# New user switching from PC to  Mac needs game advice



## anothertwitch (Feb 7, 2004)

Greetings!     

My new G4 is on the way, and I need a quick heads up concerning games.

What are/is the best fps available under panther? how about strategy? is Age of Empires available in any incarnation? How about Starcraft?

Also, what about flight sims and MMORPGs?

I've heard about some things, I think my old fav Quake III will run under panther, and I heard something about unreal2k, and halo, but which ones are best? which ones are running best? I'm going to be doing some heavy modding, and level design -- anyone have any suggestions? which games have support systems in place for modders in the mac world?


Thanks!

Be Well,
anotherTwitch


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## rbuenger (Feb 8, 2004)

Can you tell us a bit more about you new G4? What about RAM and clockrate, iMac or desktop?

And do you really wan't a flight simulator or just a game like M$ FS? If you want a real sim then X-Plane is the only choice (www.x-plane.com). 

And I would say if the G4 is one of the new ones most games should run with enough fps like Halo, UT2k3, MOHAA & Spearhead... 


Maybe you wanne check one of these pages:

http://www.insidemacgames.com/
http://www.versiontracker.com/


And welcome in the Mac community. I guess you will never switch back


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## Arden (Feb 8, 2004)

anothertwitch said:
			
		

> Greetings!


Hi and welcome!


> My new G4 is on the way, and I need a quick heads up concerning games.


Nice... wish I could afford a G4, or even a G5. 


> What are/is the best fps available under panther? how about strategy? is Age of Empires available in any incarnation? How about Starcraft?


The best FPS's, huh?  Well, there's UT2K3 (and 2K4 when it's released), Halo, Q3A, Medal of Honor, Ghost Recon, and more, and that's just off the top of my head.  Strategy-wise, there's Warcraft III, um, Starcraft will work, I don't know of as many off the top of my head but there out there... try www.gamedb.com for Mac games.  Age of Empires should work in Classic mode.


> Also, what about flight sims and MMORPGs?


 Flight sims have been covered... as for MMORPG's, there's Everquest.


> Thanks!


Your welcome.


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## anothertwitch (Feb 8, 2004)

The new G4 Mac is a dual proc at 1.25GHz - no I dont think I'll ever switch back. , at least not on the desktop (I use linux/X as a drop-in replacement for windows on intel boxen). The G4 is shipping with 256MB RAM but I'll bump that to 1GB after it gets here. 

I've been using the mac heavily for over a year in the graphic arts lab where I go to school, and I just got a job there doing sysadmin work on a mac network-- it was just high time to make it happen and get one of my own. I got as much bang as I had buck for, and I eagerly await the arrival on Tuesday 

Nobody interested in making/modding games?


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## Zammy-Sam (Feb 9, 2004)

I think you won't be that happy with mac-gaming. Eventhough there are surely some nice games out there running at a decent level, we are far behind the peecees. And this was about the only weakness of "thinking different"


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## Giaguara (Feb 9, 2004)

Starcraft will run fine on your mac. 

(Any) Quake will run too .. check http://www.apple.com/games for a list of what runs .. I like mostly shooting games, but don't use mac as teh first choise for gaming.


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## nb3004 (Feb 9, 2004)

I believe Age of Mythology is out or coming out on mac too, but you will find that one problem with gaming on a mac is that it takes months for new games to port to mac and there are not many really high end graphics cards, the really good games do make it over, eventually though so if your patient...

as far as modding goes, you can use the mods for UT2k3 and Quake i believe, as far as creating mods, i dont know if that will happen, at least on a mac, i tried and couldnt find any for the mac that were finished, you may be able to find one that works on linux or x11, radiant for quake3 might have been the one i came across when i was attempting, tell us if you do find any modders for mac tho that would be awesome.


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## LoadRunner2 (Feb 9, 2004)

Q3A works, it fast, it kick butt  There are many good mods. NS:CO my favorit mod. It's kind of like counter strike. 
Raidant is in the prosses of being ported. Some part do not work, but i've made a few levels with it  For the pc plug-ins vp pc will work. If you have a pc the mac make a good comploment, and it'll speed up dev time. 

