Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Forum

Hi everyone, looking for help on a minor issue - it's completely playable but fixing this would be nice.

I play AoE2 DE on my M1 Macbook pro, and it runs really well, including multiplayer. Only issue is a slight stutter that happens exactly every 8 in game seconds (which is around every 5 real-time seconds).

I've scoured the forums here and Reddit and it seems I'm not alone. I've tried using the updated DXVK, the updated Vulkan, I've put the new DLL files in the c drive and in the crossover app package, but it doesn't make any difference. I'm about 80% sure I've done everything right and I've tried different combos of solutions but just haven't been able to fix it. Has anyone overcome this issue?

(On another note, I have tried to play an old copy of AOM and it stutters MUCH more regularly, every second or so, and for longer. Tried to also fix that but it seems that it might be an issue with 32-bit programs)

Hi Miles, same issue here. This seems to have something do with Rosetta as I didn't have this problem on an Intel Mac. Any updates from the developers?

Same issue for me. I'm on the new M1 pro chip. Would very much like a solution.

I have the same issue on my 14" M1 Pro.
Since a few days, it also gets slower and slower as the game goes, with heavy input lag (about 2 seconds), making it unplayable in the mid-late game.
I still have plenty of CPU power to spare. GPU is a bit tighter, but it always has been and never caused an issue before. Memory pressure never exceeds 75% as well, and nothing strange happens on the network.

Hello,

what are the macOS and Crossover versions you're using?
Are you by any chance playing on a dual display setup (external + laptop)?

In case it helps, this has been my journey with this issue:

1. With BigSur + Crossover 20.0.4, it worked just fine.
2. Updated to Monterey + Crossover 21.1.0: the stuttering appeared.
3. Updated DXVK 1.9.2: it reduced stuttering duration (compared to DXVK 1.7.14).
4. Got angry in many unplayable games.
5. Reverted to BigSur + Crossober 20.0.4: stuttering still present (to my surprise, since step 1 was OK).
6. Closed my laptop to only play with the external screen. Now it works perfectly.

So, I assumed it was something related to the dual monitor setup, but I haven't yet tested if Monterey + Crossover 21.1.0 with only 1 monitor works OK. Please let me know the results if you test this!

Thanks,
Eric

I have the same issue. Mine is a stutter every 5 seconds. I also have a stutter as soon as I press the shortcut to go back to the TC. This is very frustrating as it is totally impossible to play at a slightly competitive level which requires high APM.. btw, my issue is present both on my MBP M1 Max 16 inches screen or on an external screen.

I am having the same issue. Does anyone know a fix?

The same happens to me, the FPS drastically drops every 8 seconds

Having the same problem here and I'm gutted to see there's no solution after all this time. 😢 Mine is the M2 Max so it's certainly an ARM thing rather than a specific spec that's the issue

Ecactly the same problem for me as well. stutters every 5 seconds. Tried all the stuff with different dsvk versions also.

Anybody tried it with the new Crossover Version 23.5.0?
I don't want to buy the new license for nothing...
Thanks

This is happening also for me on an Intel 16” MBP. Otherwise everything is really smooth on high graphic settings, but stuttering happens around every 5 seconds or so.

Tried on 23.6 trial.

Anyone found a fix for this? Same issue on Crossover 23.7 and M1 Pro. Every 5-8 seconds there is a stutter which makes it really hard to play.

But how bad stutter are we talking about? In my case it's kind of few 10ths of a second maybe, close to insignificant. Don't get me wrong, it would be great to not have it at all, but I'm just not sure we are having the same level of stutter since this is totally playable, for me at least. Maybe there are some ways to improve the situation, if we can not remove the stutter completely.

I have it too on version 23.6.0.36545 on my 14" Macbook Pro, M3 Pro. Every 4-5 seconds, a stutter of half a second.

It's playable, but it is also noticeable. And as the issue does not seem to be dependent on the hardware or on the game and its setting, it should be worthwhile to investigate what the core issue is.

It certainly is worth investigating, I've let the CodeWeavers trial expire and am waiting for a fix until I buy a license.

Experiencing the same issue. The game is sort of "playable", but it's really one of those things that drives you bonkers! Like a dripping faucet when you're trying to sleep or something.

The game could also be considered "unplayable", because if the stutter occurs while you're trying to make a selection or pan, you'll end up on the other side of the map when it comes back.

Forget about trying to play game or two online as well with the stutter induced selection issue.

I've always had the same issue and is what's stopping me from purchasing a license. I've tried upgrading dxvk to ensure it's on latest version and looking into dxvk-async (but wasn't quite sure how to install it).

