FG2 for Mac OS X

[T1ckT0ck]

I did a search to see if this topic has been covered before but after perusing a few pages I was unable to find what I was looking for. So, here we are with this topic.

Question is:

Is there a version of FG 2 in the works for Mac OS X or any intentions of writing it for OS X?

Not to be rude but I'm aware of Parallels and have no interest in it or any other emulation software. Just curious if there is any intent on FG 2 running natively on OS X.

Thank you all for your time and efforts!

[heruca]

Have you seen this thread (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2485)?

[greowhiste]

apparently this has been communicated to SmiteWorks for some time now, that there is a desire to see a Macintosh version available, though somehow I get the feeling there will never be one.

I don't really know how difficult it would be, so I this prognostication is not really educated, but it is a feeling I get from the responses of SmiteWorks. Though it is my opinion this kind of program shouts for Mac platform compatibility, the future of such looks rather gloomy.

[richvalle]

From what I remember Smiteworks expressed interest in making a Mac version of FG. I think with all the other changes they ended up making its been pushed back. And back... and back...

rv

[Bio_Hazard]

I can empathize with Smiteworks concerning the apparent lack of interest (I do mean apparent while honestly giving them the benefit of the doubt here), and I'm not savvy enough in the programming department to grasp what it would take to neigh-complete redesign of their software and assure cross compatibility. It just seems to be that it would make sense. You'd capture a larger market that way. I mean look what Apple did with iTunes.

I digress, who am I to criticize. Though, if anyone would be willing to help a guy who is trying desperately to find software for himself and his Mac using girlfriend to game, what other options are there for Mac users who wish to participate in online gaming?

[tdwyer11b]

I digress, who am I to criticize. Though, if anyone would be willing to help a guy who is trying desperately to find software for himself and his Mac using girlfriend to game, what other options are there for Mac users who wish to participate in online gaming?

Well, FG is hardly the only VGT out there, as a Mac user you should look at Battlegrounds and MapTool. All of em should work fine with your Mac.

Battlegrounds RPG (https://battlegroundsgames.com/)

RPTools (https://www.rptools.net/doku.php)

[Basselope]

I would just like to add myself to the list of people that would really like a Mac version of this program. It doesn't work in parallels very well at all and I have not been able to resolve the issue.

Regarding other software options, many in my group already have Fantasy Grounds and I would like to keep us all on the same page. That may or may not be an issue for other people though. I just know that it is something that does limit me to an extent. However, if I can never get this working properly I suppose I will have to switch and then try to talk everyone else into it.

[walkerp]

One more Mac user here who would be definitely ready to purchase FGII for the Mac. I'm going to try and use it in Boot Camp (showing how desperate I am for my Savage Worlds fix), but I would be much happier if this were Mac-native and would be willing to pony up again.

Thanks for listening!

[Xuub]

All my friends have Macintosh and I'd like to play with them. They want to play too. What a bummer.:pirate:

[richvalle]

What are the chances of FG working with that new Mac OS coming out? When is that anyway?

rv

[energizerrabbit]

What are the chances of FG working with that new Mac OS coming out? When is that anyway?

rv

It will work fine, if they port it over. I upgraded to Leopard, and not a single application on my computer doesn't work, and I haven't heard of any.


!!!!!!!
Also, this does *NOT* work in Parallels, or VMWare. It does work in Bootcamp.. but god I don't have the harddrive for that.

[Dupre]

We had the option to focus on porting to other platforms or to add new features. The way we see it, both options broaden the user base, but we cannot do both at the same time. We chose the latter option first and that includes improving compatibility with Parallels/Cedega, but not native binaries for OSX or Linux. Once FG's scripting API has all the capabilities we want to offer, we will look into porting again.

We plan on introducing many new features available via the Lua API. Some of those will find use in the d20 default ruleset, while others remain for ruleset developers to exploit.

[Xuub]

Still no mac support?

[ChrisGormley]

I would love to see FG II on the Mac platform!

But, looking at the date Dupre posted that SW decided to add new features versus port to Mac, I would say they are still in the process of adding said new features, testing and debugging.

- chris

[joshuha]

I saw on a thread recently that someone had it functioning on VMWare Fusion 1.1 with the 3D acceleration turned on but it was never verified. Anyone have access to this to test with?

