Arcanum on Mac Guide

Discussion in 'Arcanum Discussion' started by Jojobobo, Oct 4, 2013.

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  1. Jojobobo

    Jojobobo Well-Known Member

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    UPDATE: Paul the Tall no longer does Wineskins, so I've done a new DIY post lower down in the thread (here) which covers how to do all the necessaries.

    So I thought I'd stop being such a waste of space and actually try and contribute something worthwhile by making a guide of how you can get Arcanum running on a mac legally and easily using a Wineskin wrapper. I'll make it as simple as possible for new mac users, and if anyone has any alternate legal ways of installing Arcanum on a mac then they can stick them here as well as any other tweaks to make the game more playable on a mac.

    Installation Guide

    1) Download a legal digital copy of Arcanum, I would recommend getting it at GOG and navigating to that site through the GOG tab on this forum as if you do terra-arcanum gets a small commission that helps cover running costs. I did try installing the game through my own hard copy but when it came to changing disks I couldn't get my mac to recognise the second disk - hence why I say you should get a digital download (if anyone has a way of installing it from the disks on a mac it would be much appreciated if you could share it). The GOG copy doesn't require a disk to be played, which means you don't have to download a crack or anything like that to get it working as you might with some games you play through a Wineskin wrapper.

    2) Download a Wineskin wrapper for the game (they are free and safe to use), I would recommend the one from Paul the Tall's website which I'm going to assume you're using for the purposes of this guide. What a Wineskin wrapper essentially does (from my understanding) is make a little bubble of something that operates like windows on your mac - this is completely legal as Wine itself uses none of windows source code nor was it reverse engineered from it.

    3) Open the Arcanum.dmg file you downloaded from Paul the Tall's website, and literally left click and drag the icon for Arcanum (which is called a Wineskin wrapper) onto your desktop (I wasn't used to the mac interface of doing stuff like this when I tried to install Arcanum, so this took me a little while to figure out, maybe I'm just a bit slow). Double click on this Wineskin wrapper and when prompted to point the installer to the your setup.exe you downloaded and go through the motions of installation as per usual.

    4) Right click on the Arcanum Wineskin wrapper and go on show package contents. Double click on the Wineskin app found within and select "Advanced", then find the executable in the artificial C drive directory the package has made (mine is /GOG Games/Arcanum/Arcanum.exe). Once this is done, double click on the Wineskin and the game will play - it can be docked or put wherever you want it like any normal application. Enjoy.

    Notes: I'm not entirely sure if you need Wineskin Winery or Wine itself already installed (I had already installed them before installing Arcanum) so that the game runs, but if you find you do they're also both free. If anyone can clarify this matter, do say.

    Drog's UAP

    To install Drog's patch (found in the download's section here) simply copy and paste the patch.exe somewhere into the artificial C drive by again going onto show package contents for the Wineskin wrapper to access it as per step 4. Then using the same method in step 4 (selecting "Advanced" in the Wineskin app) change what is the path to game.exe to wherever you've put the patch.exe and quit out of the Wineskin app. Double click on it and the patch installation will be launched, once this is done change the exe path back to that of the game.exe and you can run the now patched Arcanum. I presume this method can be used for any patch you want to install.

    Tweaks To Aid Gameplay And Gameplay Notes

    The KeyRemap4MacBook app (which is also free) allows you to designate a key for "forward delete" not found on most mac keyboards, which is useful as it allows you delete waypoints on the world map (EDIT: or, as I found out, just right clicking on the world map can remove waypoints). Unfortunately it doesn't allow you to have numberpad that the game recognises so transferring amounts in game can be a bit slow (bullets, fuel, etc.) - if I find a solution for this I'll post it up, though for other games people suggest an external numberpad (if someone did have one and a mac, tell me if it works). Also if you hadn't figured it out, the cmd key takes the place of alt (as in it allows you to attack objects when held) on a mac.

    Other Installation Methods

    1) Use Boot Camp to partition your hard drive and so that you can have access to your mac OS and windows OS on one machine (detailed here) - then install and play as you always would. The main drawback of this is you have to have a windows OS to install in the first place, and you have to select which OS you're running when you boot up (i.e. you can't have both running at once).

    2) Use a windows emulator - legal ones again require a valid windows OS (e.g. VMware Fusion, Parallels).

    3) Use CrossOver - essentially a tooled up version of Wine which you have to pay for. I don't have CrossOver so I can't really be specific on how the installation process would work, there's more about that specifically for Arcanum here on the codeweavers website. They'll also be a way to run the game through Wine, but really Wineskins are easier as someone has already done the hard work for you.

    Of course, why you would ever buy additional software and/or an additional OS when you can just buy Arcanum from GOG and run it legally and freely using the method I outlined is beyond a skinflint like me! Hopefully this will have been some use to someone, if the guide is confusing at any point or I haven't used the correct nerdy computer jargon then let me know and I'll change it.
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2017
  2. Leonidus

    Leonidus Member

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    Finally written something worth reading I see. Only took a few years.

    That's Drog-speak for "Brilliant work, mate. High marks all around."

