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Do you support a Mac OS X client in Star Wars the Old Republic?


Pencilvania

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To be realistic,

 

if you look at the real word requirements for this game, i.e. what actually is required to run it well considering the horrid optimization not the stated required minimum, and compare it up against the os x systems in use today with adequate video hardware the perspective number of customers would probably be pretty low.

 

The mac pro users are on their own splendid elitist island. We can run the same video cards that a pc takes (in windows, not necessarily in os x), even crossfire/sli not that it matters in a game like this, pretty much everyone else is up **** creek with nothing better than a mobile ati solution available.

 

Can a 15 year old kid or fat angry dude **** on a particular brand out of ignorance on the internet? Hell yes, and for 95% of the macs out there they're right with regard to gaming.

 

Are there some macs out there that can make great rigs for everything including gaming. Yup, but the price is a hell of a barrier to entry, and no one will deny for gaming only a pc could be built far cheaper.

 

You may not think an OS X client is a good idea, but price isn't relevant.

 

As for gaming, the fact is the majority of Macs available since 2008 and even a few earlier than that easily have the hardware specs to handle TOR. If you read through some of the customer service or computer hardware threads, a lot of people are running this game on less.

Edited by daemian
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pretty much everyone else is up **** creek with nothing better than a mobile ati solution available.

 

I believe that all their recent iMacs, at least, have no issue running the game. My two-generations-old one certainly doesn't. It even runs acceptably inside a virtual machine, though I have to turn the graphics down for that one.

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You may not think an OS X client is a good idea, but price isn't relevant.

 

As for gaming, the fact is the majority of Macs available since 2008 and even a few earlier than that easily have the hardware specs to handle TOR. If you read through some of the customer service or computer hardware threads, a lot of people are running this game on less.

 

No, I think it would be great to have an os x client.

 

Theres just bigger fish to fry. Primarily how much of a turd the only current client is. If theres only a given pool of resources to devote to the client/engine as a whole I'd rather see them allocated to where they could have the greatest effect.

 

The majority of apple systems i'd argue are running some sort of integrated or low level mobile "discrete" graphics. Really mac pro excluded only the top end imac has anything ahead of an ati 67xx. I had installed the game onto a new macbook pro (ihd 3000) on a fresh bootcamp install, spec wise it should have been plenty "capable". At complete minimums it still couldnt run an acceptable fps.

 

I love apple stuff as much as the next uppity ***** waiting in a launch day line. But that in mind, macs that are capable of good gaming are really in the minority.

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No, I think it would be great to have an os x client.

 

Theres just bigger fish to fry. Primarily how much of a turd the only current client is. If theres only a given pool of resources to devote to the client/engine as a whole I'd rather see them allocated to where they could have the greatest effect.

 

The majority of apple systems i'd argue are running some sort of integrated or low level mobile "discrete" graphics. Really mac pro excluded only the top end imac has anything ahead of an ati 67xx. I had installed the game onto a new macbook pro (ihd 3000) on a fresh bootcamp install, spec wise it should have been plenty "capable". At complete minimums it still couldnt run an acceptable fps.

 

I love apple stuff as much as the next uppity ***** waiting in a launch day line. But that in mind, macs that are capable of good gaming are really in the minority.

 

True, the intel HD 3000 is barely going to cut it. The older low-ends are actually better for gaming with the 330m. Other than that you're either getting the 6750m, 6770m or the 6970m in a laptop/iMac.

 

They're not the fastest cards out there, but they're not too shabby either considering they're primarily workstations. All 3 of those cards will handle TOR. What's really interesting is they're hinting at the 7000 series in the upcoming Ivy Bridge models.

 

I'm not so much an Apple inc. fan as a technology fan. I work in both Windows (which I'm not a fan of) and OS X, I don't own an iphone or ipad (and I tend to avoid Apple stores altogether). But I do think they make solid computers, regardless of what people think of the price.

