Magicka Guide

At first look, Magicka appears to be another run-of-the-mill RPG, but after further investigation you will find an original action game with interesting and demanding strategies.

Your Wizard will have the ability to control 8 elements with the tap of a button. As you tab the power charges up and you can wield amazing destruction on your enemies, but thats not the end of it... You can combine any of the 8 elements to construct your own combination.
Want to shoot boulders of fire?
How about a wall of ice and then electrocute your enemies?
Shield not enough? Try dropping mines bundled with fire.
Are you on fire? Put yourself out with water....
The possibilities are endless... not to mention the physics engine is amazing!

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

Note: This guide applies to the Steam version of Magicka. Other versions may require additional steps.

Tips & Specs:

Try SteamPlay before using this guide as Valve now uses a fork of Wine called Proton and should run most Windows games.

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

Mint 14 32-bit
PlayOnLinux: 4.2.1
Wine: 1.7.8

Installing Wine

Click Tools
Select "Manage Wine Versions"

Look for the Wine Version: 1.7.8
Note: Try using stable Wine 1.8 and 1.8-staging

Select it
Click the arrow pointing to the right

Click Next

PlayOnLinux will automatically download it and save it in this directory:
/home/username/.PlayOnLinux/wine/linux-x86

Note: username is where you put your login name

Its a good idea to backup this directory to another computer because you won't have to keep downloading wine versions when you need them.

Extracting

Downloading Gecko

Installed
wine06.png

Wine 1.7.8 & 1.5.18 is installed and you can close this window

Downloading Steam

Go To: http://www.steampowered.com
Click Install Steam

Do not click "Install Steam Now"
It will automatically install Linux Steam. Since Magicka isn't made for Linux, we will download the Windows Steam instead.
click "Windows" under the green button

Navigate to your desktop
Click Save

Setup PlayOnLinux

Launch PlayOnLinux
Click Install

Click "install a non-listed program"

Click Next

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

Name you virtual drive: magicka
No spaces
Click Next

Select all three options:

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

Click Next

Select Wine 1.7.8
(ignore the 1.5 in the screenshot)
Click Next

Note: If you are running a 64-bit system, PlayOnLinux will prompt if you want to use a 64-bit or 32-bit virtual drive.
Always select 32-bit virtual drive.

Configure Wine

Applications Tab
Windows Version: Windows XP
Click Apply

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

Install Libraries

Check the following libraries:

• POL_Install_corefonts
• POL_Install_directx fullsetup
• POL_Install_xinput
• POL_Install_xna 3.1

Installing Steam

Click Browse

Navigate to your desktop
Select: SteamInstall.msi
Click Open

Click Next

Click Next

Check: I accept the license...
Click Next

Click Next

Click Next

Click Install

Click Finish

Updating Steam

More updating, extracting and installing

When Steam is done installing the login screen will pop up. You probably won't see any text because there is a font bug.
Even if you "can" see fonts, close Steam so we can continue the PlayOnLinux setup
Click the "X" to close Steam login

PlayOnLinux Shortcut

Select Steam.exe
Click Next

Name your shortcut: Magicka Steam
Click Next

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

More PlayOnLinux Configuration

Back to PlayOnLinux
Click Configure

Select Steam virtual drive

Installing dotnet

General Tab
Set the Wine version
Wine version: 1.7.8
Arguments: -no-dwrite -no-cef-sandbox
This fixes the missing font and store problem

Before installing dotnet launch Terminal and run this command

sudo echo "0" > /proc/sys/kernel/yama/ptrace_scope

Note: Terminal should require a password. There are some security implications with this command, but it resets to "1" the next time you restart.

Install Components Tab
Select dotnet30
Click Install
(installs 2.0, sp1, sp2)

Note: I there are any error, click "OK" on them and start over with dotnet30
Its critical to have these packages installed because Magicka won't run without them.

