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Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
Cryptic,
I noticed you have a new tab to "invite friends" on the launch screen for a trial ten days. This is a great idea, which I support...or wish I could. May of my friends who may be interested in playing this game have switched from PC to Mac. STO does not yet run on Mac. Thus, my friends who may be interested, are not.
Anyways, just food for thought. I also have noticed the growing trend in Mac users, as most of my classes have over 1/3 of students using Mac. All to say, get the Mac platform out as soon as you can...and maybe I can send some friends this way.
Sincerely,
Alextar
I noticed you have a new tab to "invite friends" on the launch screen for a trial ten days. This is a great idea, which I support...or wish I could. May of my friends who may be interested in playing this game have switched from PC to Mac. STO does not yet run on Mac. Thus, my friends who may be interested, are not.
Anyways, just food for thought. I also have noticed the growing trend in Mac users, as most of my classes have over 1/3 of students using Mac. All to say, get the Mac platform out as soon as you can...and maybe I can send some friends this way.
Sincerely,
Alextar
Post edited by Unknown User on
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JUST KIDDING
I agree with you except for i think they have all the subs they can handle at the moment. That there is plenty of things still that havent evolutionized out of beta yet.
Besides, they seem to be struggling with the PC version which needs significant improvement for it to survive.
"I have a dream, where PC and Mac are treated equal, given same opportunities..." etc,etc
For myself, I might eventually get a PC that can play STO with full graphics, however, there are many not so willing to splurge just for a game. I think Cryptic would do well to at least put out a "rough" date when a Mac version would be released to keep them interested.
Alextar
People play games on Apple computers?
And here II thought that all a Mac was good for was to make you look pretentious while sipping on an overpriced cup of coffee.
There are a number of threads here indicating that Bootcamp and other PC emulation solutions are able to run the game, though.
I have tried running STO on both Parallels and Boot Camp, through Windows 7 -64 bit, neither work. Always comes up with the same error. Phoned a Mac expert in Texas, repeated the error to him, and he stated it was not a Mac or Windows error, but with the game itself.
The error was, "cannot detect D3D device" or something to that extent.
Anyways, here's for hoping STO has pity on us poor Mac users, the prestigious glowing Apple coffee/tea starbucks boys.
Alextar
P.S. The Mac expert stated my Mac system should be able to run the game 4 times over.
As opposed to a dirt cheap cup of coffee a year past it's expiry date?
As to the Bootcamp and D3D issue, not sure what's going on there. I'm running Bootcamp, Win7Pro 32bit, and everything's fine (except the nvidia driver from the Bootcamp 3.1 release making inane comments on startup. Reinstalling it fixes that issue reportedly, but I've not got around to it yet). Perhaps you just don't have the right Direct3D/DirectX setup.
It's like the thread that's out there talking about playing this game on a Mac and how to do it, etc. What's the point when you can install Windows on a Bootcamp partition and play any PC game on the market?
I thought I read somewhere that you can't use the drivers that come with Bootcamp. You have to download the latest Nvidia drivers from their website.
Again, I haven't touched a Mac in over 20 years, but this is what I've heard.
WTG Grrlll Geek
Like I said in my post, I installed Windows 7 Ultimate on my Bootcamp partition and used the Mac OSX DVD that came with my Mac to install the Windows drivers. I do not have a single issue with any program I install on my Windows partition, not one. The drivers that are used are indeed drivers that are out there for the components for a windows machine. You see, now that Intel is making the chipsets for Mac, you no longer have to emulate Windows. Which brings me to my next question: Why would someone bother to pay 2K+ for a pc laptop when they can get a MacBook Pro and have better functionality out of it and have the best of all 3 worlds, Linux included? Afterall Mac OSX has a Linux backend...
I guess it just boils down to the masses simply not knowing? Who knows...
LOL
As far as seeing Cryptic ever make a OS X port of the game - not gonna happen, Blizzard is the only major game maker that releases their games for both Windows and OS X simultaneously every time and as much as I love STO, Cryptic doesn't have the money filled pockets or development time of Blizzard.
