Major gaming news at WWDC: Metal and New games

[JordanNZ]

Thanks for the tip about Aaltonen. I'm going to use that in the future. To hear that from someone who has "over 20 years of experience in graphics programming" and "In the past have been working at Ubisoft and Unity building their cross platform rendering technologies" is vey interesting. Such a contrast to "Xcode is dog s***t".

https://twitter.com/x/status/1493307410504728588

https://twitter.com/x/status/1492752056062517258

Sebastian Aaltonen - MobyGames

Game credits, biography, portraits and other game industry information for Sebastian Aaltonen - MobyGames

www.mobygames.com

https://advances.realtimerendering.com/s2023/AaltonenHypeHypeAdvances2023.pdf

Yep. He knows his stuff.

Even better.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1716455667903455245

https://twitter.com/x/status/1716461659672162606

 

[jeanlain]

And that's the benefits of developing your own API and GPUs.

The last thing Apple should do is drop Metal in favor of Vulkan. Vulkan is hardy used anyway, so D3DMetal is more useful than macOS Vulkan drivers.

 

[Ethosik]

So then explain it to me as someone who had to buy an Acer Predator Helios Neo 16" 4060 to game on due to the fact that none of the mainstream games work at all (or in the case of BG3, decently) on my 13" M1 Macbook Pro with 16GB of RAM? Apex, NOPE! Overwatch 2, NOPE! Outer Worlds, NOPE! Why don't they create these games for Mac?

And how am I able to play most games on my old GTX 1080 or even 1060 on low, and how a Nintendo Switch gets so many games which Apple Hardware is far far far better than?

 

[Ethosik]

Further more the poster takes for granted that you always have to use MetalFX in macOS. That is only needed on low-end Macs. RE Village runs perfectly fine with the same performance as PS5 and Xbox X on several Macs without MetalFX. Again DF ran the game at max settings and 4K without MetalFX at a stable frame rate of 50-60 fps on M1 Ultra. That’s only on the first gen Apple Silicon. We have also M2 Max/Ultra and M3 Max and soon Ultra. Note that the comparison before was made between PS5 and macOS, not any particular Mac.

And why are people blaming Apple for this even if it were the case? Games these days on PC are baking DLSS/FSR into System Requirements on the PC side. Some games even require an internal resolution of 540 before upscaling to achieve good framerates these days. On a 4080 or equivalent AMD card.

 

[Ethosik]

And that's the benefits of developing your own API and GPUs.

The last thing Apple should do is drop Metal in favor of Vulkan. Vulkan is hardy used anyway, so D3DMetal is more useful than macOS Vulkan drivers.

Yes I don't understand why people are so bent on Apple adding Vulkan. Its not used in a lot of games, its not as simple as "Adding Vulkan and now we get thousands of games FOR NOTHING!!!!". Even if Apple offered Vulkan and got with Microsoft to get DirectX to work Natively, we STILL wouldn't see macOS games take off.....WHY? Because of marketshare and potential customers. As a game dev, this is precisely why I am making my game Windows only. Even though I have pretty much grown to despise Windows these days. I do everything I can on the development side on my Mac so I don't have to deal with Windows BS. But I am making it a Windows only game for the largest possible potential customers. Its not because macOS is hostile towards me, in fact its the opposite.

 

[thenewperson]

Yes I don't understand why people are so bent on Apple adding Vulkan.

The 2 main reasons I see are:
1. It's open, and
2. It opens the door to Proton on Mac therefore those people can quench their FOMO.

1 seems like a very dumb reason to throw Metal away (or even use both) and 2 doesn't necessitate Vulkan anyway. But they still cry ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Ethosik]

The 2 main reasons I see are:
1. It's open, and
2. It opens the door to Proton on Mac therefore those people can quench their FOMO.

1 seems like a very dumb reason to throw Metal away (or even use both) and 2 doesn't necessitate Vulkan anyway. But they still cry ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Yep! Blame the developers (myself included) not Apple.

 

[MRMSFC]

Not just more. Better frame rates. Higher resolutions. No limitations or workarounds. The only reason that Macs game at all is due to the efforts of developers in spite of Apple.

In your opinion, what could Apple do to “support gaming”?

 

[GrumpyCoder]

And Diablo 4 runs really great too that many are using GPTK to play D4. It recently got even better with the release of GPTK 1.1, and it will only get better as time goes on.

Does it? It doesn't work at all for me with Whisky. With Crossover 23.7 it works "fine" after installing and launching it right away. It won't work a second time. Reinstalling all over works fine again, until the second launch. Support forums and reddit is full of this. It works for some, it doesn't for others. What you usually get is community tips, nothing official. "Use D3DMetal", "DXVK is the way to go", "disable/enable ESync or MSync", "switch the bottle to Win 11" and so on. Again, working for some, not working for others. Obviously Blizzard won't help with support. And Codeweavers is usually "we'll look into it". Eventually this will be fixed down the road, but it's not a good solution for people who want to play games... they're stuck without any type of support. That being said, Crossover 23.7 works great with other games for me, but again, it might not for others. I'll try pure GPTK the "old way" as soon as I have the time. A native version (with official support) would be a much better solution, but that is wishful thinking.

