Options for running on a Mac.

[Blackfoot]

What are the options for running FG on a Mac? I remember reading something about a program called wine or something? I'm not a Mac user but one of my friends is and I am hoping to get him set up without a lot of confusion.
Suggestions?

[Moon Wizard]

I'm not a Mac user; but I've heard people mention Wine, Crossover, and Parallels. I would try searching for those names on the forums.

Regards,
JPG

[Zeus]

Here's a quick brain dump of the available and tested ;) methods for running FGII 2.8 or 2.9 on Mac OS X Lion (10.7.x).


Wine - [OpenSource] - Wine lets you run Windows software on other operating systems including OSX and Linux. With Wine, you can install and run Windows applications just like you would in Windows.
Easiest method for installing Wine on OSX is via MacPorts - a useful step-by-step guide for installing Wine on OSX via MacPorts can be found here (https://www.davidbaumgold.com/tutorials/wine-mac/).
Latest 1.4 version supports both 2.8 and 2.9.

Guide: How to install Fantasy Grounds II on OS X using Wine (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16754)

WineBottler - [Freeware] - WineBottler is a convenient OSX based wrapper app to the Wine environment. Simple to install but often tracks behind the latest releases of Wine.
You can grab WineBottler from MacUpdate (https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/33367/winebottler)
Latest 1.2.3 version supports both 2.8 and 2.9.

Guide: How to install Fantasy Grounds II on OS X using WineBottler (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16755)

CrossOver for Mac - [Commercial] - Similar to WineBottler but backed up with commercial support offerings. Simple to install but tracks one release behind current Wine development releases.
More information on the available software & support packages can be found here (https://www.codeweavers.com/products/).
Versions 10 and 11 support both FGII 2.8 and 2.9.

Guide: How to install Fantasy Grounds II on OS X using CrossOver (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16758)

Parallels Desktop for Mac - [Commerical] - Parallels for Mac is a virtualisation package that allows you to run Windows (under virtualisation) directly through OSX. An effective method for running anything but the most graphically intensive Windows apps under OS X. Requires a valid MS Windows licence.
More information here (https://www.parallels.com/uk/products/desktop?icid=1479).
Latest version 7 supports both 2.8 and 2.9.

VMware Fusion for Mac - [Commercial] - Similar to Parallels Desktop for Mac. a virtualisation package that allows you to run Windows (under virtualisation) directly through OSX. Requires a valid MS Windows licence.
More Information here (https://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/overview.html).
Latest version 4 supports both 2.8 and 2.9.

Bootcamp - [Free aside from Windows License] - Bootcamp is an official Apple tool that enables you to turn your Mac into a dual boot capable system. i.e. Mac can boot into Mac OSX or a Windows based OS.Requires a valid MS Windows licence.
More information here (https://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/).
Latest version 4 supports both 2.8 and 2.9.


Of all the options, I have found all the Wine based options (Wine, CrossOver, WineBottler) to be effective (and low cost) methods for running FGII on Mac. Pretty simple to setup and the performance during games is better IMHO than most Windows based systems. If your friend is happy to work at the command line - I'd recommend going for the naked Wine option (as its free!), however if he/she feels more comfortable with a GUI based environment go with WineBottler (again, free) unless ongoing support is preferred (in which case, CrossOver). Either way, all three options work well for FGII.

If your friend also has other Windows applications (particularly .NET based apps - which Wine solutions sometimes struggle with), the virtualisation or boot camp methods maybe better option (cost aside).

Hope that helps.

[Moon Wizard]

Moving to House of Healing forum and making sticky. Thanks again DrZ.

JPG

[Blackfoot]

Thanks for all the info. Hopefully we won't have any trouble getting him up and running.

[zabbadeuce]

I don't mean to be a bother but could anyone jot down a quick step by step for making fg work on a mac. I see a lot of "It works with this" which is good, lets me know where to start but i have some non tech savvy players who only run macs across the country who can't seem to get it to run. I personally am a windows guy and google/forums/youtube can only help so much. We are trying to use winebottler since its free but we seem to be stuck. If anyone can offer an assist it would be much appreciated.

-thanks zabba

[khersheyjr]

I finally helped get a few of my players working on their Macs...It is indeed frustrating as a Windows person to help someone on a Mac. Thank goodness I had a Mac Saavy person to help me. If I had a Mac I would make a tutorial for it.

[Zeus]

I don't mean to be a bother but could anyone jot down a quick step by step for making fg work on a mac. I see a lot of "It works with this" which is good, lets me know where to start but i have some non tech savvy players who only run macs across the country who can't seem to get it to run. I personally am a windows guy and google/forums/youtube can only help so much. We are trying to use winebottler since its free but we seem to be stuck. If anyone can offer an assist it would be much appreciated.

-thanks zabba

OK. I have started writing some guides. I have stickied some step-by-step instructions for Wine. I'll also add one for WineBottler and CrossOver. I'll do some of the VM variants later this week assuming I can find an available Windows license.


Guide: How to install Fantasy Grounds II on OS X using Wine (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16754)
Guide: How to install Fantasy Grounds II on OS X using WineBottler (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16755)
Guide: How to install Fantasy Grounds II on OS X using CrossOver (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16758)

[khersheyjr]

Thanks a bunch. This will help those players using systems other than windows in getting up and running :)

[ddavison]

Thanks again DrZeuss. I've added links to these directly within the FAQ now.

[velshandru]

Many thanks DrZ, I now have FG up and running in a WineBottle in addition to Parallels where it's been running for a while now. I've found my data files and started the process of migrating a test campaign from Parallels. How does one copy over one's community rulesets? I use CT and can't get the WineBottled version of FG to see either that nor the foundations extension which it's based on.

