Dragon Age:Origins announced for Mac!

[Dragonforce]

I'm pretty pissed off with the performance of the mac version.

YI have a plenty powerful mac:

8 core 2.93Ghz Mac Pro
16GB RAM
Radeon 4870

I can't run it at my LED display's native resolution, nor can I have the game running high textures. What gives? The graphics aren't even that great, why is my insanely powerful mac struggling so much?

Very disappointed

Tempted to ask for a refund.

Not sure what the problem is at your side, but I got a similiar setup (see sig)
and DAO plays great on my machine. I have no idea how to show fps, but
its for sure 30+ frames all the time, most likely higher. Maxed out all
settings and running at 1680x1050

 

[xxMidgetxx]

OK, now the game doesn't even load. After reading the post above about the iMac running fine at native resolution, I wanted to give it another shot....

But now I can't even load the game. WTF?!? This is a joke.

Any ideas on how to overcome this one?

Scott

OMG I have the same exact error and I'll try to reinstall and tell you guys how it works. The EA customer supportwas better then I thought after the 3rd guy he told me to reinstall the game with these specific steps that'll probably work

 

[JollyRogers]

Not sure what the problem is at your side, but I got a similiar setup (see sig)
and DAO plays great on my machine. I have no idea how to show fps, but
its for sure 30+ frames all the time, most likely higher. Maxed out all
settings and running at 1680x1050

Open ~/Library/Preferences//Dragon\ Age\ Origins\ Preferences/config with text editer. Find the [macdrv] section and set "ShowFPS" = "1"

I am getting 38-45 fps with my setup which is an Octo 2.8, cept I don't have the newer Pro. High details, textures, anitaliasing on (I think 4x), FBeffects on, and 2048x1144 resolution.

Also, if you get a Video Card not found error (and you have a supported video card), delete that same config file and rerun the game, it will recreate it.

 

[dualist]

This plays great on my early 2009 iMac. I have the settings on medium for everything. Even antialiasing. I haven't had much if any lag at all.

Has anybody used any mods? I notice that dainstaller is missing in the bin folder, so any mods will have to be installed my hand. I've tried some faces and textures and they seem to work just fine, but I want to try some of the bigger mods, but where to put the files is very confusing. Just wondering if there are any other solutions available.

 

[militantmind]

performance issues

Hello,

New mac user; purchased my Mac Pro dual-quad core 8gb mem and GTX285 1gb video card with 30" apple cinema display primarily for music studio work but also i figure it should entertain me if i so desire...

That being said, DAO is awesome but after reviewing this thread I noticed some people with similar systems seriously outperforming mine so I come seeking aid!

The example I will use is this: not in the overhead view (which typically runs around 26-30 fps) but on the follow behind view in the city of Denerim my super-mac CHUGS along at 13-16 fps!!! :\ I have all settings maxed and trying to run the game at 1920x1200. Am I simply expecting too much from this (insane imho) hardware???

Latest software updates, Mac OSX 10.6.2

Thanks for tips and advice!

mm

 

[JackAxe]

I forget, does the Mac version of DAO offer a Window's installer? If so, you should consider running this from Bootcamp. The GTX 285 performs substantially better with Window's drivers than the current OS X drivers.

I'm running an i7 920 with a GTX 275 and with vsync enabled, the game runs at 60 fps on max settings at 1600 x 900. I own a 30", but It's for my MacBook Pro and it's currently sitting at my friend's office -- or else I'd see how my PC does at 1900 x 1200 and even 2560x1600 -- which for GRID, I know it handles just fine.

See how the game runs at 1680x1050 at max settings.

Super Mac. That was my impression of a Quadra 950.

 

[txa1265]

I forget, does the Mac version of DAO offer a Window's installer? If so, you should consider running this from Bootcamp. The GTX 285 performs substantially better with Window's drivers than the current OS X drivers.

Let me answer your question with a question ... would EA *EVER* settle for $65 from you when they could take $130? Yeah ... I think that pretty much answers that ...

 

[sub0scientist]

This plays great on my early 2009 iMac. I have the settings on medium for everything. Even antialiasing. I haven't had much if any lag at all.

Has anybody used any mods? I notice that dainstaller is missing in the bin folder, so any mods will have to be installed my hand. I've tried some faces and textures and they seem to work just fine, but I want to try some of the bigger mods, but where to put the files is very confusing. Just wondering if there are any other solutions available.

I've used some mods, and I've had no trouble with them. (The game is not, however, registering my modifications of the config file, IDK why. Seems to work for other people, but not for me. I'm a bit upset about that, because I really want to try out some of the cheats, like bowlingforferelden. Why? For the exact same reason I made all the Jawas HUGE back in the old SW:TPM game: they're hilarious.)

You do have to install the mods manually, but it is not hard. Just... irritating. I have installed mods with several different packaging types. Please let me know which types of mods you are trying to install (.dazip, .override, etc.), and I will see if I can help you figure out where to put things.


