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Aspyr to release a Mac version of NWN2
Posted: 29 Dec 2007 04:00 PM |
So I was noodling around on Amazon.com and I found this available for preorder. They're saying its going to ship in February 2008.
That Aspyr was porting NWN2 to the Mac OS was announced in August, but I wasn't watching. That's right, I let my subscriptions to Mac Home, Mac Life, Macworld and Mac Addict expire, all at the same time.
I'm gathering that Aspyr wanted this to ship in time for Christmas. In November they announced delays (in part owing to a new OS being released in the near future). But the game is available for preorder all over the place. No official news yet as to what the Mac version will contain, but these jokers are saying no toolset, just like NWN. I say crapola. A lot of Mac users already bought the Windows version of the game and just run it with Boot Camp. I might just do that instead of whining. I don't have Boot Camp, but the game is only selling for 20 bucks nowadays...
I know what all you smug Windows users are saying. Inferior Mac version of NWN2 coming down the pike? Who cares? Hmmph. |
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about dying."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means lying in the ground with dirt on your face and holding your breath forever."
-Burt Reynolds, "The End" |
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Re: Aspyr to release a Mac version of NWN2
Posted: 29 Dec 2007 06:00 PM |
| Exactly. Why buy a Mac version? If you can run windows on your mac, I'd think that would be the better way to go. I heard about this earlier also, but it slipped beneath my radar because it seems like a waste for Aspyr to even bother trying. |
Famous last words:
Mykal> it's my new wireless router.
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Re: Aspyr to release a Mac version of NWN2
Posted: 29 Dec 2007 09:00 PM |
Bear in mind that in order to run Boot Camp, you will need Leopard, and therefore a Macintel capable of running Leopard. So if you go the Boot Camp route, it will probably involve buying a new machine and/or OS.
Having said that, anyone wanting to run NWN2 on a Mac will probably need a new machine anyway, due to NWN2's horrendously demanding system specs.
Bottom line: running NWN2 on a Mac is going to cost a lot of money, no matter how you look at it. You may as well buy a PC. |
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Re: Aspyr to release a Mac version of NWN2
Posted: 29 Dec 2007 09:29 PM |
People buy computers for NWN2? Thats an expensive proposition no matter how you look at it.
Anyway, Ficcy, you reinforced what I said. I think Aspyr made a mistake bothering with making a Mac version for NWN2. Anyone who owns a Mac that can run NWN2 will run it in Windows XP on the same machine - rather than buy the incomplete Mac version. Its a better deal given that you also get the toolset. What good is this game without the toolset anyway?
Now if I can just figure how to further hack my ancient computer to run NWN2 for less than $300.... I wish it was possible. But since it isn't, I'm hanging onto Vives1 for all it is worth. |
Famous last words:
Mykal> it's my new wireless router.
* > Mykal has quit (Ping timeout)
Vulpina> Hey!! IRC didn't boot m.....
* > Vulpina has quit (Exit: DarkMyst WebChat) |
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Re: Aspyr to release a Mac version of NWN2
Posted: 30 Dec 2007 08:12 AM |
Oh, I actually bought a new comp for NWN2 when it came out. I still had my old trusty G4 Powermac back then and a new Mac was no option, but I figured I can build myself a very cheap PC using all the spare parts I still had lying around from my Mac (HD, old burner that does read, but not burn, etc.) So for 300 and something Euros I was able to play the game. This summer I could finally afford a new Mac though, so I'm using Bootcamp right now and the PC is getting old.
And yes, there's no reason to buy the Mac version other than supporting Mac software developers. But as much as I want to support them... there is the price, the missing toolset, noone knows if the expansions will come out or the PC versions will work, and so on. Also, the game is for Intel-Macs only, that means not even those who can't use Bootcamp will have any reason to buy it.
NWN 1 already set an example... the Diamond edition for PCs is available for like 10$ in any game store, while the original Mac version still costs 40 or 50$, plus 30$ for each expansion. That's just ridiculous, I have no idea who would ever shed out that much money for a 5 year old game. As much as I love my Mac and OS X, for gaming Bootcamp is excellent and I'll stick with it. |
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Re: Aspyr to release a Mac version of NWN2
Posted: 30 Dec 2007 09:30 AM |
| I still have no idea why people buy macs when more than half the software released doesn't even run on one. If I wanted that super-stability people seem to covet so much, I'd just dual boot Windows and Linux, on the PC I built myself and can upgrade whenever I need to. |
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Re: Aspyr to release a Mac version of NWN2
Posted: 30 Dec 2007 09:35 AM |
For some things, macs are just better.
