Which OS do you use?

bakaslam · January 2015

Hey there,
I don't know if that is a "taboo-topic" but I'd like to know how many players are currently playing from MacOS or Linux.
Basically, we have as many problems of the others but I see the costumer service tending to "snob" us.. Which is more than understandable since Neverwinter is not officially supported.
But I'd like - as MacOs user and player - to see some improvement under this aspect.. And that can only happen if there is the real need, which should be a large slice of the player's pie.

PLEASE, please please.
Nobody here wants to know why you are using Windows, Linux or a Mac and why you think your computer is the Jesus of computers.
Let's take those kind of discussion out of this topic!

sprawlfx · January 2015

I use all three, as my work requires it. I use Windows to play NW. I have only ever used C.S. for the forum once, when it first changed to the new Arc system.

hustin1 · January 2015

If you think you've got it bad on MacOS, consider this: I run Windows 2000 SP4 (albeit one I've modded myself). Yes, I'm that stubborn. When Mod 4 came out I had to scramble: the devs decided to switch from DirectInput to the Windows raw-input API, which only existed on XP and newer. I had to reverse-engineer and port a ton of assembly in a hurry.

ambisinisterr · January 2015

You have a typo (I believe) in your post. You wrote a sentence implying MacOS is officially supported. It is not.

That is the likely cause of you feeling "snobbed." Support can not really assist troubleshooting problems with Mac OS as it is not officially supported at all. They wouldn't know how to help you. Think of it this way, it's like going to Apple to get assistance with your hackintosh device. The people behind the counter would tell you they can only fix problems with iOS devices.

CrypticCliff does work on his own time to try to make Neverwinter and other Cryptic games as compatible with WINE as possible (kudos Cliff) but as any Mac user can tell you WINE and Bootcamp are not perfect solutions even when fully compatible.

The cold hard truth is that the best thing Mac and Linux users can do is install a version of Windows on their Mac devices for the times they want to play video games. It's above and beyond Neverwinter with that advice so please don't turn it into 'you just don't care.' Every year less games are made which support linux or Mac rather than more. Perhaps that will change when SteamOS is released but even then Mac will still be left behind.

However, while support may not be able to offer you much in the way of assistance, as a player I responded to you in another thread stating the issue with frame rates you are experiencing is due to your graphics card being below minimum specifications. Using iOS probably doesn't help but the brunt of it is definitely your graphics card.

angrysprite · January 2015

ambisinisterr wrote: »

You have a typo (I believe) in your post. You wrote a sentence implying MacOS is officially supported. It is not.

Actually: it is - with Star Trek Online, though Cryptic doesn't develop it; it's a third-party code-porter - but it is an official client. The rest of your comment I concur with. And fortunately the Mac does run Windows natively like any other PC based on a dual-boot system (though I don't bother with that myself).

OT: I use both OS X and Windows. Windows is my gaming system, that's all I do on it. I do everything else on OS X because it's just a better system for that stuff (I do video/audio, and graphic design by day). I also do these forums, Gateway and all web stuff on OS X if only that I like Safari web browser better than all the rest (my own preference, of course).

Though I find this a curious thread since the majority of Cryptic and PWE games are Windows-based only, in terms of the PC platforms.

As far as an OS X client for Neverwinter goes: unlikely any time soon. It took Star Trek four years and that IP is hundreds of times more popular than D&D, they are raking-in the money so they can do that (afford having an OS X client developed). But I wouldn't lend to hope for an OS X client for Neverwinter as soon as that, if ever.

bakaslam · January 2015

ambisinisterr wrote: »

You have a typo (I believe) in your post. You wrote a sentence implying MacOS is officially supported. It is not.

It is a typo! I wanted to say that it was not supported!
But I still believe that if a fair big percentage of the players are MacOS/Linux players, Neverwinter Devs should start to take in consideration them as well, since they bring money to the company as well as the regular players.
The compatibility is possibile, as we can are experiencing. It just need to be improved a lot.

Of course if the percentage stays low, even if it would be a pity, I agree - as MacOs user - that fully supporting other kind of gamers other than Windows User has no point for the company.

P.s. Corrected the typo.

ambisinisterr · January 2015

Taken from the Steam Hardware and Software Survey.

Windows: 95.28%

Windows 7 64 bit 46.53%
Windows 8.1 64 bit 25.52%
Windows 7 11.21%
Windows 8 64 bit 4.79%
Windows XP 32 bit 3.79%
Windows Vista 64 bit 1.14%
Windows Vista 32 bit 0.71%
Windows 8.1 0.65%
Windows 8 0.33%
Windows 10 64 bit 0.32%
Windows XP 64 bit 0.21%

Mac 3.46%

MacOS 10.10.1 64 bit 1.51%
MacOS 10.9.5 64 bit 0.79%
MacOS 10.10.0 64 bit 0.38%
MacOS 10.8.5 64 bit 0.16%
MacOS 10.9.4 64 bit 0.16%
MacOS 10.7.5 64 bit 0.14%
MacOS 10.6.8 64 bit 0.13%
MacOS 10.9.2 64 bit 0.06%

Linux 1.16%

Ubuntu 14.04.1 LTS 64 bit 0.42%
Ubuntu 14.10 64 bit 0.14%
Linux 3.10 64 bit 0.10%
Linux Mint 17 Qiana 64 bit 0.09%
Ubuntu 14.04.1 LTS 0.06%
Linux Mint 17.1 Rebecca 64 bit 0.06%

That is about as realistic of a result as you can hope to get because that data is all inclusive from all active Steam Users and is collected directly from the client's computer rather than a question and answer survey.

The number of Mac users is quite small. And many of those who do use Mac, such as angrysprite, or use Linux, such as my uncle, use a real windows boot option in order to play the games which are not directly supported for mac to avoid the headaches.

Like I said, the number of games which support non-windows operating systems is decreasing, not increasing. Every year the costs of cross platforming increase and the number of Mac and Linux users just don't justify the costs. It is much more practical for game companies in particular to ask players to conform to the unofficial standard.

And other than the die hard Mac and Linux users...that's exactly what they do because it is easier for them to.

angrysprite · January 2015

bakaslam wrote: »

It is a typo! I wanted to say that it was not supported!
But I still believe that if a fair big percentage of the players are MacOS/Linux players, Neverwinter Devs should start to take in consideration them as well, since they bring money to the company as well as the regular players.
The compatibility is possibile, as we can are experiencing. It just need to be improved a lot.

Of course if the percentage stays low, even if it would be a pity, I agree - as MacOs user - that fully supporting other kind of gamers other than Windows User has no point for the company.

P.s. Corrected the typo.

That's funny. I thought your were referring to STO as a Cryptic OS X Client. LOL

bakaslam · January 2015

Gotcha, well then hands up!

This thread can be closed!

baerath · January 2015

I would much rather be using Linux but since Wine and even VM has been "broken" by software companies I have had to resort to ... you know who ...

For a long while I used Linux + Wine/VM but then the software companies started building in b.s. code that checks for CPU running state and if the state is in virtual, your screwed.

Sure most would say to dual boot it, but it's just too much of a pain trying to update all the necissary wine/vm files just to find out the code nix's it...

Which OS do you use?

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