Notes for tuning RPG Maker games on Steam Deck

This article was translated using "DeepL Translator".

This article has absolutely nothing to do with Valve.

Update Info

2023/07/21 Update Q10's answer.
2023/06/17 Update Q8's answer.
2023/04/21 Update 's Q1, Q10's and Q14's answer.
2023/03/04 Add Q13 and Q14 content.
2023/02/20 Add Q12 content.
2023/01/09 Update Q1's answer.
2023/01/06 Update Q4's answer.
2022/12/31 Add Q11 content.
2022/12/17 Update Q2 and Q10
2022/12/03 Update Q2 and Q5 's answer.
2022/11/24 Add Q9 content.
2022/11/23 Update Q7's answer.
2022/08/09 Add Q8 content.
2022/08/08 Update Q2's answer.
2022/08/03 Update some words and add Q7 content.

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Q1: Why does my RPG Maker MV/MZ game show window line on the outside of the game screen under the "Game Mode" of Steam Deck?

A1:

◆There are three solutions:

1.Modify the package.json file and add this paragraph "frame": false to the position in the following figure.

2.Use the Full Screen plugin to your game to full screen when it runs.

3.Deploy the game with linux, you can see my following article for details:
https://hackmd.io/@Mirai/Steamworks_NWjs_eng#■-Linux-Steam-Deck

This issue has been successfully resolved in a later version of Proton 8.0-3.

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Q2: Why do some BGMs in my RPG Maker 2000/2003/XP/VX/VX Ace games not play in Steam Deck's "Game Mode" or "Desktop Mode"?

A2:

Check if your RPG Maker 2000/2003/XP/VX/VX Ace game's BGM uses midi music format. Currently, Steam Deck's Proton does not support midi format playback, so it is recommended to convert midi format to other compatible music formats, or can use either of the following two methods to solve the problem.

If your game is a RPG Maker 2000/2003 game, you can try to use EasyRPG to solve the problem that the midi format cannot be played properly.

If your game is a RPG Maker XP/VX/VX Ace game, you can try to use mkxp-z to solve the problem that the midi format cannot be played properly.

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Q3: Why is it that my RPG Maker MV/MZ game has use a plugin for name input, but I can't use the on-screen keyboard to input names properly on Steam Deck?

A3:

This may be solved temporarily by using window.prompt(), or by pressing Steam + X on the handle to open the on-screen keyboard.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window/prompt

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Q4: Why can't I use the "Traditional Chinese" keyboard to input names when I use the on-screen keyboard in RPG Maker MV/MZ games?

A4:

At the moment, there is no solution to this problem. Even if you switch to "Test Channel" in the "Settings" of Steam Deck to get the will not work properly.

This issue has been successfully resolved in a later version of Steam OS.

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Q5: Why does my RPG Maker MV/MZ game run normally in Steam Deck's "Game Mode", but when I switch to "Desktop Mode", the game does not run?

A5:

Check if your RPG Maker game is deployed with Electron. If you use Electron to deploy the game, you need to manually specify the Proton version as "Proton Experimental" to solve the problem, or you can use NWjs to deploy the game instead.

This issue has been successfully resolved in a later version of Steam OS.

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Q6: Why is it that when I open two or more RPG Maker MV/MZ games at the same time under "Game Mode" of Steam Deck, the sound and operation of both games will be performed at the same time?

A6:

You can try using "NekoGakuen_SteamworksAPI.js" plugin, and turn on "Enable Steam Deck Mode" in the plugin parameter.

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Q7: About Steam Deck, can I use the Linux version of NWjs to deploy RPG Maker MV/MZ games directly?

A7:

Yes, you can refer to my tutorial below for details on how to deploy it.
https://hackmd.io/@Mirai/Steamworks_NWjs_eng#■-Linux-Steam-Deck

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Q8: Why does the RPG Maker MV game not have any screen but game sound playing normally in the game when I don't specify the Proton version in Steam Deck?

A8:

Check if the version of NWjs used in your RPG Maker MV game is lower than 0.27.5. If the current version of NWjs is lower than 0.27.5, it is recommended to upgrade the version of NWjs to 0.32 or higher,but nwjs version cannot be higher than 0.67.1, currently it is known that nwjs version from 0.68.0 onwards will not be able to run the game at all.

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Q9: How do I add the "Controller Glyphs" related resources of the Steam Deck console itself to the RPG Maker MV/MZ game?

A9:

You can use the free material "FREE Keyboard and controllers prompts pack" designed by xelu, or you can use my own design "GamePad Guide Template" designed by myself.

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Q10: Why do I get the following error message when playing non-Steam games that use Enigma Virtual Box single package program, some of them work fine, but a few of them have the following error message?

A10:

The reason for this error message is that the game using the Enigma Virtual Box single package program is deployed using Electron, so it is recommended to deploy the game using NWjs and repackage the game using the Enigma Virtual Box single package program.

This issue has been successfully resolved in a later version of Proton 8.0-3, however, using later updated versions of Enigma Virtual Box to pack games with a single package may cause the game to crash on Steam Deck.

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Q11: How do I get my game to check if the game is running on Steam Deck?

A11:

There are currently two ways to check if you are playing on Steam Deck while the game is running.

◆ New "Steam Deck Only" Depot:

Add a new "Steam Deck Only" Windows Depot to the "App Data Admin" page in the Steamworks backend, and drag and drop the "Steam Deck Only" Depot to the bottom of the Depot list in order of priority.

◆ Add the specified check code to the game:

Add the following code to the game project to check if it is Steam Deck.

process.env.USERNAME == 'steamuser'

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Q12: Where can I find a platform where someone can help me test games with Steam Deck?

A12:

Currently you can apply through the Google form provided by the overseas channel called "RPG Maker Test Lab" or contact me to help you test your game on Steam Deck.

RPG Maker Test Lab
https://twitter.com/RMTestLab/status/1600295801951227904

Mirai
https://twitter.com/Mirai_so_Sad

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Q13: I have Steam Deck to prove that my game can be played properly, although I can't get the official verified, but I want to at least tell my players to know about it, what should I do?

A13:

You can post a press release with proof of Steam Deck playability through the Steamworks backend, and copy the announcement URL and paste it in the "Steam Deck Compat Info" field in the "External Links" section of the "Store Page Admin".

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Q14: My game obviously supports Linux, but I can't catch the Linux version of the game when I download it on Steam Deck, and the game is still running in Windows + Proton emulation?

A14:

You can uninstall the game on Steam Deck and follow the steps below to try it out. 1.

1. Click the icon on the game page and select "Developer" → "Delete Proton files".
2. Click the icon on the game page, select "Properties…, then check "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool" in the "Compatibility" tab and select "Steam Linux Runtime".
3. Then install the game, and it will correctly capture the Linux version of the game.
4. Click the icon on the game page, select "Properties…", and then uncheck "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool" on the "Compatibility" tab.
5. Click the icon on the game page and select "Developer" → "Delete Proton files".
6. After uninstalling the game, try to install the game again to keep it as a Linux version and play it normally.

However, if the game has been previously reviewed by Valve's official reviewers and marked with a play status, Steam Deck will run the game with the Proton version reviewed by the official reviewers by default, and will not be able to run the game with the latest Proton version by default in Steam Deck itself. If this is the case, it is recommended to adjust the game content and resend it for review.

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tags: 貓咪學園 NekoGakuen SteamDeck RPG Maker RPG Maker MV RPG Maker MZ