Which is the best current method for running LOTRO on Mac - For a complete dummy?

Hi all,
as the title states, I am an absolute dummy when it comes to Mac. I have a macOS Big Sur, version 11.7.1. I would like to play LotRO on this laptop. But that is all I have - a mac and a desire to play. Could any kind person tell me what is the current best way to run the game on abovementioned version of Mac? I have read some of the guides posted, they mention Wine and Crossover? Can't pay for a program atm, so I would like to hear your advice. Pointing me to a easy guide for a complete dummy would also help. Thanks!

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Originally Posted by Altli

Hi all,
as the title states, I am an absolute dummy when it comes to Mac. I have a macOS Big Sur, version 11.7.1. I would like to play LotRO on this laptop. But that is all I have - a mac and a desire to play. Could any kind person tell me what is the current best way to run the game on abovementioned version of Mac? I have read some of the guides posted, they mention Wine and Crossover? Can't pay for a program atm, so I would like to hear your advice. Pointing me to a easy guide for a complete dummy would also help. Thanks!

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You didn't mention the model of your Mac laptop, which does matter a bit. It would also be helpful to know how much RAM you have and the amount of free space on your storage drive – LOTRO requires 34gb and you need to leave some free space. Note also that the latest version of MacOS Big Sur is 11.7.5, the major differences between 11.7.1. and 11.7.5 are under-the-hood security features so I suggest you update to 11.7.5 if you are able.

The "best" way to play LOTRO on a Mac is using Crossover. Crossover is a commercial version of WINE, "commercial" means it isn't free. There is a two-week free trial so you can be sure it will work for you before paying for it. Getting LOTRO running on a Mac in Crossover is very easy:
1- Download Crossover:
https://www.codeweavers.com/crossover/download
2- Run Crossover.
3- Use Crossover to create a Windows 10 64-bit bottle.
4- Use Crossover to install "DirectX for Modern Games" into that bottle.
5- Check the bottle settings: DXVK should be enabled; CSMT, ESync, and High Resolution Mode should be disabled.
6- Download the Windows installer for LOTRO from here, the "PC Download":
https://www.lotro.com/guides/lotro-d...d-en?locale=en
7- Use Crossover to run lotrolive.exe to install LOTRO into the bottle you created back in Step 3.
Some people run into minor issues with getting the client to launch after the installation is done. It is usually easily fixed by making a few manual adjustments to the preferences file. Don't worry about that for now, you might not run into that problem and if you do we can fix you right up here in your thread.

If you absolutely can't afford Crossover, there are free open-source versions of WINE. One of those versions is based on code donated by Codeweavers, the company which is behind Crossover. Getting WINE installed and then getting LOTRO installed so that it will use WINE is a more complicated process (one of the big advantages of Crossover isn't that it is better even though it is, but that it is easier). Go to this thread and follow the procedure outlined in the first message of the thread:
https://forums.lotro.com/forums/show...pler-procedure

If you have any questions or run into any problems, use your existing thread here. I'll be happy to help and there are many other helpful people here in the Mac Technical Support subforum!

Thanks for the detailed answer, Tralfazz! Appreciate it. Sorry for not including more information. Does this help?
MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2013)
Processor 1,3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5
Memory 4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Graphics Intel HD Graphics 5000 1536 MB
Storage: 63 GB available of 121 GB
I will be sure to read thoroughly the WINE guide you linked to, and if I need help I will ask. Undoubtedly, I will need it. ;)

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Originally Posted by Altli

Thanks for the detailed answer, Tralfazz! Appreciate it. Sorry for not including more information. Does this help?
MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2013)
Processor 1,3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5
Memory 4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Graphics Intel HD Graphics 5000 1536 MB
Storage: 63 GB available of 121 GB
I will be sure to read thoroughly the WINE guide you linked to, and if I need help I will ask. Undoubtedly, I will need it. ;)

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I have run LOTRO very nicely on older Macs than yours. You are going to have serious performance issues, though, because you have only 4gb of RAM. Just wanted to mention that because 4gb of RAM is really not very much in 2023, even for a game like LOTRO. Remember that the OS plus any other applications you are going to run at the same time are going to use some of your RAM, and LOTRO really only shines when it can "stretch its legs" and use 4.5gb or more physical RAM.