 

I would have loved to see TOR cross platform out of the box, like WoW and EVE. Since that didn't happen, I agree expanding TOR to other platforms should be done in a way that will help the game, not hinder it. There's no point attracting a larger audience if the game's not able to support it. But ultimately, the more people playing, the better.

Edited by daemian
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I love apple stuff as much as the next uppity ***** waiting in a launch day line. But that in mind, macs that are capable of good gaming are really in the minority.

 

Not true at all. As a matter of fact, most Macs meet or exceed TOR requirements by a large margin.

 

The idea that a game has to be run on "max" is not reality, and trust me, your $400 built-box PC isn't doing that either.

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Do you support a Mac OS X client for SWTOR?

 

This thread is for discussing support for an OS X client for Star Wars The Old Republic. Please keep comments related to that topic.

 

This is not a Bootcamp thread.

 

This is not a Mac Vs. PC thread.

 

Never owned a Mac and dont plan to get one (at least in the near future), but i think you guys do deserve a game client too. Its about time gaming industries started taking mac users into account too.

 

Btw respect to Valve for releasing so many of their games for mac.

 

:)

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Bootcamp

... is fine for people who want to do that, but a large and profitable number of Mac users buy only Mac OS versions of games. It's why BioWare, VALVE, Blizzard, Ubisoft, and dozens of other major studios, and even indie studios, release Mac versions of their games, over and over again.

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The idea that a game has to be run on "max" is not reality, and trust me, your $400 built-box PC isn't doing that either.

 

Difference is that $400 emachine probably has a pci-e slot now days.

 

and has been seen by many users, this crappy engine in its current state of optimization needs more than the stated minimum, getting back to my point. If it diverts progress on un****ing the current sole client that they were unable to get right with a $200 mil budget, than no. Otherwise, yes, yes, yes.

Edited by Fatbaldandalone
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Untrue, Mac users are growing. Also Mac's are not bad for gaming as the hardware in them is usually fairly good for the video editting and 3d rendering software that is used on them.

 

*********, gaming on Macs is what it has always been, a niche market.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi there!

 

We noticed that some discussion has diverted into Boot Camp or hardware related topics. We thought that you may find the following threads more helpful:

 

 

You can also check out our General FAQs for information about minimum system specifications.

 

Remember that if you feel that someone is deliberately disrupting a thread discussion to please report (flag) the post instead of replying.

 

Thank you and enjoy your friendly discussion!

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Do you support a Mac OS X client for SWTOR?

 

This thread is for discussing support for an OS X client for Star Wars The Old Republic. Please keep comments related to that topic.

 

This is not a Bootcamp thread.

 

This is not a Mac Vs. PC thread.

 

Not at present. They are having way too many problems with the client they have and need to iron out the bugs there first. With the amount of emergency patches they do now I would hate to think what it would be like with 2 clients at the same time to worry about.

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Not at present. They are having way too many problems with the client they have and need to iron out the bugs there first. With the amount of emergency patches they do now I would hate to think what it would be like with 2 clients at the same time to worry about.

 

Unfortunately that point may not be totally valid. People have said for the past 2 years that there should not be a Mac client because it would take away from development. Well there will always be development. I am not implying that you think there should never be a client, however development and ironing out bugs will always be a part of any MMORPD.

 

Many think that Bioware as a company need to see the value in a Mac client base, just as Blizzard, Valve, and even Bioware itself has seen for many years.

 

2 clients does not necessarily mean twice the debugging and problems. Game clients for multi platform games do not code completely separate clients, don't think of it as separate programs but versions of a single program. Remember that each client is made of a single game engine. Game engines are modified and not rewritten. the HERO engine is almost finished being coded for the Mac platform, it's only a matter of time till a client hits.

 

This thread is to show Bioware that there is a Mac client base hungry for SWTOR on OS X.

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No, it's a waste of development time that could be better spent elsewhere.

