Boot Camp and Civ IV

[NoMan]

Apple has just announced (beta) software to support dual boot of Intel Macs into Windows XP and Mac OS. Can someone try this with Civ IV and report. I'll be buying an Intel Mac sooner, rather than later, if this works.

I wonder how this will affect sales of the Mac version, or future Mac game development in general. I will still be buying the Mac version, because constant dual-booting is not worth the small $$ savings. But I'm travelling in June and would love to play Civ IV on the plane. If there's no Mac version before I leave I don't mind booting into XP for the plane trip.

 

[Brad Oliver]

Apple has just announced (beta) software to support dual boot of Intel Macs into Windows XP and Mac OS. Can someone try this with Civ IV and report. I'll be buying an Intel Mac sooner, rather than later, if this works.

Thanks for making our biggest fears come true so quickly!

Yes, Civ4 will work with Boot Camp to allow you to natively play under XP. It'd be awfully nice of you to buy the Mac version when it comes out though.

 

[NoMan]

Thanks for making our biggest fears come true so quickly!

Yes, Civ4 will work with Boot Camp to allow you to natively play under XP. It'd be awfully nice of you to buy the Mac version when it comes out though.

You have nothing to fear on my account sir Brad. I fully intend to buy the Mac version. However I have a 12 hr flight coming up in June (SFO-Frankfurt-Venice, and then back from Athens). Time flies much more quickly playing Civ.

I currently own a PC, which I use for Civ, Quicken, and the occassional Windows Media file. I also own an aging Mac desktop (Quicksilver 867 MHz G4). And a G4 iBook which would struggle with Civ 4. Ideally I could replace all 3 with a MacBook.

Dual booting is not a solution for daily work (and play), I will need the Mac version. But it would work for that long flight and it seems unlikely the Mac version would be out by then. Boot Camp is a perfect solution, I am very happy.

I was going to put off a MacBook purchase until late this summer and take the iBook and Civ3 on the trip. Now I will probably purchase in May and dual-boot Civ my way to Europe. I will place my Civ Mac order when I return.

 

[JoAT]

It'd be awfully nice of you to buy the Mac version when it comes out though.

You know, I understand the big swell of excitement over Boot Camp, but in the long term I'm not so sure there is going to be a huge effect on Mac software sales. Simply put, there is a reason that most Mac users use a Mac, and that is the Mac OS. I for one am not going to go out and buy a pricey new x86 Mac just to go out and pay an additional $200 for a copy of Windows XP just so I can run a few Windows apps on an operating system that I don't like.

Rest assured Brad that, when I have a Mac with the balls to run CIV, it will be Aspyr's port that is on my hard drive.

JoAT

 

[dojoboy]

You know, I understand the big swell of excitement over Boot Camp, but in the long term I'm not so sure there is going to be a huge effect on Mac software sales. Simply put, there is a reason that most Mac users use a Mac, and that is the Mac OS. I for one am not going to go out and buy a pricey new x86 Mac just to go out and pay an additional $200 for a copy of Windows XP just so I can run a few Windows apps on an operating system that I don't like.

Rest assured Brad that, when I have a Mac with the balls to run CIV, it will be Aspyr's port that is on my hard drive.

JoAT

I agree completely JoAT.

 

[AlanH]

Here! Here! Well said. Boot Camp fits into Apple's product range specifically to provide a security blanket for switchers. A few people might buy a Mac so that they can run Windows, but they will still be Windows users. Mac users want games in Quartz windows, with their OS X toys available in the background. And they don't like spending dollars with M$ for VPC and XP, either.

 

[Schisgall]

Don't worry, Brad! The people are with you! For me, I'll buy the Mac-Civ IV just to keep my hard-drive up-partiontioned, to avoid that awful Windows interface, and to run my OSX programs in the background.

Now, btw, how is that little CIV IV Mac project coming along.... pant... pant...

 

[Brad Oliver]

Now, btw, how is that little CIV IV Mac project coming along.... pant... pant...

It's coming along extremely well. Most (all?) known graphics issues are resolved, the game is now stable for very long periods of time, networking between Intel Macs and the PC is working (still need to do PPC Mac networking), and most major functionality is there (we still need to click on all the menus and buttons to see if they work). The World Builder works, FWIW. During the beta, we'll probably test with a few mods to get those working if they're not already.