Just as an example, I have a 2012 Mac Mini but it has 16gb of RAM. I have a 2013 iMac but it also has 16gb of RAM. (My main workstation, a 2019 iMac, has 32gb of RAM.) RAM is very inexpensive and adding RAM is one of the two nicest things you can do for any older Mac (the second being using an SSD instead of a HDD – you have an SSD already).

Unfortunately, the RAM in your specific model of Mac is not upgradeable because it is soldered to the logic board.

You will be able to get the game to run but it will be important to use very low graphics settings and to not have especially high expectations in terms of frame rates and stability.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Altli

Thanks for the detailed answer, Tralfazz! Appreciate it. Sorry for not including more information. Does this help?
MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2013)
Processor 1,3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5
Memory 4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Graphics Intel HD Graphics 5000 1536 MB
Storage: 63 GB available of 121 GB
I will be sure to read thoroughly the WINE guide you linked to, and if I need help I will ask. Undoubtedly, I will need it. ;)

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I will simply echo the recommendation that you use Crossover. Once you set up the bottle, the hard work is done. I have used it for the last 2+ years and have never had a lick of trouble. Much easier than setting up your own WINE installation. Good luck.

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Originally Posted by Bothketbog

I will simply echo the recommendation that you use Crossover. Once you set up the bottle, the hard work is done. I have used it for the last 2+ years and have never had a lick of trouble. Much easier than setting up your own WINE installation. Good luck.

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Altli, you might want to use the 2-week free trial even if you plan to never buy Crossover. It is much easier to get LOTRO installed with Crossover than first installing Homebrew then WINE then finally getting LOTRO going with WINE. The advantages of using the 2-week free trial:
–It's free!
–It's much easier than open-source WINE!
–You can get LOTRO onto your Mac very easily, so that even after the 2-week free trial is over the installation of LOTRO will be done and you won't have to worry about that part when getting open-source WINE set up.
–If the game doesn't run well enough on your Mac in Crossover and you are unsatisfied and decide to delete it from your drive, you will save yourself a bit of time and effort by finding out that way because the game won't run better in open-source WINE.

Thanks for all the detailed info. I have read the WINE guide, and although my brain was ready to explode from all that, I might give it a try in the near future. I think I tried Crossover once in the past and used up the free trial, and have LoTRO installed. I have a little baby and spending 60+ bucks on Crossover is absolutely not an option. Thanks for all the help. I hate Mac for being so incredibly complex and unavailable for Windows programs. :(

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Originally Posted by Altli

Thanks for all the detailed info. I have read the WINE guide, and although my brain was ready to explode from all that, I might give it a try in the near future. I think I tried Crossover once in the past and used up the free trial, and have LoTRO installed. I have a little baby and spending 60+ bucks on Crossover is absolutely not an option. Thanks for all the help. I hate Mac for being so incredibly complex and unavailable for Windows programs. :(

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Altli, I 100% empathize with your personal situation and your feelings are completely valid.

However, I do think it's a bit unfair to "hate Mac" because MacOS doesn't run Windows executables natively. It's a different operating system, it's like expecting Windows to run Unix (or MacOS) executables natively. The amazing thing is that, here in 2023, there is pretty good emulation (such as Parallels) and excellent on-the-fly API translation (via WINE). Emulation provides nearly perfect compatibility albeit at the cost of quite a bit of performance, and API translation provides full native performance although there are some Windows applications which just won't work on a Mac that way.

It's natural to be frustrated by a lack of financial resources or other things that limit one's ability to deploy modern hardware, and to purchase software products. I just don't think that's "Mac's" fault! Your computer is a lovely machine for web browsing and YouTube and managing your personal photos and editing home videos and all sorts of other things. But even when it was new it was designed to be small and light and to use as little battery power as possible so even in 2013 it was expensive but underpowered relative to a desktop Mac of the same original retail price and vintage. As for the complexity, getting open-source WINE installed is less daunting than it looks, certainly it is going to require more effort than Crossover which removes a great deal of the complexity for you but it's harder to read about than to do it. Read first! Then do. But I think you'll find the doing is not as hard as it appears.

Altli, I don't check PMs often. I did just receive the one you sent 5 days ago. I do not like to provide support via PM. Support here in the public forum has the potential to help other people in the future as it remains searchable and also provides opportunities for people who know more than I do to chip in and offer solutions that I would miss.

Please post your questions here in this thread you started last week and I'll be happy to help!