Macbook Games (What I've tried)

[amfr]

Macbook c2d 2.0 ghz, 1 gb ram
OS X:
Civ IV (demo):
Very choppy, even on lowest settings
WC3 TFT:
Low rez, but high settings and works perfectly
WoW:
Works on lowest settings, but gets choppy if I turn up terrain distance or rez
Windows:
CS: CZ
Runs perfect on highest settings

 

[66217]

Civilization 4

I have read a lot of people complain about how this game plays on the MacBook. But as far as I have played, with all set to high, the game is smooth, very smooth.

And by the way, this thread is great, it shows how the MB GMA 950 isn't that bad. I mean, I have been able to play all the games I wanted, obviously some aren't that smooth, but it's OK in general.

Roco,

 

[eXan]

I have read a lot of people complain about how this game plays on the MacBook. But as far as I have played, with all set to high, the game is smooth, very smooth.

And by the way, this thread is great, it shows how the MB GMA 950 isn't that bad. I mean, I have been able to play all the games I wanted, obviously some aren't that smooth, but it's OK in general.

Roco,

Heh, "isnt that bad"?

MacBook runs UT2004 (for example) 2x slower than my almost 2-year-old iMac (with a 3.5 year old CPU and even older GPU) does.

 

[iW00t]

I tried Civ IV and it plays somewhat decently on minimum resolution with minimum graphics detail.

 

[lewion]

black macbook CD2ghz 2GB ram, but i never even tried playing on highest, i just let it be on medium, its about gameplay to me.. great game might wanna add me as Kido N L we can team up or something

First thing i will do tonight is add you
is that N L refering to NL as in NetherLands? Cuz then it would be cool.. i Live in Be...

 

[Claven2]

Anyone know if the CivIV expansion pack, Warlords, will run on the macbook?

CivIV the vanilla original version runs fine on my macbook despite a polite note from Aspyr every time I boot the game informing me the machine doesn't meet the specs due to the intel GMA950 chipset. with everything set to medium settings it runs as smooth as the version installed on my gaming PC.

the Aspyr website specifically says that Warlords won't run on the Intel 950, but the documentation for CivIV original said the same thing and it runs fine.

Anyone tried Warlords on a macbook? Did it work at all?

I'm running 1.83G C2D w. 1.25g ram.

 

[bassy6]

How do you guys check how many FPS you get?

 

[eXan]

How do you guys check how many FPS you get?

This depends on a game

 

[bassy6]

How do you check the FPS for UT 2004?

 

[quigleybc]

thanks

I love this thread

it's so helpful

thanks for creating it and those posting to it..

 

[eXan]

How do you check the FPS for UT 2004?

Open console (press ~ key) and type:

stat fps

 

[bassy6]

Open console (press ~ key) and type:

stat fps

What console do you mean in utilities? cause I still don't know how to check the FPS for UT2004.

Oh never mind I figured it out. Thanks for your help.

 

[darrenemo]

Have any of you guys tried running macbook games while your macbook was in clamshell mode (lid closed) while running to an external monitor?

I played q3 without my external monitor a few days ago and it ran well--but when i tried earlier today I was having some issues.

Additionally, if I upgrade my ram, will this boost my performance in this external display setup?

Thanks in advance

 

[bassy6]

Hey I wanted to know if anyone can give me advice on where to buy the cheapest ram (2gb preferably) in the UK......Oh! and has anyone ever experienced a fault in there macbook were "when I play a new game for the first time like Halo on full screen it comes on then my macbook goes dim and I can't see the picture but I hear the sound of the game. It's really annoying cause to get the picture back I have to restart the laptop or hold f1 and then f2 to get the screen picture back. I just want to know if this is a fault of the laptop so I can take it back to the store and have it looked at or if its something I'm doing. This has been going on for quite some time but I haven't had time to get it looked at as I've been in hospital so would really like to hear some feedback. THANKS!!!!!!!

 

[bassy6]

hey all you peeps who want to know how quake 4 runs on a macbook. Well heres your answer. I just downloaded the demo and I used snapz pro to see how the fps are. I got 9 fps. Keep in mind that while running an application like snapz pro it uses up the ram aswell. So Quake 4 was playable on my macbook which was ok but not great. Oh here's something that will please you all, I only have 512mb of ram so if I got 9 fps while running snapz pro which takes away some ram just think what you can get with 1 gb of ram or even 2gb ram. And keep in mind you won't be running snapz pro while playing only if you want to test the fps yourselves.

p.s.

if you get at least 20 -30 fps the game will run well. PEACE OUT!!!!!! oh I still need someone to answer my previous question.

 

[player1]

please excuse my ignorance

I bought the $1299 model.
White MacBook 13.3" 80GB w/SuperDrive
2 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
1 GB 667 Mhz DDR2 SDRAM
Mac OS X 10.4.8
Broadband:5600+ kbps according to SpeedTest

The only thing I've installed (besides recommended upgrades) has been the AirPort software. I haven't installed the iWork, AppleCare, Parallels, Windows XP or Office:mac that I bought yet. Soon.

I'm interested in running FPS games. I played and enjoyed Unreal, Starsiege, Tribes (loved the Renegades mod), Unreal Tournament, Quake3Arena, Deus Ex, Tribes2, & Return to Castle Wolfenstein on my old PC. I also like Halo & Halo2. Hell, I even played Quake2 on a PlayStation. I plan on upgrading to 2 GB SDRAM, almost immediately.

Several questions.

