Aspyr lists new planned Universal Binary games [Archive]

LimeiBook86

Aug 28, 2006, 05:57 PM

In the August Aspyr newsletter I got today in my e-mail there is a short list of a few planned games that will be soon upgraded to a Universal Binary.

Here are the games we have patches planned for (these games all run on
Intel under Rosetta, but new versions could run better):

Civilization® III: Complete
Command & Conquer(TM) Generals/Zero Hour/Deluxe
Rollercoaster® Tycoon 3
Simcity(TM) 4/Rush Hour/Deluxe
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

I'm happy to see the older Star Wars Jedi Knight II game on the list, now I'll have to go find my old install CD and prepare for the Universal Binary update! :D

CANEHDN

Aug 28, 2006, 06:32 PM

That's great news. I've been wanting to get C&C and SC4. I've been holding off to see if they would release them in UB. It's too bad they didn't give any release dates.

seenew

Aug 28, 2006, 06:46 PM

LimeiBook86, I love your avatar.

LimeiBook86

Aug 28, 2006, 06:48 PM

LimeiBook86, I love your avatar.
Thanks :D

MacRumorUser

Aug 28, 2006, 06:50 PM

RCT3 now for petes sake Aspyr. Released around the same time as the first intel machines arrived, you would have thought this would have been one of the first to be updated. 8 months later we are still waiting :rolleyes:

thechris69

Aug 28, 2006, 06:58 PM

LimeiBook86, I love your avatar.

haha ya thats cool, how did u make it?

LimeiBook86

Aug 28, 2006, 07:01 PM

haha ya thats cool, how did u make it?
It's an animation I drew in Macromedia Flash and I re-sized it to use it as an avatar. :D

Anyway *back on topic* :p I wonder if Aspyr will port the upcoming LEGO Star Wars II for Mac. I heard that they sold a lot of Mac versions of the original game. If they do, if it would be a Universal Binary. It would be silly to keep the new games coming out made for PowerPC with updates coming out later, if they ever come out. I'm sure that's killing a good deal of Mac game sales. :rolleyes:

louiek

Aug 28, 2006, 07:23 PM

I sure hope LSWII gets ported or I'm going to have one VERY angry five-year-old come Christmas time.

slackersonly

Aug 28, 2006, 07:25 PM

If only Blizzard were so transparent.....

thegreatluke

Aug 28, 2006, 08:30 PM

Aspyr has stated that all games to come out will be Universal.

So if Lego Star Wars II were ported to the Mac by Aspyr, it would be a UB.

Nermal

Aug 28, 2006, 08:32 PM

Did they ever release a UA patch for Stubbs?

eXan

Aug 28, 2006, 08:54 PM

I just received a reply for my e-mail from Aspyr and they said that KOTOR will come out in UB format soon :) They also mentioned some fixes in this patch will be present. I hope they enable Frame Buffer Effects and Soft Shadows for this game :o

LimeiBook86

Aug 28, 2006, 09:27 PM

Aspyr has stated that all games to come out will be Universal.

So if Lego Star Wars II were ported to the Mac by Aspyr, it would be a UB.
Awesome, well at least that is some good news :D

Unorthodox

Aug 28, 2006, 09:47 PM

Kingsly

Aug 29, 2006, 12:27 AM

Did they ever release a UA patch for Stubbs?
Ditto. Its the only thing keeping me from forking over the cash.

AnthonyKinyon

Aug 29, 2006, 01:03 AM

In the August Aspyr newsletter I got today in my e-mail there is a short list of a few planned games that will be soon upgraded to a Universal Binary.

I'm happy to see the older Star Wars Jedi Knight II game on the list, now I'll have to go find my old install CD and prepare for the Universal Binary update! :D

Somehow I missed the fact that you mentioned Jedi Knight II, Jedi Outcast in the original post... but I also received confirmation directly from Aspyr of the same today. Thanks!

eXan

Aug 29, 2006, 07:10 AM

I wish they would come out with KOTOR II.... With fixes and bugs.

I really really really really REALLY want to play K2 on my Mac!!! When I sent Aspyr a request to port Kotor 2 to Mac they said that if there was enough interest in it, they could port it.

