15 replies to this topic

[CJR]

So I've been been pretty disappointed by recent purchases such as Rage that are really more interactive stories than games. The issue of course is the loss of choice in modern FPS games. Where you used to be able to explore maps, now you must simply jump through hoops in a pretty specific order, as per the old graphic. In Rage they won't even let you jump off a cliff to your death (oops - invisible wall!) I long for the days of Deus Ex when you were dropped in large map with an objective and many routes to solving it. Are there any Mac games like that out there now?

[Janichsan]

Borderlands and the upcoming Deus Ex Human Revolution come to mind.

[Thain Esh Kelch]

Not DNF. That map is from a review of it comparing it to DN3D.

[mindnoise]

CJR, on 29 February 2012 - 01:00 AM, said:

So I've been been pretty disappointed by recent purchases such as Rage that are really more interactive stories than games. The issue of course is the loss of choice in modern FPS games. Where you used to be able to explore maps, now you must simply jump through hoops in a pretty specific order, as per the old graphic. In Rage they won't even let you jump off a cliff to your death (oops - invisible wall!) I long for the days of Deus Ex when you were dropped in large map with an objective and many routes to solving it. Are there any Mac games like that out there now?

as Janichsan said: Borderlands and the whenever it will be released DX:HR.


Besides that, that´s exactly my grudge and my answer will not please you: Get a copy of Windows and a Bootcamp partition!


Skyrim, Fallout 3, Mass Effect, Red Faction Guerilla, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Arx Fatalis, Gothic series, Outcast and dozens more that all need at least 30hrs, some 3 times as much, to complete with most open worldly settings. All for Windows.

on the Mac there is barely anything I can remember in that train. None FPS-games in that style are Darwinia, Star Wars Knight of the Old Republic, and maybe A Valley Without Wind, Frozen Synapse, Aquaria, as far as non-linearity is concerned.  Besides, of cause, the GTA sandbox games. Anything else left by now are some retro style RPG like Eschalon, Geneforge etc. but that´s about it, on my list of games where you have a choice on how to proceed.

While Bioshock, Half Life 2 and Halo are mostly '2010 design' they are at least really exciting while it lasts. The diguising of the linearity is really well made.

And, just in case: You can play the original DOOM and Duke Nukem games via Mac Boxer app DOS emulation when you have the original game files.

that´s it from me

[ikir]

Borderlands!!! Great game!

[the Battle Cat]

I'm replaying Borderlands for the third time, this run-through as a Siren.  I'd forgotten how great this game was.

[Wumpus]

the Battle Cat, on 29 February 2012 - 01:29 PM, said:

I'm replaying Borderlands for the third time, this run-through as a Siren.  I'd forgotten how great this game was.

Siren is my favorite class, hands down.

[Smoke_Tetsu]

mindnoise, on 29 February 2012 - 07:53 AM, said:

And, just in case: You can play the original DOOM and Duke Nukem games via Mac Boxer app DOS emulation when you have the original game files.

I prefer the mac ports of those games called Doomsday Engine & eduke32.  They use the same original game files but also have optional add-on high res packs. The one for eDuke32 is especially good.





Latest eduke32 build <--latest eduke32 build not available on the main web site. In order to get started with it you need to make an eduke32 folder in your ~/Library/Application Support/ folder and stick your duke3d.grp file in there. Then to install the HRP you go to... http://hrp.duke4.net/ and download the HRP there and then make an autoload folder in that same eduke32 folder in your App support folder and a folder named duke3d.grp in that folder and put the zip files in there.

[mattw]

Smoke_Tetsu, on 29 February 2012 - 02:34 PM, said:

I prefer the mac ports of those games called Doomsday Engine & eduke32.  They use the same original game files but also have optional add-on high res packs. The one for eDuke32 is especially good.





Latest eduke32 build <--latest eduke32 build not available on the main web site. In order to get started with it you need to make an eduke32 folder in your ~/Library/Application Support/ folder and stick your duke3d.grp file in there. Then to install the HRP you go to... http://hrp.duke4.net/ and download the HRP there and then make an autoload folder in that same eduke32 folder in your App support folder and a folder named duke3d.grp in that folder and put the zip files in there.

A newer build than I have installed. Unfortunately it crashes immediately for me:

Dyld Error Message:
  Library not loaded: @executable_path/../Frameworks/SDL.framework/Versions/A/SDL
  Referenced from: /Volumes/VOLUME/*/EDuke32.app/Contents/MacOS/eduke32
  Reason: no suitable image found.  Did find:
/Library/Frameworks/SDL.framework/Versions/A/SDL: no matching architecture in universal wrapper

I tried putting downloading the latest SDL framework (1.2.15) and dropping it in ~/Library/Frameworks but no change, also tried launching 32bit because of the matching architecture message.

