Guild Wars 2

So this game was a really joy for me for the 2 first years of its lifetime. I really loved it and was super hyped when they announced the Mac client. Well, we all know how that went, so I quickly uninstalled and had to make a BootCamp partition with Windows.

Over the years I found it more of a chore to reboot every single time I wanted to play the game. I did less and less on my Windows partition and more and more on my OS X partition. Now it has come to a point where I only have Windows to be able to play Guild Wars 2, which is really frustrating as there is a Mac client that doesn’t work properly available.

Me and almost all of my friends left the game because there isn’t a native OS X client. We all moved back to (cringing) World of Warcraft. If there ever was to be a native (NOT a port) client for GW2 we would all be back in a jiffy, and we are probably not alone!

I would really love to see ArenaNet put in some effort and make a native client for OS X and keep it up to date as Blizzard do with all their games. GW2 have such potential that I feel are wasted because a large part of their player base left due to the lack of any Mac support.

I log on maybe once a month now and I can’t find myself to enjoy the game with only that. I even have an SSD, which make the reboot take about 10 seconds, but I feel it is too much of a chore to keep Windows up to date and GW2 up to date. I always have a lot of apps running in OS X, so I never bother to reboot just to play GW2 again. This is all coming from a player with over a thousand hours logged in the game…

What do the rest of the community think? Should we get a native Mac OS X client or not?

I have the same issue with Linux so yeah, I know the feeling. It’s actually even worse since we don’t have a client at all for Linux, and unlike GW1, I can’t get the game to work on wine.

I’m still in my addict phase, so I keep rebooting on Windows to play, but I know as soon as the game will start being less attractive to me, I won’t bother anymore, and start playing again games running natively on my every day OS.

I’m also pretty sure having a Linux client for a top seller like GW2 would bring a lot of new players. Enough to make it worth the trouble for the dev? I can’t say.

How to say that now.. But aren’t you OSX and Linux guys not quite aware that “Windoze iz only for gaiming”? You are not the target group and things have changed.

After all, if you don’t want to reboot, it’s your fault and you should not want developer time get devoted into niche OS. I also have a MacBook, but I use Bootcamp.

Well, they are working on a Mac version. It is mentioned in the AMA on Reddit. Here’s a link: https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/48zlyd/im_mike_obrien_here_with_gw2_dev_team_ama/

I play on my IMac and it is not too bad. I turned the graphics down low (Best Performance) and then tweaked them a bit so that the game is not too ugly. I haven’t crashed in a long time.

Zedek.8932:

How to say that now.. But aren’t you OSX and Linux guys not quite aware that “Windoze iz only for gaiming”? You are not the target group and things have changed.

After all, if you don’t want to reboot, it’s your fault and you should not want developer time get devoted into niche OS. I also have a MacBook, but I use Bootcamp.

I don’t know about Mac, but more and more games have native Linux clients, and not surprisingly, they also gained a lot of players from that OS. Sure, Microsoft is still #1 and the majority of the potential customers run Windows. But since many games don’t run on Linux (or Mac), even though the cake is smaller, your part will be larger.

It’s not a matter of “fault” or I don’t know what. It’s simple commercial maths. Neither you nor I have the data to make them. But I can already tell you GW2 on Linux would be a big hit. Again, would it be financially profitable? No one knows.

Well, he is “at fault” if he has the ability to boot the OS that natively supports the game he desire to play (via Bootcamp, OSX comes with a native Windows solution for a reason) and still do not want to it, well, it’s up to him.

It’s like saying to SONY: “Man, make me that Final Fantasy to run on PC” or “Man, make me that SNES game run on my MegaDrive”. Just get the machine you need.

Zedek.8932:

How to say that now.. But aren’t you OSX and Linux guys not quite aware that “Windoze iz only for gaiming”? You are not the target group and things have changed.

After all, if you don’t want to reboot, it’s your fault and you should not want developer time get devoted into niche OS. I also have a MacBook, but I use Bootcamp.

