Dragon Age:Origins announced for Mac!

[teidon]

Browsing the files it seems that the full Windows version of DAO is included in the Mac version, and it is just executed using Cider. I don't have Windows machine to test it on, but if some of you own a Windows machine and the Mac version of DAO, try if it works in Windows. You can find the Windows version of DAO from Applications/Dragon Age/DragonAgeOrigins.app/Contents/Resources/transgaming/c_drive/Program Files and under that is Dragon Age folder. So copy that folder to Windows and then under Dragon Age folder is bin_ship folder which includes daorigins.exe. If any one tries that, let us know.


Also the UK version of Digital Deluxe does include the 3 in-game items (helm, book, staff), even though D2D doesn't list them on the page.

Though the UK version isn't really "UK version". Transgaming obviously only ported the US version of DAO, which means that it only has English language (en_US instead of en_GB), and the keyboard layout problem (can't type @-sign) is because of that too, I think.


@ Aedan2812
What happens if you play the game, and after it slows down you close it and immediately start it again? Will it still be running slow, or start running slower quicker than if you had waited longer before starting the game again? Also does your MBP's fans go full speed?

Because that kind of "slows down after a while" sounds a lot like memory leak. When you close the application, all the memory it reserved will be released. So if it's related to overheating, starting the game right after closing it should mean that the game continues to run slow (though the fans will manage to cool the machine a bit, so it might take a while to warm up again). But if it's memory leak, it doesn't matter wheter you wait 5 mins or 1 hour before starting it again, the game will start slowing down after memory is full.

 

[Aedan2812]

Yup, most likely its throttling.
You could try and mess around with undervolting or trying a notebook cooler / stand...

thanks very much for this, i found an plastic ice pack in my freezer, wrapped it in a cloth and placed it under the laptop, so its being cooled by the ice and an inch gap of air... the game runs almost perfectly on maximum settings now, only the slightest slowdown in large battles and ostagar.

the game looks beautiful and runs beautifully now too, worthwhile purchase

EDIT:

teidon, just for interests sake how do you stop a memory leak on a mac?

 

[JollyRogers]

thanks very much for this, i found an plastic ice pack in my freezer, wrapped it in a cloth and placed it under the laptop, so its being cooled by the ice and an inch gap of air... the game runs almost perfectly on maximum settings now, only the slightest slowdown in large battles and ostagar.

the game looks beautiful and runs beautifully now too, worthwhile purchase

Now that's an idea... good for you. So have you just tried upping the fan speeds using smcFanControl? I do this on my Mac Pro, not really for my CPUS, but just to get a little more airflow for my video card.

 

[RDustinC]

When i saw that post by the person that said they could run the game perfectly on their MBP, i started wondering what could be wrong with mine. i hadn't restarted it since downloading and installing Dragon age. so i did, after, i started the game and put the settings on high and it ran smoothly... for a little while. after running around ostagar for 10 minutes it began to get laggy again and i was back where i started.

it seems as if the MBP is getting clogged up, i dont know why this would happen but it seems to be bringing the fps right down.

i thought it could be just ostagar so i exited the game restarted the computer and started a new game, same thing happened ran well for a few minutes then slowed right down.

I'm on an iMac and for me Ostagar was the only place I've noticed a real hit. I started watching and I am beginning to think it's not the graphics that are the problem but the sound coding. Anytime I got too close to the woman preaching or the mages chanting is when I hit lag. I think it's probably the DirectX sound (which since this is a windows port is probably what they are using).

Try quitting every possible app you have open before playing, that helps. Also I don't know why, but if you CMND-Return back and forth from windowed to full screen a few times, it sometimes gets it running better (but can also make it worse)

 

[teidon]

just for interests sake how do you stop a memory leak on a mac?

You don't. Memory leaks are program errors and one just has to wait for the developer to fix it. But it seems that your performance issues are indeed related to overheating.

 

[rmaine]

If you are having overheating problems (which seems quite plausible), try smcfancontrol2. I'm a big "fan" of it. Also throw in iStatsMenu to help monitor things. Google for em.

