Skip to content

crossover-macos-guide.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
204 lines (146 loc) · 6.36 KB

crossover-macos-guide.md

File metadata and controls

204 lines (146 loc) · 6.36 KB

Running NMSE on macOS with CrossOver

A step-by-step guide to running NMSE (No Man's Save Editor) on macOS using CrossOver, a commercial Wine distribution by CodeWeavers.

Note: This is an interim solution. A native cross-platform version using Eto.Forms is planned - see the Cross-Platform Work Plan for details.

Table of Contents

  1. Overview
  2. Why CrossOver?
  3. System Requirements
  4. Installation
  5. Setting Up NMSE
  6. Finding Your NMS Save Files
  7. Troubleshooting
  8. Comparison: CrossOver vs Gcenx Wine Builds

Overview

CrossOver is a commercial Wine distribution ($74/year or $494 lifetime) made by CodeWeavers - the primary commercial contributors to the Wine project. It provides the most polished experience for running Windows applications on macOS, with particular strength on Apple Silicon Macs.

Why CrossOver?

Feature CrossOver Gcenx Wine Builds (Free Alternative)
Cost $74/year Free
Apple Silicon Excellent (dedicated optimisation) Good (Rosetta 2)
Setup difficulty Very Easy Easy
Support Commercial (email + forum) Community
Auto-updates Yes Yes
Performance Best on Apple Silicon Good

Choose CrossOver if:

  • You want the easiest, most polished experience
  • You're on an Apple Silicon Mac and want best performance
  • You value commercial support
  • You run other Windows applications on macOS

Choose Gcenx Wine Builds if:

  • You prefer a free solution
  • You're comfortable with minor configuration
  • You only need it for NMSE

System Requirements

Requirement Detail
macOS version macOS 12 Monterey or later
Chip Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) or Intel
Disk space ~500 MB (CrossOver + NMSE)
CrossOver licence Required ($74/year or $494 lifetime)

Installation

Step 1: Install CrossOver

  1. Visit https://www.codeweavers.com/crossover
  2. Purchase a licence (or start a free 14-day trial)
  3. Download and install CrossOver
  4. Open CrossOver and activate your licence

Step 2: Download NMSE

  1. Go to https://github.com/vectorcmdr/NMSE/releases
  2. Download the latest NMSE-<version>-Release.zip file (listed under the "Latest Build" release)
  3. Extract the zip to a convenient location (e.g. ~/Downloads/NMSE/)

Setting Up NMSE

Step 3: Create a Bottle

  1. Open CrossOver
  2. Click Bottle -> New Bottle
  3. Configure:
    • Bottle Name: NMSE
    • Bottle Type: "Windows 10 64-bit"
  4. Click Create

Step 4: Install NMSE into the Bottle

  1. Click Bottle -> Open C: Drive for the NMSE bottle
  2. Create a folder called NMSE inside drive_c/
  3. Copy the contents of your extracted NMSE download into this folder
  4. The structure should be: 
    drive_c/NMSE/
├── NMSE.exe
├── Resources/
│   ├── json/
│   ├── images/
│   ├── icons/
│   ├── ui/
│   └── map/
└── ... (DLLs and other files)

Step 5: Add NMSE as a Program

  1. In CrossOver, select the NMSE bottle
  2. Click Run Command (or Configure -> Add Application)
  3. Browse to C:\NMSE\NMSE.exe
  4. Click Run to test

Step 6: Create a Desktop Shortcut (Optional)

  1. Right-click the NMSE program entry in CrossOver
  2. Select Create Shortcut
  3. A shortcut will appear in your Dock/Launchpad

Finding Your NMS Save Files

macOS Native Steam

Save files for No Man's Sky on macOS are typically at:

~/Library/Application Support/HelloGames/NMS/<profile_id>/

In NMSE

When browsing for saves in NMSE:

  • macOS folders appear under Z:\ (Wine's mapping of the macOS filesystem)
  • Navigate to: Z:\Users\<username>\Library\Application Support\HelloGames\NMS\

Creating a Shortcut

You can create a symlink inside the CrossOver bottle to make saves easier to find:

  1. Open the NMSE bottle's C: drive
  2. In Terminal: 
    cd ~/Library/Application\ Support/CrossOver/Bottles/NMSE/drive_c/users/crossover/Desktop/
ln -s ~/Library/Application\ Support/HelloGames/NMS NMS-Saves
  3. In NMSE, the saves will appear on the Wine desktop as NMS-Saves

Troubleshooting

NMSE Doesn't Launch

  1. Verify the bottle is set to "Windows 10 64-bit"
  2. Ensure NMSE.exe is present at C:\NMSE\NMSE.exe inside the bottle
  3. Try: CrossOver -> NMSE bottle -> Run Command -> browse to NMSE.exe

Font Issues

If fonts look wrong:

  1. Select the NMSE bottle in CrossOver
  2. Click Install Software
  3. Search for "Core Fonts" and install it

Window Too Small / Too Large

  1. Select the NMSE bottle -> Wine Configuration (winecfg)
  2. Go to the Graphics tab
  3. Adjust the Screen Resolution (DPI) slider:
    • 96 DPI = 100% (standard displays)
    • 144 DPI = 150% (Retina displays)
    • 192 DPI = 200% (HiDPI)

Slow Performance

On Apple Silicon Macs, first-launch performance may be slower due to Rosetta 2 translation. Subsequent launches should be much faster. If performance remains poor:

  1. Ensure CrossOver is updated to the latest version
  2. In the bottle settings, enable Enhanced Sync (ESync)

Comparison: CrossOver vs Gcenx Wine Builds

Aspect CrossOver Gcenx Wine Builds
Cost $74/year or $494 lifetime Free (GPL-3.0)
Ease of setup Easiest (guided) Easy (manual bottle creation)
Apple Silicon Best support Good (Rosetta 2)
Performance Best Good
Support Commercial (email) Community (GitHub)
macOS integration Better (shortcuts, Dock) Basic
Auto-updates Yes Yes

For most users, Gcenx Wine Builds (free) provides a perfectly adequate experience. CrossOver is worth considering if you want the most polished experience or use other Windows applications on your Mac.

Future: Native macOS Support

See the Cross-Platform Work Plan for the full migration roadmap to a native Eto.Forms macOS application.