Oh, and if anyone has any ideas about that blasted developers console, I'd appreciate hearing them. Mac users have been successful with adding

[AppDefaults\\daorigins.exe\\transgaming]
"cmdlineadd" = "-enabledeveloperconsole"

to the end of ~/Library/Preferences/Dragon Age Origins Preferences/config, but mine refuses to register the change. When I check the file in Terminal, it always omits the line [AppDefaults\\daorigins.exe\\transgaming] and the console does not activate when I press the appropriate keys (whether the KeyBindings.ini file has been modified or not) -- entering "runscript" still pulls up various game menus when I hit the corresponding keys, suggesting that the console is not functioning, rather than just being invisible. :\

 

[masterofbuckets]

Hello,

New mac user; purchased my Mac Pro dual-quad core 8gb mem and GTX285 1gb video card with 30" apple cinema display primarily for music studio work but also i figure it should entertain me if i so desire...

That being said, DAO is awesome but after reviewing this thread I noticed some people with similar systems seriously outperforming mine so I come seeking aid!

The example I will use is this: not in the overhead view (which typically runs around 26-30 fps) but on the follow behind view in the city of Denerim my super-mac CHUGS along at 13-16 fps!!! :\ I have all settings maxed and trying to run the game at 1920x1200. Am I simply expecting too much from this (insane imho) hardware???

Latest software updates, Mac OSX 10.6.2

Thanks for tips and advice!

mm

Try turning off Anti Aliasing. Try turning vsync off/on.

Hope this helps.

 

[militantmind]

Changing screen resolution doesn't do very much for my FPS... Neither does switching the AA from off to 4x or vsync. The AA I notice it looks nicer but no real increase in performance turning it off. VBuffer off looks terrible off and also doesnt seem to affect performance.

 

[JackAxe]

Let me answer your question with a question ... would EA *EVER* settle for $65 from you when they could take $130? Yeah ... I think that pretty much answers that ...

Well, that sucks!

 

[JackAxe]

Changing screen resolution doesn't do very much for my FPS... Neither does switching the AA from off to 4x or vsync. The AA I notice it looks nicer but no real increase in performance turning it off. VBuffer off looks terrible off and also doesnt seem to affect performance.

For larger LCDs and resolutions, vsync is definitely needed, since it eliminates screen ripping by locking the framerate to that of the screen's Hz if possible. It does eat up GPU time.

Until Apple with help of nVidia fixes the OS X drivers, your card will never be able to perform near its capacity. On the Windows side you'd have absolutely no problem with your rig running the game at 1900x1200 all settings max.

 

[Huntn]

This plays great on my early 2009 iMac. I have the settings on medium for everything. Even antialiasing. I haven't had much if any lag at all.

Has anybody used any mods? I notice that dainstaller is missing in the bin folder, so any mods will have to be installed my hand. I've tried some faces and textures and they seem to work just fine, but I want to try some of the bigger mods, but where to put the files is very confusing. Just wondering if there are any other solutions available.

My impression is that Mac version did not include the dainstaller? I wonder if there is a specific functional reason why it is not included and if the pc version of the installer would work in the Mac version? Now that I think about it, if it is an .exe application it won't work, unless they take the time to rewrite it for the Mac.

If it is simple, any instructions or link to instructions on manually installing mods in the Mac version of the game would be appreciated. I just updated the MacRumors DAO Quick & Dirty Guide to include Mac System Requirements, and a blurb about the lack of a "DAUpdater" app in the Mac version of the game.

 

[Shad0w59]

Tired of the bad performance in the mac port - is there a step by step guide on how I can convert it into a working boot camp windows version?

 

[JackAxe]

Since the game is tied to your online account and allows for so many installs, Bioware/EA should allow you to opt for a PC version. I haven't had to deal with their support, but it might be worth bringing it up with them about the performance issues. Just demand a PC version instead.

 

[Huntn]

Since the game is tied to your online account and allows for so many installs, Bioware/EA should allow you to opt for a PC version. I haven't had to deal with their support, but it might be worth bringing it up with them about the performance issues. Just demand a PC version instead.

I'd like to hear that conversation.

For Shadow- Regarding converting the Mac version to the PC version, there is a good chance that most of the files are identical although I've not examined them for comparision. The problem is the DAO application. Even if you could get a friend to send you the PC version of the app, you'd still run into authentication problems.

 

[txa1265]

OK, question:

I have the 'deluxe digital' versions of both PC and Mac for Dragon Age. The PC version I got through Steam so I have a load of extra stuff, the Mac version also has some extras. Both have Warden's Keep, Stone Prisoner, etc ... but the PC has several more. I have characters in both versions.

So yesterday I tried to just copy the Bioware folder from my PC partition to the Mac side as noted here, and then logged into my Bioware account. Then in-game I also checked my online profile.

Yet when I try to load up one of my mid-game PC saves I still get a box complaining about missing stuff. Any clues about how to get it to work?

 

[RDustinC]

Some hopefully news . . . . Looks like we are getting awakening, so maybe we'll get more expansions!

