Guild Wars 2

SatyrBuddy.1586

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Really guys, use it. Get other people to use it. It sucks in a few cases but they need to be pushed to get a native client.

I’d really like to think that, but the pattern I’ve seen many developers take is to continue to lean more heavily on Cider if people use it.

I’m seeing terms like “slightly diminished” and “small performance hit” etc.

Let me just state well established fact that is in no way based on opinion that “slight” and “small” is no way to describe the huge performance hit made by using a wrapper like Cider. I tested on a hackintosh using a GTX 570 as well as a 2012 iMac with Bootcamp. A 40% performance hit isn’t “small” or “slightly diminished”. That’s absolutely absurd.

Granted, it works, it is hardly what a native port could accomplish. From a business standpoint it no longer makes sense to use DirectX1x as a primary development platform if you want to port your software. Native ports are always better, but if a Ciderized game is a way for a developer to do a feasibility study more power to them, it’s their work.

Is it better than nothing? That’s up for debate and opinion based. Some people are grateful for a prepackaged wrapper because it’s “good enough”. For what you get shortchanged over compared to the Windows version, I view it as kind of insulting. I don’t want to discourage the developers, however, so it’s worth trying and encouraging their efforts. Ultimately though, developers really need to stop using DirectX for their graphics. The OpenGL 3.2 implementation on OSX isn’t the greatest, but it should be more than capable of handling the visual goals of most developers. This is especially true for GW2.

Do not have any illusions about a Ciderized port being good for the Mac. On its technical merits it’s a disaster, and on its ethical merits it’s at best a “well, we know you exist”. Transgaming is a blight and a truly disgusting thing to see. I’m glad they are at least putting some resources into the Mac, but I usually avoid Cider ports. I know they may not have the resources to justify a re-code to OpenGL, but to that effect I point at the developers that say a native port is monetarily justified. Look at Valve, id software, and Blizzard. Granted the WoW Mac client may not be the greatest, it’s native and it’s better than running it on Wine/Cider. Those developers have stated on several occasions that a native client stands on its own two legs from a business perspective. I encourage ArenaNet to seriously consider setting up a few FTE’s in their budget to start from the ground up and do a truly native port that relies on OpenGL 3.2. Not only will it make your codebase better, but you’ll reach more customers. I don’t care what Transgaming is telling you, you just aren’t going to get “good enough” performance going this route.