Installing the game data under Linux

Once you have acquired the game data, you will have to put it in a location searched by arx.

This page is written with Linux in mind, but the procedure should be similar for other UNIX-like operating systems like FreeBSD.

Extracting the data

Install script

The easiest way to install the Arx Fatalis data for use by Arx Libertatis is by using the install script. The script needs either KDialog, Zenity, Xdialog, or a graphical terminal emulator to functions.

If Arx Libertatis detects that there are missing data files, the installer should automatically be started for you - simply select your source file or directory.

You might also need some additional programs to extract the data. In that case the installer tell you which ones are needed - install them and try again.

You can also start the installer manually by running

$ arx-install-data

If you prefer a command-line interface, run

$ arx-install-data --cli

Additional options are documented in the help output:

$ arx-install-data --help

If your installation of Arx Libertatis didn't come with the data install script, you can get it here:

$ wget http://arx.vg/arx-install-data
$ chmod +x arx-install-data
$ ./arx-install-data

Depending on where you got your Arx fatalis data From, you might need the innoextract program so that the installer can extract it. If you didn't install innoextract through the package manager, you might need to make sure the script finds it by adding the containing directory to your PATH environment variable:

$ export PATH="/path/to/directory/containing/innoextract/:$PATH"

Replace the path with where your innoextract binary is and remember that this will only affect the current shell session.

Original CD

To install from a retail Arx Fatalis CD, you need

• bsdtar with libarchive 3.1+ or cabextract
• innoextract

Then run the install script as described above and use the interactive mode to select the directory where the CD is mounted.

Alternatively, you can run the script as

$ arx-install-data /path/to/mount/point

Or you could install Arx Fatalis using Wine and then install from that.

GOG.com setup

To install from a setup file downloaded from GOG.com, you need

• innoextract

Then run the install script as described above and use the interactive mode to select the setup_arx_fatalis.exe file.

Alternatively, you can run the script as

$ arx-install-data /path/to/setup_arx_fatalis.exe

Or you could install Arx Fatalis using Wine and then install from that.

Already installed data

If you already installed Arx Fatalis (such as the Steam version), you can use the arx-install-data script to copy the data, rename files to lowercase and verify checksums.

Unless the data is already patched, you will need

• innoextract

to extract the 1.21 patch. This does not apply to the Steam and GOG.com versions - they are already fully patched.

Fot the Japanese version you might also need

• unshield

Then run the install script as described above and use the interactive mode to select the directory where Arx Fatalis is installed.

Alternatively, you can run the script as

$ arx-install-data /path/to/arx/fatalis/install/directory

Steam installs Arx Fatalis at "path/to/Steam/steamapps/common/arx fatalis/".

English Demo

To install the English demo data, you need

• bsdtar or unzip
• bsdtar with libarchive 3.1+ or cabextract

Then run the install script as described above and use the interactive mode to select the arx_demo_english.zip or arxdemoenglish.zip file.

Alternatively, you can run the script as

$ arx-install-data /path/to/arxdemoenglish.zip

Or you could install the Arx Fatalis demo using Wine and then install from that.

Japanese Demo

To install the Japanese demo data, you need

• unshield
• bsdtar with libarchive 3.1+ or cabextract

Then run the install script as described above and use the interactive mode to select the arx_jpn_demo.exe file.

Alternatively, you can run the script as

$ arx-install-data /path/to/arx_jpn_demo.exe

Or you could install the Arx Fatalis demo using Wine and then install from that.

Wine

Like on Windows, the game data can be extracted by installing the game normally under Wine. If you choose this option, be sure to apply the 1.21 patch and then rename all files to lowercase. Also verify that you have all the required data files. Also see the Already installed data section.

However, Wine is a big dependency just to extract the game data and cannot always be used. Because of that, we provide scripts to extract the game data under linux without Wine.

Install locations

The arx-install-data provides you with a suitable data directory. Simply using the first listed one should be fine.

Arx Libertatis will look for your data files in multiple directories according to the XDG Base Directory Specification - usually /usr/share/games/arx and /usr/local/share/games/arx.

Alternatively, you may put the data files in the user directory at ~/.local/share/arx

The exact locations depend on the XDG environment variables and may be adjusted when compiling arx - see Data directories.

You can also put the data into any directory you want and then run the game from there.