[Zeus]

Ruleset files should be placed in the FGII App Data/rulesets folder if the ruleset is unpacked. If packed (.pak file) they need to be placed in the FGII Program folder.

By default, in WineBottler, FGII will be installed inside the Applications/Fantasy Grounds II.app file. To access the contents of this file you need to right click and select Show Package Contents). In the new Finder window that will open you need to navigate to


Contents/Resources/drive_c/Program Files/Fantasy Grounds II/

The FGII App Data folder will be created (by default) in


~/Library/Application Support/Wine/prefixes/<name of Wine prefix>/drive_c/users/<your user name>/Application Data/Fantasy Grounds II/

[Pauper]

With the persistent rumors that Windows 10 was likely to be free, I had hoped that this would basically make Boot Camp the default option for anybody wanting to run any Windows-based software (like Fantasy Grounds) on a Mac.

Sadly, Windows 10 is only a free upgrade for existing Windows license-holders (so if you already run Windows in Boot Camp, you can upgrade that Windows OS to Windows 10 for no cost); Windows 10 Home can be picked up at a Best Buy or from Amazon for about $120 (if you have a MicroCenter or similar tech outlet in your area, you may be able to find an OEM version for $99). The Boot Camp software and drivers are free from Apple (because you already bought a Mac).

Boot Camp thus remains the priciest option for running Fantasy Grounds (if you've got a Mac that's was built in 2013 or later), but it's also the most solid option, IMO, since you're actually running Fantasy Grounds in Windows 'natively' rather than through an emulation layer or wrapper.

--
Pauper

[Eighteez]

Hi. I have a mac now and am going to try the recommended wine method here.

My question before I do this is: "Has anything changed in the last 3+ years regarding running FG on a Mac?

[ddavison]

You can now run it on Steam as a Mac user. If you already have a license key, you can activate a product there and install it.

[Eighteez]

I have steam installed and I am looking at the add a game screen.

do I choose activate a product? Add a non steam game? Where do I go to make this happen? I have my license handy. No installed FG though. Just steam.

[Eighteez]

ok I figured out how to get it running.

Now I just need to find where to copy my campaign from my windows machine over to this mac. Can anyone assist here? I am not very mac proficient and cannot seem to find the data directory that fantasy grounds wants to use. It looks to be buried somewhere inside whatever is happening to make this run in steam. How do I find that to copy my campaign over?

[Eighteez]

nevermind.

I figured that out but trying to get the screen to fit on the screen comfortably is worse than it is in windows.

This isn't going to work for me either.

Thanks for the assistance!

[ddavison]

Maximize may not look proper; however, if you restore it to non-maximized view and simply drag the edge of the window, it should scale out properly.

[Eighteez]

that's what I assumed but I couldnt find any way to get a draggable edge or corner on the windows.

[ddavison]

On my Mac, it just shows up on the bottom right corner. Note that if you are in Maximized mode already, you need to right-click in the FG desktop and choose Restore Window first.

[Kero_Hawke]

Ok, so maybe I'm just having a moment but, how did you get the game added without purchasing the license on steam. I have a license and I have been staring at the steam store page for over an hour trying to figure out how to get the game without purchasing a new license through steam. I'm sure this is a case of "if a snake it would have bit me" but I'm really frustrated at this point. I have the demo on steam but have never gotten it to open.

[Moon Wizard]

I'm not in front of my computer, but I believe there's an option to Activate a Key on Steam. Perhaps in the FG standard license details page.

Note: this will only work for keys migrated to Steam from our store, which happens every 4-6 weeks.

Regards,
JPG

[ddavison]

I'm not in front of my computer, but I believe there's an option to Activate a Key on Steam. Perhaps in the FG standard license details page.

Note: this will only work for keys migrated to Steam from our store, which happens every 4-6 weeks.

Regards,
JPG

You can check this link for more information:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/252690/discussions/2/558755530621472814/

The last batch of keys covered all licenses bought outside of Steam through 2-14-2016.

[Kero_Hawke]

Lol. Thank you for the link and the info about key migrations. Like I said, if it was a snake..... Guess I'll be waiting a bit since I just got my key yesterday. I may end up just running wineskin from my computer so I don't have to wait. Is there an announcement when keys are migrated or should I just give it a shot in a couple weeks if I decide to stick with steam?

Shel

[Nylanfs]

Install the demo, then enter your key you got from Smiteworks in the settings dialog. Then when the next batch gets sent to Valve activate it.

[ddavison]

Lol. Thank you for the link and the info about key migrations. Like I said, if it was a snake..... Guess I'll be waiting a bit since I just got my key yesterday. I may end up just running wineskin from my computer so I don't have to wait. Is there an announcement when keys are migrated or should I just give it a shot in a couple weeks if I decide to stick with steam?

Shel

It is likely to be a little while since it can be 2 months in between. If you just bought yesterday, we could do a refund of the purchase here so that you could pick it up on Steam instead. Let me know if that's the route you'd like to take at [email protected]

You can subscribe to that thread on Steam and should get a notice in Steam when it is updated next.

[ddavison]

I think the Demo isn't launching for them.

This usually fixes the demo. The non-demo version doesn't seem to have this issue.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/252690/discussions/2/458606877319181567/

[ll00ll00ll00ll]

Has anyone had any luck running two instances of FG on a mac, either with a Wine installation or a Steam install? I keep getting "License Key Conflict"... If I run the same license using a Parallels installation then it works fine. I'd rather run it directly through Mac if possible and not involve Parallels... thoughts?

