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#4566520 - 04/29/21 06:52 PM If I can run WOFFUE on Linux, is there any reason BH&H2 wouldn't work?  
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Qqqq Offline
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Hi all,

Based on VonS's Mac instructions, I thought I'd take a punt at getting this running on Linux via Wine, which after a bit of faffing around, seemed to work pretty well - so I've been running WOFFUE for the last month or so, on Ubuntu 18.04. Absolutely loving it, and wish I'd took the risk a few years ago! I do get the occasional campaign mission giving me a woff.dll error and going back to briefing, and a few other oddities or errors from time to time, but nothing long-term game-breaking.

Anyway, obviously I'm a little tempted to upgrade to the BH&H2 version - but at ~£45, it's a bit of a bigger risk if I'm not sure if I can run it (I was willing to take a gamble for the ~£20 for WOFFUE).

Assuming UE is running acceptably, are there any changes in BH&H2 that are likely to make a difference to that, or is it fairly likely that if I can run one, I can run the other?

I'm particularly thinking of any changes to the DirectX or dotnet versions used and so on.

Has anyone else run it successfully on Mac/Linux so far? (I appreciate that must be a pretty small niche)

Many thanks.

#4566531 - 04/29/21 08:38 PM Re: If I can run WOFFUE on Linux, is there any reason BH&H2 wouldn't work? [Re: Qqqq]  
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It is using the same DX9 shaders and CFS3.exe, so the odds are high, but then since I do not use Linux, I can not say 100%.


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#4566544 - 04/29/21 10:26 PM Re: If I can run WOFFUE on Linux, is there any reason BH&H2 wouldn't work? [Re: Qqqq]  
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@OP, glad to hear the Mac install instructions are modifiable to work with Linux - technically that should be the case since the Mac instructions are for WINE anyway, which is pretty much the same across platforms. WOFFUE runs beautifully in WINE, particularly ver. 4.18 - I still have an install of that one, in WINE, on my quad-core Mac Mini (2012). Having said that, I am also still not running BHAH.II for a variety of reasons (too busy with work currently to devote to too many sims at the moment, also taking it easy since I want to explore UE/PE further and I have AMD vid. cards on the Mac Pro (2013), and integrated Intel graphics (HD 4000) on the Mini) - so, in short, I am treading slowly for now in my sim explorations and will let others be on the cutting edge for a while. biggrin

If you want to play it safe, you might perhaps pick up the PE version that is still available for purchase. That upgrade is a quick one, on top of WOFFUE - and I am pretty sure that it will work fine on Linux too - since it is an expansion that largely uses the same code base as WOFFUE. I have also been able to backport textures/aircraft from PE into WOFFUE - and it is smooth sailing too in such a hybrid install (for those who like strange backport contraptions).

There are several changes under-the-hood in BHAH.II, and it is a standalone install - so while it should work fine in a Windows Bootcamp install on the Mac, I can't really say anything for now regarding how a "bottling" of BHAH.II, into WINE, would work. Theoretically, the same instructions should work as per my WOFF-on-a-Mac post - but if there is any instability or errors, there are of course no guarantees that the same tips/tricks suggested under the WOFF-on-Mac post will resolve problems.

At this point I therefore don't recommend running BHAH.II in WINE (only WOFFUE and probably the PE upgrade) - although it should be fine to install BHAH.II in Bootcamp on Macs since that is essentially Windows on Mac "metal" - never mind the Mac marketing terminology that is often used, such as "Bootcamp," etc.

Good luck with your WOFFing on Linux,
Von S smile2


~ For my various FM/AI/FPS/DM Mods. for First Eagles 2, WoFF, RoF & WoTR, and tips for FlightGear, recommended is to check over my CombatAce profile (https://combatace.com/profile/86760-vons/) and to click on the "About Me" tab while there. ~
#4566658 - 04/30/21 12:54 PM Re: If I can run WOFFUE on Linux, is there any reason BH&H2 wouldn't work? [Re: Qqqq]  
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Hi both, and thanks for the replies - and VonS, whilst you're here, thank you so much for putting that original tutorial together. I wouldn't have risked trying it without that guide. Some good thoughts and advice here. I notice there's still patches coming out every few days for BH&H2, so perhaps worth delaying for a little while - but I might, as suggested, pick up PE in the meantime.

As far as I'm aware, Bootcamp is pretty much like running a dual boot i.e. you're running a full Windows install on Mac hardware - so I guess it's no great indication of whether it would run with Wine or not. I'm pretty sure my current system could run Windows, so I'm not too concerned on hardware grounds, though my processor's a little old now (i7-4790 @ 3.60Ghz, 16GB RAM, 6GB GeForce GTX 1660).

