Yay!
I am playing this toghether with my kids.

I won't miss the creeper

I don't think that's the job of Valve.
They tried to push Linux gaming a decade ago by providing a Linux distribution optimized for gaming and invited hardware vendors to sell machines with that distri.

At that time a gaming optimized distribution was hardly needed, so they were pioneers at the time.
And they still maintain their SteamOS, although it is only supported on Steam Decks.

But there has so many happened since then. Gaming Hardware is working from Day 1 with Linux. Proton - wich is supported by Valve - is supporting latest games on Linux, mostly from Day 1. At least if the developers don't actively sabotage it.
As a result we don't have that one SteamOS distribution which would ultimately put us in dependece from Valve. We have several different gaming optimized distributions that you can use.

It's great that Valve does so much for Linux gaming, but I don't want them to manage everything.

So it will be a purchase on their website.

I was a day one buyer of World of Goo back in... 2009?
And of course I want to play the sequel too. Glad I don't have to use Some horrible web store, although I had preferred to have a choice where to buy.

Hey mate.
Getting wrecked is no shame at all.
I got absolutely wrecked by the bandits in the ruis too. Then I reloaded, discovered what use an oil keg can be, and won the fight.
Same with the Goblin camp, or the (second) attack on the Grove (which was far easier after moving some objects)
It's incredible how much easier a fight turns out if you contemplate for half a minute and the restart.
On the other side I decided to not reload, after one of the characters got killed in camp, because opposite to losing a fight, It was my decision to watch the outcome - which was worse.

PS: I am doing it the other way than you did. I started in August alone in balanced mode, and are halfway through act2 by now. And started a co-op playthorugh together with my wife in easy mode two weeks ago.

Wasn't this the case with any other Rockstar game before?

Last time Putin mentioned the Ukrainian counter offensive was when he stated that it was not existant.
Now he wants his doggo to stop it.

What will be the next step?
Maybe: "Organize me a fast car with enough gasoline to reach North Korea"

Microsoft is not only a bad market leader.
It is a bad loser too. Remember the Nokia purchase? They sunk billions into the company too boost their worse mobile OS, and when it failed they shut down the whole company.
Imagine they would to something similar to Nintendo.

Drag them to your inventory. They are of good use in fights.

PS: to cancel a command press right mouse button.

I made some heavy mistakes in Act 1 of Baldurs Gate 3 and the game is still continuing, now with fewer options for characters that I can include in my party, because one died permanently, one left and one even refused to join.

If that's want you meant?

I am not a console gamer. But afaik the extra money you have to pay goes not towards Larian. It's a toll that Sony collects for allowing the game to be released on their system.
I return you get easy to use hardware for a somewhat decent price.

Of couse russian lives matter too.
contrary to Russia, Ukraine treats it's POWs well and according to international rules.

I haven't seen OpenTTD mentioned yet: https://www.openttd.org/
If you like it you may also check out OpenRCT - although this one needs original game files from RollerCoasterTycoon (a few bucks on Gog or Steam)