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[Hands on with the City of Heroes Mac Client]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/08/hands-on-with-the-city-of-heroes-mac-client/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/08/hands-on-with-the-city-of-heroes-mac-client/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/08/hands-on-with-the-city-of-heroes-mac-client/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Recently NCsoft gave us the chance to get our hands on the beta version of the City of Heroes Mac client, letting us finally run around Paragon City and the Rogue Isles from the comfort of Mac OS X.

While the client doesn't deliver anything new to the City of Heroes gameplay table, it is a really well done port over to OS X. The client still connects to the main City of Heroes servers, allowing Mac users to play seamlessly with their PC friends. Nothing like EverQuest for Mac, more like the EVE Online port for OS X.

What really surprised me about this port is just how well it runs on the Mac compared to other games. Especially when the Mac in question is a laptop that sports an Intel integrated graphics chip instead of a powerhouse nVidia or ATI video card.

Continue reading Hands on with the City of Heroes Mac Client

MassivelyHands on with the City of Heroes Mac Client originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>applebetacity-of-heroescity-of-heroes-macfeaturedhands-onjoystiqfeaturesmacmacbookncsoftncwestpreviewThu, 08 Jan 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WAR on a MacBook?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/16/war-on-a-macbook/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/16/war-on-a-macbook/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/16/war-on-a-macbook/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Yes, it's true. Of course you'll need to run Bootcamp with a copy of Windows XP, but with Apple's recently announced switchover to improved nVidia graphics cards in their laptops, the possibility of running your favorite MMO on an Apple laptop is here.

In an article over at Obsessable, they just had to try it for themselves. Not only did they get Warhammer Online to play on the newest MacBook, but they got it to play well. They report, "In person, there was no pixelation during game play, just a few jittery moments when I had the texture mapping graphics set to their highest and most detailed. These were very few and far between, however." Check out the two videos documenting their experiments with WAR on a MacBook after the cut.

Continue reading WAR on a MacBook?

MassivelyWAR on a MacBook? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Oct 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>applebootcampmacbookmythicnvidiawarwarhammer-onlineThu, 16 Oct 2008 19:00:00 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[WoW laser etching impresses and inspires]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/wow-laser-etching-impresses-and-inspires/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/wow-laser-etching-impresses-and-inspires/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/wow-laser-etching-impresses-and-inspires/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Here's an example on how to take a really cool concept and make a bad choice. Not that we think the etching itself looks bad, but there are all sorts of other cool WoW designs the owner could have put on this Macbook. We certainly understand the meaning of putting the very image players see when entering World of Warcraft's uh, world, onto your machine. To be honest we were half-expecting to see a Horde or Alliance symbol when we first heard of this homebrewed homage. That being said, the skills of whoever etched this are quite impressive; can we resist saying level 325 etching skill? Nope, we can't.

If it were up to us, there would probably be something ridiculous on there like a bunch of Murlocs playing Poker or maybe some kind of breakdancing Troll.

MassivelyWoW laser etching impresses and inspires originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activision-blizzardallianceblizzardbreakdancinghordemacbookmurlocspokertrollworld-of-warcraftwowTue, 15 Apr 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA["Inside the Lab" podcast with the Windlight team!]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/inside-the-lab-podcast-with-the-windlight-team/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/inside-the-lab-podcast-with-the-windlight-team/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/inside-the-lab-podcast-with-the-windlight-team/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Second Life is looking a lot more like First Life. The new viewer based on Windlight technology completely rewrites the lighting and rendering of the world -- more realistic lights means better looking textures and skins, and a world that looks and feels more real and up to date.

Linden Lab's own Melissa Linden sat down with the Windlight team for a wide-ranging discussion on what Windlight can do for the user experience, how well the new viewer works with creaky old graphics cards, the extra features Windlight adds in for free, and what new things are to come. More on all these things ... after the break.

Continue reading "Inside the Lab" podcast with the Windlight team!

Massively"Inside the Lab" podcast with the Windlight team! originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 02:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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