Mac Binary Release

[elio]

There's a universal binary patch on the way; compiled and under testing atm. I'll assume there's no cross arch network syncing et al and there's *no* optimisations.

I'll keep links [ replaced ]

As usual, post if works, doesn't work. If doesn't, something detailed to allow me to *find* the problem. Intel bugs/enhancements[such as network play] will be difficult to fix, so maybe set up a place for donations to go towards a headless mac-mini?

Edit:Testing results are Positive. Build uploaded.

You'll need the ppc base, then patch frameworks (replace with the ones in the cU zip) and the Universal_bU patch to replace the SpringRTS binary.


Edit2: Due to a request to bestow a ($30! Thank you very much! ) donation to go towards a basic intel mac mini primary for use to fix intel bugs and work on PPC-Intel macs network play and cross platform (with windows and linux) play. By no means does one have to (and I'm *slowly* working towards paying for one myself) but the option's available.


PS if you download and run it, could you post to say it works, doesn't? thanks :)

[elio]

Universal Build 0.7gU bundle, with data, frameworks, binary, etc. eqiv svn rev3392 here.


Will ask for the old files to be removed if no complaints about this build.

[grzywa]

Hi, I just learned about this project a few days ago and as a long TA fan and a recent Mac switcher I would love to help you guys test the mac build.

I dont know the first thing about programming but I will gladly help testing if you will walk me though and tell me where to click ( as long as is doesn't burn my computer or something ).

I would appreciate a link to a moron-proof installation guide, can't seem to find one in the FAQ.

I downloaded the universal bit, managed to download two maps ( bethesda 1 and 2). I launch the app, get to choose a script, then a map and the bugger quits. What else do I need ?

I have a Core 2 Duo MBP, the 2,16 / 1gb version with 10.4.8.

Sorry for the lame questions, I did try to find the answers on my own. Oh, and forgive a typo or two, english is not my mother language.

[grzywa]

Ok, I loaded the Absolute Annihilation 2.1 mod and ran around for about 15mins. It looks and runs great.

I built some stuff, D-gunned some trees, and messed around with the camera views.

Two things you probably know : resources don't seem to drop while building. No icons for building.

Other than that, works like a charm.

[elio]

Intel users resources don't drop. Thanks :) (not a ppc problem for some reason├óÔé¼┬ª) though that's going to be hard to find... hmm...

try AA 2.23, as it's the latest one I've run and works fine; also try XTA v8.1 and BA v4.5.


Sorry about clarity, I've kinda not got around to a readme and only had sentences or two around that people who have been here a bit would know. so for new people:

• Download the latest build;

• Download some maps (at least one)

• and mods (again, at least one),

• double click them to install them, or drag and drop them onto the SpringRTS.app bundle (they mightn't all install at once; so you may need to quit and repeat for remaining ones.

• run spring

also

• edit ~/Library/Preferences/de.berlios.taspring-linux.SpringRTS.plist to change Spring Settings

Testing all I need is for you to walk *me* through where to click in the easiest most reproducible way. Whether intel, or ppc; and for crashes, copies of either SpringRTS.app/data/infolog.txt, or ~/Library/Application\ Support/SpringRTS/infolog.txt. What map, mod you were using et cetera also quite useful.

The mac build at the moment's not meant to be moron proof, and is not technically "official". Informative, clear questions, with enough info for people to help you (just saying "it doesn't work" is useless to everyone) is not lame, and very much welcome.

Trust us native english first language people; you're better than us.

Most of all
Enjoy!!

[grzywa]

Ok, after playing for more than half of an hour I noticed that the resources DO drop while building, it took me a while to realize you start with like 100k of energy so it happens REALLY slowly and requires a lot of building.

Everything works great so far, it is even more impressive knowing that it's just an alfa build.

I'm stuck at work with a wintel box, I will test how the AI works when I'm back home.

You are an official hero of all the TA loving mac switchers :)

[elio]

Ok, after playing for more than half of an hour I noticed that the resources DO drop while building, it took me a while to realize you start with like 100k of energy so it happens REALLY slowly and requires a lot of building.

I was thinking it might just be that. Some of the scripts really do have a lot of starting resources.

And there's a problem with a few of the AI reporting the wrong "version" and causing it to quit out. I might put in a setting to allow potentially incompatible AIs...

