Best games with a Mac port that doesn't suck?
Jamie Kahn Genet
is quickly abandoned, patches are buggy (if any ever appear), expansions
fail to appear, etc, etc. Sim City 4 and CivIV for Mac are two very sore
points for me.
What's the current list of must have Mac ports that will run under
10.5.5 on an Intel Mac? Or am I better off sticking with with Boot Camp
and Fusion?
TIA,
Jamie Kahn Genet
--
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
Michael Ash
> No offence, but I've had awful luck with Mac games since OSX - support
> is quickly abandoned, patches are buggy (if any ever appear), expansions
> fail to appear, etc, etc. Sim City 4 and CivIV for Mac are two very sore
> points for me.
>
> What's the current list of must have Mac ports that will run under
> 10.5.5 on an Intel Mac? Or am I better off sticking with with Boot Camp
> and Fusion?
I've been mostly sticking to old classics lately. Master of Orion II and
Close Combat II both run great in Fusion. Part of this is probably because
I'm prematurely becoming an old coot who can't enjoy anything new, but
part of it is due to what you're saying.
One game I have enjoyed a lot recently is the Penny Arcade game, of which
two parts are now available. It takes a certain mindset to enjoy the game,
full of profanity and other unusual things for an adventure game, and if
you don't like their comics then you probably won't like their game. But
for me, I've found it to be pretty well put together, and tremendously
funny. They are kind of short, but the Mac port is pretty well made and at
$15 per episode the price is right.
Although I've largely abandoned it in favor of real airplanes, X-Plane is
another well-supported port. (Actually, it's not even a port, they simply
have always built a Mac version too.) Although its users would probably
stone me if they found me calling it a "game", it can still be a lot of
fun if you like aviation and don't need to blow things up to enjoy
yourself. You can fly online with other people by using plugins and that
adds a lot to the experience.
--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon
Michael Emrys
> ...X-Plane is another well-supported port. (Actually, it's not even a
> port, they simply
> have always built a Mac version too.)
In fact, didn't it begin life as a Mac-only sim? I may be confusing it
with some others, but I have a vague recollection of something like
that.
Michael
Jamie Kahn Genet
Michael Ash
I think you may be right. But that was so long ago (it's on version 9
now!) that it probably doesn't matter too much. Still, it works on Mac OS
X pretty much the same as on Windows (and better than their Linux port,
which they can't seem to decide just how well they want to support), and
they're total Mac-heads who are committed to supporting the platform.
Simon Slavin
On 08/11/2008, Jamie Kahn Genet wrote in message
<1iq3jby.sxbraniizxqqN%jam...@wizardling.geek.nz>:
> No offence, but I've had awful luck with Mac games since OSX - support
> is quickly abandoned, patches are buggy (if any ever appear), expansions
> fail to appear, etc, etc. Sim City 4 and CivIV for Mac are two very sore
> points for me.
>
> What's the current list of must have Mac ports that will run under
> 10.5.5 on an Intel Mac?
SimCity 4 was great when it launched. The failure to patch bugs and to
issue patches as versions of the OS caused problems, killed it for me
before I could get enough gameplay out of it to make it worth the
purchase. I'll think long and hard before buying any sequel, much as I
adore the graphics.
There are a lot of good Mac games out there, though I don't know what you
like so I'm just going to scatter-gun recommendations.
Simul-release:
Although these are simul-release and not real ports, _Spore_ on the Mac is
the same as _Spore_ on the PC. It runs under a layer of emulation but that
makes only a tiny difference in speed. The same is true of _Command &
Conquer 3_. And _Darwinia_ and the _Virtual Villagers_ games are still
somehow on my hard disk, as is _Fizzball_. I'm terribly disappointed that
I can no longer get _Giants: Citizen Kabuto_ to install or run except on a
very old Mac I keep for compatibility.
Proper ports:
_Black and White_ and its sequel are faithful and worthy ports. Worth it
mostly for the quality of the graphics and for the fact that it doesn't
fit neatly within any of the normal genres. I don't know if _B&W1_ still
runs but _B&W2_ is pretty recent.
_Halo I_ was a great port. Spend many happy hours in it. If they're
still selling it, it probably still works under current OS on Intel
machines.
_Lara Croft Tomb Raider Anniversary Edition_ is a faithful Mac port,
including a level very near the end which I find impossible to complete on
either platform. Fantastically atmospheric graphics: sometimes you take a
breath of amazement when you round a corner and see the scene in front of
you. Best with a good graphics card or a recent computer.
_LEGO Star Wars II_ is a cute game, with creative and varied level-design
and hysterical cut-scenes and character behaviour which stops just short
of taking the piss out of the movies. It's also terribly encouraging, for
adults and small kids, because it's impossible to die: you just get
resurrected in place and lose some 'points'. Don't dismiss it because
it's not intellectually demanding: it's a great way to wind down and
keep your mind ticking while you're enjoying a beer. The original _LEGO
Star Wars_ is good, but the gameplay has some defects which were corrected
in _LSW II_.