[Kzach]

I'd just like to add another voice for a Mac version.

[ChrisGormley]

Thanks Joshuha, for providing a possible alternative to running FG II on a Mac.

I have to agree with the OP. Not trying to be rude, but would like to see it run natively on the Mac.

[Kzach]

With Wizards coming out with the DDI there is a strong incentive to use that over FGII.

One thing that could be a decider for a lot of groups who want to play online is having a Mac version. As has been mentioned on the Wizards forums, if you take into account an average group of 5 people, on average that group is going to have at least one Mac person in it.

That's a lot of groups that have to either go somewhere else (Maptool, OpenRPG, Battlegrounds) or help their Mac buddy get Bootcamped/VM/Paralled so they can play. And a lot of Mac users won't go the Winblows route because, well... compared to OS X, Winblows is like going back in time ten years.

That, and it must be noted that Mac market share has more than doubled in the last few years. I think SmiteWorks, if they combined it with proper advertising, would be pleasantly surprised at the result of doing a Mac version. There are more of us than they might think, and we're gradually taking over the world, one geek at a time :)

[Sorontar]

With Wizards coming out with the DDI there is a strong incentive to use that over FGII.

One thing that could be a decider for a lot of groups who want to play online is having a Mac version. As has been mentioned on the Wizards forums, if you take into account an average group of 5 people, on average that group is going to have at least one Mac person in it.

That's a lot of groups that have to either go somewhere else (Maptool, OpenRPG, Battlegrounds) or help their Mac buddy get Bootcamped/VM/Paralled so they can play. And a lot of Mac users won't go the Winblows route because, well... compared to OS X, Winblows is like going back in time ten years.

That, and it must be noted that Mac market share has more than doubled in the last few years. I think SmiteWorks, if they combined it with proper advertising, would be pleasantly surprised at the result of doing a Mac version. There are more of us than they might think, and we're gradually taking over the world, one geek at a time :)

Yeah I thought there were only a couple but I was shocked to find out there were 7 of you :)

[Malovech]

Put me on the list too, this is one of the last few programs that's keeping me on a PC.

[DarkStar]

if you take into account an average group of 5 people, on average that group is going to have at least one Mac person in it.


Perhaps in the US, not where I live. Mac is like a UFO, some people have seen it...



I think SmiteWorks, if they combined it with proper advertising, would be pleasantly surprised at the result of doing a Mac version.


Unfortunately Fantasy Grounds uses DirectX. Fun part is that DX usage actually put FG over other virtual tabletops, for a simple reason - FG is written like a computer game - it takes the full screen, it looks like a table, it has rolling 3D dice, it has great graphics. Other VTs, although having many features, look like usual forms in the OS they run in. It strips them off the gaming feel and reminds you all the time that you are running a Windows/Mac OS X/Linux application...



There are more of us than they might think, and we're gradually taking over the world, one geek at a time :)

Yes, just like Linux for the last dozen years or so... :D

[Illrigger]

Not to discount you or burst your bubble, but Macs (not OS X users, but the hardware) account as of this year for 10% of total PC sales. Of those, around 10-15% of them are businesses who use the hardware but exclusively run Windows on them (they want the cool factor of iMacs on their desks, but have to work in the real world with software that can talk to other businesses seamlessly). That is up 4% in the last 3 years, a fairly significant gain, but it's still far from the market segment that most Mac users' egos think they have.

Between the low market segment, the expense to subscribe to the ADC, the time it takes to learn the new language, and the good chance that VMWare Fusion will run FG with acceleration enabled, does it REALLY make financial sense for SW to develop a native client?

[devinnight]

If they developed FGII for the iphone and ipod touch they would win.

I feel for the Mac guys, being one myself I'd love to run FGII natively. Realistically figure that Mac users are fewer than PC users, then figure that Mac gamers are less than the number of Mac owners, then figure the number of geeks that are mac owners that want FG is probably really small.

So it doesn't make sense if they use a proprietary software like DX to build there app and then try to port it for the MAC.

On the other hand Blizzard builds most of their games for both platforms and I can't tell which OS I'm playing it on, so it's not like the OS dictates the look of the game. But they new that when they 1st started and made it that way.. and they probably had a ton of money to get off the ground with.