[blitzoid2]

Thanks so much for porting to Mac! This is going to be great.

My specs are:
24" iMac 2.16 Core 2 Duo
Nvidia 7600 GT 256mb
OS X 10.4.8

I used the latest AASpring.

I grabbed the latest binary package, stuck a mod in, stuck a map in, set up my config, and started it up. Selected "random enemies", picked a map, and started.

The game ran at a great FPS (I didn't have an FPS counter on sadly so I can't give specifics), and I could build and play around with it a bunch.

However, I started getting weird graphical errors - rectangular patches of the screen went to a solid color, sometimes the whole screen would change to gray or green and the frame rate would drop down to 10-15fps. Sometimes the top half of the screen would turn these colors, and then quickly revert back to normal.

Additionally no enemies came at me with the 'random enemies' script, so I wasn't really able to test out combat.

I had prepped a bunch of images for this post, but new users can't post links. Bah!

[Peet]

The game ran at a great FPS (I didn't have an FPS counter on sadly so I can't give specifics), and I could build and play around with it a bunch.

Press b

[elio]

Brief questions, as I don't have much time:

Have you changed any prefs? what version do you mean by "latest"? The enermies script stopped working for me a while ago; might be diffs in the svns, so I'll look into it. try the luacallattackers or something, else you can always play one side, ".cheat", ".team 1" I wonder if it's related to the other nvidia bug reported... hmm

try fiddling with the graphics settings and see if you can pinpoint one that causes it. thanks :)

press b

and have frame rate drop by about 10-15

[Peet]

So add 15 to the given number

[blitzoid2]

Okay, zoomed waaay the heck out on a reasonably sized map I get around 55fps.

And there's no graphical glitches, so let me start building a base here to see when it comes in.

Additionally the only settings I've changed were resolution (It's 1024x768 now), and windowed mode to ON.

edit: using Universal Build 0.7gU bundle

[blitzoid2]

One thing I notice is that often units will simply disappear.

They're still there and they pop back into view a few seconds later, but they just... stutter, it seems.

edit: It's not just units either. It just happened again, and the commander and 3 metal extractors he had just build vanish and then came back moments later.

[blitzoid2]

Okay I got a bunch of screenshots of the problem. I decided to stop when another graphical glitch came up and this HUGE buzz sound screeched out of my speakers and then the game went silent.

From what I can tell, it DOES seem to be only when I have a base going. Just my commander wandering around didn't run into it, but once I started getting a base going (And seemingly especially when he was nano-lathing), the glitches came back.

I can email them to you if you'd like - I still can't post images here

Also I'm going to try the aerial combat test to see if it crops up there.

[blitzoid2]

Alright, no problems graphically with the aerial combat test (So pretty...).

However, sound seems to cut out after a little while. It came back once after a couple minutes, but then went away again after a few seconds.

[elio]

Some of the graphical glitches are apparently also in the linux build of spring; I haven't found any that I've noticed yet on my ppc mac. see if I can get enough to get an intel mac and it'll help locate. Though could you test if the glitches happen when a object being nanolathed reaches the first point that the final texture is being mapped?

Sound will do that because of the openAL implementation's sound source position effects; it can be really good in some uses, and really dodgy in the next; i've been seeing if I can implement some work arounds, but there doesn't seem to be much I can do at the moment that will cause much improvement without deviating too much from the core spring engine.

the buzz sounds because some silly windows sound encoders don't encode endianess properly, thus causing corrupted replay on the mac. the easiest option is to get people to encode it properly, the other is I work out a better way to guess endianness. Currently though it's not too high on the list.

PS for bug reports providing infolog.txt, please have VerboseLevel at 9 Thanks

[AF]

as far as I'm aware the verbose level only affects AI messages.

[elio]

I'm using that setting for my debugging code too; originally put in to find endian issues, but it's working for other things.

[desertlynx]

wiki updated to the best of my knowledge. please update/edit/delete mercilessly (that's what it wikis are for)

There might be one or two technical mistakes, but that'll technical be my ignorance. sorry about that.

finally, I decided to add a 'known issues' section to the bottom, however it may not be the appropriate area for such a topic.

[grzywa]

Is it possible to run a skirmish game againt the ai with the current build ? if yes, what do I need to download to do that ?