[Trenloe]

Has anyone had any luck running two instances of FG on a mac, either with a Wine installation or a Steam install? I keep getting "License Key Conflict"...
When Joining game on the same computer use a server address of localhost this will avoid the license key conflict.

[ll00ll00ll00ll]

That's what I've been doing, it doesn't seem to work on a Mac / Wine install. If I do that on a Parallels / Windows 10 installation, it works as intended. I've tried installing via Steam, and from a standalone wine installation, nothing on the Mac works, only the Parallels version. The reason I'm trying to not use Parallels is because of the additional resource usage.

[damned]

Ive seen it done successfully but I dont have any more info on Im afraid...

[dberkompas]

I'm on a Macbook Pro Retina, running 10.11.3 (El Capitan), running under Wine perfectly.

I followed the Wine Bottler directions from these forums.


BoomerET

[ll00ll00ll00ll]

I'm on a Macbook Pro Retina, running 10.11.3 (El Capitan), running under Wine perfectly.

I followed the Wine Bottler directions from these forums.


BoomerET

Same here, it works wonderfully, my problem is when I try to run multiple instances, that's when I get the License Key Conflict. Have you tried that?
I'm on a macbook pro (non-retina) El Capitan 10.11.3

[dberkompas]

I would hope you get that kind of message.

If you need to run multiple instances, remove the key from the other instances and connect to the master.

[ll00ll00ll00ll]

I would hope you get that kind of message.

If you need to run multiple instances, remove the key from the other instances and connect to the master.

That did it! Thanks so much, i've been tearing my hair out trying to get this to work. I don't know why I didn't think of the simplest possible thing first.
FYI, for a windows installation, you don't need to do that, basically you just double click on the same .exe and it loads correctly without any key conflicts. All I had to do for the Mac was copy the winbottler install, open it up, remove the key info in the settings, and it works fine. Thanks Again.

[dberkompas]

I'll email the tech support invoice later today.


BoomerET

[ll00ll00ll00ll]

I'll email the tech support invoice later today.


BoomerET

do you take Electrum Pieces?

[dberkompas]

Sure, I accept BitCoins

0xAFE74854B590

[damned]

thank you dberkompas

[dberkompas]

You're welcome. I'll forward my services rendered billable hours to Mstr Davidson@SW

[Fenris4024]

Okaaay, so here's our little issue. I've been running a FG 5e campaign (on a PC) for a while now (and still am, love this program), and I have one of our players that wants to start up a campaign as well. The caveat being he's on a Mac, and is super tech savvy. He has no issues joining my game and no issues playing. He bought his via Steam, since it was the simplest option for him (i.e. no need for wine or any of the other stuff to play).

Today, while I was giving him the "how-to's" of the DM side of things, he decided to purchase the DLCs for the PHB, DMG, and MM in the Steam store. Now we find out that those do NOT work on a mac client (at least not those versions.) He has since requested a refund via Steam, so we'll see how that goes. That being said, IS there an option to install these books to his FG so he can run a 5e DnD game?

I'm doing the asking since I am a forum rat, and am more likely to see all this before he is.
Thanks!

[ll00ll00ll00ll]

I did this same thing, and the end result was that I had to give FG my proof of purchase and they made the DLC available from the FG Store. It was resolved within about an hour of complaining about it. I submitted a complaint to [email protected], then received the following email:

I am sorry for the difficulties, however, we have a fix and I am happy to assist you. There is a technical issue with our wrapper that prevents it from checking in with Steam on a Mac to validate DLC purchases. The Check Steam for DLC option should be turned off. For this reason, we have marked all the DLC for Mac as Windows only and we recommend people buy the DLC from our Store directly and have it linked with their FG forum account. This method works for all platforms. Since you already have made the purchases on Steam, we can link these to an account you provide as if you purchased them from us directly and it will then work. To do this, we just need for you to visit https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/index.php and create a new account if you don't already have one. Email back with the username and we will link the products and send you additional installation instructions.

Any future purchase you make from that FG account will automatically link. If you prefer to continue buying through Steam, we will just need for you to send us the proof of purchase and the username again and we can link any new purchases you make.

Doug Davison
President
SmiteWorks USA, LLC

After sending him a couple things (all at his request) this was resolved and all works well now.

[ddavison]

Yes, no problem. He can either send the receipt from Steam to [email protected] and we can add it or he can get a refund from Steam and then buy it through the store here. If he links his username into his settings from his Steam account, it will download and install them even though he is running through Steam.

[Fenris4024]

Awesome, thanks. I'll pass along the information to him. I don't know if he has an active forum acct. here or not, but I'll be in touch with him later this evening I hope.

[Nylanfs]

Note there is a note on the DLC that says not MAC compatible.

[JC1644]

Can you help me with this issue. When I maximize the screen I lose the bottom part of fantasy grounds (I can't see the dice or buttons). I made the tool bar only appear if I put my mouse over it but it still has the same cut-off. When I don't have it maximized the window is quite small and I am unable to resize it. How can I get it to resize?

[Trenloe]

Can you help me with this issue. When I maximize the screen I lose the bottom part of fantasy grounds (I can't see the dice or buttons). I made the tool bar only appear if I put my mouse over it but it still has the same cut-off. When I don't have it maximized the window is quite small and I am unable to resize it. How can I get it to resize?
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?23532-Mac-Steam-no-overlay-Half-screen-Cant-full-screen&p=204349&viewfull=1#post204349

[drunkenminotaur]

I found a Mac Client in the downloads . . . should I use a wine option? I am having difficulty installing a 2E rules set. Any help is appriciated.

