The official website for The Settlers of Catan

Question about Technical Questions I am still using Mac OS X 10.4 “Tiger” - what can I do?

Answer

After the release of Mac OS X 10.8 “Mountain Lion” in late July 2012, we have dropped official support for Mac OS X 10.4 “Tiger,” which at the time was already 7 years old. To use our software on older Macs, you should have at least Mac OS X 10.5 “Leopard.”

However, there is an unofficial method to install the most recent program version under “Tiger” and operate it in compatibility mode using Java 1.5. Please proceed as follows:

  1. Download and install the program “Pacifist” by CharlesSoft. The free trial version will suffice.
  2. Download the latest download archive (e.g., catan_cak_231d_eng_Mac-Universal.dmg), then double-click for activation.
  3. Open the installation package (e.g., “Catan - Cities & Knights V1.231d”) with Pacifist. For this purpose, simply drag the package icon onto the Pacifist application icon.
  4. In the Pacifist window, please open the icons one by one. Deep inside you will find a file called “payload.tar.” Drag this file from the Pacifist window to your desktop.
  5. Double-click “payload.tar” to unpack the archive. This will create the game “Catan - Cities & Knights.”
  6. To run it on “Tiger,” you have to activate the compatibility mode in our software.
    (In a nutshell: right-click on the “Catan - Cities & Knights” application icon, “Show Package Contents,” double-click on “Compatibility_mode_on.command.”)
  7. Afterwards, you can move the application to any folder for which you have write permission at all times during run time, so it can keep itself up-to-date using the automatic update mechanism integrated into the program.