Bellefon.1259 Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 Problem: Mac client unplayableThe 64-bit Mac client was essentially unplayable for me for various reasons, the two most important being:extremely long load times for graphic elements every map change; and skill usage displaying out of sync (an AoE circle would be actively on the ground, but no visual for it for 1-2 seconds.)I had never removed the 32-bit client, and thus had two GW2 applications in my applications folder. Could these problems be related to issues my system is having accessing the appropriate files, or encountering interference from outdated files?I understand why Anet created a process that allows the 64-bit Mac client to access files from the 32-bit installation. This means customers don’t have to follow directions for a more involved re-installation, or muck around in hidden directory structures. Ideally the new 64-bit client would have automated the reorganization and removal of obsolete files.I decided to completely uninstall both the 32-bit & 64-bit client, and all associated files and folders, and then do a fresh install. (I had nothing to lose, since my Boot Camp set-up had gone wonky, and GW2 in Boot Camp can run very hot.) This information isn’t new, I just couldn’t find it consolidated in one place, and in such a way as to make someone like me (with intermediate tech know-how) feel confident that I could interrupt an install and then replace a file stored “inside” an OS X application, something that was new to me, and works a little differently from Windows. So I thought I'd share my process.Overall it should take about an hour, most of that is the time it takes to copy/move a huge 45gb dat file. However, PLEASE DON’T DO THIS if:you’re not comfortable digging into your application files; andyou don’t know how to find library files — Apple hides these by default, so I’m not going to talk about that in this post, and if you don’t know how to find them, then you probably shouldn’t attempt this operation.How-to —> summary:Basically, you’ll need to:Save two GW2 files: Gw2.dat and Local.datUninstall both the 32-bit & 64-bit versions completelyReinstall the 64-bit clientInterrupt the install/download after 5-10 minutesFinally, place your two saved .dat files in the appropriate locationsSaving the Gw2.dat file means you won’t burn time & bandwidth re-downloading 45gb of data, which could take about 6 hours or longer depending on your internet plan/connection.Saving the Local.dat file means you’ll preserve settings that are saved on the client side (most others are already saved with your account on the server side.)How-to —> detail:1. Save two GW2 files: Gw2.dat and Local.datSave Gw2.dat from here:/Applications/Guild Wars 2.app (32-bit version)right-click the app and select “Show Package Contents”, then continue drilling down into the folder structure: Contents/Resources/transgaming/c_drive/GW2/Gw2.datGw2.dat is a large file, approx. 45gb at this timeif it’s the 0 bytes version of Gw2.dat, you have the wrong onesave this file to a temporary location, such as the Desktop or a temporary folder of your choosing, though be aware that due to how application files may work on different OS versions, it may duplicate this file rather than just move it, so be ready for that if you have limited hard drive spaceSave Local.dat from here:/Users//Library/Application Support/Guild Wars 2/Local.datthis file will be smaller, approx. 100mb2. Uninstall both the 32-bit & 64-bit versions completelyAnet gives pretty clear instructions: Uninstalling Guild Wars 2 (https://help.guildwars2.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001707707-Uninstalling-Guild-Wars-2)delete both GW2 applicationsdelete the entire Guild Wars 2 folder in the Application Support folder. A fresh version will be recreated during reinstallationwhen you’re removing preference and cache files, “guildwars2” and “transgaming” are part of the files names — I found and removed two preferences and two cache files3. Reinstall the 64-bit clientDownload the Gw2Setup-64.dmg installer from Anet, only available in 64-bit for Mac.Open the .dmg file, place Guild Wars 2 64-bit.app in your Applications folder, and open it to begin reinstallation.4. Interrupt the install/download after 5-10 minutesQuit the app to halt the download, and avoid re-installing the entire 45gb download. This gives the installer time to create the necessary directory structure and any necessary additional files, to make sure everything is in the right place.5. Finally, place your two saved .dat files in the appropriate locationsReplace Gw2.dat here, replacing the partially downloaded .dat file:/Applications/Guild Wars 2 64-bit.appright-click the app and select “Show Package Contents”, then continue drilling down into the folder structure: Contents/Resources/Gw2.datyou may have to copy/paste the .dat file, rather than moving/dragging the fileReplace Local.dat here:/Users//Library/Application Support/Guild Wars 2/Local.datSuccess:This solved my two most important problems. I don’t know why. Is it really as simple as not having my Gw2.dat file not living within the 32-bit app? Or could an older file have been the cause, sinc approx. 25 files were deleted in this process, along with about the same number of empty placeholder folders? If anyone with more technical knowledge has any insights into why this worked, please explain or theorize.I’d like to stress that if your Mac installation is working right now, don’t bother with this. This did not optimize the game for me in terms of better fps. I’m still running all graphics on their lowest settings. It just made the game “playable” in terms of the problems mentioned in my first paragraph, and if you’re experiencing the same or similar, this may be worth a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PadmaPhala.1824 Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Will test this soon.Thanks for the debugging info',ethical hacker E.V. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Time.7054 Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 HI,I have crashes with the 64 bit client from 10 to 40 minutes after each and every login, and the 32 bit login window vanished weeks ago.I own a Mac Mini half 2011, 8gb di RAM, i5, 2,3Ghz, El Capitan.The Mini works well with every app, except Guild Wars 2.After complete test steps with Game Support staff, they did not understand issue's cause.Etrecheck reports everything is in order, performance results are "good".The Mini complies minimum system requirements for the game.A series of tests runned by a certified Apple Technician did not find anything wrong with the computer.I don't know what to try next, so your post comes as fresh air.I do not have a double 32 and 64 bit 45gb file download, as I understand you had.Do you think your method may be good with this premises? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellefon.1259 Posted July 17, 2019 Author Share Posted July 17, 2019 @"Justin Time.7054" said:Do you think your method may be good with this premises?I was having performance issues, not crashes, so not sure this process would help your situation.Also, if the problem is caused by the corruption of your Gw2.dat file, I believe this process preserves that exact same file.I have no idea what’s causing your crash, but it’s worth ruling out corruption of the game client by running a repair (if you haven’t already). It’s an easy low-risk troubleshooting method (compared to downloading a fresh client.) It fixed my crash problem once.Anet’s instructions —> https://help.guildwars2.com/hc/en-us/articles/201863008-Repairing-the-Game-ClientWhen copying/pasting into Terminal, make sure to modify the file path if your GW2 app is not in your Application folder.Also, when running this repair on a Mac, Terminal does not give any feedback that it’s finished, so I just let it run for about two hours to make sure it does its thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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