How to Install & Play Il-2 Sturmovik in Linux

Sturmovik simulates the Russian World War II air force.

"Il-2 Sturmovik" is one of the most iconic flight simulators in the genre. Launched in 2001, it has been systematically upgraded by a succession of sequels and add-ons from its publisher, third-parties and the worldwide fan community. The game does not run on Linux in its native format, but can be installed and run on most systems using Wine, a windows compatibility tool for Linux systems.

Things You'll Need

• Internet access
• Il-2 Sturmovik installation disc (any game in the series)

Instructions

New Linux Installation

1. Download and install the current version of Wine from the project's website. Prepared binaries are available for most distributions, so this is a simple matter of selecting the correct file. In Ubuntu, for example, simply download the customized ".deb" file and install it by double-clicking.

2. Download and install the Wine Tricks package for Wine, if it was not included in the version of Wine you've downloaded. Wine Tricks is a collection of libraries and drivers that might be necessary to fix problems specific to your computer's hardware.

3. Insert the game's installation disc in your drive, and wait for the icon to appear on your Linux desktop. When it does, open the folder and look for the installation program "Il2setup.exe." Right-click on it, and choose "Open with Wine Windows Program Loader."

4. Install the program as you normally would, but do not run it yet. Return to the Wine website and click through to the page for the Sturmovik game. Download and install the "patch" programs shown on the right of the screen, one at a time and in numerical order. This will correct for most known problems.

5. Double-click on the game's icon to launch it.

Dual-Boot System

1. Boot to your Windows partition and install the game normally, if you have not already done so. Start the program, and ensure that all the features work under Windows on your computer.

2. Reboot your system into Linux. Download and install Wine and Wine Tricks, as previously described. Download and install the current series of patches for Sturmovik, one at a time and in numerical order.

3. Open your file browser, and locate the game's icon in your Windows partition. Right-click on it, and choose "Open with Wine Windows Program Loader" from the menu that pops up. The game will load and run.

Tips & Warnings

• Sturmovik is one of the most successful flight simulators in computer gaming, so it is well supported by Wine and the Linux community. If you experience any problems unique to your computer system, they can usually be resolved by posting a question at a Wine user's forum or the support forum for your Linux distribution.

• For serious Linux gamers, a paid commercial version of Wine called Crossover provides a more polished experience.

References

• Wine HQ: Games; Il-2 Sturmovik Series
• Wine HQ: Downloads Page
• Cliffs of Dover -- Il-2 Sturmovik: Home Page
• Codeweavers Crossover: Home Page