_Sid Meier's Pirates!_ (the reissued one with good graphics) is also an
unusual type of game not squarely in any of the normal classes, but
including resource-gathering, strategy and _Dance Dance Revolution_ (!).
The Mac port is faithful.
Most of the above can be googled for reviews/comments.
Lastly, don't neglect Flash games even though 99% of them are rubbish.
Tower Defence games and Room Escape games are both done very well in
Flash. Keep an eye on 'Jay Is Games'.
[Full Disclosure: I beta-tested the Mac versions of some of the above
games.]
Simon.
--
http://www.hearsay.demon.co.uk
Rufus
Yes - as I recall it's a PC-port.
--
- Rufus
Joseph Nebus
>In comp.sys.mac.games.strategic Jamie Kahn Genet <jam...@wizardling.geek.nz> wrote:
>> What's the current list of must have Mac ports that will run under
>> 10.5.5 on an Intel Mac? Or am I better off sticking with with Boot Camp
>> and Fusion?
>I've been mostly sticking to old classics lately. Master of Orion II and
>Close Combat II both run great in Fusion. Part of this is probably because
>I'm prematurely becoming an old coot who can't enjoy anything new, but
>part of it is due to what you're saying.
I regret to say I've got similarly little advice to give. I
haven't tried Master of Orion II on my current Mac, though, but to
think of it the game probably runs delightfully speedily now.
(Did anyone ever figure out what we were supposed to do with
Master Of Orion III besides click 'end of turn'?)
Also I'm afraid I haven't been buying many of any games lately.
I finally started playing enough Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 to understand
its charms and learn how to build a roller coaster, though. A friend
who's a roller coaster enthusiast says she likes my generous use of
'trick track' --- that's where the track tilts to one side and back
again swiftly, regardless of whether the direction changes --- and how
I can get a ride with high excitement without a high intensity. This
is because I delete the coasters that turn out to have intensity 15.9,
which is high enough to cause deceased people to run fleeing from it.
You can actually see the Sims^W Peeps stare in terror at such rides.
--
Joseph Nebus
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joseph Nebus
>[header trimmed to just the groups I read]
>SimCity 4 was great when it launched. The failure to patch bugs and to
>issue patches as versions of the OS caused problems, killed it for me
>before I could get enough gameplay out of it to make it worth the
>purchase. I'll think long and hard before buying any sequel, much as I
>adore the graphics.
I admire your courage in trying out something after SimCity 3000
and its assault on all Mac owners everywhere.
>There are a lot of good Mac games out there, though I don't know what you
>like so I'm just going to scatter-gun recommendations.
>_Sid Meier's Pirates!_ (the reissued one with good graphics) is also an
>unusual type of game not squarely in any of the normal classes, but
>including resource-gathering, strategy and _Dance Dance Revolution_ (!).
>The Mac port is faithful.
Huh. I don't know how I missed this game, but looking at some
images and reviews it looks like I ought to like it. I'll have to see
about buying a copy. Thanks for the tip.
--
Joseph Nebus
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Ash
> Michael Ash <mi...@mikeash.com> writes:
>
>>In comp.sys.mac.games.strategic Jamie Kahn Genet <jam...@wizardling.geek.nz> wrote:
>>> What's the current list of must have Mac ports that will run under
>>> 10.5.5 on an Intel Mac? Or am I better off sticking with with Boot Camp
>>> and Fusion?
>
>>I've been mostly sticking to old classics lately. Master of Orion II and
>>Close Combat II both run great in Fusion. Part of this is probably because
>>I'm prematurely becoming an old coot who can't enjoy anything new, but
>>part of it is due to what you're saying.
>
> I regret to say I've got similarly little advice to give. I
> haven't tried Master of Orion II on my current Mac, though, but to
> think of it the game probably runs delightfully speedily now.
On my Mac Pro there is basically no waiting for anything at any stage of
the game. I imagine the same would be true of any Intel Mac.
> (Did anyone ever figure out what we were supposed to do with
> Master Of Orion III besides click 'end of turn'?)
Chuck it in the trash?
I concluded that the designers had come up with an excellent simulation of
a UK-style constitutional monarchy. The only trouble being that the player
plays the role of the king or queen, and therefore has no real effect on
anything. Quite a disappointment!
I realize this is off the subject of the "Mac" part of these groups,
but... does anyone have a recommendation of a modern MoO-style game that's
actually good? Mac, Windows, or whatever. MoOII is still great fun to play
but it's really very flawed in so many ways. I'd love to have a modern
version of it with better graphics, smarter AI, less painful
micromanagement, but still basically the same game. I did try out Galactic
Civilizations II which got a lot of praise, but it turned out to be fairly
different and I couldn't really get into it. Maybe I should try harder....
