Can we please get a working Mac Client [Merged]
in Account & Technical Support
Posted by: ArmoredVehicle.2849
I just tried WineSkin with the 64-bit Windows client. I also tried Wine-Staging.
Short version: Wineskin with the 64-bit Windows client works. So does Wine-Stage with the 32-bit client. However, in exchange for playing without (frequent) crashing, you suffer performance issues.
Longer version:
I first tried WineStaging with the 64-bit client, but this did not work whatsoever. The Terminal rejects launching with the 64-bit exe and will only accept the 32-bit. Regardless, I was able to play on Wineskin for an hour or more in the Verdant Brink without a single crash, with decent graphics settings, far better than on the Mac client. The downside was graphic glitches. Graphics mess up pretty much constantly, and although you can adjust this a little, I don’t suggest playing in this way. It is more stable, but few will consider it playable.
Making a WineSkin with the 64-bit client was the best of both worlds for me. I used the latest Engine and my existing DAT file from the Mac side. I know it was the 64-bit client because it said so in the top right-hand corner. After adjusting the graphics settings, I could tell there was a slight difference from the Mac client, but they were still very good. In fact, they were nearly identical.
There were some issues, though. In populated areas the framerate would drop, a problem I never had with the Mac Client. Furthermore, the camera is limited to a 180-degree spin; with the Mac Client, I could turn the camera 360 degrees and freely, using that to “steer” my character. Using the WineSkin, I could no longer do this. Either I could not find the option to resume my previous camera setting, or it didn’t work. Also my Mac-specific OS shortcuts didn’t work anymore, but that’s to be expected while running a WineSkin.
I was able to play for about an hour in the Verdant Brink before the game crashed. While this means the WineSkined 64-bit client did not solve the problem, it VASTLY improved the situation over the Mac Client, where I would crash every 10 minutes or less on populated maps, or every 45 minutes in Central Tyria. The 64-bit client WineSkin was MUCH more stable, in exchange for the aforementioned camera issues and a varying degrade in framerate.
So that’s what I can report. I might fiddle with it a little more, or I might return to using the Mac Client since it feels more natural.
This is a band-aid solution, naturally. A 64-bit Mac Client, or a solution to the memory crash problem, would be FAR more ideal.
Glad you got it to work at some point, running the game smoothly on Wine requires a few tricks, I’ll try to cover the settings I’m using on Linux, maybe you can get some improvements.
I would avoid the normal Wine, the performance is abysmal and it’s barely playable without CSMT.
1) Graphics settings, I’ve attached a screenshot for this: https://dviw3bl0enbyw.cloudfront.net/uploads/forum_attachment/file/211962/gw2_linux_settings.jpg (V-Sync is not shown in the picture but it’s off)
2) With Wine you must run the game using the -dx9single command, this is a major FPS killer so make sure to have it always on.
3) Aside from all the in game settings, Shadows are one of the most critical, they drop the FPS a lot.
4) Registry settings in your Wine regedit – Check the attached screenshot for these too, these settings also yield some more FPS gains.
5) Mouse turning, in settings go to Mouse Rotation Speed and raise the bar to the max.
Pretty much this what I run on Linux, I understand Mac works differently but I hope they help in anyway, especially since you got this far.
Let me know if you have any questions. :-)
(edited by ArmoredVehicle.2849)