OS X Elder Scrolls Online

[Huntn]

Any news or updates about the mac client beta?

I am starting to get concerned about the Mac version of the game...the fact that all the combined efforts of Bethesda/Zanimax are up to 1 (one) developer is worrying. Are we, Mac users, going to get all the patches and DLC at the same time of the Windows users or are we going to lag behind?

I think I might as well buy a second ssd, install bootcamp and win7 register for PC beta and probably get a Beta key before the Mac beta even starts....

There is always bootcamp...

 

[syrinxx]

beta invite but ...

hey bunny,

i was lucky enough to get a beta invite for a stress test --- sadly there is no downloadable mac client.

i am a mac user - so there will never ever run bootcamp or what ever on my machine ... i wrote a ticket to the support ... but i am afraid not to participate cause they think i got already a key ...

what would be your advice ..

thx you ... looking forward to test you work ... will do my best to help you pumping out a wonderful game for mac users !!!!!!

cheers
syr


update: sadly i am also not able to enter the beta forums. got a mail with the beta key and the log in to the forums ... hmm

 

[ElderBrE]

Any news or updates about the mac client beta?

I am starting to get concerned about the Mac version of the game...the fact that all the combined efforts of Bethesda/Zanimax are up to 1 (one) developer is worrying. Are we, Mac users, going to get all the patches and DLC at the same time of the Windows users or are we going to lag behind?

I think I might as well buy a second ssd, install bootcamp and win7 register for PC beta and probably get a Beta key before the Mac beta even starts....

The Blizzard Mac team isn't exactly what I would call huge either, and it seems to work just fine...

----------

hey bunny,

i was lucky enough to get a beta invite for a stress test --- sadly there is no downloadable mac client.

i am a mac user - so there will never ever run bootcamp or what ever on my machine ... i wrote a ticket to the support ... but i am afraid not to participate cause they think i got already a key ...

what would be your advice ..

thx you ... looking forward to test you work ... will do my best to help you pumping out a wonderful game for mac users !!!!!!

cheers
syr


update: sadly i am also not able to enter the beta forums. got a mail with the beta key and the log in to the forums ... hmm

http://help.elderscrollsonline.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3060/kw/Mac

I don't think Bunny is a part of the support team, so it's probably not him we should be asking support questions ;-)

 

[Donfor39]

hey bunny,

i was lucky enough to get a beta invite for a stress test --- sadly there is no downloadable mac client.

not able to enter the beta forums. got a mail with the beta key and the log in to the forums ... hmm
cheers

I have created a beta account today, I cannot log onto the fourm -though the games/forum start 7th?

 

[ugru]

Same situation here....

Got a key but I am unable to download OSX client....

They suggest to avoid taking part in the next beta event and then, when asked, explain that they are Mac players who were sent a Windows invitation...

 

[SingularityG]

Yep.

"We have not yet begun Mac testing, but we will very soon! We have a priority list for those who were sent Windows beta invitations in error. We will add players who elect to wait for the Mac beta to a list of Mac users who will get first priority once we have a Mac beta session.

Players who have already registered their Windows keys receive a survey asking why they did not participate in beta, they should explain that they are Mac players who were sent a Windows invitation."

 

[pscl]

i play under windows... if anyone want to give me a beta key, i would love to test this game

pm me

 

[Pallish]

Just signed up for beta. Got a few decent spec'ed Macs.

*crosses fingers*

 

[TheBunny]

Any news or updates about the mac client beta?

I am starting to get concerned about the Mac version of the game...the fact that all the combined efforts of Bethesda/Zanimax are up to 1 (one) developer is worrying. Are we, Mac users, going to get all the patches and DLC at the same time of the Windows users or are we going to lag behind?

The entire Patch, update system is cross platform.
All builds are tested on all platforms everyday.

Game play changes don't really effect the mac client day to day at all.

So no there is no lag on content etc.

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I have created a beta account today, I cannot log onto the fourm -though the games/forum start 7th?

I believe forums are closed outside of beta periods.

 

[VI™]

Can you get me a job? I live over in the Eastern panhandle of WV and I'm not that far away. I have minimal programming skills. I can make you VBA programs in Access. I'm a good photographer and I can make some really good beer. You guys could use one of those skills, right?

 

[Huntn]

The entire Patch, update system is cross platform.
All builds are tested on all platforms everyday.

Game play changes don't really effect the mac client day to day at all.

So no there is no lag on content etc.

I assume a game such as this built for multiple OSs is designed with most of the core components identical so as not to require much individual tweaking? I believe Blizzard did something similar with WoW.

 

[TheBunny]

Can you get me a job? I live over in the Eastern panhandle of WV and I'm not that far away. I have minimal programming skills. I can make you VBA programs in Access. I'm a good photographer and I can make some really good beer. You guys could use one of those skills, right?