Select dotnet35
Click Install

Display Tab
Direct Draw Renderer: opengl
Video Memory Size: size of memory on your video card
Offscreen rendering mode: fbo

Configuring Registry
The only reason we are modifying the Registry is because Magicka will automatically try to install dotnet, xna and directx at first launch. It will hang every time. So this Registry fix will eliminate the problem.
Steam50.png

Wine Tab
Click Registry Editor

1. Maximize HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
2. Maximize Software
3. Maximize Valve
4. Maximize Steam

Right Click Steamand select New Key
Name the key: Apps

Right Click Apps and select New Key
Name the Key: 42910

This is what the heiarchy should look like

Now we are going to create some new REG_DWORD
Right Click 42910
Click New
Click DWORD Value

Name this DWORD: DirectX

Double-Click it
Enter 1 in Value data
Click OK

Right Click 42910 again
Click New
Click DWORD Value

Name this DWORD: DotNet

Double-Click it
Enter 1 in Value data
Click OK

Right Click 42910 one last time
Click New
Click DWORD Value

Name this DWORD: xna

Double-Click it
Enter 1 in Value data
Click OK

Close the Registry Editor

Wine Tab
Click "Windows reboot"
Steam Will automatically launch, close it because we have one more setting to make.

General Tab
Change the Wine version
Wine version: 1.7.8
Arguments: -no-dwrite
This fixes the font problem

Note: -no-dwrite only works if you launch Steam from PlayOnLinux. Steam is automatically set to launch when Windows starts, which means if you do a "Windows Reboot" from the Wine tab -no-dwrite won't execute. Just close Steam and try again.

Close Configure

Installing Magicka

Back to PlayOnLinux

Select Magicka Steam
click Run

You may see a pop-up error when clicking the Steam icon
Just click OK

Select Login to an existing account

Login to your Steam account

Select Magicka
click Install

Click Next

Click I Agree

Click Next

Click Finish

Wait while Magicka downloads through Steam

When its complete you can now launch Magicka
Click Play

Note: You shouldn't see any "Performing first time setup.." dialog since we edited the registry

Magicka might start with a white screen and then crash
Click Play again
crash again, but don't give up
Click Play again

If you get a warning that its already running, then wait a few seconds and try again.

I have seen Magicka crash consistently and then play just fine.
Be patient and determined. It WILL run!

Optimization:
Magicka is not a super high quality game at any rate. So it should run on laptops, netbooks and even tablets.

Click Options

Click Graphics

Set Resolution, shadows, decal limit, particle effects and particle lights.
These are the only options you have.
Wine should be happy with most of these settings with a GeForce card.

Higher settings = higher detail, lower frame rates
Lower settings = lower detail, higher frame rates

Conclusion:
I was able to run Magicka at 1680x1050 on my GeForce 550 Ti and it ran beautifully. Once I got past the initial crashing (which I've read is due to alsa audio compatability) it ran without any issue. Frame rates were great, controls and audio almost flawless.
I did have one issue where the game didn't recognize keyboard input, but a quick Alt+Tab fixed that.

 

High Res Screenshots:

 

You sir, are a hero. You give the best comprehensive guides for PlayOnLinux. Thank you.
I finished this guide, and want to check up on a couple of things.
When i tried to run the command:

sudo echo "0" > /proc/sys/kernel/yama/ptrace_scope

Terminal gave me a "permission denied", so I changed it from POL-->Configure-->General-->Wine Version
Is that fine?
Then I got to installing dotnet. dotnet30 was a clean install. However, dotnet35 showed me an error message that I've been getting in the past couple of days (I've been trying [never give up]; using POL's installation). The message said:

You must first install Microsoft .NET Framwork 2.0SP1 before installing or reparing this product

I tried downloading dotnet35 again. I am pretty sure dotnet2sp1 is downloaded, since you mentioned it being part of dotnet30, and I've tried to install independently. I click OK, and I continued. Is that going to affect anything?
Finally, I wanted to make sure that the crash you were talking about is the same appearing for me. Instead of getting the usual POL crash (with a sad face).
I get a windows window that says: "magicka has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience". I press "don't send" for the error report, and another window appears saying: "The program Magicka.exe has encountered a series problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience".
Otherwise, thank you for your guide(s). They were very helpful.

 

When you did the "sudo ptrace_scope" command, did it prompt you for a password?
It doesn't matter which wine version you use, if you want to install dotnet 20-35 it requires this command.

I've experienced many problems with installing dotnet. The best results I have seen are using Wine 1.5.18
You can install all of them without errors or crashing, then switch Wine back to a newer version to run your game.

