Installation Instructions (OS X)

1. Verify your Java Installation
2. OS X Installation

Verify Your Java Installation

Strange Eons is written in Java and can be used on several platforms. In order to work, you must have the Java 6 or newer runtime installed. You can check your version of Java and install or update it as needed by pressing this button:

If the button does not work (for example, if you have disabled JavaScript in your browser), make sure that you have downloaded any updates to Java through Software Update on your Mac.

Note: if Java 6 is not supported by Apple for your Mac, you may still be able to use the program by installing an alternative Java implementation called SoyLatte. See below for details.

OS X Installation

OS X 10.6: Includes Java 6 for both 32- and 64-bit Intel-based Macs. Just download the OS X release above and double click the file to unzip it. There are instructions in the included Read Me file, but you can just double click the app to start it, or drag it to your Applications folder to give it a permanent home.

OS X 10.5.2: Apple has released an implementation of Java 6 for 64-bit, Intel-based Macs running OS X 10.5.2 or later. If you meet these criteria, install the latest Java for OS X 10.5 Update through Software Update. Then download the OS X release above and unzip the file. Follow the instructions in the Read Me file to complete the installation. Otherwise, if you have a 32-bit Intel or AMD based Mac, you can use SoyLatte (see 10.4 instructions below).

OS X 10.4: Strange Eons works with the free SoyLatte port of Sun's Java environment. See the included Read Me file in the OS X download above for more information. Note that at the time of this writing, SoyLatte is in the early stages of development.

Known Issue: There is a bug in the way Apple's JVM handles fonts that are installed by Strange Eons. This results in some odd effects. For example, adding tags for text effects like <b>bold</b> won't work as expected except on text typeset with the main body font. Also, the main body font on cards produced with the OS X version of Strange Eons is different from that of other platforms. This bug is also likely to affect plug-ins for other games that use custom fonts. (This bug does not occur on other platforms or when using the SoyLatte JVM.)

SoyLatte Instructions

Using SoyLatte to run Strange Eons is an option for experienced users. This section described the basic steps needed to install SoyLatte and use it to start Strange Eons. They will be easier to follow if you or a friend have experience with a UNIX-based operating system.

1. Make sure you download the binaries for SoyLatte (not the source) from the SoyLatte page (http://landonf.bikemonkey.org/static/soylatte/). There are different versions depending on whether your Mac is Intel-based or AMD-based. Get the latest version of whichever is right for your Mac.
2. After the file downloads, unpack it (just double-clicking it should work). Wait as it unpacks the contents.
3. Open a new Finder window and choose Go | Go to Folder and enter /usr/local. The folder will open; create a new subfolder here called soylatte (or whatever you like—but remember the name for later).
4. Copy the SoyLatte folder that you unpacked from the download into this folder.
5. Now unpack the OS X Strange Eons download somewhere convenient, such as in Applications or somewhere in your home folder.
6. In the folder with the OS X content is a script file called run-with-soylatte.sh. You need to open this in a plain text editor (such as TextEdit). The file will look something like this:

   #!/bin/bash
   
   if ["$JAVA_HOME" == ""]
   then
       JAVA_HOME=/usr/local/soylatte16-i386-1.0/
       echo JAVA_HOME is not set: trying default location
   fi
   
   PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH
   cd "Strange Eons.app/Contents/Resources/Java"
   java -Xms96m -Xmx512m -classpath strange-eons.jar ca.cgjennings.apps.arkham.Splash

7. Make sure that any editor that you use to modify this file does not wrap any of the lines. You need to edit line 5 to set JAVA_HOME to the folder you created and copied soylatte into:

   JAVA_HOME=/usr/local/soylatte/

   (In the future, should you find yourself getting Out of Memory errors while running Strange Eons, edit this file again and set the 512 in -Xmx512m to a higher number.)
8. Save the modified file and exit. (If you completely mess it up, you can always get a fresh copy by unpacking the Strange Eons download again.)
9. Now you should be able to run SE using SoyLatte. You'll need to open a terminal window; start the Terminal application from the Utilities folder. You'll find basic help on starting and using the terminal here.
10. In the teminal window, you need to enter a command to change to the folder where you put the Strange Eons application. For example, something like:

    cd "/home/keith/Strange Eons"

    But with your path instead of /home/keith/Strange Eons.
11. Finally, you can run the script file using this command:

    ./run-with-soylatte.sh

When run with SoyLatte, the program won't look and behave as much like a native OS X application as it would if run with Apple's version of Java 6, but it does at least run! And SoyLatte will continue to improve with time.

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January 19, 2010  — Updated January 01, 2011