CrossOver Games supports Wrath of the Lich King
by Michael Gray 
Nov 17th 2008 at 6:00PM
If you're a Linux user worried whether you can play Wrath on your preferred operating system, there's some good news for you. CodeWeaver has confirmed that their CrossOver Games system-compatability product will continue to support World of Warcraft, even if your account includes Wrath of the Lich King. You don't even have to upgrade to a new CrossOver build. The current 7.10 version will run Wrath "just peachy," says CodeWeaver's COO John Parshall.
According to the press release we recieved from CodeWeaver, Parshall apparantly did most of the Wrath "testing" himself. "I played well into my mid-70s on several of my characters," said Parshall. Like 99% of the WoW population, the COO also played a Death Knight to about level 60. So, you can rest confidently knowing your Death Grip is totally okay with Linux. The press release obviously didn't say whether he tanked or not, but I'm going to assume a Linux guru has the skills to pay the bills, as it were.
CrossOver's web site does warn that there may be a few small problems, but that the game runs smoothly and exceedingly well. It comes just shy of running "flawlessly." Given that the COO of the company seems to be a devoted fan, you can assume that any serious problems will be worked out soon enough.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, News items, Expansions
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Brian Nov 17th 2008 6:18PM
What about the free WINE? (CrossOver Games is $40.) Does that run Wrath of the Lich King as well?
elvendude Nov 17th 2008 6:21PM
If you dig into their site and look, CrossOver is built on WINE. But they've already done all the WINE configuration for these games for you (which is definitely worth $40 to me).
nyctef Nov 17th 2008 7:22PM
Yeah, works fine here.
Aigarius Nov 18th 2008 3:45AM
Wine works fine a well (version 1.1.8 or higher is recommended for Wrath), but if you buy Cedega or Crossover, you support further development of Wine and also get support.
elvendude Nov 17th 2008 6:19PM
Oh, really?! If this works, that means that Linux may finally meet my #3 qualification for being a workable OS: Play mainstream games.
elvendude Nov 17th 2008 6:22PM
If you're curious, my #1 and #2 are: Work right out of the box and flawlessly run all basic apps (internet, word processing, etc).
mizatt Nov 17th 2008 6:27PM
You can already run WOW on WINE just fine... it's worked fine for quite some time...
Soulbento Nov 18th 2008 12:45AM
Linux has been mainstream gaming for years. I don't think this is really newsworthy...at least to those who keep tabs on Linux.
As a Linux user, the only services I actually pay for are my internet connection and WoW membership. Thus I refuse to PAY for a program that does the same job as many other FREE programs. Sorry, but I wont use Cedega or Crossover when their job is performed equally well by freeware.
garreth Nov 17th 2008 6:31PM
I have run WoW on Ubuntu 8.04 (now 8.10) via Wine for the past four months and I couldn't be happier. Following a few simple config guides online (most notably at wowwiki.com) and the Ubuntu forums, I've been up and going at tremendous frame-rates. I cleared Sunwell on Linux and have installed and made it to 75 in Wrath.
Heads up though: Ventrilo is a pain to set up correctly and the Wrath DVD needs to be copied locally before installing.
Jacob Lukas Nov 17th 2008 6:52PM
If you mount the DVD with the unhide option, you can install directly from the disk. Something like this:
mount -o ro,unhide /dev/cdrom /media/cdrom
garreth Nov 17th 2008 7:02PM
Beautiful, thanks Jacob. This thread helps a lot with the "disappearing dvd" problem that a lot linux (and windows) machines had with the Wrath DVD:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=980629
eblume Nov 17th 2008 6:37PM
As a long time linux, mac, and PC user, let me just stick my foot in here to give a level-headed response (or so I hope it will be) before the inevitable flame wars begin. I have found the following mantra to hold very true:
"Linux is powerful because it allows you to control every aspect of its operation. Linux is weak because it allows you to control every aspect of its operation."
What CrossOver has done, is that they have used the free and open source WINE (WINdows Emulator) as a base for their proprietary emulation engine. They are not unique in having done this, nor are they immoral. While WINE will run WoW sufficiently out of the box for probably 95% of users, let me tell you that the hell that the other 5% go through is certainly worth 5%. Not to mention that probably 80% of all linux WoWers will have to edit arcane Config.wtf values and use obscure registry hacks in order to get an equivalent level of performance out of WINE emulation.
Does CrossOver do this for the linux user, no muss, no fuss? I have no idea, I'm good enough with computers that I've configured my own wine. But what I can tell you is that when I look back on the hours I've toiled getting WoW to work (I'm one of the 5%) - $40 would be more than worth it.
As a matter of fact, I gave up entirely and returned WoW to my Windows partition.
eblume Nov 17th 2008 6:40PM
Typo: "While WINE will run WoW sufficiently out of the box for probably 95% of users, let me tell you that the hell that the other 5% go through is certainly worth 5%."
Should be "... certainly worth $40."
Jacob Lukas Nov 17th 2008 6:57PM
Actually, WINE stands for Wine Is Not an Emulator.
eblume Nov 17th 2008 7:03PM
Does it now? Thanks! I learn something new all the time.
Cyanea Nov 18th 2008 3:22AM
As a Windows user who's attempted (with varying degrees of success) to switch to Linux several times, I'm grateful when companies bring out products like CrossOver and Cedega. The arrogance of self-proclaimed Linux nerds (not that I'm calling anyone here one) is what usually causes me to switch back to Windows. Programs like CrossOver and distros like Ubuntu HELP me understand Linux and its functions much better than dumping an uncompiled program and a sixty page manual in my lap ever would. Eventually, I would make the move to running my own version of WINE or finding a more technical and less bloaty distro as Ubuntu, but posting onto forums and mailing lists asking for help and only to be told to "RTFM" when I have and don't understand it does not help me want to make the switch permanent at all.
/rant over
I'm going to try again in the coming weeks to switch to Ubuntu. Wish me luck.
kate Nov 17th 2008 6:47PM
I use vanilla WINE for WoW and have for some time. WoW is extremely well supported, and while I don't think that Blizzard would ever officially support Linux or WINE, I strongly suspect that someone there uses it and keeps it working well. I used to use Cedega, but stopped when I found that vanilla WINE appeared to be more responsive to fixing bugs, besides being 100% free speech and beer. The only issue I have run into is that I can not easily change resolutions without logging out and back in.
If you have problems, run Windows or OS X.
eblume Nov 17th 2008 7:07PM
There is an addon to fix the screen resize issue in linux. I can't remember what it is called, but it basically just unhooks some blizzard function that is causing OpenGL to misbehave.
Hmm, looking around, I can't seem to find it... but I do remember seeing it before...
kate Nov 17th 2008 7:13PM
This one?
http://www.wowinterface.com/downloads/info5202-ApplyToForehead.html
Out of date, but might work. Found it linked here:
http://www.wowwiki.com/Troubleshooting_Wine
--Kate
Aigarius Nov 18th 2008 3:50AM
That addon is no longer needed for Wine version 1.1.8 and Wrath.