[ddavison]

Use the Downloads for the OSX Installation. Then launch FG and click on the folder icon on the launch screen to open your Data Directory. Place the custom extension in the extensions folder that is under there.

[troymhallman]

I'm going to add a layer to this discussion. Weekly, I use Wine to run FG on my Mac. It was a bit of an inconvenience to set it up (I'm used to the "click one button and everything happens correctly" Mac society), but it is working flawlessly now.

My issue... I have just begun to dive into the deep end of the pool, i.e. I'm going to DM. I purchased and DL'ed a PDF and FG mod from Dungeon Masters' Guild (DDAL04-02), but I cannot get it to upload. The FG app offers no "go search for your mod" feature, and when I have FG open and the I go to Finder and double click on the mod in my "D&D" folder, I get an error ("There is no Windows program configured..."). I am at a loss. I've tried to find answers online, but the internet has failed me again [stupid internet]. Any advice and council would be greatly appreciated.

[LordEntrails]

I'm going to add a layer to this discussion. Weekly, I use Wine to run FG on my Mac. It was a bit of an inconvenience to set it up (I'm used to the "click one button and everything happens correctly" Mac society), but it is working flawlessly now.

My issue... I have just begun to dive into the deep end of the pool, i.e. I'm going to DM. I purchased and DL'ed a PDF and FG mod from Dungeon Masters' Guild (DDAL04-02), but I cannot get it to upload. The FG app offers no "go search for your mod" feature, and when I have FG open and the I go to Finder and double click on the mod in my "D&D" folder, I get an error ("There is no Windows program configured..."). I am at a loss. I've tried to find answers online, but the internet has failed me again [stupid internet]. Any advice and council would be greatly appreciated.
So, after you bought it, you have to put the .mod file in the Module directory of your FG Datafolder. Then try going into your Library from a campaign and opening it?

[ddavison]

So, after you bought it, you have to put the .mod file in the Module directory of your FG Datafolder. Then try going into your Library from a campaign and opening it?

We have an updated installer under Downloads > OSX Installation on the main site that preconfigures the WINE wrapper for you.

To access the correct Finder location on your Mac, do the following:

Launch FG
Click the folder icon on the upper right corner of the launch screen to open a Finder window pointed to the Data Folder for FG.
Navigate to the modules folder and copy the .mod file there


If you get a Wine Explorer instead of a Finder window, then we would recommend reinstalling using our installer under Downloads. You can copy stuff from the old WINE package to the new one if you'd like.

[troymhallman]

ddavison, that worked like a charm. I uninstalled and reinstalled. I can now use the Mac Finder instead of the Windows-like menus in Wineskin. Thank you.

[ddavison]

Great. That Wine Explorer window is awful, so it's definitely worth switching to the latest version to get the full Finder window.

[chatty]

I am using the Mac installer that doesn't require Crossover or whatever.

I'm unable to get FG to run after installing High Sierra.

Console windows spews the following constantly:

Runtime Error: D3DXCreateTexture failed - (1024,768) - D3DUSAGE_RENDERTARGET - D3DPOOL_DEFAULT - D3DERR_OUTOFVIDEOMEMORY

The main FG window is blank and white.

Any ideas?

Thanks!
C

[chatty]

oops sorry for the double.

[ddavison]

Zeus is working on getting a High Sierra compatible version updated and available in the downloads.

These are the notes he sent me this morning:



FIXED! Turns out auto detection of GPU information is failing. Simply uncheck the 'Auto Detect GPU Info for Direct3D' feature in WineSkin/Advanced/Set Screen Options (see piccy below).


https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=20768&d=1506696272

20768

[chatty]

OK I can't ever get to a WineSkin config screen so I am gojng to hunt for a config file. This helps! I have hope! That said, I did lose everything since June by overwriting my application. !#$!#!!

[chatty]

Here's how to get there if you have the "easy" mac installer that never presents Wine options:

1) Go to Applications folder and find Fantasy Grounds.
2) Right-click and Show Package Contents.
3) In the folder that opens should be Wineskin. Run that and you should get a Wineskin window (image attached)
4) Press Screen Options to get to the screen referenced by ddavison.

20777

[chatty]

Also THANKS!

[Helgaborg02]

Hi!

New to this forum. Used FG with PC, but trying to switch to MAC.
Do you know if we can host two instances on a mac? Seems impossible for me to start a second one...

[damned]

Welcome - you actually need a second instance of the FG install. You cant launch the one instance twice on the mac.

[Doc_Waldo]

I'm wondering if anyone else is having the issue of hitting >90% CPU, and 500GB Memory when I am running the FGII wine wrapper that I downloaded...I guessing not because I've done a such with no luck. Just thought I would check.

[Moon Wizard]

Try turning off the compatibility flag in the FG Settings. It forces a full redraw on every frame. If you need it, then the screen will only redraw under the mouse; if not, then you don't need it. It depends on the graphics driver.

Regards,
JPG

[Doc_Waldo]

I think that did the trick and it is running normal now. I will reply back if it spikes again. Anthother quick questions someone may know and this is more curiousity. I understand the new download is a wine wrapper (maybe not the technical term), but is there a difference in performance if someone installed the actual wine program and then installed via wine bottle? Now I may have slaughtered the terminology, but I hope my point is understood. Thanks.

[damned]

I think that did the trick and it is running normal now. I will reply back if it spikes again. Anthother quick questions someone may know and this is more curiousity. I understand the new download is a wine wrapper (maybe not the technical term), but is there a difference in performance if someone installed the actual wine program and then installed via wine bottle? Now I may have slaughtered the terminology, but I hope my point is understood. Thanks.

