DFU running on Steam Deck

[ELOdry]

Hey,

DFU seems to work fine on the Steam Deck, and was rather playable with jefetienne recommanded key binding, but I decided to try the key binding recommanded by Metalhead.

I downloaded his set of controls on Steam, but since I used it, I can't configure control anymore in Daggerfall : DFU seems to recognize none of my input, except Mouse 0 and Mouse 1.

The real PITA here is that I can't go back and find a model of control that use the type of input necessary to use jefetienne key binding : Joy B2, Joy B5, etc. All I have is alphanumerical key or no key at all. I consider reinstalling DFU but maybe you'll have a better solution?

EDIT : I tried to restart Daggerfall... Now, when I press the green "Play" button on Steam, DFU's music menu start, but the game itself won't appear. I had to reboot the Deck... At least everything seem to work now!

Metalhead's custom controls are great, but I wonder if that's possible to use the four buttons on the back of the Deck to add a few input, like running, quicksave and quickload.

[jefetienne]

The latest updated version of my recommended bindings come from this 0.10.26 blog that includes having LT + another button to fully extend all the pressable buttons. I think it can be off-loaded a bit with those trigger buttons (which should be bindable in-game already) to make the gameplay experience a bit nicer!

I haven't experienced getting mouse and keyboard controls from Steam Deck. I went to Steam on Desktop mode, added DaggerfallUnity.x86_64 as a non-steam game, went back to Gaming Mode, launched from there and only did the in-game keybinds without touching Steam Input which as a default is set to "Gamepad with Joystick Trackpad".

All of this talk definitely indicates to me the necessity for implementing preset controller profiles!

[Metalhead324]

Metalhead's custom controls are great, but I wonder if that's possible to use the four buttons on the back of the Deck to add a few input, like running, quicksave and quickload.

Yes, you can use the back buttons. You have to tell the game to use them though, and you can customize their binding. I included my binds for the back buttons in my pictures in this thread, but bind how you like! It’s a toggle on. For some reason back bindings don’t carry over in community templates.

Also, her control scheme, not his.

In the unofficial discord I’ve put up a guide on Steam Deck and DFU in the FAQ channel.

[ELOdry]

Also, her control scheme, not his.

My bad, I'm just lurking here!

Anyway, it looks like it works : next step, I downloaded 50+ mods, can't wait to try them on my Deck

[Metalhead324]

Realized it might be worth it to write up a more comprehensive guide for getting DFU running on Steam Deck.

How to install DFU on Steam Deck: Standard installation or with Steam

Standard installation
This is similar to installing DFU on any other Linux system, with a couple extra steps. The built in trackpads are all you need, but you can connect a keyboard and mouse via bluetooth or a USB-C adaptor to make it easier. Switch to desktop mode (hold down the power button until a menu pops up with the option to do so) and open up the browser. The Steam Deck comes with Firefox installed, but you can download other browsers like Chrome from the Discover software store. Download Daggerfall Classic (the Daggerfall Files on Google Drive is best) and the latest version of DFU, and go through the standard installation described here.

To add it to Steam as a non-Steam game so you can open it in SteamOS, open up Steam in desktop mode. On the bottom left, click where it says "add a game" and select "add a non-Steam game." In the popup menu, select browse and select "All Files" in the "File Type" dropdown menu on the bottom of the window. Navigate to where you put the DFU executable, select it, hit "Open" followed by "Add selected programs" and now it should be in your Steam library. You can now launch DFU from SteamOS.

You can also install the Windows version this way, just activate the Proton compatibility layer for it in Steam. Do this by going to the game in Steam, going to manage (the gear icon), compatibility, and select Proton - the latest version should work.

Steam installation and getting playtime tracking in Steam

DFU can also work with the Steam version. Now that the Steam version has been updated to the patched version, no additional patching of Classic is required. The installation procedure is largely the same, but requires some extra steps.

First, before installing the Steam version, you need to set up a new installation directory for it as the default directory on Steam Deck is hidden and cannot be seen by the DFU launcher. You can do this in desktop mode. Open Dolphin file explorer, and create a new directory somewhere that's accessible. I put it in the home/deck directory, and named it "Steam Daggerfall." Then open Steam in desktop mode, go to Settings, and Downloads. Click on Steam Library Folders, and then the plus sign at the top. This will allow you to add a new installation directory, so navigate to the new folder you made, select it, and your new directory is set. You can also create your installation folder right in Steam.

Now go to Daggerfall in Steam. Download it and designate it to go into your new directory. You can do this in SteamOS. Then download DFU (Linux or Windows build), and follow standard procedure.

If you want the additional benefits of having DFU treated as if it's a Steam game, follow Bluemeep's Guide to renaming some files and folders to "trick" Steam into launching the DFU executable instead of Classic's. To my knowledge, this requires using the Windows build of DFU.

Once everything is installed, the last step is keybinding, as DFU, at time of writing, only has default binds to the joysticks and left, right and middle click (which bind to A, B and X, respectively). You have two options for this. You can connect a keyboard and mouse and use the ESC key to access in-game menus, or go into Daggerfall's controls in Steam. It should default to the controller template "Gamepad with Joystick Trackpad." Go to "Edit layout," and bind the ESC key to anything (I like the second menu button, AKA the button with the 3 lines on it). Before you leave controller settings, turn on the back buttons, and set them to some keyboard bindings (I recommend L4 to F6, R4 to T, L5 to N and R5 to F to use with the basic roads mod, but you can set them to anything). Then launch the game from Steam, and once you've created a character, access the in-game control menu and bind your controls to your preferences. I have uploaded my bindings as a community template that anyone can use and edit.

Regardless of your installation method, mods work fine and can be installed according to each mod's directions (for most mods, that's putting files in the right folders in the /StreamingAssets directory in DFU's files - I recommend adding this folder to the "Places" sidebar in Dolphin.)

Edit: Edited to reflect that the Steam version is now patched!

[jefetienne]

Realized it might be worth it to write up a more comprehensive guide for getting DFU running on Steam Deck.

Nice!

Once everything is installed, the last step is keybinding, as DFU, at time of writing, only has default binds to the joysticks.

I would also add that it has bindings for left, right and middle-click, which should bind to A, and I think B and X.

[Metalhead324]

Edited with those additional keybinds, thanks for letting me know!