 

I agree with much of what you've written there. Splitting the game into Mac and PC would only further dillute precious dev resources for very little practical return.

 

Now, I'm sure that others will disagree here and point out that WOW manages this fine, but this isn't WOW and, to point out the obvious, WOW was released two years before the initial release of Bootcamp and the concept of running Windows on an Apple computer was still very much abhorent to many users, not to mention impractical as it wasn't until 2006 that Apple made the transition to Intel x86 processors from the PowerPC architecture.

 

These days, buying a "Mac" is about status, specific programs and the belief (justified or not) that it just works well, as well as conforming to a different aesthetic and customer service standard that many believe bog-standard PCs do not provide. The actual ins and outs of the device, however, do not justify making an OSX client... yet.

 

Notice that I wrote "yet" there.

 

In time, if SWTOR continues to grow in popularity and there is enough of a desire for an OSX client, it is possible that Bioware and EA might work out whether there are resources enough available for it and carry out a costs/benefits analysis. In practical terms, however, Mac users are still seen as being less gamers and more workers, whereas the idea of the Windows-using PC gamer is firmly engrained in developers' minds.

 

An example of a company pushing themselves out to Mac gamers in a productive manner would be Valve, who have (I'm British, so I see companies as plural entities) expanded their game system to port many Source games to OSX and to allow such games to be bought once but downloaded and played interchangeably between your OSX and Windows computer.

 

The problem is that I don't see porting the SWTOR client to OSX being an easy job, considering that it was designed for a Windows environment. If the game had been developed from the ground up to be system agnostic, then I can see it being less of an issue. Ultimately though, unless the developer did keep this in mind and created the game secretly with this in mind, I can see SWTOR remaining a Windows-only game for practical reasons.

 

At the end of the day, in a time with ever-increasing computer specs and increasing levels of virtualisation and dual boot options, I must confess that I ultimately don't believe that developers will spend the time needed to bring about a native OSX client for the game, as they simply wouldn't gain much from it at this point in time.

 

If you want it that badly, Mac gamers, you've got to prove to developers that you're worth developing for. This probably means that you've got to get Apple on your side too, so start thinking about how to get Tim Cook to push non-app gaming on Macs. When you create a gaming culture on Macs, developers will start to think in terms of parallel system development, just like with the best 360/PS3 games.

 

Until then, bootcamp is your faithful friend. Just be glad that you can run the game at all on your Macs, as this wasn't always the way!

 

Kind regards

llesna

 

 

Edit: I feel I should end on a more positive note that I did there. I do ultimately feel that, whatever system we game on, that computer gamers should remain united. If it is practically possible for the developers to port the game to OSX without slowing down the game's development, then I would fully support my fellow gamers. Whilst I may not buy into the Apple cult, I would wish nothing but goodness on my gaming brethren across the world. In that sense, I'm system-agnostic :)

Edited by llesna
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You should really, really pay attention to the topic... and if nothing else, the yellow post right at the top of this page. This is NOT about Boot Camp, it's about Mac OS X.

 

Running Windows is simply not an acceptable option... we avoided it like the plague in the first place. Why spend $200 extra dollars and stoop to that level just to play a game? The answer is most won't.

 

Blizzard has always created native Mac versions of their games that came out on the same day, in the same box, on the same discs as the Windows version. Before Boot Camp and ever since... Diablo III? Yep, Mac native.

 

The Mac is a VERY important market for anyone that sells software, much less mainstream entertainment software based on the world's most popular intellectual property.

 

BioWare's Dr. Greg has already spilled the beans that a Mac version is coming, so this whole discussion is moot. You're going to have to deal with it.

 

 

 

 

I agree with much of what you've written there. Splitting the game into Mac and PC would only further dillute precious dev resources for very little practical return.