No real difference at all.

[dmbrown]

I can confirm that turning off the compatibility option makes a big difference. I would see a huge spike in Activity Monitor when it was enabled and then after I turned it off there was just the normal usage by the program. I have kept it off ever since.

[Doc_Waldo]

Just a quick update. After switching I have not had any issues. Per Moon's suggestion. I ran a game for several hours and actual ran on my MBP two instances and again normal. Also for what it is worth I own the latest version of Parelles and have used for many years. Running FG with wine uses less resources and actual runs better with no degradation of graphics. The touchpad and mouse seem to so wirn smoother. I use the high end MBP compared on both the laptop screen and 34" ultra 4k curved monitor and again wine ran smoother. To further test I created a new parelles VM that just ran Windows 7 and again wine ran just as fast and usedess resources. Just thought I would share.

[ddavison]

Thanks for the report.

[jradvan]

Turning off the compatibility mode and excluding both copies of the app from on-access antivirus has eliminated my running hot issues. Much better performance in Wine now than using a Win10 VM in Virtualbox.

[mellemda]

I just downloaded the demo version on a MacBook and in case anyone is having issues, it would NOT work by downloading via Firefox. The .dmg link kept trying to open in a browser tab and not doing anything except making my computer fan go nuts. Finally figured this out and opened in Chrome without issue.

[damned]

Welcome mellemda.

[dmbrown]

Welcome fellow Mac owner.

If you want to span the FG window across two monitors this can be done by clicking the System Preferences icon in the Dock or by clicking the Apple icon on the top left of the screen and selecting System Preferences. Then go to Mission Control settings screen and Click to uncheck the Displays have separate spaces checkbox to disable it. You’ll need to logout or restart your Mac for it to take effect.

[RedLucidity]

Sorry if this isn't the correct forum location for this.

I've been working on figuring out Fantasy grounds for a while now. no games yet..

One of the issues I'm having is when leaving a session and returning to the launcher. It just seems to hang. Sometimes just being patient works and it finally comes up. But, most of the time, hours later, it could still be closing the session without it ever closing. I end-up having to to quit FG and reopen it from steam. this even occurs if i haven't done anything in the session. ie. opening and closing it again.

I usually leave steam in offline mode. FG is a Full Ultimate license, with the full D&D bundled pak, the bundled FG rulesets and only Star wars as my only community downloaded & installed Ruleset. I have been trying to figure out how to build my own ruleset so I have both star wars and the CoreRPG rulesets as separate and renamed folders in the ruleset folder.

I've reloaded the software and started over and I've turned the Compatibility off and have just tried the default purchased and installed paks. With all cases it seems to hang or lock up after a few times of opening.
I'm running a Mac book Pro Fall 2010, solid state drive, with 8GB RAM. Opening FG from and offline session of Steam in the bundled Wine install.

I've also tried the test mode, and now have the enhanced update logging turned on. Same issue.

Thanks for any help you could provide,
RL

[Nylanfs]

Welcome to the forums, If I remember right you need to use the options inside FG to exit the program instead of using the normal Mac option to stop a program. Right click and one of the options is to exit the program.

[dmbrown]

Nylanfs is correct. That is what I do on my Mac. What I've noticed is that I have one large campaign that does this, where it just hangs of I try to go back to the launcher, so I just quit the program and then open it again.

[RedLucidity]

Nylanfs is correct. That is what I do on my Mac. What I've noticed is that I have one large campaign that does this, where it just hangs of I try to go back to the launcher, so I just quit the program and then open it again.


Welcome to the forums, If I remember right you need to use the options inside FG to exit the program instead of using the normal Mac option to stop a program. Right click and one of the options is to exit the program.

When leaving an open campaign in Fantasy grounds, I always use the R-click -> Exit, return to launcher. Or R-click Exit, Exit Program. When using the First option, that is R-click -> Exit, return to launcher, the program almost always hangs. then I have to use the Mac Command Q to quit Fantasy Grounds.

Is there some reason it has to Exit and not Return to Launcher? Wasn't sure if just exiting was saving the campaign data or not. As Return to Launcher seems to.

[dmbrown]

Yes, just exiting will save the campaign. What I’ve found is that if the campaign is small I can get the return to launcher to work. But on one campaign i’ve ran for over a year I need to pick exit.

[ll00ll00ll00ll]

I've seen this same behavior intermittently. About 1 in every 10 times I have to force shutdown (cmd-option-escape) fantasy grounds. I can say that I have yet to lose any data as a result. I've noticed that sometimes the first restart of FG doesn't work for some reason, I usually have to wait a second then double click the app icon again, and all is well.

[RedLucidity]

Ok new Question.

I'm switching to my Mac Mini with the larger monitor. screen Realestate! Anyhow.. I need to isolate from my other VM that I have running.

So I have OSX running a VM of Win7 on VirtualBox. Windows is licensed. I've downloaded from steam my FG install. it opened after setting my license key it updated. After restarting FG from Steam. I get the following Errors: WindowTitle: Could not initialize DirectX; WindowMessage:CheckDeviceType failed! Error code 16. AND WindowTitle: Error!: WindowMessage: Could not initialize Graphics system!

Has anyone installed FG on a Windows VM ran from VirtualBox on a Mac?

[damned]

Ok new Question.

I'm switching to my Mac Mini with the larger monitor. screen Realestate! Anyhow.. I need to isolate from my other VM that I have running.

So I have OSX running a VM of Win7 on VirtualBox. Windows is licensed. I've downloaded from steam my FG install. it opened after setting my license key it updated. After restarting FG from Steam. I get the following Errors: WindowTitle: Could not initialize DirectX; WindowMessage:CheckDeviceType failed! Error code 16. AND WindowTitle: Error!: WindowMessage: Could not initialize Graphics system!