I suppose my concerns are related to how the installer works, and if it's pulling in any different (or altered) dlls from the previous versions. For example, would this list still be relevant: wmp9, l3codeca.acm, wmp.dll, msxml3, msxml6, ie6, corefonts, d3dx9_36, wmp10?

I think longer term I'm willing to risk it. As mentioned, if it's using the same shaders and cfs3, I think there's a pretty good chance of success - so in a month or so, maybe when I've got a few days off, I'll have a go at it, log everything I've done, what worked etc and keep tinkering until it's working. If/when I succeed, I'll report back. I know it's a bit of a niche-in-niche, but there's definitely a fair handful of LInux Rise of Flight players, so there's a good chance someone else would find the information useful.

Anyway, again, thank you both for your help with this.

#4566901 - 05/02/21 03:40 AM Re: If I can run WOFFUE on Linux, is there any reason BH&H2 wouldn't work? [Re: Qqqq]  
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Hi Q, only had a chance now to read over your reply - and all good points. You are correct that Bootcamp is essentially a dual-boot arrangement, with Win10 on the Mac, although there are maybe a few peculiarities that differentiate it from Win10 on PC hardware (best is to install most games/sims into the main level directory of the "c drive" in Win10 on a Mac, for example, rather than in embedded folders and directories, etc.).

In terms of BHAH.II, it is currently around ver. 1.06 - patches are fairly regularly coming out - so, again, decide for yourself what a best avenue of approach is to WOFF in WINE on Linux - maybe wait for BHAH.II to pass the ver. 1.1.x or 1.2.x threshold, and then go for it, knowing that you are then tinkering with a well-baked install on Linux and don't have to worry so much about applying patches. Your hardware looks okay for BHAH.II - but again it will require, as does any version of WOFF, tinkering with graphics settings in the in-sim menu - to get smoothest gameplay.

The list you have mentioned from the WOFF-on-Mac post, "wmp9 ... wmp10," and everything in between - is probably the biggest mystery. Those dlls and extensions, components, whatnot, are specifically for WOFFUE (and maybe the PE addon) in WINE - theoretically, an identical list may work for BHAH.II, or also possible is that a few more components will have to be installed in WINE to boot up BHAH.II properly. Definitely log/write up everything, as you've indicated, no matter whether you decide on the PE upgrade or on BHAH.II - so that it is easier to roll back or re-start the install should some component go missing.

All of this is definitely niche-within-niche but then again I'm no better, maybe even worse since I run the fairly obscure First Eagles 2, too, on a Mac - as well as WOFF. For the record, I am now running my flight sims. only in Win10 that was installed via Bootcamp on my Mac Pro - I no longer experiment with WINE since the direct Win10 install gives me access to both of my vid. cards, and more horsepower (I don't know if WINE ever solved the problem of multiple vid.-card access).

At any rate, WINE is still a lot better than installing Win10 in emulation software such as VirtualBox and then flying your sims. through that kind of setup.

Once again good luck with your WOFF install on Linux,
Von S


~ For my various FM/AI/FPS/DM Mods. for First Eagles 2, WoFF, RoF & WoTR, and tips for FlightGear, recommended is to check over my CombatAce profile (https://combatace.com/profile/86760-vons/) and to click on the "About Me" tab while there. ~
#4566927 - 05/02/21 01:05 PM Re: If I can run WOFFUE on Linux, is there any reason BH&H2 wouldn't work? [Re: Qqqq]  
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VonS

Just a suggestion!

Since you have posted many articles on running WOFF on linux platform, it probably would be beneficial for other linux users, if all your technical help info was brought together inone thread and then ask Pol to make it a sticky.

What do you think?


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#4566946 - 05/02/21 04:50 PM Re: If I can run WOFFUE on Linux, is there any reason BH&H2 wouldn't work? [Re: Qqqq]  
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VonS Offline
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Hello RJW,

The main WOFF-on-Mac thread has been stickied since 2017 under the FAQs & Reference section here on SimHQ, for WOFF, and is also linked to underneath my posts - with much of the info. as well kindly included by OBD in their official FAQs pdf document (see section 54 of that document, if I remember correctly).

I however have no objections if the posts in this particular thread are also stickied separately. Technically, there are some differences between "bottling" of WOFF in WINE on a Mac, and bottling into WINE on Linux - so I cannot guarantee that all of the tips located under the WOFF-on-Mac thread will be able to reproduce everything successfully on Linux.

