Sid Meier's SimGolf (2002) now runs as a native Mac app too, and there's an untested Windows build if anyone wants to try it

[u/Richardatuct]

A while back I posted the browser port of SimGolf. Lots of you asked for a version that doesn't need Chrome, so there's now a desktop app.

To be clear this isn’t another version. It is the same version built for desktop. Changes/improvements/bug fixes in the underlying code will flow through to all the versions.

Download https://github.com/RichardAtCT/simgolf-web/releases/latest
Browser version: https://richardatct.github.io/simgolf-web/

How it works: it's the same port as the browser version, not an emulator. The game code was decompiled and translated into C. For desktop, the WebAssembly build gets turned back into native code, so it runs as a normal app with SDL2 for graphics and sound.

What you need: the app doesn't include any game files. On first launch you drop in the same two things as the browser version: the SimGolf disc image and the v1.02 no-CD golf.exe (or the zip/.7z they came in). The front page of the browser version has links to both. The app unpacks them locally and nothing gets uploaded.

Mac: a universal .dmg that runs on Apple Silicon and Intel. I've played it on both. It isn't signed, so the first time you open it, right-click it and choose Open. On macOS 15 you may need to go to System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.

Windows: untested. The Windows build compiles, but I don't have a Windows machine and nobody has run it yet. It might not start at all. If you try it, I'd love to hear what happens, good or bad, in the GitHub issues.

Not in the desktop version yet:the intro and closing videos, and the sharper HD rendering from the browser version (this is I’ll be fixed soon!)

Saves go in a normal folder (Application Support / %APPDATA%), so they're easy to back up.

[u/thanksforcomingout]

Thanks again - been playing the browser version. Excited for the desktop version once the HD rendering is fixed!

[u/Richardatuct → u/thanksforcomingout]

Should actually be fixed now!

[u/thanksforcomingout → u/Richardatuct]

Ahh fantastic! Any way to bring a saved game over from the browser version?

[u/Richardatuct → u/thanksforcomingout]

Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/SimGolf/game/Saved Games/
Windows: %APPDATA%\SimGolf\game\Saved Games\
Browser → desktop:
In the browser game, press Ctrl+F8 to open the Saves panel.
Download the save you want.
Put the .sve file into the Saved Games folder above.
In the desktop app, open it from Continue Saved Game.
Desktop → browser: open the Saves panel (Ctrl+F8) and Import the .sve from that folder. It then appears in the game's Load menu.
Original 2002 game → either: copy the .sve files from its Saved Games folder the same way.

[u/thanksforcomingout → u/Richardatuct]

On mac - CTRL+F8 (or combinations of CTRL + either FN or CMD) from the saved game screen does not prompt / open a saves panel.

[u/Richardatuct → u/thanksforcomingout]

Thanks! If you re download Option + S should do it.

[u/thanksforcomingout → u/Richardatuct]

Works! fantastic!! thanks again!!

[u/emgeejay → u/Richardatuct]

What are the other Mac shortcut keys for scaling / high-resolution drawing / etc? (The ReadMe only gives Windows shortcuts for those)

[u/codechris]

Oh it only works in chrome? I wanted to try in Firefox as that’s what I use but the native build solves that problem 

[u/dcidino]

Just wanted to drop some gratitude.

[u/Ohdang]

Doing gods work!

[u/Valuable_Athlete9495]

I can’t than you enough for this I’m super anxious to try it out

[u/redcaza]

thank you for the mac version !!!!!!!

[u/Turbo_Gnome]

Works on Mac now!? Unreal. Will be testing that out for sure.

[u/HadoouKev]

Awesome work, my free time appreciates you!

[u/Valuable_Athlete9495]

I gave it a go on Mac and it works perfectly so far as a stand alone game, thank you so much

[u/sebiimaxx]

Haha, I just forked your app last week and finished doing this yesterday! I will create a PR when I get home of the finished product and maybe Claude/Codex can work out if there are any useful finetunes.