Windows Gaming on a Mac FAQ

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Welcome to the Windows Gaming on a Mac FAQ. Mac's are great computers and taking them into Windows for the purpose of gaming only makes them better! If you are happy with native Mac gaming, that is outstanding. However if you want to expand your horizons and don't mind dealing with the "dark side", if you have the proper Mac, an intel Mac capable of running Windows, with the expense of purchasing the Windows OS, you'll have many more options for itching that never ending gaming itch. :)

This FAQ will not answer every windows question. Originally I created this FAQ as I ran into problems when gaming on my PC. But now that I have a Mac Book Pro, I am playing a wide variety of Windows only games, top notch AAA titles such as Crysis and The Witcher on my Mac. I realize the MacRumor Guides are collaborative efforts. My only request is that if you add information, please don't go crazy changing the format of this FAQ, feel free to add content, but please don't delete content unless you are sure it is obsolete and please include a good description of what you edited. It will be easier for me to keep it updated.

If you prefer to send me your suggestions, tips, or solutions, please go to please Private Message me, and I'll make sure they are added to this guide. Thanks!

Disclaimer: A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE INFO CONTAINED IN THIS GUIDE MAY BE OUT OF DATE. I'm better at adding, than pruning.

Starting March 2012 I have started to update this guide and remove outdated info.- Huntn

My hardware: MacBook Pro 2.2 GHz intel i7, 4GB Ram, Radeon HD 6750M (1GB VRAM), 64b Windows7; 1.8 dual G5, a 3.0 Pentium4 PC with 4GB RAM, and MacBook 2.2 Ghz Intel Core Duo, 2GB Ram with the Chipset: GMAx3100. This circa 2008 MacBook is a step above previous model MacBook as it appears to have better graphics support for shaders. -Dave Peck (Hunt'n)

This FAQ continues here: Windows Gaming on a Mac FAQ Part 2

Native Mac gaming performance can be posted in the MacRumors Native Game Performance On Your Mac Guide.

Contents

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Updates

  • 09Sep12- Updated the Mac Centric Gamer Hardware Section to reflect choices as of Sept 2012. In the Part 2 link above, added instructions for running two monitors in Windows. Added link for Tune Up Utilities under Handy Windows Utilities section
  • 26Apr12- Added new section Windows Native or Virtualized? and updated MacCentric Gamer Hardware Section.
  • 16Mar12- Started first step of reorganization of guide and re-categorization of old info. Under Misc Links, after Laptops To Go info, added new links for Bootcamp compatibility, Bootcamp how-to, and a link for Will This Game Run On My Hardware?.
  • 29Nov11- I acknowledge that formatting in this article is poor. I tweaked the sections a bit to make the Vampire:The Masquerade section look better.
  • 28Nov11- Added updated Vampire: The Masquerede Bloodlines Info under Game Specific Help Pages Section.
  • 8/13- Added link for installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 under Boot Camp 3.0. in the Misc Links section.
  • 7/22- Added section on Moving Windows Steam Game Content in the Specific Game Help Section.
  • 3/14/10- Added MacRumors thread about Steam coming to Mac in the Thread Section.
  • 11/8- Updated LapTopToGo/Nvidia beta driver section link on "find drivers here". Added Dragon Age Origins performance under Mac Book Pro section.
  • 10/30- Added Moving Steam Application under Game Specific Help Pages Section.
  • 9/13- Added Mac Centric Gamer's Hardware Choices Section.
  • 6/5- Added MacRumor thread link in the MacRumor thread section.
  • 5/7/09- Added The Mac Gamers Age Of Conan System Compatability Guide, and Gunbound Works! MacRumors forum threads.
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Mac Centric Gamer's Hardware Choices September 2012

1. Money Is No Object: MacPro + PC Purchase- $4200-5500. Price reflects MacPro ($2400-$3800), Monitor ($200), PC + monitor ($1500-2000). Why spend all this money? If there is a professional reason, maybe. Otherwise if the focus is playing games, see choice No.3 and 4.

2. Travelers Extravagance: MacBookPro+ PC- $3300-$4200. Price reflects MacBookPro ($18-2200), PC+ monitor ($1500-$2000). If you travel a lot a MacBookPro is a must. Windows can be installed on it and it functions as a mid range gaming platform handling AAA games adequately. Best of both worlds. See choice No.5 for a less expensive option.