-Barnas |
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Re: Aspyr to release a Mac version of NWN2
Posted: 30 Dec 2007 09:44 AM |
| That's awfully vague and empty. Give examples. I often hear the much touted graphics and arts engineering, but never any examples of how or why it is better at these "certain things". |
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Re: Aspyr to release a Mac version of NWN2
Posted: 30 Dec 2007 10:21 AM |
I like vague and empty.
I find Pages more pleasant and easy to use than Word. I find pretty much all the media software superior to the Windows equivalents. In fact, for everything except gaming which I use my PC for, I prefer to use my Macbook.
-Barnas |
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Re: Aspyr to release a Mac version of NWN2
Posted: 30 Dec 2007 10:29 AM |
As a die hard PC user and IT guru, I'd often recommend macs to people over Windows based computers. Why?
It. Just. Works.
Most computer users are really not that technical. MS Windows requires you to become an expert, or constantly reinstall your computer every few months when it gets horribly mucked up. Either that, or they just buy a new PC when the old one goes south because of virus/trojan/junkware problems.
It is much harder to do that with a Mac, especially since OSX came to be.
Now that MS has released that...and I am being charitable here...disaster and general downgrade called Windows Vista, there is no more reason to stick with windows anymore.
When Windows XP no longer runs on my laptop, I will be switching to either a Mac or a Linux distribution. That won't likely to be any sooner than about 5 or 6 years from now.
For those who enjoy screwing around with their PC and reinstalling software, then stick with windows.
- Paul
Edit: You should see Ficcy's Mac. |
Purpose in life: finding better ways of allowing players to kill themselves. Repeatedly.
--
"...Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good."
--
<@James42> Lawful good isn't in your vocabulary, it's on your menu.
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Re: Aspyr to release a Mac version of NWN2
Posted: 30 Dec 2007 10:32 AM |
I still have no idea why people buy macs when more than half the software released doesn't even run on one. If I wanted that super-stability people seem to covet so much, I'd just dual boot Windows and Linux, on the PC I built myself and can upgrade whenever I need to.
You've just clearly pointed out the problem with Windows. Why should you have to dualboot? Why should you ever have to worry about stability? Why should you even have to know how to dualboot?
If you can answer those questions, then your technical knowledge puts you above 95% (or more) of PC users.
- Paul |
Purpose in life: finding better ways of allowing players to kill themselves. Repeatedly.
--
"...Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good."
--
<@James42> Lawful good isn't in your vocabulary, it's on your menu.
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Re: Aspyr to release a Mac version of NWN2
Posted: 30 Dec 2007 10:50 AM |
And yes, there's no reason to buy the Mac version other than supporting Mac software developers. But as much as I want to support them... there is the price, the missing toolset, noone knows if the expansions will come out or the PC versions will work, and so on. Also, the game is for Intel-Macs only, that means not even those who can't use Bootcamp will have any reason to buy it.
NWN 1 already set an example... the Diamond edition for PCs is available for like 10$ in any game store, while the original Mac version still costs 40 or 50$, plus 30$ for each expansion. That's just ridiculous, I have no idea who would ever shed out that much money for a 5 year old game. As much as I love my Mac and OS X, for gaming Bootcamp is excellent and I'll stick with it.
Casa hit the nail on the head - I'd like to see more games ported to my platform, not less. In this case I'll have to show Aspyr my love in other ways.
Thanks for the vote of confidence in Bootcamp too.
That's awfully vague and empty.
Like my dissertation!!!
This is excellent. I'm going to start saying this all the time. |
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about dying."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means lying in the ground with dirt on your face and holding your breath forever."
-Burt Reynolds, "The End" |
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Re: Aspyr to release a Mac version of NWN2
Posted: 30 Dec 2007 11:13 AM |
I still have no idea why people buy macs when more than half the software released doesn't even run on one. If I wanted that super-stability people seem to covet so much, I'd just dual boot Windows and Linux, on the PC I built myself and can upgrade whenever I need to.
I'm glad that I don't even get half the software, but only maybe 5%. The sheer amount of available software doesn't make a system better - why want to choose from 200 disc burning programs, while there are maybe 5 on the Mac side that work perfectly and in case you need to make a choice, everyone will recommend the same one?