Still sometime in the future SW may embrace the Mac and give us a native version. Or at least build a cross-platform version in the future.

-D

[zgrose]

I've been working with the FG demo under VMWare Fusion 1.1.1 and it seems to work pretty well for me except the dice don't seem to have skins and I don't think portraits are working.

I'm tempted to just cross my fingers and shell for a copy and pray that 2.0 works better but if there is a way FG could release a 2.0 demo (or perhaps contact me for some kind of 24 hour license to test basic compatibility), that would be great. No one in my gaming group has access to the software and I'm trying to avoid flushing $40 down the drain.

Updating my profile with contact info.

Running 10.5 with Fusion 1.1.1 on a new Dual 2.8 GHz MacPro with the baseline ATI card and DX9 emulation enabled if you wanna compare specs.

[Malovech]

I've been working with the FG demo under VMWare Fusion 1.1.1 and it seems to work pretty well for me except the dice don't seem to have skins and I don't think portraits are working.

I'm tempted to just cross my fingers and shell for a copy and pray that 2.0 works better but if there is a way FG could release a 2.0 demo (or perhaps contact me for some kind of 24 hour license to test basic compatibility), that would be great. No one in my gaming group has access to the software and I'm trying to avoid flushing $40 down the drain.

Updating my profile with contact info.

Running 10.5 with Fusion 1.1.1 on a new Dual 2.8 GHz MacPro with the baseline ATI card and DX9 emulation enabled if you wanna compare specs.

I can say that with using Fusion (not sure of the version) on my MacBookPro that the dice issues still remain. I am not sure about the portraits.

[Jozie]

In reference to the DDI post and making a decision what to use based on Mac support. I thought I read DDI was not going to support the Mac at first.

Besides, DDI will cost you a lot more than FG2.

[Illrigger]

There are lots of cross platform programming tools (Java, Ruby, Python, C++ and the like) and while they all have their problems, they'll all work to do the job with enough effort. It's when you want to use hardware acceleration, that's what kills you. You can go platform specific like FG did with DirectX, which guarantees that it will work there, but makes cross platform development not an option. You can go with an open platform like OpenGL, but then you can't guarantee that a given platform has drivers for it, or that the driver implementation is sufficient, and making customer support a nightmare. Or you can spend craploads of time doing tandem development on each platform, working to keep a unified UI while the underlying code isn't even similar (ala World of Warcraft).

[Kenobi]

Tried using last night on a MacBook Air with VMware Fusion 2 Beta. Runs like a charm. No observation of the dice issue noted above.

I'm a VERY happy camper this morning!

[balth]

I cannot get it to run under VMWare Fusion 2 Beta on a standark MacBook. It works fine in bootcamp, but under vmware the screens are out of place, and I can only choose to play, host, etc. When I click start it tells me CheckDeviceType failed! Error Code 16

[Tokuriku]

You need to enable the 3D acceleration but I have found that even if the dice do not render, they work fine. The one thing I don't like though is that if you resize a picture or zoom in or out, the rest of the picture sticks out of the frame and is very bothersome :(

[Foen]

if there is a way FG could release a 2.0 demo (or perhaps contact me for some kind of 24 hour license to test basic compatibility), that would be great.

The current demo is now FG2.

Stuart

[lunatis]

I just tried the current demo of VMWare Fusion 2 beta (with 3D acceleration enabled) and could not find any serious flaws. Sometimes I can see a small blue square (about half an inch size) briefly appear on the screen, but otherwise everything looks fine. The dice render beautifully. One thing I don't really know about is the modifier - it is on top of the chat window and partially obscures it. I couldn't drag and drop the chat window to somewhere else, but then again I haven't tried FG for a year or so since I switched to a Macbook, so maybe I just don't know how to do this. Anyways, I'm very excited to see that I seem finally to be able to use FGII on my Mac!

[kwixson]

I can't get FGII Demo to work on XP through Parallels. Everything's updated. All seems fine except anything in the chat window goes to a background black box which you can only see in a flicker before the foreground is redrawn. Chat text, dice rolls, halt and prompt icons all show up momentarily in a flicker in this black box.

