RT3 on a MAC

[suj]

I found this site a couple weeks ago. Really like some of the things on here. I am having a issue with the logo packs and reskins. I have a mac and after i put these things in my UserExtraContent folder they don't show up in the game. Im not sure if this has anything to do with it but Age of Steam 2 also crashes when it autosaves. Age 1 works fine. I have CtoC if that helps at all.

[nedfumpkin]

If you're using 1.06 then the autosave crash is a common problem. Disable it.

The logs should work, try moving the pk4 files to the poptopextracontent folder.

[WPandP]

I want to point out that the Mac version of the game is an unknown to most of us; it may be that it doesn't work well with mods, especially ones developed on the PC version. I hope someone else chimes in, who maybe has some experience with the Mac version. One thing that might help, since you have CtoC installed, would be to compare the PK4 files that this "official mod" added to the PK4's that our home-brewed stuff comes in. This assumes that they are, in fact, PK4 files and not some other compression scheme, which might be the real problem; they might have chosen to use Stuffit .SIT files or plain old .ZIP files on the Mac, rather than PK4. If this is the case, then for mods to work they'd have to be repackaged in that same format. If you know how to extract the contents of a PK4, then you could try just unpacking the mods so that you have raw files (.3DP files, .DDS or .TGA files, .IMB files, etc.) and place all those files in the same place where the PK4 was supposed to go.

Just some thoughts. As far as I know, you're the first person to try out these mods on the Mac version. You're a pioneer!

[suj]

Intresting. I dont have 1.06 tho cuz that only works on windows. Im not really a big modder myself so i wouldnt no wat to look for in the pk files. I dont no how to even open them. Haha im really gonna be a pioneer in that respect.

[WPandP]

Can you confirm that they are, in fact, using PK4 files? Look in PopTopExtraContent. You could also pick one of the PK4 files and just tell us what it's name is, and how big of a file it is; that will help to tell whether they are using the same files as the Windows version.

[Moabdave]

Nice to see another Mac user of RTIII, I thought I was the only one for a while.
My experience, I have gotten most of the mods, maps, and other stuff working, albeit sometimes it requires some hacking to get it to work. Here's what I've found so far:

1 - The Mac version of RTIII as published by Macsoft (AFAIK the only Mac version available) is equivalent to the 1.04 version with the Coast to Coast expansion pack upgrade.
2 - the directory and file structure is the same between both versions, and 75% of the time, just extracting the files and copying them to the appropriate folders works.
3 - If a mod is packaged in a windows self extracting zip, the Mac can open them, but you have to know some tricks. For some reason the unzip built into the OS X's GUI won't recognize them, but the command line unzip will. Also Stuffit Expander will recognize and extract the files, but only if you rename the extension to .zip first. I have Mac OS X 10.4, I don't know if this is fixed in 10.5.
4 - As the 1.05 and 1.06 patches are actual installs, not self extracting zip's, I have not found a way to extract their contents and see if I can patch the mac version to these levels. If some windows user would be willing to help us out by using a pre/post install diff utility and repackage the changed files into a zip, I'll try that and report if it works.
5 - The maps, scenarios and mods that require the 1.05 or 1.06 patch are hit and miss. Some work, some work with quirks, some hang the system, some do not apparently cause harm but do not show in the list of maps/logos/locomotives/etc available. For the mods that hang the system, it usually hangs while opening a game (or starting a new game) when the progress bar says "updating database" [Command]-[Alt]-[Escape] will terminate the process
6 - What I do is have two copies of RTIII installed, one "last working copy" and the other a "playing around" copy that I use for installing new mods. When I install a mod that hangs the game, I revert back, if the mod works, I update the "last working copy".

Hawk, as somebody searching for this info would not likely know to look at a thread titled "help the newbie" anyway we can rename this thread to "RTIII Macintosh hints" or maybe start a new topic dedicated to mac issues?

Good Luck,
David

[Hawk]

Hawk, as somebody searching for this info would not likely know to look at a thread titled "help the newbie" anyway we can rename this thread to "RTIII Macintosh hints" or maybe start a new topic dedicated to mac issues?

