Civ3 Mac

[dojoboy]

Newbie here. I found my way via Apolyton. Apologies for a thread which may already exist - no luck in finding it if it does.

Any more news on when Civ3 Mac is available online for pre-orders? Only Chips and Bits has it and they say it ships in April '02. Macsoft has it for shipping in Feb. 02, but it cannot be preordered. InsideMacGames makes ya subscribe to them first before ordering. At least that's how it appears to me.

I've seen it stated that the Mac version is going to be available the firt two weeks of January, but no where is it verified by software retailers.

Is this forum used by both PC and Mac users?

 

[Smash]

you can follow progress at the MAC civ2 forums at Apolyton.Bradman of Westlake has been posting updates.They are way ahead of schedule.I expect you'll see it by no later than 1st week of Feb.Probably sooner.

 

[Cunobelin Of Hippo]

Where've you guys been? It's supposed to be on shelves by Macworld Something (I think San Fransisco?) in a week! And with the first patch incorporated in already

 

[SSK]

It's supposed to be on shelves by Macworld Something (I think San Fransisco?) in a week! And with the first patch incorporated in already

This is true. I've noticed you can also preorder it at compuexpert and I think at CompUSA. The release date is something like Jan 11.

Too bad by the time we get it, Firaxis might have the 2nd patch out. Bradman of Westlake said the editor won't be available until spring at the earliest--he mentioned that the editor was significantly more difficult to port than the game itself.

I hope at least future PC patches will be ported to mac and will be freely downloadable. I suspect we'll have to pay xtra for the editor, unless we wait until spring to buy the game.

 

[Cunobelin Of Hippo]

Believe me, you aren't missing much there Though the editor is far easier to use then the .txt files of Civ 2 lore, it leaves a LOT to be desired (I'm running the game on a Windoze emulator). And of course the visuals will be infinitely superior...now if TF will just port his "Less Yellow" modpack for us

 

[SSK]

Originally posted by Cunobelin Of Hippo
Believe me, you aren't missing much there Though the editor is far easier to use then the .txt files of Civ 2 lore, it leaves a LOT to be desired (I'm running the game on a Windoze emulator). And of course the visuals will be infinitely superior...now if TF will just port his "Less Yellow" modpack for us

Cuno, I am shocked you've been able to run the game with an emulator (I assume VPC). This would be the first report I've ever heard of anyone successfully running a big PC game on a Mac via an emulator. How did you get around the software protection issue--using a cracked executable? I'd be interested in hearing your hardware and system configuration, and which emulator you are using.

I tried last year running Heroes of Might and Magic III for PC on my iMac DV graphite (400 mHz) with Virtual PC 4.0, and after the game installed successfully, I tried starting a game with the play CD, and basically it wouldn't run. I assumed it was a software protection problem. Perhaps all one needs is a cracked copy.

Anyway, regarding the editor, I merely wanted it to be able to change things like corruption rules

As for the yellow--what's up with this? Is the game ugly in having too much yellow?

 

[Cunobelin Of Hippo]

Originally posted by SSK


Cuno, I am shocked you've been able to run the game with an emulator (I assume VPC). This would be the first report I've ever heard of anyone successfully running a big PC game on a Mac via an emulator. How did you get around the software protection issue--using a cracked executable? I'd be interested in hearing your hardware and system configuration, and which emulator you are using.

I'm exactly the same as you are - DvD edition 400mhz G3 with VPC 4.0.1. I've got 100 or so RAM alloted to the PC, as it won't let me use any more (384 with the mac).

And yes, I needed a CD crack in order to play. It was giving me an 'invalid page fault' or some crap without it But now it's running fine - although slow at times as many lament. I don't play on anything larger then a standard map because of the endgame lag.

As for the yellow--what's up with this? Is the game ugly in having too much yellow?

It's not that bad, but I like TF's more-blue version much better. Makes the water darker, among other things.