So, my question is, is this typical? Also: Does anyone have the demo working in Parallels? Does the full, licensed, version work where the demo doesn't? If I try my full, licensed, version on my Parallels instance and find out that it doesn't work, can I dump it off and install it on my Windows box?

[Kzach]

So, my question is, is this typical? Also: Does anyone have the demo working in Parallels? Does the full, licensed, version work where the demo doesn't? If I try my full, licensed, version on my Parallels instance and find out that it doesn't work, can I dump it off and install it on my Windows box?
Typical of Parallels at least. It's pretty average software. Get VM Ware Fusion instead.

Or just boot up in Windows. Do you really need to be in OS X when playing anyway?

[kwixson]

Or just boot up in Windows. Do you really need to be in OS X when playing anyway?

When every other program I have for Windows runs fine in Parallels, the undisputed champion of Mac OS X VM software, getting me to buy something else, especially something I've never heard of and nobody I know has ever heard of, is a really hard sell. So, no.

I don't have Bootcamp configured to boot my existing Windows image, and I'm not sure it's possible. I think I would have to install a Windows image with Bootcamp and then configure Parallels to use it, which would mean ditching my current install of Windows. So, no.

Why? Because my one and only laptop is Mac, and I want it on my laptop. That's why. I don't want to be chained to my desk at home where the desktop with Windows on it is. Not that it matters, really. This program should work on my Parallels just like all my other PC-only, we-refuse-to-port software does.

This line of discussion is not helpful. What would be helpful is some sort of good explanation about why this program can't run on Parallels, or reports of others who have tried to run this program on XP through Parallels, so we can advance the topic.

Thank you.

[Oberoten]

The problem lies in the very basics of the application, it uses DirectX which doesn't work very well in a VM. This is a DirectX design choice since it is made to be a "shortcut" down to the hardware.

[Dupre]

We are now working on Mac support, which means native OSX binaries. However, this is no small task and we'll post updates here as we get closer to release.

[Tenian]

I don't even use a mac and I'm happy to see this! One minor question, will mac players be able to join/host games for players using PCs? Cross platform gaming would rock :)

[Sorontar]

I don't even use a mac and I'm happy to see this! One minor question, will mac players be able to join/host games for players using PCs? Cross platform gaming would rock :)

Ack they may infect us with Macitis NOOOOOO :D

[Malovech]

I don't even use a mac and I'm happy to see this! One minor question, will mac players be able to join/host games for players using PCs? Cross platform gaming would rock :)

I would certainly hope so, otherwise, what is the point?

[Dupre]

One minor question, will mac players be able to join/host games for players using PCs?

Yes, cross platform gaming.

[Tokuriku]

You guys simply rock!
A Mac Version will be a dream come true.
I hope others will show their appreciation for this because I know that the Mac userbase is quite strong in the world on tabletop roleplayer.

[Foen]

Excellent news, although it would be no small feat!

Foen

[Bidmaron]

This is awesome. I'm a Mac guy forced to use a PC for gaming, and my best college buddy has a Mac he wants to use. This is the greatest news!

[Spyke]

Seconded, thirded and fourthed. Our group, like sooooo many others has one Mac user. Bring him on board and they'll all buy licences. Or I will. For their birthdays. Players being players. And GMs having necessarily deep pockets.

Spyke

[devinnight]

I'm very happy to hear this as well. Nice job.
-D

[storminj]

I am soon to be a Mac using FG lite user. Any hints on initial installation using vmware fusion?

[DarkWarder]

W00t! I'm willing to beta!

FTW

MacBook Pro OS X v.10.5.4
2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM

[LancerX]

That's great news! Thanks for investing resources into this, I'll definitely purchase additional licenses!

For those asking about current Mac usage, I recently tested FG2 in Parallels, Fusion and Crossover - the only product that worked was Fusion. No special settings needed, just install it into an XP virtual machine and you're good to go.

[DarkWarder]

FG2 didn't work for me in Fusion 1.1.3 but version 2 has support for direct x9 so I'm rocking with FG2 on my XP Fusion VM.

[T1ckT0ck]

We are now working on Mac support, which means native OSX binaries. However, this is no small task and we'll post updates here as we get closer to release.

