Arcen Games

General Category => AI War Classic => AI War Classic - Technical Support => : whyaminotallowedmyname March 07, 2018, 03:38:31 PM

: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: whyaminotallowedmyname March 07, 2018, 03:38:31 PM
I just got the AI War game from the Humble Bundle monthly thing and it freezes on startup on the "Gameinit 8" screen.  I saw this error in the forums from years ago, but I don't see an answer anywhere.

I have a Mac 2x2.66ghx 6 core Intel Xeon, 16GM ram, running 10.13

And as long as I'm here:  I downloaded Starward Rogue from the same place and it just gives me a black screen. 
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: x4000 March 07, 2018, 05:07:37 PM
Hi there!

Sorry to hear about the troubles you are having.  Most likely it is a matter of the program not having rights to itself, IIRC.  Simply copying the unzipped folder from where you downloaded it into any other location than your Apps folder would solve it.

Some background info:

------------------------------

Basically, the problem here is GateKeeper on OSX, and a feature called "GateKeeper Path Randomization" in particular.  GateKeeper is doing such a "great" job at this that it actually completely prevents the application from finding itself or any of its files, and from writing any direct logs to disk, too.

Apparently there may be a super simple fix to this, though!  If, through Finder, you copy the folder for AI War to any other location other than Downloads or Applications, then it may just start working.  This particular feature of GateKeeper is apparently triggered in the new versions of OSX specifically when an application is downloaded from a web browser and then uncompressed, and then possibly dragged to the Applications folder or possibly just run from its current location.  Applications being downloaded through Steam or the Mac App Store don't have this issue.

For some more info relating to this: https://github.com/potionfactory/LetsMove/issues/56

Here's perhaps an even better source, although it's much older an interestingly talking about Sierra and not High Sierra: https://eclecticlight.co/2016/06/16/macos-sierra-will-break-many-installers-and-updaters/

----------------------

: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: Lannius March 09, 2018, 05:51:16 PM
I'm having this issue as well.  I installed via Steam.
I tried moving (via Finder) the app install folder all over the place.  To my home dir, to Desktop, etc...

It still hangs and drives CPU to the ceiling.
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: x4000 March 12, 2018, 11:12:54 AM
Yikes!  Sorry about that.  If it's through Steam, it shouldn't be the case that you need to move it at all.  My first suggestion would instead be to do a verification of all the local files, just to make sure Steam downloaded everything properly; sometimes it borks a few files, causing strange issues.  But the other issue really should not be a thing through Steam.
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: Lannius March 13, 2018, 01:37:25 PM
I verified it, it's all ok.
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: x4000 March 13, 2018, 02:09:02 PM
I verified it, it's all ok.

To clarify, does that mean it works now, or it wasn't a case of borked files?

If it's still not working, then any error messages that are logged in the RuntimeData folder inside your steam folder would be helpful.
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: whyaminotallowedmyname March 15, 2018, 12:35:21 AM
I did not install through Steam, I downloaded through that Humble Bundle service. 

I copied it to another folder, then I copied to a whole other drive. No difference. 
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: x4000 March 15, 2018, 10:50:02 AM
Are there any error messages that are logged in the RuntimeData folder inside the game folder?
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: whyaminotallowedmyname March 16, 2018, 10:22:42 AM
I see no error or crash log in there.
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: x4000 March 16, 2018, 11:07:20 AM
Gah, sorry about that.

How about here?  ~/Library/Logs/Unity/Player.log

I believe that's where it should https://docs.unity3d.com/530/Documentation/Manual/LogFiles.html
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: Lannius March 16, 2018, 12:14:43 PM
I verified it, it's all ok.

To clarify, does that mean it works now, or it wasn't a case of borked files?

If it's still not working, then any error messages that are logged in the RuntimeData folder inside your steam folder would be helpful.

I meant that it verified ok.

But actually, for some reason it's working now.
I do not know why.
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: x4000 March 16, 2018, 01:03:06 PM
I verified it, it's all ok.

