"Force the use of" -> "Steam Linux Runtime 1.0 (scout)" should not be possible for games that require sniper

[smcv]

Your system information

• Steam client version (build number or date): 1689034492
• Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): any (tested on Ubuntu 22.04 and Debian 12)
• Opted into Steam client beta?: yes
• Have you checked for system updates?: yes
• GPU: any (tested on NVIDIA and AMD)

Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:

A few native Linux games on Steam require the use of the Steam Linux Runtime 3.0 (sniper) container runtime, and are no longer supported or expected to run successfully in the traditional LD_LIBRARY_PATH-based Steam Runtime 1 'scout' runtime or the Steam Linux Runtime 1.0 (scout) that is based on it.

Known games that require sniper so far:

• a non-default branch of Battle for Wesnoth
• Counter-Strike 2 since September 2023
• Dota 2 since July 2023
• Endless Sky
• Retroarch

When configuring these games' properties, I should not be able to choose a compatibility tool that is known to be incompatible with the game. The valid/supportable choices are:

• install the Linux version and run it under Steam Linux Runtime 3.0 (sniper) (internally app ID 1628350)
• install the Windows version and run it under any version of Proton

while these are not expected to work, and should not be offered for these games:

• install the Linux version and run it under the LD_LIBRARY_PATH-based scout runtime
• install the Linux version and run it under Steam Linux Runtime 1.0 (scout) (1070560, SLR 2 'soldier' with an extra scout compatibility layer)
• install the Linux version and run it under Steam Linux Runtime 2.0 (soldier) (13911100)

Steam Linux Runtime 1.0 (scout) (1070560) should only be offered for older games that were designed to run in the 'scout' environment.

Steps for reproducing this issue:

1. Install one of the games that runs under sniper. The easiest are the ones that use sniper for their default branch: Dota 2, Endless Sky or RetroArch.
2. Right-click, Properties, Compatibility
3. Check "Force the use of..." and observe the list of compatibility tools that are offered

Expected result

The list contains various Proton versions (7.0, 8.0, etc.), and optionally "Steam Linux Runtime 3.0 (sniper)" (internally app ID 1628350).

The list should not contain "Steam Linux Runtime" or "Steam Linux Runtime 1.0 (scout)" (both are names for app ID 1070560), or "Steam Linux Runtime 2.0 (soldier)" (1391110).

Actual result

The list correctly contains various Proton versions, which is OK.

The list correctly does not contain "Steam Linux Runtime 2.0 (soldier)" (1391110), for the reasons described in #7430.

The list does contain "Steam Linux Runtime" (internally app ID 1070560). If I select it, the game is launched in an environment containing libraries older than the one the game was designed for, and it is likely to crash or run incorrectly.

[smcv]

Relatedly, if a game was originally designed to run on scout, was already configured with "Steam Linux Runtime" (1070560), and is upgraded to a version that requires sniper (like Dota 2 did recently), at the moment it continues to be configured for "Steam Linux Runtime" even though that's no longer expected to work.

Ideally, it should automatically switch to its new default (sniper) when its previous configuration becomes unsuitable.

[smcv]

Relatedly relatedly, now that we have more than one SLR branch in active use, it would be great if their displayed names could be changed to something that indicates the sequence and has less emphasis on the codenames, perhaps something like:

Steam Linux Runtime             -> Steam Linux Runtime 1.0 (scout/soldier)
Steam Linux Runtime - soldier   -> Steam Linux Runtime 2.0 (soldier)
Steam Linux Runtime - sniper    -> Steam Linux Runtime 3.0 (sniper)

[sylware]

I don't understand "install the Linux version and run it under the LD_LIBRARY_PATH-based scout runtime" should not be provided???

The only and right user way to tell dynamically the ELF loader where to look for a game "runtime" is LD_LIBRARY_PATH (and to a less extend LD_PRELOAD, and could be a private installation-time configured mechanism).
Game binaries could also (should?) be cleanely built with ELF DT_RUNPATH and could (should?) distribute properly their own runtime (since they could run in STEAM_RUNTIME=0 anyway).
Ofc, they would have to configure their own runtime: configure some non already defined (or override) env variables, for instance for libthai to find its data, or for some x11 data (usually if you use your own distributed shared lib, you would have to use the data with the right format/version and then distribute that data too).

[smcv]

I don't understand [why] "install the Linux version and run it under the LD_LIBRARY_PATH-based scout runtime" should not be provided???

Games that are compiled against sniper require newer libraries than the ones that the LD_LIBRARY_PATH-based scout runtime is able to provide. They get these from the Steam Linux Runtime 3 'sniper' container. There are technical limitations in the LD_LIBRARY_PATH approach that result in the LD_LIBRARY_PATH-based runtime being unable to upgrade some libraries beyond the oldest host operating system that Steam still supports (which is very old).

Game binaries ... could (should?) distribute properly their own runtime

This has been tried many times and it always breaks something, usually graphics drivers. One of Steam's biggest compatibility problems with native Linux games is when the game bundles a library that it should be picking up from elsewhere.

I will not discuss the design or purpose of the various Steam Runtime branches further here, because it is off-topic and will distract the developers who have the ability to fix the various problems we've reported. That's not beneficial to anyone.

[sylware]

I am sorry, but as far as know LD_LIBRARY_PATH is the only user level way, something is weird here as technically there is no other way.

Would tell me how you can acheive this?
(here or in the issue related to dota2 or a new one).

[smcv]

Relatedly relatedly, now that we have more than one SLR branch in active use, it would be great if their displayed names could be changed to something that indicates the sequence and has less emphasis on the codenames, perhaps something like:

Steam Linux Runtime             -> Steam Linux Runtime 1.0 (scout/soldier)
Steam Linux Runtime - soldier   -> Steam Linux Runtime 2.0 (soldier)
Steam Linux Runtime - sniper    -> Steam Linux Runtime 3.0 (sniper)

This part has now mostly been implemented. Since last week, they are labelled "Steam Linux Runtime 1.0 (scout)", "Steam Linux Runtime 2.0 (soldier)" and "Steam Linux Runtime 3.0 (sniper)" when they appear in the Steam library.

However, the menu of possible compatibility tools activated by checking "Force the use of" still shows "Steam Linux Runtime". This option is app ID 1070560, the one we now call "Steam Linux Runtime 1.0 (scout)".