 

[gfeier]

I have it on VERY good authority that the Mac version will NOT ship with the editor. It is expected as a free download "sometime in January."

 

[ExtremeSIMS]

I wonder if it will support the widescreen of the TiBook, and if I can get a no-CD executable from MacPlay. Maybe if I let them know I run a fan site....

In any case, awesome news. Now I can play on PC and Mac. Woohoo!

 

[dojoboy]

I've not noticed any mention in threads, but are there any historical scenarios included with Civ3?

 

[jcadam]

woohoo, I can play civ3 w/o VPC now. It was dog slow on my 550mhz PowerMac G3 anyways.

I just hope the mac version of Civ3 will run native in OS X. It would be a shame to have to reboot into OS 9 , or play in dog-slow classic emulation mode.

 

[Brad Oliver]

Hi there,

Brad Oliver here of Westlake. I did the port for Macsoft along with John Butler. Let me try and answer a few of the questions here, in no particular order.

1. The game os OSX-native and also runs on 8 and 9. The text rendering is enhanced to use Quartz under MacOS X.

2. There is no editor on the CD, but one will ship sometime in the next few months. Someone mentioned before the end of January, but that's unrealistic. It'll be a free download from MacSoft when it's ready. We're contractually bound to deliver it, so it's a matter of when, not if...so all 5 of you who will use it can sleep easier.

3. There is some support for widescreen resolutions in Civ3. I only tested them on my 22" Cinema Display, so I can't say definitively if they'll work with the TiBook resolutions. If not, it's a simple matter to support them.

4. Future PC patches will in all likelihood be brought to the Mac, so long as they are "free" patches for PC Civ3.

5. MacPlay has nothing to do with Mac Civ3 - it's published by MacSoft.

6. I've heard that a few people have already bought it at MacWorld yesterday and are playing it, so it should be a matter of time before it trickles through the channel to Ingram and onto CompUSA and other places.

Brad

 

[gfeier]

Originally posted by Brad Oliver


2. There is no editor on the CD, but one will ship sometime in the next few months. Someone mentioned before the end of January, but that's unrealistic. It'll be a free download from MacSoft when it's ready. We're contractually bound to deliver it, so it's a matter of when, not if...so all 5 of you who will use it can sleep easier.

Thanks for the info. You'll notice that I put that January info in quotes. That's because it's January on the software calendar which converts to March in the real world - you know, like "late summer" generally means November.

Based on my participation in these forums, I think you'll find that people will actually use this editor a lot more than in most games. I think you'll probably see the natives getting restless by mid-February.

 

[Brad Oliver]

Originally posted by gfeier
Thanks for the info. You'll notice that I put that January info in quotes. That's because it's January on the software calendar which converts to March in the real world - you know, like "late summer" generally means November.

Ah, I see. Well if you say "March", then it's even better because a) it's closer to the truth and b) people will expect it in the summer.

I think you'll probably see the natives getting restless by mid-February.

OK, when that happens, if I'm not around, kindly quote my post from above then. There's no way it'll be ready any earlier than March.

Brad

 

[SSK]

Originally posted by Brad Oliver


There's no way it'll be ready any earlier than March.

Brad

Like I said in my earlier post, "Brad of Westlake said it won't be ready until spring".

Brad: Thanks for posting here, I got tired of chasing Apolyton around with all their server problems.

And I appreciate the info about the free patch ports and freely downloadable editor when it becomes available. I had been deciding whether to wait until spring to buy the program, thinking I might have to pay more later for the editor and future patches, but now I will buy Civ 3 Mac as soon as I find it!

Also: kudos to Firaxis for announcing formation of a public beta-testing panel.

 

[juanvaldes]

Originally posted by dojoboy
I've not noticed any mention in threads, but are there any historical scenarios included with Civ3?

Sadly no... I was hoping for at least something! But all we get is a map of earth. BTW dont' play the small version it' so far from reality it just sucks to play.