Playing through the game on PC has led me to believe that the game is fine. Yeah the system requirements seem suspicious, and the story isn't a masterpiece like Square Enix is typically known for producing. But it isn't bad like The Bouncer.
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In 3 years, 50% of all computers capable of playing AAA games will be Macs
- Thread starter senttoschool
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macOS still has the same issue PC has, not every Mac has the same amount of RAM/CPU cores/GPU cores so you still have to make a game based on lowered requirements (it is the same issue MS has with Series S vs X as well).
Ehh ... if I'm not wrong, Nintendo had to make development tools available for developers to even start developing for the Nintendo switch. That's what a platform vendor have to do. Are you saying Nintendo just provided the Nintendo Switch without providing any tools for developer to start work on? All devs need to build a "AAA" game is to have a game engine?
IMHO, you conflate development tools to game engine. Again not true.
Happy to be corrected tho.
Apple Silicon is still closer to consoles than PC. The old Macs and PC can have iGPU, dGPU and CPU from Intel, AMD and NVidia while AS has one GPU and CPU architecture. Easier to develop for one and the same manufacturer.
I agree with this as well.
I also think that whether or not a platform is easier to develop a game for really has no bearing on whether games will be developed for it. I read some years back that the original Playstation is a PITA to developed on, but that didn't stop games from being developed for it. As long as the user base is large enough to enable developers to make money, they will do it, even if it is difficult.
iOS is probably not the easiest platform for developers to produce a game initially, since they have to pivot to a touch interface, but it spawned an entire industry of touch based games. If developers shy away from difficult platform, we would not be seeing games outnumbering productivity apps in the mobile app stores.
What?
How do you think that game engines are ported without tools?
By tools, I mean IDEs like Xcode and APIs like Metal.
Being easier to develop for doesn't explain why the Switch version of No Mans Sky came out before the macOS version even though they were announced at the same time.
And I still think macOS gaming is closer to PC than console, just based on in game options and the fact that better hardware makes the games run faster (games that are not ps4pro aware did not run any faster on it than a base ps4, same with xbox games). You can argue that the latest generation of consoles are more PC like as well, since they have added resolution and frame rate options that didn't exist before.
Really this just shows that Apple needs to own some IP for macOS to get more folks interested. Some folks here think the idea of Apple having their own games studio is a waste, but that is how Nintendo is able to weather the third party drought that comes for them every other console cycle. It is how Sony was able to get through the PS3's first few years of it's life (the 360 was a better seller that generation).
In the end none of this matters. Discussions about Mac gaming have been going on forever and don't impact Apple's policy. All we can do is making decisions by looking at the current situation. If you're fine with the state of Mac gaming buy a Mac. If not buy a PC or console. What Apple is doing wrong or right or should/shouldn't do makes little difference. As I mentioned before Apple's new strategy seems to be sponsoring game devs financially in exchange for exclusive titles on MAS, a similar path to Valve's solution to the lack of games on SteamOS. We'll see how that will impact the state of Mac gaming in the future.
I see it more as Apple sponsoring game devs financially in exchange for a MAS release. Not so much the exclusivity.
It's hard to say, since there's a lack of information about what titles Apple's given technical assistance to, and there's a hilarious lack of reluctance by the Mac press to actually ask.
Jason Cross' silly article on MacWorld springs to mind, which somewhat ignores the fact that MacWorld's amount of Mac games reviewed in the past few years... is zero. Not even Metro Exodus or RE8. Not even one of the recent Mac GOTYs like Inscryption, which wouldn't be a demanding title for a base MacBook Air to run.
But RE Village Mac can't be found anywhere else so it must at least be a time-limited exclusivity. You're write about the lack of reviews. They write these top lists sometimes and there's a short review of RE Village on their latest list but Metro Exodus isn't reviewed anywhere, only mentioned in two articles. It's not even among the "Best Mac Action Games".
Mm. And one of their lists has Papers Please as a top Mac game of 2022.
It's certainly a solid title, yes. But I'd say a more appropriate place for it is... ...well, a top Mac game of 2013 or 2014, when it was actually released.