LOL Why would I spend 2k or even 1500 on a mac when I can build a Gaming PC rig for under $800???
PC is superior because It allows development / third party programs and features. Unfortunately Mac is like a prison only allowing you to install "their software." Plus building a mac is insanely expensive!
I got my Mac free through my degree program at Full Sail University, so I didn't pay a penny for it
Are you serious? That's what makes the PC superior? It's brutally obvious that you know nothing about the development of software/programs as Mac is the platform of choice. At least that's what I'm learning from the developer world at Full Sail. In fact the gaming development studios such as EA, Eidos, Blizzard and many more all develop on a Mac.
Although I'll agree that Mac's are far more expensive than PC's but I'll have to point out that their parts are far more stable than pretty much any PC on the market today. That fact alone makes the investment worth while as you wont have to constantly replace parts and or upgrade. Of course there's folks that luck out or know how to take care of their computers so they don't have to spend tons of cash constantly. The majority of users out there are not at that level, keep that in mind when you read what I'm typing.
As for your comment that Mac's are a prison, only allowing you to install their software, this is one of the most ignorant comments I've read in a very long time. Now that Mac's are manufactured with intel chipsets you can now install Windows on them in what's called a Bootcamp partition. This is not an emulation, this is a true Windows install. I'm currently running Win7 Ultimate on my MacBook and every bit of software I've installed on it works perfectly and flawlessly.
I consider owning a Mac to be freedom allowing the user to enjoy the best of all worlds including Linux as the Mac OSX has a Linux backend. Not to mention the fact that you can easily partition your HD to add a true install of Linux if you wish.
So you see, there is not one reason for me to limit myself to just a PC any longer. Mac provides a freedom of use that's truly universal and nobody, not one person can convince me otherwise. Even if I had unlimited funds to work with, I'd choose Mac as my machine of choice.
Also PC is like a prison just as mac is. How many systems you run that dont have the use of Windows or windows products?
All valid points.
OSX is somewhat built on BSD, not linux.
That said, I'm running STO quite well on my Macbook Pro. I'm using Bootcamped Win7 Home Premium x64 with the BC 3.1 drivers on this machine:
March '09 15" MBP, 2.66GHz, 8 gigs ram, 2x OCZ Vertex 120 SSD (RAID0 under OSX).
It runs great. It's nice to be able to game without the loud fan noise of my actual gaming PC. The only negative is that the laptop sleeps itself due to heat when I'm running it in clamshell. I little fan propped up behind the laptop on its stand fixed that up.
yeah well my computer beats the TRIBBLE outta all your geeky computers, so HAH.
LoL The whole problem with giving away 5 day buddy keys is you can pretty much beat the game and move on, 5 days is all you need LOL.
Talk to Steve Jobs about that. His company needs to take the first step towards decentralizing its product line. The first step is to make it not illegal to load OSX on a non Apple computer.
The second thing is producing a Mac native version of any software instantly comes close to doubling the cost of a product due to the fact that there is very little congruency between Windows and OSX. Essentially it is like writing two programs that do the exact same thing. However, there is a group of pioneering individuals on this forum making a "wrapper" for STO with some Cryptic developer input. You can find them here: http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=76799
*pokes the pile of burned out Apples sitting in the corner with a sharp stick.*
I know from experience that when your Apple is out of date, they make excellent coasters and door stops.
The biggest downside to owning an Apple is that by buying one I'm saying to myself, "I like to throw away money!". I've owned 8 Apples and Macintoshes in varying configurations and I can personally say, that yes, they do crash, yes they do get viruses, and yes they are overrated.
I bought a hefty ATX case back in... 2000. It's held 4 different computers on three different installs of Windows and I doubt I've spent more than 1500$ on all of it over the last ten years. OS included. Hell. I even got cocky and gutted an old Mac Power PC, mounted one of my old systems in it and use it as a dual-boot Linux/Windows box for my step-brother.