I'll have to rely on Crossover for another application I need, MVTec HALCON. They dropped Mac support and only do Windows and Linux with the most recent release. We get licenses for research and teaching for free and those have to be renewed every 6 months and are only valid for the most recent version. Official support says "use a VM"... so hopefully this will work with Crossover otherwise I'll have to use a Linux ARM VM, which might actually be the better option. Again, a native version would be very welcome.

And you can certainly use development tools other than Xcode. I use Rider for my Unity project.

But you still need Unity. 🤷‍♂️ Anyway, I think that's not the takeaway from the video. I think the point is the 0.02% of sales to jump through the hoops. Imagine you're an indie developer, you make about $100M annually (at which point you're not indie anymore) and then only 0.02% are coming from something that requires extra effort. Would you go the extra mile for 0.02% or leave the office 5-10 minutes (leave alone much more time for QC, support, etc.) early every day and forget about the 0.02%?

 

[Irishman]

Only if you think that mobile gaming is real gaming. If so, then yes, I stand corrected. I, however, do not.

So, mobile money isn’t real in your view? Mobile profit isn’t real in your view?

Might it be possible that Apple has a plan to build out its gaming platforms starting with the lowest common denominator (the iPhone and App Store), and use that to fund development for the Mac?

Game Mode is evidence of this.
HW Ray Tracing is evidence, too.
HW Mesh Shaders is, too.
Game Porting Toolkit is, too.
Metal Performance HUD is, too.

What’s your favorite Mac game?

 

[jeanlain]

Developer ease of use.

Read the part that I quoted from you. You compared the PS5 to macOS WRT frame rate stability, not developer ease of use.
And as others have shown, Metal development tools are great.

 

[MRMSFC]

So, mobile money isn’t real in your view? Mobile profit isn’t real in your view?

Well, I think it’s reasonable to separate mobile gaming from PC gaming, where Apple is trying to break into with the Mac.

Might it be possible that Apple has a plan to build out its gaming platforms starting with the lowest common denominator (the iPhone and App Store), and use that to fund development for the Mac?

Which is a start, but if it doesn’t get to a point where it’s self-sustaining (i.e. we get releases without backing from Apple) then it’s just a waste (for Apple anyway)

 

[Homy]

For people who still want to use Mojave:

Steam Community :: Guide :: Steam Client Downgrades & Survival Kit

Whether the latest update broke something, or your OS is no longer supported, there are only a few things you need to do to be fully prepared for the worst!...

steamcommunity.com

 

[Plutonius]

For people who still want to use Mojave:

Steam Community :: Guide :: Steam Client Downgrades & Survival Kit

Whether the latest update broke something, or your OS is no longer supported, there are only a few things you need to do to be fully prepared for the worst!...

steamcommunity.com

Thanks for the link but I have no idea what he is talking about .

 

[Homy]

Thanks for the link but I have no idea what he is talking about .

"In other words, if you use Windows 7/8/8.1 or macOS 10.13/10.14, downgrading is unnecessary if you want to keep playing your games in 2024 and beyond."

"However, regardless, support will end January 1st, 2024 and February 15th, 2024 respectively, meaning that eventually, the client will stop working, and from then on, you will need to use SteamCMD as per section Using SteamCMD After Client Starts Breaking to download/update games."

"Sadly, if you're a macOS 10.11/10.12 user, you will have to downgrade Steam, given that support already ended and the client was updated with a "bricking" update (please confirm!)."

Then he shows different methods for downgrading and doing other stuff.

 

[Homy]

Some new Mac games.

Combat Master, a free alternative to CS 2 with very positive reviews and native port according to Steamdb.

Combat Master: Season 4 on Steam

Join fast-paced action-packed combat. Play Combat Master -- AAA experience on any hardware. Best-in-class multiplayer gunfight. Next-level extreme performance. Lightning-speed loading time and a whole lot more.

store.steampowered.com

The Lost Legend of Redwall: The Scout Anthology based on the books. You play a mouse (instead of a cat in Stray).

The Lost Legends of Redwall™: The Scout Anthology on Steam

A narrative puzzle-adventure game based on Brian Jacques' Redwall™️ book series. Vicious searats are invading the once peaceful Mossflower wood and it's up to the Lilygrove Scout Corps' newest recruit to save the day. Play as Sophia or Liam on their adventure to Redwall Abbey!

store.steampowered.com

Raw Metal has a demo.

Raw Metal on Steam

Infiltrate the depths of an exoplanet mining facility to scavenge for gear and challenge a corrupt megacorporation. Utilize gadgets and equipment in high-stakes stealth, and hone your fighting skills in breakneck combat in this stylish stealth-action dungeon crawler.

store.steampowered.com

Stella Settlers will have a native port for AS.

