Blue and white screen on Mac

[hawgwash]

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!

[knucracker]

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.

[hawgwash]

Thanks much, but neither unchecking the synchronization button nor uninstalling/reinstalling worked.  I still have the same problem.

[Karsten75]

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.

[hawgwash]

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.

[Karsten75]

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.



Failing this, I fear you're going to have to go in to an Apple store and see if they can help you.

[hawgwash]

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.

:'(

[Karsten75]

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.

[Builder17]

Curious if log file would have anything helpful?

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

[hawgwash]

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.

[Karsten75]

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.

[hawgwash]

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.

[Builder17]

I believe this will help.

To 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

[Karsten75]

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

Code Select Expand

~/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/

[hawgwash]

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.