Has anyone installed FG on a Windows VM ran from VirtualBox on a Mac?

What sort of graphics card is in the mac mini?
This error is because the VM doesnt have approriate virtual graphics resources to install/run directX.

Edit: I would try the Mac installer and skip the W7 VM...

[ddavison]

Ok new Question.

I'm switching to my Mac Mini with the larger monitor. screen Realestate! Anyhow.. I need to isolate from my other VM that I have running.

So I have OSX running a VM of Win7 on VirtualBox. Windows is licensed. I've downloaded from steam my FG install. it opened after setting my license key it updated. After restarting FG from Steam. I get the following Errors: WindowTitle: Could not initialize DirectX; WindowMessage:CheckDeviceType failed! Error code 16. AND WindowTitle: Error!: WindowMessage: Could not initialize Graphics system!

Has anyone installed FG on a Windows VM ran from VirtualBox on a Mac?

As damned suggests, I would recommend skipping the VM as well and just use the Downloads > Mac OSX Installer instead.

If you want to run under the VM, then that message looks a lot like the message that occurs on Windows when DirectX 9.0c is first installed and it indicates that a reboot is required. Have you tried triggering a fresh reboot within the VM after installation of FG?

[Trenloe]

So I have OSX running a VM of Win7 on VirtualBox. Windows is licensed. I've downloaded from steam my FG install. it opened after setting my license key it updated. After restarting FG from Steam. I get the following Errors: WindowTitle: Could not initialize DirectX; WindowMessage:CheckDeviceType failed! Error code 16. AND WindowTitle: Error!: WindowMessage: Could not initialize Graphics system!

Has anyone installed FG on a Windows VM ran from VirtualBox on a Mac?
You need to install VirtualBox guest additions and enable the experimental 3D option. Info on guest additions here: https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch04.html

[RedLucidity]

@Ddavison & @damned Using the VM due to other needs that needed to be maintained on the machine.

Running the VirtualBox Guest additions and the 3D option from SafeMode did the trick. The info suggests that it didn't need safemode for Win7 guests to be able to install. But it did in this case.

Thanks Trenloe!

[k410]

Codeweavers is running a birthday promotion for Crossover (both Mac and Linux versions):

https://www.codeweavers.com/store/promotions

[Varsuuk]

Hey guys, I am going away next week and need to take my work Macbook due to possible need for me to work remotely if feces hits the air conditioner ;)

If I wanted to avoid needing to bring 2 laptops, I wanted to get back to ruleset experimenting on vacation. Anyone know if I installed from download (not steam) does it install all to one or two localized areas so when back can easily and cleanly uninstall FG from m work Macbook?

Any tips on mak8ng that easier?

Thanks

[dmbrown]

From what i’ve seen on my Mac from the download installer is everything is self contained and you would just need to delete fantasy grounds from your application folder when you were done.

[Varsuuk]

Thanks, that's what I recalled about being one folder but my experience with Mac is after you run something other directories are modified in Library or can't recall if another place.

Just wanted to be ready ahead to know what to look for.

[spoonhead]

There's a neat piece of software called App Cleaner, that does a very good job of uninstalling software, including library files that just dragging the application to the trash can ignore. It's also free.

https://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/

[daggerfortysix]

I've been running FG on my Mac for a few years now using the wine wrapped download from FG. I'd really like to get the DOE: Sound Extension working since I purchased the Rob2e's Fantasy Grounds Sounds, DOM Soundlink-Library Module, and the Adventure Path subscription on Syrinscape. Last night, I used bootcamp and put a Windows partition on my Mac, but found that I simply hated needing to fully reboot to get back to my Mac OS. I constantly found that I needed reference material in my Mac Books App. It was just not worth it.

I am thinking about using Parallels... The problem I have with that is that I've heard it really slows down Fantasy Grounds. I also have some concern on how to get my PureVPN(w/static IP) to work within Parallels as I travel often and must have that for connection.

Is there anyone around that is running Fantasy Grounds on a Mac via Parallels that is tech savvy enough with both operating systems and VPN networking that has a good opinion and could help? I'd appreciate any recommendations including other sound options that work easily on a Mac? Thanks for any input!

[spoonhead]

I've been running FG on my Mac for a few years now using the wine wrapped download from FG. I'd really like to get the DOE: Sound Extension working since I purchased the Rob2e's Fantasy Grounds Sounds, DOM Soundlink-Library Module, and the Adventure Path subscription on Syrinscape. Last night, I used bootcamp and put a Windows partition on my Mac, but found that I simply hated needing to fully reboot to get back to my Mac OS. I constantly found that I needed reference material in my Mac Books App. It was just not worth it.

I am thinking about using Parallels... The problem I have with that is that I've heard it really slows down Fantasy Grounds. I also have some concern on how to get my PureVPN(w/static IP) to work within Parallels as I travel often and must have that for connection.

Is there anyone around that is running Fantasy Grounds on a Mac via Parallels that is tech savvy enough with both operating systems and VPN networking that has a good opinion and could help? I'd appreciate any recommendations including other sound options that work easily on a Mac? Thanks for any input!

Like you I run on a Mac, and frustrated with lack of 3rd party support through Syrinscape. So in the end Iinstalled boot camp on my Mac. And just boot into that when I run FG.

We had a session last night, where I was playing, my DM had the sounds loaded, but I had te link into Syrinscape. Worked brilliantly, all the players were hearing the chat sounds.

