Steam-sel

What is this

Have you ever tried running an alternative option for a game, such as, say, a Vulkan version, or a config tool, without going through the Steam UI ? Well, you can't. Not without this horrendous script. If you're interested, please proceed below.

Disclaimer

You know how Steam randomly deletes files from people's disks ? Well this probably will do so as well. Or maybe not. The only written files should be in $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR, so as long as it's set (and it should check for it to be set), everything should be fine. Unless the script generates a faulty game startup command. Or your favorite game devs do. Whatever, you've been warned.

Install

• Put steam-sel-loader in your PATH, and add it to the launch options for the games you want to run with it.

  • If you have no launch option for the game, the line is steam-sel-loader %command%.
  • If you have launch options that include %command%, add steam-sel-loader before the rest
  • Otherwise, add steam-sel-loader %command% before your launch arguments.

• Python dependencies

  • this thing https://github.com/ValvePython/vdf (AUR: python-vdf)
  • this one here https://freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/pyxdg/ (Arch: python-pyxdg)

• I have no idea how to use setup tools so (don't) enjoy this mess until I get around to making this installable. It seems a symbolic link from somewhere in your PATH to steam-sel in the cloned repository does work.

Usage

• Run ./steam-sel to see a list of your games.
• Run ./steam-sel <appid> to view the available options for a specific game.
• Run ./steam-sel <appid> <launch entry id> to run your desired command thing. Make sure to have steam-sel-loader in the launch options for the game as specified above.
• If nothing works, feel free to ask me. Not sure I'll be of a great help but whatever.
• Here is the built-in help:

usage: steam-sel [-h] [-n] [--analyze] [app] [config]

positional arguments:
  app            Steam AppId or name of the game to run. Name matching is
                 case-insensitive and does not require the full name. Without
                 this argument, list the installed games.
  config         Identifier of the launch config to use. Can be a numeric
                 index or a type (default, server, config,…). When
                 unspecified, list the available configs for app.

optional arguments:
  -h, --help     show this help message and exit
  -n, --dry-run  Display the command instead of running it
  --analyze      Analyze all the games and report which are unlaunchable and
                 which have multiple configurations.

How this works

• The python script tries to mimic the black magic from the Steam client which generates the commands for launching the games. This is the hardest part.

• Once you have choosen a command it writes a bash file (Steam uses bash to run every game, please don't blame me) to $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/steam-sel/<appid>, then it calls steam +applaunch <appid>.

• Steam runs the game and here the magic happens: the steam-sel-loader script, which you have set in the launch options for the game, finds the file written previously. It runs it and then deletes it. That's all.

• If you run the game through any normal means, such as the Steam GUI, a steam:// URL or whatever, steam-sel-loader will see that there is nothing in $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/steam-sel/<appid>, so it will just run the %command% passed by Steam.

• This does not override any compatibility tool and tries to behave exactly as Steam would normally do. If you were to run a game through proton without the compatibility options set, Steam would not provide the necessary environment variables and whatever the Valve devs had flying through their minds when designing this.

• The idea could probably be expanded upon to provide custom commands and whatnot.

• Also it should not conflict with your other launch options, whatever, enjoy.