 

[kinkybaron]

My 2 euro cents

Hi guys,

just my 2 euro cents here. Running it on a iMac i5 with 4 GB of RAM, game is silky smooth at native resolution but fans get quite loud though.

Purchasing was pretty painful though, first credit card was not processed then the download did not work then the activation didn't work either.
Here's what I did to get it working:
- Credit Card was not processed -> contact direct2drive customer service
- Download didn't work, the red download button didn't open the popup, but after multiple refreshes of the page it suddenly worked.
-Activation, my code was correct, but the activation window always said that it wasn't. EA support was completely unhelpful, but after like the 20st time it suddenly worked, isn't DRM great?
- For DLC login switch to desktop and change the keyboard to US if you have a non US keyboard.

But once it was purchased and activated, it worked really well and I am very happy with it, it is such a great little game. Do why do software companies actually make it so hard to buy the thing.


Hope I could help...

kinkybaron

 

[kchau2]

Just realised that the temperature of my MBP goes up to 80 degrees while playing Dragon Age: Origins. Would a stand help in cooling down the temp?

 

[Huntn]

- Credit Card was not processed -> contact direct2drive customer service
- Download didn't work, the red download button didn't open the popup, but after multiple refreshes of the page it suddenly worked.
-Activation, my code was correct, but the activation window always said that it wasn't. EA support was completely unhelpful, but after like the 20st time it suddenly worked, isn't DRM great?

DRM is pure evil. You buy a car, you can sell it. You buy just about any merchandise and you can sell it. You can even sell any console game. Can you sell a game you registered on Steam? Negative. Can you sell games downloaded from D2D?

 

[yadmonkey]

Wow, I purchased this game for 360 and then returned it for the PC version after reading IGN's review which suggested that the PC version plays much better for those of us who like the strategy elements.

But I haven't opened that version yet, as I'm still waiting on the i5 I ordered a month ago. Now I have to decide to deal with boot camp or eat $30 by selling the PC version and getting the Mac one.

 

[txa1265]

You can even sell any console game.

They're working on that one ... Sad but true - by adding new-game incentives (Shale in the case of DA) they are trying to kill used game sales / trades.

In terms of DD sales, Impulse allows you to sell their digital games on the Impulse Marketplace. Haven't tried it yet though ...

 

[ThrawnTHX]

Don't get this for Mac...

I've got a 17' unibody MBP late '09 with the 3.06 GHz proc and 4GB of RAM and this game runs horribly for me. First, I noticed that I was hitting near 200F so I bumped the fans up to 5000 RPM. With that out of the way, I played with the settings and realized that I had to reduce the resolution slightly and turn off AA.

Even with these compromises, the game is unplayable. The graphics lag is unbearable. On top of this, the game freezes regularly and leaves me with no option other than to force a reboot.

I should mention that I have this for PC and 360 as well. On PC, it runs silky smooth and it looks and plays well on 360 albeit with lesser resolution. The Mac version is a pale imitation and I recommend that you avoid this version at all cost if you're looking for a good playing experience.

I know we all want to blame companies for handing us these cider packaged games, but at this point, I'm wondering if it isn't Apple's fault for not being more proactive regarding the gaming market segment.

I'm glad it's running well on the new iMacs, but please avoid if you have a MBP...it's a complete waste of money.

 

[MBP09]

I've got a 17' unibody MBP late '09 with the 3.06 GHz proc and 4GB of RAM and this game runs horribly for me. First, I noticed that I was hitting near 200F so I bumped the fans up to 5000 RPM. With that out of the way, I played with the settings and realized that I had to reduce the resolution slightly and turn off AA.

Even with these compromises, the game is unplayable. The graphics lag is unbearable. On top of this, the game freezes regularly and leaves me with no option other than to force a reboot.

I should mention that I have this for PC and 360 as well. On PC, it runs silky smooth and it looks and plays well on 360 albeit with lesser resolution. The Mac version is a pale imitation and I recommend that you avoid this version at all cost if you're looking for a good playing experience.

