Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Fallen Earth gets a Mac client]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/10/fallen-earth-gets-a-mac-client/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/10/fallen-earth-gets-a-mac-client/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/10/fallen-earth-gets-a-mac-client/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Perhaps you've watched Shawn's recent Fallen Earth exploits in Choose My Adventure, or heard all about the post-apocalyptic fun on Massively Speaking. Well, the team at Icarus Studios have heard the call from the Apple-loving contingent for a client of their own -- and have just announced that they have a beta Mac-compatible client ready for you to download and try out!

The new client is made possible thanks to the open-source project, Wine, which helps to create cross-compatibility for different platforms. The Fallen Earth Mac beta client works on Intel Macs, and is optimized for systems running under OS X 10.5 Leopard or later that have dedicated graphics hardware. No word on a Linux client at this time, but a connection with Wine is certainly a very positive first step if they do choose to open up further cross-compatibility to Linux users in the future.

"The Mac OS X compatibility project is something we've been excited to see implemented for quite a while," said Brad Lineberger, Chief Technical Officer of Icarus Studios. "Our goal for the project is to allow Mac users to run all of our existing and future games in their native OS." All you have to do if you'd like to get in on the Mac beta is to head over to the Fallen Earth site and check out their beta FAQ page. Of course, you have to have an active Fallen Earth account, or sign up for a 10-day trial first, but for post-apocalyptic loving Mac fans, this is certainly some great news.

MassivelyFallen Earth gets a Mac client originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>appleapple-mmobrad-linebergerbreakingcross-platformfallen-earthfallen-earth-llcfallen-earth-macfeaturedicarus-studiosleopardmacmac-mmomacintoshopen-sourceos-xwineWed, 10 Mar 2010 14:12:00 EST<![CDATA[MMOS X: Second Life performance on a Macbook]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/mmos-x-second-life-performance-on-a-macbook/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/mmos-x-second-life-performance-on-a-macbook/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/mmos-x-second-life-performance-on-a-macbook/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


MMOS X is a bi-weekly column dedicated solely to gaming on the Macintosh natively. "Running Boot Camp or Parallels" is not an option here. This column is for people who want to get the most out of their Mac gaming, as meager as it is.

There aren't a lot of MMOs that fall into the "I've got a few minutes and want to goof around in" category. Second Life to me is one. Sure, we can argue the "Is SL an MMO argument" while we're taking a break from the "Which is better: Mac or PC?" argument. For me, SL is good for that hour I've got to kill because I got to my night class early, or I'm sitting in bed with my laptop and my RSS feeds are up to date. Really, some days I'll play anything to avoid a daily quest.

The gotcha is, when I got my laptop I had a hard time convincing my wife err myself that I needed to blow almost two grand on a laptop. I still don't have too much buyer's regret over my regular Macbook. Games aside, the three apps that do most of my heavy lifting are Twitteriffic, Mail, and Scrivener (these days, it seems like I write more than game). World of Warcraft runs OK on it, but, lordy, does Second Life crawl on it. I'm not sure which gets better FPS: Second Life running on a Macbook, or frozen molasses rolling uphill. Yeah, I know, the integrated video on the 'book isn't supported and that's what I get for running unsupported hardware and I shoud be using a Macbook Pro. Duly noted.

That said, an unscientific study conducted at my school's cafeteria and library, taken randomly on Mondays between 4 and 5 pm shows a heck of a lot more college kids sprung for the cheapo 'books. Second Life could be considered a good game for non-gamers in the way The Sims was considered a good game for people that hated Quake. So, lets take a good, hard look at what's involved with Second Life on Macbooks, what you can do, and what realities your going to face running SL on a non-Pro 'book.

Continue reading MMOS X: Second Life performance on a Macbook

MassivelyMMOS X: Second Life performance on a Macbook originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 May 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alternative-clientsleopardmacbookmacintoshmmos-xos-xperformancesecond-lifeslThu, 15 May 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Beware of the leopard! [Updated]]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/28/beware-of-the-leopard/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/28/beware-of-the-leopard/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/28/beware-of-the-leopard/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Massively readers with a love of the Leopard - specifically MacOSX, are cautioned that the latest Leopard build breaks all available Second Life viewers, according to Macenstein. That's build Leopard 10.5.2 -- 10.5.1 works just fine. The application fails just around the point that it's finalizing region connections and preparing to render.

If you've already installed 10.5.2, your only hope would seem to be to either wait for another build or reinstall back to 10.5.1. Ouch. Apple and Second Life don't seem to be having a great time together just lately.

If you're a regular Second Life users who uses MacOSX, absolutely stay away from the 10.5.2 Leopard build!

[Updated] Please note that 10.5.2 is currently in beta. This may be fixed by the time it goes live. We'll be certain to keep our eye on this issue and let you know how things are shaping up as it gets closer to release.

MassivelyBeware of the leopard! [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Dec 2007 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>applebreakingleopardmacmacosxsecond-lifeFri, 28 Dec 2007 09:45:00 EST<![CDATA[New Second Life release candidate 1.18.5]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/13/new-second-life-release-candidate-1-18-5/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/13/new-second-life-release-candidate-1-18-5/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/13/new-second-life-release-candidate-1-18-5/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Linden Lab have just released a new release candidate view for Second Life, the first in the 1.18.5 series. This one primarily incorporates the new search system, about which you'll be hearing plenty more shortly. This release fixes Korean language support issues under Leopard, some appearance editing problems, fixes for lag-calculations outside the USA, and the source bundle has some assorted build fixes.

The viewer is available from the optional downloads page as usual, and we recommend the use of a download manager to grab it faster - without one, you're in for a bit of a wait.

MassivelyNew Second Life release candidate 1.18.5 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Nov 2007 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>1.18.5koreanleopardlinden-labnew-linden-searchrelease-candidatesecond-lifesecond-life-viewerTue, 13 Nov 2007 22:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Second Life fine under Leopard, but MBP-nVidia problem survives]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/02/second-life-fine-under-leopard-but-mbp-nvidia-problem-survives/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/02/second-life-fine-under-leopard-but-mbp-nvidia-problem-survives/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/02/second-life-fine-under-leopard-but-mbp-nvidia-problem-survives/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Word has been gradually seeping through the various mac user groups in Second Life saying that Leopard runs SL stably - with the usual provisos that some prefer various other clients (the Nicholaz-s patch from Barney Boomslang is my firm favourite, there are those who love the OnRez client too). My copy of Leopard arrived today, so it was with some anticipation I installed it and fired up SL - including the new Release Candidate.

I'm happy to add my support to SL under Leopard on just about every type of machine - and like many users I'm seeing an appreciable rise in fps, of about 25%. The only cautionary note - the issue with the nVidia graphics cards in Mac Book Pros still lingers. Hopefully soon!

MassivelySecond Life fine under Leopard, but MBP-nVidia problem survives originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 Nov 2007 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>10.5LeopardMacMacBookPronVidiaSecond-LifeSLFri, 02 Nov 2007 19:30:00 EST