OS X Tomb Raider (2013) for OS X!

[edddeduck]

Fantastic! As I said, I'm very impressed.

I can only hope more developers move to OpenGL, like in the good ole days.

Just to give some detail (to those interested) here is a simplistic explanation of Core vs Legacy(aka Compatibility) GL.

CoreGL allows access to OpenGL 3.0 through to 4.4.
LegacyGL (aka Compatibility) supports 1.1 to 4.4 meaning it supports all the older stuff as well as the new. However the no OpenGL4 features are exposed on Legacy (but they could be in the future in theory).

(Apple have fully implemented all features up to 4.1 and some of 4.2)

In compatibility all your old code will still run and you get also access to new features. However this extended support comes at a cost.

In core, all the older, deprecated stuff does not exist as the CoreGL profile as it is based on brand new code written from scratch this means it is usually faster as it does not have any of the older legacy stuff to slow it down, it's also where Apple put most of their development effort.

It takes some work to move over to the new CoreGL profile as you need to get everything working and remove all legacy GL calls etc. However it does mean you get all the benefits of the more optimised and newer implementation.

However you cannot always use the CoreGL profile as in some cases the older code is faster especially it seems on the older (or integrated) cards. TombRaider uses both methods right now depending on your hardware and I suspect a few (Feral) games will have both options but over time all games will start to only use CoreGL especially when the older cards are no longer supported.

Edwin

 

[N19h7m4r3]

What's the chance of you chaps slowly taking advantage of dual GPU's as well? I know it's avery large undertaking to try and get things working though.

For instance even shifting over OpenCL physics calculations to one GPU, while the other handles the OpenGL workload.

 

[edddeduck]

What's the chance of you chaps slowly taking advantage of dual GPU's as well? I know it's avery large undertaking to try and get things working though.

For instance even shifting over OpenCL physics calculations to one GPU, while the other handles the OpenGL workload.

It's on the cool stuff/ideas investigation list but as only one Mac has this feature with dedicated cards it's not high on the list. A similar idea is using this plan to use the Intel card for some tasks while using the main GFX for the rest this can be used on the on high end MBP and some iMacs.

You could even have a look at allowing a thunderbolt card to be attached and rendering the result to the internal card. MacBook Air with a 790GTX for example

Loads of potential ideas but we have more logical options that will give greater performance for less effort but sure it's something that is on "a when we have spare time (insert joke here) list".

Edwin

 

[N19h7m4r3]

Well I would rave about the glory of Feral if you managed it, especially since you'll certainly be one of, if not the first company to do that.

Plus I'm getting a new MP and some extra performance is always welcome, especially since AMD can be rather slow on OpenGL drivers, and performance.

 

[ventuss]

It's on Mac App Store for sale!!

No multiplayer though.. We have to wait for january 30th.. so sad

 

[N19h7m4r3]

It's on Mac App Store for sale!!

No multiplayer though.. We have to wait for january 30th.. so sad

Check the previous page for some gameplay footage, and benchmarks of it.

 

[ventuss]

Check the previous page for some gameplay footage, and benchmarks of it.

I just did and now I want to play it so bad, but I need the multiplayer options =[

 

[N19h7m4r3]

I just did and now I want to play it so bad, but I need the multiplayer options =[

Aw, yeah! Another week for you.

 

[ventuss]

I just read that multiplayer is for Mac only versions.. I bet there is going to be so few ppl online playing, that I might let the multiplayer option for my PS3 and stick with the Mac App Store version as well.

Aw, yeah! Another week for you.

Do you know if the steam version is the same price as the mac app store? Do I have to buy the multiplayer options or they are all included? I saw the 20 dollars pack on Feral web side and got confused.

 

[N19h7m4r3]

Do you know if the steam version is the same price as the mac app store? Do I have to buy the multiplayer options or they are all included? I saw the 20 dollars pack on Feral web side and got confused.

I'd assume it'll come out at the same price as the current PC version. If Multiplayer is a DLC for Windows, it'll most likely be the same for the Mac.

 

[Cougarcat]

Do you know if the steam version is the same price as the mac app store? Do I have to buy the multiplayer options or they are all included? I saw the 20 dollars pack on Feral web side and got confused.

Muliplayer is included. It's $50 on Steam, but it's frequently on sale for as low as $10.

 

[commander.data]

Just to give some detail (to those interested) here is a simplistic explanation of Core vs Legacy(aka Compatibility) GL.

CoreGL allows access to OpenGL 3.0 through to 4.4.
LegacyGL (aka Compatibility) supports 1.1 to 4.4 meaning it supports all the older stuff as well as the new.
(Apple have fully implemented all features up to 4.1 and some of 4.2)

Is Compatibility profile available in OS X? I thought Apple made a clean break and kept the Legacy profile as OpenGL 2.1 + some extensions from OpenGL 3.0-3.2, but nothing past that. Doesn't anything newer, particularly OpenGL 4.x features, require Core profile?

In any case, I'm really excited to see this game put OpenGL in OS X through its paces.

 

[JordanNZ]

This will also be the first Feral title using all the new Core profile features of Mavericks so you will get all the nice shadow and depth of field effects from the DX11 PC version.

Edwin

Contrats on shipping what might be the first AAA game to use OpenGL 4+ on any platform

 

[edddeduck]

I just read that multiplayer is for Mac only versions.. I bet there is going to be so few ppl online playing, that I might let the multiplayer option for my PS3 and stick with the Mac App Store version as well.