Oh, I was quite aware of that when I got my Mac. In the beginning I played a lot of games that only run on Windows, but as my life have changed and I have grown older I don’t have time to play that many games now. I only have Windows for GW2 as of now because I think it is a kittenty OS for anything else that I do.

I know it is my “fault” for not wanting to reboot, but the thing is that GW2’s biggest competitor literally won me (and many, many others) back because ArenaNet can’t offer a native OS X client for my favorite game.

OS X isn’t a niche OS any longer. More and more people change to OS X and more and more people start to play video games compared to back in the days where only “geeks” and “nerds” played them. Now almost every single person below 18 years old play a video game of any type. The world are going that way and developers of video games need to realize that and make the appropriate changes. I know many that have a Mac that don’t play GW2 but would love to do it, if they had a native client. Most people will never use BootCamp to try out a new game. They’ll just find something that work on their OS (WoW in this comparison).

Game developers today need to realize that OS X are starting to take a serious market share and they need to act accordingly. Justifying it by saying that they could just use BootCamp and be fine isn’t going to work much longer.

Geiir.7603:

Game developers today need to realize that OS X are starting to take a serious market share and they need to act accordingly. Justifying it by saying that they could just use BootCamp and be fine isn’t going to work much longer.

For Linux, yeah, OSX no, it’s a niche and will stay like that forever (especially with last few releases). It will be great for GW2:mobile iOSX game tho It’s a simply waste of resources.

(OS(x) user from OS 8 )

Sir Mad.1092:

I have the same issue with Linux so yeah, I know the feeling. It’s actually even worse since we don’t have a client at all for Linux, and unlike GW1, I can’t get the game to work on wine.

I’m still in my addict phase, so I keep rebooting on Windows to play, but I know as soon as the game will start being less attractive to me, I won’t bother anymore, and start playing again games running natively on my every day OS.

I’m also pretty sure having a Linux client for a top seller like GW2 would bring a lot of new players. Enough to make it worth the trouble for the dev? I can’t say.

Look into playonlinux. https://www.playonlinux.com

https://www.playonlinux.com/en/app-1126-Guild_Wars_2.html

Zedek.8932:

How to say that now.. But aren’t you OSX and Linux guys not quite aware that “Windoze iz only for gaiming”? You are not the target group and things have changed.

So, if you want to do real work you only use a mac?

Some ppl at Infinite Loop are smiling. MS’s Office for Windows team is waiting for you in a random dark alley.

nesh.7234:

Geiir.7603:

Game developers today need to realize that OS X are starting to take a serious market share and they need to act accordingly. Justifying it by saying that they could just use BootCamp and be fine isn’t going to work much longer.

For Linux, yeah, OSX no, it’s a niche and will stay like that forever (especially with last few releases). It will be great for GW2:mobile iOSX game tho It’s a simply waste of resources.

(OS(x) user from OS 8 )

I’m sorry but that’s a ridiculous comment. Linux is and always has been a niche OS. OS X has far greater mainstream traction and a much higher user base. There’s also been a shift towards programmers using OS X instead of Linux which effectively leaves linux with no draw over OS X or Windows. OS X is by no means niche.

Apple makes Overpriced and terrible computers (Hardware wise) and game developers prefer windows because Windows just works with all kinds of hardware. Nvidia, AMD, and Intel make tons of innovative and powerful hardware that Windows supports while Macs lack these kinds of support because of OSX has hardware restrictions. A game developer wants to be able to design and create games without limits, they tend to enjoy innovating where they can while a real PC gamer would rather upgrade their hardware for their PC to take full advantage for the latest tech that the developers made for them.

Apple doesn’t want their users to upgrade their computers to the latest tech. They don’t play nice with other hardware manufacturer so they lack innovation for the future of computing. A Mac user would have to buy a brand new computer for more money with less power since OSX again, doesn’t support the latest hardware. You can only use the hardware Apple wants you to use and you’re stuck with that hardware for good. The main hardware that gets upgraded for gaming is the CPU and GPU which you can’t do on the new Macs anyways.

