Challenges in Packaging Our Game for MacOS

Hello, gamers!

As we continue our journey towards a smooth game launch, we want to share some of the hurdles we've been facing, particularly with packaging our game for Mac OS. While we’ve successfully built our game using Ren'Py for the front end and FastAPI for the backend, we’ve encountered some unexpected challenges on the Mac platform. We may have to retreat from Mac on this launch with itch.io, don't give up hope and we will be back for Mac on Steam.

The Goal: A Seamless Experience

We aimed to create a single executable that would bundle all our code, allowing players to enjoy the game without needing to run terminal commands. So far, our packaging efforts have been successful for Windows and Linux, providing users with a straightforward installation process.

The MacOS Dilemma

Unfortunately, MacOS has presented us with security restrictions that are blocking our automatic setup and run scripts. Our implementation used subprocess to verify the installation of Ollama, and used Uvicorn to serve a local FastAPI RESTful endpoint but it seems this approach isn’t functioning as intended on Mac.

Error Encountered

While attempting to spin up the server on Mac, we encountered the following error:

Uvicorn running on <a href="http://localhost:8088">http://localhost:8088</a> (Press CTRL+C to quit) The application cannot be opened for an unexpected reason, error=Error Domain=RBSRequestErrorDomain Code=5 "Launch failed." UserInfo={NSLocalizedFailureReason=Launch failed., NSUnderlyingError=0x600000d48150 {Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=111 "Unknown error: 111" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Launchd job spawn failed}}} 

This error indicates that our application cannot be launched as expected, which is understandably frustrating for us and for you, our Mac users.

And verifying Ollama installation using subprocess always return raise error of Ollama not installed which is not true.

We have been struggling for a while. While I would like to say, 'Retreat? Hell!' the reality is that we’ve faced some defeats.

Our Commitment

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by these issues. Although we cannot provide a Mac-compatible version of the game at this moment, we are actively working on a solution. Our team is exploring options to host the server in the cloud, which would allow us to offer a subscription-based model on Steam. This way, Mac users will still be able to access and enjoy our game without the complications of local installation.

Conclusion

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate these challenges. Our commitment to providing a great gaming experience for all players remains our top priority. We’ll keep you updated on our progress and look forward to delivering a solution that enables Mac users to join in on the fun.

Thank you for your support!

Happy gaming! 🎮

If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.