To clarify, does that mean it works now, or it wasn't a case of borked files?

If it's still not working, then any error messages that are logged in the RuntimeData folder inside your steam folder would be helpful.

I meant that it verified ok.

But actually, for some reason it's working now.
I do not know why.

Ah, I see.  Probably it verified ok and in the process changed something.  I've seen that happen before.  Glad it works now for you, anyhow!
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: whyaminotallowedmyname March 17, 2018, 02:20:47 PM
From the error log: 

03/07/2018 17:52:40 (8.024)
-----------------------------------Error-----------------------------------Log String: Load error: System.IO.DirectoryNotFoundException: Directory '/private/var/folders/63/qx_zv2_j3v7d1dlznwstggv80000gr/T/AppTranslocation/17778F11-6340-436D-A710-7BBD944A46E1/RuntimeData/Music/Ingame' not found.
  at System.IO.Directory.GetFileSystemEntries (System.String path, System.String searchPattern, FileAttributes mask, FileAttributes attrs) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
  at System.IO.Directory.GetFiles (System.String path, System.String searchPattern) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
  at Game.PopulateMusicLists () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
  at Game.GameForm_Load () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
  at Game.ContinueInitializeGame () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
Stack Trace:   at System.IO.Directory.GetFileSystemEntries (System.String path, System.String searchPattern, FileAttributes mask, FileAttributes attrs) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
  at System.IO.Directory.GetFiles (System.String path, System.String searchPattern) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
  at Game.PopulateMusicLists () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
  at Game.GameForm_Load () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
  at Game.ContinueInitializeGame () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0

 
(Filename: /Applications/buildAgent/work/cac08d8a5e25d4cb/Runtime/ExportGenerated/MacStandalonePlayer/UnityEngineDebug.cpp Line: 54)
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: x4000 March 19, 2018, 04:03:25 PM
Okay!  That answers the question, then: it is 100% being caused by the helpful security feature of GateKeeper.  See that path "'/private/var/folders/63/qx_zv2_j3v7d1dlznwstggv80000gr/T/AppTranslocation/17778F11-6340-436D-A710-7BBD944A46E1/"?  Basically, Gatekeeper on your machine copied the game there as soon as you launched it, but it ONLY copied the .app file, and it also made that location read-only.  So not only can we not write the settings files, but all the things outside the RuntimeData folder are legitimately absent.

Copying the folder is supposed to make Gatekeeper no longer do this.

I'm not sure if this helps?  http://kb.mit.edu/confluence/display/istcontrib/Allow+application+installations+and+temporarily+disable+Gatekeeper+in+OS+X+10.9+and+up

Basically if you can get Gatekeeper to whitelist the game, then it will run fine after that.  If you find a solution, I'd be super grateful to know what it is, since this is a relatively new problem with the High Sierra updates, and people are still figuring this out.
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: whyaminotallowedmyname March 20, 2018, 12:55:10 PM
Oh man, Mac makes me dislike it more every year.  You can't even set "open apps from unidentified developers" without going into the command line now. 

I'll let you know if I figure this out.
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: x4000 March 20, 2018, 03:09:34 PM
I'm really sorry about that, and I really appreciate your letting me know in return.  They just want everything to go through their app store so they get their cut. :/
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: keith.lamothe March 20, 2018, 04:11:36 PM
For decades, sysadmins have known that the only truly secure server is the one that's not running.

Apple is just applying that logic to software.