Further complicated is that WINE on Mac runs best on OS X versions 10.5/6 (Leopard/Snow Leopard) approximately to 10.12 (Sierra). Versions 10.13 (High Sierra) and 10.14 (Mavericks) require a newer, unofficial fork of WINE linked to towards the bottom of my WOFF-on-Mac post, instead. As far as I am aware, Mac OS 10.15 and higher does not even support WINE (since 10.15+ is strictly a 64-bit OS). Linux distros currently have better support of WINE since, even though many of the distros are 64-bit, they are still supporting 32-bit libraries necessary for older versions of WINE to work, and also for 32-bit programs loaded via WINE to work (while Mac OS 10.15+ has completely removed 32-bit libraries too, so, technically, if loading 64-bit WINE onto Mac OS 10.15+, you will only by able to load 64-bit Windows programs).

So, in short, unless running a legacy (Mac) OS X variant, we Mac-heads are best "off" biggrin running WOFF in Win7/8.1/10 in Bootcamp - Linux users may fare better with WINE for the time being.

EDIT: Linux users, disregard this little edit since it is only Mac-related. It is supposedly possible to build 64-bit WINE from "source code" and/or to install it via the command line/UNIX terminal interface on Mac OS 10.15+ and higher, and then to run WOFF-in-WINE on newer Macs, for 64-bit Windows programs, not for 32-bit ones (technically it should work with WOFF since it had been upgraded to 64-bit status many yrs. ago, but I doubt many Mac users will be interested in building WINE from source code or installing it via the command line). Two further bits of info. for Mac users --- for those interested in complicated ways of installing WINE on a Mac, see this post (https://www.davidbaumgold.com/tutorials/wine-mac/) --- if interested in a commercial variant that makes possible loading of WINE on newer, 64-bit Mac OS versions, see this post regarding CrossOver (https://www.codeweavers.com/blog/jw...he-difficult-the-release-of-crossover-19).

Cheers all,
Von S

Last edited by VonS; 05/02/21 05:13 PM. Reason: Added info.

~ For my various FM/AI/FPS/DM Mods. for First Eagles 2, WoFF, RoF & WoTR, and tips for FlightGear, recommended is to check over my CombatAce profile (https://combatace.com/profile/86760-vons/) and to click on the "About Me" tab while there. ~
#4566991 - 05/03/21 06:21 AM Re: If I can run WOFFUE on Linux, is there any reason BH&H2 wouldn't work? [Re: Qqqq]  
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VonS Offline
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Brief update to this thread - BH&H 2 now successfully loaded in (classic) WineSkin on the Mac but requires some strange tricks to work - see the bottom section of the WOFF-on-Mac post here on SimHQ for relevant info. (or the relevant post on CombatAce). Requires that you have an older ver. of WOFF already loaded in a WineSkin wrapper, for initial run-up of BH&H 2, etc. (more details under the relevant thread).

Cheers all,
Von S smile2


~ For my various FM/AI/FPS/DM Mods. for First Eagles 2, WoFF, RoF & WoTR, and tips for FlightGear, recommended is to check over my CombatAce profile (https://combatace.com/profile/86760-vons/) and to click on the "About Me" tab while there. ~
#4567757 - 05/08/21 10:09 PM Re: If I can run WOFFUE on Linux, is there any reason BH&H2 wouldn't work? [Re: Qqqq]  
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Just an update - I bought and installed WOFF PE today, and it seems to be working perfectly (running on the same Linux/Wine/Ubuntu system as before). No extra dlls, tinkering or anything, the update and 5.04 patch simply worked - I have to say it's a phenomenal update, both visually and in the little details in an around the campaign, which makes me even more excited to try BH&H2. Seems to be a very tiny knock to framerates, but nothing to make any difference, and considering how much better the environment looks, it feels like max settings on lowest settings smile

I notice you (VonS) have since got BH&H2 running, and added a new tutorial - again thank you for doing this, and I look forward to trying it myself in a month or so smile

#4567843 - 05/09/21 05:38 PM Re: If I can run WOFFUE on Linux, is there any reason BH&H2 wouldn't work? [Re: Qqqq]  
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Hi Q, pleased to hear that PE is stable and running in WINE (and on Linux too). I never tested PE in WINE - only UE and BH&H2 - but I think that it should be smooth sailing with BH&H2 for you as well, as long as the tutorial/install instructions are followed carefully. Contrary to official recommended install instructions to uninstall UE/PE before installing BH&H2, recommended, as indicated in the WINE on Mac tutorial - is to leave your UE/PE install in place in WINE, or to manually remove it to some other folder, partition, SSD/HDD, etc. - if running out of space - and after installing BH&H2.

If you want to toggle between versions, rename the WOFF folder you want inactivated to something like WOFF 418, WOFF 504, etc., and make sure the active one is called WOFF - the beauty of this approach is that it works well on the Mac, probably on Linux too - and uses the single/same registry entry that was made by WOFF 5.04 - which seems to be a good registry entry in the sense that it is backwards compatible with UE (such as 4.18), but also stable with BH&H2.

