macOS Winewrapper "Ready to go" (Silicon Compatible)

[Der_Sascha 23]

I just wanted to draw your attention to my Winewrapper (x64) for macOS (10.15.4 and up) with SimCity 4 Deluxe that I made. maybe one or the other finds it quite useful.

All you need is the GOG installer of the game. Just click install game in my "Game Config" app, select the exe and the rest is automatic. The wrapper already brings everything else with it. This also includes the 4GB patch (which runs automatically) or Java SDK if you want to install NAM.

Basically, this Game Config app is almost the same (except for the mod management) as the SC4 Launcher for Windows. Mods can be installed/placed in ~/Documents/SimCity 4/Plugins.

Download

PS: By the way, I have a few other wrappers on my website (SimCity 3000 for example).

 

[rsc204 21,866]

Certainly this is a very interesting development, I've not been happy with how SC4 plays naively on a Mac and setting up Wineskin didn't particularly appeal when I'm using a PC for games like SC4 anyhow.

I would certainly like to give it a go myself, I think Catalina is supported (everything after is OSX 11, right?). But the download link doesn't appear to actually link to anything, so I hope you'll correct that so I can start playing with things.

[Der_Sascha 23]

@rsc204

Oh, its fixed now.

The Wrapper is running on 10.15.4 up to latest Monterey
And yes ... all after Catalina is 11.x and 12.x

PS: 
Since I'm not a verified developer, the gatekeeper will complain. Then please open the Config app once via the system security tab.

EDIT:
Made a little Video too

 

[rsc204 21,866]

18 hours ago, Der_Sascha said:

Since I'm not a verified developer, the gatekeeper will complain. Then please open the Config app once via the system security tab.

Not sure what you mean by System Security tab here, if I use Opt+Right Click, then select open, I can 'approve' a 3rd party app and it runs, so I think I've covered this step. I've also given the apps full HDD access, just to be one the safe side.

I can run the Game Config fine, when I select Install Game, point it to the GoG installer .exe, I get the message pop-up stating the Game Config app will restart after install. But after clicking OK, it doesn't appear anything is happening, I certainly don't see a terminal window appear nor does the installer begin. After 10-15 seconds or so, the Game Config App closes.

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong here? My GoG installer is from like 2014 or something, but I'm guessing that shouldn't matter? I'm wondering if I've failed to provide sufficient access permissions or something? Any help would be appreciated.

[Der_Sascha 23]

At what Time did you download the Wrapper? I had a bug in the Config App that its doing nothing as you described. I updated the Wrapper already and the Config App has an Update Function now to make it easier in future.

No need to download the whole wrapper again ... simply use the link to v1.0.2 of my App. It should work as in my Youtube Video above shown.

Click

[rsc204 21,866]

Thanks, the update seems to have moved past the original issue, but right onto the next one:

I re-downloaded both parts just in case, but it didn't make any difference. Probably not an issue, but I did install a hefty security update this morning, running 10.15.7 (19H1715).

[Ulisse Wolf 4,459]

surely it is an interesting project but my concern is if this wrapper allows you to load mod DLLs. If you use the windows version SC4 DLL FIX is required which avoids you the prop pox and CTD for third parties as in the NAM case

[Der_Sascha 23]

Its not damaged. Go to System/Security/General and allow opening (if the option is there). I hate the sh** Gatekeeper/SIP. If you don't pay anything at Apple as a developer, you will be bullied. 

Or try this:

sudo xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine "/path/to/Game Config.app"

@ulisse That is the Windows version and what I can see all is working so far. Including NAM. The 4gb Patch is already applied. What for a dll you mean? 

[rsc204 21,866]

2 minutes ago, ulisse said:

surely it is an interesting project but my concern is if this wrapper allows you to load mod DLLs.

My understanding is yes, because this is Wineskin, so essentially you are running Windows code within the wrapper. Ergo it opens up all the things that are otherwise difficult or impossible to do on a Mac. But it should be hugely more efficient than using a VM or similar workarounds.

16 minutes ago, Der_Sascha said:

I hate the sh** Gatekeeper/SIP. 

