Installing EVE on Linux

Guides

Introduction

With the exponential increase in computing and constant exposure to new software, chances are you've used, or at least heard of, Linux.

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The Ubuntu Terminal

There are many flavors (types) of Linux out there, most of which are completely free and other which are very cheap

(especially when compared to the $100+ for a single copy of Windoze).

Some Flavors

• CentOS
• Debian
• Fedora
• Gentoo
• Knoppix
• Kubuntu
• Linux Mint
• openSUSE
• Ubuntu

Why should I care?!

Can your Windows do this?

Let's be frank.

Microsoft Windows is a bloated pig that uses a sizable chunk of a computer's power just to run. This could directly take away from the performance of EVE or any other program (or programs) one may have running at a given time.

A very large amount of programs on Windows require one to pay for them, forcing students to either pay obscene amount of money or obtain them through covert means.

"All of the piracy, none of the scurvy . . ."

Most of the software available on Linux works just as well, if not better than their "Windoze" counterparts, but they're completely free and can be downloaded, updated, and installed anywhere one has an active internet connection.

The bang-for-your-buck value here simply cannot be matched.

Have an older computer lying about doing nothing? Turn it into a Linux box; you'll be surprised with the performance it will be able to attain with a proper installation.

I converted a 10-year old Gateway box into a file server for the house . . . for no additional cost. The amount of free (or very very inexpensive) open-source software available is stunning.

Examples of Windows/Linux software counterparts

• Photoshop (Cost: $192-$1000+)
  • - On Linux: GIMP ($0)
• Microsoft Office (Cost: $120-$210+)
  • - On Linux: OpenOffice.org ($0)
• Microsoft Internet Exploder (Cost: Your computer's well-being)
  • - On Linux: Firefox ($0)
    

There are many other reasons you should look into using Linux.

As a student, I find it invaluable on my laptop, especially when I can do my homework on free software while my classmates a few seats over complain about how expensive software X was this semester.

Silly newbs.

So come, impress your friends and join the PC Master Race: game on Linux!

Prerequisites

• Patience
• A computer with the hardware to successfully run EVE

One may consider purchasing a new hard drive (a small 20GB one will do) so that a Linux install won't interfere with your Windows installation.

If that is not an option, one will have to Dual-Boot (installing two Operating Systems (OSs) on a single disk), choosing which one to use when the machine is powered on.

People unfamiliar with Linux are highly recommended to use Ubuntu 10.04, as in my experience it is the most user-friendly and easiest to get into.

Installing Linux is beyond the scope of the current article, but may be added later for completion. - Bl4cklisted

Wine

Wine is an incredibly useful tool that emulates a Windows environment within a Linux installation.

Basically, it lets one install and run applications designed for Windows (in this case, EVE) in Linux.

For simplicity's sake, this walk-through will be done with Ubuntu.

EVEin' in mah Linux

Before we install Wine, open up your browser (if using Ubuntu, this will be Firefox) and go to this URL:

http://www.eveonline.com/download/?fallback=1&

to download the Windows offline version of EVE while we configure Wine in the meantime.

Also, open up Ubuntu Software Center. This is in the top-left of your screen under Applications.

In the search box, type in "Restricted" and install Ubuntu Restricted Extras. You may need to put in your password.

Installing and configuring Wine

If this is your first task in your Linux installation, you will need to set up a root user (Linux-speak for Administrator). Open a Terminal window (Default CTRL+ALT+T in Ubuntu 10.04) and type:

sudo passwd root

Hitting [Enter], it will ask you for your current user's password, and then for the password you'd like root to have:

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Note: As you're typing in the passwords, the passwords will NOT show up. This is normal.

Adding/Updating Repositories

Next, we'll need to update the repositories, which is a fancy name for the place in which Ubuntu downloads its software.

Updating these ensures that you get the most current software when you're ready to download. So first we'll add the Wine's repository:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-wine/ppa

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and then update all repositories:

 sudo apt-get update

A lot of text will scroll up; you'll know when its done when the terminal allows you to type in commands again.

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Updating current software and drivers

Now that the repositories are updated, we'll need to update this software that is currently installed on the system. This step is essential:

 sudo apt-get upgrade

This step may take significantly longer than the previous. This is similar to Windows Update as it may require a restart after its complete.

