Whenever I try to play multiplayer Brood War games on battle.net, the menus lag severely. It’s completely fine in-game, but joining games is unbearable.
People often boot me from the lobby because I can’t select my race until literally 20 seconds after I’ve joined – it takes that long for the screen to load. Once it loads, I’m fine.
I’m running on a MacBook Air M1 with 8GB RAM, Sonoma 14.6.1, and plenty of free HD space. I also use a hardwired gigabit ethernet connection. This does NOT happen for Starcraft II.
Steps to repro:
Open battle.net (no issue)
Launch SC:R (no issue)
Click Multiplayer → Expansion (no issue)
Select Connection screen appears and it takes ~20 seconds to load the content
Click OK and chat and friends list takes another ~20 seconds to load content
Click Join and it takes another ~20 seconds to load the games list
Double click a game to join and it takes another 20-30 seconds for the lobby to load
Sometimes it’ll be fine initially and then degrade after one game, but that’s rare. It’s usually bad out of the gate.
I believe whatever rendering engine SCR is using to load the content into the widgets is struggling. I don’t know if it’s related to network, disk, or GPU (e.g., rendering engine).
Do you happen to have many, many maps, because some people experienced menu lag due to this?
After you uninstalled SC, and restarted Mac, did you remove the leftover SC folders? Because sometimes their presence can be problematic for a new installation.
These might help you: https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/starcraft/t/solved-what-renderers-are-used-for-starcraft/3150
Here you go on how to go about removing the leftover files after uninstalling:
Since Eveything is for Windows only, you have these alternatives for Mac (text generated by ChatGPT, so you need to check if the info is accurate; but all I can tell you is that I used FSearch on Linux and it is pretty much the same as Everything):
EasyFind
Description: EasyFind is a robust file search tool that can find files and folders based on their names or contents. It doesn’t rely on Spotlight indexing, which makes it useful for finding files in locations where Spotlight may not be effective.
Key Features: Boolean operators, wildcards, and phrases; search inside packages, bundles, or system files; doesn’t require indexing.
Website:
https://www.devontechnologies.com/apps/freeware
FSearch (via Homebrew)
Description: FSearch is a Linux tool inspired by “Everything,” and though it’s primarily for Linux, it can be installed on macOS using Homebrew. It’s fast and simple, providing a similar experience to “Everything.”
Description: Find Any File is a powerful search tool that can find files even in places where Spotlight doesn’t reach. It searches the entire disk without requiring indexing.
Key Features: Searches in areas Spotlight doesn’t cover, such as system files and libraries; supports searching by file name, size, and date; can search in packages.
Website:
https://apps.tempel.org/FindAnyFile/
Alfred (Free with Powerpack for Additional Features)
Description: Alfred is primarily a productivity tool that includes powerful file search capabilities. The free version provides robust search functions, and the paid Powerpack adds even more features.
Key Features: Fast file search, workflow automation, app launching, clipboard history, and more.
Website:
https://www.alfredapp.com/
Spotlight
Description: While Spotlight is built into macOS and doesn’t require additional installation, it’s often overlooked. With the right indexing and tweaks, Spotlight can be a powerful search tool.
Key Features: Search by file type, date, content, and metadata; integrate with Siri for voice searches.
Customizations: You can fine-tune Spotlight’s indexing and add custom search filters.
ChatGPT text over.
Let me know if this helped, if not, I might have another idea.
Thank you! I’ve done probably 5 reinstalls since I opened this thread.
I’m 100% confident I removed everything in my last couple of installs. I found the one folder that I hadn’t been removing and it actually could be the culprit.
I found that if I delete the contents of my cache folder and launch SC, the menus are smooth. This lasts for a game, maybe two games, before the menus slow to a crawl as the contents of the cache folder build up again.
If I exit SC/battle.net, delete the folder, and relaunch it’s smooth again for a few minutes and then slows down. The folder in question is:
/users/shared/Battle.net/Agent/data/cache
I have run the chown and chgrp commands to change the owner and group of the entire Battle.net and Blizzard folders (and subfolders) to my user and the staff group (it was root/wheel by default) hoping that was the issue, but it hasn’t helped.
/users/shared/Battle.net
/users/shared/Blizzard
The only thing that works is clearing the folder.
I’m thinking about writing a script that deletes the contents of that folder every minute in the background, but that seems excessive. I’m hoping someone from Blizzard can help diagnose the issue and provide a real fix.
In this case try changing the renderer, as seen here: https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/starcraft/t/solved-what-renderers-are-used-for-starcraft/3150
, and here: https://i.imgur.com/ujMjgft.gif
then start / restart Starcraft.
If that fails, instead of creating a script for clearing out the cache folder, you could just deny Starcraft access to that folder, that way it won’t write/read anything to/from it. To be safe, make sure to remove anything from the folder before you deny access. In case that breaks Starcraft or any Blizzard game that you may have, revert the old settings for the folder.
Based on ChatGPT, this is how to deny access to Starcraft to the cache folder:
To deny access to StarCraft (or any application) to the folder /users/shared/Battle.net/Agent/data/cache on macOS, you can modify the folder’s permissions. Here’s how you can do it:
Method 1: Change Folder Permissions Using Finder
Open Finder:
Navigate to /users/shared/Battle.net/Agent/data/cache.
Change Permissions:
Right-click (or Control-click) on the cache folder and select Get Info.
In the Get Info window, scroll to the Sharing & Permissions section at the bottom.
Click the lock icon at the bottom right and enter your administrator password to make changes.
You’ll see a list of users and their corresponding permissions. Find the entry for everyone or the specific user under which StarCraft is running.