Bootcamp is effectively a windows on a Mac, no slowdown, and very stable. You obviously need enough disc space to create the partition, but it's pretty straight forward. I have a 500gb HD with it split 400/100 Mac/Win. I'm not planning to use Windows for much so the space is ideal.

[Bidmaron]

I use parallels all the time and I don’t need a vpn. I can tell no difference running on my Mac vs my pc (and my pc is a powerhouse). My Mac is a 6 year old MacBook Pro. My MacBook has 1TB SSD as only drive and I use 512KB SSD on my pc
Truth be told I have not tried syrinscape with FG on my Mac or pc yet but I have never had anything I can do on my pc not work on my Mac. Syrinscape alone works fine on both machines but I have not yet tried running it with Fantasy Grounds yet.
With parallels, you will need a windows license, of course. I have windows 7 on my Mac and 10 on my pc.
I may be getting a vpn soon because I will be living out of a hotel for next 8 months.

[daggerfortysix]

Thanks for the input both of you. I still just can get over having to reboot to swap between operating systems so I'm pretty sure bootcamp is out. Today, I've been testing FG in parallels on my MacBook Pro using the DOE:Sound Extension and Syrinscape and it works great. The trouble I am working through now is getting the connection test to success. I have PureVPN that is necessary for me while traveling and for some reason, although the static IP is flowing through the shared network connection that parallels uses within the Mac OS, I'm still getting a failure. I think in may be the porting from within the windows environment. PureVPN has always worked so the issue is certainly a result of Parallels.

Anyone that has some knowledge about the network within Parallels, let me know any suggestions.

[Bidmaron]

Later tonight when home I will tell you how you have to set it in parallels. Seems like you have to use bridged but let me check after Halloween

[daggerfortysix]

I got a SUCCESS on my home network, now I am working to confirm the VPN. We can pick up this discussion tomorrow or whenever. Happy Halloween!

[Bidmaron]

Was it bridge mode then? I have mine set to "Airport" under the Bridged Network options.

[daggerfortysix]

Mine is a shared connection. In the Parallels Desktop Preferences>Network>Port forwarding rules I forwarded 1802 as shown in this image:
25156

Everything is working flawlessly.

[RedLucidity]

This seems like the best place to note this.

Since updating my mac OS to Mojave 10.14.x (x=3) a month or so ago, FG has taken Several Minutes to load to the point of the start screen. In all other respects it seems to be running correctly. It doesn't seem to matter if anything is open or not.

FG version v3.3.8 Ultimate. Cross platform is selected. Using the bundled FG for macs (wine?).

Can the number of rulesets, extensions, modules whether in production or in official form matter on the start up? If so, how do you all manage your files in regards to whats loading or not? Especially with the purchased content?

Thanks

[dmbrown]

I would try unchecking cross platform option. I know that use to eat the cpu on my Mac and I’ve success with it off.

[LordEntrails]

This seems like the best place to note this.

Since updating my mac OS to Mojave 10.14.x (x=3) a month or so ago, FG has taken Several Minutes to load to the point of the start screen. In all other respects it seems to be running correctly. It doesn't seem to matter if anything is open or not.

FG version v3.3.8 Ultimate. Cross platform is selected. Using the bundled FG for macs (wine?).

Can the number of rulesets, extensions, modules whether in production or in official form matter on the start up? If so, how do you all manage your files in regards to whats loading or not? Especially with the purchased content?

Thanks
Books/modules should not effect how long it takes to get to the start screen (but they do effect how long it takes to open a campaign), tokens in the shared folder though might...

[Trenloe]

...tokens in the shared folder though might...
Nah, they’re loaded when a campaign is loaded.

[notrealdan]

FG version v3.3.8 Ultimate. Cross platform is selected. Using the bundled FG for macs (wine?).


The latest released FG version is 3.3.7. Are you using a Test or Dev version? It might be broken. If so, you should probably revert to the Live version (in Settings).

[HuseyinCinar]

Cross Platform thing only made things worse for me on my MacBook. I turned it off and it worked fine without any noticeable hindrance

[Varsuuk]

Cross platform definitely made my machine fan run waaaay more loudly as well as the machine run hitter.

I am hoping either Unity native or my new MacBook Pro in the fall fixed this issue.

[Trenloe]

Cross platform compatibility redraws the FG application screen more often - hence it has a greater impact on CPU use. Some people may not need it - if you turn it off and your FG screen shows all data, maps, etc. OK then you don't need it - it doesn't do anything else.

[Varsuuk]

Yup, I found I had no issues with it turned off “that I could see” (said with no irony)

So I have it off and been happy ever since

I’ve only played on it 3-4 times but I use it more than my Windows FG due to it being my dev box for running the ruleset

[HuseyinCinar]

Yeah I was getting close to 70C on the CPU. With it turned off, I get around 55C an

[pico]

I have a new macbook pro 15 with a 6 core i7, 16GB ram, 512GB disk, and 560x graphics running macos Mojave 10.14.3. I am a host with ultimate license and I was switching from an older desktop to this for hosting my game.
When using the package from the FG download for Mac I noticed a significant increase in startup and shutdown of the app. Several minutes. During which one of the CPUs is pegged at 100%. It looks like the whole think is frozen and I even killed it a few times before I learned it was just taking forever.
This seems to have been noticed by some others. Has anyone discovered a wine setting that helps?
If not, I'm currently testing raw wine 4.0, PlayOnMac, and some others to try to find something a little better... or I just go back to my old clunker of a desktop until unity is out.

