Knuckle Cracker

Knuckle Cracker => Support => Topic started by: hawgwash on March 05, 2019, 08:02:26 PM

Title: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: hawgwash on March 05, 2019, 08:02:26 PM
I hope you can help me.  I'm not tech savvy.  I've been playing CW3 for years and with more hours spent than I care to admit.  Suddenly it went haywire, in mid game as I recall.  This happened a month or more ago.  I waited a while to post here, hoping it would fix itself and also thinking maybe I needed a break.  But other games aren't giving me the same enjoyment.

The problem is when I launch the game, I hear the familiar sound (knuckles cracking?) but the screen is haywire.  If I open the full screen, the screen is blue on the left and white on the right, with two or three shades of gray in the middle.  Each color is like vertical bars.  If I open it in something less than full screen I get a flickering bar at the top but nothing else.  I play on my laptop through Steam.  It's a MacBook Pro running Mojave 10.14.3.  If possible I"d prefer not to have to download fresh and lose progress.  I've tried rebooting several times, no change.  Also, other games I have on Steam run just fine.

Thanks!
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: knucracker on March 06, 2019, 08:31:21 AM
That's a new one....
I'd start by reinstalling the game.  You don't have to lose your progress when you reinstall.  Follow the steps below.

1: Look here for the folder that your save games and progress are stored in: https://knucklecracker.com/forums/index.php?topic=25496.0
Make a copy of that folder so you don't lose it.
2: In steam, right click the game in your library and select Properties.  From there select the "Updates" table.  UNcheck the box for "enable steam cloud synchronization..."
3: Go the the "Local Files" tab.  There I'd first try the "Verify Integrity of Game Files" button to see if it helps.  If not, then you can uninstall the game and reinstall it.

Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: hawgwash on March 06, 2019, 10:20:49 PM
Thanks much, but neither unchecking the synchronization button nor uninstalling/reinstalling worked.  I still have the same problem.
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: Karsten75 on March 06, 2019, 11:36:59 PM

Try this. save the game directory as per the above instructions. Uninstall the game from Steam.

Then try to download the demo directly from the Knuckle Cracker website.

http://knucklecracker.com/common/demo.php

If that does not present the same issue, we have a data point. If the issue persists, then given that you are the only person ever to describe this problem, and Googling it does also not turn up any direct hits, I'd respectfully suggest that something on your OS may be cooked. Unfortunately I don't know enough about Macs to provide more assistance.

if, OTOH, it does work, contact Knuckle Cracker via email and he will issue you a download key to run the game without interference from Steam.
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: hawgwash on March 07, 2019, 07:40:02 PM
Well, I don't know what the deal is.  The demo in full screen gives me a gray screen, divided by a thin black column running down about an inch or two from the right hand side of the screen, resulting in two rectangular blocks of gray.  A big one on the left, a smaller one on the right.  I'd be more than happy to pay for the game again, if that would change things.  I've gotten way more than my money worth from this game.
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: Karsten75 on March 07, 2019, 09:13:36 PM
Clearly, it's not a matter of money or you paying for the game again. :) Unfortunately, you have an unusual problem that we can't associate directly with the game and I'd guess we're all out of options.

One last, desperate Attempt, trying a different Unity Build. In Steam, right-clik on the game, Choose Properties and go to the betas tab.

Choose Version 208,  displayed in the drop-down there and see if that makes a difference.  Remember to uninstall the demo.

(https://i.imgur.com/MLVYMtO.png)

Failing this, I fear you're going to have to go in to an Apple store and see if they can help you.
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: hawgwash on March 07, 2019, 11:17:42 PM
Thanks for all your help.  I tried version 208 and now I'm back to the blue and white screen.  I may take your suggestion and try the apple store.

:'(
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: Karsten75 on March 08, 2019, 09:28:22 AM
I've thought about this some more, and while I don't have any specific solution, I wondered idly what the effect would be if you installed and tried to run the other demos that you can downlaod at the above link. Particle Fleet runs on Unity as does Creeper World 3, but the other two games uses entirely different infrastructure.
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: Builder17 on March 08, 2019, 02:01:41 PM
Curious if log file would have anything helpful?

https://knucklecracker.com/forums/index.php?topic=16476.0

Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: hawgwash on March 08, 2019, 08:34:18 PM
I don't know if this helps or hurts, but I did download the other demos.  CW, CW2, and Particle Fleet all opened up just fine.  I didn't actually start playing, but it looked like I would be good to go if I wanted to.  But same problem with CW3.
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: Karsten75 on March 08, 2019, 11:27:30 PM
Builder17 has a good point. Get that log file for us, he linked you to some instructions. You can attach the file as an attachment to a reply on this thread. No need to copy/paste it. It's far easier to process if it is an attachment.

(https://i.imgur.com/8ixWv5R.png)
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: hawgwash on March 09, 2019, 08:30:30 AM
Well, I'm embarrassed to say but this is where the statement I made in the very first post ("I'm not tech savvy") comes into play.  Afraid that was a gross understatement.  I followed Builder17's link but still can't seem to find this file.  Is it on my actual Mac, within Steam, or what?  I've tried searching Finder on the Mac, and right clicking the game within Steam and looking under Browse Local Files, but so far I haven't found it.  I apologize for my total tech ineptitude.
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: Builder17 on March 09, 2019, 08:54:31 AM
I believe this will help.

QuoteTo access the Library folder:
1. In the Finder, choose Go > Go To Folder.
2. In the Go To Folder dialog, type '~/Library' (the ~ represents current logged in user)
3. Click Go.