I, among others, am very happy to hear this! I will continue to wait patiently for what I am sure will be a stellar product.

[neophit]

Will the current license be compatible with the OS X version?

[Doswelk]

We are now working on Mac support, which means native OSX binaries. However, this is no small task and we'll post updates here as we get closer to release.

One question for a Windows Geek with no knowledge at all about Macs....

One of my players' has a non-intel Mac will they be able to run this or will the builds be intel only?

[Quasar]

I imagine I'm not alone here, but i really hope this leads to an iPhone/iPod Touch version.

[aberto2k]

Ahoy there,

Since moving to a MAC (combined with life issues) I had to leave the FG community - seeing that a MAC OS version is officially in the works make anxious to return.

Regards,

AB

[T1ckT0ck]

One question for a Windows Geek with no knowledge at all about Macs....

One of my players' has a non-intel Mac will they be able to run this or will the builds be intel only?

I'm obviously not a developer but I would assume Intel-based only.

[Alyais]

With Wizards coming out with the DDI there is a strong incentive to use that over FGII.

One thing that could be a decider for a lot of groups who want to play online is having a Mac version. As has been mentioned on the Wizards forums, if you take into account an average group of 5 people, on average that group is going to have at least one Mac person in it.

That's a lot of groups that have to either go somewhere else (Maptool, OpenRPG, Battlegrounds) or help their Mac buddy get Bootcamped/VM/Paralled so they can play. And a lot of Mac users won't go the Winblows route because, well... compared to OS X, Winblows is like going back in time ten years.

That, and it must be noted that Mac market share has more than doubled in the last few years. I think SmiteWorks, if they combined it with proper advertising, would be pleasantly surprised at the result of doing a Mac version. There are more of us than they might think, and we're gradually taking over the world, one geek at a time :)

Majorly Agreed. I run a network of D&D games and one of my games has two MAC users. This is keeping 6 players from buying licenses because of the two MAC users who can't play. I hate this because I absolutely love fantasy grounds.

Port to Mac; make more money. Don't port to Mac; suffer in the long run.

[Spyke]

... Port to Mac; make more money. Don't port to Mac; suffer in the long run.Port to Mac; take a major step ahead of D&D Online. Catch up with Klooge, MapTool and Battlegrounds... ;)

Spyke

[Kzach]

There's no point in developing a PPC version since the next iteration of the Mac OS (10.6 Snow Leopard) will be Intel-only and 100% 64-bit.

[Oberoten]

I know it stands for Power PC.... But... My mind insists on reading it as Projected Particle Canon....

I *MISS* my Mechwarrior games.

- OB

[T1ckT0ck]

There's no point in developing a PPC version since the next iteration of the Mac OS (10.6 Snow Leopard) will be Intel-only and 100% 64-bit.

Indeed, the developers could write Fantasy Grounds 2 in 64-bit and not only deliver it to Leopard but also be ready for Snow Leopard when it is released.

Just to add, one of the previous posters had mentioned being willing to Beta-test. If the Developers should need Mac users to help I would be willing to help with that test.

Hopefully the Mac users on this forum will come forward to assist the Developers should they need it.

MacBook Pro
OS X 10.5.6
2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
NVIDIA 8600GT 256MB (PCIe)

[RiverRat]

I eagerly await FG on the Mac. I just got my new Macbook and FG is one of the few programs I can't use. I will gladly help with the beta test when it comes around.

RR

[PaulofCthulhu]

I've managed to get FFG II working with the CoC rules via VMware Fusion and WinXP - but it would be a lot easier with a full Mac version!

[Foen]

Sounds like the config is scary enough without running CoC on top of it :o)

[Bidmaron]

I don't currently have an Intel Mac, but I will probably get one this fall. Being ignorant of the emulators, where does one find/buy a legal copy of Windows to use with these emulators?

[PaulofCthulhu]

Sounds like the config is scary enough without running CoC on top of it :o)
It is! :)

At the moment I'm still having trouble getting a borrowed PC laptop to hook up through Port 1802 over a wireless router, nevermind doing it through Mac/Win virtualisation. (VMware Fusion assigns its own IP internally and then runs the net connection through NAT to the Mac net connection) - but that's a whole other issue.

