But the client I have for my mac constantly crashes and I can't really take it anymore. Does anyone know of a reliable mac client I can download? (That isn't this one - http://www.fileplanet.com/218758/210...-Unofficial%29)
It does not matter which client you download. There is only one client. It is Windows 32 bit application. The code is kept synch locked by the Turbine via their patching servers.
If you are playing the game on a Mac (OSX) or a Linux machine, the difference is the stuff around the client that provides the Windows PC functionality the game is expecting. The game wants DirectX, .NET 1.1 ...
A significant portion of the Windows player base has complaints about stablity, lag and other issues with the game software. Problems that the customers feel are embedded inside the Lotro client software that runs on our PC. Or within the Lotro server software. If you are running something other than Windows, you going to have all the problems Windows users like me have. Plus all the problems that are inherent in an Windows emulator for OSX or Linux.
I would ssk about your specific problems to try to find out if there is something you can do to resolve them on your end.
Last edited by Yula_the_Mighty; May 28 2012 at 10:23 PM.
Unless stated otherwise, all content in this post is My Personal Opinion.
I just think the version I downloaded needs to be updated but the site I got it from is no longer updating their files. My problem is that at random points during gameplay the game crashes and I get a dialogue box with buttons for "Abort" and "Cancel" and that's it. Sometimes it takes an hour for the game to crash but recently its been crashing several times within the span of 10 or so minutes.
I had the same issue when I first started playing on my Macbook Pro. I tried several iterations of Lotro in a Wine wrapper, and always had the crashing issue. It wasn't predictable, and got to be extremely frustrating. I ended up creating a Bootcamp partition on my MBP and installed Win7 there. It runs rock solid as LOTRO is the only piece of software installed in Windows. No bloat to worry about. The only issue I encountered was Windows being unable to recognize the onboard sound card, so I've had to use an external, USB Soundblaster card. Works flawlessly.
If you're serious about LOTRO, and committed to the Mac platform as I am, I highly recommend going the Bootcamp route instead of trying to run in a virtualized environment, which is great for some software that is not cross-platform, but generally deficient for any type of graphically-intensive gaming.
Mac user here as well, and yes Bootcamp is the BEST option for anyone who has the extra space on the drive for it (which really we all should anymore)
Its not perfect. You have to fiddle with some drivers sometimes (use generics/older versions/etc) and it still has some issues that may find you running smoother on lower graphic settings....but, bottom line is it works and doesn't crash.
Personally, I just refitted an old pc I had lying around and sat it here next to my mac just for playing lotro on. Sure, it isn't all new and flashy and cant handle the top level of graphics, but its really funny how well Windows can run when lotro is pretty much the only thing installed on it.
*but it still pops up with an error message every time I exit the game from the menu....oh silly windows*
Mac user here as well, and yes Bootcamp is the BEST option for anyone who has the extra space on the drive for it (which really we all should anymore). Its not perfect. You have to fiddle with some drivers sometimes (use generics/older versions/etc) and it still has some issues that may find you running smoother on lower graphic settings....but, bottom line is it works and doesn't crash.
I know a lot of people (including myself) who play LOTRO (and about a dozen other MMOs) on their Macs by installing Windows on a hard drive partition using Bootcamp. Even my most ancient Intel Mac can run the game at Very-High settings; all the others are running Ultra-High settings across the board. The Macs being used include the Mac Pro, iMac 20" (old), iMac 27", Macbook Pro (old), and Macbook Pro (new). We are using either Leopard (OS 10.5) or Snow Leopard (OS 10.6), with Windows XP (SP 3) or Windows 7.
No problem with peripheral devices reported; keyboards, mice, external speakers, etc all worked immediately without a hitch. I needed to update one video driver on an old computer with an ancient ATI card. Windows is extremely stable on the Mac; virtually no freezes or crashes.
In other words, the Bootcamp/Windows combination works wonderfully. Perhaps the biggest advantage with this method is that the only thing we ask Windows to do is play games. As a result, we aren't loading it up with all the garbage of everyday computer use that causes it to accumulate problems.
Running LOTRO on a Mac Pro 2x2.66 GHz Dual-Core using Bootcamp
In other words, the Bootcamp/Windows combination works wonderfully. Perhaps the biggest advantage with this method is that the only thing we ask Windows to do is play games. As a result, we aren't loading it up with all the garbage of everyday computer use that causes it to accumulate problems.
This solution works very well. My son has a Mac set up this way. The only thing he uses Windows for is playing games. I think most of the time currently, he plays Windows games on his second PC. He bought a Toshiba Windows labtop that was basically new from a company that went out of business.
Unless stated otherwise, all content in this post is My Personal Opinion.