[Smoke_Tetsu]

I run it in 10.7.3 and slimmed to just 64-bit via xslimmer and it works just fine for me.

[mindnoise]

Smoke_Tetsu, on 29 February 2012 - 02:34 PM, said:

I prefer the mac ports of those games called Doomsday Engine & eduke32.  They use the same original game files but also have optional add-on high res packs. The one for eDuke32 is especially good.

Yeah, It´s nicer, I just picked boxer because I run a ton of DOS stuff without problems with it
Doomsday Engine is esp. great but eDuke gave me a constant CTD a while back so I stopped, but using the mouse in Duke effectively is worth checking it out alone.

[Janichsan]

I don't really like how many of these remade engines for these old games replace the admittedly pixellated, but beautifully handcrafted original enemy or object sprites with ugly, blocky 3D models. I'm thankful they didn't try to pull off that crap with Aleph One.

[Smoke_Tetsu]

You don't have to load the high res packs if you don't want to. I loaded the Duke3D HRP because I like it. Not because it's an intrinsic part of the engine that can't be avoided.

Although admittedly with eduke32 the HRP for that doesn't have the models in a separate download from the level textures.  That being said most High Res Packs are mostly run by volunteers separate from the engine coders and are still a work in progress. New models are being made to replace the ones currently in the  eduek32 HRP for example. Many of the models currently in the HRP are at 2004 or below level and need replacement. Some of the weapons models are already replaced with new ones that have normal maps, etc. and look quite good, such as the RPG. Others, admittedly have not and anyone in the community working on the HRP would agree that they are sub-par.

For eduke32 there's also is a "High Res Sprite" pack in the works but it's hand drawn and IMO looks worse than the models.

If a model lacks artistic or technical details it's not necessarily the engine's fault. The engine just offers the features.. the community then leverages them.

In Doomsday there's not even a model pack as good as the one for eduke32 so I just load up the high res textures there so I see the low res sprites for the enemies still. Yes, sometimes especially in the past I preferred just the original artwork but I think "they" are getting better.

BTW With Aleph one they DID bundle the HRP with the game\engine (example, Marathon 2) where the rest didn't though. But Freeverses sprites do look good to me so *shrug* Seriously... hardly anyone making a third party engine port from released source code bundles high res packs with the games except the Aleph one people.

Also, for Quake with the darkplaces engine there's hardly any replacement models for it but they do have a good skin replacement set that I quite like at Quake Reforged: http://quakeone.com/reforged/

Again if you don't like those skins though you don't have to download them and use them.. darkplaces and other third party engine ports will run without replacement skins.. the engine doesn't force them down your throat. You are free to choose.

My Quake high res pack is a mix and match affair using what I feel is the best from that community.

[alldaveallen]

CJR, on 29 February 2012 - 01:00 AM, said:

So I've been been pretty disappointed by recent purchases such as Rage that are really more interactive stories than games. The issue of course is the loss of choice in modern FPS games. Where you used to be able to explore maps, now you must simply jump through hoops in a pretty specific order, as per the old graphic....Are there any Mac games like that out there now?

I am pretty sure that you are not a big fantasy fan but just in case, I would recommend Two Worlds II. The story itself is fairly linear but there is lots of time to go off on side quests and thieving runs, and the maps are friggin' HUMUNGOUS and beautifully rendered. You can really run around and do all sorts of stuff for a LONG time before you are forced to the next chapter. It's a pretty good game but somewhat underrated because I think the first one was so bad.

[Matt Diamond]

While it's not a FPS, Assassin's Creed 2 lets you go all over the place, and there's lots to do.

It was marred for me by the need to unplug my MS keyboard before running it, and the mouse would sometimes go dead after an hour or two, requiring me to quit to desktop. Ubisoft support was no help. Oh, and the obnoxious DRM on the Mac version that never got patched away. But the gameplay made it worthwhile anyway, and it's often on sale these days.

[The Liberator]

Matt Diamond, on 01 March 2012 - 09:30 PM, said:

While it's not a FPS, Assassin's Creed 2 lets you go all over the place, and there's lots to do.

It was marred for me by the need to unplug my MS keyboard before running it, and the mouse would sometimes go dead after an hour or two, requiring me to quit to desktop. Ubisoft support was no help. Oh, and the obnoxious DRM on the Mac version that never got patched away. But the gameplay made it worthwhile anyway, and it's often on sale these days.

I only realised that the DRM was not patched after I finished playing the game luckily enough. Ubisoft support is notoriously un-supportive. Other than that, I found the game to have no other troubles and be a load of fun.

Lib.