Install FS2004 on Ubuntu - it works! Here's how to do it.
Like many people, I've tried to yank myself off Windows and have been successfully using Ubuntu Linux for over 11 years. The one program that refused to transfer was my flight simulator.....until today! I've tried several times without success and gave up until I was tempted by the new MSFS 2021 simulator. However, needing a new PC put me off, and I’m not too bothered about the eye-candy, preferring to navigate at night or in clouds/fog. At the same time as this I came across a bunch of flight sim ebooks on this site at:
https://www.flightsimbooks.com/
Unfortunately most of the airports no longer exist in the newer FSs including FSX, so I looked at FS2004 and there they were. It seemed like an interesting idea to downgrade to FS2004 to be able to use these books, especially as the underlying flight ‘engine’ in both FSX and FS2004 seemed no different when ‘flying’.
Next step was to re-visit the 'WINE' shop's application database (AppDB) to see if any progress had been reported on getting FS2004 running on Linux with WINE. Not much, and the version of WINE tested was very old, V2.
https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&iId=2819
With the latest version being V6.3, and a clean install of Ubuntu 20.04 made me think it might just work. I began trawling the Internet for anything else anyone had posted and again, most was way out of date and the results were discouraging. Interestingly though, as often happens just by chance, I came across this excellent piece of work on MS Combat Flight Simulator (CFS-2002 for short) by 'booman' on:
http://www.gamersonlinux.com/forum/threads/combat-flight-simulator-3-guide.2158/
This program, CFS-2002, being dated around the same as FS 2004 and coming from the same stable, Microsoft, led me to believe that it probably had the same basic programming format as FS2004, so I read the article very carefully. The more I read the more enthusiastic I became and so began work immediately.
Booman wrote this article in 2017 and used Linux Mint 18.1 64-bit, PlayOnLinux 4.2.10 and WINE 2.0, so using more up to date software: Ubuntu Linux 20.04 64 bit, PlayOnLinux 4.3.4 and WINE 6.3 seemed very promising.
I was not familiar with PlayOnLinux (POL) and still am not that adept at all, but the concepts became easier using booman’s superb description of the steps along with pictures.
POL is a front end for WINE and each is developed by distinctly separate teams.
One of the most important things is that FS2004 is a 32 bit program and so you need to ensure that POL is forced to run it as such. As booman describes, it’s not difficult at all, but essential.
I set up a fresh install of Ubuntu 20.04 deliberately so that nothing else could interfere.
Briefly, in my own words, and I’m happy to be corrected, WINE does not emulate Windows, but acts as a support system for Windows programs. POL allows you to use a graphical interface to set up a container (folder effectively) with all the WINE support files, FS2004 files and everything else needed to run the program. If you were to install another different program with POL, you would set up another container, except that this new container could be using a different version of WINE and be 64 bit. Clever. These containers reside alongside one another in your POL folder. Each container has a drive:c folder, which contains your program, FS2004 in this case.
I’m not going to repeat booman’s article here, but will answer any questions anyone has about the method.
This installation also supports the FS9.1update file and the FS2004 no-disc-4 file, both executables are run with POL having been placed in the same folder as FS9.exe.
What I have tested so far is:
SideWinder Precision 2 Joystick.
Cessna 172 take off, flight around Meigs Field, Seattle, climb, bank, throttle adjustments, land at Meigs.
Boeing 737-400, Robinson helicopter.
Flight lessons, missions, historical flights.
Enough to say …..it works!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks to the teams at WINE and PlayOnLinux, and also to booman for his excellent article.