For example, even on the Win10 side of my Mac Pro - when I check the installed programs/features window - it displays that WOFF 5.04 is installed on my rig., even though I am now only running either BH&H2 or my FrankenWOFF 4.18 (PE aircraft/textures backport into 4.18) - both versions are stable - and have removed my PE install entirely (manually). To tinker with the registry in Windows in WINE, by the way, use the command "wine regedit" without quotation marks - that brings up the GUI of regedit, giving you the same familiar regedit that is in Windows.

Cheers and happy flying,
Von S smile2


~ For my various FM/AI/FPS/DM Mods. for First Eagles 2, WoFF, RoF & WoTR, and tips for FlightGear, recommended is to check over my CombatAce profile (https://combatace.com/profile/86760-vons/) and to click on the "About Me" tab while there. ~
#4567880 - 05/09/21 10:11 PM Re: If I can run WOFFUE on Linux, is there any reason BH&H2 wouldn't work? [Re: Qqqq]  
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Hi VonS, I've done another handful of missions today, and to be honest, I'd actually say PE runs better than UE was - so as you say, hopefully that'll pass on to BH&H2 as well. In UE I was getting WOFF.DLL errors every 5 or so campaign missions - which I was happy to ignore, because the next mission would work, for whatever reason (something to do with the DX9 shaders was all I ever worked out) - but I've had literally zero crashes or glitches so far in PE, it's worked every single time, fingers crossed.

I'm using Lutris (lutris.net) to manage the Wine versions/instances - I guess similar to "wineskin" or "winebottling" on a mac, so when the time comes, I'll clone the wine instance, including the whole PE install and settings in Lutris, then install BH&H2 over one of them, then they're both available if needed. They're running on a fairly new, and only half full SSD, so I'm thankfully not currently worried for space (and I wouldn't like to wait for the plane cloning on my old "traditional" HDD!).

I've had a good read through your BH&H2 guide, and it seems pretty clear to follow - I this up and running based on your last tutorial, so hopefully I'll be able to translate the Mac>Linux specifics equivalently. I'll keep notes on the process specifics anyway, and if feeling adventurous, try a "from fresh" install as well. As said, I'll have a go at it in a month or so after the patches have slowed down, and I've got a chunk of time off work, for tinkering and enjoying.

And yes, I'm having some very happy flying smile

Thanks again!

#4570530 - 05/30/21 09:45 PM Re: If I can run WOFFUE on Linux, is there any reason BH&H2 wouldn't work? [Re: Qqqq]  
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Hi all, just a quick update - I decided to risk it/treat myself and bought BH&H2, and the answer to the original question is that BH&H2 does indeed run on Linux, through Wine. The copy-over version, following a Linux-equivalent path to VonS's guide, worked fine, as it was already in an environment set up correctly.

The "from scratch" install actually went surprisingly smoothly at first (roughly following VonS's original guide), but there was a bit of messing about getting the DX9 shaders to work, but it was mostly because of how I'd set up the "virtual windows" instance (it was set up with DXVK, so was translating DX8 to DX9 to Vulkan, which wasn't working - though using the non-DXVK Wine D3D seems to run fine).

There's a slight issue with installing IE6, as by default we're on a 64bit wine instance, which IE6 refuses to install on - I managed to fix this on UE/PE (and therefore my copy-over version), but I can't quite remember how I fixed it originally. The only result of this is a "map error" which fails to load the map picture in the briefing if you do 4-5 missions back to back. For some reason, it works for several missions in a row, then eventually decides not to, so you have to quit and restart (or ignore it, because you know where you're going and the in-game map shows up fine).

Anyway, I took notes down, but it was a bit of a mess, as I tried a lot of things which I then had to reverse when they didn't work. When I've got a little free time, I'll do a clean reinstall and try to form a set of clear, consistent instructions, in case any future Linux users would find it useful.

Short version is "after a bit of fiddling, it works fine and it's awesome".

#4570536 - 05/31/21 12:07 AM Re: If I can run WOFFUE on Linux, is there any reason BH&H2 wouldn't work? [Re: Qqqq]  
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VonS Offline
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@Q, pleased to read that BH&H2 is working well on Linux too. The copy-over installation format I've outlined is probably the safer of the two installation routes for BH2, but "from scratch" should work fine as well, for those who never purchased WOFF UE/PE. By the way, if IE6 refuses to load in 64-bit WINE, try to load IE5.01 instead (that one should be an acceptable substitute, although I am only speaking from experience on 32-bit WINE). Looking forward to the Linux-friendly write-up instructions.

Cheers all,
Von S


~ For my various FM/AI/FPS/DM Mods. for First Eagles 2, WoFF, RoF & WoTR, and tips for FlightGear, recommended is to check over my CombatAce profile (https://combatace.com/profile/86760-vons/) and to click on the "About Me" tab while there. ~

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