Coming to the Mac in 2006

[alva]

I will get a life as soon as you get a real computer.

As soon as you get a life, shows us the receipt ok.

Btw: you have already you loved it... * pokes Sava to get a life *

[Verto]

Originally posted by mikeasdf
Why won't they get this game working on linux? There are probably more users of linux than macintrash(actually, the macintrash is now built off of the linux kernel...how funny).

DLs are not permitted, Asher, and you know it!

[Atahualpa]

Originally posted by Verto
Well as far as you are concerned, they haven't made any money. At least Mac user are more likely to buy the game, whereas you are still "evaluating" it.

pwned

[seebs]

I really hope they figure out some way to get by on 32MB video cards. That's several million iBooks, PowerBooks, and Minis, including all current models of iBook and Mini. The three people I know who might buy it all have 32MB video cards.

[seebs]

Originally posted by Sava


I will get a life as soon as you get a real computer.





(I assume from your comments you are a Mac user, if not, nevermind)

Speaking as someone who uses roughly a dozen real computers of various sorts... The Mac is the real computer. The Windows machine is the most expensive of my console systems. (Actually, my real work all gets done on x86 UNIX.)

[azcoder]

What amazes me is how little most game developers pay attention to portability. If you design for portability from the start and use portable libraries, then it is easy to release for windows, mac, and linuxat the same time. In addition to wider distrtibution, you get a more stable game that works on more hardware(ATI users know just how well Civ4 works out of the box).

As an example, if they chose OpenGL initially, then they wouldn't have to port to OpenGL to run on mac and linux. This is how id can release Quake 4 for mac and linux at the same time as the pc version.

PS:
Anyone who does not see the huge potential growth in mac and linux in 2006 has not been paying attention. The world is changing. And it is a good thing.....

If you haven't tried OS X, you cannot begin to understand. (BTW - I use all - Windows, Mac, Linux and they all have pros and cons. But the mac desktop is clearly superior)

[Gatekeeper]

Heh. After two years of dithering, I finally have a reason to drop some of my savings on a brand-new Apple computer.

Gatekeeper

[sophist]

Originally posted by azcoder
What amazes me is how little most game developers pay attention to portability. If you design for portability from the start and use portable libraries, then it is easy to release for windows, mac, and linuxat the same time.

Not easy. It's certainly harder to go back and make the game support other platforms after it's done or mostly done, but it's only worth putting in the initial effort if you have a high degree of confidence that it's going to happen.

Besides, you haven't seen the code so I don't think you can say they've ignored the importance of portability. Just putting most of the game code in Python goes a long way, and the C++ of the AI is not going to be very platform-specific.

Originally posted by azcoder
As an example, if they chose OpenGL initially, then they wouldn't have to port to OpenGL to run on mac and linux. This is how id can release Quake 4 for mac and linux at the same time as the pc version.

They would still have to port a lot of stuff. Maybe using DirectX on the PC was enough of a savings in other departments that there was no sense in using OpenGL in anticipation of a Mac port that might not happen.

[WhiteBandit]

Originally posted by seebs
I really hope they figure out some way to get by on 32MB video cards. That's several million iBooks, PowerBooks, and Minis, including all current models of iBook and Mini. The three people I know who might buy it all have 32MB video cards.

True. Those older iBooks/PBs might be slightly underpowered though.

My current PowerBook (just bought this summer to use as my "work" computer... after they release CIV on it, that will go down the drain! ) shipped with a mobile ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 128mb of RAM!

On the processor side, it might be slightly underpowered, but I'll be able to run my beautiful CIV no less!

(Of course the crappy thing is that I already bought a copy for my PC! )

[seebs]

Originally posted by WhiteBandit


True. Those older iBooks/PBs might be slightly underpowered though.

I'm not talking about old. I'm talking every mini, and every iBook, Apple sells today. Only powerbooks and non-mini desktops get more than 32MB of video memory.

[monolith94]

I wonder what the system reqs. will be. Certainly, my 700 mhz. machine will be nowhere near powerful enough for it. Nor will it have enough memory. *sigh*

[WhiteBandit]

Originally posted by seebs


I'm not talking about old. I'm talking every mini, and every iBook, Apple sells today. Only powerbooks and non-mini desktops get more than 32MB of video memory.

That's what I get for not completely reading your sentence. You're right!

[seebs]

It's depressing. I have, in my house right now, four reasonably functional macs under a year old. (One might just barely be a full year old.) Only one of them could run Civ4 according to the stated hardware requirements of PC-land, that being my G5 tower. The mini and both iBooks can't. BLEH!

[Fake Boris]

I thought that PowerBooks had been shipping with 64MB video cards for a long time now.

[Verto]

Originally posted by seebs
It's depressing. I have, in my house right now, four reasonably functional macs under a year old. (One might just barely be a full year old.) Only one of them could run Civ4 according to the stated hardware requirements of PC-land, that being my G5 tower. The mini and both iBooks can't. BLEH!

I would wait and see until pronouncing yourself FUBARed.