Install Osu! On Arch Linux: A Step-by-Step Guide

Hey guys! Want to get osu! running on your Arch Linux system? You've come to the right place. This guide will walk you through each step, ensuring you can enjoy your favorite rhythm game without any hiccups. Let's dive in!

Prerequisites

Before we get started, there are a few things you'll need to have in place. Make sure you've got these prerequisites covered:

A Working Arch Linux Installation: This guide assumes you already have Arch Linux installed and configured on your machine. If not, you'll need to get that sorted first.
Basic Terminal Knowledge: We'll be using the terminal quite a bit, so familiarity with basic commands will be helpful. Commands like sudo, pacman, and navigating directories are essential.
Internet Connection: You'll need a stable internet connection to download the necessary packages and files.
User Account with Sudo Privileges: You'll need an account that can use sudo to install software. Most personal Arch Linux installations will have this set up already.

With these prerequisites in check, you're ready to proceed with the installation process. Let's move on to the next section where we'll start installing the required dependencies.

Step 1: Installing Required Dependencies

osu! relies on certain libraries and frameworks to run correctly, especially on Linux. We'll need to install Wine, which allows running Windows applications, and other related packages.

Installing Wine

Wine is the key to running osu! on Arch Linux. It acts as a compatibility layer, allowing Windows applications to run on Linux. To install Wine, follow these steps:

Open your terminal: Fire up your terminal, as we'll be using it extensively.
Update your package lists: Run the following command to update your package lists:
```
sudo pacman -Sy
```
This command ensures you have the latest package information.
Install Wine: Now, install Wine using the following command:
```
sudo pacman -S wine
```
This will install the stable version of Wine. Confirm the installation when prompted by pressing y.
(Optional) Install Wine Mono and Gecko: Some applications require Wine Mono and Gecko. You can install them with:
```
sudo pacman -S wine-mono wine-gecko
```
These packages provide .NET and HTML rendering support, which might be needed for some osu! components.

Installing Additional Libraries

To ensure osu! runs smoothly, you might need to install some additional libraries. These libraries provide various functionalities that osu! might require.

Install winetricks: winetricks is a helper script that simplifies the installation of various Windows DLLs and components. Install it using:
```
sudo pacman -S winetricks
```
Run winetricks to install DirectX: DirectX is a collection of APIs related to multimedia tasks, especially game programming and video. osu! benefits from having DirectX installed. Use winetricks to install it:
```
winetricks directx9
```
This command will download and install DirectX 9. Follow the prompts to complete the installation.
Install required fonts: Sometimes, osu! might not display text correctly without the proper fonts. You can install Microsoft fonts using winetricks:
```
winetricks allfonts
```
This will install a collection of common Microsoft fonts, ensuring text is displayed correctly in osu!.

With these dependencies installed, you're well on your way to getting osu! running on your Arch Linux system. Next, we'll download and install osu! itself.

Step 2: Downloading and Installing osu!

Now that we have Wine and the necessary libraries set up, it's time to download and install osu!. Here's how to do it:

Downloading osu!

Visit the osu! website: Open your web browser and go to the official osu! website (https://osu.ppy.sh/).
Create an account or log in: If you don't have an account, create one. If you do, log in to your account.
Download the osu! installer: Navigate to the download page and download the osu! installer. It's usually named something like install.exe or osu!.exe.

Installing osu! with Wine

Open your terminal: Navigate to the directory where you downloaded the osu! installer. For example, if you downloaded it to your Downloads folder, you would use:
```
cd ~/Downloads
```
Run the installer with Wine: Use Wine to run the osu! installer:
```
wine osu!.exe
```
Replace osu!.exe with the actual name of the installer file.
Follow the installation prompts: The osu! installer will start. Follow the prompts to install osu! to a directory of your choice. The default location should work fine.
Create a Wine prefix (if necessary): If this is your first time using Wine, it might prompt you to create a Wine prefix. Follow the prompts to create one. A Wine prefix is a directory that contains a Windows-like environment where Windows applications are installed.