Halo works, but it runs about the same as it dose on pc. UT cool, but it quire alot more ram, prosser power. 

A mac gaming web site deticated to gaming the best way to find out what good game are out for the mac. 

As for multi rpgs there shadowbane, and a few others. Unforchently you just missed the signs up for the next round of WoW testing from Blizzard. Yes there is a mac vertion.


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## ex2bot (Feb 20, 2004)

Re: Zammy-Sam's comment about Mac gaming, I used to think so. Not much selection and so on. But think about how many great games are out there now: Jedi Academy, Elite Force 2, No One Lives Forever 2, UT2003, Rainbow 6 III, Ghost Recon, Age of Mythology, Halo, Sim City 4, Warcraft III, Neverwinter Nights, Dungeon Seige, etc. 

and soon: Splinter Cell (yes!), Command & Conquer: Generals, MOH: Breakthrough, Call of Duty, UT 2004, James Bond, etc. 

I'm sure I've forgotton some. That's 20 games at ~$50 each. $1000 worth of top games available or soon for the Mac. I couldn't afford to buy them all.

Doug


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## WeeZer51402 (Feb 20, 2004)

Gaming on a Mac isnt that bad but it lacks some popular games like CS, i think where alot of people feel short-changed is with online gameplay for certain games like Age Of Empires(not so much online gameplay but cross-platform online game play)  With that said there is also a good selection of some great games.


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## Viro (Feb 21, 2004)

You've just prooved Zammy-Sam's point. Those games you've listed have been out for ages on the PC before they get to the Mac.


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## ora (Feb 21, 2004)

WeeZer51402 said:
			
		

> Gaming on a Mac isnt that bad but it lacks some popular games like CS, i think where alot of people feel short-changed is with online gameplay for certain games like Age Of Empires(not so much online gameplay but cross-platform online game play)  With that said there is also a good selection of some great games.



But you have TacOps instead of CS, and its great. (Tacops is major and very CS-like mod of original UT for those wondering,)


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## mdnky (Feb 21, 2004)

Age of Empires II is OS X native.


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## ApeintheShell (Mar 6, 2004)

It depends on the game whether pc mods will work on the Mac counterparts. Just from a search on google there a couple people who make mods/mapping for UT, Quake and other FPS on the Mac. 
When people thought of the Mac OS Platform usually games didn't enter their mind. Only recently, since Mac OS X 10.2, have those opinions swayed. 
Yes maybe we don't get the hordes of games that come to pc, but how many of them bombed, do we really want the same frustrating games pc users bought?
Don't become jaded and give up on games like many mac users have. 
Take a browse around those websites listed above, check out the Apple Store or Micro center. If the world has ended for mac gamers everywhere, get a pc


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## ex2bot (Mar 6, 2004)

Viro: The games are there now and they're playable. I didn't miss them when they came out on the peecee because I drop-kicked my Compaq over a year ago. Win ME left a bad taste in my mouth. So did XP, come to think of it. No. . . ME made me insane.

I only proved my own point. I'm too busy to be proving other people's points.

Doug


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## Viro (Mar 7, 2004)

Perhaps you didn't miss them, but many mac gamers sure do. Many games tend to get released on the PC first, then they come much later to the Mac. The examples you gave just served to demonstrate this point. Zammy-Sam pointed out that we are far behind the PCs in terms of release dates. Regardless of whether you miss the games, aren't concerned with the wait, or just plain don't want to see his point, you've just prooved his point.

Mac games are released later than their PC conterparts.


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## ex2bot (Mar 7, 2004)

Perhaps. But you also proved MY point that I'm too busy to prove other people's points. I should be working right now instead of supporting Zammy's assertions.



Doug


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## Zammy-Sam (Mar 9, 2004)

I love when ppl talk about me


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## gribuz (Mar 9, 2004)

There is a new and fancy MMORPG coming out to mac very soon called World Of Warcraft


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## Zammy-Sam (Mar 9, 2004)

MMORPG?
Many More Of Really Promissing Games?


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