You can get copies of unused Windows OS (not tied to a specific machine) on eBay. Amazon also still sells them.

https://www.yog-sothoth.com/images/fg2-mac-coc-vmware-screenshot.jpg

[PaulofCthulhu]

I've managed to ge this fully working now after an issue with Port Forwarding that has since been resolved.

If you're running this under VMware Fusion 2+, to be able to act as an FG Host:

1) Set your Networking type in VMware to 'Bridge' (rather than NAT).
2) Restart your virtual machine (e.g. click Restart inside windows as if restarting WinXP normally)
3) Set your IP address inside windows as a static one via Control Panel/Networking/TCP IP settings. This static IP should match the Port Forwarded IP, for Port 1802.

- and it works! (At least for me, so far). Connecting to myself gives a 'Key Conflict' error which is I believe a good sign.

[Jarina]

Just to mention, although I have FG2 mostly working in Parallels (white dice) my girlfriend and I would absolutely love to beta test for a mac version. Between the two of us we have 2 10.5.6 intel macs, and an old Macbook PPC (which probably wouldn't be doable for FG2). Just wanted to put my 2 cents in!

[Veldehar]

Heck, just knowing it is coming to Mac, I will buy it now and use it in bootcamp or emulation until it becomes native. Between this and the upcoming Rolemaster ruleset, that'll be at least 6 more licenses sold.

[Andugus]

Fantasy Grounds and DDO are the last programs I run in Windows. I would rather run Fantasy Grounds II on my Mac; I don't have technical issues with my Mac. I turn it on and it runs until I decide to turn it off.

[bford0001]

I agree. I use my MBP as my desktop since I'm in the Army, and my wife has an old white MacBook (early 2008), and we rarely use Windows. I only use Windows for Fantasy Grounds, DVDFab, and VideoFab. Other than that, I have no need for Windows and would love to have a beta for OS X.

[markwilcock]

When is the Mac version of FG2 out? I have an intel MacBook and the guys i want to play with have PCs. We really want to get on an purchase FG2 but not if we can't all play. I live in Australia and they live in the UK.

[Andugus]

When is the Mac version of FG2 out? I have an intel MacBook and the guys i want to play with have PCs. We really want to get on an purchase FG2 but not if we can't all play. I live in Australia and they live in the UK.

You can use a full version of Windows XP or Vista in Bootcamp and start playing now. If the Mac version ever comes out you can then delightfully destroy the Windows infestation.

[bford0001]

Or you can bypass Boot Camp and use VirtualBox (it's free, and supports 3D acceleration), dunno how well it works, as I use Parallel's, I love the speed of Boot Camp, but... I hate rebooting.

[T1ckT0ck]

It's been awhile since I have popped in and seen how things were going along. I know Dupre had previously stated that a native Mac client was in the works but I was just curious if there was any status update?

[Taillefer]

Count me in with those eagerly awaiting a native Mac version. I tried running the demo with CrossOver this AM and — no dice (excuse the pun); my keyboard wouldn't work and the screen kept refreshing every time I did just about anything. Would be glad to beta test for Mac, if you have need. I'm interested in 3-5 Savage Worlds licenses.

I'm the User Experience lead at a branding/marketing firm and think I could make some valuable contributions in the way of overall user feedback. First thing: the type in all the notes panels is way to tiny! Sadly, the tabletop gaming population is an aging one (I'll be 45 this month) and 10-12 pixel type is torturous on computer screens. You guys should allow the user to set the preference for font sizes. If you can already do this and I just don't know, good deal!

Best,

T.

[Etore]

Count me in with those eagerly awaiting a native Mac version. I tried running the demo with CrossOver this AM and — no dice (excuse the pun); my keyboard wouldn't work and the screen kept refreshing every time I did just about anything.

Did you check the 'compatibility mode' box when installing?

[ddavison]

I believe people have had success running it under Wine.

[Taillefer]

Did you check the 'compatibility mode' box when installing?

No. In CrossOver or in FGII? I don't recall seeing it anywhere.

Thanks,


M.

[Ukki]

No. In CrossOver or in FGII? I don't recall seeing it anywhere.
Thanks,
M.