Save 55% on Stellar Settlers: Space Base Builder on Steam

Stellar Settlers is a chill space base/city builder and colony sim game. With unique vertical and horizontal base-building gameplay, settle on 10 hostile alien planets and build your own thriving colony. Get enough materials to build a physics-based Spaceship and try to escape from disasters.

store.steampowered.com

Time Handlers is a puzzle game and has a demo.

Time Handlers on Steam

Time Handlers is a 2-player cooperative puzzle game where you play as 2 employees of the Time Company tasked to repair the spatio-temporal rifts caused by a mysterious tower. Face baffling and exciting challenges to progress through the various levels of the rift that threatens time.

store.steampowered.com

 

[Plutonius]

"In other words, if you use Windows 7/8/8.1 or macOS 10.13/10.14, downgrading is unnecessary if you want to keep playing your games in 2024 and beyond."

"However, regardless, support will end January 1st, 2024 and February 15th, 2024 respectively, meaning that eventually, the client will stop working, and from then on, you will need to use SteamCMD as per section Using SteamCMD After Client Starts Breaking to download/update games."

"Sadly, if you're a macOS 10.11/10.12 user, you will have to downgrade Steam, given that support already ended and the client was updated with a "bricking" update (please confirm!)."

Then he shows different methods for downgrading and doing other stuff.

Is keeping Steam offline an option ?

I would not feel confident in my abilities in implementing the downgrade instructions.

 

[Homy]

Is keeping Steam offline an option ?

I would not feel confident in my abilities in implementing the downgrade instructions.

Not always for all games. Some require active connection.

Steam Support :: Offline Mode

help.steampowered.com

 

[Chancha]

I have a MBP2015 with R370X that is meant to be a permanent 32-bit game launcher, it is on Mojave of course. Now this just makes things more complicated down the road.

But with how Valve rolls, it is likely they won’t break the Steam client until it is necessary.

 

[Nugat Trailers]

I can speak for Combat Master, been playing it since May.

High settings gets you a near perfect locked 60 fps on a M1 Mac running at 1920x1080.
Ultra high is... just short, with an infrequent drop to 58 fps. Be genuinely surprised if it happened on a M2 or newer.

It's not a demanding game, but it's a good little cross-platform shooter, which there's a lack of.

 

[Homy]

Capcom is working on the next remake and although nothing is for sure with RE 4 and the DLC Separate Ways coming in less than three weeks it's fairly safe to say we'll get the next remake too. Apparently the ending of RE 4 suggest the next remake could be RE 5. Another option is Code: Veronica. I still hope we get RE 2-3 remakes too.

Capcom confirms more Resident Evil remakes on the way

Capcom has confirmed that more Resident Evil remakes are on the way.

www.eurogamer.net

 

[Homy]

I can speak for Combat Master, been playing it since May.

High settings gets you a near perfect locked 60 fps on a M1 Mac running at 1920x1080.
Ultra high is... just short, with an infrequent drop to 58 fps. Be genuinely surprised if it happened on a M2 or newer.

It's not a demanding game, but it's a good little cross-platform shooter, which there's a lack of.

It's more popular than CoD: Modern Warfare and Black Ops Cold War that was released back in March and those have only Win version.

New version highlights:

• Multiplatform: play and share your progress on iOS, Android, PC and Mac!
• Full gamepad support: battle and all the game menus!
• New Map Warehouse!
• Combat Master is now available on Steam!
• Shadow Rider Bundle.
• Gun sway amplitude is now customizable in settings.
• UI is now scalable with new settings.
• Cross-platform switch to play with PC and Mac users, or mobile-only matchmaking.
• Daily Rewards Checkpoints: your daily streak now always starts with the last claimed reward!

Alfa Bravo Hub: What's New: Halloween

www.alfabravo.us

 

[diamond.g]

Why would you compare the game to a release of two older games versus MWII or MWIII?

 

[Homy]

Why would you compare the game to a release of two older games versus MWII or MWIII?

Not sure what you mean. The games above are all released this year between March and April. I looked at the list of most played games and those two CoD games were closest to Combat Master and released at about the same time.

Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® on Steam

Experience a visceral Campaign or assemble your team in the ultimate online playground with multiple Special Ops challenges and a mix of Multiplayer maps and modes.

store.steampowered.com

Call of Duty®: Black Ops Cold War on Steam

Black Ops Cold War, the direct sequel to Call of Duty®: Black Ops, will drop fans into the depths of the Cold War’s volatile geopolitical battle of the early 1980s.

store.steampowered.com

 

[diamond.g]

Those games are re-releases on Steam.

For what ever reason I didn't see stats for the most recent release, but that could be because it is kind of an expansion of the 2022 game. Or at least that is how the Internet is treating it.