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z970

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Jun 2, 2017
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MCPPCEv3.png


Minecraft 1.5.2 was officially released on May 2, 2013. It is the final version compatible with Java 5, and by extension, Mac OS X for PowerPC processors. It was chosen as the base for Minecraft PowerPC Edition due to its markedly smoother overall performance above prior iterations once graphically optimized.


Installation and Gameplay


o
A hassle-free installer script has been bundled that will automatically install (or erase and reinstall) the game into your system. Just double click the 'Installer' icon to start the process.

o The launcher has received more polish all-around, and can now retain usernames compatible with Mojang's official username requirements.

o The zoom function has been remapped to the Alt / Option key, accommodating for one button mice's dependence on the Control key to right click.

o The static audio glitch affecting PowerPC environments in Minecraft 1.4.2 and up has been fixed.

o LWJGL has been updated from version 2.4.2 to 2.7.1, increasing input stability.

o OptiFine 1.5.2 HD Ultra D5 comes both pre-installed and pre-configured for the highest performance possible, allowing for immediate use on even low-end Macs.


New Features


o
12 different player character skins have been made available to choose from. To change skins, select "Go" from the Finder menu bar, then "Go to Folder...", and then paste "~/Library/Application Support/Minecraft/skins" (without quotations) into the text box, and hit "Go". Then, just double-click the skin you'd like to use.

o More than 100 new platform-curated splashes have been added to the title screen to display at random. Can you discover them all?

o Two custom-built texture packs have been included that alter the game's appearance to faithfully reflect different eras throughout its historic development timeline; the Classic texture pack (a snapshot of Minecraft circa 2009), and the Modern texture pack (a snapshot of Minecraft circa 2019).

o Various other minor points of polish and improvement that may or may not be noticed during regular play.


Tips and Tricks


o
While in-game, press the F1 key (+ Fn on some keyboards) to hide the HUD. Provided that F1 has not already been bound to another application, this can marginally improve performance.

o While in-game, press the F11 key (+ Fn on some keyboards) to enter fullscreen mode at 640 x 480. Provided that F11 has not already been bound to another application, this can substantially improve performance.

o Connect to a Minecraft 1.5.2-compatible multiplayer server if possible to offload chunk rendering to the server hardware instead of the client hardware. This can further improve performance (as well as group bonding).

o On slower machines, if the world takes a long time to render new chunks, stand perfectly still to accelerate the chunk generation process.

o On sub-867 MHz machines, should the game run out of its 768 MB of allocated memory due to constant chunk loading and thus begin to stutter uncontrollably, save and quit the current session to title, and then re-enter the world. This will not only clear the game's allocated memory banks for reuse, but will also improve rendering performance as the game will at this point be reading a mostly pre-mapped world rather than a completely fresh one.

o Sub-867 MHz machines should use superflat worlds only, or alternatively, ClassiCube-PPC, an enhanced port of Minecraft Classic to PowerPC using the C programming language in place of Java.


System Requirements


o
867 MHz PowerPC G4 (7450) or better

o 1 GB SDRAM or better

o ATi Radeon 7500 or better

o Mac OS X 10.4.11 or better

-

Minecraft PowerPC Edition is available on Macintosh Garden.

Minecraft PowerPC Edition - Only on Macintosh Garden

Finally, @r34per has provided a Minecraft 1.5.2-compatible server for public use @ mc.604kph.xyz. Come and say hello!

 
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sparty411

macrumors 6502a
Nov 13, 2018
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501
To celebrate the 8th anniversary of Minecraft's official release, I have devised a superior version to our Apple Cider variant, found here.

Like Apple Cider, this uses the same minimal launcher, albeit one that's been tweaked to take advantage of 1 GB of RAM instead of 512 MB, increasing performance. And like Apple Cider, the crackling audio glitch has been fixed.

Unlike Apple Cider however, LWJGL (the game engine) has been updated from 2.4.2 to 2.8.4, improving both performance and input reliability, while introducing ranges of fixes.

The game has been updated from 1.5.1 to 1.5.2, fixing several bugs and issues (like crashing when getting into a minecart, for example). OptiFine 1.5.2 HD Ultra comes preinstalled to increase performance and allow for finer graphical customization, enabling play on a broader range of configurations. Two texture packs that increase realism have been packed in, one more apt for G4 systems, and the other requiring G5 systems. Plus, a complimentary installer has been created that does everything for you. Just double-click, and you're good to go.

Minecraft 1.5.2 Definitive Edition is available on Macintosh Garden. (Use the mirror links for faster downloads.)