In Crossover, you have to "run command" and browse/run "FantasyGrounds.exe -r" (the -r switch corrects the refreshening problem). After you first enter the command, you can save it so it shows up in menubar.

[oddsoul]

Native Mac version would be cool beans.

[Spyke]

In Crossover, you have to "run command" and browse/run "FantasyGrounds.exe -r" (the -r switch corrects the refreshening problem). After you first enter the command, you can save it so it shows up in menubar.
I've got a Mac-using friend interested in running FG under Crossover, but we've got a couple of questions:

1. Does FG run under Crossover Standard, or is the Pro version (with Crossover Games) necessary?

2. Does the FG demo have the -r switch, allowing a trial of the software under Crossover?

Spyke

[Ukki]

I've got a Mac-using friend interested in running FG under Crossover, but we've got a couple of questions:
1. Does FG run under Crossover Standard, or is the Pro version (with Crossover Games) necessary?


Mine is Crossover Pro 8.0 but I think games is more of a collection of correct bottles to run games in.

In fact, free Wine (which Crossover is based) and VirtualBox works fine too. Just more things to tweak before the play.


2. Does the FG demo have the -r switch, allowing a trial of the software under Crossover?
Spyke

Yes, you can run any command in any version - just select "Programs" -> "Run Command" and enter command. There you can check tickbox to save command to menu (it will show direct in Programs).

[Spyke]

Excllent. Thanks for the help, Ukki.

Spyke

[Domingo]

I am thinking about going over to a Mac since I am going tired of the Windows OS and the many programs and processes that seem to collect over time. Do the different rulesets function any differently on a Mac with, say, with Wine or Crossover? 4E and NWOD specifically.

[Illrigger]

I am thinking about going over to a Mac since I am going tired of the Windows OS and the many programs and processes that seem to collect over time. Do the different rulesets function any differently on a Mac with, say, with Wine or Crossover? 4E and NWOD specifically.
If you're using them, you're not leaving Windows behind, you're just running it in the background. :P

In other words, it should run the same as it does under Windows, because it IS running under Windows. It will run slower, and with a few glitches, but for the the most part, it's the same.

[Veldehar]

I use VMWare Fusion a lot, and then fire up bootcamp on occasion. I expect to host with bootcamp once I get all my ducks in a row for the campaign. Under Fusion it seems to load slightly slower, but everything seems good. I'm just running XP Pro, I've no real reason to upgrade, I hate windows and use it exclusively for FG2 and associated programs, and LoTRO. Funny thing is, XP runs better on my Macs now than it ever did on my so-called windows machines, which have gone the way of the dodo in my house. That being said, I really want the Mac native FG2 and CC3 so i can all but dump windows entirely.

Veldehar

[kodama]

Count me in with those who want a real Mac version!
I've got two player on Mac with Wine (one on a PowerPC... we don't even tried to install FG on his computer)..
So please say us how long before we get one?

[Vudo]

Me! I want a Mac-native version as well! :-) It does run smooth under Parallels, but the VM uses a lot of RAM and some things in FGII use up a lot of CPU power (opening library books).

Except from that it runs fine, but native support would be much appreciated.

[ddavison]

The thought of clients running a multi-touch version of FG over an iPad is something that would greatly interest me, but I am not sure how likely that would be for a future update. The code is pretty heavily dependent on DirectX at the moment for one thing, and I believe the iPad SDK is in a unique language native to the iPad (shared from iPhone.) I also don't know if it would cause an issue with no multi-tasking capabilities on the iPad. It would definitely be easier for us to add those additional multi-touch capabilities to a Windows 7 targeted system.

If we forget about the multi-touch and just work on a native Mac version, we would lose some of the restrictions but it would still be a fairly big task. The nice thing about Parallels and Wine is that it allows us to continue to build in the languages we are already familiar with and we get it to run on both Mac and Linux (for Wine at least.) Since we have a limited number of development hours available each year, we have to pay close attention to how we use those hours. We greatly value our Mac and Linux users and I hope they can at least understand the reasons why the native versions appear at times to be a secondary priority.

[Andugus]

I am not comfortable running emulators. At this point I run exactly two pieces of software that require Windows: DDO & FG2. I eagerly await the day FG2 runs native in Mac OS. In fact, I'd likely just stop playing DDO on that day and reclaim 500GB of hard drive space and walk away from Windows products.

