.XX.zip`.
* 32-bit GPU driver libraries. Steam normally pulls these in; if the game comes up as a
  black window or crawls, install them:
  * Fedora + Mesa (AMD/Intel): `sudo dnf install mesa-dri-drivers.i686 mesa-libGL.i686`
  * Fedora + NVIDIA (RPM Fusion): `sudo dnf install xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-libs.i686`

## Install

1. Extract the zip somewhere **with no spaces anywhere in the path**, e.g.
   `~/Games/Zimarus/`. (The game parses its own command line with "everything after the
   first space is the argument" — a space in the folder name breaks it.)
2. Nothing else. `ip.dat` inside is already pointed at `tan.zimmey.com`.

Do **not** use `_Start.bat` / `Tanarus_Start.bat` on Linux — they are Windows launchers that
run a PowerShell self-updater, which Wine cannot run. Use `Tanarus_Linux.sh`, as below.

**You get automatic updates from v26.8.19 on.** That release adds `ZimarusLauncher.exe`, a small
.NET launcher, and it turns out to run perfectly well under Proton — so `Tanarus_Linux.sh` now
starts the game through it. Every launch it picks up a new release if there is one, downloads any
map that has been rotated in and that you do not have, and then starts the game. Your
`control.dat` key bindings, macros and settings are never touched.

Two things the launcher cannot do under Wine, neither of which matters: it cannot create a
desktop shortcut (it notes that in `ZimarusLauncher.log` and carries on), and because that step
fails it never runs its Windows-only cleanup — so `Tanarus_Linux.sh` and the `.bat` files stay
exactly where they are. Skip it entirely with `TANARUS_NO_UPDATE=1 bash Tanarus_Linux.sh`.

If you are still on v26.8.18 or older there is no launcher in your folder yet, so this one time
**download the new zip and extract it over the old folder** (keep `control.dat`). After that it
keeps itself current.

## Way 1 — from a terminal (recommended; no need to add it to Steam)

`Tanarus_Linux.sh` ships in the game folder from v26.8.17 on; for older zips grab it from
https://tan.zimmey.com/downloads/Tanarus_Linux.sh and drop it in the game folder. Then:

    cd ~/Games/Zimarus
    bash Tanarus_Linux.sh                                          # newest GE-Proton if installed, else Proton Experimental
    TANARUS_PROTON="Proton - Experimental" bash Tanarus_Linux.sh   # pick a runtime by its folder name
    TANARUS_WINDOWED=1 bash Tanarus_Linux.sh                       # in a window (mouse-only in arena)

(You can also run it from anywhere: `bash Tanarus_Linux.sh ~/Games/Zimarus`.)

It finds your Steam install (Proton Experimental just needs to be installed under
Steam → Library → Tools; the Steam client need not be running), the chosen Proton, and — for Valve's own Proton builds — the
Steam Linux Runtime container they must run inside, then runs `proton run tangame.exe online`
with a private prefix at `~/.local/share/zimarus-pfx-<runtime>`.

## Way 2 — as a Steam library entry (optional)

1. Steam → bottom-left **Add a Game → Add a Non-Steam Game → Browse…**, set the file type
   to *All Files*, pick `~/Games/Zimarus/tangame.exe`, **Add Selected Programs**.
2. Right-click the new "tangame.exe" entry → **Properties**:
   * *Shortcut*: name it "Zimarus" if you like. **Launch Options:** exactly `online`
     (nothing else, no trailing space).
   * *Compatibility*: tick **Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool** and
     pick **Proton Experimental**.
3. Play. Adding it to Steam is NOT required — it just gives you a library entry/controller
   config. The first start builds a Wine prefix (30–60 s, nothing to click). Then the 640×480
   title screen appears fullscreen: **TRAINING** is offline single-player, **LOGIN** is the
   server. Create your handle on the handle screen the first time.

If Steam's overlay causes flicker or a black screen, untick *Enable the Steam Overlay* in the
same Properties dialog.

## Playing tips / hazards

* The game runs in **exclusive fullscreen at 640×480**. **Do not Alt-Tab out** — the client
  wedges its keyboard grab when it loses focus and only killing it (`pkill tangame.exe`
  from another terminal/TTY) gets you back. Quit with **Alt+Q** in the game.
* Windowed mode (`TANARUS_WINDOWED=1`, or only from the terminal route) is
  Alt-Tab-safe but the keyboard does not work in the arena — good only for menus/testing.
* Do not force a higher resolution through Wine/driver settings: menus and HUD are 640×480
  DirectDraw blits and the mouse maths break.
* If you get "This executable can not be invoked", the Launch Options are not exactly
  `online` or the install path contains a space.

## Flatpak Steam

Everything above works, but the paths are inside the sandbox:
`~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/`. Way 1 works unchanged (extract the game to
`~/Games/...`, which the Flatpak can see). For Way 2 run the script *inside* the sandbox:

    flatpak run --command=bash com.valvesoftware.Steam
    bash ~/Games/Zimarus/Tanarus_Linux.sh