Linux is just like Windows that the OS supports pretty much any hardware from what I read. While OSX is more popular than Linux as a general OS, I believe Linux would be more successful for GW2 and GW2 should be released on Steam to open up a more broad audiance interested in gaming. OSX has never been for gaming because hardware limitations on the OS… It’s like trying to develop a game for a console instead of a real PC. A Mac can’t even run Oculus Rift VR gaming because Apple’s computers lack raw power in the GPU department.

I hope OSX users like you would realize Windows and Linux is the future for gaming on computers. If you don’t like it blame Apple and tell them to be open to other hardware manufacturer. Tell Apple to be more open like Linux and Microsoft regarding their OS. Don’t blame the game developers. They don’t make Apple computer… Apple makes Apple computers and those computers are not a viable option for gaming for reason I stated above. I say Apple is the blame for the lack of game developer support in Macs.

DreamyAbaddon.3265:

Apple makes Overpriced and terrible computers (Hardware wise) and game developers prefer windows because Windows just works with all kinds of hardware. Nvidia, AMD, and Intel make tons of innovative and powerful hardware that Windows supports while Macs lack these kinds of support because of OSX has hardware restrictions. A game developer wants to be able to design and create games without limits, they tend to enjoy innovating where they can while a real PC gamer would rather upgrade their hardware for their PC to take full advantage for the latest tech that the developers made for them.

Apple doesn’t want their users to upgrade their computers to the latest tech. They don’t play nice with other hardware manufacturer so they lack innovation for the future of computing. A Mac user would have to buy a brand new computer for more money with less power since OSX again, doesn’t support the latest hardware. You can only use the hardware Apple wants you to use and you’re stuck with that hardware for good. The main hardware that gets upgraded for gaming is the CPU and GPU which you can’t do on the new Macs anyways.

Linux is just like Windows that the OS supports pretty much any hardware from what I read. While OSX is more popular than Linux as a general OS, I believe Linux would be more successful for GW2 and GW2 should be released on Steam to open up a more broad audiance interested in gaming. OSX has never been for gaming because hardware limitations on the OS… It’s like trying to develop a game for a console instead of a real PC. A Mac can’t even run Oculus Rift VR gaming because Apple’s computers lack raw power in the GPU department.

I hope OSX users like you would realize Windows and Linux is the future for gaming on computers. If you don’t like it blame Apple and tell them to be open to other hardware manufacturer. Tell Apple to be more open like Linux and Microsoft regarding their OS. Don’t blame the game developers. They don’t make Apple computer… Apple makes Apple computers and those computers are not a viable option for gaming for reason I stated above. I say Apple is the blame for the lack of game developer support in Macs.

Once again you’re spouting off a whole lot of completely untrue things. Mac’s have consumer level specs. So yeah, they’re worse than a dedicated gaming PC. But most Windows users don’t have a dedicated gaming PC, at which point a mac actually has better or equal specs to most mainstream consumers. There’s nothing about OSX hardware that is terrible, given that they use the exact same components found in any PC. Same graphics cards, same processors, same RAM, same motherboards. Whether or not they’re overpriced is irrelevant and based on consumer perspective.

The reason developers create games for Windows has nothing to do with Hardware limitation, but rather because Windows uses DirectX which is an industry standard, meaning that that’s what companies have traditionally supported and so continue to support. DirectX is developed by Microsoft, which is the only reason it’s not compatible with Macs. Mac’s use OpenGL, which is compatible with Windows (and is also used by the PS4…).

No you can’t upgrade the hardware in a Mac, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have good hardware… Most consumers don’t even upgrade their own computers, with the exception once again of hardcore gamers, who are not representative of any sort of majority.

We get it, you don’t like Macs. But nothing you’re saying is constructive and you’re not even halfway accurate.

Fixing the mac client so it works should be something they dedicate resources to, I would think. They sell the game to people with OS X, so they really need to make it actually work. If you sell a product knowing it is defective, it’s called fraud. Regardless of people’s opinions about Macs, Anet sells the programme as working on OS X, therefore, it should actually work on OS X. Else, they should just stop selling it for Mac.

