How do you install GOG Observer?

[flatiron]

I am lost on this. This is my first native linux game.

[ArtGirl]

I am lost on this. This is my first native linux game.

Hi flatiron.

Right-click on the .sh file.
Click on 'Properties' then 'Permissions' and you'll see 3 'access' drop-downs ... click on each, and I put 'read and write' for each one.
Tick the box at the bottom saying 'allow executing file as program'.
Close.
Double click on the .sh file.
Choose 'run in terminal', and let the GOG screen come up.
Click 'next' to go to the GOG license agreement, and click through, saying 'Yes' to accept the EULA.
Accept the default installation folder, and click through, choosing to leave the 2 boxes ticked, for desktop shortcut and to create a menu item in your main LM Menu.
Click through, watch it install, click 'Finish', and happy playing!

[flatiron]

Will that install steam? I really do not want steam.

[jimallyn]

ArtGirl, I remember when you first arrived here, and you had a few problems. But people told you that you would be helping other people before you knew it. And there you go. Good to see it!

[ArtGirl]

Will that install steam? I really do not want steam.

Not at all; only the GOG game.

[ArtGirl]

ArtGirl, I remember when you first arrived here, and you had a few problems. But people told you that you would be helping other people before you knew it. And there you go. Good to see it!

Hi jimallyn. Thank you! ... and, yes, I had a few collywobbles, lol, but, months later, it's good to have a sense of confidence from being able to do the housekeeping I need to, also down to Mint being so intuitive and beginner-friendly a house ... definitely feels like home; am glad every day to be free of the deathstar, lol, and it's nice to be able to share when I see a post I feel I can contribute something to.

[flatiron]

I am lost on this. This is my first native linux game.

Hi flatiron.

Right-click on the .sh file.
Click on 'Properties' then 'Permissions' and you'll see 3 'access' drop-downs ... click on each, and I put 'read and write' for each one.
Tick the box at the bottom saying 'allow executing file as program'.
Close.
Double click on the .sh file.
Choose 'run in terminal', and let the GOG screen come up.
Click 'next' to go to the GOG license agreement, and click through, saying 'Yes' to accept the EULA.
Accept the default installation folder, and click through, choosing to leave the 2 boxes ticked, for desktop shortcut and to create a menu item in your main LM Menu.
Click through, watch it install, click 'Finish', and happy playing!

And this is after extracting, right?

[flatiron]

I tried it after extracting and nothing happened. It just closed the terminal and did nothing. And I tried the start.sh file and the TheObserver.sh file.

[ArtGirl]

I tried it after extracting and nothing happened. It just closed the terminal and did nothing. And I tried the start.sh file and the TheObserver.sh file.

It may be that the dependencies GOG needs for some games aren't installed. I added them all to a main list, to make it easy to install these things. If you look to the right side of a GOG game's page, you'll see if it says the game is 32-bit and needs any dependencies; that's basically what I've copied/pasted over, but, if you get any error messages from now on with any new releases, it may be that there's just a new dependency to install.
Copy and paste what's below, a line at a time, and don't worry if one of the listed dependencies says it's not available [libportaudio0:i386] ... my games are running fine, with 32-bit architecture installed too. Which Mint are you on; 18.3? If so, you'll need to add 32-bit. I went from 18.1 to 18.3 so don't know if 18.2 needs that also.
I'll say how to do that after the GOG dependencies install.

GOG DEPENDENCIES INSTALL

Open terminal.
Copy and paste these lines, one at a time, pressing enter after pasting one line and letting the dependencies install, then paste the next line, and so forth ...
sudo apt-get install libc6:i386 libasound2:i386 libasound2-data:i386 libasound2-plugins:i386
sudo apt-get install libstdc++6:i386 libx11-6:i386 libxau6:i386 libxcb1:i386 libxcursor1:i386
sudo apt-get install libxdmcp6:i386 libxext6:i386 libxfixes3:i386 libxinerama1:i386 libxrandr2:i386 libxrender1:i386 libglu1:i386
sudo apt-get install libwrap0:i386 libopenal1:i386 libvorbisfile3:i386
sudo apt-get install libfreetype6:i386 libportaudio0:i386 libgtk2.0-0:i386

INSTALL 32-BIT ARCHITECTURE

Menu ... Synaptic Package Manager ... Settings/Preferences ... tick 'consider recommended packages as dependencies' ... click OK (I can't explain this, but it's useful and recommended, lol)
type ia32-libs in the top search bar
click the tick box next to the ia32-libs that will now be showing, so it turns green
click apply and let synaptics install, then close synaptics

After these installs, try your game again.
I've kept a simple text file of anything important I've learnt, since coming over to Linux in May, so you may find that is a helpful thing to do.