Hmm, when I run the installer, I get:

==========================
Installing Minecraft . . . ]
==========================
Password:
mv: rename /Users/sb/Desktop/Minecraft 1.5.2 Definitive Edition/minecraft to /Users/sb/Library/Application Support/minecraft: No such file or directory
mv: rename /Users/sb/Desktop/Minecraft 1.5.2 Definitive Edition/Minecraft.app to /Applications/Minecraft.app: No such file or directory
======================
Installation Complete! ]
======================
logout
[Process completed]
 

z970

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jun 2, 2017
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Hmm, when I run the installer, I get:

==========================
Installing Minecraft . . . ]
==========================
Password:
mv: rename /Users/sb/Desktop/Minecraft 1.5.2 Definitive Edition/minecraft to /Users/sb/Library/Application Support/minecraft: No such file or directory
mv: rename /Users/sb/Desktop/Minecraft 1.5.2 Definitive Edition/Minecraft.app to /Applications/Minecraft.app: No such file or directory
======================
Installation Complete! ]
======================
logout
[Process completed]

Is the MCDE folder located on your desktop?
 

z970

macrumors 68040
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Jun 2, 2017
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Whoops, there was a script oversight on my part...

I've uploaded a fixed version. Redownload another copy from the Garden.

Failing that, just put "minecraft" in /Users/username/Library/Application Support, and "Minecraft" in the Applications folder.

Sorry about that...
 

sparty411

macrumors 6502a
Nov 13, 2018
553
501
Whoops, there was a script oversight on my part...

I've uploaded a fixed version. Redownload another copy from the Garden.

Failing that, just put "minecraft" in /Users/username/Library/Application Support, and "Minecraft" in the Applications folder.

Sorry about that...
No worries. I’ve tried it out on several different models of PowerBooks, and iBooks, and I can safely say that this game is unplayable on any PowerPC machine with less than 2 cores. The CPU bottleneck is unreal. I’ll give it a go on my dual G5’s later on.
 
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z970

macrumors 68040
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Jun 2, 2017
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No worries. I’ve tried it out on several different models of PowerBooks, and iBooks, and I can safely say that this game is unplayable on any PowerPC machine with less than 2 cores. The CPU bottleneck is unreal. I’ll give it a go on my dual G5’s later on.

Make sure you configure the video settings correctly, setting everything to 'Fast', 'Off', 'Minimal', 'Smooth', etc... You'll need to experiment to get a sweet spot.

It gets a lot better afterward. :)
 
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sparty411

macrumors 6502a
Nov 13, 2018
553
501
Make sure you configure the video settings correctly, setting everything to 'Fast', 'Off', 'Minimal', 'Smooth', etc... You'll need to experiment to get a sweet spot.

It gets a lot better afterward. :)
Oh, I did alright. I destroyed the graphics as hard as the game would possibly allow me to ? couldn’t ever pull more than about 15 FPS. Have you done any rough benchmarks?
 

z970

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Jun 2, 2017
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Oh, I did alright. I destroyed the graphics as hard as the game would possibly allow me to ? couldn’t ever pull more than about 15 FPS. Have you done any rough benchmarks?

Hah, my DC G5 couldn't ever do more than 30 FPS on a good day. Otherwise, 5 - 20 is common. That's why the requirements are so steep for a PPC. ;)

Admittedly, such requirements are also a counter-thesis to our philosophies of running sub-1GHz systems daily...

Unfortunately, 1.4.7 isn't yielding much better, OptiFine and all... I wonder how 1.3.2 would fare?
 
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AphoticD

macrumors 68020
Feb 17, 2017
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Thanks @z970mp. Your version of Minecraft runs perfectly on my Early 2009 Core2Duo Mac mini under Leopard 10.5.8. It certainly seems more stable than the earlier version (and super smooth on this little mini). My kids are happy crafting away on the big screen now :)
 
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AdiPlayZ

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Nov 10, 2019
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Hi I got a question, can I allow more ram to Minecraft definitive Leopard? I can't seems found anything about allowing more ram in the .minecraft folder
 

z970

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Jun 2, 2017
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@AdiPlayZ Sure. Just launch the app without the minecraft folder in Application Support. When it complains about thread exceptions, click Edit. Look for -Xmx 1024M and -Xms 1024M. Change 1024 (which is 1 GB) to 2048 (which is 2 GB), or 4096 (4 GB).

Keep in mind that this value must be half of your system RAM. If you have 2 GB RAM, 1024 is an optimal value. If you have 3 GB, you can change it to 1536. If you have 4 GB, change the value to 2048. If 8 GB RAM is available to the system, 4096 will do.

Although it may take greater advantage of your hardware, I doubt there would be much improvement (if any) in any value over 2048, so just keep that in mind...
 
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z970

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Now begins the first step to cleaning up the mess that was 1.5.2...

They say that great successes are lined with failures. And relative to the current baseline, this one was definitely the former.

Introducing Minecraft 1.2.5 Definitive G4 Edition, AKA something actually playable on a PowerBook.

This major revision of MCDE has been optimized to the moon and back, leaving very, very little space left for any further improvement at all. If this iteration doesn't work, then simply put, Minecraft is not possible on a G4 - period.

LWJGL has been reverted to 2.4.2, as that version actually proved slightly faster than 2.7.1 - at least on 1.2.5 (go figure) - and most importantly, allows for use on even older environments than 10.4.11, namely 10.3.9 (presumably). In addition, allocated RAM has been reverted to 512 MB as no drawbacks were found at that configuration, and this opens up compatibility with a wider range of machines.