3. Money Is An Object But I Got Some: iMac + PC Purchase- $2700-4000. Price reflects iMac ($1200-$2000), PC + monitor ($1500-2000). Consider choice No.4.

4. Let's Get Real: iMac/MacPro+ Windows install + Console- $2300-$2800. Mac/PC in one, plus console. Pick at $2000, 27"iMac or $2500 Quad Core MacPro. Then add $300 for a console. Most gaming options. I believe the sweet spot here would be a 27" iMac + console. Unless there is a profession need, the $3800 12 Core Mac Pro is overkill which would push the price up to a total of $4200.

5. Moderate Traveler: MacBookPro+ console- $2100-2500. Mac/PC in one, plus console. Price reflects MacBookPro ($1800-2200) and $300 console. If you travel a lot a MacBookPro is a must. Windows can be installed on it and it functions as a mid range gaming platform handling AAA games adequately. If you can afford the extra $400 go for the 15" 2.6GHz model with 1GB VRAM. At home it is easy to hook up a second monitor ($200) and an external keyboard ($70) for the desktop feel. This is my choice as of Sept 2012, I am running AAA games at around 30 fps. Best of both worlds.- Huntn.

6. Economy: Mac/Bootcamp+ Windows install + Console- $1500-$1800. Mac/PC in one. Price reflects the two 21.5" iMac models ($1200-1500). Moderate gaming machine although, game performance would have to be evaluated on a game by game basis. Drop the console and save $300.

7. EconomyTraveler: 13"MacBook Pro or MacBook Air + Windows install + Console- $1300-$1800. Mac/PC in one. 13" MacBook Pro ($1200-1500); MacBook Air ($1000-1500). These models have integrated graphics that do not deliver as good performance as dedicated graphics you'll find in the 15" MacBookPro, choice No.5. Game performance would have to be evaluated on a game by game basis. At this price range, to open game options, you should keep the console. For the low end MacBook Air, some consideration should be given to an iPad instead.

8. iPod/iPhone/iPad- There are games to be played, but not to be confused with gaming on a MacBook Air and up. From this group iPad best choice $400-800 depending on model.

Other Considerations:

  • Console- Best choice $$, strictly for gaming, no OS period, none of the standard OS/online abilities (approx $350 invest).
  • Mac Native- (Playing only Mac native games) If you really like casual gaming (I Spy, Cosmic Encounter, etc) or don't mind a limited number of delayed compromised AAA ports. You'll only miss out on most of the biggest titles- The Old Republic, Guild Wars 2, Half Life2, Crysis, Witcher, Oblivion, etc, etc. You've all ready spent the money on a Mac, $70 more (Win7) and you just quadrupled your options, if not more.
  • PC- No MacOS= individual preference. Over the years Windows has gotten better, but the MacOS is still superior. My opinion- Huntn (approx $1500-2000 invest)
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Windows Native or Virtualized?

  • The Best Way To Run Windows On Your Mac @MacWorld. (April 2012) This article only mentions Bootcamp in passing, but it does say the best performance, especially gaming, is through running Windows natively on your Mac with Bootcamp install of Windows. Of the Virtualized Software, it mentions Parallels 7 as the best choice, however it won't be as good as running Windows natively on your Intel Mac. If you consider your Mac a mid level gaming machine and want the best performance you can buy a copy of Windows7 for as low as $100. A little more than the purchase of Parallels7 and you have maximized your performance which for AAA games is important.
  • Virtualized/Other Choices are: CodeWeaver's CrossOver (software runs under Mac $50 free trial), Parallels Desktop (Virtualized $80 free trial), VMware Fusion ($50 free trial), and Virtual-Box (free but geeky).
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Demo & Download Links

  • Gamers Hell.com- recommended Download Site, good speeds and minimal hassles.
[edit]

Old Demo & Download Links


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Misc Links (Boot Camp, New Mac Hardware, Parallels, Windows Related)

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Mac Rumor Threads

  • The selection of MacRumor threads were getting on the old side. Better to start fresh.
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Game Specific Help Pages

This section is based on user submissions and reads like forum posts because in many cases they are!