For those who don’t understand the difference between a Mac and a PC, here is a short video that explains it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZXY5990xZs&ab_channel=Computerphile

Having both operating systems (I have an iMac with Bootcamp), I really, really, really prefer OS X. It is just way nicer to use. Unfortunately, as FF mentioned, though developers could make games that work on both platforms, they don’t because Microsoft incentivises them to use Direct X. Therefore, if we want to game sometimes, we are left having to play one of the games that offers an OS X client or need to install Bootcamp for a Windows partition.

And, for most people, I imagine, gaming is not their number one priority when buying a computer. And, likewise, most people who play games are not dedicated gamers, but rather people who, like me, play sometimes. In our household, we choose our computer based on which is best for work and that is a Mac.

I dislike Macs because their hardware choices are pretty bad, but I do like OSX and Windows. In fact my very first PC is a Hackintosh that runs OSX and Windows so I know how a mac works and how OSX functions much better than you. OSX has hardware limitations because it doesn’t support all the latest hardware. If it did any hardware would run on a Hackintosh but it doesn’t because Apple doesn’t support certain hardware. PC gaming has always been a platform of choice which Macs are limited in. What I say is 100% accurate and considered a fact. Macs today do not come with dedicated GPUs such as GTX 980 Ti or TITAN GPUs…etc Go to an apple store and see for yourself. They give you crap hardware because they don’t support dedicated GPUs and latest tech for the price you pay for. The cheapest mac is equivalent to a $300 windows PC. Yes a Mac is a PC… but a PC that’s limited unlike Windows or Linux in terms of hardware choices which PC gaming depends on for future innovation. DirextX is another reason why Windows is a better choice for gaming but that’s not what we are talking about here. There is a reason why Windows is so successful. You can use Bootcamp to run Windows effeciantly on a Mac because Windows OS supports all sorts of Hardware while OSX lacks supports on most hardware.

DreamyAbaddon.3265:

I dislike Macs because …

I think we are missing the point here. Liking or disliking Macs is irrelevant. The issue at hand is:

- Anet sells Guild Wars 2 as working on Macs
- Guild Wars 2 does not work on Macs (performance was pretty poor leading up to HoT and nearly unplayable since HoT (which was known before launch, but they sold it anyway))

Therefore, they need to either fix the Mac client as a priority or end support for it and compensate those who purchased for Mac use.

I hope they make a native client, but one may think they should end support rather than devote time to fixing the issue, and that is valid either way. However, opinions about whether people like Macs or not just does not matter relative to the situation and one would think, as a fellow customer, even those who don’t like Macs could get behind this situation having a resolution.

ananda.5946:

DreamyAbaddon.3265:

I dislike Macs because …

I think we are missing the point here. Liking or disliking Macs is irrelevant. The issue at hand is:

- Anet sells Guild Wars 2 as working on Macs
- Guild Wars 2 does not work on Macs (performance was pretty poor leading up to HoT and nearly unplayable since HoT (which was known before launch, but they sold it anyway))

Therefore, they need to either fix the Mac client as a priority or end support for it and compensate those who purchased for Mac use.

I hope they make a native client, but one may think they should end support rather than devote time to fixing the issue, and that is valid either way. However, opinions about whether people like Macs or not just does not matter relative to the situation and one would think, as a fellow customer, even those who don’t like Macs could get behind this situation having a resolution.

Did you even read my post or just read that one line and that’s it?
I hate it when people don’t even read a well thought out post…

But you are right. They need to either fix the mac client or end support to focus on more important issues and I hope they choose to end support not because I dislike macs, but because I want to see ArenaNet put more resources in new content since we are in need of it. Maybe resume the Mac client later? Idk… I just don’t think the mac client should be priority since PC gamers majority use Windows and that’s where the market is.

I have a laptop that runs Linux and I have it working on it. My main computer runs Windows.

