Multiversal CoZ Linux patcher

These instructions and the included Bash script are intended to streamline installation of CoZ patches for Steam Play, including on Steam Deck.

This script is possible in no small part due to the work of /u/PartTimeBento, who provided many of the necessary instructions to automate this in a post on Reddit.

Backing up saved games and wiping a Proton prefix

If you have an existing installation the game using a Proton version other than Valve Proton 7 (Proton 7.0-5 or later, to be specific), you will need to wipe the Proton prefix prior to beginning preparation. You should back up your saved games to another directory prior to wiping the prefix; this helps avoid any potential issues caused by a malfunction in the implementation of Steam Cloud saves for the title in question. You can move the saved games back into the Proton prefix after running the multiversal patcher.

Preparations

1. Download the patch and ensure it remains in your Downloads folder (as that is the folder this script expects to find the patch in).
2. Extract the files from the archive into the Downloads folder with the command unzip ~/Downloads/<PatchName.zip> -d ~/Downloads, replacing with the name of the archive containing the patch.
3. Ensure Flatpak is installed on your PC and runnable by your user without root access (if you are not running SteamOS 3.x or another distro that provides Flatpak as part of the OS).
4. Download and install the related game from Steam.
5. Set the game’s compatibility tool to the latest official Valve Proton 7 (Proton 7.0-5 at time of writing).
6. Launch the game once in order to generate a Proton prefix, then quit the game.
7. Clone the Git repository or download an archive of its contents, then extract the files. Ensure the script ends up either in your Linux home directory or a subfolder of it.
8. Navigate to the folder containing the file patch-sciadv.sh.

Running the multiversal patcher

On a traditional Linux OS, run this script with the following command entered into your terminal, replacing with the Steam AppID from SteamDB, with the name of the folder containing the patch, and with the name of the Windows executable installer included in that folder.

./patch-sciadv.sh <AppID> <PatchDirectory> <PatchInstaller.exe>

For example: ./patch-sciadv.sh 1961950 CHNSteamPatch-v1.0.0-Setup CHNSteamPatch-Installer.exe.

If running the above command on SteamOS 3.x, the default distro of the Steam Deck, instead use:

./patch-sciadv.sh <AppID> <PatchDirectory> <PatchInstaller.exe> deck

For example: ./patch-sciadv.sh 1961950 CHNSteamPatch-v1.0.0-Setup CHNSteamPatch-Installer.exe deck.

As part of the execution of this script, the GUI installer should launch. Follow the instructions in the interface to install the patch. If asked for an installation directory by the installer, use: Z:/home/<Username>/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/<Game>, replacing with your Linux username and with the name of the folder containing the game.

For example, on the Steam Deck: Z:/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/CHAOS;HEAD NOAH.

Then, go back to Steam and launch the game. It should now be patched.

Note: Executing this script renders the terminal that ran the commands unable to run any further commands—on both Arch Linux and SteamOS 3.x on the Steam Deck. This is expected behavior. If you close the terminal after execution and open a new one, you will be able to access the terminal once more. Of course, after the successful installation of the patch, the terminal is unnecessary to run the patched game.

Here you can find a table of all the SciADV games which have received patches, and their corresponding Steam ID:

Known limitations

STEINS;GATE launches the default launcher of the game upon clicking or pressing “Play” in Steam. The Committee of Zero’s custom launcher that is installed as part of the patch will open as soon as the default launcher is closed. Unfortunately, this means that launching the game through the default launcher first launches the game, then the custom launcher.

Troubleshooting

If you run into any problems executing the multiversal patcher, please feel free to file an issue or pull request in relation. The multiversal patcher has been tested on both Arch Linux and SteamOS 3.x, so pull requests to address issues specific to other Linux distributions are especially appreciated.