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Old Game Specific Help Pages

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BattleField2142

What can I do when I get a Can't find install folder or Newer version is already installed errors when I'm trying to patch?

This is caused by a bug that somehow prevents directory info for the game to be placed in the registry when it is originally installed. It seems to be a common problem with this game. The easiest thing to do is to uninstall the game, but don't be surprised if the uninstaller does not work, cause it can't find the game! This is what happened to me.

First I tried to follow Electronic Arts Tech Support advice and make some registry entries for the game. To see these instruction click on the link, fill in your computer specific info and search on "Patch errors". This can be really dangerous if you mess up. Open the registry and add version and install directory information for BF2142.. I tried this but it did not work for me cause I was not sure of the version and build number info.

Even following the advice of making a backup of the registry, I had difficulties restoring it using EA's instructions. BTW here is a MS link on backing up the registry. In my case I run a utility called System Suite, which has a built in registry saver that makes it very easy to revert to an older version of the registry.

So I reverted to the previous copy of the registry. Because neither the game's uninstaller or the WinXP Control Panel for uninstalling programs worked, I went to my game folder and manually removed the Battlefield2142 folder, then I ran System Suite to clean up whatever Registry errors it could find. Then I reinstalled the game and this time the patch worked.

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Bioshock Activation Revoke Tool

Bioshock will allow a couple of installs. The game is activated over the internet with a 2K server. I'm not exactly sure how many activations are allowed with a single serial number, but there is at least two as I have it installed on my P4 and on my MBP (running Vista). 2K Games has released an Activation Revoke Tool to allow at least one of the legal activations to be revoked. It looks like they are working to make this tool so it will revoke all activations, but that is not online yet. Visit The Cult of Rapture link to read more about it. Those who know me, know that I think activation of games sucks mostly because it complicates the sale of a used game. However this seems like a good compromise.- submitted by Hunt'n 1/08.

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Elder Scrolls 3 Morrowind

(Added Sept 08 by Huntn) This is an older game. The good news is that it runs in Vista. It should run in XP with no problems. I'm running it specifically in the 32 bit Vista version. There are a couple of good points to make. The following link is of great help for nailing down Morrowind problems.

  • Morrowind Troubleshooting & Optimizing for Windows (Includes Vista) link.
  • Secondly I noticed that when installing Morrowind, there is no option to install it anywhere else than your C Drive. That is your home directory. However, regarding a troubleshooting problem, I discovered that this game can be moved to another location by simply dragging the game folder. Yes, I know that in another place in this guide, its says do not drag programs or you'll break them. This is a case where this will not happen. That note will be updated in the future, however don't go thinking that all programs can be dragged around in Windows. Some will break. :)
  • After the install I was getting a message on game launch: Failed to load snowflake: Meshese\BM_snow01.nif. I found the answer in the above link. For this specific problem you simple drag the game folder to another location. I have a portable drive I use with windows, so I dragged it to my E drive and the game at that point worked just fine.
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Morrowind Troubleshooting with Vista

(reprinted from Forumplanet link) because you never know how long a link will exist online and this info actually came from the Morrowind Tech forum.

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Font 0 not found in Morrowind.ini=
  • This is a fairly common error no matter what operating system you're using, but it seems to be most common on Vista. The first thing you should do is reinstall Morrowind by following these instructions:
  • First, uninstall the game using Windows Add/Remove Programs. Then delete the Morrowind folder from your hard drive - (default location) C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Morrowind - empty your recycle bin, and restart your computer. Once your computer restarts, disconnect from the internet and SHUT DOWN your anti-virus software and your firewall (this is probably what messed up the install the first time), then reinstall the game in the following order - Morrowind, Tribunal, then Bloodmoon.
  • If that doesn't help, then see the section right below this one (2b) for more suggestions.
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Error message - Failed to load snowflake: Meshes\BM_Snow01.nif
  • This is a very common error message to get after installing the Bloodmoon expansion. Unfortunately, there is no one solution to it that works for everybody. But it's still a very solvable problem. ;^)
  • First, I recommend you try the simplest solution, which also happens to be the one that seems to work for most everybody. I recommend simply moving the whole Morrowind (or Bethesda Softworks) folder to a new location on your hard drive because the default install location (C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Morrowind) has so many permission restrictions (and other weird things of different kinds that nobody really understands) that it's just a bad place to run Morrowind from. I recommend you paste your entire Morrowind, or Bethesda Softworks, folder to your root C:\ directory - so its install path is, for example, C:\Morrowind.
  • After that, you can try right-clicking the Morrowind.exe file in the installed Morrowind folder and choosing the Run as Administrator option, then try playing. If that fails, then return to the Morrowind.exe properties and, in addition to the previous, try running it in Windows XP SP2 compatibility mode.
  • If that still doesn't work, then open your Morrowind.ini file (located right in the installed Morrowind folder (you may have to click the "Compatibility Files" tab in the top-right corner to see this file)) and find the Archives section. It should look like this:

