The Portingkit
Porting Kit Installation Guide
Thank you for using the free Porting Kit app to play your favorite games and apps! In order to use this software you have to need Mac OS 10.15.7 and above. Yes, the software works also for the latest Mac OS versions. Let’s get started.
Tutorials: Check this page… for videos about installing games and about what Porting Kit is/does.
Downloading the Software:
You can download the Porting Kit app from the portingkit.com website up here: http://portingkit.com/download
Installation
After downloading the Porting Kit app you have to unzip the app and move it to your apps/application folder. This last part is important because of permissions for updating the app.
When that’s done, you can launch the app and run through the configuration/Setup of Porting Kit!
Video may differ a bit in reality because of new features/option added in the config.
How to use Porting Kit
When you have opened the Porting Kit. Then you will find a few options.
News: Basically the start page. Simply the blog page of paulthetall.com to see the latest news and releases.
Apps:
– All Apps -> Shows you the “apps” database with all supported apps porting kit has (not many at the moment) but is attended to grow through time + the option to install a custom app.
– Installed -> There you will find apps you installed from the (at the moment small) apps database or you custom installed app.
Games:
– All games -> The place to be…Find the whole supported game database there including the option to install custom game ports.
– Installed -> There you will find the games you installed from the gigantic game database or you custom installed games. This and the “all games” section you will spent the most of your time :)
– GOG account: Also an Important place. You check here if you are logged into your GOG account integration. When you are not, you will see a “sign in button” to login after all. When you are logged in, you will see all the games in your GOG account where there is a game port available. This is quite useful to see for which GOG games in your account are added in the supported game database and which you can easily install from there. Remember that the installed games you can find always in the “Installed” games section.
Sources:
– GOG -> Here you will see all GOG ports in the game database in one overview (filtered from the other game ports).
– Origin -> Here you will see all EA Desktop/Origin ports in the game database in one overview (filtered from the other game ports).
– Steam -> Here you will see all Steam ports in the game database in one overview (filtered from the other game ports).
– Ubisoft connect > Here you will see all Ubisoft Connect ports in the game database in one overview (filtered from the other game ports).
Misc:
News: Find all the latest news around Porting Kit and more.
Community: This links to the Porting Kit forums.
FAQ: Link to the FAQ page on paulthetall.com
Contact Us: Contact form.
The Game Database!
On the “All Games” section you will find all the game ports. Search the specific game port and if you cannot find it (always try to search with word parts as well), then you can try making a port yourself using the “New Custom Port” icon and choose an Engine to use. WS12WineCX23.7.3-RC2 is the most common one to use at the moment. An important not is that a custom port of your game is not always working. As mentioned earlier, you can do a request for it on the forums.
For games in the database we offer support. This means, if you run into trouble we will try to help you out. In that case use the forums or contact form to contact us. No assurances of course, because there may be many factors causing the trouble, like old/not powerful video-card, specific 3rd party software installed on the Mac, too less memory, too slow Mac, etc. But in the basis most of the stuff simply works.
Port Database View:
When you found your game in the database, left click on it to get into the Port Database View.
Important in this view to mention is the “source” in the right upper corner. Those sources are tested and available in Porting Kit. We work with 7 Different sources:
1. GOG.com
2. Steam
3. Ubisoft Connect
4. CD
5. Origin/EA Desktop
6. BattleNet
7. Other
To be able to play the game you need to own the specific source game. For Steam you need to own the Steam game, for GOG, you need the GOG installer files or logged into the GOG account integration.
Before you install you first need to read the port description and notes mentioned. This is important, because sometimes it mentions that a powerful Mac is required and if you have a low-end Mac, than the game will not work of course. I will mention below the install instructions for the Steam, GOG.com and the Ubisoft Connect/Battlenet/EA Desktop/Origin installations.
Basic Porting Kit Install Instructions GOG games:
1. Make sure you have downloaded/moved the Portingkit app into your Application/apps folder.
2. Make sure you are logged into the GOG account integration (GOG account tab) or download the “Gamename“offline backup setup” file(s) into your (root) download folder.
3. Go to the “All games” or on the sources the “GOG” section and search and select the game you want to install and click “Install”
4. Always read the “notes” of the game description first for additional steps!
5. Porting Kit will create the wrapper and locate your setup file in your download folder
6. The installation of the game will start, run through the install wizard.
7. After installation, exit the installer (don’t run launch the game).
8. Porting kit will say it has finished successfully.
9. Go to your local library tab and select the game and click “play”!
10 Enjoy the game!
Install instructions Steam:
1. Make sure you have downloaded/moved the Portingkit app into your Application/apps folder.
2. in Porting Kit on the “All games” or on the source “Steam” section search and click install when the game is selected. This installs the Windows Steam client.
