22 replies to this topic

[Hansi]

I have this week and next off for holidays and then I'm starting a new job which will most likely eat all my free time up so I thought I'd give DAO a try and see if I can make a decent amount of progress in it before getting chained to my desk at work.

My conundrum is I'm not sure which version to play. I already have the boxed WIN version from way back but never had time to play it.

The options are as following in order of preference:
A) Grab the Mac version for around £15, live with not getting Awakening.
B) Grab the Ultimate WIN version for £15 (cheaper than using my existing one and buying all the extras) and run on my Mac.
C) Grab the Ultimate PS3 version for £15. I know the controls aren't as nice but 40" instead of 15" or 21" might make up for it.

I'd prefer playing on my 15" MBP 2.6GHz, 8600GT 256MB so I think that the Mac version might be somewhat sluggish but the WIN version run okay on it.

Has anyone played the game on a similar machine on Mac and can comment on the performance?

Am I missing out on a lot if I skip on Awakening or some or all of the DLC?

[Jan]

Dragon Age: Origins + Awakening and all of the DLC are available for OS X. Check out GameTree:
http://gametreemac.c...ansion-pack-mac

The DLC can be purchased directly off of the Bioware website. I'd prefer the computer version,
be it Mac or PC, because of the awkward console controls. You can't zoom out in the PS3 version
to tactical view, which will come in handy in combat.

On the lowest settings, DA Mac runs surprisingly well on my Mini. It's running perfectly fine on
my 27" iMac with highest settings. You'll have to turn off frame-buffer effects on your MBP.

BUT: Since you already own the PC version, why not get the PS3 Ultimate Edition? Despite the controls,
the game will definitely look better, which adds a lot to the great atmosphere.

[Wumpus]

GamersGate has the Digital Deluxe Edition for only $13.58 http://www.gamersgat...uxe-edition-mac

I bought it earlier, couldn't resist that price.

[Hansi]

Wumpus, on 30 December 2010 - 02:23 PM, said:

GamersGate has the Digital Deluxe Edition for only $13.58 http://www.gamersgat...uxe-edition-mac

I bought it earlier, couldn't resist that price.

Thanks for that, downloading now. Had to add it to my chart using a US proxy though because it's only for sale in the US according to the site.

[clocknova]

I'm confused.  Does the digital deluxe edition come with all of the expansion packs and DLC?  With that name, it sounds like it should include the kitchen sink.

[Hansi]

clocknova, on 31 December 2010 - 09:07 AM, said:

I'm confused.  Does the digital deluxe edition come with all of the expansion packs and DLC?  With that name, it sounds like it should include the kitchen sink.

Nope that would be Dragon Age Origin: Ultimate Edition which doesn't have a Mac version.

The Deluxe includes: The Stone Prisoner, Blood Dragon Armor, Warden's Keep and some minor items.

See full list of add-ons here:
http://dragonage.bio....com/dao/addon/

[clocknova]

Ahh, crud.  I'll just have to wait until the Mac Ultimate Edition is released and can be had for $30.

[clocknova]

Actually I might just buy the PC version of the Ultimate Edition from Steam for $37.49 and stick it in a Wineskin or custom Cider wrapper.  The Mac version is pretty much the same thing anyway.  Has anyone here tried this yet?

[Hansi]

clocknova, on 31 December 2010 - 11:11 AM, said:

Actually I might just buy the PC version of the Ultimate Edition from Steam for $37.49 and stick it in a Wineskin or custom Cider wrapper.  The Mac version is pretty much the same thing anyway.  Has anyone here tried this yet?

I tried it with the original one I bought and it had a lot of graphical glitches and crashed a lot but it was back pre-1.0 Wine. It seems like the original works now but there is issue with the DLC: http://forum.porting...php?f=45&t=5863

Buying the Mac Deluxe at gamers gate + Awakening at game tree + DLC should be about $50 which isn't too far from Ultimate.

[clocknova]

Yeah, I was looking at that wrapper over at the Porting Team.  I'm going to give it a try, but it also reportedly works pretty well in Crossover Games.

[UmarOMC1]

WOW! For $13.58 I don't see what the hesitation is... I bought it for the original $65! lol

[Eric5h5]

Well, I figured $13.58 is a decent price for seeing how well Cider games work on my machine.  I put all settings on high and played around for 15 minutes and didn't notice any issues or framerate problems, though there wasn't really a huge amount happening on the screen during that time so that's probably not saying much (also not sure if there are Direct3D features not actually being translated).  However, it made my graphics card fan run quite audibly, which is the only game I've ever had that happen with.  It would make me kind of uneasy to have my card under that kind of strain for 100 hours...I suppose I could try turning down the settings and see if that helps.

--Eric

[Wumpus]

Eric5h5, on 02 January 2011 - 02:07 PM, said:

Well, I figured $13.58 is a decent price for seeing how well Cider games work on my machine.  I put all settings on high and played around for 15 minutes and didn't notice any issues or framerate problems, though there wasn't really a huge amount happening on the screen during that time so that's probably not saying much (also not sure if there are Direct3D features not actually being translated).  However, it made my graphics card fan run quite audibly, which is the only game I've ever had that happen with.  It would make me kind of uneasy to have my card under that kind of strain for 100 hours...I suppose I could try turning down the settings and see if that helps.

--Eric

What kind of machine do you have?

[Eric5h5]

2010 Mac Pro, Radeon 5870.

--Eric

[the Battle Cat]

Eric5h5, on 02 January 2011 - 09:53 PM, said:

2010 Mac Pro, Radeon 5870.

--Eric

Dude, that is so last year.

[Wumpus]

Eric5h5, on 02 January 2011 - 09:53 PM, said:

2010 Mac Pro, Radeon 5870.

--Eric

Do you have the 512mb or 1GB 5870 Card? Just curious. Either way Cider will perform just fine on your machine, in fact I don't see why it wouldn't perform great, without any noticeable performance hit.

[Eric5h5]

Wumpus, on 03 January 2011 - 12:10 PM, said:

Do you have the 512mb or 1GB 5870 Card? Just curious. Either way Cider will perform just fine on your machine, in fact I don't see why it wouldn't perform great, without any noticeable performance hit.

1GB, not that it matters.  As I said, it ran perfectly fine when I played it, but it made the fan run audibly, which no other game has managed to do.

--Eric

[Jan]

Eric5h5, on 03 January 2011 - 01:20 PM, said:

1GB, not that it matters.  As I said, it ran perfectly fine when I played it, but it made the fan run audibly, which no other game has managed to do.

--Eric

My 2010 iMac i5 runs the game absolutely fine on 1.920 x 1.080, everything on high, AA turned off. And I played 100+ hours.  

[Eric5h5]

Yes...once again, the issue is not performance, it's the GPU fan running quite audibly, which is somewhat disconcerting since it doesn't happen nearly to that extent with other games.

--Eric

[UmarOMC1]

the Battle Cat, on 03 January 2011 - 08:55 AM, said:

Dude, that is so last year.