Tomb Raider multiplayer on Windows uses middleware that was not available to the Mac, so the multiplayer code had to be developed from scratch for the Mac version. Sadly because we aren't able to see the original code, it's impossible to make x-platform multiplayer for TR.

Do you know if the steam version is the same price as the mac app store? Do I have to buy the multiplayer options or they are all included? I saw the 20 dollars pack on Feral web side and got confused.

Log into Steam the PC price will be the Mac price. The price quoted depends on your location as Steam uses local currency for pricing.

Is Compatibility profile available in OS X? I thought Apple made a clean break and kept the Legacy profile as OpenGL 2.1 + some extensions from OpenGL 3.0-3.2, but nothing past that. Doesn't anything newer, particularly OpenGL 4.x features, require Core profile?

In any case, I'm really excited to see this game put OpenGL in OS X through its paces.

Yes Apple have Core and Compatibility (aka Legacy) modes.

Legacy can have full 1.0 through to 4.4**
Core can have 3.0 through to 4.4*

*4.2 through to 4.4 is either not yet implemented or partially implemented. Older cards might have less support for the newer features due to the lack of hardware features.

**Apple haven't implemented GL4 features in legacy mode.

 

[ikir]

Just to give some detail (to those interested) here is a simplistic explanation of Core vs Legacy(aka Compatibility) GL.

CoreGL allows access to OpenGL 3.0 through to 4.4.
LegacyGL (aka Compatibility) supports 1.1 to 4.4 meaning it supports all the older stuff as well as the new.
(Apple have fully implemented all features up to 4.1 and some of 4.2)

In compatibility all your old code will still run and you get also access to new features. However this extended support comes at a cost.

In core, all the older, deprecated stuff does not exist as the CoreGL profile as it is based on brand new code written from scratch this means it is usually faster as it does not have any of the older legacy stuff to slow it down, it's also where Apple put most of their development effort.

It takes some work to move over to the new CoreGL profile as you need to get everything working and remove all legacy GL calls etc. However it does mean you get all the benefits of the more optimised and newer implementation.

However you cannot always use the CoreGL profile as in some cases the older code is faster especially it seems on the older (or integrated) cards. TombRaider uses both methods right now depending on your hardware and I suspect a few (Feral) games will have both options but over time all games will start to only use CoreGL especially when the older cards are no longer supported.

Edwin

Very interesting reading. Do you use Core on Iris and Iris Pro?

 

[edddeduck]

Do you use Core on Iris and Iris Pro?

They default to LegacyGL (aka Compatibility) mode for performance reasons, the Intel drivers are faster in LegacyGL than on CoreGL in most respects. You do have the option to disable LegacyGL, it quite playable just not as smooth overall.

If/When the OS speeds up Core on the Iris cards we will update the spec settings and flip everyone over.

Edwin

 

[saturnotaku]

They default to LegacyGL (aka Compatibility) mode for performance reasons, the Intel drivers are faster in LegacyGL than on CoreGL in most respects. You do have the option to disable LegacyGL, it quite playable just not as smooth overall.

If/When the OS speeds up Core on the Iris cards we will update the spec settings and flip everyone over.

Edwin

How does the game run on Iris Pro?

 

[ikir]

They default to LegacyGL (aka Compatibility) mode for performance reasons, the Intel drivers are faster in LegacyGL than on CoreGL in most respects. You do have the option to disable LegacyGL, it quite playable just not as smooth overall.

If/When the OS speeds up Core on the Iris cards we will update the spec settings and flip everyone over.

Edwin

Thanks, you are always very competent and clear. Keep up the good work Feral!

 

[edddeduck]

How does the game run on Iris Pro?

It's fully supported

...the Intel drivers are faster in LegacyGL than on CoreGL in most respects. You do have the option to disable LegacyGL, it quite playable just not as smooth overall.

If you run on the default settings it fully supported. That means it's nice and smooth on the default settings the game ships with for your card.

I HIGHLY recommend users leave the settings on the defaults, all Feral games checks your Mac hardware and sets up the settings to a good default for your machine. You can try and run it up0 and down once you start playing but the built in defaults are usually pretty good as we come up with them after testing for 1000+ hours.

Edwin

 

[saturnotaku]

It's fully supported

I figured that much, but I was talking performance. The engine seemed to scale well on the Windows side of things with my Radeon 6770M as it was pretty smooth at 720p-768p resolution and medium/high settings.

 

[edddeduck]

I figured that much, but I was talking performance.

If we (Feral) say "supported" that means a nice smooth experience with good performance throughout the title on default settings for that Mac.

The engine seemed to scale well on the Windows side of things with my Radeon 6770M as it was pretty smooth at 720p-768p resolution and medium/high settings.

The Mac default on the IrisPro is 768p resolution and "NORMAL" settings with a few options turned up. Those settings give you a smooth experience. The AMD card is a better card as it has dedicated GFX hardware and VRAM.

Edwin

 

[yliu]

So how does it run on 2012 rMBP?

I'm not sure if it's worth the extra price as I could get the game for PS3 for a discounted price.

 

[edddeduck]

So how does it run on 2012 rMBP?

I'm not sure if it's worth the extra price as I could get the game for PS3 for a discounted price.

On the 15" pretty much max settings at 1280x900 a lot sharper and higher quality than the PS3 but the choice is yours

 

[martinm0]

On the 15" pretty much max settings at 1280x900 a lot sharper and higher quality than the PS3 but the choice is yours

Edwin - can you confirm if this will be available as SteamPlay at some point? Folks have commented in the announcement post that this will be, but I can't find any true confirmation if that is the case. Thanks!

 

[Gu1b0]

it runs well with 750m?