So tell everyone you know who wants KOTOR 2 on Mac to send e-mails to Aspyr :)

kered22

Aug 29, 2006, 04:23 PM

The UB patch for Jedi Knight II was released today :)

http://www.macgamefiles.com/detail.php?item=17869

harveypooka

Aug 29, 2006, 05:09 PM

In the August Aspyr newsletter I got today in my e-mail there is a short list of a few planned games that will be soon upgraded to a Universal Binary.

I'm happy to see the older Star Wars Jedi Knight II game on the list, now I'll have to go find my old install CD and prepare for the Universal Binary update! :D

I hope in them updating Sim City 4 they actually patch the game so it actually WORKS. I love Sim City, but not graphics going awry and horrible, horrible performance!

LimeiBook86

Aug 29, 2006, 09:32 PM

The UB patch for Jedi Knight II was released today :)

http://www.macgamefiles.com/detail.php?item=17869

Thanks! I'm now off to install the update! :D

Update: Ahh! Holy Errors Batman! :eek:

First off on my 20" Intel iMac when you set the resolution to anything higher than 1024x768 it shoves the game to the left of the screen. Also, if you try and click on the Save or Load buttons you get an error. I don't know why it's doing this, I hope this can be easily fixed. :( I just installed a fresh copy of the game and I have no mods installed so...:confused:

Tehy

Aug 30, 2006, 01:41 AM

It's very nice to see more UB games! :)

JFreak

Aug 30, 2006, 03:50 AM

I'm sorry to not see Alpha Centauri and CaesarIII on the list... :(

Doraemon

Aug 30, 2006, 04:48 AM

Aspyr clearly said, that they would be porting all games - not matter how old - that still sell good. That's why e.g. Elite Force is missing in that list, although it's also Quake3-based, making it fairly easy to make it universal.

Seriously, you can't expect every game to become UB.

Especially, if there isn't even an (official) OS X patch (like Alpha Centauri).

fansub

Oct 1, 2006, 10:00 PM

i seems like ive been waiting for ages, how long does it take to make a UB patch?

Blue Velvet

Oct 2, 2006, 12:14 AM

Nothing but a stunning silence from Aspyr about Tomb Raider: Legend. :(

KiDo

Oct 3, 2006, 05:57 AM

i hope mohaa gets UB soon...

astewart

Oct 7, 2006, 08:13 PM

I'm hoping they is an Update soon for SimCity 4 Rush Hour. That would be awsome. :)

eXan

Oct 8, 2006, 02:34 AM

I'm hoping they is an Update soon for SimCity 4 Rush Hour. That would be awsome. :)

SC4 performs very poorly on Macs, do you think with UB patch you will be able to enjoy this game?

harveypooka

Oct 8, 2006, 07:44 AM

Still waiting for Sim City 4 UB patch. I really never did get to grips with that game...but now I'm older, wiser, have a better Mac - I can feel the brain wanting to build cities....

eXan

Oct 8, 2006, 08:10 AM

Still waiting for Sim City 4 UB patch. I really never did get to grips with that game...but now I'm older, wiser, have a better Mac - I can feel the brain wanting to build cities....

:)

ghall

Oct 8, 2006, 02:41 PM

Aside from a few minor graphical glitches, SimCity 4 runs pretty good on my MacBook Pro, so I can't wait to see how well the UB version will run.

eXan

Oct 9, 2006, 12:07 AM

Aside from a few minor graphical glitches, SimCity 4 runs pretty good on my MacBook Pro, so I can't wait to see how well the UB version will run.

Really??? This game runs like cr@p on my iMac at 1024x768, but runs like a charm on my frind's old P4 1.8 with GeForce 4 Ti :eek:

it5five

Oct 9, 2006, 12:12 AM

It probably runs like crap because of Rosetta. I'm sure it'd run well on your iMac after the UB patch.

Eidorian

Oct 9, 2006, 12:12 AM

*sigh* No BF1942. I'd pay a little for it too...

Fatal Darkness

Oct 9, 2006, 12:01 PM

It probably runs like crap because of Rosetta. I'm sure it'd run well on your iMac after the UB patch.

No, I run it natively on a PowerMac G5 and it still runs horrible.

