Civ 2 for mac - graphically better than the windows version?

[Agathon]

Originally posted by FlameFlash
Hang on... there's a Classic 'shell' as well?

So theoretically I could uninstall OS 9 and everything would be okay?

NO!!!!

The classic shell uses OS 9. If you uninstall it Classic will not run. Newer macs cannot boot into OS 9, but if you trash the OS 9 system folder, Classic will not run.

[Gatekeeper]

See, this is part of the reason I'm seriously leaning *away* from ever getting another Macintosh. If I want to piss around with an OS that's always being upgraded — and now, it seems, the MacOS has it's own security flaws, judging from recent Apple postings — and continuing questions about how the Classic shell functions, I'd rather get a cheaper PC that, at the very least, has a lot of technical support available locally and online.

Now, the newest Macs can't *boot* into OS9, but if you're running in X, and an app you have needs 9.x, the X can launch the *Classic shell* and run the app, correct?

Frickin' computers. I think we can all agree on that.

Gatekeeper

[Agathon]

Now is a really good time to get a new mac. Costs have come down and even the cheapest machines are very nice.

You don't have to worry about the Classic Mode. I don't have a screenshot (since I got rid of it), but all that happens is that OS 9 boots up within OS X. It's exactly the same OS 9 and I know for a fact that it runs Civ II and SMAC. There are a few odd things it won't run, like old (pre OS X) versions of Quark and Photoshop but it will run everything else. It looks just like OS 9 too - you get the Classic menubar superimposed over the OS X menubar when you are using the Classic app. It's idiot proof. It's not like Virtual PC or anything like that - you don't have a separate Classic window.

In short it doesn't make a difference whether or not you can boot into OS 9. Starting the Classic mode is booting into OS 9. The only functions that aren't available are things like printing - but that's because OS X handles all those - you can print from any OS 9 app and it works seamlessly.

As for security flaws, there just aren't any serious ones. There are no viruses. Someone posted a "proof of concept" for a trojan, but it has not been released into the wild for the simple reason that it can't spread itself very effectively. Other than that there are really no serious problems. Windows on the other hand is a nightmare for this sort of thing.

The Classic shell isn't "slow", it works just as well as the old OS 9 did.

[Agathon]

Don't listen to anyone who tells you that you need this or that. All Macs come with Classic installed AFAIK and if they don't they will come with a disk to install the Classic Environment. You will have no trouble at all running your old games on it. It just works.

[Agathon]

I found a pic of Classic working. As you can see it looks just like the old OS 9 because it is the old OS 9. If you were running Civ II you would see what you always see just with the OS x desktop and Dock.

If you clicked the desktop or an OS X app the only thing that would happen is that the menubar at the top would assume the OS X look. But if you selected the Classic app again it would switch back to the OS 9 menubar. It works seamlessly.

Here's a guy using his Newton software in Classic.

[FlameFlash]

You still have a Newton?

[Kuciwalker]

/me remembers a certain long thread a while ago concerning threadjacks of this type

[FlameFlash]

The question of Classic working or not (coming preinstalled on new Macs), and CivII being in Classic should and does cause great concern here... where else should it go?

[Gatekeeper]

ARGH! I *knew* it! I *knew* it would happen!

OS X TIGER.

Augh! Another update! Probably a payable upgrade, too.

Gatekeeper

P.S. I know all the new iMacs come with Classic pre-installed, but don't you still have to pick up and install a copy of OS9.x in order for Classic to run older programs such as Civ II?

[Agathon]

No. Civ II will run just fine in the classic environment. The Classic Environment just is OS 9. You don't need to install it, it is already there. The only thing you can't do anymore is choose the OS 9 System Folder as your startup disk.

Say for example, I reinstalled 9 and wanted to use it to run Civ II. Because I have an older mac I could either run it in the Classic environment or select OS 9 as my startup OS and reboot the machine. In both cases the computer will use the same OS 9 system folder.

You can't do that with newer macs, but it doesn't matter since you don't need to reboot into OS 9 proper to play games. I know that Civ II and SMAC work because I played them when I still had Classic. No installation is required AFAIK and if it is, you will find that the Classic Environment is contained on the disks that come with every Macintosh.

PS. The screenshot isn't mine, just someone who still has a Newton.

[FlameFlash]

I think it's finally straightened out... thanks.

(too bad, I'd like to ask how one was... have a palm myself.)

[Gatekeeper]

Agathon, et al.:

Hmm. So I could pick up a 1.25 GH 20" LCD iMac for $2194 today, pop in the Civ II CD, load the software and then launch it without having to buy an OS9.x CD and installing the older OS itself?

Gatekeeper

[Agathon]

Yes.

[Agathon]

I'd advise you to take your Civ II disk to the store and ask if you can try it out, just to put your mind at ease.

What will happen is that you will launch the installer, Classic will start (because the installer is a Classic app) and it will direct you to install it in the OS 9 apps folder. Once it's done you shove the Civ II icon in the Dock and Bob's your uncle.

Do try it out at the shop. They'll let you do it if you make it clear that the sale counts on it.

[blackgryffin]

maybe it's inapropriate ... but if i'm ok to say it's good to support all strategy turn based games, as a fanatic mac user, i question myself about why such a question : "is civ2 graphically better than the windows version"
WOW !!! SUCH A QUESTION !!!

is it important ? is it the only trophee mac users argue ? the better display on our platform ??? HEY guys ! civ2 is a very good OLD game ( and mac or pc, the graphics are OLD too ! ) but where are the mac users to talk about the lack of support of civ3 add ons, the fact that we'll never see CTP2 on macintosh, how many of us can play a ctp mp game online with others guys, even pc users ( big majority around ) and where are the mac users to fight for getting stuff of all these strategy games we can't have ?

i read until my eyes getting red all threads concerning the ctp2 source code project and i saw NOT ONE macuser there ... linux and macX are both unix platforms ( even it's different ) and we still play on classic and macos9 !!!

ok : we have civ3 but thats all ... no addons, no multiplayers games for us !

i posted 2 weeks ago a simple question : are mac ctp users around ? and not yet ONE answered ...

good to argue about our better graphic display ... but SO ??? is that giving us more ? even here in the macintosh forum, where are the mac users ? is the mac spirit condamned to only remains the past ?