Anyway back on topic I would personally like to see the developers work on the Mac client or at least improve the beta they realeased in 2012. Even though I don’t have own a Mac.

They are working on a Mac client that uses OpenGL. But no promises which I think is a smart statement to make because we all know how people get upset if something is “promised” and doesn’t work out.

Testing/working on it.

When we shipped the game originally we used a third-party shell to ‘host’ the Windows version. While this got the product out the door on Mac there are some things we haven’t been able to do to make it a true Mac application. We are actively experimenting with getting native code that runs directly on the Mac with OpenGL etc. I don’t know how long it will take to make it “real” but I can say that this week we finally got it compiling, linking, and starting up on a Mac before it crashes at the login screen.

But no promises.

We don’t have much to say about it. That’s often why we are silent. I don’t want to give you all hope of something only to take it away if it doesn’t work out.

DreamyAbaddon.3265:

Did you even read my post or just read that one line and that’s it?
I hate it when people don’t even read a well thought out post…

I did read your entire post. Which part did you think was well thought-out and germane?

On the topic, though, I think it is obvious that Anet dearly wants to maintain the Mac user revenue stream or they’d have not knowingly sold HoT as Mac ready when they knew it no longer worked. Whether they are willing (and able) to truly dedicate the resources to the OpenGL client so they can retain the market is another matter. I’m also sceptical as to whether they are serious about it and can do it based on their track record. I will be pleasantly surprised if they do, however.

I’m not well verse in technology, but last I read in the forum GW2 still uses DX9 right?

If they could get a OpenGL version of the client working, then they can get a Mac client up and running, and improve the performance of the Windows version by going to OpenGL no? Assuming OpenGL is somehow better than DX9?

ananda.5946:

DreamyAbaddon.3265:

Did you even read my post or just read that one line and that’s it?
I hate it when people don’t even read a well thought out post…

I did read your entire post. Which part did you think was well thought-out and germane?

On the topic, though, I think it is obvious that Anet dearly wants to maintain the Mac user revenue stream or they’d have not knowingly sold HoT as Mac ready when they knew it no longer worked. Whether they are willing (and able) to truly dedicate the resources to the OpenGL client so they can retain the market is another matter. I’m also sceptical as to whether they are serious about it and can do it based on their track record. I will be pleasantly surprised if they do, however.

My post has nothing to do with Why I dislike Macs.. It has to do with explaining how and why Apple Computers have hardware limitations which prevents most game developers making their games on mac as a vaiable platform. If you read the entire post you would have known that and wouldn’t have responded to the quote “I dislike macs because”

Yes I dislike macs because they are not a viable platform for game devs due to hardware limitations which prevents the game devs creating software and hardware innovation.
That’s why you’ll never see VR gaming on Macs… Macs are underpowered computers that can’t handle it. That’s why so many games dont get released on macs. It’s not about tapping the Mac Market, it’s the question of “is the Mac computers a viable platform for this game?” and while we do have a Mac beta client, it’s just beta… And right now ArenaNet needs to put more resources on new content on a platform that majority of us own, Windows is the main market… And leave the Mac client alone until they can release new and steady content, then maybe resume the Mac client as a side project until we get a fully working mac version but this shouldn’t be priority. With a Mac it should be easy to boot up Windows. Just use that and you should be fine… Really.

DreamyAbaddon.3265:

And leave the Mac client alone until they can release new and steady content, then maybe resume the Mac client as a side project until we get a fully working mac version but this shouldn’t be priority.

As posted above Anet is working/testing a Mac OpenGL client. I do not know if these are Anet staff doing it in their own free time or if they were hired to do so (a Mac team was promised for a few years when the Mac forum was still open). That stated, the devs working on making the client compatible with Mac/OpenGL may not necessarily have the same skill set to work on content updates. Perhaps they were hired just for the reason to make the Mac client work again. Taking them off that project would not necessarily mean they can just go work on content updates for the game as whole.

