118 replies to this topic

[alldaveallen]

As some of you may have seen, Gametree is offering DAII for $19.99 through this Friday (November 25, 2011) and I am very, VERY tempted to buy it in spite of the mixed reviews it's gotten here (I read both the official IMG review and Janichsan's very thoughtful reader review). I'm temporarily setting aside the issues users have had with the gameplay, etc., and I have only one question: Will it ru nwell enough on my older iMac, running 10.6.8? Here are the specs for the computer:


Model Name: iMac
  Model Identifier: iMac11,1
  Processor Name: Intel Core i5
  Processor Speed: 2.66 GHz
  Number Of Processors: 1
  Total Number Of Cores: 4
  L2 Cache (per core): 256 KB
  L3 Cache: 8 MB
  Memory: 8 GB

And here are the specs for the Graphics card and display:


Chipset Model: ATI Radeon HD 4850
  Type: GPU
  Bus: PCIe
  PCIe Lane Width: x16
  VRAM (Total): 512 MB
  Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
  Device ID: 0x944a
  Revision ID: 0x0000
  ROM Revision: 113-B9110C-425
  EFI Driver Version: 01.00.383
  Displays:
iMac:
  Resolution: 2560 x 1440
  Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)

So, will it run? I'd rather ask you guys than anyone at Bioware or Gametree because >sniff< y'all are my special internet family....  Even it needs to run at a lower resolution and with some of the fancy pantsy bells and whistles turned off, that's fine.

[Hansi]

$19.99 on offer? According to Amazon who is selling it for $18.67, $19.99 is the new rrp.

[devSin]

Maybe not at 2560x, but I don't see why it wouldn't run well at 1920x (you blow past the minimum requirements). Did you ever run Origins? It should be the same or better (same engine); the Mac "version" doesn't support the DX11 renderer with the updated visuals.

[alldaveallen]

devSin, on 23 November 2011 - 09:57 PM, said:

Maybe not at 2560x, but I don't see why it wouldn't run well at 1920x (you blow past the minimum requirements). Did you ever run Origins? It should be the same or better (same engine); the Mac "version" doesn't support the DX11 renderer with the updated visuals.

I ran Origins at fairly high-rez and it runs like a charm, so if this isn't a drastic update it sounds like a pretty good deal!

[alldaveallen]

alldaveallen, on 24 November 2011 - 02:19 AM, said:

I ran Origins at fairly high-rez and it runs like a charm, so if this isn't a drastic update it sounds like a pretty good deal!

I'm replying to myself because A) I'm awesome,

and

B) Gametree is offering DA2 for $9.99 until Dec 8 at midnight. I went ahead and pulled the trigger because I figure I'll run it EVENTUALLY, and it's hard to pass up at that price. Fingers crossed that it'll run OK on my current computer.

[Wumpus]

alldaveallen, on 06 December 2011 - 12:22 PM, said:

I'm replying to myself because A) I'm awesome,

and

B) Gametree is offering DA2 for $9.99 until Dec 8 at midnight. I went ahead and pulled the trigger because I figure I'll run it EVENTUALLY, and it's hard to pass up at that price. Fingers crossed that it'll run OK on my current computer.

I'm quite positive you will be able to run the game acceptably, if not more than that. You rather exceed the minimum requirements, although i doubt you would ever want to run a cider game at minimum spec. Still your iMac is rather good. Its not that different from mine except my graphics card is better. Well twice as better, but still, If I can max the game (which I can) then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to play around the medium to high range.

All said and done its a bargain for $10 and I look forward to hearing your report on performance.

Sidenote: I did the preview for this way back before it was released, but that was in bootcamp (PC only demo naturally) with DX11 and it looks a tad nicer than the Mac version since Mac has no DX11 equivalents. I was supposed to review this but ran into a large time block so Frank did the review instead. The point of all this is that I've hardly played the game but what I've done of it so far is lots of fun.

[Tacohead]

alldaveallen, on 06 December 2011 - 12:22 PM, said:

I'm replying to myself because A) I'm awesome,

and

B) Gametree is offering DA2 for $9.99 until Dec 8 at midnight. I went ahead and pulled the trigger because I figure I'll run it EVENTUALLY, and it's hard to pass up at that price. Fingers crossed that it'll run OK on my current computer.

I have almost exactly the same iMac as you and can confirm both DA games run really well on high settings. The first game is an absolute classic while the second is decent but nothing spectacular. Both are a steal at those prices.  Be prepared for some long nights though.

-PN

[alldaveallen]

Tacohead, on 07 December 2011 - 11:03 AM, said:

I have almost exactly the same iMac as you and can confirm both DA games run really well on high settings. The first game is an absolute classic while the second is decent but nothing spectacular. Both are a steal at those prices.  Be prepared for some long nights though.