Jamie Kahn Genet
> In comp.sys.mac.games.strategic Joseph Nebus <nebusj-@-rpi-.edu> wrote:
> > Michael Ash <mi...@mikeash.com> writes:
> >
> >>In comp.sys.mac.games.strategic Jamie Kahn Genet
> >> <jam...@wizardling.geek.nz> wrote:
> >>> What's the current list of must have Mac ports that will run under
> >>> 10.5.5 on an Intel Mac? Or am I better off sticking with with Boot
> >>> Camp and Fusion?
> >
> >>I've been mostly sticking to old classics lately. Master of Orion II and
> >>Close Combat II both run great in Fusion. Part of this is probably because
> >>I'm prematurely becoming an old coot who can't enjoy anything new, but
> >>part of it is due to what you're saying.
> >
> > I regret to say I've got similarly little advice to give. I
> > haven't tried Master of Orion II on my current Mac, though, but to
> > think of it the game probably runs delightfully speedily now.
>
> On my Mac Pro there is basically no waiting for anything at any stage of
> the game. I imagine the same would be true of any Intel Mac.
As I said in another thread in comp.sys.mac.games.strategic, MOO2 in
DOSBox is BLAZING fast on my Intel iMac. It's TOO fast, really :-D I
like and grew to rely on the waits between turns to plot my next few
moves. Now there is no wait. None at all! Heh.
> > (Did anyone ever figure out what we were supposed to do with
> > Master Of Orion III besides click 'end of turn'?)
>
> Chuck it in the trash?
>
> I concluded that the designers had come up with an excellent simulation of
> a UK-style constitutional monarchy. The only trouble being that the player
> plays the role of the king or queen, and therefore has no real effect on
> anything. Quite a disappointment!
>
> I realize this is off the subject of the "Mac" part of these groups,
> but... does anyone have a recommendation of a modern MoO-style game that's
> actually good? Mac, Windows, or whatever. MoOII is still great fun to play
> but it's really very flawed in so many ways. I'd love to have a modern
> version of it with better graphics, smarter AI, less painful
> micromanagement, but still basically the same game. I did try out Galactic
> Civilizations II which got a lot of praise, but it turned out to be fairly
> different and I couldn't really get into it. Maybe I should try harder....
Well I won't be any help :-D I'm still playing Civ I - IV (Windows
versions under Fusion), MOO 1 & 2 (DOSBox), and SMAC/X (Mac version with
the carbon patch because I can't find the Windows version of SMACX).
Carbon SMAC/X has a saving bug (crashes when you try to manually save),
but that is worked around by using autosaves. Other than that I've not
had any trouble playing them :-)
I would quite like to fire up Imperialism II, but I only have the PPC
Mac version. Anyone tried the old Windows version under Fusion?
I suppose I'd be keen to try something new, so I'm going to go OT along
with Michael and ask what's new and worth my time in TBS games -
especially space ones since Civ I - IV have held up well over time, but
MOO3 sucked and I'm unaware of a decent 'spiritual successor' to MOO2.
Regards,
InVein
Genet) said:
> No offence, but I've had awful luck with Mac games since OSX - support
> is quickly abandoned, patches are buggy (if any ever appear), expansions
> fail to appear, etc, etc. Sim City 4 and CivIV for Mac are two very sore
> points for me.
>
> What's the current list of must have Mac ports that will run under
> 10.5.5 on an Intel Mac? Or am I better off sticking with with Boot Camp
> and Fusion?
>
> TIA,
> Jamie Kahn Genet
i really love the PopCap games and the new World of Goo by 2dboy.com!
small but really well made games that make you an addict!
Furthermore there are these "big" games like Call of Duty 4...and civ
4, i never encountered any problems
happy gaming
Manuel Z.
Joseph Nebus
>On 2008-11-08 05:09:25 +0100, jam...@wizardling.geek.nz (Jamie Kahn
>Genet) said:
>> No offence, but I've had awful luck with Mac games since OSX - support
>> is quickly abandoned, patches are buggy (if any ever appear), expansions
>> fail to appear, etc, etc. Sim City 4 and CivIV for Mac are two very sore
>> points for me.
>i really love the PopCap games and the new World of Goo by 2dboy.com!
>small but really well made games that make you an addict!
>Furthermore there are these "big" games like Call of Duty 4...and civ
>4, i never encountered any problems
You know, I don't remember encountering any problems with
Civilization IV, although I haven't played much of it. Hm.
Maybe it was putting the time report in when the game ends
that did it. It's one thing to know I spent all week on a game;
it's another to have the tally.
On the other hand it can be fun to measure absolutely
everything.
--
Joseph Nebus
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Irfus
I'll add my vote for stuff like WoGoo. Very addictive and fun.