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OS X Disc vs. Digital Download

LadyX

LadyX

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I've been thinking of getting The Sims 3 via the Mac Game Store but I'm a bit hesitant whether I should download digitally or buy a retail disc from the store. I've read that downloading games digitally take up more space and run slower (is this true?) as opposed to installing from a CD. If I downloaded digitally, how much GB would it take and how much space would it take if I installed from a CD?
 
S

Sondrix

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Nov 6, 2011
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Your hard disk drive (hdd) should be faster than the optical drive (where you put your cd in). So digital downloads which run completely from the hdd should be faster.
 
LadyX

LadyX

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Mar 4, 2012
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Disc vs. Digital Download

Sondrix said:
Your hard disk drive (hdd) should be faster than the optical drive (where you put your cd in). So digital downloads which run completely from the hdd should be faster.
Click to expand...

So, you recommend I download digitally. Ok, so do you suggest I download the base game (The Sims 3) digitally and the expansions by CD?


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Renzatic

Renzatic

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LadyX said:
So, you recommend I download digitally. Ok, so do you suggest I download the base game (The Sims 3) digitally and the expansions by CD?
Click to expand...

Think of it like this. Whether you get it from a digital store, or installing it off a CD, the same game is still being installed to your computer. The only difference is how you're getting the game on there.

With The Sims 3, you could get the base game digitally then install the expansions off the discs if you wanted to. The only thing that matters is whichever is most convenient for you.
 
LadyX

LadyX

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Disc vs. Digital Download

Renzatic said:
Think of it like this. Whether you get it from a digital store, or installing it off a CD, the same game is still being installed to your computer. The only difference is how you're getting the game on there.

With The Sims 3, you could get the base game digitally then install the expansions off the discs if you wanted to. The only thing that matters is whichever is most convenient for you.
Click to expand...

I'm aware that in the end it's the same game. I just wanted to know of it's true that the game plays slower if I download it digitally. Plus, if it takes more space then I will only download the base game digitally and then install the expansions off the discs.


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Renzatic

Renzatic

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LadyX said:
I'm aware that in the end it's the same game. I just wanted to know of it's true that the game plays slower if I download it digitally. Plus, if it takes more space then I will only download the base game digitally and then install the expansions off the discs.
Click to expand...

They should both play exactly the same. In fact, if the game requires a disc check even if you install the whole thing to your HDD, the digital version will boot a slight bit faster.

As for the expansions, unless you're able to play them right off the disc, they'll both take up equal space on your drive.
 
LadyX

LadyX

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Renzatic said:
They should both play exactly the same. In fact, if the game requires a disc check even if you install the whole thing to your HDD, the digital version will boot a slight bit faster.

As for the expansions, unless you're able to play them right off the disc, they'll both take up equal space on your drive.
Click to expand...

Oh okay. I thought digital download takes more space. Thank you!




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macgames

macgames

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Apr 12, 2012
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LadyX said:
Oh okay. I thought digital download takes more space. Thank you!
Click to expand...

Well the actual installed game file size will be exactly the same, but do bear in mind that with most digital downloads there will be an installer file (often a .dmg virtual disk) also that will be the thing that actually gets downloaded, which can be several GB in size, but you can always delete this after installing I suppose.
 
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saturnotaku

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macgames said:
Well the actual installed game file size will be exactly the same, but do bear in mind that with most digital downloads there will be an installer file (often a .dmg virtual disk) also that will be the thing that actually gets downloaded, which can be several GB in size, but you can always delete this after installing I suppose.
Click to expand...

That's not the case at least for Steam and App Store purchases. Not sure about Origin as I've not bought anything from there. No matter; the point is that for the two primary means of digital game distribution on the mac, the pure files are downloaded and installed, all automatically. If there is some sort of installer, it's only placed temporarily and automatically deleted once the program is fully in place.
 
LadyX

LadyX

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edddeduck

edddeduck

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saturnotaku said:
That's not the case at least for Steam and App Store purchases. Not sure about Origin as I've not bought anything from there. No matter; the point is that for the two primary means of digital game distribution on the mac, the pure files are downloaded and installed, all automatically. If there is some sort of installer, it's only placed temporarily and automatically deleted once the program is fully in place.
Click to expand...

This is true for Steam and AppStore as well. If you have a 30GB game you need 60GB free to install it. Once installed the installer is deleted freeing up 30GB again but during the download and install you will need double the space briefly.

In terms of performance they are identical and I mean completely identical in terms of data and the binary and as such the performance is also identical. The only way they would perform differently if it you bought different versions 1.0 vs 1.1 for example.
 
LadyX

LadyX

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LadyX said:
Has anyone downloaded from Mac Game Store? I always do some research before buying from a website and for Mac Game Store this is what I found:

http://www.webutation.net/go/review/macgamestore.com

The website got a full Webutation score.

On Apple Discussions online, someone was asking if MGS is reliable and a user replied stating to stay away from them and linked the following Rip Off Report: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Macga...g-broken-files-no-support-no-refund-In-769714
Click to expand...

Never mind. Just downloaded the game. Installed it and works perfectly. No issues.


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edddeduck

edddeduck

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LadyX said:
Has anyone downloaded from Mac Game Store? I always do some research before buying from a website and for Mac Game Store this is what I found:

http://www.webutation.net/go/review/macgamestore.com

The website got a full Webutation score.

On Apple Discussions online, someone was asking if MGS is reliable and a user replied stating to stay away from them and linked the following Rip Off Report: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Macga...g-broken-files-no-support-no-refund-In-769714
Click to expand...

I think that report is by someone who bought the a game without reading the system specifications (they are always posted on the buy page) then got all upset over the issues.

We sell a number of Feral games through their store (after the Mac AppStore it is one of the most popular stores on the Mac), given the sales figures there will be thousands and thousands of happy gamers so I think the "rip off report" you linked to was likely a disgruntled customer and not a sign of systemic issues.

Using phrases like "scam site" and "selling broken files" on a well known store points to the review being slightly biased :)

Edwin
 
LadyX

LadyX

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Mar 4, 2012
2,374
252
Disc vs. Digital Download

edddeduck said:
I think that report is by someone who bought the a game without reading the system specifications (they are always posted on the buy page) then got all upset over the issues.

We sell a number of Feral games through their store (after the Mac AppStore it is one of the most popular stores on the Mac), given the sales figures there will be thousands and thousands of happy gamers so I think the "rip off report" you linked to was likely a disgruntled customer and not a sign of systemic issues.

Using phrases like "scam site" and "selling broken files" on a well known store points to the review being slightly biased :)

Edwin
Click to expand...

I agree 100%. The report has some grammatical errors as well as spelling mistakes, I knew it wasn't a professional reviewer. I've read a lot of positive reviews on MGS so I thought it's the right place to get my Mac games. Plus, I really love the built-in Compatibility Checker in the app. Very useful.


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