Post-Installation Configuration

After the installation is complete, there are a few things you might want to configure to ensure osu! runs smoothly.

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Run osu! for the first time: Navigate to the directory where you installed osu! and run the osu!.exe file with Wine:
```
wine ~/.wine/drive_c/Program\ Files/osu!/osu!.exe
```
Adjust the path according to where you installed osu!. This will start osu! and allow it to download any additional files it needs.
Configure osu! settings: Once osu! is running, go to the settings menu and configure the game to your liking. Pay special attention to the graphics and audio settings.
Troubleshooting: If you encounter any issues, such as graphical glitches or audio problems, try adjusting the Wine configuration. You can use winecfg to configure Wine settings:
```
winecfg
```
In winecfg, you can adjust the Windows version, graphics settings, and audio settings to improve compatibility with osu!.

With osu! installed and configured, you should now be able to play the game on your Arch Linux system. Let's move on to some additional tips and tricks to enhance your osu! experience.

Step 3: Optimizing osu! for Linux

To get the best performance out of osu! on Arch Linux, there are a few tweaks you can make. These optimizations can help reduce lag, improve graphics, and ensure a smoother gameplay experience.

Using a Dedicated Wine Prefix

Creating a dedicated Wine prefix for osu! can help isolate it from other Windows applications and prevent conflicts. Here's how to do it:

Create a new Wine prefix: Open your terminal and run the following command:
```
WINEPREFIX=~/.osu winecfg
```
This command creates a new Wine prefix in the ~/.osu directory and opens winecfg.
Configure the Wine prefix: In winecfg, set the Windows version to Windows 7 or Windows 10. This can improve compatibility with osu!.
Install DirectX and fonts: Use winetricks to install DirectX and fonts in the new Wine prefix:
```
WINEPREFIX=~/.osu winetricks directx9 allfonts
```
Install osu! in the new Wine prefix: Run the osu! installer using the new Wine prefix:
```
WINEPREFIX=~/.osu wine osu!.exe
```

By using a dedicated Wine prefix, you can ensure that osu! has its own isolated environment, which can improve stability and performance.

Adjusting Graphics Settings

The graphics settings in osu! can have a significant impact on performance. Here are some settings you can adjust:

Resolution: Lowering the resolution can improve performance, especially on older hardware.
Frame limiter: Enabling the frame limiter can prevent the game from rendering too many frames, which can reduce CPU and GPU usage.
Fullscreen mode: Running osu! in fullscreen mode can sometimes improve performance compared to windowed mode.
Disable unnecessary effects: Disabling unnecessary visual effects, such as shadows and animations, can also improve performance.

Experiment with these settings to find the optimal balance between visual quality and performance.

Using Gallium Nine

Gallium Nine is a Direct3D 9 implementation that can provide better performance than the default Wine implementation. It works by directly translating Direct3D 9 calls to native OpenGL, which can reduce overhead.

Install mesa-git: Gallium Nine requires the mesa-git package. You can install it using:
```
sudo pacman -S mesa-git
```
Note that mesa-git is a development package and may be less stable than the standard mesa package.
Enable Gallium Nine: To enable Gallium Nine, set the GALLIUM_DRIVER environment variable to nine:
```
export GALLIUM_DRIVER=nine
```
You can add this line to your .bashrc or .zshrc file to make it permanent.
Run osu!: Run osu! as usual. Gallium Nine should now be used to render the game.

Keep in mind that Gallium Nine may not work with all hardware configurations. If you experience issues, you can disable it by removing the GALLIUM_DRIVER environment variable.

Step 4: Troubleshooting Common Issues

Even with the best setup, you might encounter some issues while running osu! on Arch Linux. Here are some common problems and their solutions.

Audio Problems

Audio issues, such as crackling or no sound, can be frustrating. Here are some steps you can take to resolve them:

Check your audio configuration: Ensure that your audio devices are correctly configured in Arch Linux. You can use tools like alsamixer or pavucontrol to adjust the volume and select the correct audio output.
Adjust Wine audio settings: In winecfg, go to the