Or take antivirus programs - I've had like 10 or 15 on my PC until I found the one that I can live with. Bah! I don't want to worry about those things, I want just something I don't see, that doesn't annoy me and does what it is supposed to do.
The only problem on the Mac is gaming. While there are many games for the Mac, there's usually no port of that great new game you just heard about and really really want to play. Also, games usually run better in Windows, everything's Direct X'ed these days, and the conversion to Open GL is never perfect. But as long as it's just for gaming, I'm totally fine with Windows XP. I just don't want to do my work stuff on it. Matter of taste I guess. |
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Re: Aspyr to release a Mac version of NWN2
Posted: 30 Dec 2007 11:51 AM |
I'm just trying to figure out what "work" stuff people do on a mac that's so impossible on a PC. I'll admit, I love PCs. I buy my own parts, I set everything up myself, I choose what operating systems to play with, and ultimately, every PC is the "perfect" computer for me, because it's tailored by me, for me. Now I could be wrong on this one, because I haven't touched Macs in a while, but last I knew Macintosh controlled both the hardware and the software aspects of a Macintosh computer, which is why they run so well. For me, I hate that. I want to putz with computers myself, decide whether or not I want an nVidia card or a Radeon, an AMD processor or Intel, what motherboard to buy, what RAM to buy, and I also like being able to say later down the line, "Part X is nice, but I think it's time to replace it with part Y from a different company." and maintain the longevity of my computer.
Anyways, that's why I love my computer, and would never consider buying a mac [/rant] |
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Re: Aspyr to release a Mac version of NWN2
Posted: 30 Dec 2007 04:21 PM |
Hmm I don't believe any computer can do anything that is impossible on any other computer, but I could be wrong. It certainly hasn't been true in a general sense. The reason why we use macs in my office as opposed to PCs is that we have no IT staff, and don't spend any money on professional services people to help us set things up or solve problems. For a small office, its actually been surprisingly cheap to use Macs.
Every machine is a fully functioning server out of the box. You just need to adjust settings. About the only service we don't have in house is an email server, but our ISP offers that for free. I'd like to tell you as the non-technical guy who sets up and maintains this stuff how nice it has been not to futz with Microsoft Exchange.
The other thing about Macs that we have liked so far is how long all their components last. This may be a thing of the past as Apple shifts its business model away from Personal Computers, but so far it has run true for us. We've bought only two sets of computers for the entire office in well over ten years, and the components on the oldest machines had been running day in and day out without a hitch until relatively recently. Finally, the file server's power supply gave up the ghost after running flawlessly as both a CADD workstation and then later a file and print server since 1997. The rest of the components were still good.
Another story: at my university I didn't have a personal computer until my last year (1999) when I needed to write my undergraduate thesis. I had no money as I paid for school and all my living expenses out of my measly income of less than $12000 a year. I wandered by a dumpster in the back of the engineering department and saw a pile of old Macs from 1990-1991. They had been THROWN into the dumpster as the department had just received new machines. I salvaged an apple monitor and scavenged for working parts amongst the smashed Mac IIs. I basically collected all the best parts and had a techie friend test all the parts to determine what had survived the toss into the dumpster then put them together. It served as a very nice word processor until I landed some contract jobs outside of the university and could afford a more recent machine. The Mac OS was also lean on that machine, and it was actually a better word processor (more responsive) than the stuff in the computer labs at school with all the bells and whistles.
For hardware thats been my experience. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking. We'll see if Apple keeps up that quality though. I suspect that their quality is declining as their recent laptops seem only marginally more reliable than Dells. And they are pouring their energy into consumer devices.
AH.. forgot another point. Our Cad software at work does everything you need Cad software to do (including working with AutoCAD files), is extremely easy to use - especially when compared to the AutoCAD package which frigging sucks! - and costs dramatically less - like by thousands of dollars. Wow.. that alone has really been a boon to our company. We have the latest software capabilities in 3D modelling, 2D cad, raster vector imaging, page layout... all of this stuff at a fraction of the cost to implement this in a Windows based office of our size. Sure we have several different pieces of software each of which don't try to do everything like the latest incarnations of AutoCAD do, but they all work efficiently, don't require constant updates, and tend not to have steep learning curves to operate. That all adds up to a big difference.
I mean as a 3D modeller look at the Cheetah package on the Mac and compare it to 3DS max or Maya. Wow, for only $200-$300 bucks it measures up surprisingly well to those behemoths. Something to think about.