As a side note, three years ago I'd never have considered Mac. After using one for a week I realized I'd sold myself short for over 20 years with Microsoft OS's.

I rarely have any issues and when I did (Snow Leopard OS install hosed my Adobe software) Apple delivered the fix on my first call at no charge. I have not yet experienced a fatal screen, lock up, or the ubiquitous reboots to speed things up I had come to expect from Windows. Now I turn on my MacPro and and everything works.

[Vudo]

From a Developer point of view I can fully understand that the FGII team concentrates on the Windows version.

From a customer point of view I can say that the GFII version in a Parallels VM is working excellent and fast. I rather stay with a good an stable FGII Windows version than having kind of a light version for the Mac that is not working well or does not get updates and full dedication.

So keep on with the excellent work and maybe some time in future there will be the opportunity to do the OSX conversion. :)

[Astinus]

From a Developer point of view I can fully understand that the FGII team concentrates on the Windows version.

From a customer point of view I can say that the GFII version in a Parallels VM is working excellent and fast. I rather stay with a good an stable FGII Windows version than having kind of a light version for the Mac that is not working well or does not get updates and full dedication.

So keep on with the excellent work and maybe some time in future there will be the opportunity to do the OSX conversion. :)

Agreed. I'm looking at moving to a Mac, as are some of my players. But if Parallels works, I'd rather the devs concentrate on improving the Windows version, rather than two weaker versions.

[RobP]

I think most people that run Parallels (I'm one) will usually have a licensed version of Windows and if they are game playing most use Bootcamp. So in theory unless you are running pure OSX there shouldn't be too much of a problem.

From a development point of view if FG is using Direct-X it can be a royal pain to convert it to Open GL - especially if your developers don't know much about the latter.

One option though would be to do what EA do with their games or what CPP have done with Eve. Both of these run using Transgaming techcologies which from my experience does work well, though you do lose frame-rate compared to native.

Of course the software development is only a very small part of the package. Far more costly will be the testing that will need to be carried out to ensure that the OSX version works as well as the Windows. Then on top of that you have the support costs of supporting two Os's: It all mounts up.

I'm happy to play it in Vista on my Mac. Have yet to try it in Parallels, as I have found no real need to do so.

[T1ckT0ck]

Haven't checked in for a while. I noticed Wine and CrossOver are listed as means for OS X and Linux to use Fantasy Grounds in the System Requirements but is there any status update for native support? I only have Macs and have no desire to run a VM nor pay for any version of Windows. I understand Windows is your primary platform, but just like to check in for an update for us secondary customers. Thank you for your time and efforts!

[Vudo]

running FGII with any kind of Wine emulations is not a real option as the "-r" switch is using a lot of CPU power. This means nothing on a desktop, but on a laptop it drains the battery quite fast.
Using Parallels is much better (for CPU load), but has a high need for RAM then and you are nearly unable to use Mac applications while running the VM.
So this leaves you with either a hot CPU or the loss of 2 GB of RAM. Not really something I like.

If it is not possible to develop a Mac native version, I would like to ask for a better Wine support then to get rid of the high CPU load.

[Moon Wizard]

A Mac version is definitely on the list of items we would like to accomplish. However, the application is fairly tightly tied to DirectX which makes it a little more complicated. Based on what I've seen in the code up to this point, an absolute port to the Mac would probably set back development by 4-6 months.

We have started to evaluate different options for wrapping the application for deployment on Mac/Linux natively, but we haven't found anything that will work for FG yet. We plan to keep our eyes open for options, and continue to keep an eye out for something that will work for us.

Cheers,
JPG

[T1ckT0ck]

A Mac version is definitely on the list of items we would like to accomplish. However, the application is fairly tightly tied to DirectX which makes it a little more complicated. Based on what I've seen in the code up to this point, an absolute port to the Mac would probably set back development by 4-6 months.

We have started to evaluate different options for wrapping the application for deployment on Mac/Linux natively, but we haven't found anything that will work for FG yet. We plan to keep our eyes open for options, and continue to keep an eye out for something that will work for us.

Cheers,
JPG

Understood, thank you very much for your efforts!