I'm sure this is the problem with Magicka. Without dotnet, it won't run at all.
Sorry about the registry hacks, it was such a pain trying to figure those out so it would run on Linux. At least it runs, but such a pain to get it going.
I try to avoid the registry at all time

 

Hello. I'm two years late to the party, but yeah... Anyhow, I followed the instructions (clear and effective, thank you very much for that), but once I tried to run Magicka (technically the demo for reasons that don't bear getting into at the moment (yes, I did go back and edit the registry for the correct game ID (73050))), it gave me this error:

"The original error was:
Microsoft.Xna.Framework.NoSuitableGraphicsDeviceException: Could not find a Direct3D device that supports the requested features.
at Microsoft.Xna.Framework.GraphicsDeviceManager.FindBestPlatformDevice(Boolean anySuitableDevice)
at Microsoft.Xna.Framework.GraphicsDeviceManager.FindBestDevice(Boolean anySuitableDevice)
at Microsoft.Xna.Framework.GraphicsDeviceManager.ChangeDevice(Boolean forceCreate)
at Microsoft.Xna.Framework.GraphicsDeviceManager.ApplyChanges()
at Magicka.Game..ctor()
at Magicka.Game.get_Instance()
at Magicka.GlobalSettings..ctor()
at Magicka.GlobalSettings.get_Instance()
at Magicka.Program.Main(String[] args)"

I tried installing DirectX through PoL as a component (d3dx11), but that didn't help. Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated. I'm not too sure what other information I should give that could be helpful. Sorry.

 

If you installed the directx fullsetup packages, then d3dx11 should already be installed.
In fact, you might want to start over with Steam and only install d3dx9 because Magicka should run just fine on direct X 9.
Its been a while since I have tested Magicka. I'm not sure of the status of XNA in Wine recently.
I definitely recommend using a newer version of Wine like 1.7.47 or even the 1.7.47staging versions.
You might get better results with those Wine versions.
Let me know if this helps...

Also make sure you are using PlayOnLinux 4.2.8

 

A bit late for the party, but...Anyway, I've tried to follow your BEAUTIFUL guide and everything seems to work just fine...Exept the fact that, when I try to launch the game, that's what I get (see screenshoot). Any guess?

 

Uhm, the screenshot wasn't there in my other post (and I can't edit it), so here I go with another link. In the mean time I've tried to reinstall completly steam and magicka, but I got the some "error".
In fact Steam "starts" Magicka (I even got a card yesterday), but all I can see is this kind of screen.

 

This is a pretty old guide. I haven't had a chance to test Magicka with newer versions of Wine. What are your specs?

• distro
• video card
• driver version
• wine version
• playonlinux version

I'm re-installing Magicka right now to see how it runs with Wine 1.8

 

This is a pretty old guide. I haven't had a chance to test Magicka with newer versions of Wine. What are your specs?

• distro
• video card
• driver version
• wine version
• playonlinux version

I'm re-installing Magicka right now to see how it runs with Wine 1.8

Thank you for your answer. I've experimented a bit around and with Wine 1.8 works pretty fine (can't switch back to fullscreen after windowed by mistake, though. Any suggestion?). The only real issue I can see right now is in multiplayer (even if I don't know if it's a steam or wine problem.) I have a pretty bad latency that, in a """"co-op"""" game like magicka is pretty bad.

 

I'm Glad you got it working. When I tried Magicka today it kept crashing before the Paradox logo. Then I tried an older version of Wine and it magically worked. I even tried Wine 1.8-staging and it works fine.
I didn't test Magicka with multi-player online. I've never experienced latency issues with other games online so this might be something unique with Magicka. Have you tried it in a LAN?

If you are using the virtual desktop, make sure to adjust it to match your Linux Desktop. If you set Magicka to the same resolution as your Linux Desktop, then you might not need the virtual desktop at all. You can try disabling it. Then fullscreen should work. Play around with the settings

 

I've never experienced latency issues with other games online so this might be something unique with Magicka. Have you tried it in a LAN?

I haven't, but surely I will. At last I'll know if it's a WIFI problem or what.

If you are using the virtual desktop, make sure to adjust it to match your Linux Desktop. If you set Magicka to the same resolution as your Linux Desktop, then you might not need the virtual desktop at all. You can try disabling it. Then fullscreen should work. Play around with the settings

In fact, I'm not. As soon as I'm home, I'll try to play a bit around with settings. Thank you very much!

 

No problem. The only problems I had yesterday was the initial launch. I'll test Magicka with Wine 1.9.5 as well. I was able to launch it with the virtual desktop set to 1024x768, but after changing the resolution in-game I had to disable the virtual desktop.

Magicka ran fine in Wine 1.9.5-staging.