No it’s not "really ancient" ;)
It was still the latest stable release only two months ago.

---

I don’t understand you configuration then, so will not be able to help.

Anyway, what's the best clean way to try a newer WINE version? My requirements:
* Must not require adding extra repositories
* Must be reasonably maintainable
* Must be done within the user's home directory

If you need to have support for both 32-bit and 64-bit applications, there is no easy way to do a local build.
I always end up doing distinct 32-bit and 64-bit builds, each built in its dedicated chroot. But this is convenient only for bugs hunting and development, especially regression testing. For day-to-day use such local builds would be highly inconvenient.

I guess it does not really answer your question about how to easily install a more recent WINE version, but at least it removes the local build from the options to consider ;)

You could use Lutris.
It allows you to add different Wine and DXVK versions at the same time without messing with the system itself (of course you will have to install Lutris itself, which has some dependencies too [mind tho that it's dependency on Wine is 100% irrelevant to usage of different Wine versions in itself]).

Tried Lutris and a newer version of WINE, didn't seem to make a difference.

I read that apparently linux kernel 5.11 (recent versions) has a performance improvement, so I may try building the upstream kernel myself and running it, which is something I'm comfortable doing (especially since, on Debian, multiple kernels can be installed at the same time, so returning to debian's distribution kernel is trivial.

Also, think I'll see if I can get it to run on my desktop, but I need to update to testing first, and am running a back-up that is taking a while before I do that. (Not expecting it to work better than the laptop, but if it does that would reveal some interesting things.)

Is there a way to determine whether the bottleneck is in the CPU or the GPU, by any chance?

Weerd issue: On my desktop, sudo started taking 25 seconds to execute. The problem disappeared after a reboot.

Any diea what might be going on?

Some more results:
* Kernel 5.11.8 didn't make a difference, except that I got crackly sound which wasn't happening before.
* I updated my desktop to Debian bullseye, and to a more standard set-up. Game now works in WINE (it didn't work at all before the update), and except for some crackly and overly loud sound, works better on this machine. There's still some slowdown in more open outdoor areas (at least the early one that tended to lag a lot), but it's not nearly as bad on this system. (This system has an older CPU (Intel i5-4670) that I believe is more powerful, but I believe has worse integrated graphics then the AMD i5-4670.)

So, it looks like Stranger of Sword City Revisited may be limited by CPU rather than by GPU, which is interesting if it is indeed the case.

This post is about an issue on a different system, so the answers that I gave to the questions are not relevant this time around. Specifically, it involves the audio on my desktop.

Specs:
* Intel i5-4670 with onboard graphics
* 16GB RAM
* Main OS on 120GB SSD, also have a 2TB hard drive that other files, including games, are stored on
* OS is Debian bullseye
* This system has gone through many updates over its lifetime, and actually ran Gentoo for quite a while. There's still some remnants of Debian 7 on a small partition that's not actually used.
* Root filesystem is btrfs.
* Pulseaudio has been installed and later removed, both since updating to bullseye.

The problem:
* HDMI audio is rather loud, and it crackles.
* Sometimes, the sound cuts out entirely. This happens after playing Stranger of Sword City Revisited for a while, and also seems to happen if I try to run it full screen. (The game works well otherwise.)
* With pulseaudio installed, the problem was even worse; in addition, the audio would play too fast in addition to sounding awful.

(Side note: fstrim seems to take a while on this particular SSD. Could it be the age, or is it btrfs's fault?)

"Newer" is "a bit" vague description.
There is a ton of Wine versions you can use on Lutris (you can even add custom builds) and newer is not always the best (just as Steam Proton has regressions).

You must be forgetting that current older kernel is not going to be compatible with whatever newer packages new kernel depends on.
So when (if) you will want to come back then you will have to downgrade them.

If you don't quote I don't even know you wrote something until I manually check the thread (GOG isn't Steam where notifications tell you that there was a new post regardless if it was quoting you or not).

A lot of things really.
Examples: (let me say again, these are merely EXAMPLES)
- PAM issues... of really any kind...
- cluttered uncleaned system log
- fragmentation of data on platters (should this be hdd)
- some process consuming large IO and or CPU time at the time
- CPU thrashing

So then do you need additional assistance or are you done with this issue and I can stop bothering myself with this one?

1.Please, next time try to make 1-2 consolidated posts instead of spamming.
2.Gee, you suddenly jumped in for a lot of help for unrelated things :P

You know... You seem totally oblivious to the fact that you keep giving too sparse details by default :S
What exactly is the age of this ssd?
Specificly (btw please answer all the questions this time):
1.How long since BEGINNING OF IT'S USE (no matter if it was used 10 or 10000 hours [examples], this is important for a bit less obvious reasons [for people who don't know why])
2.Power on hours
3.Have you ever run SMART tests on it
4.How extensively is this ssd used (how much GiB do you write to it daily on average)
5.Manufacteur of it
6.What memory cells: MLC, TLC, SLC, QLC, others, DRAM (I don't think you have DRAM but I would still rather ask)
7.Model would be appreciated (EXACT model)

ONLY hdmi audio crackles?
Or did you just not test different outputs?
Also, crackles when, constantly? Or only during gameplay?
Constantly during gameplay? Or occasionaly? If occasionally then does it occur after reproducible amount of time?

