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FEX build: start Caves of Qud directly, without the Steam client - #757

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aaf2tbz merged 1 commit into
mainfrom
fex-caves-of-qud-direct-launch
Nov 2, 2026
Merged

aaf2tbz merged 1 commit into
mainfrom
fex-caves-of-qud-direct-launch

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@aaf2tbz aaf2tbz commented Nov 2, 2026

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Fixes #749.

What

On the Arm64 FEX build, every Steam game is handed to the Wine Steam client, so the client starts with each launch. For Caves of Qud (app 333640) it opened full screen every time the game was started. The game doesn't need the client, so on the FEX build it now starts directly:

  • fex_direct_launch_without_steam(id) lists Caves of Qud.
  • For those games the launch writes the game's launch.env, as the Steam handoff does, then starts the executable with spawn_direct_game. That's the same direct start Witcher 3 and Elden Ring use on the VKD3D lane, but without their ensure_wine_steam_running, so Steam is neither started nor required.

Scope

The change is behind ms_wine_is_fex(), so the x86_64 build is unchanged. Only app/src-c/runtime/steam_actions.c and its route test change.

Testing

  • make -C app/src-c test passes, with runtime-routes-test checking the new list.
  • make -C app/src-c VARIANT=fex builds.
  • Not tried in the game: Caves of Qud isn't installed on the test machine.

The issue's second report, Steam reopening after the game is force-stopped, isn't addressed here. With this change the launch no longer starts the client, so it may no longer happen for this game, but that's untested.

@aaf2tbz
aaf2tbz merged commit 91b016d into main Nov 2, 2026
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Steam app launches every time I start game

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