Lich:Software/Mac Installation

To install Lich on newer versions of Mac OS, you will need a bit of familiarity with the Mac Terminal application. Some familiarity with Homebrew will help, although you should be able to follow the steps below without any prior knowledge of Homebrew.

This guide will attempt to install Lich for the Avalon Front End only. The entire process will take 60-90 minutes to complete, but the time required will depend on how many prerequisites you need to install and how many errors you encounter. If you get stuck, see any errors or run into any problems, or for information about other front ends, please contact Doug (doug@play.net or Doug#6198 on Discord) for help.

Please note that this guide will involve changing settings on your device for the technologies involved. You will need to decide whether it’s safe for you to customize these tools to work with Lich. If you have no idea what any of these technologies are, then you probably aren’t using them for any other purpose, but proceed at your own risk.

Before You Start

You will need to install a few things.

1. Install the Avalon Front End from the play.net site.
2. Install Homebrew by following the instructions at the Homebrew site. You will be asked to supply your sudo password at least once, and perhaps a couple of times through this process.
3. The Hombrew setup will also install Apple's Command Line Tools. You will be asked to accept the Apple license.

When you are finished with these steps and Hombrew has installed, in the Terminal application you should run this command brew doctor

Your system should respond with Ready to brew. If you get any other result, please seek assistance.

The Process

There are three general steps to installing all the packages and software needed to run Lich on Mac.

• First we will install various packages through Homebrew. This will include installing a different version of Ruby. Apple's version of Ruby does not work well with Lich.

• Second, we will install the gems in the new Ruby that we installed.

• Finally, we will download and unzip the current Lich software so that we can run Lich.

To get started, enter these commands in Terminal, one at a time, and press ENTER. Allow the system to complete the command before moving on to the next one.

1. brew install gtk+3
2. brew install rbenv
3. brew install adwaita-icon-theme

Now we need to set up your SHELL environment to take advantage of these packages.

Enter the following command to check your shell:

echo $SHELL

• If the Terminal displays /bin/bash, run the following commands:

  echo 'eval "$(rbenv init -)"' >> ~/.bash_profile

  echo 'if [ -z $DISPLAY ]; then export DISPLAY=:0.0; fi' >> ~/.bash_profile

  source ~/.bash_profile

• If the Terminal displays /bin/zsh, run the following commands:

  echo 'eval "$(rbenv init -)"' >> ~/.zshrc

  echo 'if [ -z $DISPLAY ]; then export DISPLAY=:0.0; fi' >> ~/.zshrc

  source ~/.zshrc

This completes the installation of the core packages you will need. Now we'll use rbenv to install the new Ruby. You're welcome to select a Ruby version if you are comfortable with any particular one. Note: Ruby 3.0 and higher does not support Lich presently. The most tested Ruby version is 2.6.6.

Before we begin, let's check to be sure rbenv is working properly. Enter this command in Terminal and press ENTER.

• rbenv versions

This should return one line that looks like * system. If you see that line, you can proceed. If not, seek assistance. If you are proceeding, then enter these commands in Terminal, one at a time, and press ENTER. Allow the system to complete the command before moving on to the next one.

1. rbenv install 2.6.6
2. rbenv global 2.6.6
3. ruby -v

If everything worked, the last line will return the version of Ruby that is currently active. It should look something like this: ruby 2.6.6p146 (2020-03-31 revision 67876) [x86_64-darwin19]

If you did not receive that line, or if you received a line like this: ruby 2.6.3p62 (2019-04-16 revision 67580) [universal.x86_64-darwin20] seek assistance.

The key is the ruby 2.6 part -> it either reads 2.6.6 or 2.6.3.

2.6.6 is expected. If your version reflects 2.6.6, proceed to the next steps. Enter these commands, one at a time, and press ENTER. Wait for the system to finish before moving on to the next.

1. gem install sqlite3 --no-document
2. gem install gtk3 --no-document

Now run a quick test to see if things work:

• Run the following command to start the Ruby shell (you will see the command prompt change):

  Irb

1. Run this command to test if the first gem is working:

   require 'sqlite3'

   The system should respond true

2. Run this command to test if the second gem is working:

   require 'gtk3'

   This should also respond true in the Terminal. It might take a second or two.

3. Now, run this command to return to your regular shell prompt:

   exit

If all of these activities show the right results, the hard part is behind you. Now we simply need to get the Lich files:

1. Download the Lich5 files. (Windows/Mac all run the same files).
2. Unzip it the file in your Downloads folder. This will create a folder called Lich5. Drag the Lich5 folder (not the zip file, the folder) to your Desktop.

That's it! You will start / access Lich and the game from the Terminal window.

1. Run the following command in the Terminal:

   ruby ~/Desktop/Lich5/lich.rbw

2. After a couple seconds, you should see the Lich login window.
3. Enter your login information, and click CONNECT.
4. Select your character, select the Avalon Front End, and click PLAY.
5. The game will start! You will see some new Lich-related text in the scroll, including a repository error (normal).

Lich5 will then automatically start downloading the map database and associated image files for the game. After that's complete, you're ready to play. Good luck and have fun!

Lich for Other Front Ends

No guides are available at this time, please email doug@play.net for help.

Resources

• Lich scripting reference
• Playershops by Lich: https://ps.lichproject.org/
• Unofficial Support for Lich: http://forum.gsplayers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=104
• Popular Lich script thread: http://forum.gsplayers.com/showthread.php?81229-What-Lich-Scripts-Do-You-Regularly-Use