I know we all want to blame companies for handing us these cider packaged games, but at this point, I'm wondering if it isn't Apple's fault for not being more proactive regarding the gaming market segment.

I'm glad it's running well on the new iMacs, but please avoid if you have a MBP...it's a complete waste of money.

Sigh this was going to be my first mac game. I already have it for the PC desktop and was hoping i will be able to play this on the MBP. I guess i'll stick with the PC for gaming and the Mac for internet, movie-making, and photo editing stuff.

 

[JackAxe]

DRM is pure evil. You buy a car, you can sell it. You buy just about any merchandise and you can sell it. You can even sell any console game. Can you sell a game you registered on Steam? Negative. Can you sell games downloaded from D2D?

My guess, is that come next generation, or even this generation, at least on the Sony and MS boxes, they'll inherit the same limitations as the retail DRM infested PC games, or even worse, where as maybe they'll only play on one console.

And as far as I know, there are absolutely no online services that will allow one to resale their purchase -- given it has a DRM in place, so not just STEAM. This goes for XBoxLive, WiiWare, or any service of its sort.

 

[JackAxe]

Sigh this was going to be my first mac game. I already have it for the PC desktop and was hoping i will be able to play this on the MBP. I guess i'll stick with the PC for gaming and the Mac for internet, movie-making, and photo editing stuff.

Why not just use bootcamp? I'm confused as to why anyone would buy multiple copies of this game or any game, unless it's as a gift?

 

[Huntn]

I've got a 17' unibody MBP late '09 with the 3.06 GHz proc and 4GB of RAM and this game runs horribly for me. First, I noticed that I was hitting near 200F so I bumped the fans up to 5000 RPM. With that out of the way, I played with the settings and realized that I had to reduce the resolution slightly and turn off AA.

Even with these compromises, the game is unplayable. The graphics lag is unbearable. On top of this, the game freezes regularly and leaves me with no option other than to force a reboot.

I should mention that I have this for PC and 360 as well. On PC, it runs silky smooth and it looks and plays well on 360 albeit with lesser resolution. The Mac version is a pale imitation and I recommend that you avoid this version at all cost if you're looking for a good playing experience.

I know we all want to blame companies for handing us these cider packaged games, but at this point, I'm wondering if it isn't Apple's fault for not being more proactive regarding the gaming market segment.

I'm glad it's running well on the new iMacs, but please avoid if you have a MBP...it's a complete waste of money.

It can't be intel or the video card. Makes you wonder what is the culprit?
1) DirectX conversions?
2) Cider?
3) Minimalist port, no Mac optimization to speak of?
4) MacOS?

 

[ThrawnTHX]

Why not just use bootcamp? I'm confused as to why anyone would buy multiple copies of this game or any game, unless it's as a gift?

Eh, let's just say there's a couple of folks in my house hooked on this game I simply get the benefit of direct comparison this way.

 

[masterofbuckets]

It can't be intel or the video card. Makes you wonder what is the culprit?
1) DirectX conversions?
2) Cider?
3) Minimalist port, no Mac optimization to speak of?
4) MacOS?

5) Drivers ?

From the looks of it, the new iMacs with ATI cards are fairing well but Nvidia is a few steps behind and hopefully, an OS update may help a bit.

Anyways, smcFanControl is a must if one plans on heavy gaming on MBPs. Else, you can start preparing to use the MBP as a stove

 

[Ryanh856]

I've got it running on an MBP 2.26 ghz, 4 gig ram, 9400m gfx

It runs decently on the lowest settings and 1024 resolution, but it's a little slow in the city Osgiliath (wait that's lord of the rings)...err Osgarath or whatever.

Is there a way to maximize performance? I haven't noticed a mac patch or anything. Is there a way to get the 9400m running a little faster? I haven't noticed any heat problems at all

 

[rmaine]

Why not just use bootcamp? I'm confused as to why anyone would buy multiple copies of this game or any game, unless it's as a gift?