What EXACTLY do you use in place of pulseaudio?
And did you change any audio settings?

I could maybe help you with pulseaudio but if you use something else I don't think I know enough.

For now, at least, I don't think I need more assistance on this issue, as I think it would probably be easier to resolve the issue I have with my desktop's audio.


There is a trade-off with the amount of information I provide. If I provide more information, it will be easier for other people to help me; on the other hand, getting that information is a bit of a pain.

In other words, the question is, "do I need the answer enough for it to be worth my time gathering all the information?", and sometimes the answer is "no".

As for the questions:
1. There's files on one partition dating back to 2013, which I believe is when I built the computer.
2. 61750 hours according to smartctl
3. I don't think so.
4. Don't really know, but it's just used as an OS drive.
5. appears to be a Kingston, though SandForce appears in "Model Family"
6. Don't know how to find that information. My best guess would be MLC (was TLC around in 2013?)
7. "KINGSTON SV300S37A120G" according to smartctl

In any case, I suspect TRIM may be slow just because it's an older SSD. In any case, I don't think it's a problem that needs to be fixed.

Worth noting that a reboot fixed this.
I am not able to test analog audio at the moment. One observation, however, is that I can control analog audio volume, but I can't change the HDMI volume for some reason (using alsamixer).

I'm using plain alsa rather than pulseaudio.

Here is my .asoundrc (which is needed to direct audio to HDMI; otherwise it goes to analog which doesn't have anything connected) Also, it sounds like you're getting a bit too worked up over my posts and that maybe you should take a bit of a break from them? Remember that you're not the only one on this forum who might be able to answer my questions, and that you don't need to post replies to everything I post, especially since you mentioned having other issues (IRL?) to deal with. Perhaps you should answer the questions that you can answer easily and just ignore the rest; you'll feel better that way.

Well excuse me, I am not a wizard and will not fix your computer magically, I am not where you are, you have to cooperate if you want help.

You know, the last time you did this (decided my questions are "not worth your time") I was too tired to scold you.
But this time you are basically asking for it.
I am going to ask you one simple question:
Do you feel qualified and knowledgable enough to dismiss questions related to topic you allegedly have issues with and you don't possess allegedly enough knowledge to fix it yourself?
Becuase as far as I understand you don't actually possess enough knowledge to fix the problem yourself.
Yet you proclaim my questions as irrelevant because you THINK they are irrelevant.
If that's the attitude you want to excercise I will then leave any help related to your cause in other people's hands as I have enough of my own issues and I don't exactly have time to fight with people who don't understand that they don't have to understand the questions for the questions to make sense and be relevant.

Unless you like living on edge you should run smart tests regularly.
This is the least you can do to ensure you will be able to escape the inevitable doom of loosing data due to failing drive (mark my words: FAILING, not FAILED).
That is of course unless you want to personally feel what it means to fight your drive to the death while trying to salvage as much data as possible when you "finally" notice existence of a problem (at that point it's too late).
With this many hours, and this drive manufacteur implied date, this ssd is nearing grave.

No. It's a problem that needs to be eliminated. By salvaging the data that is not yet badblocked and replacing the drive with a new one.
I understand that almost every civilian customer as well as major amount of ITs worldwide don't understand that, but it has to be said, storage devices sold on normal market (ergo, NOT archival grade, NOT exceptionally expensive enterprise grade, and NOT japanese prototypes) are not built to last. These things don't really last very long at all.
That is a common misconception. Many people think in the lines of:
"I will buy it once and use it indefinitely until I decide to buy a new one" (maybe never)
"It will surely survive a decade"
Both ways of thinking are severly flawed.

If you want help you can either listen to more knowledgable people or stick to what you THINK is correct (based on your own knowledge) and later watch shitshow unravel before your eyes.

Turning something off and on isn't ACTUALLY a solution. It's just delaying a problem which is still there.
Your problem IS still actually there.

With all due respect, and due to IRL severe stress I may sound like an a**hole here (for which I apologize), but I will (and do) pick my own break times and if you would check forum timestamps you would see that.

Remember that this thread doesn't exactly get much activity and therefore not many people even check it at all.
Also isn't it better for you if more people troubleshoot your problem? It's not like I'm blocking bus bar by posting frequently or something.
Also, you either want a solution or want somebody to fix the problem for you (instead of you following solution).
I will certainly not do the latter.

I could maybe do that if you would provide enough neccessary information by default. Which you don't. And even when I ask you often don't deliver.
I am tired. With this day, this month, this entire year, and life, actually also entire existence of my persona.
But that doesn't actually change validity of my points.
Keep that in mind.

I'm not sure I've seen more passive aggressive tech support.

1.You must have not been in too many tech support forums.
2.If you are offended then I apologize. Tho I am too tired with IRL BS to have any patience for people that want support but refuse to answer questions because they think they know better :S
I am trying to remain nice, but whoever wants help needs to understand that cooperation is a 2 side activity, not "I dump my problem and will pick answers based on my convenience".
I mean no harm.

No worries, I just thought I would mention it since dtgreene seems to be under 'attack' for asking support in a troubleshooting thread :)

We all have our bad days, and I know you're volunteering help, but if it's too much for you maybe just take a break from it for a while.

Troubleshooting is fun when you get to fix stuff - not so much when there are endless unrelated issues with no solution to be found.