Change the permission for that user or everyone to No Access.
Apply Changes:
Click the lock icon again to save your changes.
Close the Get Info window.
Method 2: Use Terminal to Change Permissions
Open Terminal:
You can open Terminal from Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
Change the Folder Permissions:
Use the following command to deny access to everyone:
This command sets the folder permissions to 000, meaning no one has read, write, or execute access to the folder.
Verify Permissions:
You can verify that the permissions were changed correctly by using the ls -l command:
ls -ld /users/shared/Battle.net/Agent/data/cache
The output should show d--------- indicating no access for anyone.
Method 3: Use macOS Security Features
If you prefer not to change file permissions, you can use macOS’s built-in security features:
App Sandbox (for advanced users):
If you’re familiar with macOS’s sandboxing features, you could create a sandbox profile that denies access to specific folders for the application. However, this requires deep knowledge of macOS security settings and is not recommended for general users.
Parental Controls or Screen Time:
Set up Parental Controls or Screen Time to limit application access. However, this method is broader and may not target specific folders.
Method 4: Use a Third-Party Application
There are third-party applications like LuLu or Little Snitch that can be used to monitor and block certain applications from accessing specific files or folders. These tools provide a user-friendly interface for managing permissions.
Important Notes:
Be cautious when changing permissions, as it could affect the operation of other Blizzard games or services.
If you deny access and later need to revert, you can reset the permissions by setting them back to 755 (default for most folders) using:
I forgot to mention, this is how to get the current permissions of the folder, in case you need to revert them. So before anything, get the current permissions, then you can continue with changing its permissions.
Generated by ChatGPT:
To find out the permissions of the /users/shared/Battle.net/Agent/data/cache folder on macOS, you can use the ls -l command in the Terminal. Here’s how to do it:
Open Terminal:
You can find Terminal in Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
Run the Command:
Type the following command and press Enter:
ls -ld /users/shared/Battle.net/Agent/data/cache
Interpret the Output:
The command will return a line of text that looks something like this:
drwxr-xr-x 2 user group 64 Aug 26 12:00 /users/shared/Battle.net/Agent/data/cache
Here’s how to interpret it:
d indicates that it is a directory.
The next nine characters (rwxr-xr-x in this example) indicate the permissions:
The first three characters (rwx) show the permissions for the owner.
The next three characters (r-x) show the permissions for the group.
The final three characters (r-x) show the permissions for others (everyone else).
user is the owner of the directory.
group is the group associated with the directory.
The numbers and timestamp show the size and last modification date of the directory.
This command will give you a clear understanding of the current permissions set on the /users/shared/Battle.net/Agent/data/cache folder.
Try the other renderers as well, although I think ogl was removed from Mac for a while now. Still, you should try it, maybe it still works somehow.
Hmm, did you consider running Starcraft on Windows within Boot Camp virtual machine, as I’ve read, it offers the best performance for Windows games on Mac?
If you did, and got no idea where to get legit trial releases of Windows, I recommend getting an LTSC version, as it has the bare minimum and it runs faster than the regular versions, as seen here: https://massgrave.dev/windows_ltsc_links
or if you want the regular versions of Windows, check it out here: https://massgrave.dev/genuine-installation-media
To check if they are actually legit, after downloading an iso, verify the SHA-256 checksum of the iso and then google the resulting value. Make sure the sources you’re using to check against are legit.
Even after the trial runs out, Windows will still work, although you’d get a nag screen and no updates.
I prefer this site over Microsoft’s because it’s just easier to browse it and you don’t have to sign up for a Microsoft account to be able to download some of the releases.
I have the same exact issue. Loading screens and into games is unbearably slow. Any fix?
I’m playing SC on a MacBook Pro M2 OS 14.6.1 but this issue has been replicated on several other macs.
After I click multiplayer then expansion it will take several seconds for “OK” to turn green and become clickable. If I wait for it to become clickable and try to enter a game every screen loads very very slowly. If instead I click cancel (instead of OK) and then select multiplayer again after 4-5 tries “OK” will turn green immediately and I can play 2-3 games but then everything slows way down and I have to quite the game and do this procedure again.
Same here with a M3 Macbook air.
Thanks a lot for the tip with the cache, that helps temporarily!
I have further tried allowing the app full system access and add it to the firewall exceptions. None of these steps helped.
Please fix this problem, as Starcraft is great and I would really love to be able to play it on the Mac!
Yes, I have the same issue. Mac mini M1 here. I have to exit Starcraft nearly after every game I play online as it slows down any menu that involves the internet.
i have the same issue, macbook pro M1. just upgraded the OS, didnt help. tried the different renderers, doesnt help. super annoying when playing with friends and they have to wait for me to join. BLIZZARD!!!
boot camp isnt a virtual machine and isnt supported by the new M SoC Macbooks.
Please stop with trying to provide random advice based on chatGPT and actually elevate this issue to blizzard. I had this issue like 2 years ago, then switched to windows, and just switched back- very unhappy to see it is still present.
You have no idea what you’re talking about, and all this is doing is adding a bunch of random noise that’s drowning out people actually trying to solve this. It’s not only useless but it’s actively harming the discussion.
Not only that but it’s going to cause people to try resolving the issue by trying these things which is a waste of their time.
Give space to people who actually know what they’re doing and who are able to try things out, instead of throwing up random things you don’t get and going “does this help?” “what about this?”
I’m here to help people, and if I make mistakes it’s ok. Once it’s stated that Chat GPT is used it should come by default it’s not to be trusted, and further research should be taken.