[flatiron]

Now they have 18.3? I have to reinstall already? Damn.

And this one does not seem to need any dependencies, which is odd. It is a 2017 game.

[Moem]

Now they have 18.3? I have to reinstall already? Damn.

Nice, huh?
No, you don't have to reinstall to get 18.3. It's much easier than that. And you don't have to upgrade if you don't want to. But 18.3 is very nice.

[flatiron]

This one does not seem to need any dependencies, which is odd. It is a 2017 game.

[ArtGirl]

This one does not seem to need any dependencies, which is odd. It is a 2017 game.

I can see you're asking on GOG too, at the Observer forum https://www.gog.com/forum/observer#1512224031 but unfortunately weren't advised about .sh files, hence asking here. I'm at a loss. It really should work with the instructions I've given you. All I can think now is that some of your hardware doesn't match the game's requirements, and I really think it would be best to contact GOG support; they should be able to tell you directly if your hardware can run the game, and, if not, be able to refund you or directly put the funds back into your GOG Wallet. They have always responded positively and quickly to any query I have. There are many wonderful Linux games there that you may well be able to run instead, and look at Booman's brilliant guides ... http://www.gamersonlinux.com/forum/foru ... =post_date ... for newer games that can be run through POL/wine.

[flatiron]

I sent one to gog yesterday. No response yet. I was actually able to make the SH file they wanted.

[flatiron]

I tried starting this game up again. It worked... until I changed the graphics setting to high. Then it froze up. Then I deleted the game files and re-extracted, and it still froze up.

I guess I will redownload the stupid thing. This time I tried it on MINT 18.3

I still have not gotten a response from GOG.

Is there any way to exit a frozen game without force shutdown? I tried windows button and ctrl alt delete and nothing worked.

[ArtGirl]

I tried starting this game up again. It worked... until I changed the graphics setting to high. Then it froze up. Then I deleted the game files and re-extracted, and it still froze up.

I guess I will redownload the stupid thing. This time I tried it on MINT 18.3

I still have not gotten a response from GOG.

Is there any way to exit a frozen game without force shutdown? I tried windows button and ctrl alt delete and nothing worked.

Yes, there'll be the odd error. I sometimes find I have no alternative but rebooting through forced shutdown, and learn what works, as you have about not setting graphics to high. GOG answered me quickly on the one occasion I contacted them, and sorted the issue, so I have no idea what's happening with that, unless they're busy catching up on a big volume of issues that could have come up from the recent sale. There'll be reinstall issues if doing random deleting; need to use the uninstaller, otherwise the previous graphic settings will still be there.

[flatiron]

Okay, now no matter if I delete all game files and re-extract, or even redownload everything and then re-extract, nothing works after the screens where the makers names are shown. I just get a black screen that cannot be exited from in any way other than a hard reset. I wonder why. Are the settings being saved somewhere else?

[Moem]

Are the settings being saved somewhere else?

Possibly, yes; check the invisible files in your home directory, that's where they might be.

[ArtGirl]

Okay, now no matter if I delete all game files and re-extract, or even redownload everything and then re-extract, nothing works after the screens where the makers names are shown. I just get a black screen that cannot be exited from in any way other than a hard reset. I wonder why. Are the settings being saved somewhere else?

Yes, there'll probably be files somewhere, probably hidden, as Moem's saying.
Here's a cleaning script: https://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/373. Below where it says 'SO, WHERE THE SCRIPT ???', follow the instructions.
I save the two commands to a desktop text file, and just copy/paste them into the terminal any time I want to clean up [select display, not 'run in terminal' when opening the text file] ...
sudo chmod +x mintcleaner.sh
sudo sh mintcleaner.sh
Just let it do what it does. Perfectly safe, and might just find some stray bits.

Otherwise install Catfish from Packages, and search 'observer' and see if any folders or files show. Be VERY careful indeed about deleting things though; check the date of a folder/file, and double check a few times, to make sure it's to do with the game. If in doubt, don't delete, or you could be looking at a format and reinstall.

[flatiron]

I just noticed that I have something called "xed.desktop" on my computer. I have no idea what this is. It says it is untrusted when I double click on it. Any idea what it is or how it got there? Is it related the observer issue?