[Archives] Archive 0=Tribunal.bsa Archive 1=Bloodmoon.bsa

  • If either of these lines are missing, then copy and paste them into your Morrowind.ini file and save it. Also, while you're there, right-click your Morrowind.ini file, look at its properties, and make sure that it is NOT read only.
  • If that still doesn't help, then try opening the Tribunal CD in Explorer, right-click Setup.exe, and choose the Run as Administrator option. Then disconnect from the internet, disable any anti-virus, anti-spyware, or firewall software you're using and double-click the file Setup.exe on the Tribunal CD to reinstall Tribunal. Then repeat this process with the Bloodmoon CD.
  • If that still doesn't work, then as a last resort you can copy and paste the Data Files folders from the Tribunal and Bloodmoon CDs to the installed Morrowind folder on your hard drive. By default, the game gets its art files from the installed BSA files, but it looks for them in the Data Files first; so putting them in the Data Files should fix your problem, but it will use more hard drive space. After you copy the files over, to get some of your hard drive space back, you might be able to delete the Tribunal.bsa and Bloodmoon.bsa files from your hard drive and also remove both of the Archive entries in your Morrowind.ini file - I've never tried this, though, so don't permanently delete the files until you're sure it isn't causing any problems.
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The game crashes upon exiting the boat in the very beginning
  • This is another very common problem, but luckily this one has a simple work-around that seems to work for everybody. Simply Alt-Tab out of the game, then bring the game back up. You may have to try this a few times, and you may have to have another program open (Notepad works great ;^) before this works. Exiting the ship is apparently the only transition area where this problem occurs.
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Missing Saves folder
  • To see your Saves folder, open your installed Morrowind folder and click the Compatibility Files tab towards the top-right corner of the explorer window. You might be able to avoid the "compatibility files" by running the game in Windows XP 2 compatibility mode, which should create a new Saves folder right in your installed Morrowind folder (you can merge the two saves folders by copying the one from the compatibility tab and pasting it into the Morrowind folder).
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Console won't open
  • If you press the ~ (or `) key on your keyboard in-game and the console does not open, then you probably have one of the same problems as the XP users who can't open their consoles, but I'm putting this in the Vista section because infrared devices and fancy shmancy keyboards are very common on Vista machines so this problem appears a LOT.
  • Anyway, you should first disable (unplug or disable in Device Manager) any infrared devices connected to your computer. If that doesn't help, then you can either try using an old-school PS/2 keyboard or else try using a different driver with your current keyboard. You can check the keyboard manufacturer's website for a new driver, or else try the Windows' included drivers. Do the following to try drivers included with Windows:

1. Open the Windows Control Panel, open Device Manager, find the Keyboards subheading and click the little plus sign to expand it. 2. Right-click on your keyboard and choose "Update Driver." 3. Choose "browse my computer..." then "let me pick from a list..." 4. Then choose a driver from the list. The PC/AT Enhanced PS/2 Keyboard (101/102-Key) driver is supposed to work great for the new HP Media Keyboards, but you may have to try several drivers before you find one that will work with your keyboard and open the Morrowind console (or you may not find one at all). Just remember to restart your computer every time you change the driver. Good luck!

[edit]
FPS tip

This is a tip that was posted in the official TES forums' Vista Problems thread, so I figured I might as well post it here. :^) Right-click your Morrowind shortcut, open the compatibility tab, check the boxes next to "disable desktop compositon," "disable visual themes," and "disable display scaling on high DPI settings."