The fact is Anet advertises a client for Mac that they say works when it is well known it does not. It appears since they are testing a new client they are concerned with fixing that. If they complete the project or not who knows. But it appears at least on the surface they are interested in doing so. Once again, those working on the conversion to OpenGL may not be able to work on general game content updates as I imagine that is a different skill set.

I’m sorry if the fact that they are working to fix the broken client makes you feel like Anet is not working on what they should be. I imagine the many people that use Macs and bought the game because it has been advertised to work on Macs may disagree.

JustTrogdor.7892:

DreamyAbaddon.3265:

And leave the Mac client alone until they can release new and steady content, then maybe resume the Mac client as a side project until we get a fully working mac version but this shouldn’t be priority.

As posted above Anet is working/testing a Mac OpenGL client. I do not know if these are Anet staff doing it in their own free time or if they were hired to do so (a Mac team was promised for a few years when the Mac forum was still open). That stated, the devs working on making the client compatible with Mac/OpenGL may not necessarily have the same skill set to work on content updates. Perhaps they were hired just for the reason to make the Mac client work again. Taking them off that project would not necessarily mean they can just go work on content updates for the game as whole.

The fact is Anet advertises a client for Mac that they say works when it is well known it does not. It appears since they are testing a new client they are concerned with fixing that. If they complete the project or not who knows. But it appears at least on the surface they are interested in doing so. Once again, those working on the conversion to OpenGL may not be able to work on general game content updates as I imagine that is a different skill set.

I’m sorry if the fact that they are working to fix the broken client makes you feel like Anet is not working on what they should be. I imagine the many people that use Macs and bought the game because it has been advertised to work on Macs may disagree.

The Mac Forum is no longer open because it’s no longer being worked on. ArenaNet is also interested in tapping the console market but they aren’t working on that either right now. Mac users should be greatful they can even run GW2 on naitive OSX… but why bother when Mac users can boot Windows on their mac and play it better anyways? You’re right we don’t know who was building the Mac client or the skill-level of the devs that made it but this really shouldn’t be a priority as reasons I stated above.
In an ideal world, the more platforms a game is released the better since you’d make more money but in reality, it takes money to make money and it cost a lot of money to even make a client on a different platform and when money is limit it’s best to focus on a platform that’s popular and viable, that being Windows.

DreamyAbaddon.3265:

JustTrogdor.7892:

DreamyAbaddon.3265:

And leave the Mac client alone until they can release new and steady content, then maybe resume the Mac client as a side project until we get a fully working mac version but this shouldn’t be priority.

As posted above Anet is working/testing a Mac OpenGL client. I do not know if these are Anet staff doing it in their own free time or if they were hired to do so (a Mac team was promised for a few years when the Mac forum was still open). That stated, the devs working on making the client compatible with Mac/OpenGL may not necessarily have the same skill set to work on content updates. Perhaps they were hired just for the reason to make the Mac client work again. Taking them off that project would not necessarily mean they can just go work on content updates for the game as whole.

The fact is Anet advertises a client for Mac that they say works when it is well known it does not. It appears since they are testing a new client they are concerned with fixing that. If they complete the project or not who knows. But it appears at least on the surface they are interested in doing so. Once again, those working on the conversion to OpenGL may not be able to work on general game content updates as I imagine that is a different skill set.

I’m sorry if the fact that they are working to fix the broken client makes you feel like Anet is not working on what they should be. I imagine the many people that use Macs and bought the game because it has been advertised to work on Macs may disagree.

The Mac Forum is no longer open because it’s no longer being worked on.

Can you give me a source on that? Did you even read my post above? I’ll quote it again.

Testing/working on it.

When we shipped the game originally we used a third-party shell to ‘host’ the Windows version. While this got the product out the door on Mac there are some things we haven’t been able to do to make it a true Mac application. We are actively experimenting with getting native code that runs directly on the Mac with OpenGL etc. I don’t know how long it will take to make it “real” but I can say that this week we finally got it compiling, linking, and starting up on a Mac before it crashes at the login screen.

But no promises.

We don’t have much to say about it. That’s often why we are silent. I don’t want to give you all hope of something only to take it away if it doesn’t work out.