Yeah, I'm pretty certain that's my issue, pissing around in Terminal now but not getting very far, it keeps telling me the path / file doesn't exist . Trying the command from this article, but it's not helping, as you can see:

Whilst I've experienced such issues before, I think the general issue here is that other 'apps' exist inside the WineSkin wrapper, but each one needs to have the permissions propagated in order to get the whole working and the OS is thwarting me.

I got around the last error, by opening SimCity4.app (renamed to make life easier in Terminal), but we're back to it just closing without the terminal window for the installer ever appearing. Very frustrating because it seems the option you mention doesn't appear:

That said, after running the following:

sudo spctl --master-disable

I do have an additional option "Anywhere", but selecting this isn't helping either.

Looks like I might have to do something more drastic like disabling SIP altogether, but that's anything but user friendly (for general users). I sympathise with you, I understand why Apple want this security, but it kills hobby projects like this, the whole idea of which is to make something MORE not LESS accessible. Why on earth we can't just be asked if we're OK with letting this happen and accept the risks?, I seriously don't know. I certainly don't want to disable SIP at the system level permanently, that's obviously a terrible idea, but I'll probably give it a go just to confirm that's what's gumming up the works.

[Der_Sascha 23]

You have a wrong path in your terminal command and you are targeting the wrong app.  . Don`t know if the Wrapper itself needs to unlock too (I have SIP and Gatekeeper always disabled). Could not be bad simply unlock both. By the way ...  you should not rename the Wrapper. My Config App needs the exact name to work properly and must be "SimCity 4". If you rename SimCity this way you will ever get the red install button.

Anyway ... use this:

sudo xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine "/Users/mgb/Games/SimCity4/Game Config.app"
sudo xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine "/Users/mgb/Games/SimCity4/Sim*.app"

or alternatively

sudo xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine "~/Games/SimCity4/Game Config.app"
sudo xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine "~/Games/SimCity4/Sim*.app"

I think i will add an Anti-Quarantine-Script to unlock the Config App by one Doubleclick.

And your understanding is correct because of the DLL. The Wrapper behaves like a "native" Win installation.

EDIT:
Here is a small app that should unquarantine the stuff. Place it into the  game folder and start it. Enter your admin password and the files should be unblocked. If yiu are unsure because of root here ist the script inside. You see no phishing. 

#!/bin/bash

cd ../../../

sudo xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine Game*.app
sudo xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine Sim*.app

echo "Done."
echo " "
echo "Happy gaming."

Unquarantine.zip

EDIT2:
And here is the proof of working NAM. 

 

[Der_Sascha 23]

Version 1.0.5 is out. Dependencie Check added. Important: Only URLs are archived/used which where fetched with this function. All previous installed addons are not checked. It is no "sync" function.

 

[Ulisse Wolf 4,459]

Is there a github link where I, and others, can check out the code without a download? Thanks.

[Der_Sascha 23]

Yes

https://github.com/MacThings/gameconfig_simcity_4

[MacBex 26]

May I ask if there is any specific reason it requires at least macOS 10.15?  I am still on 10.14.6 as it was the last version to support 32-bit apps but would like to have something to help me run the game under Wine without problems and in the best quality as I am fed up with how many things cause a crash with the App Store version.

I have installed Wine via Homebrew then installed the game by just running the GOG installer.  Adding the command line option to use the OpenGL driver does get it running, though it complains about not being able to initialize DirectDraw.  At that point I have no idea what I am doing, though!  I have no idea how to configure Wine, nor do I know anything much about Windows.

Although I have the game installed, after installing the plugins I previously downloaded it now crashes trying to load a city tile so I need to debug that to find the cause even before getting to finding out if the game will play reliably.

I did try downloading your wrapper but though SimCity 4.app file shows as being executable, the Game Config.app has the icon crossed out and gives the version error when trying to run it.  So I am not sure if it just requires compiling with an older Framework or whether it uses features that were not available in macOS 10.14.

Incidentally, I appreciate the annoyance at Apple requiring developers to pay them to support the platform.  When they replace the old Safari extension system I lost access to my keyword search shortcuts ("/eb something" for eBay, or "/w article" for Wikipedia etc.).  Rather than give them up or change browser, I just worked out how to write my own Safari App Extension.  But it means I need to use the Develop > Enable Unsigned Extensions options every time I reload Safari unless pay them, which is stupid.