Companies and corporations that have lots of capital resources can afford to keep replacing pricey Apple hardware, as they have millions in revenue.
With Apple, you're paying for a name and an image. Otherwise, you'd just get a 500$ gaming box with Win7 on it. Apple has Intel processors in it, why not just buy an Intel box and be done with the Mac middleman?
I will say this about an Apple. If you want to do video and or sound editing, they are second to none. Until it dies a terrible catastrophic death. Then it goes to the recycling center, or sits in the corner of my basement awaiting execution by 8mm Mauser.
Interesting.
I'll say that is totally contrary to my own experience. I've been using Apple computers for 14 years ... spanning a series of Macintosh computers with a grand total of 0 viruses, 0 hard drive crashes, and an isolated instance of a single piece of bad ram that I bought after market through a third-party vendor. One machine I held on to for nearly 7 years without incident. I've had such reliable performance that I only acquire new machines when the latest version of the Mac OS won't support their aging architecture.
Now my experience with the PC's I've owned has been like night and day. The last one didn't make it 8 months before I got into a string of OS reinstalls and hardware crashes. By the end of the year I'd replaced everything in the case, gave up and declared it a doorstop. Just weird that we've had such opposite experiences.
... unfortunately I've wander ENTIRELY off the OP ... now back to the original point
There's one problem with this info Onyx. Since Star Trek Online is an exclusively online game it doesn't matter what the total instal base is for a given OS. There could be 20 times as many "Thing-a-majigger" brand computers as Macs and PCs combined but if none of them ever get online then they're meaningless as a customer demographic for Cryptic.
When you look at statistics for the online community you turn up 10% Mac (88% PC and 2% other) ... in short Apple's users are spending a disproportionate amount of time online relative to standard PC's. And when you consider that this was just over 5% a couple years ago that means that nearly half of that potential customer base is using two year old or newer machines.
Now this means that opening the Mac market could increase the potential customer base by 11% (10 / 88). {OK, it would be slightly smaller because you'd have to discount the number of users who Bootcamp but most of the stats I've seen on that point to it being only a fraction of Mac users.} A potential increase of 11% strikes me as significant and I think it would be prudent for Cryptic to take a serious look at the possibility.
Of course whether or not they proceed with porting STO to the Mac would depend on two things :
I have 2 g3's a g4 and 3 1/2 powerbooks that I wish I could say the same about. I dumped thousands into those machines and when stuff did go wrong, and I sent them in for RMA. Apple told me to basically "So sorry, but we no longer service those machines. Kindly go suck an egg. Wanna buy an iPod?"
Apple. It's like a really cool super fast shiny car that you can only drive on 10% of the roads. And when you need an oil change the mechanic is insulted by the mere suggestion that this machine of obviously superior quality should EVER require maintenance. He then slaps you in the face and sues you for damages to his hand.
My "Mac Experience" has been more akin to "The Shining" than the pure bliss that some kitchy ads would suggest. Because, if you use a PC you're an overweight and oh-so-tragically unhip nerdinstein.
Yes. I'm biased as hell. Only because I've been burned by that company not once or twice but eight times.
Apples are rotten.
At least with a PC, and something does go catastrophically wrong, I can get the parts for it in half an hour and have it fixed in less than two.
Mac killed my inner child.
Anyways, added it to the Ultimate Suggestion Thread:
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?p=2155272#post2155272
thread over.
I work and play exclusively on Macs, and am fortunate to be able to play via bootcamp. But really... this game needs to improve A LOT before they are ready to bring in more people.
Besides, Cryptic plans on releasing STO for Consoles, so I bet it's their priority now.
While waiting for an official Mac version of STO, just try playing on my Unofficial version... it works pretty good on most Macs so far, and I'm always trying to figure out ways to make it better... and Cryptic has helped making STO work better for people wanting to run on Macs or Linux without having to use Windows.