    This is going to help a lot of people enjoy this great game.

    Well done, Jojo.
     
  3. Jojobobo

    Jojobobo Well-Known Member

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    Well to be honest it's something you can find quite easily if you do a little bit of research, and there are video tutorials of how to use Wineskin wrappers on Paul the Tall's website; however the one for Arcanum is outdated having a zip file instead of a dmg file which I found quite confusing - meaning that I had to cross reference it with a different video of his to understand what to do. Still, hopefully this will give people something to go off if they search mac and Arcanum on the forum and it's always good to try and support all types OS users who want to play the game (with luck some of these methods would still be applicable to Ubuntu/Linux users too).

    I also thought a thread like this would be useful for mac bug reporting, yet the only thing I've noticed so far is that the ghost of Bessie Toone wasn't coloured at all appearing as a black shadow which in all honesty I just thought was pretty cool. If I do turn up anything game-breaking and I discover a way around the problem I'll be sure to post it up.

    EDIT: Bugs

    So as I said, the sprite for Bessie Toone was messed up, but other sprites are sometimes too (including the PC). Moving the PC or interacting with the sprite in question (looting a body, talking to them, dragging a body) will make it assume a normal appearance. This bug may be a result of me using an intel HD 4000 graphics card which aren't compatible with all of Paul the Tall's wineskins however (Arcanum currently being untested with this graphics card).

    Additionally on the Isle of Despair there is a problem with the Pit: firstly the elf thief and half-ogre Borag spawn simultaneously, then after you kill them and re-enter the Pit you're teleported straight back out, after re-entering a third time no enemy appears and you have to wait a day or so to be released, following that you fight the level 12 human bandit carrying a hammer and finally the three halflings. This means that you cannot obtain the Isle of Despair sword (!), which may or may not be a big deal to you. However after killing the halflings you still get the Champion of the Pit reputation, so this is again a minor and non-gamebreaking bug [this did not happen with a subsequent play-through - see the next post - so is likely just a freak occurrence).

    EDIT 2: I managed to complete to game without issue. Sometimes when the sprite for a static object is supposed to change (say repairing Halcyon's altar) then the sprite will be messed up - but if you return to the area it will be as it should be. Other than that there are semi-frequent crashes to desktop, but this has always been an issue for Arcanum with me even when I played on a windows PC. Again this may be a result of my Intel HD 4000 graphics card, which was untested on the wineskin.
     
  4. Jojobobo

    Jojobobo Well-Known Member

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    UPDATE: So as I mentioned the game is complete-able on a mac, and in regards to the Isle of Despair sword that I mentioned I couldn't obtain previously, on my current play-through I was able to obtain it without issue so I guess it was one of those freak occurrences that sometimes happen with Arcanum. Apart from the sprites issue I mentioned, which is by no means a big deal, the game seems to be bug free.

    Also if I didn't make it clear enough in my edits to the main post KeyRemap4MacBook is NOT NEEDED to remove waypoints from the world map - this can be done just by right clicking.

    There seems to be no solution to transferring quantities without using one of the install options that utilises a copy of windows; I have tried KeyRemap4MacBook and changing the key mapping at a fundamental level using an .Xmodmap file - but with no luck. As far as I can tell, there's some fundamental difference between how an OSX and Windows operating system use keypad keys so I don't think buying an external keypad would work either - this is again a minor issue.

    KEY-REMAPPING: In my attempts to remap the keypad keys (which I did do successfully, but as I said there's something fundamentally different about how keypad keys operate on a mac so they can't be used for changing amounts) I found you can remap keys just for a wineskin (i.e. just for Arcanum) which is kind of neat. You'll need XQuartz found here to do these kind of shenanigans.

    What you'll need to do is create a .Xmodmap file. To do this you'll need to open up XQuartz - once you've done that type in "xmodmap - pke" into the terminal window to see what key maps to what keycode (keycodes being an actual key on your keyboard, the equals that comes after each keycode showing what happens when you press that key). There's supposed to be an xev application which you can also use for this purpose, but I never bothered - I just made a note of which key I wanted to change (so if you wanted to change your G key you'll see that "keycode 13 = g G copyright caret", I just noted down that keycode 13 = g).

    XQuartz allows you 5 "mods" which change the function of two keys on your keyboard, the first two of which are already set but can be altered. Here is an example of what I posted in a different forum so you can see the kind of things you should type:


    The xmodmap -p line allows you to see what changes you've made, and any changes you do make will occur in that current terminal of XQuartz that comes up anyway (which was annoying for me as I was changing keys I needed to use to finish typing the lines I wanted, like quotation marks, and I couldn't figure out a way to copy and paste either so I used the up and down keys which navigate to previous entries you've typed to I could progress). The "xmodmap –pke >/[path to my desktop]/Xmodmap" line - when you give it the correct route to your desktop (right click on your desktop folder in finder and click properties to find this out) - will create an Xmodmap text file with the appropriate changes on your desktop.