I also took the liberty of including a special texture pack that lowers the world texture resolutions, lessening resource demand. If your particular machine does not play well with the default textures, try switching to this pack, and then restart the game.

And, I included maximum performance mode for the benefit of even weaker hardware than intended. Switch it on with F11 (providing F11 is not already mapped to Expose, Dashboard, etc.).

Plus, snazzy new icon. :cool:

-

The only hindrance remaining is that, unique to 1.2.5, chunk loading is still a semi-problem, lagging every 5 seconds to load a new segment; but as long as you're mining, remain within the same general area, or traverse at a slower pace, this isn't an issue. Personally, I'm pretty happy with this release. It being the only application open, my 1.25 SP MDD managed to get 40+ FPS (60+ peak) in the fields and 80 FPS (100+ peak) FPS in caves, with a similar story for my 1.42 eMac. Both were equipped with Radeon 9600s, with maximum performance mode engaged.

Enough talk; whirl it with abandon, like you've never whirled before!
 
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z970

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OK folks, 1.5.2 for G5s is out.

Built off of the G4 Edition with certain updated components as appropriate, this release has been altered for the best experience on G5 hardware, particularly those with competent graphics (meaning no NV30 cards).

OptiFine has been bundled and pre-configured for a good balance between performance for weak setups and appearance for machines with horsepower to spare. However, it can still be altered further to better tailor your particular machine.

And like before, a special texture pack has been included for better performance on lesser configurations. I suggest enabling it if the game lags too much.

1.5.2 has been tested to work reasonably enough on a 2.0 Power Mac G5 equipped with a Radeon 9800 Pro, even with one processor turned off, and the system set to 'Reduced' performance mode (downclocking it to 1 GHz). And even if all else fails, Minecraft G4 Edition should still work beautifully on all G5s, even the lowest-end ones.

Give it a spin... As always, feedback is appreciated because then I know I'm not wasting my time. :)
 
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z970

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Jun 2, 2017
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1.2.5 has received a minor configuration update to improve performance, and has been bundled with a new texture pack that should be even easier to render on less-capable hardware.
 

retta283

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Jun 8, 2018
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Would you consider attempting a port of earlier version(s), say Alpha or Beta releases? Beta 1.5 or Alpha 1.1.2_01 may be good candidates for this as they were "milestone" releases, as the ones that followed them brought large changes.
 

z970

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Jun 2, 2017
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During development, I tested Alpha 1.2.6 and Beta 1.8.1, and funnily enough, 1.2.5 (official release) outpaced them both in performance. Sans chunk loading, I suppose something in that version was just especially optimized for smoothness.

Still, I can try them both when I get time. I don't expect Beta 1.5 to perform any better if Alpha 1.1.2_01 is a no go, but, evidently, I've been proven wrong before.

I'll let you know how it turns out.
 
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z970

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@retta283 Alpha 1.1.2_01 suffers from the same chunk lag issue as 1.2.5, albeit on a larger scale as OptiFine was never an option for this release. Overall, 1.2.5 beats it out for technical consistency and sheer content.

I have yet to try Beta 1.5, as that will also require splicing in OptiFog / OptiMine to paint a full picture of its performance.
 

z970

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Jun 2, 2017
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I happened upon an interesting minimal-resource seed for 1.2.5 today consisting of a peaceful, mostly barren mini archipelago.

It has one tree on one island (which can be continually replanted for resources), and another smaller island off in the distance. Due to its overall lack of terrain, it is also a relatively computationally undemanding general area, where when its chunks have been saved once, should output at least a steady 30+ fps on most machines.

Here's the seed:

-1273567594811309083

I found it refreshingly serene ... so maybe you all will too. :)

-

@retta283 I'm sorry that I never got around to testing Beta 1.5. I think what happened is that I couldn't find a compatible version of OptiFog and OptiMine, and then eventually just sort of gave up altogether.

If it's any consolation, it's highly improbable that it would have been a significant increase in performance from 1.2.5, and even in the event that it was, it still would have been sorely lacking in features by comparison, potentially making gameplay less fun for some.
 
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z970

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Jun 2, 2017
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Minecraft 1.2.5 and 1.5.2 have received several minor user experience updates to make for an all around smoother and more comprehensive package.

- 1.2.5's out-of-place fire texture has been revised with a more natural-looking one (I did the best I could). Its nether portal texture has also received slightly more detail as well.

- Both 1.2.5 and 1.5.2 have been reconfigured for very slight performance improvements. In addition, with the discovery that neither are as GPU-reliant as previously thought, the system requirements have been decreased accordingly.

- More special splash screen messages. :)

- Other minor tweaks and adjustments for better presentation and accommodation of one-button mice.

PS: Keeping the debug menu open will slightly degrade performance. In addition, performance within a general area can also be increased by returning to the title screen and then resuming the save.
 
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Wouter3

macrumors regular
Oct 31, 2017
199
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Netherlands
I installed 1.2.5 on my G4 Cube, but was asked for a password to run the program. Is there a general password or should I get an official license?
 
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