-PN

Dragon Age 2 is running pretty well for me. A little balky at high-rez settings but not bad at all. I'm hoping some of the DLC is a little more interesting than what I've played so far.

[Wumpus]

alldaveallen, on 07 December 2011 - 05:01 PM, said:

I'm hoping some of the DLC is a little more interesting than what I've played so far.

But you have a button that "makes awesome happen." How dare you ask for more out of an quasi-3rd person action game disguised as an epic fantasy rpg!

[alldaveallen]

Wumpus, on 07 December 2011 - 05:25 PM, said:

But you have a button that "makes awesome happen." How dare you ask for more out of an quasi-3rd person action game disguised as an epic fantasy rpg!

how indeed? and yet...  I dare.

[Wumpus]

alldaveallen, on 07 December 2011 - 08:43 PM, said:

how indeed? and yet...  I dare.

Bold sir, very bold indeed. I applaud your resolve in the face of modernized time honored RPG mechanics and features.

[Tacohead]

alldaveallen, on 07 December 2011 - 05:01 PM, said:

Dragon Age 2 is running pretty well for me. A little balky at high-rez settings but not bad at all. I'm hoping some of the DLC is a little more interesting than what I've played so far.

I haven't checked out any of the DA 2 DLC as of yet but yeah DA 2 is not up to Bioware's usual high standards.

-PN

[clocknova]

Tacohead, on 08 December 2011 - 12:16 PM, said:

I haven't checked out any of the DA 2 DLC as of yet but yeah DA 2 is not up to Bioware's usual high standards.

-PN

Well, perhaps it is and their standards are just lower now.  They seem pretty happy with this new RPG-lite model, DA:O notwithstanding.

[alldaveallen]

Tacohead, on 08 December 2011 - 12:16 PM, said:

I haven't checked out any of the DA 2 DLC as of yet but yeah DA 2 is not up to Bioware's usual high standards.

-PN

It's very pretty but a bit sterile. It actually reminds me in some ways of Two Worlds 2. So far I have accepted every possible side quest in the game so now I have an absurdly long to-do list and have no idea what to do next. I don't like the fact that I can't customize my companion characters very much. One of the things I like about Dragon Age: Origins is that if you really want to you can pretty much play the whole game as one of your sidekicks if the main character is too boring. You can do the same in DA2 but it feels... less well developed. Also, making potions is annoyingly complicated.

[Janichsan]

alldaveallen, on 08 December 2011 - 01:08 PM, said:

So far I have accepted every possible side quest in the game so now I have an absurdly long to-do list and have no idea what to do next.

Thankfully, Bioware took care of that: just follow the arrows on the map. No need for thinking.

[alldaveallen]

I hate to sound like a perpetual cheerleader for these games, when what I really am is just a fan of games that are really cheap and take a long time to play, thus reducing my entertainment-hour-cost to mere pennies (like Diablo 2, Borderlands, and now....)  but:

Gametree Mac is running an absolutely ludicrous deal: Both Dragon Age Origins Ultimate Mega Super-Pack (or whatever) and Dragon Age 2 for $12.50, until April 15th. If for some reason you don't have these games yet your last reasonable excuse just went away. I mean, you can barely buy a decent lunch for that kind of money these days.

[Wumpus]

alldaveallen, on 09 April 2012 - 07:09 PM, said:

I hate to sound like a perpetual cheerleader for these games, when what I really am is just a fan of games that are really cheap and take a long time to play, thus reducing my entertainment-hour-cost to mere pennies (like Diablo 2, Borderlands, and now....)  but:

Gametree Mac is running an absolutely ludicrous deal: Both Dragon Age Origins Ultimate Mega Super-Pack (or whatever) and Dragon Age 2 for $12.50, until April 15th. If for some reason you don't have these games yet your last reasonable excuse just went away. I mean, you can barely buy a decent lunch for that kind of money these days.

So true, I paid $18 to eat out tonight

I have both but great sale. Certainly great money for the length of play you can get out of them.

[ikir]

alldaveallen, on 09 April 2012 - 07:09 PM, said:

I hate to sound like a perpetual cheerleader for these games, when what I really am is just a fan of games that are really cheap and take a long time to play, thus reducing my entertainment-hour-cost to mere pennies (like Diablo 2, Borderlands, and now....)  but:

Gametree Mac is running an absolutely ludicrous deal: Both Dragon Age Origins Ultimate Mega Super-Pack (or whatever) and Dragon Age 2 for $12.50, until April 15th. If for some reason you don't have these games yet your last reasonable excuse just went away. I mean, you can barely buy a decent lunch for that kind of money these days.

I agree, two great games, many hours of play and replay for a cheap price.

[Tacohead]

I have both as well and this is an astounding deal if you like RPGs and haven't played these yet.

-PN