Granted, said list has Disco Elysium as a title from last year (...the last few years haven't been the best, but... I still don''t think 2019 was a year behind 2023), The Sims 4 (that went free to play in October)...
The list needs updating, to put it mildly. Or to be deleted and rewritten.
Same points I made in the original post.
Apple gave every Mac a capable GPU for AAA games. Now it's just a waiting game for the install base to increase to a point where AAA developers can't ignore Macs anymore.
Apple execs on M2 chips, winning gamers and when to buy a Mac | TechCrunch
Apple's M series chips were incredibly well telegraphed when they arrived in late 2020. Apple had been designing its own silicon since the A4 appeared in
techcrunch.com
Without Apple throwing money at the problem, how long do you think it will take before the install base cannot be ignored?Same points I made in the original post.
Apple gave every Mac a capable GPU for AAA games. Now it's just a waiting game for the install base to increase to a point where AAA developers can't ignore Macs anymore.
Apple execs on M2 chips, winning gamers and when to buy a Mac | TechCrunch
Apple's M series chips were incredibly well telegraphed when they arrived in late 2020. Apple had been designing its own silicon since the A4 appeared in
This means that the price is more expensive and fewer people buy it. Not many people choose Apple's devices (including IOS) just to play games.Same points I made in the original post.
Apple gave every Mac a capable GPU for AAA games. Now it's just a waiting game for the install base to increase to a point where AAA developers can't ignore Macs anymore.
Apple execs on M2 chips, winning gamers and when to buy a Mac | TechCrunch
Apple's M series chips were incredibly well telegraphed when they arrived in late 2020. Apple had been designing its own silicon since the A4 appeared in
If you want to play AAA games, you can choose XBOX, PC, PS4, PS5. There is no need to choose such expensive MAC computers.
Don't know. I never thought about it.
If I have to make a quick guess, I'd say another 2-3 years. Remember that any developer that makes a AAA game for Apple Silicon Macs will also gain access to the install base of iPad Pros and iPad Airs.
Apple sold roughly ~40m Macs in 2022. Maybe in 3 years, Apple will add another 200m Apple Silicon devices (Macs, iPad Pros, iPad Airs) to the install base. At that point, AAA game engines will have been optimized to work with Metal and the install base will look pretty damn enticing.
In 3 years, total Apple Silicon install base will probably reach 300m-400m (conservative estimate). Every single one will have a capable GPU.
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If this is true, PC gaming would have died long ago. Instead, PC gaming is alive and well and people still spend thousands on gaming PCs.
Personally, I have no interest in console gaming and I'm only carrying one computer.
Also, iOS is the biggest gaming platform in the world by revenue, if you didn't know already. No, most people don't own an iPhone for gaming. But because so many people have one, gaming is huge overall on iOS. This is the same logic I applied to the original post. It doesn't matter if the main purpose for a Mac isn't gaming. If so many people own a Mac, then it'll be profitable for AAA developers to make a port.
Maybe you haven't read what I said before. Please turn to the previous page and have a look. If you don't like the historical dialogue records, I can tell you.
Even though IOS is the mobile phone with the most games, it is still not suitable for playing AAA games. Any AAA game is not specially designed for IOS (MAC is also the same). I can only say that they should take a look at brain CT when playing games with such a small screen as IOS.
Unfortunately, I don't have an IOS phone. I only have an Android phone for less than $200, but I will never say that Android is the best game platform.
Even if I used IOS (I really used my mother's IOS). I still won't admit that it can play AAA.
I don't know where your confidence in IOS comes from.
This is the total number of small and medium-sized games (including junk games), not the total number of AAA games. It cannot be used as evidence that IOS is AAA game consoles.Comes from data.
I generally refer to the adaptive hardware of AAA games.
In addition, a small number of top MAC computers are not enough to affect AAA game manufacturers (including top IOS). They will not develop MAC versions just because of this data.
Because those who have top IOS or MAC computers are not necessarily AAA game players.
@senttoschool is not saying iOS is a AAA games console. They are saying iOS free to play games make a ton of money. A subtle but distinct difference.