Also here is another red post stating they are working on it.

Jon Olson.8439:

Hello,

We know the Cider wrapper isn’t the greatest. One of the reasons we don’t tend to respond to a lot of Mac specific posts is because an overwhelming majority of them are shared with Windows users. I do want to assure you all that we are actively fixing bugs on all clients. Some are quick to fix, some take a fair bit of time. Please try to be patient and keep submitting those reports!

Thanks!

Also the Mac forum was closed because they condensed the support forums into one (account/tech support/Mac). For reference.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/info/news/Forum-Reorganization/

Account and Technical Support (Mac Tech support will be rolled into this sub-forum)

Not going to argue with you. I already reported this thread for going off topic once again as another PC v Mac thread. It’s unfortunate that Anet’s Mac customers can’t make a thread without that happening. Have a good one.

JustTrogdor.7892:

DreamyAbaddon.3265:

JustTrogdor.7892:

DreamyAbaddon.3265:

And leave the Mac client alone until they can release new and steady content, then maybe resume the Mac client as a side project until we get a fully working mac version but this shouldn’t be priority.

As posted above Anet is working/testing a Mac OpenGL client. I do not know if these are Anet staff doing it in their own free time or if they were hired to do so (a Mac team was promised for a few years when the Mac forum was still open). That stated, the devs working on making the client compatible with Mac/OpenGL may not necessarily have the same skill set to work on content updates. Perhaps they were hired just for the reason to make the Mac client work again. Taking them off that project would not necessarily mean they can just go work on content updates for the game as whole.

The fact is Anet advertises a client for Mac that they say works when it is well known it does not. It appears since they are testing a new client they are concerned with fixing that. If they complete the project or not who knows. But it appears at least on the surface they are interested in doing so. Once again, those working on the conversion to OpenGL may not be able to work on general game content updates as I imagine that is a different skill set.

I’m sorry if the fact that they are working to fix the broken client makes you feel like Anet is not working on what they should be. I imagine the many people that use Macs and bought the game because it has been advertised to work on Macs may disagree.

The Mac Forum is no longer open because it’s no longer being worked on.

Can you give me a source on that? Did you even read my post above? I’ll quote it again.

Testing/working on it.

When we shipped the game originally we used a third-party shell to ‘host’ the Windows version. While this got the product out the door on Mac there are some things we haven’t been able to do to make it a true Mac application. We are actively experimenting with getting native code that runs directly on the Mac with OpenGL etc. I don’t know how long it will take to make it “real” but I can say that this week we finally got it compiling, linking, and starting up on a Mac before it crashes at the login screen.

But no promises.

We don’t have much to say about it. That’s often why we are silent. I don’t want to give you all hope of something only to take it away if it doesn’t work out.

Also here is another red post stating they are working on it.

Jon Olson.8439:

Hello,

We know the Cider wrapper isn’t the greatest. One of the reasons we don’t tend to respond to a lot of Mac specific posts is because an overwhelming majority of them are shared with Windows users. I do want to assure you all that we are actively fixing bugs on all clients. Some are quick to fix, some take a fair bit of time. Please try to be patient and keep submitting those reports!

Thanks!

Also the Mac forum was closed because they condensed the support forums into one (account/tech support/Mac). For reference.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/info/news/Forum-Reorganization/

Account and Technical Support (Mac Tech support will be rolled into this sub-forum)

Not going to argue with you. I already reported this thread for going off topic once again as another PC v Mac thread. It’s unfortunate that Anet’s Mac customers can’t make a thread without that happening. Have a good one.

There is no need to argue. You made your point and provided evidance to back it up.
However, that doesn’t mean I agree with ArenaNet supporting Mac client, not until we get more new content first that the game lacks. Either way, ArenaNet does what ArenaNet wants, there is nothing we can do about it but hope for the best.

MACs are great machines for designing, but were not meant for playing games. I would highly recommend purchasing a PC with Windows 7 Pro if you want to play games in the best quality.

