HowTo:Checkout SVNMac

July 26th, 2007 This is a step by step instruction for how to download the latest version of Vega Strike on a Macintosh, with no requirements of programming skill. Note that this has only been tested on one computer, and if it doesn't work for you, or if VS crashes, post a message at the forums and tell us how far you made it.

Step 1: Download an SVN client

This one worked for us: [[1]] Make sure that you have the version that works on your system. Install the client - open the .pgk-file and follow the instructions.

Step 2: Download Privateer: Gemini Gold 1.02a

This is a very big file, and might, depending on the bandwidth of your connection, require an hour or more to download. [[2]] After it has been downloaded, make a new folder in your computer called something VS (You will be able to play both Gemini Gold and Vega Strike). Mount the image you downloaded by double clicking on it. Drag and drop all the files from the mounted disk to the folder VS. Step 3: Download the VS Resource package

Go to Applications/Utilities and open the program Terminal. Now, remember this command: "/usr/local/bin/svn co". You will use it a couple of times, co means Checkout. What you have to do is write: /usr/local/bin/svn co https://vegastrike.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/vegastrike/trunk/data4.x

You can copy-paste it if you like. Then wait a couple of seconds, and some text will show up. You will be asked if you want to allow the site to download files to your computer. This is important: CHOOSE PERMANENTLY by pressing p and enter.

After a couple of seconds, a long list of files will show up, downloading one file at a time. Let this finish. The terminal will say that the checkout is finished after a while (took me hours with my slow connection). Note that if your connection terminates while downloading, all you have to do is write the same command again and it will pick up where it left off.

Step 4: Renaming the package

Open your home directory (The house with your user name under it) and find the folder data4.x . Rename this folder to: Resources. This is probably Case-sensitive so make sure you get it right.

Step 5: It gets harder

Open the folder VS. Control-click (or right click) on the application and choose "Show package contents". Open Contents. Rename the folder Resources to ResourcesGG.

Step 6: Move package

Go to your home directory again, and copy the Resources folder. Go back to where you found ResourcesGG and put it in the same folder.

Step 7: Where did the soundserver go?

Go to ResourcesGG/bin. Copy the file soundserver and paste it in Resources/bin.

Step 8: Networking? What is that?

You see, Vega Strike is having troubles with the networking at the moment (when you read this the problem might already be solved) so you will have to change some lines in some files. Go to Resources/modules. There are two bad files here, each with one line that should be changed. Open the file Privateer.py with a text editor. Somewhere around line 27, you'll find this: "if VS.networked():" and you have to change that line to: "if 0:". Save the file and go back to the modules folder. The file generate_dyn_universe.py has the same problem, but somewhere near line 268. Change that too.

Step 9: Still some things to do

If you start VS now, you will probably not see what you expected. The Campaign button does not do what it is supposed to do, so we will have to do a tiny work-around. Go to Resources and find the file New_Game. Copy this file and rename it to something like Cool or whatever you like. Move the file Cool to your home directory. Open the terminal and write the code: sudo mv Cool ~/.vegastrike/save/ sudo mv moves files between directories, ignoring whatever restriction you will find. You might need to enter your password.

Step 10: Play

Now, forget everything you did and pretend this never happened. Open the folder VS and double click on the application. The game will go through a loading screen and you will end up in a menu. Choose Load Save and load the file Cool. There you go, the latest version of Vega Strike.