Ask the Experts / The Official Mac + RCT Help Thread

[Updated as of 1/31/13]

In recent years we've seen an increase of members ask, "How do I get this Godforsaken game to run on my Mac?" Well, fortunately I have stumbled upon a solid answer thanks to fellow member, Cocoa. There are ways such as using a VirtualMachine and BootCamp, both great softwares, but require a bit more setting up and could run you a couple bucks if you're cheap (like most of us, I'm sure).

While I know it's not a relatively new idea, but the program WineSkin is a simple app for OSX that allows you to run Windows-based games and applications on Mac software. So whether you have a Macbook or an iMac, this should be a simple choice for you. You don't need a copy of Windows, you don't need to run two different hard drives, it runs the game exactly as if it were made for OSX.

Here is the link to a topic started by a member at Theme Park Review:

Tutorial - Run RCTLL and RCT2 Natively on Mac OSX!
Thanks again Cocoa for the link.

I have used this and can vouch that it does indeed work. I have attempted to use BootCamp as well and can say this is infinitely more simple and straightforward thanks to this tutorial.


Now, this should work based on what the tutorial tells you to do, but for some reason, it didn't fully work for me. I got RCT to open but it was a black screen. I could hear the game music but saw nothing. Here's what I did:

1) Make sure in Wine's "Set Screen Options" you have it set as such:

 settings.png (56.82KB)
downloads: 10
(This is covered in the thread somewhere. It MAY OR MAY NOT HELP YOU. This thing works differently for people in some cases, a lot of trial and error was needed for me and don't be surprised if you need to try a few different settings).

2) THIS IS A BIG ONE. Download the NoCD RCT2 patch. Here's the link:

NoCD RCT2 Patch
This is basically what got the game working for me. I think he explains this in the thread but here's what I did to get it to work with this:

a) When in Wine, click "Install Software"
b) Next, click "Choose Setup Executable," which means if you didn't need the patch, you would simply choose the normal rct2.exe.
c) However, you want the NoCD RCT2 patch, which is also an .exe file. Simply substitute the normal rct2.exe file for the patch.
d) The game should open from there. The one kicker is that you'll need to open the game this way each time, and while it may seem like a lot to just get it open, its really just a couple seconds.

3) OK, now in RCT2, the game may or may not have some distorted graphics. Easy fix, simply go into any save game or scenario and use the in-game options to change to your appropriate resolution. Mine was 1200x800 I think, running a Macbook Pro.

And that's it.

It's been said in the TPR tutorial thread, this thing isn't quite perfect. Personally I have experienced some small glitches in moving the camera but apart from that, I've been fine. Other people have spoken of other small problems, I think. Apart from that, this thing runs as if it were in Windows. You can even find RCT in your Finder to access your saved games folder, objdata, and screenshots. Just like in Windows.

For RCTLL I believe there is much less fuss, and it is detailed more in the TPR thread as well. Just make sure you download the patch that was given out for it here, along with instructions:

RCTLL Patch

To install the patch, follow these steps -
Step 1 - download the patch.
Step 2 - browse to your RollerCoaster Tycoon's Wineskin, which is located in your home folder > Applications > RollerCoaster Tycoon > "Show Package Contents" > Wineskin.
Step 3 - click Install Software.
Step 4 - click Choose Setup Executable.
Step 5 - select RCT-US.exe, which is the patch you downloaded.
Step 6 - install the patch like normal.

Everyone please post if you give this a try and discover new or easier ways to get things done with this! I'll be sure to try and update this post with new info as its posted, and admins, feel free to edit this too with info if I for some reason don't get around to it.

One last thing, there are lots of videos and tutorials on using things like BootCamp and VirtualMachine. I have not had a lot of experience in those so if anyone wants to post help on using those, please do! This is a thread for all things RCT and Mac, and we should have all the options available. They are all great and useful tools so lets get a good database of ideas on making it easier for Mac users to play the game!

Enjoy, dudes!

Trying to get RCT2 working, at least. I've tried three different NoCD patches and two of them give me "Please insert your RollerCoasterTycoon2 disc into the following drive" followed, of course, by the missing or inaccessible data file, and one just fails to open. 

 

Any ideas??

This method/tutorial also works fine with the GOG versions of both games, those are what I'm using. I've also managed to get 8cars working to some extent (zero-clearancing works sometimes, merging rides won't work) so if anyone needs help with that I can write some instructions. 

I actually LL to be more complicated, especially patching it. I had to reinstall it using this method - http://www.nedesigns...gog-to-awesome/

id be interested in any tips anyone has for trainers, in ll specifically

The only trainer I've got working in wine is Dragons IOA trainer v5.0. To open it just rick click the exe and 'open with' whatever you're LL wineskin is called when LL is running. It's quite limited in what you can do with it though. I've found the save game modifier to be a pretty useful alternative since it doesn't need to be running at the same time. For that you can just create a separate wineskin.

ive gotten 4cars to /run/ but i cant actually zero clearences