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Dragon-Age-Expansion-Coming-To-Mac-22407.html

Let's also hope this means patches to address the performance are in the works as well. I just up'd my iMac from 2gb to 4gb of memory and while I saw great improvements all over . . . I think I got maybe 1-2 more FPS in Dragon Age. I expected a lot more, so clearly something in the port just isn't tweaked for Mac's well enough (yeah I know, it is Cider wrapped).

 

[txa1265]

Some hopefully news . . . . Looks like we are getting awakening, so maybe we'll get more expansions!

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Dragon-Age-Expansion-Coming-To-Mac-22407.html

Let's also hope this means patches to address the performance are in the works as well. I just up'd my iMac from 2gb to 4gb of memory and while I saw great improvements all over . . . I think I got maybe 1-2 more FPS in Dragon Age. I expected a lot more, so clearly something in the port just isn't tweaked for Mac's well enough (yeah I know, it is Cider wrapped).

As I said in the other thread ...

Ancient (by internet standards) news ... and the copy-n-paste ESRB listing doesn't equate to any sort of 'announcement'. IMO, *long* before any Mac version of Awakenings comes along we will at least need to hear something OFFICIAL about ... well, ANYTHING from EA / Bioware / Transgaming.

And since the last we heard was ... the initial game release, and since they don't even address the Mac version when talking about RtO anymore (they do still mention the still-delayed PS3 version) all I can assume is that the Mac Dragon Age is 'abandoned-ware' at this point ... sort of like happened with NWN2.

 

[gødspeed]

Looks like a fun game. Any insight into how would it run on a mid-2009 17" MBP (3.06ghz, 7200rpm HD, rest standard)?

 

[gordok]

I've got it running on an MBP 2.26 ghz, 4 gig ram, 9400m gfx

It runs decently on the lowest settings and 1024 resolution, but it's a little slow in the city Osgiliath (wait that's lord of the rings)...err Osgarath or whatever.

Is there a way to maximize performance? I haven't noticed a mac patch or anything. Is there a way to get the 9400m running a little faster? I haven't noticed any heat problems at all

I have the same setup of machine. When I first ran the game, right out of the (downloaded) box, it crawled until I turned off the in-game music. Then we got on fine, but I have regular stops as the game grinds to a halt and quite a few bug-out crashes.

All in all, very frustrating and as a result I'm saving my games way more often than i would like to have to do.

 

[mabaker]

Have played it through and through on my Bootcamp partition on the macmini with 9400 graphics. It runs passably for the most part in the lowest 16:10 resolution.

Remember, if you have the m9400 graphics and want to play some games on your mac, go definitely for the good old XP for squeezing the very last drop of FPS possible out of every game. Vista and above is just fluff eating away precious FPS, especially on such limited system as mac mini.

Anyhow the game itself is “ridiculously awesome”. A must have for fans of good games in lines of Deus Ex, Fallout, System Shock or the Ultima series. I must confess I found the first 1-2 hours of gameplay pretty much uninspiring, without anything special to pay attention to. HOWEVER that changes enormously once you get to the essence of the game - that is the characters and their depth. Each has its own nuances and a certain aura emanating from them. You really begin to care about them in the course of the adventures that most of the time tend to have a pretty high quality and entertainment levels.

In other words this has been the surprise title of 2009. Can’t wait to play the sequel, planned for sometime in 2011.

PS. I would not dare to play the mac version on anything below 9600 cuzz the performance penalty is hard to swallow compared to the Windows version.

 

[JackAxe]

Hey Mabaker,

If you haven't already tried Mass Effect, it's worth playing, then of course ME2. The first is the better of the two though, just like System Shock was better than SS2 imo.

Anyways, it's FPS/RPG, kind of similar to Knights of the Old Republic. I've played through it three times and now I'm playing Mass Effect 2.

 

[Huntn]

Hey Mabaker,

If you haven't already tried Mass Effect, it's worth playing, then of course ME2. The first is the better of the two though, just like System Shock was better than SS2 imo.

Anyways, it's FPS/RPG, kind of similar to Knights of the Old Republic. I've played through it three times and now I'm playing Mass Effect 2.

I only played SS2 which really impressed me. I assume the original SS had retro graphics big time.

 

[mabaker]

Hey Mabaker,

If you haven't already tried Mass Effect, it's worth playing, then of course ME2. The first is the better of the two though, just like System Shock was better than SS2 imo.

Anyways, it's FPS/RPG, kind of similar to Knights of the Old Republic. I've played through it three times and now I'm playing Mass Effect 2.

Thanks for the tips, JackAxe. I finished ME2 not so long ago but while it's certainly a good game some of its essential aspects are really dumbed down - it's as if I'm playing a console version on a mac. Hope ME1 would be better? I heard it was actually as far as the depth is concerned. The best thing is I don't even have a thing for dragons and prefer some dark futuristic titles like Deus Ex or System Shock but Orgins just got me with its characters, hands down.

And System Shock is such a classic. There wouldn't have been Half Life without System Shock but that is a topic for another thread indeed!

Dragon Ago remains for me one of the best games recently, even despite its limitation (especially no free roaming like in Fallout series). And of course - it's playable on a mac mini! Kinda unbelievable.