3. Always read the “notes” of the game description first for additional steps!
4. After install. Close the install wizard properly.
5. Click play to launch Steam. Login with your Steam account.
6. When you own the game already in Steam, click install in your game library. If not use the links
in the port description to get it cheap.
7. After download click play! Have fun!
Install Instructions Ubisoft Connect/EA Desktop/BattleNet
1. Make sure you have downloaded/moved the Portingkit app into your Application/apps folder.
2. in Porting Kit on the “All games” or on the source “Steam” section search and click install when the game is selected. This installs the Windows Steam client.
3. Always read the “notes” of the game description first for additional steps!
4. in Porting Kit click install when the game is selected. This installs the Windows Ubisoft Connect/EA Desktop/Battlenet client.
5. After install. Close the install wizard properly.
6. Click play to launch the game client with your account.
7. When you own the game already in Ubisoft Connect/Battlenet/EA Desktop, click install in your game library. If not use the links
in the port description to get it cheap.
8. After download click play! Have fun!
In the “more” button options you can find some extra port instruction video’s to see how the installation process functions.
Installed Games and Apps!
Then you will find in the menu on the left the “installed” section (Apps and Games) where can find al your installed and locally added apps are located. Including an “Add application” button, where you can add apps manually to the Porting Kit. Also a slider is located on the right bottom where you can enlarge the icons in the game database or make them smaller. When you launch Porting Kit for the first time, that part is empty. When you installed some games it will shown on the left side.
Important to know is the difference between the local installed apps and the general database (not installed apps). Database apps are the ones you can install. The installed ones are the ones already installed and when you right click them you have different options: Like “play”, “remove”, “properties” and so on.
You can also change the view to the local port view when you left click on a specific local installed port. You will notice a “play” button to launch the game and a “more” button with extra options.
Show in finder: Shows the port/app in the finder.
Delete: Will delete the port.
Force close: not really necessary, but if the processes doesn’t close somehow you can force quit it. Same option can be found in the porting kit top bar menu by choosing “tools” —> “kill all wineskin processes”.
Properties: Gives you some extra options for the port to use for example the F1-f12 keys within the game or changing fonts, or paths or adjustment of the game name.
Configure joystick mappings (as what it says)
Open: C / Z: Important feature which opens the port and shows you the fake “C: drive” within the port where the installed game is located. If you need to find or replace files. Use that option.
Install Mod/patch: Little tool to install a MOD or patch in that specific game port.
Debug: Important feature, when a port is not working for you. We need a debug log to find out the problems you have. So when contacting us, please also supply a debug log so we can find out what’s going on.
Wineskin tools: Opens op the wineskin app with it functions to for example change settings in there. Or to install specific Winetricks, giving port details and more. In some situations we can sent you instructions to do some stuff in there to fix things.
Export to WSI2/WSI3: This option is for the advanced user who created it’s own port and wants to share the port to be added to Porting Kit. They can sent a WSI file to use so we can import it into Porting Kit.
Other Porting Kit options!
Well that are basic installation and usage options explained. But that’s not it. Porting Kit has also some preferences and extra options you can find in the top bar. menu.
In the main menu, the most important features you will find:
Preferences: You will find there preferences for path settings, screen capture options and the theme/layout GUI settings. It has some cool themes to choose from.
Tools: In that submenu you will find:
1. Kill all wineskin processes
2. Clear Porting Kit Caches (Use this to clear caches and fix problems. When you run into it.)
All extra cool features you can use in Porting Kit.
We hope to add loads of other cool stuff in the future, but that’s it for now. Porting Kit 6.0 makes great process, after that this user Manual will get a little update.
Enjoy Porting Kit. If you run into issues let us know using the contact form or the forums.
FAQ page you can find here…
Man your tool is absolutely insane. I just used it for the first time and I’m super impressed. I don’t have a lot of money, but I’ll go and try to donate $5 now ;)
Hi there!
I’m absolutely thrilled with Porting Kit! I was wondering, do you have any plans to release a version that supports playing “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Upgrade”? It would be fantastic to have this option.
Thanks a bunch!
Romy
Rome 2: Emporer Edition works, but in the battle map skies are black and the map is very dark. Any ideas for how to fix it?
Thanks so much! Finally got to play Alpha Centauri again, so easy to use great instructions. Donation on its way.
Porter kit not working for steam atm… #steamhelper
How do you port/create a wrapper for a non-game Windows app using this product?