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Release Porting Kit 4.1.17

On April 2, 2021   /   News, Portingkit   /   Leave a comment
Release Porting Kit 4.1.17

We have a new update for Porting Kit 4 today! This time we are on 4.1.17! In this release we have builtin a couple of extra features (which we had in Porting Kit 3 as well) and a fix. Let’s check them out in separate subjects.

DXVK fix:
This version has a bugfix for Directx11 support for 64 ports like: Age of Empires 2 DE, Age of Empires 3 DE, Skyrim SE, Hitman Absolution, Freedom Fighter, Witcher 3. There sneaked in a bug which has now been resolved in this version.

“Install now” functionality on the website:
This worked in PK3 already but now also in PK4, yes I am talking about the “install now” button on the portingkit.com website. You probably saw the button “install now” when looked into the Porting Kit game database on the website. Now this functionality will work in PK4. It doesn’t matter if Porting Kit is closed or open, when you click on “install now”, Porting Kit will prompt straight away the install wizard to install the port. It’s a great feature and it saves you from searching the game in the  Porting Kit app.

“Clear Caches” option under tools:
We heard this request from users who were missing that option in Porting Kit 4. With this option (which you can find using the top bar menu under “Tools”) you can clear:
– Wineskin Library caches
– Clear Winetricks
– Porting Kit Local Cache
– Porting Kit Temp folder
This option may come in handy when you ever have some issues regarding Porting kit.

Check the change log up here…

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Porting Kit 4 – “Experimental branch” option (Beta mode).

On April 1, 2021   /   News, Portingkit   /   Leave a comment

Since a couple of weeks ago we added an experimental “testing/beta” branch to Porting Kit to test new functionality and bug fixes. If you like to attend in this “Beta” group, then in your Porting Kit settings you can easily do that. You will be on the front row having access first to all new fixes and features within Porting Kit. When the Beta mode has issues please let us know so we can fix them before releasing it to the production PK branch. In that case you can turn off experimental mode until the issues are fixed.

Recent Features in the Experimental/Beta mode:
– Double-click an exe and porting Kit will pop-up and option for a new install or in an existing port.
– “Install now” option will work from the Porting.com website.
– Installation process-bar for Porting Kit updates. (will be visible in the next update)

Important bug fix:
The experimental branch has also a bugfix for Directx11 support for 64 ports like: Age of Empires 2 DE, Age of Empires 3 DE, Skyrim SE, Hitman Absolution, Freedom Fighter, Witcher 3. So if you want to install those games, please turn this experimental mode on before installing these games. We will have this fix in the production branch in a few days. So if you ran into this problem, turn on the experimental mode and install the 64bit/D3d11 game again.

You can automatically attend by selecting the “enable experimental features” checkbox in your Porting Kit preferences.

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DLC installer fixed in PK update 4.1.13

On March 24, 2021   /   News, Portingkit   /   Leave a comment

Edit: Update 4.1.13 has been shortly released after a bug with the master wrapper (Cannot read property ‘downloadBaseUrl’ of undefined). Should now be working properly again.

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You probably noticed the updated and thought why the heck there was another update? Well, we fixed the DLC Ports install (yeah those DLC’s with green glow) like Diablo 2 – Lord of Destruction.
This functionality worked in PK 3 but didn’t work yet in PK4, so this was an urgent change to do. We otherwise would wait to also implement some other things like the “update” window (which also shows what things are new in the update) with process bar,  the new forum, and the “install now” functionality from the Portingkit.com website. This stuff will will be implemented in the next update. I also created a a video to show the DLC installation from Porting Kit (see below).

One small thing about the video, In the video it creates 2 icons for Diablo 2 and Diablo 2 – LOD, but it seems it replaces the Diablo 2 game with the extra features in LOD, so there will be one icon instead of 2 in your library.

Porting Kit 4 changes:
– DLC Installation fix

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Some more game port fixes!

On March 19, 2021   /   News, Portingkit, Wrapper updates   /   2 Comments
Some more game port fixes!

