32 replies to this topic

[Janichsan]

I think Mac performance will be the least of the games' issues: if you look at the videos of the games on the Apple Arcade webpage, it's pretty obvious they are all graphically fairly simple. I wouldn't go so far as to say they have been developed with the capabilities of mobile devices in mind from the get-go (more on that below), but it's certainly didn't hurt. None of the games are really triple-ay material.

I think the requirement to have the games launch on desktop and mobile platforms with identical versions at the same time is why neither Feral nor Aspyr are on board. Just look how much time it took Feral to adapt their ports of desktop games to iOS, and how limited the iOS version of Civ VI is in comparison to the desktop version.

And lastly, the more I read about the games coming to Apple Arcade, the more I want to call bullpopsnizzle on Apple's claim of exclusivity. I already mentioned above that Overland and The Pathless have already been announced for other platforms, but quite of bunch of the others are as well, including Hot Lava, The Bradwell Conspiracy, Sayonara Wild Hearts, HitchHiker, Yaga, Projection: First Light, (Team) Sonic Racing… the list goes on and on. Apple does not even have a valid claim on store exclusivity on the Mac for these games, as many of those that have a desktop version of Steam are in fact listed to also come to macOS there.

[macdude22]

The iPad version of Civ VI is the full enchilada. How is it limited? The graphics are toned down (though you can fiddly them up) and the Rise and Fall expansion isn't yet available but other than that...

[Janichsan]

macdude22, on 26 March 2019 - 02:32 PM, said:

The iPad version of Civ VI is the full enchilada. How is it limited? The graphics are toned down (though you can fiddly them up) and the Rise and Fall expansion isn't yet available but other than that...

Exactly that: reduced graphical detail, which you cannot crank up to desktop level, and both major expansions are missing.

[Janichsan]

This whole "exclusivity" claim apparently is more serious than it originally appeared. According to a recently published article, Apple is said to have learned from the "best" such as Epic and Microsoft, and secured actual timed exclusivity for the games featured on Apple Arcade, i.e. they will be available for a couple of months only from Apple and nowhere else.

And this actually seems to be the case. For instance, Apple has apparently - and ironically - out-Epiced Epic Games when they have snatched up The Pathless. The game originally was supposed to be released on the Epic Store and even already had a store page there. That store page has completely vanished (it's still mentioned to come to the EGS on the game's website - the link leads nowhere, though).

And a bunch of other games, like Outlands or Hot Lava, which had fairly specific release dates on Steam, only give quite vague dates now.

[Frigidman™]

Given I never buy a game on release (or within even a year).... 'timed exclusives' are ok with me. Because I never pay full price for a game, and they dont generally become 'complete' and on sale until a year later with a GOTY edition and so forth.

[Thain Esh Kelch]

Frigidman™, on 20 April 2019 - 02:05 PM, said:

Given I never buy a game on release (or within even a year).... 'timed exclusives' are ok with me. Because I never pay full price for a game, and they dont generally become 'complete' and on sale until a year later with a GOTY edition and so forth.

I don't think I've bought a game in 2019 yet. You get free good games regularly everywhere these days, for some reason.

[Camper-Hunter]

I have bought some (too) many games in 2019, even today because cdkeys' Easter sale is too good to pass. But I have such a backlog that, like Frigidman, I don't care about timed exclusives. All games I buy are a few years old, GOTY or equivalent when that exists, all patched up, and cheap (usually €5 or less; it's very rare when I reach €10, like today for Fallout 4 GOTY).

[Thain Esh Kelch]

It is my plan to not buy any games in 2019, no matter how good a deal it is. The games will always become as cheap or cheaper again, and, well, backlog enough through 2023.

And I want a Nintendo Switch, and about 30 games for it. But that will likely wait until the Switch 2 arrives.

[Matt Diamond]

Thain Esh Kelch, on 21 April 2019 - 02:37 PM, said:

It is my plan to not buy any games in 2019, no matter how good a deal it is.

I did that 2 years ago, and although I broke down a couple times I largely kept to it all year. It worked great, and the following year I found myself buying fewer games as well. It feels good to see the Mac backlog go down, particular when some of them are games that will break post-Mojave.

I've bought more games in the last 5 months though than in the previous 25 months, and that has got to stop.

[Janichsan]

Now that Apple Arcade has launched (at least on iOS platforms), has someone given it a try? I'm yet refraining from installing iOS 13, so it will be a while until I could gather first hand experiences.

The price is reasonable with $5 a month and most other gaming sites seem to be quite taken by it. The claims of exclusivity – no matter if timed or otherwise – appear to have been fairly exaggerated, though, as a number of showcase titles (Outlands, Hot Lava, Sayonara Wild Hearts) are also available elsewhere.

[Thain Esh Kelch]

The price is really good, but no, I have no plans for it. 1. I don't have a controller to use with my AppleTV, and 2. I have an enormeous backlog filled already, which have been (more or less at least) selected based on what I like to play. Some of the games do look interesting though.

Maybe when I retire.

[Frigidman™]

These are the games Tuncer is sporting on Apple Arcade:
https://www.shiftyeyegames.com/games/

Casual stuff it looks (so far).

[Cougar]

When Manifold Garden comes out, I plan on going through that and Sayonara Wild Hearts on the trial (on my AppleTV with XBOX controller). Too much of a backlog to actually subscribe though.