Two reasons.

1. Everything else is on the OS X side. It's a pain to reboot all the time. If I want to do anything else briefly, it involves 2 reboots. Yes, it really is quite a big pain. That ends up being a dozen or so reboots a day for me. Plus no possibility of leaving anything running in the background.

but the big reason is

2. To encourage vendors to do Mac versions. Maybe that isn't worth it to you. It is to me. I'll defray a little of the cost by giving my old Windows copy to my son.

 

[Nakor]

eegads this is not playable on my 3ghz 17" umbp. hopefully a patch can fix some of the issues. from what ive been reading.. plays under bootcamp quite well.

 

[JackAxe]

I can agree with your second comment and the first to a degree, but for a game like DOA, which is a HUGE RPG, I push aside time for it as I know it can be very consuming, taking up hours of my time with each sitting. Even for games like DOTA or L4D2 I'll allocate time to play them and not worry about email and so on, or any other digital interruptions.

I do game on my PC, which does free up my MacBook Pro, but now days it stays in my bag, or closed on the desk when I have the time to game.

Anyways, I've had my hopes for mac gaming, more so in the past and have bought my share of Mac games over the past 16 or so years -- usually when I bought a new Mac. I even used to work for Interplay and trouble shoot for MacPlay. I'd rather game under OS X than Windows, but it can be a tough choice over the PC -- which I've been gaming on since the eighties -- unless the developer does something great like Blizzard and gives me an installer for both platform.

 

[JollyRogers]

I would like to publicly say that I recant my tirade about USB sound not working. Apparently it is a BOSE Companion 5 issue and does not effect all USB speakers.

I have been privately contacted by Transgaming to try to troubleshoot the issue with the Bose Companion 5s. It really impresses me that they personally contacted me and hopefully we can figure this out to fix the Bose USB issue.

 

[Huntn]

I can agree with your second comment and the first to a degree, but for a game like DOA, which is a HUGE RPG, I push aside time for it as I know it can be very consuming, taking up hours of my time with each sitting. Even for games like DOTA or L4D2 I'll allocate time to play them and not worry about email and so on, or any other digital interruptions.

I do game on my PC, which does free up my MacBook Pro, but now days it stays in my bag, or closed on the desk when I have the time to game.

Anyways, I've had my hopes for mac gaming, more so in the past and have bought my share of Mac games over the past 16 or so years -- usually when I bought a new Mac. I even used to work for Interplay and trouble shoot for MacPlay. I'd rather game under OS X than Windows, but it can be a tough choice over the PC -- which I've been gaming on since the eighties -- unless the developer does something great like Blizzard and gives me an installer for both platform.

Maybe this won't matter for the majority of Mac Gamers, but for those of us, playing the AAA games, as long as there is a significant performance difference between playing games on the MacOS vs XP/Vista/7 on our Macs, it will be reinforcing that Windows is the better of the two platforms for games, especially in those cases where the game runs fine under Windows, but crawls on the MacOS. Is Dragon Age case in point? Based on one post in this thread, it is possible.

The average MacRumor reader may know, but I'll reinforce, I'm a strong supporter of the MacOS, for most computer related things, without question. However, the performance has to be there before those feelings will apply to native Mac gaming.

 

[rmaine]

in those cases where the game runs fine under Windows, but crawls on the MacOS. Is Dragon Age case in point? Based on one post in this thread, it is possible.

If you want to base things on single postings, almost anything is "possible", though actually I have seen more than a single posting here indicating problems.

Anyway, no, that obviously is not the case - not in the kind of generality with which you state it. The game runs perfectly fine in OS X for me, and as reported for other people as well. As to what the problem is some people are seeing - that's a little harder to say, but it is clearly not something so generic as running under OS X.

From the postings here, one might believe the theory that the problems are with the NVidia cards under OS X. I haven't seen enough data to make that conclusive, but it at least seems plausible. To generalize it to "on the MAC OS" in general is demonstrably false for Dragon Age in particular, much less to then generalize it further to games as a whole.