Maintenance of game ports is an important job of all the thousands of ports in the Porting Kit database. When we hear reports of issues then we look into it and when it seems a general problem or for some specific Mac (Apple Silicon or specific GFX cards), then we try to fix that. So here an overview of some ports I updated last week to fix some specific issues:

– Age of Empires 2 HD (2013)  (Fixed steam bug and a game launch bug)
– Fable Anniversary (Fixed game launch bug)
– Jurassic Park – Operation Genesis (Fixed installation bug)
– Ys Seven (Fixed graphical glitch bug)
– Dragon’s Dogma – Dark Arisen ( Fixed launch bug)


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Constructor Classic 1997 for Mac

On March 16, 2021   /   DOS games, Game Port, GOG.com Games, News, Portingkit, Strategy   /   Leave a comment

Another Classic has been added to Porting Kit: Constructor Classic 1997 for Mac! This old classic (DOS game) had an earlier Mac version for Mojave and below, but because of Catalina 10.15.x it has not been available anymore for Mac. So Porting Kit is the solution to play this game again for Mac! have fun!

***Because this game has an old Mac version on GOG, you have to change “System” to Windows on your GOG Account download page, otherwise you will download old Mac game files instead of the Windows “Offline backup setup files” which are required for Porting Kit.***

Basic Porting Kit Install Instructions GOG games:
1. Download the GOG.com Constructor Classic 1997 offline backup setup file(s) into your download folder.
2. Always read the notes of the game description first for additional steps!
3. Go to the library server tab and select the game you want to install and click: Install
4. Porting Kit will create the wrapper and locate your setup file in your download folder
5. The installation of the game will start, run through the install wizard.
6. After installation, exit the installer (don’t run launch the game).
7. Porting kit will say it has finished successfully.
8. Go to your local library tab and select the game and click: play
9. Enjoy the game!

Game description:
Constructor Classic 1997 takes the empire building and resource management of the best simulations and adds to it a strong dose of character interaction, humour, and strategic competition. Take the role of a real estate developer in a race to build up and manage resources, properties, environments, and human interaction, while trying to outperform and destroy rival development companies. Start with a few workers, foremen, repairmen, and a small sum of money. Through precise resource management you’ll have to take care or your tenants’ happiness and compete against your opponents. Would you like to be rich and ruthless or maybe you prefer to create your own Utopia?

Go to the Porting Kit game page up here…

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Porting Kit 4.1.11 Released!

On March 9, 2021   /   News, Portingkit   /   1 Comment
Porting Kit 4.1.11 Released!

After a failed update attempt last week causing an un-ending update window at every startup, we have a a new tested and working update of Porting Kit to version 4.1.11! This update has some relocations of Engines and Winetricks making downloads better accessible and faster. Besides that we made a few small changes in messages, for example when people downloaded the goggalaxy setup file instead of the offLine backup setup file, you get a proper message with the info to download the correct files.

Besides that we made another important change regarding updates. To avoid not enough tested updates, we created a separate “beta” update branch which will contain the latest developer builds of PK4, so these can be tested properly before released in the stable branch. When you want to attent in these latest updates, then in the Porting Kit preferences select the checkbox of “Enable experimental features”. This checkbox will activate the developer builds for your Porting Kit. So from now on, only stable builds will be released in the official Porting Kit 4 Branch.

Changes:
– Winetrick Github links should be cached
– WS11 engines are compatible with macOS 10.13+
– Winetricks now may be downloaded from GitHub
– DXVK should only be installable in 64 bit engines
– GOG Galaxy installer message updated
– Experimental select-box extra branch beta updates

This update will automatically update your Porting Kit 4 and is now also the primary download on the portingkit.com/download page.

A sneakpeak for the next update: Will finally have an update window with process bar. DLC installer fix and the feature to use the “install now” links from the portingkit.com game pages in PK4.

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DXVK version de-reversal to fix Intel Iris GFX card issues for Age of Empires 2 DE and Skyrim SE. (Resolved!)