We're going to be entering QA and testing with it very shortly. I expect the QA/beta period to be somewhat long simply because it's a complex game, but I don't foresee any large roadblocks in our way. Depending on when the next PC patch is released, we may or may not roll it in before Mac Civ4 ships - too early to say yet.

 

[Hellfire]

OMG Brad you tease!!!!!!

Hey... we're getting closer... confidence is high.... isn't about time for a Civ 4 forum?

 

[Beamup]

Oh no. This is bad.

I'm supposed to be finishing my dissertation and doing my PhD defense over the next 2-4 months, then hopefully moving into an actual job. I'm already having enough problems keeping myself from buying a copy of XP and WinCiv4 to tide me over - actually having MacCiv4 released could do very bad things to my productivity!

P.S. As of today, the research for my dissertation is virtually complete! I just have to wait for the final batch of data to be ready, then I can dump it in the hopper, push the button, and have the final results (a matter of 15 minutes of work and 1-2 days of computer time). Now I just have to write...

 

[dojoboy]

Now I just have to write...

I'd rather be doing the research than this part. Don't you have a wife? Oh, that's for typing.

 

[Beamup]

I've already got almost 100 pages, and the remainder will be full of a LOT of plots. So I can have plenty of stuff without having to write that many words.

 

[awcabot]

Thanks for making our biggest fears come true so quickly!

Yes, Civ4 will work with Boot Camp to allow you to natively play under XP. It'd be awfully nice of you to buy the Mac version when it comes out though.

Brad, I have ordered a MacBook Pro because I like the OS, not because it is a nice-looking machine and I intend to keep running Mac applications on it, not Windows. I will only run the occasional Windows application that does not yet exist on the Mac (such as the SAP interface to the office ).

I can guarantee that if future games are published under the same conditions (simultaneous releases, cross-platform games, identical feature sets), Mac users with Boot Camp will purchase the Mac versions.

 

[Brad Oliver]

I can guarantee that if future games are published under the same conditions (simultaneous releases, cross-platform games, identical feature sets), Mac users with Boot Camp will purchase the Mac versions.

Of course, but usually that's out of our control (example: Civ3).

 

[Hellfire]

Oh no. This is bad.

I'm supposed to be finishing my dissertation and doing my PhD defense over the next 2-4 months, then hopefully moving into an actual job. I'm already having enough problems keeping myself from buying a copy of XP and WinCiv4 to tide me over - actually having MacCiv4 released could do very bad things to my productivity!

You fool! You didn't do your research on Civ?? What about the social interactions of civ players in the forums? Maybe the psychological feelings and reactions of someone who plays Civ? How about the technical explanation and design of a full conversion mod for Civ (good for a comp sci major)? c'mon man you should be incorporating school and work into what you love to do... and that's Civ!!!!

 

[Melinder]

Brad, do you have any idea of release date? I'm wondering if I need to start looking for a different birthday present for my mate (June 7). Let me know if it won't be out by then - I can take it.

(and BTW, I would always prefer the native mac version to running it in XP)

 

[Beamup]

You fool! You didn't do your research on Civ??

Hey, if you can come up with a way to tie Civ into neutrino physics, I'd be all for it. I'm not that creative.

 

[JoAT]

Hey, if you can come up with a way to tie Civ into neutrino physics, I'd be all for it. I'm not that creative.

Use Civ to simulate the collision of 2 neutrinos.

Use the editor to create with 1 long continent. Place the "Muon" tribe at one end, and put the "Tau" tribe at the other. Put all of the resources in the center of the continent. Then watch them collide!!!

That has "Nobel" written all over it.

JoAT

 

[Helmling]

Hey, dissertation boy, as a Mac user who crosses the aisle regularly JUST to play Civ 4, let me say this to you:

Be Afraid...Be Very Afraid.



P.S. Was "disertation boy" too much? Sorry.

 

[Nixnutz]

Dissertation consternation aside, I figgered I weigh in on Boot Camp.

I am looking forward to the day I can get an MacIntel with Boot Camp. And I will (gasp) invest in whatever form of that other operating system is available. Unfortunately, I have a need for it.

The beauty for me is that I can replace two aging machines (neither of which will handle any version of C3C or CivIV) with one.

I've read Brad's concerns here and elsewhere and rest assured: software purchases for the other side will be minimal. My investment in software, including Civ IV will be for the Mac.

Is there any other way???????