Battle Realms Guide

Battle Realms is a Real Time Strategy game with an Oriental Mythology theme. Turn ordinary villagers into Samurai, Bandits, Geisha and more... Defend your village from barbarians, evil magicians, and deadly ninjas.

Follow my step-by-step guide on installing, configuring and optimizing Battle Realms in Linux with PlayOnLinux.

Note: This guide applies to the GOG version of Battle Realms. Other versions may require additional steps.

Tips & Specs:

To learn more about PlayOnLinux and Wine configuration, see the online manual: PlayOnLinux Explained

Mint 17 64-bit
PlayOnLinux: 4.2.9
Wine: 1.6.2

Wine Installation

Click Tools
Select "Manage Wine Versions"

Look for the Wine Version: 1.6.2
Note: Try using stable Wine 1.8 and 1.8-staging

Select it
Click the arrow pointing to the right

Click Next

Downloading Wine

Extracting

Downloading Gecko

Installed

Wine 1.6.2 is installed and you can close this window

PlayOnLinux Setup

Launch PlayOnLinux
Click Install

Click "Install a non-listed program"

Click Next

Select "Install a program in a new virtual drive"
Click Next

Name the virtual drive: battlerealms
Click Next

Check all three options:

• Use another version of Wine
• Configure Wine
• Install some libraries

Click Next

Select Wine: 1.6.2
Click Next

Select "32 bits windows installation"
Click Next

Wine Configuration

Application Tab
Windows Version: Windows 7
Click Apply

Graphics Tab
Check "Automatically capture the mouse in full-screen windows"
Check "Emulate a virtual drive"
Desktop size: 1024x768
Click OK

PlayOnLinux Packages (Libraries, DLL's, Components)

Check the following Packages:

• POL_Install_corefonts
• POL_Install_d3dx9
• POL_Install_gdiplus
• POL_Install_tahoma

Click Next

Note: All packages will automatically download and install

Installing Battle Realms

Click Browse

Select "setup_battle_realms_complete_2.0.0.0.exe"
Click Open

Click Next again

Click Option
Uncheck "Create desktop icons"
Check "Yes, I have read an accept EULA"
Click Install

Click Exit

PlayOnLinux Shortcut

Select "Battle_Realms_F.exe"
Click Next

Name the shortcut: Battle Realms
Click Next

Select "I don't want to make another shortcut"
Click Next

PlayOnLinux Configure

Back to PlayOnLinux
Select "Battle Realms"
Click Configure

General Tab
Wine version: 1.6.2

Note: Click the + to download other versions of Wine. Click the down-arrow to select other versions of Wine

Display Tab
Video memory size: Enter the amount of memory your video card/chip uses

Close Configure

Launching Battle Realms

Select Battle Realms
Click Run

Note: Click Debug to see errors and bugs

Optimization

Click Options

Click "Game Options"

Adjust Resolution
Adjust Level of Detail

Click Apply
Click Ok

Conclusion:
Battle Realms installed and played just fine in PlayOnLinux with my GeForce 550 Ti. The highest resolution is 1024x768 so you will need to set your Linux Desktop resolution first in order for the game to appear fullscreen. Otherwise, just play it windowed.

Gameplay Video:

Screenshots:

 

Good guide and good screens

 

Thanks as always!
I wonder if the widescreen patch is worth it?

 

Thanks as always!
I wonder if the widescreen patch is worth it?

In my case dont have any preference with wide or not wide aspect, however for other users can be disgusting

But in my case have Samsung Syncmaster 794MB - 17 inches CRT, sometimes have access to Samsung Syncmaster T22B350 - 22 inches FullHD TV-Monitor Combo but in my case i like more crt because have minor input lag

 

I've followed your guide but when starting the game although I can hear the intro movies and the main menu music, I have a black screen. All I can do is quitting the game via Alt+F4.
Video driver is installed and up-to-date. Games like CS:S and CS:GO are working properly. I guess it has something to do with wine.
I am using version 1.8.3 but I also testet 1.9.16 staging with the same outcome. I also testet several options in the video section of the wine configuration screen.
At the moment I am using kernel 4.7.2-1 on Arch Linux.

 

Hey Marlhin, I never tested Battle Realms with Wine 1.8.3 or 1.8.4 there is a chance it will only work with 1.6.2, but I doubt it. Give 1.6.2 a try and also mess with the virtual desktop. You might not need it at all.

Are you using the GOG version too?

 

Thank you for your reply, booman.
With a virtual desktop battle realms works! But I would prefer a fullscreen solution, though...

 

Since Battlerealms doesn't support high resolutions, you can set your Linux desktop to match the games highest resolution. Then the virtual desktop will make it appear full-screen.
Let me know if you have this issue with any other games. I'm experiencing a strange issue with all my games and virtual desktop

 

Ah, I forgot to mention that I am using the GoG Version.
The game always starts in the same sized window so that the lowest buttons for example in the main menu are hard to hit.
Check this screen out:

 

Looks like I was running it at 1024x768
Were you able to select 1366x768 in-game?

You can set the virtual desktop at 1366x768 and it should work.

 

I have a desktop resolution of 1366x768 and when I configure my virtual desktop to be 1366x768 the ingame window looks the same. I can only choose 1024x768 as the highest ingame resolution.

 

Ok, then change your desktop resolution to 1024x768 and make the virtual desktop 1024x768
Maybe it will appear fullscreen properly after that