So let me get this straight....

[troytheface]

no play the world -editor-for mac?
that really sux - i bet human play would be alot harder- and haveing a flame thrower unit/graphic whould look cool...maybe like it negates fortification/population. Also how about more civs
Begging these game guys to provide the same **** as the pc version sux too. C'mon code-script'n-mac-jackal -game'n -mother....

 

[ejday]

Originally posted by troytheface
no play the world -editor-for mac?

None yet and possibly none at all. If you haven't already heard, Firaxis used DirectX for PTW. That makes a tedious port. So, while CivIII for "did well" (sales), it may not have been so well that it makes business sense to port PTW.

that really sux

Eloquently stated.

Begging these game guys to provide the same **** as the pc version sux too.

Also an astute observation, troy. Unfortunately, we've been begging for any sort of editor and, so far, denied that too. I won't speculate on the how or why -- my language would shift from diplomatic to militaristic.
...However, troy, if you search through the threads, you'll find someone posted a sample petition letter and a place to send it. Consider it: it might be worth your time.

 

[ChrisB]

>So, while CivIII for "did well" (sales), it may not have been so well that it makes business sense to port PTW.

And sales might very well have been impeded by the lack of an editor. Personally I have dissuaded people not having Mac OS X from buying the game, back when it looked like there would be an Mac OS X editor only. If someone asked me today I would dissuade them from buying the game altogether because of the total lack of editor.
Hoping for an expansion in a situation where there original package is not yet delivered....
What really, really annoys me here is that it is an all to familiar lose-lose situation for Mac users. If we do not buy enough of the game, no editor/expansion, because of "lack of sales". If we do buy the game, well...we get cheated. <Many four letter words deleted>

 

[dojoboy]

First, the editor is coming, it is. Brad has made several comments on this board about its progress. Secondly, now that PTW has gone gold and the code can be given to MacSoft to check out, its likely we'll know before Thanksgiving whether there'll be a PTW mac port or not. Because of the patch disparity between PCs & Macs, MacSoft needs the code to see if it can be done. To a layman such as myself, I don't see why it can't be done.

 

[ChrisB]

>First, the editor is coming, it is. Brad has made several comments on this board about its progress.

Maybe...sort of...not.
First, the editor was promised as a release in january, due february (2002!). Then it was changed to march, and then the Mac OS X requirements was introduced. Whenever news has come of the progress of the editor, it has been "soon". And people have bent over backwards to thank Brad Oliver for delivering something which is yet to be delivered.
There is a problem with this slipping deadline. Once it is released, only the most stalwart optimistists will clamour for bug fixing in the released editor. Everyone else will be busy doing something else or too fatigued to complain. Just look at multiplayer for Baldur's Gate. It is still only released in a buggy open beta version.

>Secondly, now that PTW has gone gold and the code can be given to MacSoft to check out, its likely we'll know before Thanksgiving whether there'll be a PTW mac port or not.

a) One problem with Civ 3 was repeated patching of the gold code.
b) Thanksgiving (at least according to my church) was two weeks ago. Smilies added as I realise that US thanksgiving is 6 weeks after our thanksgiving.

 

[gfeier]

I would prefer to wait for a PTW port until the PC game's bug fixes are finished, so maybe it will be Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving 2003 that is.

P.S. Brad's been among the missing for quite a while now. Anybody heard from him lately?

 

[ejday]

Originally posted by gfeier
P.S. Brad's been among the missing for quite a while now. Anybody heard from him lately?

Not a peep. My guess: JK2 went gold and Brad went on a vacation.
...Either that or he's just annoyed that we're annoyed and he's avoiding the noisy spots.

 

[gfeier]

Originally posted by ejday

Not a peep. My guess: JK2 went gold and Brad went on a vacation.
...Either that or he's just annoyed that we're annoyed and he's avoiding the noisy spots.

He certainly deserves a vacation - but we deserve the editor, too. He could at least drop us a line. Maybe he's combining the editor with a 1.29 upgrade as a surprise (look, I can dream, can't I?).

 

[Beamup]

Originally posted by gfeier
Maybe he's combining the editor with a 1.29 upgrade as a surprise (look, I can dream, can't I?).

Well, there's only one possible response to that statement.

<cue belligerent attitude>
In your dreams!

 

[Grey Randall]

What's frustrating as all get-out is the fact that the editor has been in Alpha for MONTHS, no mention of when even Beta (or if it'll be a public Beta, or if we'll have to wait MONTHS for that to complete its cycle as well) will be out.