On March 9, 2021   /   News, Portingkit   /   Leave a comment

Update: Resolved. MoltenVK version is set back to 1.1.1

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It seems that a MoltenVK version reversal from 1.1.1 to 1.1.0 a couple of weeks back, had more negative impact than good. We did the reversal to fix a “freeze” bug in Witcher 3. But this indirectly caused issues for Intel Iris cards for the 64bit games of Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition and Skyrim Special Edition. So the fix (reversal) did more harm than good. So we gonna de-reverse that change so Intel Iris users won’t have these issues anymore and we will make a workaround for Witcher 3 gamers.

We hope to de-reversal happen today. So check this blog update for the process of the de-reversal so you know when you can reinstall your game. Also good to note is that we are also looking in even a newer version of MoltenVK (1.2.1) but first things first ;)

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Alpha Centauri port back in Porting Kit

On March 4, 2021   /   Game Port, GOG.com Games, News, Portingkit, Strategy   /   Leave a comment

On request! Alpha Centauri seems not been supported officially for Mac anymore above 10.14.x. So I made the game available again in Porting Kit which makes it compatible again with 10.15.x and higher. I also made 2 shortcuts in the Porting Kit menu where you can choose to launch the main game or the Alien Crossfire expansion. The game works very well as the native of GOG.com does. Enjoy this classic!

Basic Portingkit Install Instructions GOG games:
1. Download the GOG.com Alpha Centauri offline backup setup file(s) into your download folder.
2. Always read the notes of the game description first for additional steps!
3. Go to the library server tab and select the game you want to install and click: Install
4. Portingkit will create the wrapper and locate your setup file in your download folder
5. The installation of the game will start, run through the install wizard.
6. After installation, exit the installer (don’t run launch the game).
7. Porting kit will say it has finished successfully.
8. Go to your local library tab and select the game and click: play
9. Enjoy the game!

Game description:
Mankind begins its most monumental task – the colonization of space. A crew of internationally renowned scientists and security strategists, with wide-ranging convictions and diverse ethics, embarks on a mission that will change the world. One Planet. Seven unique factions. Which will you lead? Each faction has its own agenda, each leader a final goal. You must play to each strength and exploit each hidden weakness in your quest to rule the future.

Go to the Porting Kit game page up here…

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Trine for Mac

On March 2, 2021   /   GOG.com Games, News, Platform, Portingkit   /   1 Comment

Great news for the Trine lovers! We added the 10.15.x and higher supported version of  Trine (Original version) into Porting Kit! This is not the enchanted version, but the Original/classic version which is also included in the GOG.com version of the installation. I tested the game for a while and it works great! So if you own the game from the past and want to give it another go on your recent Mac OS, then Porting Kit is the way to go!

Basic Portingkit Install Instructions GOG games:
1. Download the GOG.com Trine offline backup setup file(s) into your download folder.
2. Always read the notes of the game description first for additional steps!
3. Go to the library server tab and select the game you want to install and click: Install
4. Portingkit will create the wrapper and locate your setup file in your download folder
5. The installation of the game will start, run through the install wizard.
6. After installation, exit the installer (don’t run launch the game).
7. Porting kit will say it has finished successfully.
8. Go to your local library tab and select the game and click: play
9. Enjoy the game!

Game description:
Trine is a physics-based action game where three characters combine their powers to devise clever solutions to challenges created by hazardous puzzles and threatening enemies. The gameplay is based on fully interactive physics where each character’s different abilities and tactics can be used to invent new ways to overcome obstacles and save the kingdom!

Go to the Porting Kit game page up here…

Love the work we do? Become a Patron… and get extra Tiers!

Trine for Mac

Trine for Mac

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A few google ads on Paulthetall.com

On March 2, 2021   /   News   /   Leave a comment
A few google ads on Paulthetall.com

To keep everything running and financed, we put some google ads on the Paulthetall.com website blog. We try to make it as little intrusive as possible and we will also finetune it the coming time. The ads will only be shown on the paulthetall.com blog and not on the portingkit.com website and will also not be visible in the Porting Kit news tab. So if you want everything add free, read the blog news in the Porting Kit 4 news tab.

We want to make everything as ad free as possible, so please help us finance everything around Porting Kit by becoming a Patron or donate or by buying games using the affiliate links in the port descriptions. We are very grateful for any support.

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