Anyway we can flag this thread for CodeWeavers support? If someone with a license can reach out to Support that would be a good start

Same issue here with mb air m1

And this gets unplayable when I have 50/60 armies fighting on my screen

I also came across this: https://github.com/mnapoli/aoe2-de-macos/issues/6

Suggesting that CrossOvers 23.5 + macOS Sonoma fixes the stutter. I haven't tried it yet though

Still not fixed

I have the same issue. Tried running with D3DMetal and with DXVK but neither solved the issue. Also have Esync enabled and tried without, no difference.

It's a really annoying issue because it technically works but with a micro intensive game like aoe 2 the stutter can really mess up your game, eating a mango shot or not can mean winning or losing the game.

M1 mac
Crossover Version 24.0.3 (24.0.3.37047) (current newest version)

I'm the one who said it was fixed when closing the laptop's lid and playing with an external monitor. Not true.
I'm still having the issue with all versions of CrossOver I tried. Decided to uninstall.

I opened a ticket with Crossover, does anyone have response from Crossover?

Bump since this is pretty much why I bought crossover

Also having this issue. I'm on a temporary trial with crossover. Not buying unless AoE 2 DE can run smoothly. Tried with different combinations of 3D3Metal, DXVX, E-Sync and M-Sync. Can't seem to fix it.

Any suggestions? This slight lag every 7-8s can easily cost you your army if you're unlucky. It's a big problem.

Have you tried turning on the advanced settings? Those are key to more recent games. The two advanced settings of Age of Empires II : Definitive Edition on Steam are DXVK and High Resolution mode as both are key to the games as more recent Microsoft Games. I have a step by step guide to Age of Empires II on Radio Kaos Blog and on the Tips for Age of Empires II right here on Crossover in the "Tips" Tab.

Also if the game runs in a white haze on the screen, then you need to set the graphics settings to the lowest. Hope this helps!

Kaos Nova wrote:

Have you tried turning on the advanced settings? Those are key to more recent games. The two advanced settings of Age of Empires II : Definitive Edition on Steam are DXVK and High Resolution mode as both are key to the games as more recent Microsoft Games. I have a step by step guide to Age of Empires II on Radio Kaos Blog and on the Tips for Age of Empires II right here on Crossover in the "Tips" Tab.

Also if the game runs in a white haze on the screen, then you need to set the graphics settings to the lowest. Hope this helps!

I have tried your tips but to no avail. Thank you, though! I've also gone through the settings in AOE 2 De, the graphic settings, turned them all off, and then turned them on one at a time to see if that would fix that stutter and that also did not work.

For reference, I'm trying to play on an m3 max.

Joseph Scheller wrote:

Kaos Nova wrote:

Have you tried turning on the advanced settings? Those are key to more recent games. The two advanced settings of Age of Empires II : Definitive Edition on Steam are DXVK and High Resolution mode as both are key to the games as more recent Microsoft Games. I have a step by step guide to Age of Empires II on Radio Kaos Blog and on the Tips for Age of Empires II right here on Crossover in the "Tips" Tab.

Also if the game runs in a white haze on the screen, then you need to set the graphics settings to the lowest. Hope this helps!

I have tried your tips but to no avail. Thank you, though! I've also gone through the settings in AOE 2 De, the graphic settings, turned them all off, and then turned them on one at a time to see if that would fix that stutter and that also did not work.

For reference, I'm trying to play on an m3 max.

Another few observations. I've tried running this on Crossover 23.5, and that does not fix it. The game still stutters. You can also see the stutter on the home screen for AoE 2 DE once you boot the game up. You can see the sparks will freeze in place every now and then.

Please help CodeWeavers!!

Andrew wrote:

I also came across this: https://github.com/mnapoli/aoe2-de-macos/issues/6

Suggesting that CrossOvers 23.5 + macOS Sonoma fixes the stutter. I haven't tried it yet though

I tried this. Purchased a crossover license just to try it. It doesn't solve the problem. :(

Tried with crossover 23.5 and Sonoma 14.6 and 14.6.1

Anyone find a fix for this yet? I've tried every combination of builtin Crossover setting with every combination of aoe2 graphics settings. No matter what, it stutters every few seconds, even on the splash screen.

Going to message crossover support. It would be nice if they would respond; several people in here have messaged them.

macos 14.7
crossover 24.0.5 running win10

Same problem happening here, Sequoia 15.2, Crossover 24.0.5.
Testing on native Macbook M1 without external screen.

DXVK and High Resolution mode enabled.

Game runs smoothly for 5-6s , then freezes for 1s. Unplayable for multiplayer.

I also tried D3DMetal but the issue stayed the same.

Not worth buying crossover if Aoe2 doesn't work.