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Installing Battlezone 98 Redux from GOG using Heroic on Linux

This guide provides reproducible steps to install Battlezone 98 Redux from GOG using Heroic Games Launcher on Linux, and set up the Battlezone Mod Engine.

Prerequisites

  • A GOG account with Battlezone 98 Redux purchased
  • Arch-based Linux distribution (for other distros, adjust package manager commands)
  • Internet connection

Step 1: Install Heroic Games Launcher

For Arch:

yay -S heroic-games-launcher-bin --noconfirm

For other distributions:

# Flatpak (universal)
flatpak install flathub com.heroicgameslauncher.hgl

# Or download AppImage from:
# https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher/releases

Step 2: Install Required Dependencies

Install Wine (for running Windows games):

sudo pacman -S wine --noconfirm

Install innoextract (for extracting GOG installers):

sudo pacman -S innoextract --noconfirm

For Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install wine innoextract -y

Step 3: Configure Heroic

Create game installation directory:

mkdir -p ~/Games/GOG
mkdir -p ~/Games/Prefixes

Configure Heroic with Wine and install path:

# Update Heroic configuration
cat ~/.config/heroic/config.json | jq '.defaultInstallPath = "'$HOME'/Games/GOG" | .wineVersion = {bin: "/usr/bin/wine", name: "Wine - System", type: "wine"} | .winePrefix = "'$HOME'/Games/Prefixes/default"' > /tmp/heroic_config_new.json

mv /tmp/heroic_config_new.json ~/.config/heroic/config.json

Step 4: Login to GOG in Heroic

Launch Heroic:

heroic &

In the Heroic GUI:

  1. Click "Stores" in the left sidebar
  2. Find GOG and click "Login"
  3. Follow the browser authentication process
  4. Authorize Heroic to access your GOG account

Step 5: Install Battlezone 98 Redux

Method 1: Using Heroic GUI (if game shows as installable)

  1. Go to Library in Heroic
  2. Find Battlezone 98 Redux
  3. Click Install
  4. Choose installation directory (default: ~/Games/GOG)
  5. Wait for download to complete

Method 2: Manual Download using gogdl (if GUI shows "not installable")

This uses Heroic's built-in GOG downloader directly:

# Download and install the game
/opt/Heroic/resources/app.asar.unpacked/build/bin/x64/linux/gogdl \
  --auth-config-path ~/.config/heroic/gog_store/auth.json \
  download 1454067812 \
  --platform windows \
  --path ~/Games/GOG \
  --lang en-US

Note: This will download approximately 1.4 GB and install 2+ GB of game files. The process takes about 2-5 minutes depending on your connection.

Verify Installation:

ls -lh ~/Games/GOG/
find ~/Games/GOG -name "battlezone98redux.exe"

You should see:

~/Games/GOG/Battlezone 98 Redux/battlezone98redux.exe

Step 6: Install Battlezone Mod Engine

Clone the repository:

cd ~/
git clone https://github.com/GrizzlyOne95/Battlezone_ModEngine.git
cd Battlezone_ModEngine

Install Python dependencies:

# For Arch/Manjaro:
sudo pacman -S python python-pillow tk --noconfirm

# For Debian/Ubuntu:
sudo apt install python3 python3-pil python3-tk -y

# Optional: Install drag-and-drop support
pip install tkinterdnd2

Launch the Mod Engine:

python cmd.py &

Step 7: Configure the Mod Engine

The application should auto-detect your installation. If not:

  1. Game Path: Click "DETECT" or manually browse to:

    /home/YOUR_USERNAME/Games/GOG/Battlezone 98 Redux

  2. SteamCMD Path: Click "DETECT" or set manually if needed

  3. Mod Cache: Default is fine (./workshop_cache)

Step 8: Download Mods from Steam Workshop

  1. Go to Steam Workshop for Battlezone 98 Redux
  2. Copy the URL or ID of a mod (e.g., https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=123456789)
  3. Paste into the Mod Engine
  4. Click "Install Mod"
  5. Once downloaded, go to "Manage Mods" tab
  6. Right-click the mod and select "Enable" to create a symlink

Running the Game

From Heroic:

heroic
# Then click on Battlezone 98 Redux and click Play

Directly with Wine:

cd ~/Games/GOG/Battlezone\ 98\ Redux/
wine battlezone98redux.exe

Using Proton (if you have Steam):

STEAM_COMPAT_DATA_PATH=~/Games/Prefixes/BZ98 \
~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/Proton\ -\ Experimental/proton run \
~/Games/GOG/Battlezone\ 98\ Redux/battlezone98redux.exe

Troubleshooting

Game won't download from Heroic GUI:

  • The game might show as "not installable" due to regional restrictions
  • Use Method 2 (manual gogdl download) instead
  • Ensure you're logged into GOG in Heroic

Authentication errors:

# Re-authenticate with GOG
rm ~/.config/heroic/gog_store/auth.json
heroic
# Then login again through the GUI

Wine/Proton issues:

# Install additional Wine dependencies
sudo pacman -S wine-gecko wine-mono lib32-gnutls

# For Debian/Ubuntu:
sudo apt install wine64 wine32 libwine

Mod Engine won't launch:

# Ensure all dependencies are installed
python -c "import tkinter; import PIL; print('Dependencies OK')"

# If errors, reinstall:
sudo pacman -S python python-pillow tk

Symlink permission issues:

On Linux, regular users can create symlinks, so no sudo/admin required. If you get permission errors:

# Check if the mod cache directory exists and is writable
ls -ld ./workshop_cache
chmod 755 ./workshop_cache

Uninstallation

Remove game:

rm -rf ~/Games/GOG/Battlezone\ 98\ Redux

Remove Heroic:

yay -R heroic-games-launcher-bin
# Or for Flatpak:
flatpak uninstall com.heroicgameslauncher.hgl

Remove configuration:

rm -rf ~/.config/heroic
rm -rf ~/Games/Prefixes

Additional Notes

  • Game saves location: ~/Games/GOG/Battlezone 98 Redux/Save/
  • Mod location: Symlinked to ~/Games/GOG/Battlezone 98 Redux/mods/
  • Workshop cache: ./workshop_cache/steamapps/workshop/content/301650/
  • Performance: Game runs well with Wine/Proton on most modern Linux systems
  • Multiplayer: Online multiplayer should work through Wine with proper network configuration

Quick Reference Commands

# Launch Heroic
heroic &

# Launch Mod Engine
cd ~/Battlezone_ModEngine
python cmd.py &

# Run game directly
cd ~/Games/GOG/Battlezone\ 98\ Redux/
wine battlezone98redux.exe

# Check installed mods
ls -la ~/Games/GOG/Battlezone\ 98\ Redux/mods/

# Update Heroic config
jq . ~/.config/heroic/config.json

Support

Last updated: January 31, 2026 Tested on: Arch Linux with Heroic 2.19.1