Installing Wine 1.2.x

Once the update completes, we can then download Wine. The most current stable version at the time of this writing is 1.2, so you'd type:

 sudo apt-get install wine1.2

and hit [Enter]. This will download and install Wine in one easy step.
Installwine.png

Configuring Wine

When it completes, type in:

 winecfg

and press [Enter]. This will open up a configuration window for Wine.

Click the Graphics tab and select Emulate a virtual desktop

Also, set the desktop resolution to something smaller than your current settings. This can be readjusted later.

Installing WineTricks

Unfortunately for us, Wine doesn't come with the fonts than EVE requires in order to run properly. For this, we need to download and install WineTricks:

 sudo wget http://www.kegel.com/wine/winetricks

Wget.png

Installing critical fonts

After hitting [Enter] and waiting for the program to complete installing, type:

 sh winetricks corefonts

This will install the required fonts.

Installing C++ Filez

Finally, the following will install Visual C++ files that the game will need later:

sh winetricks corefonts vcrun2005sp1

Installing EVE

If you followed this guide to the letter so far, the installer should be close to finishing now.
Once it has finished downloading, mouse to the top left of the screen and click Places. Browse over to the folder you downloaded the installer to.
Right-click the installer and click Open with Wine.

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This will open the all-too-familiar Installation Wizard. Accept all defaults ("Next", "I agree", "Install"). Once it completes, uncheck the "Run EVE Online" box before clicking Finish:

Modifying the Desktop Shortcut

Right-click your new desktop shortcut and click Properties. Change the Command line to:

wine explorer /desktop=EVE1,1680x1050 "C:\Program Files\CCP\EVE\eve.exe"

Note!: Change the above resolution to YOUR COMPUTER'S resolution or you may run into issues later. The first number is the width; the second is height.
The Comment section can be changed or left blank:
Shortcutmod.png

Click Close to save the changes.

Dropkicking Audio Bugs

Go to Applications > Wine > Browse C: Drive
Browse to Program Files\CCP\EVE\res\audio and rename the Jukebox folder to anything but "Jukebox".
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IT'S E-UNI TIME

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E-UNI IN MY LINUX

Leaving Windows; Moving to Linux

Fell in love with Linux? Bid adeiu to Windows and let's go through the movin' checklist!

Importing/Exporting your Overview settings

So the overview is your eyes in EVE, but it can be a time-consuming chore to set it up.

No longer.

Let's export your settings from your current installation of EVE and import them into your new EVE. It sounds easy because, oddly enough, it is.

Open up your EVE client, undock, click the little white triangle in your overview and hit Export Overview Settings.
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This will open up a new window. Simply select the saved presets you'd like to export, give it a file name, and hit Export.
File:Exported.png

Remember the file path!
Depending on your Windows install, the default location will be:

• Windows XP or older:
  • X:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\My Documents\EVE\Overview\FILENAME.xml
• Windows Vista or 7:
  • X:\Users\USERNAME\My Documents\EVE\Overview\FILENAME.xml

Browse to this file, copy it, and save it onto your removable media of choice.

Now, on your Linux machine, go to Applications > Wine > Browse C: Drive.
Click your way to "c:\users\USERNAME\My Documents\EVE" and . . .

OH NOES! WE DON'T HAVE AN OVERVIEW FOLDER!

So let's create one by right-clicking the white-space and selecting Create Folder.
Name it Overview.
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Insert and open your removable media device (should appear on the Desktop by default). Copy over your FILENAME.xml overview file to your newly created Overview folder.
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Start EVE.
Log in.
Undock.
click the small white triangle in your overview. Click Import Overview Settings.
If you completed the above steps correctly, your file should appear in the Import window that opens. Select your file and place a checkmark beside each individual preset you'd like to keep. Click Import.
File:OverviewImport.png


SUCCESS!

Teamspeak

This could not be easier. Open up your terminal again (CTRL+ALT+T in Ubuntu 10.04) and type:

sudo apt-get install teamspeak-client

That's it.

After the command has finished doin' its thing, you can find Teamspeak in Applications > Internet > Teamspeak.
Go to this guide to review how to configure it for our Teamspeak server.