Removing `config/config.vdf`, reinstalling and logging-into steam causes games to think that steam isn't launched

[alexlnkp]

Your system information

• Steam client version (build number or date): 1709846872
• Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): Arch
• Opted into Steam client beta?: No
• Have you checked for system updates?: Yes
• Steam Logs: steam-logs.tar.gz
• GPU: Nvidia

Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:

Describe what you expected should happen: I expected the game to launch.

What did happen: Game didn't launch.

Steps for reproducing this issue:

1. rm ~/.local/share/Steam/config/config.vdf
2. Reinstall steam using pacman
3. Launch steam and try to launch a game that is linux-native

I used Don't Starve for testing this. Usually i use Proton Experimental for launching it, but this time steam forgot i forced compatibility layer with it (due to me removing config.vdf)

[alexlnkp]

@kisak-valve If this is a game-specific issue, should i keep this issue open here or should i directly reach to the devs?

[guix01]

Note: I am indirectly answering the question from alexlnkp

Your system information :

• Steam client version (build number or date): 1709846872
• Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): Arch Linux
• Opted into Steam client beta?: No
• Have you checked for system updates?: Yes
• Steam logs : logs_steam.tar.gz
• GPU : nvidia

Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:

• Downgrade lib32-glibc to 2.39-2 and steam will not crash any more.
• However, I cannot launch games.

Steps for reproducing this issue:

• With Dark Soul III, which is already installed, the game will not launch. Reinstalling the game does not solve the problem.
• I install Dark Soul I, the game will not launch and there is a synchronization error.
• I Install Skyrim, the game will not launch and there is a synchronization error with no error message.

Note: I launched The Witcher 3 (via GOG) which I had installed with wine-staging a long time ago and I have no problems.

[alexlnkp]

@guix01 The glibc issue was reported to the developers by Peter Jung and is currently being worked on, don't worry about that too much. I don't think your issue is related to mine, since it would appear no game will launch no matter what. As to my issue, the problem is solved by forcefully using proton (i.e. Proton Experimental)

[guix01]

@alexlnkp Install Proton Experimental solves the problem.

Thanks you very much! (Lib32-glibc 2.39-2 always locked) Note: lib32-glibc 2.39-4 installed now, Seam-runtime works very-well.

[alexlnkp]

Good news! The issue just got MUCH worse. Before that it was just a strange oversight that did no harm, but now i can't play any of my games since they just wont launch! Literally yesterday games at least launched, but today, the same Don't Starve just flashes on the screen and then immediately closes. No dumps, no logs, no debug info. Same with ULTRAKILL. Just flashes on the screen for a brief moment with loading and then straight up crashes. I tried multiple different proton versions, none yield result that is any different than the one i mentioned.

Funniest part is that this all started to occur once i updated my packages to these versions (note that lib32-glibc supposedly got fixed):

glibc 2.39-4
lib32-glibc 2.39-4

lib32-nvidia-utils 550.78-1
nvidia-dkms 550.78-1
nvidia-settings 550.78-1
nvidia-utils 550.78-1
opencl-nvidia 550.78-1

I assume this was the issue with the NVidia drivers themselves from the start, therefore i strongly suggest other people to not update yet and wait for the next version that is a bit more stable.

EDIT: Another fun fact: if i try to launch Don't Starve in linux-native way and not using proton, then it launches and works. The real issue is with games that have NO linux-native releases, or with games that just work better with Proton

I suppose i should move this issue to Proton repo instead, but honestly i'm extremely confused as to what is the root issue. This could be NVidia's 550.* drivers problem, could be Proton's, could be Steam's.

EDIT2: After some more testing, i landed on another weirdness of this problem! If a game remembers it should be launched with proton, then it launches but with TERRIBLE, and i mean TERRIBLE lag. But, if i decide to turn on the forced compatibility on in the settings, then the game just... wont launch. Instead it launches unity crash handler(?) in case of ULTRAKILL or other games made with unity. So, i'll try to make this sound as cohesive as possible: The game forgets its settings after removing config/config.vdf file, so if the game needs proton to run - it doesn't remember if it even used proton! However, the game launches regardless, despite compatibility tool being seemingly off. However, if you then try to force compatibility tool on - the game is completely broken.