"If it can't do anything, then it can't do anything undesirable."
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: jnaftali April 05, 2018, 11:55:15 PM
Heyo. Having the same problem with the version of AI war downloaded from humble bundle - freezes on gameinit 8 when the game is trying to start. A few additional pieces of information:

1. Disabling gatekeeper does not fix this issue (disabled it from the command line, issue persists)
2. This error pops up many times in the Unity log (~/Library/Logs/Unity/Player.log) when I try to start the game:
Fallback handler could not load library /private/var/folders/ss/_ykx_pwn3mb6rkck1jfmkdd00000gn/T/AppTranslocation/951F717F-C289-400B-8A2B-348B937DAEF3/d/AIWar.app/Contents/Frameworks/MonoEmbedRuntime/osx/libCSteamworks

After it moves on from that one, This next error shows up (again many times in a row)
NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object
  at Game.ClearEntireGame (Boolean ResetPlayers, Boolean ResetEverything) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
  at LobbyOptions.SubclassPreShow () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
  at AbstractArcenWindow.PreShow () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
  at Game.ContinueInitializeGame () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
  at Game.ContinueMultiStageProcess () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
  at MainCameraLogic.MainUpdateLogic () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
  at MainCameraLogic.Update () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
 
(Filename:  Line: 4294967295)

You can find the entire log here (probably could have truncated it, but decided against it) - https://gist.github.com/JNaftali/2f5525e0cd6955850b4b9989d5c92332

Help would be appreciated!
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: x4000 April 06, 2018, 09:33:59 AM
Yep, it's still the same issue.  If you ever see the text "AppTranslocation" in the wording, then you know it's royally hosed.

It's the equivalent of me taking your car out of your garage, putting it into a leaky bag at the bottom of a lake, and going "okay, now drive to work!"  Sure, the car will start, but it's not going to run for long, and it's sure not going anywhere.

That's precisely what GateKeepr is doing here: it's "translocating" the game to some randomized other folder, denying access to the real folder it resides in (which I can't find from the bottom of the lake anyway), and then the game starts having seizures of errors thanks to missing all its data files, images, settings files, and more -- which all got left behind.

The trick is to get OSX to stop putting your car in the lake.  :-\
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: jnaftali April 06, 2018, 09:40:27 AM
Ok... but Gatekeeper is disabled (from the command line, but going to system preferences now shows the previously unavailable 'allow apps downloaded from: anywhere' option is checked).

If doing that and running the app from my home directory isn't enough, what's the next solution?
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: BadgerBadger April 06, 2018, 10:04:22 AM
Did you try reinstalling the program once gatekeeper is disabled? I'm having trouble figuring out exactly how Gatekeeper works, but it's possible that it's affecting the actual install process; if so then disabling gatekeeper after the install won't help because the game was already installed in a broken state.
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: x4000 April 06, 2018, 10:09:23 AM
I think you have to drag the application folder to any location OTHER than your home folder or your application folder.  Beyond that, it's all google-fu, to be honest.  Apple has really messed things up with this one.  A number of programs are fine because they put everything in the .app bundle, and they save your savegames and settings over to your user profile. 

But one of the nice things about our games has always been that you can always just slap the install folder on a thumb drive and instantly have everything with you that you need in order to play.  No DRM, no fuss, easy peasy.  For the first 8 years, anyway, and on all the other OSes; then Apple has thrown this one at us.

I haven't seen any widespread reports of people not being able to work around gatekeeper's translocation with this.
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: jnaftali April 06, 2018, 10:32:42 AM
Did you try reinstalling the program once gatekeeper is disabled? I'm having trouble figuring out exactly how Gatekeeper works, but it's possible that it's affecting the actual install process; if so then disabling gatekeeper after the install won't help because the game was already installed in a broken state.

What install process? I downloaded a zip file with all this stuff from HumbleBundle and unzipped it. I never 'installed' anything

For the record, I have no idea where on my computer you think the app is supposed to run corrcetly. Running the `Contents/MacOS/The\ Last\ Confederation` file from the command line allowed the app to start.
: Re: Mac, freezes on load up screen
: x4000 April 06, 2018, 10:43:24 AM
I think he meant unzipping it again.  I think the process may be:
1. Download (no need to do that again).
2. Copy zip to an Apple Approved folder.
3. Unpack there?