timesplice

Art: TimeSplitters Rewind — Early Access trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzWSrgQ3eMI

Splices TimeSplitters Rewind onto Linux Steam as a non-Steam game with Proton forced on.

Usage

CachyOS is the primary target. Arch, Fedora, Debian/Ubuntu, and SteamOS work with the same flags.

There is no native Linux build. timesplice downloads the official Windows Early Access zip (or uses one you already have), extracts it, writes shortcuts.vdf, and maps the shortcut to Proton.

Restart Steam and launch TimeSplitters Rewind from the library.

Steam Input / Xbox pad works under Proton. The game does not show controller glyphs. Keep a keyboard and mouse nearby for a few screens.

Install

# after cloning
./bin/timesplice install --install-deps --shutdown-steam

One-liner after this repo is on GitHub:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DataKnifeAI/timesplice/main/install.sh | bash

--install-deps installs curl, unzip, python3, and steam when they are missing.

Need ~50 GiB free while the zip and extracted tree both exist. The zip is deleted after extract unless --keep-zip.

What it does

1. Installs curl, unzip, python3, and steam if you pass --install-deps.
2. Downloads Early Access v0.3 (~13.5 GiB) from the Archive.org mirror (IndieDB is Cloudflare-gated and not scriptable). Use --source official to print the IndieDB page and require --from.
3. Extracts TimeSplittersRewind.exe.
4. Quits Steam if needed (--shutdown-steam) so it does not overwrite shortcuts.vdf.
5. Adds TimeSplitters Rewind to every local Steam profile as a non-Steam shortcut, with Rewind library artwork and the official TSR icon.
6. Forces Proton: proton-cachyos on CachyOS when installed, otherwise Proton 10, then Experimental.

Same flow as adding the .exe by hand, without the clicks.

Troubleshooting

• timesplice doctor — Steam root, libraries, Proton, disk, and whether TimeSplittersRewind.exe is present.
• Steam overwrites the shortcut — quit Steam first, or pass --shutdown-steam. If Steam is still running after a shutdown request, quit it fully and re-run.
• Low disk space — plan on ~50 GiB while the zip and extracted tree both exist. The zip is ~13.5 GiB; the installed tree is ~35 GiB.
• Official IndieDB zip — --source official prints the download page and requires --from. IndieDB is Cloudflare-gated and not scriptable.
• Already extracted — timesplice install --from /path/to/TimeSplittersRewind (or timesplice shortcut) writes the shortcut without downloading again.
• Wrong library — pass --library, --dir, or TIMESPLICE_DIR. doctor shows which folder was chosen.
• Uninstall — timesplice uninstall removes the shortcut and grid art. Game files stay on disk.

Library selection, --from / --library / --dir, artwork re-apply, and the full flag list: docs/USAGE.md.

TimeSplitters Rewind is a fan project and is not affiliated with the original creators. This repo only automates the Linux Steam setup.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.