Windows Games Vs. Mac Games

[macuser154]

When comparing games that run on both Mac and Windows, which one usually offers better performance.

For example. When The Sims 3 comes out, can I install it in Mac and expect to be able to run it on the highest graphics possible, or do I have to install it on Boot Camp to be able to run it on the highest graphics?

 

[0098386]

I'd imagine The Sims 3, like every other PC/Mac game, will run better on Windows.
If you want the best performance from your system go with Bootcamp.

 

[Tallest Skil]

Anything Cider sucks eggs. True ports run the best, but even with a real port, the bottleneck is hardware.

 

[FRKT]

That depends on whether the game has been ported and how good the port is.

Some games are designed to run on both platforms (such as Blizzard's World of Warcraft, Warcraft III and Starcraft). These games will perform equally well on both Macs and PCs. A lot of games released recently have been ported to the Mac using an emulator called Cider. Apparently this is a considerably quicker process than the aforementioned, however it usually makes for really poor performance. For instance, the Mac version of EA's Battlefield 2142 is a piece of ****. It's unplayable, and a complete waste of money. All Mac versions of EA games to date run on Cider, so it's likely The Sims 3 will as well.

tl;dr: In most cases you're better off getting the PC versions. Either way, I doubt you'll be able to run The Sims 3 on maximum settings on a MacBook Pro.

 

[macuser154]

Either way, I doubt you'll be able to run The Sims 3 on maximum settings on a MacBook Pro.

Sorry, I meant would I be able to run it on the highest settings playable on my MacBook Pro.

 

[FRKT]

Sorry, I meant would I be able to run it on the highest settings playable on my MacBook Pro.

It's an EA game, no? Get the PC version and run it in Boot Camp. EA's so-called "mac ports" aren't really ports at all and honestly aren't worth the DVD they come on.

 

[Tallest Skil]

It's an EA game, no? Get the PC version and run it in Boot Camp. EA's so-called "mac ports" aren't really ports at all and honestly aren't worth the DVD they come on.

You do get the full Windows version with the Mac version, though. Just pull the files out of the Cider shell!

 

[FRKT]

You do get the full Windows version with the Mac version, though. Just pull the files out of the Cider shell!

Ah really? That's pretty sweet. You'd burn those to a CD (or a .dmg file) and open it in Windows to play?

 

[Tallest Skil]

Ah really? That's pretty sweet. You'd burn those to a CD (or a .dmg file) and open it in Windows to play?

I'm under the impression that you can just yank out the .exe file and run that straight off. You'd need to download (or pull from the Cider port) a .dll or two, but they're easy to find.

 

[FRKT]

I'm under the impression that you can just yank out the .exe file and run that straight off. You'd need to download (or pull from the Cider port) a .dll or two, but they're easy to find.

Hah. Nice. Looks like I might get my money's worth for Battlefield 2142 after all. Thanks.

 

[nasabaer]

you have to extract nothing from the mac version for the sims 3.

Both versions (Windows AND Mac) are on the same CD that you will purchase.
So you can decide what version you will install.

 

[PracticalMac]

I once tested Battleground Europe on a similar performance Mac in PS (same GHz, same ATI chip), and was getting the same frame rate.

Mac version tends to have a few more bugs, mainly becuase they have limited staff to test on game, but they are minor and eventually fixed.

 

[SebZen]

Does anyone know a list of NATIVE Mac games? Not Cider or any other port, but games natively designed for Mac? I think Blizzard's games are, right? Any others?

 

[Miharu]

A list of native or even universal Mac games would be 10 times bigger than a Cider list. Basically everything is Cider if published by EA or Gametreeonline.

Native Mac game publishers include Macsoft (Halo, Age of Empires), Aspyr (CoD 4, Guitar Hero), Feral Interactive (Tomb Raider Anniversary, Pirates) and of course Blizzard

 

[Huntn]

You do get the full Windows version with the Mac version, though. Just pull the files out of the Cider shell!

I don't know, but you might not get the Windows game application...

I'm curious does anyone know how WoW performs on a Mac as compared to Windows via bootcamp?

In all cases in the past when the MacOS was PPC only, Windows games outperformed ported games on the Mac significantly. For example playing UT3 on a Mac and a comparable Windows machine, the Windows version of the game generated all most twice as many fps. I realize that since Macs have gone intel, the hardware differences have been mitigated to some degree except for how the games are now ported. If there was a situation where the Mac version of a game stood a chance against the PC version my guess it would be WoW, made by Blizzard a company with Mac roots.