Fable2RecompMac 1.2: faster, and the Set Nickname freeze fixed

Fable II for Apple Silicon Macs, as a native app. You need your own Fable II disc image (.iso) and its Title Update 1 (title updates aren't on the disc; you need the one for your disc's media ID). This download contains no game files and no game code: the app installs your copy and builds the game from it on your Mac.

New in 1.2

• Faster in busy places. The game now skips drawing what it knows is hidden behind walls and buildings, as it did on the Xbox 360. In busy Bowerstone a frame takes about 10-15% less time, and other areas gain too.
• Fixed: "Set Nickname" froze the game. Choosing Set Nickname on a villager's card opened a text box that never appeared, and the game stopped responding. The box now shows: type the name on your Mac's keyboard and press Enter (or click OK). It can't be typed into with a controller yet. Other system messages the game shows now appear too.
• Less CPU use and heat. The renderer now waits without keeping a processor core busy.
• 40 fps cap in the launcher, for 120 Hz screens: steady frame pacing with less power than 60.
• Reliable updates. After an update the app builds the game from scratch, so the build can't trip over files from the previous version.

Updating from 1.0 or 1.1: replace the app in Applications. On first start it unpacks its tools again and asks you to click Build once (a few minutes). Your game files and saves stay.

Also in 1.1: keyboard and mouse

• Play without a controller: WASD moves, the mouse moves the camera, left click is melee, right click is ranged, Space or E interacts. Controls and Key bindings… in the launcher set it up; a controller still works alongside.

You need

• An Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or newer) with macOS 14 or later
• Your Fable II disc image (.iso) and title update 1 for your disc's media ID (see the README for the discs that work)
• About 10 GB of free disk space
• Apple's Command Line Tools: the app offers to install them if they're missing

Install

1. Download Fable2RecompMac-1.2-mac-native-arm64.dmg, open it and drag Fable 2.app to Applications.
2. The first time you open it, macOS blocks the app because it isn't signed by Apple (this is a free hobby project without an Apple developer account):
   • macOS 15 or later: double-click it, click Done, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway.
   • macOS 14: right-click the app, choose Open, then click Open.
3. In the Title update row, click Choose… and select the folder with your title update packages.
4. Click Install from ISO… and choose your disc image. The app checks it, installs it and then builds the game (2 to 15 minutes, needed once).
5. Click Play.

Good to know

• Your first visit to each area after a new install may show missing or white geometry for a few seconds while its shaders are translated. They're saved for later visits.
• Shadows can pop when the camera moves, much like on the Xbox 360.
• While playing with the mouse, the pointer is locked to the game: switch apps (⌘-Tab) to get it back.
• Saves are in ~/.local/share/Fable2. Everything else the app sets up is in ~/Library/Application Support/Fable2RecompMac, including build.log if a build fails.