About a Mac version: Some numbers from (yes) Steam

[Chalks]

Dude, that's a link to a trojan that infected people who were a) criminals (using pirated software) and b) dumb as dirt (downloading stuff from unknown people on the Internet). Serves them right, but not to be compared to the situation with Windows computers, where innocent and careful people can infect their computers. As far as Google can tell, there are no (as in zero) viruses for Snow Leopard.

And the vast majority of windows viruses fall into the same category, but I don't see you so enthusiastic about jumping to point that out.

It is pretty much impossible to be infected in a fully patched version of windows 7 without falling into the above criteria.

In the end, I don't care why there are no viruses, I'm just happy there are none, and I am very grateful to Microsoft for making sure that Windows 7 supports 8 out of 10 viruses so that their fruit stays low-hanging.

You don't have to be very low hanging when the only other fruit on the tree is still pollen.

But we can discussion this all over the net. Let's stick to the question of an OS X port of Civ V -- the important things in life. I've submitted a question to the Steam FAQ that is in the works, so we'll see.

To be honest, I'm amazed it's not already on the books. Maybe development and testing deadlines make it difficult to do a simultaneous release, but I can't believe they have no plans.

 

[tom2050]

I agree with all... Mac has been discriminated against by the software industry for long enough. It is about time that Firaxis is standing up for computers of all types (computer rights) and against the computer profiliing that has been going on for a long time.

 

[ori]

Moderator Action: If you wish to debate Mac vs. PC in general: the Computer Talk subforum is a great place to go. If you wish to debate the possibility/chances/arguments for or against/desirability/whathaveyou of a Civ5 Mac release - this thread is good place for it.

 

[civ_king]

Just goes to show more people use Macs than people think

 

[narmox]

I'd fully support a civ5 release for Mac. I just bought me a very nice 15 incher for this purpose alone! (oh and to get work done too.... right... right?)

 

[Col Kurtz]

Only if publisher allow it.

All games with Steam Play logo work this way.

True, but I think Steam is working very hard to make this the status quo.

 

[Osama Bin Davis]

Just goes to show more people use Macs than people think

most are american though, doesn't seem like macs are as popular anywhere else. perhaps it comes down to price or even maybe just the unavaliability of them. I'm not a fan and would never buy one, but they are certainly great alternatives for peoples needs and wants.

I don't understand why it has taken so long for game developers/publishers to get into that market.

 

[Yoda Power]

I'll only buy Civ V if it's for Mac. My PC is too old to handle the game, and I'm not buying a new PC just to play civ. My Mac is my main computer, so that's what I want to use.

 

[civ_king]

Anyone with a Mac Pro (with 4GB+ RAM)
Anyone with an Aluminum iMac
Anyone with a Unibody MacBook Pro

these people should be able to meet the minimum specs for Civ V

 

[sun surfer]

I only have a mac so I need the mac version. They better get it out asap damn it!

 

[Graven]

I think it is incredible that this could even be a discussion for a company. By not selling to the Mac audience they are limiting their revenue and pissing off a huge group of people. Add me to the list of people who would buy the game the first day it went on sale if given the option. If they decide Mac-users aren't worth their time, then we'll decide the franchise isn't worth our time.

Worth adding, there's a good reason Blizzard is as popular as it is (and largely considered the best gaming company on the planet)...and no, it's certainly not only because they release their games for PC and Mac simultaneously; it's because of their unrelenting support to their fanbase. For them, this discussion isn't debatable...it's common sense -- which is why they've reached the status they're at. So, I'll be playing Starcraft 2 through the summer and into the fall...whether or not I divide my time to play Civ 5 as well is entirely in the hands of Firaxis.

 

[radioplug]

Most crashes on PCs are due to memory issues (which haven't been caused by Windows itself since the 9x line died), hardware incompatibility, or badly written/incompatible software. I have an XP computer that started getting random BSODs the moment a SecuROM-infected game was installed on it.

BTW, PCs don't require third-party AV since Microsoft Security Essentials was released. It's still a separate download though.

A faulty graphics card BSoD'd my computer into submission on a brand new laptop. Received a replacement...it works so smoothly.

I wanted to be critical of Windows 7...but I haven't had one issue since I got rid of my laptop with the faulty card on it. It's a lot better than XP IMO.

 

[civ_king]

The first thing I noticed about Windows 7 is how much more OS X like it is than XP and in general it seems better than XP except it needs a lot more resources

 

[The_J]

Here is a german article about Civ5 @ the E3, and at the end it is written:

Civ 5 erscheint ausschließlich auf PC und Mac.

Which translates to:

Civ 5 will exclusivly be released for PC and Mac.

Couldn't find a confirmation for this until now, so i thought i should post it .

 

[civ_king]

*hops up and down ecstatically*

*Hugs The_J*

 

[Jamuka]

There are several obstacles to releasing a game like Civ5 on Macs.
-Civ uses DirectX for graphics, and macs use OpenGL. Firaxis would need to reprogram much of the game to use OpenGL.
-Most Macs have weak hardware that isn't powerful enough to run modern computer games.
-On identical hardware, OpenGL runs slower than DirectX. Using the weaker hardware that macs usually have, and OpenGL, means the graphics quality needs to be extremely poor for the game to run.

This is why when games do get released for Mac, it's usually a year or 2 late, giving the hardware a chance to catch up. Blizzard games are an exception because they have an enormous team to program for OpenGL as well as DirectX, and their games have poor graphics quality anyway.

 

[civ_king]

There are several obstacles to releasing a game like Civ5 on Macs.
-Civ uses DirectX for graphics, and macs use OpenGL. Firaxis would need to reprogram much of the game to use OpenGL.
-Most Macs have weak hardware that isn't powerful enough to run modern computer games.
-On identical hardware, OpenGL runs slower than DirectX. Using the weaker hardware that macs usually have, and OpenGL, means the graphics quality needs to be extremely poor for the game to run.

This is why when games do get released for Mac, it's usually a year or 2 late, giving the hardware a chance to catch up. Blizzard games are an exception because they have an enormous team to program for OpenGL as well as DirectX, and their games have poor graphics quality anyway.

OpenGL is catching up

Weak? Maybe not the latest and greatest, but MacBook Pros and iMacs can wield i5s and i7s. Mac Pros wield at least Quad Xeons... When Apple releases the better drivers they will be up to par

 

[EmpireOfCats]

Most Macs have weak hardware that isn't powerful enough to run modern computer games.

Huh? What exactly isn't powerful about an Intel i5 or i7? Dude, the days of the PowerPC are long over (except for Xbox users, of course). There is a reason they use MacPros to render movies.

Anyway, this is good to hear, thought it would be even better if Firaxis could give themselves a push and tell us themselves.

 

[3 EMS]

civ king wrote:
OpenGL is catching up

Weak? Maybe not the latest and greatest, but MacBook Pros and iMacs can wield i5s and i7s. Mac Pros wield at least Quad Xeons... When Apple releases the better drivers they will be up to par

What do processors have to do with graphics rendering? Short of being so slow that they bottleneck the graphics processor.

 

[civ_king]

What do processors have to do with graphics rendering? Short of being so slow that they bottleneck the graphics processor.

All Macintoshes since Early 09 have graphics chips or cards, and they are all better than the new Intel integrated graphics