Online play via AirPort or plugged directly to the cable modem?

In general: Bootcamp or Parallels?

Follow-up question: Please state why.

Do games run better in OS X or Windows XP?

Again, if you could explain why, it would be greatly appreciated.

Should I just spend the $400 I "saved" by not getting a 15" MacBook Pro on a console?

Some games I'm interested in trying on my MacBook: Quake4, Doom3, Halo (Halo2?), UT2k4.

Some free games I've heard about: Starsiege:Tribes (played for years on my old PII/350MHz+dial-up), Tremulous, Sauerbraten, Warsow, America's Army.

If anyone can speak to ease of installation, ease of use, gameplay, framerate, community, or related topics for the Mac newbie and part-time gamer with equal interest in singleplayer and multiplayer, I would enjoy hearing from you.

Thank you.

PlayerOne
old, unhip & decidely out-of-touch

 

[KiDo]

Online play via AirPort or plugged directly to the cable modem? i play on airport, works perfect, no need for cables

In general: Bootcamp or Parallels? bootcamp definatly

Follow-up question: Please state why. paralels doesnt support 3d, and native is always better then emulated

Do games run better in OS X or Windows XP? my guess is better in XP.

Again, if you could explain why, it would be greatly appreciated. because of directX, at least, halo and WoW run better on my XP than on my OSX partition

Should I just spend the $400 I "saved" by not getting a 15" MacBook Pro on a console? you could, wether you want to play on a cosole or on a pc, it's what you like most, if you go for a console, take a 360

Some games I'm interested in trying on my MacBook: Quake4, Doom3, Halo (Halo2?), UT2k4. quake 4 runs ok on osx, havent tested on windows, doom 3 the same, halo runs good on OSX, better on windows, UT2K4 runs great, on both systems


Some free games I've heard about: Starsiege:Tribes (played for years on my old PII/350MHz+dial-up), Tremulous, Sauerbraten, Warsow, America's Army. check if they are UB, if they are, they might be playable


for the rest, i just downloaded prey demo, runs good, put all on low and it plays perfect

 

[Haoshiro]

That's basically what I did, sold my PC and bought an iMac and a 360.

That $400 you saved yourself cost you a dedicated graphics chip, the MacBook Pro is FAR superiour to the MacBook for gaming.

UT2K4 runs great in OS X with the universal patch, as does Wolfenstein 3D, Quake 3, and more recently Warcraft III (which seems to run best in OS X).

You'll definitely want to play games in Boot Camp, Parallels is far to slow in comparison, although it's great for firing up the odd windows app now and then (for me, that's testing in IE).

 

[Nitromaster]

Wirelessly posted (NokiaN70-1/2.0539.1.2 Series60/2.8 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)

Any one try any nintendo 64 emulators on a mac book?

 

[bassy6]

Hello people can anyone answer question or what? Thanks Oh! and by the way which windows xp SP2 do you buy, theres so many. Full version or just the plan disc or any. Thanks......a lot.

 

[QCassidy352]

I have read a lot of people complain about how this game [civ iv] plays on the MacBook. But as far as I have played, with all set to high, the game is smooth, very smooth.

Civ IV absolutely does not pla smoothly on macbook with everything set to high. I play it on mine at 1024x768, all graphics set to low, and it's very smooth at first, and horribly choppy late game. If you think what you're seeing is smooth, try it on a machine with a real GPU. Heck, it even kills my gf's intel imac late game when graphics options are turned up.

 

[johnblaze00]

hi, i jusg signed up and i would like to add under bootcamp, NHL, Madden and Fifa 07 run awesome. I have the game using high setting (except madden, some things are set to medium like crowd and side line detail) all under 1024x768. Love the thread guys. Oh yeah, my specs are 2ghz Core 2, 1 gig of ram

 

[66217]

Civ IV absolutely does not pla smoothly on macbook with everything set to high. I play it on mine at 1024x768, all graphics set to low, and it's very smooth at first, and horribly choppy late game. If you think what you're seeing is smooth, try it on a machine with a real GPU. Heck, it even kills my gf's intel imac late game when graphics options are turned up.

I am running it trough BootCamp, not sure if there is a difference.

I was surprised of it running at everything high, but I checked and re-cheked and it is indeed in everything high. Also, I play in Standard size maps, from beggining to end (2050 AC), and it runs smooth at all times.

Roco,

 

[jakeguy99]

Games that run WELL

1.WoW runs very well, even raids have minimal lag on a 1.83ghz w/ 1GB ram
2.Call of Duty 2 runs well, but you can tell a difference between faster computers since they can shoot faster, it is playable and still fun even though aspyr does not support the MB.
3. Prey sucks in general, graphics were maxed out and it still looked bad. with random lag in interesting places.

So far those are the games i have tested, overall the performance has been decent, but the integrated chip really hurts us on gaming. The best way to go is the macbook pro with the good video cards.

 

[KiDo]

Prey Sucks?

3. Prey sucks in general, graphics were maxed out and it still looked bad. with random lag in interesting places.

i dont know WHY you try to play it on highest settings, but it runs perfect on low, and it still looks good, i'm quite surprised this runs so good considering it is a next gen game. got no lag at all here, not in multiprey either (maybe you played the demo? i have the full version)


as for civIV, it runs far better under bootcamp thn under osx here, so it probably is the directX openGL or just a bad port, wich happens alot i guess, CoD2 runs better on windows here too, so does WoW and almost any other game i tried of wich i have both versions.