[HuseyinCinar]

Mine also takes its time starting up, but no problems during running. I'd be interested to see if there's any setting

[pico]

I spent several hours testing different options. From PlayOnMac to the latest version 4.7 of raw wine installation. None of them seemed to make much difference on the startup/exit times. And, are increasingly complex solutions that will probably not help many people due to the difficulty to set up.

The biggest factor seemed to be once I put in my FG license and had all my extensions and modules in their respective directories, that's when things got slow. For people using the free client to play on someone else's game, I don't think the solution from FG is bad at all.

So, I am just going to use bootcamp until Unity is released. Luckily at the current time you can use bootcamp and use an unlicensed windows 10 install that just has registration nagging all over, but none of it seems to be interfering with fantasy grounds. This seems fine for the coming few months I need it, and will be easily removed once Unity is released.

[LordEntrails]

Campaign startup time (all platforms) is heavily dependent upon the number of images and tokens available to the campaign. If you can limit those, it will help. In Windows (not a Mac user) I've noticed that Closing FG (from right mouse button, not window X) is quicker than closing the campaign and returning to the launch screen. Don't know why.

[pico]

Yes, I've also seen this. And, although in windows it does take longer. The mac/wine combo seems to exaggerate the situation. Startup on my older campaign with all the core D&D modules and a lot of homemade maps/tokens took nearly 2.5 minutes and appears frozen/crashed while waiting. I've even down-sized them all significantly to the point where the jpg compression is pretty high.

All this just takes a few extra seconds on windows. So, bootcamp lets me handle things for now and is a decent way of handling the situation although a little disappointing.

[dmbrown]

The campaign I have takes a while to start up and I am running MacOS high sierra, but it is a long running campaign.

I would try unchecking cross platform option in FG. I know that use to eat the cpu on my Mac and I’ve had success with it off.

I’ve had good success running FG just from the installer from the site and I’ve also run it using Wine 4.0.

[Trenloe]

In Windows (not a Mac user) I've noticed that Closing FG (from right mouse button, not window X) is quicker than closing the campaign and returning to the launch screen.
If you're using Mac, always exit FG via the FG desktop right-click menu - otherwise your campaign data won't be saved correctly.

[LordEntrails]

If you're using Mac, always exit to the FG launch screen via the FG desktop right-click menu - otherwise your campaign data won't be saved correctly.
Yep, Just to clarify, I was talking about the time difference uses the two exit/close options on the FG exit program radial menu;
27314

[Trenloe]

Yes, I've also seen this. And, although in windows it does take longer. The mac/wine combo seems to exaggerate the situation. Startup on my older campaign with all the core D&D modules and a lot of homemade maps/tokens took nearly 2.5 minutes and appears frozen/crashed while waiting. I've even down-sized them all significantly to the point where the jpg compression is pretty high.
I'm guessing this could be because the "C" drive is also all encapsulated within the wrapper, and when you start Fantasy Grounds it basically has to start up, get all of your data from a very large base file, create a virtual Windows C drive, access that C drive, etc.. The more files (and the larger they are) on that virtual Windows C drive, the longer Wine/PlayOnLinux etc. will take to start up.

[HuseyinCinar]

If you're using Mac, always exit to the FG launch screen via the FG desktop right-click menu - otherwise your campaign data won't be saved correctly.

uhhh, that's bugged on Macs.

If you right click and return to Launcher, it bugs out and gets stuck.

You *have* to right click and Exit Program from the radial menu.

If you do the return to launcher, it will get stuck, then you will have to kill the program/force quit. Then you'll get a notifiers about campaign corruption

[Trenloe]

uhhh, that's bugged on Macs.

If you right click and return to Launcher, it bugs out and gets stuck.

You *have* to right click and Exit Program from the radial menu.

If you do the return to launcher, it will get stuck, then you will have to kill the program/force quit. Then you'll get a notifiers about campaign corruption
Good to know - thanks for clarifying.

[dmbrown]

I’ve also had problems with trying to return to the launcher with larger campaigns. If it is a newer smaller one it is fine, but with a long running campaign it will hang when trying to return to launcher so I just have to exit FG.

[RedLucidity]

@Trenloe


I'm guessing this could be because the "C" drive is also all encapsulated within the wrapper, and when you start Fantasy Grounds it basically has to start up, get all of your data from a very large base file, create a virtual Windows C drive, access that C drive, etc.. The more files (and the larger they are) on that virtual Windows C drive, the longer Wine/PlayOnLinux etc. will take to start up.




That could be the issue... I tried all the other options listed since my post. It still takes 7 mins +- 30 sec. to start up. I only have 4 decompressed rulesets that I’m working with and the default rulesets installed, and MoreCore.

Anyhow, it work fine once started. Including my test campaigns.

[HuseyinCinar]

7minutes?! goddamn

[RedLucidity]

7minutes?! goddamn

Yup. I had to time the startup just to be certain. And it didn’t matter if other applications were starting at the same time or not. :/
Trenloe’s explanation seems most reasonable as I also have virtualbox on this machine. Though it’s not running. It takes a while to get going as well. Though not 7 mins long.
My additional thought is that OSX MoJave is the last OSX to work with a 32bit, and going forward require all software to be native 64bit. So it might be having issues with any 32bit code that it’s trying to run.

[Crazy Aido]

So what is the current best option for using FGII on a Mac?

[LordEntrails]

So what is the current best option for using FGII on a Mac?
fyi, FGII doesn't exist. Version 3 is called FGC. Version 4 is called FGU.

Assuming you mean FGC, use the wine wrapper from the downloads, assuming you are not on the latest Mac OS. Because that won't allow 32 bit executables, and therefore you will have to do some unsupported things to get FGC to run on Catalina.

More info and we can give you better info.