Steam library compatible across Windows and Linux systems
Steam library compatible across Windows and Linux systems
Have you explored this approach? My idea is that since the operating systems require different binaries, there should be many game files that match between Windows and Linux versions. If you have a shared library for both a Linux Steam install and a Windows Steam install, you might save space by duplicating only a few items. I'm testing it now but haven't had anyone succeed before.
You could not create a Steam Drive and route Linux to it. The main challenge would be installing the Steam client on Linux so it recognizes the library as valid.
I'm following your direction closely. Additionally, wouldn't the downloads simply gather all content and discard anything that isn't functional?
Despite the identical binaries, the executable formats differ—Windows uses .exe while Linux employs .deb or .rpm. The file extensions reflect these platform-specific conventions.
You're asking about a "Steam drive" concept. Essentially, it's about having multiple copies of your games stored locally and on Steam, so you can compare versions and download only the differences. You want to ensure that the Windows copy matches the Linux version closely—especially the executables and binaries—so you don't end up with unnecessary files.
I'm currently playing "Don't Starve," but things aren't going well. After installing the library on Linux, everything seemed to show up as installed—though that was clearly wrong. When I checked the game files, it had to download about 580 MB, and even after that, it still wouldn't work, saying the update was corrupt. It's frustrating with Manjaro.