Linux which flavor works the best with Rising World?

If you don't have a strong experience configuring and fixing issues in Linux are are looking for a "install and play" experience then I would recommend anything based off Ubuntu including Ubuntu, Mint, Xubuntu, Kubuntu (all they are are basically Ubuntu with different window managers integrated). Several other distros are more strict about available repositories for software that is not free or open source but essential nowadays such as flash support or mp3 support. So getting something like that to work takes a lot of configuration and steps that the novice user may not be comfortable with.

I personally use Debian but because I prefer precise control over convenience and I'm very picky about configuration files. I wouldn't recommend Debian or Slackware to the beginner.

You want something that's easy to setup, One click driver install (if any clicks at all). And has good video drivers as well.
Before doing anything major, Take a look at your video card and sound card in hardware manager. Write down what you have. Then go online and search the different linux distros to see if they support your hardware. I type something like "Kubuntu geforce 530 gtx problem" and see what shows up. But that is in google.

Next your going to be completely freaked out by the different styles of desktops that are available. Some have the task manager bar in odd positions around the screen and some are movable. It depends what feels right to you.
I use Kubuntu because it is an Ubuntu based version of linux, With a windows style gui called KDE. with a little adjustment it operates exactly like using windows, So i don't keep reaching the wrong direction to activate things.

So far on all of my computers I haven't had to install any special programs to make my hardware work. But in windows 10 i do have to do this.

The video drivers that are installed in Kubuntu work perfectly for my video card, And i can run RW at about the same framerate as in windows, Maybe a little faster sometimes because i dont have a hundred background programs slowing me down.
But these drivers are normally generic to linux, So you could get them on just about any version of linux, It's just that Ubuntu makes it super easy to install them.

Search for a list of linux distros and see which desktop gui they use, Gnome, Kde, ect theres a ton.

so Kubuntu has built in Nvidia drivers these days? That's interesting. Gotta love simplified installations. In the past, I always had to download from nvidia, shut down X windows and install kernel headers before compiling the driver and hope it patches X correctly otherwise I find myself editing the xf86 configuration file manually. Certainly not for the faint of heart.

One cool thing nowadays is that all the Ubuntu variant distros let you download the installer iso image. The image once burned will boot you into a completely functional Linux system that runs off DVD (or jump drive) and your ram. It is a little slower than an installed copy but let's you really get a good feel of different environments available. The only downside as you can imagine is that no documents are saved when you restart. But launching off a boot disc that way will tell you quickly if your hardware is compatible. Once you reboot, pop the disc out and you'll load back into windows from your hard drive.

If you choose to install Linux, there is a shortcut on the booted disc to start the installer. It will give you options to repartition your C drive to let you dual-boot Linux and Windows. Basically a boot loader program in the Linux partition is launched from the MBR and let's you choose which OS to boot.

from my experience try a distro in a virtualbox first and go from there ...... and ubuntu-based is easiest for games for now at least

https://www.virtualbox.org/

Quote from joni909

from my experience try a distro in a virtualbox first and go from there ...... and ubuntu-based is easiest for games for now at least

https://www.virtualbox.org/

can't really experience any OS in VirtualBox to the fullest with its limitations. Especially games.

no but you can try it out and make you self ready for a new work flow

Just as a side note, one thing you have to keep in mind is that Steam for Linux is only officially supported on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and newer with the Unity, Gnome or KDE desktop. The same requirement applies to Rising World. However, Steam (and Rising World) are usually also compatible with other distros, but sometimes it may require some additional steps in order to run Steam or RW properly.