Good Luck,
David

Good idea. I've renamed the thread RT3 on a MAC.

Hope you don't mind suj.

[Moabdave]

To WP&P's question, here's a partial directory listing, showing what files I see with a .pk4 extension for the data folder for RTIII Mac version:
[MacG5:Games/Railroad Tycoon 3/data] dave% ls
2D Configuration GrayscaleMaps Other TreeTypes
3D Cursors Language PopTopExtraContent Tutorial
BuildingTypes Disabled Movies Shaders UserExtraContent
CargoTypes EngineTypes Music Sound Voice
[MacG5:Games/Railroad Tycoon 3/data] dave% ls -l *
2D:
total 258448
-rw-rw-rw- 1 dave admin 131503 Jun 16 2004 RT3_CoastToCoast.PK4
-rwxrwxrwx 1 dave admin 126145546 Oct 2 2003 rt3_2DDS.PK4
-rwxrwxrwx 1 dave admin 3557925 Oct 2 2003 rt3_2IMB.PK4
-rwxrwxrwx 1 dave admin 2097278 Oct 2 2003 rt3_2TGA.PK4
-rwxrwxrwx 1 dave admin 380377 Oct 2 2003 rt3_2WIN.PK4

3D:
total 446512
-rwxrwxrwx 1 dave admin 22036552 Sep 17 2003 rt3_3DPF.PK4
-rwxrwxrwx 1 dave admin 1576966 Sep 19 2003 rt3_3DPW.PK4
-rwxrwxrwx 1 dave admin 171629624 Sep 17 2003 rt3_DDSF.PK4
-rwxrwxrwx 1 dave admin 10256414 Sep 19 2003 rt3_DDSW.PK4
-rw-rw-rw- 1 dave admin 5612550 Apr 30 2004 rt3_Expansion.PK4
-rwxrwxrwx 1 dave admin 8 Sep 17 2003 rt3_TGAF.PK4
-rwxrwxrwx 1 dave admin 17478162 Sep 19 2003 rt3_TGAW.PK4

BuildingTypes:
total 17272
-rwxrwxrwx 1 dave admin 41827 Sep 16 2003 Aluminum Mill.bty
-rwxrwxrwx 1 dave admin 412 Sep 16 2003 AluminumMill.bca
-rwxrwxrwx 1 dave admin 41827 Sep 16 2003 Auto Plant.bty

...

Sound:
total 45376
-rwxrwxrwx 1 dave admin 11851898 Jun 25 2003 RT3SoundBuildings.PK4
-rwxrwxrwx 1 dave admin 1620626 Sep 18 2003 RT3SoundInterface.PK4
-rwxrwxrwx 1 dave admin 3590888 Jun 25 2003 RT3SoundNature.PK4
-rwxrwxrwx 1 dave admin 2708080 Jun 25 2003 RT3SoundTrains.PK4
-rwxrwxrwx 1 dave admin 2079480 Jun 25 2003 RT3SoundWeather.PK4
-rwxrwxrwx 1 dave admin 1368204 Jun 25 2003 RT3SoundWorldObjects.PK4

[nedfumpkin]

Those are the same files as the pc version. PK 4 files should work fine on a mac.

I've got the 1.06 package unzipped, however, it sounds like the mac is having the same problems as Vista, which uses the 1.04 beta exe. On a postive note, Trainmaster is likely to work on a Mac.

[suj]

dave
did you figure out how to get logos to load because i cant get any of those or skins loaded.

[nedfumpkin]

I have to say that the way RT3 handles logos is somewhat annoying. I will only read individual pk4 files. I tried combining all the pk4 files into one, but none of the logos showed up.

On another note, I have discovered the location of the call out for the logo file in rt3.exe. It calls for the CompanyLogo.imb file, and I am thinking about changing it to have a variable so that the game accepts multiple sheets of logos rather than individual pk4 files only.