Macmadant

Oct 21, 2006, 11:46 AM

Aside from a few minor graphical glitches, SimCity 4 runs pretty good on my MacBook Pro, so I can't wait to see how well the UB version will run.

I can second, this performance is better on our imac core 2 duo, than on my ibook G4

it5five

Oct 21, 2006, 01:02 PM

No, I run it natively on a PowerMac G5 and it still runs horrible.

Ah. :mad:

I really wanted to pick this game up if they ever released a UB patch.

kyleafrank

Nov 1, 2006, 03:22 PM

i couldn't stand it anymore so emailed aspyr about the progress of c&c and the possibilty of c&c3 being developed for the mac. here's what they said:

"The C&C patch has turned out to be a long and involed processes but it is coming. Sorry for the wait. As for C&C 3:

First, we appreciate you thinking of us when you think about having games developed for the Mac.

We continually evaluate games to be brought over to the platform, looking at several factors including its popularity, whether the Mac market is interested in the game, whether the company that owns the rights is interested in having a Mac version, and how hard it would be to port over (for example, if a game using the same software engine has already been ported, it becomes much easier for us to have it done). Our customers are one of the sources of determining interest, so we thank you for your mail...

Aspyr Tech Support"

i can't wait!

eXan

Nov 1, 2006, 10:51 PM

It probably runs like crap because of Rosetta. I'm sure it'd run well on your iMac after the UB patch.

No, I have a G5 iMac, so it runs natively.

MattyB20

Nov 2, 2006, 05:46 AM

Hm, it's November now. I don't receive those newsletters, so has anybody seen any updated information or some new release dates?

(I'll join that newsletter right now, by the way ;))

Thanks

ExoticFish

Nov 3, 2006, 01:53 AM

i got this reply the other day when asking about KOTOR.

"We are currently working to release Intel patches for many of our titles. Due to the nature of development we do not have a time line for when the patches will be released. Unfortunately we have no offical word on when or if KOTOR will see a UB patch. I am sorry for the inconvenience. Please keep an eye on our website or newsletter for patch release information."

doesn't sounds quite as hopeful as i would like but i understand they're busy "trying to release new games" or something crazy like that. sheesh. ;)

ghall

Nov 3, 2006, 10:55 AM

66 more days until Intel Macs are a year old, and we're still waiting for these UB patches from Aspyr. Though, they have made much better progress than Adobe or Micro$oft. :D

*Twidles thumbs waiting for UB patches for SimCity 4, and KOTOR.:confused: "Where are they?"*

MacBoobsPro

Nov 3, 2006, 10:59 AM

No, I run it natively on a PowerMac G5 and it still runs horrible.

Me too. Also theres way too many graphical glitches and sound issues that I have given up on it. :(

Macmadant

Nov 12, 2006, 09:33 AM

Me too. Also theres way too many graphical glitches and sound issues that I have given up on it. :(

after the 10.4.8 update for Intel it runs incredibly, faster than my 1.25Ghz G4, with no graphical glitches, when i move around the map i don't have to wait for the buildings to render or anything it's all in real time, i can't wait for a universal binary

fansub

Nov 15, 2006, 02:38 AM

I've given up on waiting for a UB patch for C&C generals so i just loaded windows on, bought generals and it works like a charm! windows on my macbook pro also fixed all the performance problems i had been having with starcraft and warcraft 3 :) its a real shame however, that you cant network pc to mac with generals

Elijahg

Nov 18, 2006, 06:59 AM

All Aspyr games are slow on PPC and Intel. Aspyr needs to send their engineers on an extensive training program to teach them how to optimize their code. Any Aspyr game is slow on my 1.8Ghz G5 with Nvidia 6800, even things like Medal of Honor. C&C Generals is painful, and the Sims 2 is unplayable. The same goes for my 1.8Ghz iMac Core Duo.

MacSoft create amazingly fast games. Faster than on a pee cee with the same hardware. Unreal 2004, for example, plays absolutely perfectly on my G5 and iMac, and pretty damn well on my 12" PowerBook G4 1.5Ghz. The detail of Unreal's maps is incredible, and the gameplay is really quick. I would expect the game to run slowly, but no, it runs faster than games made by Aspyr 3 years before Unreal came out. Same with Call Of Duty 2. Better graphics than Doom 3, but it runs twice as fast.

