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Mac version remains unplayable

Discussion in 'Release 8 Feedback' started by Zigmalion, Jul 24, 2014.

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  1. Zigmalion

    Zigmalion Avatar

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    I have a Mac running native Mac OS X 10.9 and Windows 8 partitions using Boot Camp (no virtual machines). SotA, apart from occasional crashes and pre-tuning slowness aside, runs fine on the Windows side. But in every release since the first one (was it R4? Can't recall), the Mac version has been unplayable, being unbearably slow and constantly locking up with "beach balls" (and sometimes in full screen mode, locks so hard I have to shut the computer off to reboot it).

    I've never managed more than about 2-3 minutes with each new Mac release before I get frustrated and reboot into Windows. I should add that I have other games on both the Mac and Windows side (WoW and LOTRO) and neither of those show any Mac performance penalty (maybe a Unity thing?)

    Any other Mac users (or Boot Camp users running both) who are seeing the same? Or if not, did y'all tweak any settings to make the Mac version usable?
     
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  2. Floors

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    If you put the graphics settings on fastest (don't turn shadows on) that helps quite a bit. It will still lock up from time to time.

    This is a pre-alpha, don't forget. It is not a finished game. So it's just something we'll have to suffer with, it's been this way since at least R5.
     
  3. Zigmalion

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    Agreed and understood. I just wonder if it's a known issue that the Mac version is far less optimized or tuned than the Windows version or if it's just something specific to my system or settings. I think I already have the Mac graphics settings set lower than the on the Windows side.
     
  4. Floors

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    They know about it. I have been playing every release and I'm only playing the mac version.

    They're definitely improving each release, so the day I don't lock up on a load screen will be a happy day for me.

    most of the crashes seem to be freezes on loads. I'm pretty stable once I'm in an instance.

    Also decorating is much better than it was last release this time around. Loading is faster, etc.

    So we'll get there. It has to be related to graphics as once you turn shadows on it becomes a lot more problematic I noticed.
     
  5. Zigmalion

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    Thanks. I'll hang tight and keep running in Windows for now as long as the devs are well aware of serious performance issues here. I turned graphics to the bare minimum and once the screen loads up, I get a beach ball for 10-15 minutes at a time before I force quit.

    As a test, I also ran the Windows version through the Mac OS using VMWare Fusion 6 and it runs better in virtualization than the native Mac version!

    [Edit to add: I tweaked settings a little more, went to "fastest" and turned off ALL graphics bells and whistles, and after about 30 seconds of beach balling it started responding. Lowest level graphics are surprisingly adequate, at least while walking around in town!]
     
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