Skip to content

felixfoertsch/install_freelancer_linux

Folders and files

NameName
Last commit message
Last commit date

Latest commit

 

History

8 Commits
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Repository files navigation

Freelancer Installer for Linux

Automated Freelancer installation script with support for HD Edition and Discovery Mod on multiple Linux systems.

Supported Systems

  • CachyOS (Arch-based with pacman)
  • Steam Deck (SteamOS/Arch-based with read-only filesystem)
  • Arch Linux
  • Ubuntu/Debian

Features

  • 🎨 Freelancer HD Edition - Enhanced graphics mod
  • 🚀 Discovery Mod - Fan-made total conversion mod
  • 📥 Automatic Downloads - Parallel downloads for faster installation
  • 🔄 Mode Selector - Choose which game version to play
  • 🛡️ No-CD Patch - Bypass DRM/SafeDisc protection
  • 🍷 Wine Integration - Automatic Wine prefix setup and configuration

Installation

On CachyOS

./play_freelancer.sh

The script will automatically:

  1. Install required packages via pacman
  2. Download Freelancer ISO, HD Mod, Discovery Mod, and No-CD patch
  3. Set up Wine prefix and install silently
  4. Show a menu to select which game version to play

On Steam Deck

Prerequisites:

  • Boot into Desktop Mode
  • Open Terminal
  • Navigate to this directory
./play_freelancer.sh

On Steam Deck, the script will:

  1. Install required packages via rpm-ostree (SteamOS package manager)
  2. Download Freelancer ISO, HD Mod, Discovery Mod, and No-CD patch
  3. Set up Wine prefix and install silently
  4. Show a menu to select which game version to play

Important for Steam Deck:

  • The rpm-ostree install command may require a system restart after first run
  • If "wine not found" error appears after restart, the packages should now be available
  • The script will automatically find Proton's wine as fallback
  • If still not found after restart, you may need to manually restart or check if packages were installed correctly

On Ubuntu/Debian

./play_freelancer.sh

The script will automatically install packages via apt-get.

File Structure

./
├── play_freelancer.sh      # Launcher (auto-installs if needed)
├── install_freelancer.sh   # Installation script
├── .gitignore             # Git ignore rules
├── download/              # Downloaded files (ISO, mods, patches)
└── wine-freelancer/       # Wine prefix with installed game

Usage

Launch the Game

./play_freelancer.sh

On first run, it will install everything automatically.

Menu

After installation, you'll see:

=== Freelancer Launcher ===
Welchen Modus möchtest du spielen?
  [1] Freelancer HD Edition (Vanilla)
  [2] Discovery Mod

Auswahl [1-2]:

Select your preferred game version.

Reinstall / Clean Installation

rm -rf wine-freelancer download
./play_freelancer.sh

System Detection

The scripts automatically detect your system and configure accordingly:

  • CachyOS/Arch: Uses pacman for dependencies
  • Steam Deck (SteamOS): Uses rpm-ostree install for dependencies
  • Ubuntu/Debian: Uses apt-get for dependencies
  • Unknown: Guides you to install tools manually

Troubleshooting

"Read-only file system" error

This should not occur anymore as the script uses rpm-ostree install on Steam Deck to properly install packages.

If you still get this error:

  • Make sure you're running from $HOME (not from system directories)
  • Check that /var/lib/rpm-ostree is writable
  • You may need to use sudo when running the script

Wine tools not found

The script automatically searches for wine in:

  1. System PATH (if already installed)
  2. Steam Deck Proton locations (if on Steam Deck)
  3. Freshly installed rpm-ostree packages

On Steam Deck:

  • The script will try to find Proton's wine automatically
  • If rpm-ostree install was just run, a system restart may be required for packages to become available
  • After restart, try running ./play_freelancer.sh again

On other systems:

  • Make sure wine is properly installed: pacman -S wine (Arch) or apt-get install wine (Ubuntu)
  • Run the script with proper permissions (may need sudo)

Game doesn't launch

Check the console output for error messages. Common issues:

  • Wine prefix not initialized properly
  • Missing No-CD patch
  • Game directory missing

Discovery Mod shows black screen

The launcher uses DSLauncher.exe which provides a proper launcher interface.

Configuration

Edit the URLs in install_freelancer.sh to use different versions:

FREELANCER_ISO_URL="..."
HD_MOD_URL="..."
DISCOVERY_MOD_URL="..."

License

These scripts are provided as-is for personal use. Freelancer and mods are property of their respective creators.

Credits

About

This is a script for linux that installs Freelancer from the abandonware website, adds the HD patch and also installs mods

Resources

Stars

0 stars

Watchers

0 watching

Forks

Releases

No releases published

Packages

 
 
 

Contributors

Languages