Aspyr sucks badly.

Please Aspyr, learn to code properly. Take some tips from MacSoft.

aLoC

Nov 18, 2006, 07:13 AM

Same with Call Of Duty 2. Better graphics than Doom 3, but it runs twice as fast.

CoD 2 is an Aspyr game isn't it?

Elijahg

Nov 18, 2006, 07:30 AM

CoD 2 is an Aspyr game isn't it?

Oh yea... :rolleyes:
I never saw any reference to it in the game. Maybe they'll improve from now on then (I hope)

I don't think Aspyr actually did anything to the game, the only publish it. I think Infinityward ported it to the Mac.

Elijahg

Nov 18, 2006, 07:35 AM

Just noticed on Aspyr's site: (http://aspyr.com/product/info/2)
APPLELINKS Gives Call of Duty 2 a 3 out of 5

3/5? Great thing to put on your main game page.

The first line of the linked review jabs at Aspyr, what a great thing to link to...

MacMyDay

Dec 7, 2006, 03:35 AM

Roll up, roll up, Command and Conquer UB was released yesterday!

http://www.macgamefiles.com/detail.php?item=18132

MacMyDay

Dec 7, 2006, 05:44 PM

It now works absolutely perfectly on my 1st Gen 17" Intel iMac 1.83GHz 2GB RAM, yet is still useless on my new Macbook that arrived on Monday - 2GHz, 1GB RAM. I guess it will be the graphics card.

MSM Hobbes

Jan 17, 2007, 10:32 PM

I'm sorry to not see Alpha Centauri and CaesarIII on the list... :(

I agree definately on the SMAC game, plus Alien Crossfire.
Have the Classic versions, guess need to buy a PB... ;)

dpaanlka

Jan 21, 2007, 12:02 PM

I can't believe the Sim City 4 UB isn't out yet.

harveypooka

Jan 21, 2007, 12:19 PM

I can't believe the Sim City 4 UB isn't out yet.

I'm waiting for this too. Also the Gooball UB. I would love it if Deus Ex became UB, but there's no chance.

ghall

Jan 21, 2007, 12:35 PM

I can't believe the Sim City 4 UB isn't out yet.
Amen to that. I was playing it the other day and it's just so gosh darned boring without that UB patch.

harveypooka

Jan 21, 2007, 12:36 PM

Amen to that. I was playing it the other day and it's just so gosh darned boring without that UB patch.

Whenever I've played it (on three systems) there have always been graphics problems with redrawing. I was hoping the UB version would fix these.

eXan

Jan 23, 2007, 11:07 PM

UB versions of Reign of Chaos and Throzen Throne are released.

Changes in both patches:

- Native support for Intel Macs.
- Includes some new maps, as well as updates to existing maps.
- Systems, and a number of minor bug fixes.

Macmadant

Feb 28, 2007, 04:50 PM

it's starting to annoy me that no UB patch has come for Sim city, i have to say, my C2D imac runs it better than my 1.25 GHz Powermac, i UB KOTOR would be nice too

applekid

Feb 28, 2007, 05:25 PM

When I e-mailed them way back, they said the conversion from CodeWarrior to XCode has been the biggest hurdle. And then of course comes re-coding everything.

Universal Binaries are probably on the back burner for now considering they have other, more current games they probably want to port. And with their plans for their game download service maybe they're saving a few updates for that. People were speculating maybe they'd update some classics or re-release very old games that they still have licenses to to sell for something around $10. I wouldn't mind a re-purchase if it's a rework like MacSoft did with Halo. I'm still hoping to see some UB's for games they haven't publicly acknowledged like Rainbow Six, but who knows...

Although, I am surprised by some of the more recent UB patches like Enemy Territory. I didn't see that one coming. So, don't lose complete hope. Maybe the conversion process takes much longer than we thought.

dpaanlka

Feb 28, 2007, 07:03 PM

Yeah, I still can't believe Sim City UB isn't out yet.

eXan

Feb 28, 2007, 07:34 PM

it's starting to annoy me that no UB patch has come for Sim city, i have to say, my C2D imac runs it better than my 1.25 GHz Powermac, i UB KOTOR would be nice too

I demand KOTOR UB!! :mad: