Mac gaming: how's the future?
Author
Hi guys,
I'm new here...got a few question
I just bought a mac and kinda sick of using Windows since then.
But the problem is rite now I'm doin a game programming and kinda desperate knowin what I can't do in Mac. And after an exhaustive search, I found limited reference that may help my intention. Is there any future in Mac-gaming. Will I see a label "game for mac" in the future? Is it worth to fight? Any1 got a reference/tutorial how should i start my path?
thx 4 any reply
sory 4 bad english
I am not a Mac owner, but I do remember that Apple put up Developer Connection: Games on the official site.
It looks like it has a wealth of references, guides, and mailing lists.
Good luck!
EDIT: Oh, and you may want to check out Make Mac Games, a blog from a Mac game developer
It looks like it has a wealth of references, guides, and mailing lists.
Good luck!
EDIT: Oh, and you may want to check out Make Mac Games, a blog from a Mac game developer
Uhm , im not sure i understand what you are asking but ...
There are no real limitations on game development for the Mac. However its small marketshare might make games for it less profitable than games for a larger platform. (Ofcourse there is less competition on the Mac aswell which can be a huge advantage , especially for smaller studios)
There are no real limitations on game development for the Mac. However its small marketshare might make games for it less profitable than games for a larger platform. (Ofcourse there is less competition on the Mac aswell which can be a huge advantage , especially for smaller studios)
No reason you can't build games for both platforms.
Apple's marketshare has been steadily increasing since the start of the Intel transition, and analysts are saying they could have 10-12% of the global computer marketshare by 2009, which is a pretty significant number of computers.
A more Mac-oriented developer community can be found at iDevGames. There are several publishers who put out Mac versions of software, and a bunch of independents happily write software for the platform. It's better than it's ever been, really.
Apple's marketshare has been steadily increasing since the start of the Intel transition, and analysts are saying they could have 10-12% of the global computer marketshare by 2009, which is a pretty significant number of computers.
A more Mac-oriented developer community can be found at iDevGames. There are several publishers who put out Mac versions of software, and a bunch of independents happily write software for the platform. It's better than it's ever been, really.
Enterprise I.T. folks are talking about nothing but virtualization these days. As this trend continues, software will abstract from the operating system. Theoretically, Java was the first major attempt at this, but things have come a long way since then. Already on a Mac there is VMWare and Parallels.
And even more interestingly, you can use CrossOver on a Mac (or Linux box) to run Windows applications... without running (or purchasing) Windows.
I would say: wait until next Monday, when Steve Jobs tells us the "secret features" of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, due in October. At that point, there may be some revelations about native virtualization on the Mac.
More importantly, all Windows/Mac/Linux computers now run on basically the same hardware platform. As this sinks in, more abstracted platforms are guaranteed to emerge.
And on the opposite side: Macs have some serious unique advantages for developers. They impose very strict rules, but if you follow the rules, you can build sophisticated things with very little effort. Have a look, for example, at the Core Animation engine in Leopard.
And even more interestingly, you can use CrossOver on a Mac (or Linux box) to run Windows applications... without running (or purchasing) Windows.
I would say: wait until next Monday, when Steve Jobs tells us the "secret features" of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, due in October. At that point, there may be some revelations about native virtualization on the Mac.
More importantly, all Windows/Mac/Linux computers now run on basically the same hardware platform. As this sinks in, more abstracted platforms are guaranteed to emerge.
And on the opposite side: Macs have some serious unique advantages for developers. They impose very strict rules, but if you follow the rules, you can build sophisticated things with very little effort. Have a look, for example, at the Core Animation engine in Leopard.
Quote:Original post by Ravuya
Apple's marketshare has been steadily increasing since the start of the Intel transition, and analysts are saying they could have 10-12% of the global computer marketshare by 2009, which is a pretty significant number of computers.
Not trying to nitpick or go off-topic or anything, but I'm a little curious as to which analysts pegged Apple's global marketshare potential at 10-12% in only a couple of years? I only mention it as I just finished looking at an IDC report that has Apple's global share estimated at 2.6% at the end of Q1 07, which is a ways away from the double digit range.
Back on topic, that 2.6% still represents about 6 million new Macs a year, which says something about just how huge the global computer market really is. [smile] That little fact has already encouraged us to ensure that our next title is easily portable to at least the new Intel Macs (using OpenSceneGraph for rendering, and multi-platform support libraries wherever possible). I've also heard that conversion rates are higher among Macintosh owners (which would make some sense as there's less software to choose from), though I've never come across any hard data to back that up. Still, a market base numbering in the many tens of millions is nothing to sneeze at, so yeah I'd say it's worth pursuing. Or at least a lot more worth it than for a certain other UNIX-inspired operating system platform. [wink]
Quote:Original post by Chadra
snip... Already on a Mac there is VMWare and Parallels.
Thought I would post this... ">VMWare Fusion - Unity YouTube Video
Quote:Original post by smc">VMWare Fusion - Unity YouTube Video
Thought I would post this...
Cool. If that works as well as it apears to be, I can see a lot of people switching.
Quote:Original post by smc">VMWare Fusion - Unity YouTube VideoQuote:Original post by Chadra
snip... Already on a Mac there is VMWare and Parallels.
Thought I would post this...
In the same vein, Parallels already have coherence for semi-seamless integration of windows applications directly on the mac desktop. In the next version of parallels, which is due "soon", they've also included accelerated 3D in the virtualized enivornment.
As for the future of gaming on the Mac; Hellgate: London is supposedly to be released with Mac support, which is about the only thing gaming-wise I care about at the moment.
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