I have never said that IOS is a platform that doesn't make money. I don't care about it. It's not important. I don't like it because Apple's decision made me take many detours and made it difficult to transplant the game.
That's why I don't plan to make games for IOS now.
What I want to say before is that not many people are willing to buy IOS and MAC just to play AAA games.
(Maybe I omitted the keyword "AAA", which led to misunderstanding. I will reflect.)
No matter how many games IOS has, it can't promote AAA game developers to migrate games to mobile phones. After the economic crisis, the number of poor people in the world has increased, and it has become a luxury to buy more expensive equipment.
This is why Android phones are popular with more people. They are cheap. Developing it will not lead to many costs, including registration costs and machine costs. How much is a machine for Apple? What's more, there is a development license fee of $99 per year.
I agree it would be an illogical, hugely limiting, I might go as far as calling it a foolish choice to choose Apple MacOS just for gaming. If there is gaming on a Mac it is usually a byproduct of having the MacOS which I prefer for most everyday computer tasks. And when I was gaming on a Mac it was because of Bootcamp/Windows compatibility, which Apple has since tossed into the trash bin.
PC and Xbox/Play Station is the place for games period. I prefer PC over console. iOS seems to be very competitive in tablet gaming, because of iPhones and iPads of which I play games on them only if it is the last resort.
I’m currently working on a Unreal Engine project, and I find myself doing this on a PC because the price-capabilities ratio is superior, and Windows today is not near the calamity it was 20 years ago, and this is where I just have my high powered capabilities graphics card, large 4k monitor, originally acquired for playing games…
There was a time because of the OS, that Macs were superior for graphics work, partially because of ease of use, and they required less OS maintenance to keep them going. Today, I’m not so sure. 🤔
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Nobody buys an iPhone, iPad or Mac just for gaming. You seem to be focusing on only new users and buyers and forgetting the current customers. It's about the huge user base and potential profit for game devs. It would be foolish to ignore billions of people just because it's cheaper to buy a PC, console or Android.
Here are some iPhone stats. There are over 1.5 billion active iPhone users in the world and Apple has sold over 2.24 billion iPhones. Add to that millions of sold Macs and iPads each year. All using Apple Silicon. Even if your game would be expensive to port to Mac alone you could first port it to iPhone/iPad and make good profit and then easier port it to Mac since they all basically use the same HW architecture. Feral has done some excellent AAA ports to iPhone, like Alien Isolation. The potential is huge but many devs want rather make money on microtransactions on the mobile platform than developing for Mac. That's why many don't even allow their iPhone games on Mac even if it would work just fine.
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You should see what I said on the 997 floor. I mean that no one bought IOS just to play AAA games. This is not the purpose of the invention of the mobile phone. The purpose of the mobile phone is to call and SMS. I don't want to repeat it too many times. One billion people haven't transplanted the value of AAA games, because playing AAA games with IOS is a very bad experience.
At the same time, I see you mentioned that some game companies are planning to migrate to IOS,
Even if the transplant is successful, it is also a bad picture and bad content. It is like that Wizard III successfully transplanted to the switch, but castrated a lot of content (greatly castrated the resolution, material, texture, vegetation, shadow, water, light and other image performances). It is not qualified at all, because it can not open the highest picture quality, all special effects.
This is a complete joke.
Maybe all you see in your eyes is: Oh! This game is on the IOS. It's great. IOS can play AAA!
In addition, how do you know that the mobile phones used by previous users are the latest version? Are they the best hardware? Can they run AAA? I have great doubts.
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I have said that I don't use IOS because Apple only allows metal, which will force me to do more work, and I need to spend more time learning new API. With this time, I might as well devote myself to the production of new games.
Maybe you think that 1 billion users are very attractive, but that doesn't change some people's principled questions. Just like the reason why WIIU was rejected by many third-party manufacturers, can you say those manufacturers are stupid? They got the development machine, but they didn't know what it could do. The company can only choose to return it to Nintendo.
The situation did not improve until the switch.
The problem of MAC is the same as that of IOS, because of the uniqueness of API. If Windows only accepts DX series, I will not put my game on the Windows platform. But MS did not do so. Apple did.
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