The Linux Build Is Here! --and why there will be no MacOS build :((
Edit: The macOS version is here x) ...but still. It was PAIN.
I've been slowly chipping away at getting "she danced in the wind like a holographic dream before the world died" on all the storefronts that are available to me, as well as the infernal struggle to make a macOS build.
I'm happy to say that the game has passed the finish line to be on...
* Steam
* The Epic Games Store
* And it has it's own website

Also the Linux build is here!
BUILD SUCCESSFUL (I love to see it)
Thanks largely in part to the documentation that's out there, especially this video...
I hope so very much that it works. I was not able to test it because the virtual machine part doesn't work on my computer.
It's an .sh file, to the extent of my knowledge that should work... I hope hope hope hope it does!
That having been said, the sad news is that I gave up on the macOS build.

I throw in my hat. It's too hard.
I can't even begin to summarize the breadcrumb trail of issues that I've had to follow, and as soon as one is resolved, another weird mac specific issue arises.
The biggest problem is that Apple has this forced obsolescence philosophy to their software, so you can't really build for older versions of Unreal on the most recent MacOS. I wasn't able to figure it out.
I spent a few days installing this, that, and the other extra that you need.
The things that did come in useful where...
xcodebuild -downloadComponent MetalToolchain
softwareupdate --install-rosetta
But also you need the xcode command line tools, which should be easy, but to install the xcode command line tools you need the xcode command line tools... And somehow I got that to work, but then there where other issues... Most of them you can find documentation for, but the documentation is old, because the OS changes with every release... So most of it is useless.
I think it all comes down to really only being able to work in the latest Unreal version (that being the one that works with the least amount of issues). Also MacOS does not like spaces in filenames, so when you install Unreal, Epic wants to put it into the "Epic Games" folder. So fine, after a bunch of trial and error, I uninstall it, reinstall without the space, but then there are more issues... I gave up when one of the suggestions was to install CocoaPods. At that point I couldn't do anymore installing things with cute names.
Why not push through?
So here's the issue with me dedicating maybe a full week of work into this. I know I could eventually get it to work, but...
I was able to successfully get a macOS build of "individualism in the dead internet age" out there. It was fairly straightforward. I know it works, because I tested it.
It's not a complicated game, but only four people have downloaded it. Two of them being me.
A big issue is that I need to properly notarize this, so that it will not get blocked by Gatekeeper. The alternative is to give instructions to change the settings on Gatekeeper so that it allows non-notarized apps.
BUT most people will not do that. I would have to pay Apple a $100 a year for that.
"The Apple Developer Program costs $99 USD per membership year for individuals and organizations, while the Apple Developer Enterprise Program is $299 USD annually. This annual fee allows developers to distribute apps on the App Store, use advanced capabilities, and access beta software."
- Source
And I cannot justify that for the very little amount of downloads this will get, let alone that people will likely prefer it for free anyway.
I was able to get a Mac Mini because a family member needed it, and gave it to me on loan. If not that, then it would have cost over a thousand dollars to buy one...
The summary of this entire journey: Apple development is for people with money. Just the cost of bypassing Gatekeeper alone makes it unfeasible for me.
I'm very sad about this. It's a bitter defeat for sure.
Apple used to be my preferred platform. I built everything on it! It was so much fun, but then Apple changed.
A good post about my feelings is "the future of my games on Apple (post-Catalina) and what this means for art games in general" where I talk more about that.
Their OS became too restrictive. Nothing third party really works on it anymore, without a lot of struggle.
Moving forward...
I will do everything I can to distribute macOS builds of my games. They will not be notarized so people will have to follow the instructions for bypassing Gatekeeper, however long Apple will allow that.
Apple is just not accessible to me anymore.
Thank you to everyone that showed interest in the MacOS version of it. Sorry that I wasn't able to do it.
I hope the Linux build will work. At least Linux is free, so I can keep trying if it doesn't!
Files
Get she danced in the wind like a holographic dream before the world died
she danced in the wind like a holographic dream before the world died
The very last flower grew in concrete. She danced in the wind like a holographic dream before the world died.
| Status | Released |
| Author | alienmelon |
| Genre | Interactive Fiction |
| Tags | alienmelon, Atmospheric, Backrooms, brutalist, dreamcore, Exploration, Horror, Psychological Horror, Surreal |
More posts
- I persisted! The macOS version of “she danced in the wind like a holographic d...2 days ago
- "She danced in the wind like a holographic dream before the world died" on Steam...27 days ago
- The Ambience OST for "before the world died"46 days ago
- Postmortem "she danced in the wind like a holographic dream before the world die...55 days ago
- Bug fixes! (no more blinking main menu)56 days ago

Comments
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awww i only had macbook so i try to play games on a virtual windows desktop but not every game works properly..i can open your games but it just doesn't run well, unfortunately.
I feel your pain! I open-sourced a “smart” macOS build script here, but you’re right, you will need to pay the $99 to sign it. Hope it helps! Nice to see other people attempting to compile UE builds on the Mac! :)
I just spent many, many hours over the course of weeks trying to automate my MacOS build, and in the end I decided I had already spent way too long on it, so I got my automated build to the point where it could create a good Xcode project and build the app to let me test it manually, then used Xcode to archive and notarize the app, then exported it to distribute on itch.
Apple’s docs are clearly geared toward assuming that no one actually wants to automate/script builds, that everyone will use their very unique build ecosystem through the GUI.
I have been paying $100/year for the Developer program, but for some time now I’ve been thinking that maybe it isn’t worth it. I definitely have been losing money all this time on it, after all.
FWIW, macOS is just as fine with spaces in filenames as Windows or Linux, but sometimes developers forget to do that on Mac, sometimes with hilariously catastrophic results.
And yeah independent Mac development is a bit of a nightmare these days due to Apple’s disdain for obsolete code and anything that resembles “jailbreaking.” If it weren’t for all of my music software being on macOS I’d be switching to something else (and frankly my music software has gotten super frustratingly buggy lately too so I might be switching to something else anyway).
Also there’s an easier way to dequarantine apps and there’s no reason to disable Gatekeeper entirely for that.