    Navigate to the frameworks folder in your wineskin (right click on the wineskin and go on show package contents to access its folders) and copy and paste this text file into your frameworks folder. Once you've done that follow the steps in this post to copy your current Xmodmap text file into a hidden .Xmodmap file in the frameworks folder of the wineskin (remember you can get into your wineskins folders by right clicking and going on "show package contents") by creating a terminal directly at that folder - complete guidance on this is provided in the post. If you want to remove the .Xmodmap file from the frameworks folder, as the file is hidden you'll need to again open up a terminal at the folder (as is mentioned in the linked post) and type "rm .Xmodmap" - you should only really need to do this if you cock up the keys somehow, or you want to revert back to the original keys.

    I would like to mention NEVER COPY A .Xmodmap FILE INTO YOUR ROOT FOLDER , only copy it into the frameworks folder for your wineskin - as the file is hidden and permanently alters your keys it can be a bitch to get rid of via the terminal if you need to type said keys in what you are doing. I'm sure there would be a way to remove it, but just don't do it.

    Why you'd want to remap the keys well I don't know, but the option is there should you want it. Also remember if you change a key and then don't remap it to anything else you won't be able to type that key (so if I change the keycode that corresponds to the letter i to the letter m, but don't set anything as i, you won't be able to type i rather obviously).

    This key-remapping will work for any X11 wineskin (i.e. any one with a frameworks folder, all of Paul the Tall's as far as I'm aware) but will not work for Mac Drivers wineskins.

    Apart from that, consider this guide complete - I'll update with any bugs that come up but I don't imagine there will be any more.
     
  5. Jojobobo

    Jojobobo Well-Known Member

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    UPDATE 2: So Paul the Tall no longer does Wineskin wrappers and instead uses commercial software, so you have to make the Wineskin wrapper yourself. I'm currently using El Capitan as my OSX, but I think it should work for other operating systems too. Here's a quick rundown:

    1) Download Wineskin Winery from this page for free, and install. NB Wine and its related apps are legal as they don't make any use or any Windows source code.

    2) Load up Wineskin Winery, click the little "+" next to "New Engine(s) available!".

    [​IMG]

    3) In the dropdown menu of the next page, select the engine WS9WineCX15.3.1, then select "Download and Install" and then "OK" on the downloader (this is the Wineskin engine I've found to work the best, out of a variety, including the one recommended by WineHQ, however if you get better results with a different engine let me know and I'll change the post). As more WS9WineCX... engines are added, probably whichever is newest will also work.

    4) Select the WS9WineCX15.3.1 engine and click "Create New Blank Wrapper". On the next page call the wrapper "Arcanum" and click "OK". Click cancel on the options that pop up (I think they're for if your game needs internet connectivity, which Arcanum does not) and then when the process is done click "View wrapper in Finder". Move the Wineskin Wrapper wherever you like, I'd suggest Applications.

    [​IMG]

    5) Open up the Wrapper, and click "Install Software". Click "Choose Executable File" and browse to wherever your .exe installer is (likely the legal one you purchased from GOG by following the link at the top of this forum, hint hint). Go through GOG installation as normal, and click "Exit" rather than launch game at the end. The Wrapper will then prompt you to select an .exe, choose /GOG Games/Arcanum/Arcanum.exe

    You've now installed Arcanum.

    [​IMG]

    6) Now the same Menu will pop up, click "Install Software" again, and select wherever you have the UAP.exe hidden away, go through the installer as per normal. If somehow you closed the Wineskin menu, rather than double clicking on the Wineskin which launches Arcanum, right click and go "Show Package Contents", then click on the Wineskin App there which will re-load the Wineskin Menu interface (this is also how you move files into the Arcanum folder, should you want to stick the Virgil Debug menu in there).

    You now have Arcanum with the UAP.

    7) Repeat for whatever other crap you want to install.

    8) Finally, rather than "Install Software" on the Wineskin Menu inside the Wrapper, go on "Advanced" options. In the "EXE flags" section, input "-no3d, -doublebuffer".

    9) I'd then try the game out, if it's not working well then go on "Set Screen Options" through the Wineskin Menu inside the Wrapper and uncheck "Auto Detect GPU Info for Direct3D" and check "Use Mac Driver instead of X11", click "Done". In think this latter step largely depends on your graphics card, with Intel cards (like what I have) requiring to use their own drivers, but don't quote me on that.

    You're now done, great job little buddy! I guess if anyone else has a better configuration in terms of engine used and other options then let me know. If you want to change the icon from Wine for the App, I've found the easiest way to do this is right click on the App itself and go on Get Info, then copy and paste over the picture in the top left corner.
     
    Last edited: Apr 18, 2017
  6. Philes

    Philes Well-Known Member

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    Good work, I hope somebody out there finds this helpful!
     
  7. Jojobobo

    Jojobobo Well-Known Member

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    Thanks, though as guides go I'd say it's a pretty niche one. It assumes that (a) you have a burning desire to play Arcanum, (b) you have a mac which makes this process difficult and (c) given the fact that you have a mac and want to play retro games that badly you don't already know how to make WIneskin wrappers. Though it took a little while to determine a good engine, that's really the only thing to it.
     
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