Other work environments could have different experiences. But for an office of 6 people, each of which needs a fully functioning workstation - I think I've made the right decision in having my boss stick with Macs. Our computer budget is small. And I as the unofficial IT guy, spend less than 10% of my time doing everything an IT guy does, including answering common user questions.
I've had this conversation with Ficcy and she has told be that I'd likely have the same experience with Windows XP. But in talking with architects that use Windows... I find it hard to believe that our long term computer budget including maintainance and software would not more than double or even triple (when you consider the cost of AutoCAD). |
Famous last words:
Mykal> it's my new wireless router.
* > Mykal has quit (Ping timeout)
Vulpina> Hey!! IRC didn't boot m.....
* > Vulpina has quit (Exit: DarkMyst WebChat) |
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Re: Aspyr to release a Mac version of NWN2
Posted: 30 Dec 2007 09:07 PM |
I've had this conversation with Ficcy and she has told be that I'd likely have the same experience with Windows XP.
She'd be wrong. |
Purpose in life: finding better ways of allowing players to kill themselves. Repeatedly.
--
"...Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good."
--
<@James42> Lawful good isn't in your vocabulary, it's on your menu.
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Re: Aspyr to release a Mac version of NWN2
Posted: 01 Jan 2008 03:20 AM |
I've had this conversation with Ficcy and she has told be that I'd likely have the same experience with Windows XP.
She'd be wrong.
Well, the competency of the sysadmin(s) can affect the setup. There are Windows setups where I've worked which have run fine. AAP comes to mind, but of course, they can't afford to have an inefficient setup. In Uni, we had Macs, and oh man, was that ever painful because the computer services section was run by art students. 'Nuff said. Windows 2003 server, also, is just better for admin purposes than the server tools found on X-Serves.
Having said all that -- inherently, Macs are easier to administer. Real no-brainer. If you don't have domains and AD setup in Windows for a medium-sized workgroup (say, about 20 computers, which is what we have at my workplace), you are so stuffed. But Macs? Easy peasy. Buy 20 Macs and you barely have to do anything to configure them to get your small business up and running.
Of course, most of this won't be relevant to Vives gamers, because all you will ever care about are personal desktops for home use. But before you start crowing about Windows and how it does everything for you, bear in mind that home users are a very minor percentage of computer users in total. And an even smaller percentage of computers all over the world in total, a large number of which are servers.
There's a lot of mish-mashing and crossover happening now, between different OSes, different devices and different bits of technology in general. A lot of what Apple is doing is making technology mainstream which used to be hardcore-geek-only because it was so painful to use. iPod and iPhone are not the best devices ever, but that was never the point. The point was market penetration. Apple sells because of good marketing, not because of good pricing or better specs.
It also sells because, as PDW said, "It Just Works". That's not important to a power user wanting a home desktop for the cheapest price and the highest specs. It is important in business, where time is money and spending that much more for hardware that Just Works is far more cost-effective than paying a sysadmin to support technology that Just Doesn't. Hardware is cheap. Salaries are not.
Anyway. That's not a pro-Mac argument. That's just an explanation for why anyone might want a Mac. Like any tool, pick the one that's best for what you want and your own level of expertise. A spectrum of Mac users vs PC users based on technical knowledge would probably look something like this:
MAC:
No expertise-----Intermediate-----Power user
^..............................................................^
(Either no knowledge whatsoever, or power Unix-users who eat PERL and REGEX for breakfast; but nothing in between)
WINDOWS:
No expertise-----Intermediate-----Power user
............................^^^^^^^^^^^^...........
(Requires some knowledge; sometimes used by some power-users, although they are nowhere near as geeky as hardcore hackers that take advantage of OS X's Unix foundation)
But that's slightly off-topic. We now return you to your regular program. |
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Re: Aspyr to release a Mac version of NWN2
Posted: 01 Jan 2008 06:08 AM |
From what I understand, and that's a basic understanding mind you: Windows = gaming platform. Mac = arts + video. Simple as that. Either one is equally efficient at doing document, homework stuff because that's easy. As far as networking goes, I'd throw my money at Microsoft again. For small networks particularly. Larger ones, sure, but even now they're being integrated with other OS's. Everyone's weaseled into a niche, and it's not easy to shove them out of it, or even beneficial to do that in any case. Every company benefits from competition of some sort.
Just my ten pence.
- Bereil
In hindsight I shouldn't talk about computer stuff the morning after New Years. |
CHOO CHOO!
- - - - - -
Bereil Yadashem.
Markus Mortriety, Herald of Novus Aristi. |
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