After you get there:  /Logs/Unity/Player.log
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: Karsten75 on March 09, 2019, 08:56:43 AM
OK, I'm no Mac expert, and this is your machine, so any advice from here on out is on you if it breaks something. :)

Firstly, I have another clarification question. You say you can play other games. Do you happen to know if those games are written in Unity? If you don't, can you perhaps give me  a list of the game s you play that work?

Now on to finding that elusive player.log file. :)

the location on your computer should be ~/Library/Logs/Unity/Player.log

You should be able to get there via the Mac Finder program. It may be that it's a hidden file, in whihc case I found some instructions here: https://www.macforbeginners.com/osx-guide/browsing-through-files/


(https://i.imgur.com/Edw1X3y.png)
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: hawgwash on March 09, 2019, 10:08:02 AM
I feel so inadequate.  I can't find the file.  FWIW, the other games I'm able to play through Steam include Civilization V, Mini Metro, Sim City 4, Total War Medieval II, and Tropico V. 

Is it possible to just delete CW3 entirely and download it completely fresh, either from Steam or the Knuckle Cracker website?  As I said before, I don't mind paying for the game again.  Thanks again for all the help.
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: knucracker on March 09, 2019, 10:44:21 AM
Just to make sure you have following these exact steps:

1: Bring up Finder
2: Select "Go" from the menu (top left of the screen on a mac)
3: Select "Go To Folder".  A little input field will appear in finder.
4: Type "~/Library/Logs/Unity" without the quotes.  Case matters.  The left most character is a tilda.
5: YOu should see the Player.log file there.  (I just did all of this from scratch on my mac with an updated MacOS and clean install of CW3 from steam).  If you don't see it, try just ~/Library and see if you can get there, then browse and click on Logs, etc.
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: hawgwash on March 09, 2019, 10:54:20 AM
Ok, I truly am an idiot.  I couldn't find "Go" on the Finder app.  I was looking for it on the Finder screen itself, not at the top of the screen.  And I thought I was supposed to use my personal User Name where you were showing the tilda, instead of an actual tilda.  Here's the file!  Hopefully it is still useful after all the times I've installed an uninstalled the game and demo over the last few days.
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: knucracker on March 09, 2019, 11:09:13 AM
You'll need to run CreeperWorld 3 once more, then close it, then copy the Player.log file.  The Player.log file gets overwritten by the last Unity game that you have played.  So the file you posted isn't for CW3.
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: hawgwash on March 09, 2019, 11:22:37 AM
I think this is it.
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: knucracker on March 09, 2019, 12:12:06 PM
Are you playing in a window or fullscreen?
Try running the game and pressing Command-F (to toggle fullscreen mode) and see if that has any effect.
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: Karsten75 on March 09, 2019, 12:51:37 PM
Could  the origin of this issue be traced back to when you installed macOS 10.14??
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: hawgwash on March 09, 2019, 01:00:11 PM
I don't know how you figured this out, but you did!  I have frequently toggled back and forth from full screen to a window when playing CW3.  I don't know if I'd just done that when everything went wrong or not.  During this period of problems, the blue and white screen was in full screen mode.  If I went to a window, I was getting just the top Mac bar and some flickering.  I guess maybe there was a microscopic piece of the game showing beneath the top bar.  But if I clicked back to full screen I got the blue and white again.  I just now tried clicking and dragging the screen to make the window larger, and like magic everything is now appears to be fixed.  And I can go back and forth between full screen and window.  Thank you!

Just one more thing though.  I found the game I was playing when things messed up.  It was map #7035, Easter Island by stdout.  I just tried loading that map and got a message that it was created with a more recent version of the game and I should update.   A couple of other games say the same thing. Will that happen automatically through Steam?  I've always kept up with the updates but I'm not seeing any update messages now.  I did click on a very short game and was able to play it just fine.

Thanks so much to you, Karsten, and Builder for all your follow through and patience!
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: hawgwash on March 09, 2019, 01:04:19 PM
Karsten, interesting question.  I don't know the answer.  I do know it had to be in early February when the problem started because I went to the map I was playing.  (See post above).  That map was posted February 1.  Not sure when I downloaded OS 10.14 but I just googled the release date and it was in September.  So it was probably about then.
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: Karsten75 on March 09, 2019, 01:31:27 PM
Quote from: hawgwash on March 09, 2019, 01:00:11 PM

Just one more thing though.  I found the game I was playing when things messed up.  It was map #7035, Easter Island by stdout.  I just tried loading that map and got a message that it was created with a more recent version of the game and I should update.   A couple of other games say the same thing. Will that happen automatically through Steam?  I've always kept up with the updates but I'm not seeing any update messages now.  I did click on a very short game and was able to play it just fine.


Check if you still have the beta tab enabled in Steam.  Correct level is 2.12 Steam.

If it says anything else, it's either the beta or the demo copy interfering.
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: hawgwash on March 09, 2019, 01:47:06 PM
That fixed it.  Thanks.
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: knucracker on March 09, 2019, 07:13:13 PM
The log file you posted had this line in it:
"2019-03-09 10:17:30.794 Creeper World 3[13771:3983795] not in fullscreen state"

That was the hint that was needed.  Glad you have it fixed.
Title: Re: Blue and white screen on Mac
Post by: saas2813 on June 09, 2019, 07:09:04 PM
Mac has this habit of hiding things Apple thinks might cause trouble if random users access.
The ~/Library directory seems to be one of those things.
When I uploaded the log-file for another post I opened the Termial and copied the file from its location in ~/Library to my user directory, that made it visible from the upload field for this forum:

   cp ~/Library/Logs/Unity/Player.log .

The dot at the end of the above command says "put the file in the current directory" which when you open the Terminal ought to be your users home.