 

Now, I'm sure that others will disagree here and point out that WOW manages this fine, but this isn't WOW and, to point out the obvious, WOW was released two years before the initial release of Bootcamp and the concept of running Windows on an Apple computer was still very much abhorent to many users, not to mention impractical as it wasn't until 2006 that Apple made the transition to Intel x86 processors from the PowerPC architecture.

 

These days, buying a "Mac" is about status, specific programs and the belief (justified or not) that it just works well, as well as conforming to a different aesthetic and customer service standard that many believe bog-standard PCs do not provide. The actual ins and outs of the device, however, do not justify making an OSX client... yet.

 

Notice that I wrote "yet" there.

 

In time, if SWTOR continues to grow in popularity and there is enough of a desire for an OSX client, it is possible that Bioware and EA might work out whether there are resources enough available for it and carry out a costs/benefits analysis. In practical terms, however, Mac users are still seen as being less gamers and more workers, whereas the idea of the Windows-using PC gamer is firmly engrained in developers' minds.

 

An example of a company pushing themselves out to Mac gamers in a productive manner would be Valve, who have (I'm British, so I see companies as plural entities) expanded their game system to port many Source games to OSX and to allow such games to be bought once but downloaded and played interchangeably between your OSX and Windows computer.

 

The problem is that I don't see porting the SWTOR client to OSX being an easy job, considering that it was designed for a Windows environment. If the game had been developed from the ground up to be system agnostic, then I can see it being less of an issue. Ultimately though, unless the developer did keep this in mind and created the game secretly with this in mind, I can see SWTOR remaining a Windows-only game for practical reasons.

 

At the end of the day, in a time with ever-increasing computer specs and increasing levels of virtualisation and dual boot options, I must confess that I ultimately don't believe that developers will spend the time needed to bring about a native OSX client for the game, as they simply wouldn't gain much from it at this point in time.

 

If you want it that badly, Mac gamers, you've got to prove to developers that you're worth developing for. This probably means that you've got to get Apple on your side too, so start thinking about how to get Tim Cook to push non-app gaming on Macs. When you create a gaming culture on Macs, developers will start to think in terms of parallel system development, just like with the best 360/PS3 games.

 

Until then, bootcamp is your faithful friend. Just be glad that you can run the game at all on your Macs, as this wasn't always the way!

 

Kind regards

llesna

 

 

Edit: I feel I should end on a more positive note that I did there. I do ultimately feel that, whatever system we game on, that computer gamers should remain united. If it is practically possible for the developers to port the game to OSX without slowing down the game's development, then I would fully support my fellow gamers. Whilst I may not buy into the Apple cult, I would wish nothing but goodness on my gaming brethren across the world. In that sense, I'm system-agnostic :)

Edited by Lethality
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I have never owned an Apple product, my phone is a Windows Phone, although of course it would be good if there were Mac support for people that has a Mac, although like previous wrote, it would take a very long time, and a lot of effort to make it. They have to re-write it in OpenGL.
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I don't believe they will ever make a NATIVE Mac version of this game... So NO.

 

Don't waste resources in making a crap Mac version of this game just to be played with 5fps and make costumers mad, unsub, forum nerdrage etc.

 

If a native client was an option, they would have made it from the start of the development of this crappy sloppy game.

 

Will never happen.. at least in an acceptable way.

 

Thank god there's Blizzard around that provide us a native client of their games.

 

Can't wait for Diablo :)

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The OP topic was "Do you SUPPORT a Mac OS X client"...

 

I have an iMac, I would definitely use a Mac client, I support it. "They're not going to do it" may be true or false, but it is not a reason for support or nonsupport.

 

There are companies that do this for a living. They take a PC game, configure a WINE bottle that supports it, make a few keybind tweaks and release the bundle. That's pretty much how World of Warcraft and City of Heroes have Mac clients. They don't divert developer time away from the games for the sake of the Mac - they have a separate team.

 

If they make it I will buy it and so will many others, I can't make it any plainer than that.

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