We like BEER

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I assume a game such as this built for multiple OSs is designed with most of the core components identical so as not to require much individual tweaking? I believe Blizzard did something similar with WoW.

ESO code base runs on 5 platforms.

Core code is all platform independent C++
Game play programmers work in high level APIs and never touch
Mac or Windows, Most of the time the worst they deal with are compiler differences.

Under that is a cross platform OS abstraction layer.
So the Renderer has a DX and openGL version etc.

 

[Huntn]

ESO code base runs on 5 platforms.

Core code is all platform independent C++
Game play programmers work in high level APIs and never touch
Mac or Windows, Most of the time the worst they deal with are compiler differences.

Under that is a cross platform OS abstraction layer.
So the Renderer has a DX and openGL version etc.

Thanks for the info. Any opinion on DX vs openGL (you can talk about) as far as comparative performance?

 

[snarfquest]

A few weeks away. If all goes well.

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I will have to look at that.

Please sign up for the beta.
We need more Mac testers.

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Im in charge of the mac version of the game.

Port is probably not the right word.

Been actively working on it now for about 3+ years.

.

I have signed up for beta! I still haven't gotten an invite :-(

My beta experience with games:

Everquest I - alpha and beta and I still do beta testing for upcoming expansions.
Everquest I - MAC client. So annoyed they don't continue it. grrrr
Everquest II
WoW
Eve
SWO

I've played all the Elder Scrolls games through many times.

 

[ugru]

Any updates?

The client is now avaliable for download...but the support team says the Mac beta is not yet started...

 

[Bear]

With a mid April release date, there should be regular beta access as well as the beta weekends for stressing the servers.

Without a regular beta, the Mac client will never be debugged properly.

 

[ugru]

No news?

 

[Poly]

Only thing i can tell you about ESO:
Imho it sucks....Due to the NDA i can't tell much. But if you imagine ESO to be Skyrim just with other people, you'll be disappointed.

 

[ugru]

I know well how it is, I am following the game development since it was announced...

i'd just like to test personally the mac client...

 

[Jilibk]

Being an avid gamer myself (on windows though) it is nice to see Mac gamers getting some love too. Let us hope TESO delivers on both windows and mac. Eventhough it looks promising, you never know with mmo's.

I view Blizzard and WoW on the Mac as the gold standard.

Not only on Mac!

 

[Huntn]

It's a signal for me how serious the developer (ZOS, not you personally of course) is about supporting the Mac.

Using some cross-platform generic porting library like Wine leaves a taste of "we aren't really serious about this Mac stuff", in my eyes (witness Guild Wars 2 and their perpetual Mac client abandonware).

Going the extra mile to develop a truly native Mac client using Mac technologies and adapted for various Mac conventions and idiosyncrasies shows some serious investment in the Mac platform, again IMHO.

Now, I fully realize the patcher not being a Cocoa app isn't directly correlated to how serious ZOS is in supporting the Mac, but having some Java generic patcher pop-up on my screen as my very first interaction with a program already sets me up for disappointment.

I view Blizzard and WoW on the Mac as the gold standard.

Are you referring to Blizzard's support of Apple, WoW's excellence or both?

Not to introduce negativity into the ESO thread. I wish it future success! However, my comment is that although WoW is the best MMORPG created to date, I'm finding that every follow-on MMORPG that uses the same mechanics, soon after starting, I seem to suffer from the repetition syndrome of been-there-done-that. Creating a new environment, but using mostly identical game mechanics of what came before it may hook new players, but for those of us who have been playing for years, it may not suffice even it if is Titan from Blizzard. As I say this, I acknowledge the by it's nature a MMORPG may requires these mechanics to be called a RPG and maybe the reliance has to be on new first time players?

I don't really have any suggestions for new mechanics other than vague desires for dynamic instead of static content, an emphasis on being rewarded for exploration, removing the "rush" aspects gameplay, while being able to keep up with the appetites of players who want to explore, and a sandbox mixed with questing. Quite a wish list.

 

[whooleytoo]

As a big fan of the Elder Scrolls games, but not of online gaming; is there any single-player element to the new game at all? Is it possible to play this, but go completely solo questing?

 

[S3R14L]

MAC download Working!
For stress test!

 

[Bear]

MAC download Working!
For stress test!

At a snails pace.

 

[ElderBrE]

At a snails pace.

If you didn't delete anything from last beta on windows and move it to the Mac folders, the launcher seems to take this data and update from it. I did this, and it only needs to download 500MB right now, instead of the full 20GB.

Will update if this changes.

Edit:

Worked for a big chunk, but by the end it is again updating about 2GB, which I guess is the same as I'd have to update on the Windows partition.

Edit 2:

Updated successfully with this method.