I understand Brad's busy, I understand he's stretched over multiple projects, but on the same token we've paid money for a product, we've been receiving both extremes from It will be available on (x) date to No word what so ever, and an Alpha test cycle that seems to be in an infinte loop.

I appreciate everyone who is champing at the bit for a PTW conversion as well.... But plain and simple. The editor was supposed to come with the game. I could care less about patch parity, I could care less about PTW, I want what I paid for. It's like buying a car, and waiting almost a year for the manufacturer to deliver the seat covers.

 

[gfeier]

Methinks the natives are getting restless!

 

[Grey Randall]

Restless, no. Just frustrated. I'm a programmer myself, and in the middle of some serious setbacks that aren't in my control and if I wasn't already bald, they'd be driving me to the point of pulling my hair out.


I'm not blaming Brad, or even Westlake for the delays. However, I guess you could call what I'm doing a little venting. I think if you're going to release something, particularly if you're going to charge a price for it, that the buyer should get exactly what they think they are getting. I think this is very poor planning on the producer's part.

I'm also frustrated that I got charged the full price for an incomplete product. (I've made similar rants about OS X 10.0.x as well... I won't even go into the fact that I'm getting charged still for the upgrade to Jaguar AFTER I got charged for the upgrade to 10.1)

As addicted as I am to Sid Meir's games, I will patiently wait for their release, even if I have to wait an extended amount of time for the mac version of a game that's already out for PCs. I did it for Pirates! Gold (Which never ran properly on any of my Power PC Macs, but runs on all of my 68030/40 macs (Yes, I still keep the SE/30, IIci, IIcx, LCII and LCIII around!) I would have been willing to wait for the Mac Civ III once it was completed. But releasing something just to make the bucks, and having to constantly fix it, or leave components out even though you're telling the buyer that they're getting it is just really bad form, poor planning, and IMO, tells me that the producer in question is just interested in getting the quick buck, rather than maintaining a level of quality and customer satisfaction... something that keeps those customers coming back, and recommending your product to other potential buyers.

 

[lateralis]

just to pipe in, I read something about a technology called MacDX which purports to bring directx to the mac, the article I read said it would make porting PC games to the mac simply an order of rewriting whatever file system differences there were and that the directx code would trasfer completely. I'll look for the link and try to post it here in an edit.

lateralis

Here's one

Here's another one

And another

uh, and in french...
(sorry, just feeling silly, BUT I WANT PTW!!!! )

 

[Brad Oliver]

Originally posted by gfeier
He certainly deserves a vacation - but we deserve the editor, too. He could at least drop us a line.

Actually, I got married and took a 2-week honeymoon, As it happens, JK2 went GM while I was gone (phew!) and I now have a completely empty schedule for the first time since I started the editor.

As for status, I took a month off during JK2 in August to work on the editor since it was ahead of schedule and very nearly got it to beta, but I didn't quite make it before I had to return to work on JK2. Now that it's in the can and I have no other major deadlines or commitments, I expect the editor work to move along fairly quickly again.

Brad

 

[Brad Oliver]

Originally posted by lateralis
just to pipe in, I read something about a technology called MacDX which purports to bring directx to the mac, the article I read said it would make porting PC games to the mac simply an order of rewriting whatever file system differences there were and that the directx code would trasfer completely.

Not to burst your bubble, but MacDX will have no near-term affect on the feasability of game ports to the Mac. Most Mac porting houses (Westlake included) have had similar libraries that are more time-tested. Our Win32/DirectX library, for example, has been used in nearly 30 game ports now, and it's fairly robust. MacDX would come in handy if, as an example, Firaxis (or any other PC developer) wanted to handle the Mac port in-house and license MacDX themselves. This is assuming that MacDX is a fairly robust and bug-free implementation as well. Since MacDX is somewhat unproven, and most PC developers really like to outsource Mac development, it's not really worth getting too excited over at the moment.

Brad

 

[Beamup]

Originally posted by Brad Oliver


Actually, I got married and took a 2-week honeymoon,

Congratulations! May the two of you have many happy years together.

 

[lateralis]

 

[lateralis]

but seriously, congrats!!, I'll be taking that walk next summer. Provided she doesn't leave me for excessive civ playing.

lateralis

 

[dojoboy]

Originally posted by Brad Oliver


Actually, I got married and took a 2-week honeymoon,

So, Brad, what's she like? FPS, TBS, RTS, or RPG? She's a civver, isn't she?

Congrats!

 

[gfeier]

Originally posted by Brad Oliver
Actually, I got married and took a 2-week honeymoon,

Congrats!!! Why didn't you tell us in advance? You might have gotten a few interesting gifts.