[suj]

Interesting that still doesn't explain y the logos and skins dont show up at all

[Moabdave]

sorry about that, I had to double check. Nope, none of the logos I installed are working. What's weird is I thought for sure they were, so I had to yank all the mods to count the number of logos. Some of the skins for the locomotives are working, I think. I say this as the (custom) tandem GP7 does not have the original skin that the single does. Could it be that the custom locomotives the skins work, but the "standards" do not?

One final thing. I did get the 1.06 patch expanded and put the files in the right place. The station enhancements rock! Thanks who ever created those.

[suj]

interesting. lemme no how to expand 1.06 i wanna try it with that and 1.05

[Moabdave]

I haven't truly patched my system to 1.06. The 1.06 patch actually modifies the application. I'm not that cleaver =-) What' I've done is installed the "extra files" that are also included in the 1.06 patch, this includes more locomotives and station extra's to allow the station to act as a warehouse of sorts. Those work cool. But I still can't, for example, play some of the scenarios that require the 1.06 patch. If you have access to a PC, I'd install the patch on the PC, and copy the files over to your mac. If you don't have a PC, send me a private email and I'll put the files on a temporary website (unless Hawk wants to host them here...)
David

[Hawk]

I'll put the files on a temporary website (unless Hawk wants to host them here...)
David

If you have some place to host these temporary files, that would be great! If you need some temporary storage space for them, I can help with that.

[suj]

thank i got the files ill test them out soon

[Moabdave]

It's been several months since my last post and since that time (and publishing a few things) here is what I've learned in that time:

The mac version of RT3 published by MacSoft was derived from the PC version 1.04 with the Coast to Coast expansion pack. A 1.05 patch was never released for the mac version. The mac version does include a hidden map editor, enabled by [shift]e, similar to the windows version. There are some keyboard shortcuts that differ from the mac to the pc version, I found this annoying, but these can be changed in the settings panel. There are a couple of options on the PC version under graphics settings that are not available on the mac version. However, these do not affect game play.

Regarding user created content available on hawkdawg.com
These types of enhancements will work fine on a mac:
1 - New locomotives
2 - station enhancements
3 - new building types
4 - user created maps designed for RT3 version 1.04 or lower with or without the Coast to coast expansion pack.
5 - Modifications to existing locomotives (except for additional skins)

These types of enhancement do not work, but they will not harm the system by being installed:
1 - maps designed for RT3 1.06
2 - company logos
3 - 2nd skins for locomotives or rolling stock

These types of enhancements may or may not work, and if they do not work can crash or affect the game play:
1- new cargo types - They will install and appear to work but will appear with garbled names, with the form of ~[IDnumber]cargo name. Added cargo types may or may not affect the supply chain, but most of them do, so I quit installing them. For example after I installed the cargo types included in the PC 1.06 patch and started playing a map, the fruit trees were producing uranium, not fruit, and the fruit tree orchards would lose money until a nuclear power plant was placed.
2 - maps designed for RT3 1.05. Most of the time these work, but I have seen a few that will hang the system while opening the file.

Hope this helps the few mac users who are new to the hawkdawg site.

[Hawk]

That's great info Dave.

I'm not a MAC user but I do appreciate you posting it, and I'm sure other MAC users will too.

[soccersetter643]

Indeed, this is a well-appreciated post by mac users. I too am using the mac version, and find it very frustrating that textile mills, distilleries, and eventually even breweries often only operate at half speed with that annoying 1.04 bug that occurs in windows. I also find the trains that slow down immediately before the station to miniscule crawls to be extremely annoying (and possibly hazardous to those poor passengers!).

Just for those of you who were wondering, I did manage to find a cider version somewhere out there on the torrents for mac, and it ran 1.05! Alas, it did not have coast to coast included with it, and so quickly became dull. Not to mention that it is illegal to use that kind of stuff. But if there is a way of reverse-engineering a patch using the cider version, I still have a copy of that cider version somewhere on an external backup that we could try taking apart (as long as it's legal). I have no experience doing that kind of stuff, though.