Smooth Penguin.5294:

MACs are great machines for designing, but were not meant for playing games. I would highly recommend purchasing a PC with Windows 7 Pro if you want to play games in the best quality.

Both Macs and PCs are good for designing.
As a creative professional and a gamer, I prefer Windows PC for designing over Macs since I can upgrade my computer and save money and pay less for more power. I don’t have to keep buying a new computer for the latest tech like the Mac. I do video editing with Premier Pro, and I use After Effects with Photoshop. The reason why Windows OS is generally better isn’t because it’s designed better than OSX, it’s because it doesn’t have hardware limitations like OSX does. That, and directX which makes it easier for game developers to make games on. Apple’s exclusive software such as Final Cut Pro are programs that are excellent for us professionals but their hardware lacks power.

OSX and Windows are both nice OS but what holds OSX back is Apple is keeping it a closed system instead of being smart like Microsoft and keeping it open. If they do that, then that would change Macs forever in terms of gaming. New innovation technology for gaming would make OSX even better, such as Oculus Rift, the Omni and etc. But Apple needs to change how they think and licensing their OS. They need to lift hardware limitations so all types of hardware would work with it so when the latest tech does come out, OSX doesn’t have to miss out on the action. Game devs would take advantage of that and so would gamers and designers. OSX is beautiful but it has problems. And those problems need to be addressed.

Edit – Windows is not perfect either and it has problems too, and so does every other OS.

I’m just going to add my two cents here. My discussion will not be about the technical limitations of Mac hardware compared to PC’s, or visa-versa. I’m just commenting on the mac client of the game available now. I’m currently on an iMac, and running the beta version of GW2. The beta version client is the only available GW2 client available for OS X at the moment. Graphically, it’s beautiful, and the sound is top notch as well. The only problem I was having was constant crashing of the game, but only in highly populated, or high action circumstances. For example. I could go to any major city, speak with vendors, work on my professions and such for hours, and the game would run fine. But, when I was out doing a cf in The Silverwastes with a group, the game would crash at least once per a round for me. Or when I was doing the major events in The Silverwastes, on VW, I was guaranteed to crash at some point in the fight. Usually it was right at the end, and before I could get my loot. That also made me miss the train run on the other bosses right afterwards. I usually had to beg for someone to take me into a party, or just party up with me, so that I could at least get back to the same map afterwards, and at the minimum claim my loot from the initial fight. I have communicated with support over this issue, and I have to say that I honestly believe that they have tried their very best to help me. I am more than satisfied with both the quality of their suggestions to assist me, and in how quickly and professionally they addressed me in the first place. But the bottom line is that the current Mac client is just still too unstable at the moment. As I write this, I am now unable to even get into the game anymore with the Mac client. The game crashed on me once again, just yesterday, and I haven’t been able to get back into the game since. I’ve tried uninstalling, and reinstalling it (several times), to no avail. I’ve checked, and double checked my firewall, and security programs to be sure that the game has the correct permissions to push and receive online traffic. I’ve run first aid through the disk utility to be sure that my drives are ok. I’ve tried rebooting at several points of uninstalling, and reinstalling. But nothing is working. I can install the game, but when I try to start it, absolutely nothing happens. When looking under force quit, it shows that GW2 is running, and that’s all that I see of it. There is no window of the actual game that I can change to see it running. Right now, I don’t know if I’m the only one experiencing this problem or not. I do know that Mac players need a working client that’s the equivalent to the 64 bit version for Windows. Please Area Net, help out your Mac players.

DreamyAbaddon.3265:

My post has …

Again, off-topic and inaccurate assessment of reality.

The fact is that Anet offers a Mac solution for GW2. Fact two is that the solution does not work. Discussion topic is, “please, Anet, fix the Mac solution or quit knowingly selling a broken product”.

This will be the last time I’ll reply to this because you seem to be stuck in a recursive loop.

don’t waste time on mac

[We appreciate the feedback and discussion. It appears the relevant information has been shared and now the discussion has derailed. This thread is now closed.]