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Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion

Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion FAQ

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Galactic civilizations II

Ran into weird bug running this on macbook pro, core 2 duo, 2.16 ghz, 1gb ram, 128 mb ati x1600, win xp home sp2, updated all the way (except int explorer, screw that thing). System randomly _reboots_ if 'software cursor' selected (which is the default). selected 'hardware cursor' and no random reboots so far...

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Half Life 2

-Resetting a used HL2 key- would be necessary if purchasing a used registered copy of HL2. Purchasing a used copy of HL2 puts you at the mercy and totally depends on the honesty of the seller. If a particular CD code has been banned, Valve will not reset it. See the link.

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Steam- Moving Windows Steam Game Content

  1. Steam Support-How to move your Windows Steam installation.
  2. Moving Your Steam Application to a New Location- Steampowered.com FAQ.
  3. For Moving Mac Steam Game Content see this MacRumors Guide.

The following instructions are a simple way to move your Windows Steam installation along with your games. See the link for the full description.

  1. Exit the Steam client application.
  2. Browse to the Steam installation folder for the Steam installation you would like to move (C:\Program Files\Steam by default).
  3. Delete all of the files and folders except the SteamApps folder and Steam.exe
  4. Cut and paste the whole Steam folder to the new location, for example: D:\Games\Steam\
  5. Launch Steam and log into your account.

Steam will briefly update and then you will be ready to play. All future game content will be downloaded to the new folder (D:\Games\Steam\SteamApps\ in this example)

  • If you encounter any errors during the move process or when Steam is launched from the new location, it may be necessary to perform a more thorough process:
  1. Exit the Steam client application.
  2. Browse to the Steam installation folder for the Steam installation (continuing the from the last section example, this would be the new location of D:\Games\Steam\.
  3. Move the SteamApps folder from the Steam installation folder to your desktop.
  4. Review the Uninstalling Steam topic for instructions to uninstall Steam (this must be done to remove your old Steam installation settings from the Windows Registry).
  5. Review the Installing Steam topic for instructions to re-install Steam to the desired location.
  6. Move the SteamApps folder into the new Steam installation folder to copy all of your downloaded game content, settings, and saved games to the new location.
  7. Start Steam and log in to your existing Steam account to confirm that the move was successful.
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Theatre of War

For those with ATI cards you might find that something odd happens when in Boot Camp ... the game starts and runs upside down. Simple fix ... first start it up and navigate to the graphics options screen and set your resolution as required (mine 1680x1050). Save and quit. Then open the ww.ini file in the game directory and edit the state "true" to state "false" in the line - "changeScreenRes". Then restart and it'll be fine.

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Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines

(Updated as of Nov 2011)

  • Vampire: The Masquerade- Bloodlines will not run under Mac Steam. This info is for running the game under Bootcamp/Window/Steam.
  • The game came out in 2004 for Windows XP or 98 (can't remember). The good news is that this excellent atmospheric game can be played under Windows 7 including 64 bit installed through Steam and available for purchase on Steam. If you check the game requirements prior to purchase you will see there is no mention of Windows 7 for the Operating System. This info came from the official Steam Forums originally posted by Darkbyke], but this post is now archived, so I have repeated the info here. I (Huntn) recently installed the game through Steam, got the first error listed below, installed the unofficial patch and made the settings changes as noted below (15mb memory error).
  • Error: Unable to run, less that 15mb memory available. This is the error you will most likely see if you install the game through Steam and then try to run it under Windows 7.
  • Refer to these links:

Unofficial Patch 7.6 is out! (15July11) and The Patches Scrolls for Vampire: The Masquerade-Bloodlines #77

  • Download Unofficial English Patch

from this Patches Scrolls Vampire Bloodlines Page. Run the patch. I chose PLUS version. Huntn Note: There are two newer patches. I used #77, but two more have come out since. It is suggested that you back up your Vampire Bloodlines Install before applying patch if you have room to do so.

  • Choose to install to your steam directory

Typically "C:\Program Files(x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\vampire the masquerade bloodlines". If you have installed Steam on a different hard drive, go find it.

  • To Correct Black Intro Screen with sound, but no logos:

This is annoying during game startup. Once in the game, there should be no issues. To correct, in the Steam\SteamApps\common\vampire the masquerade-bloodlines directory right-click on the Vampire.exe application, select Properties, then Compatibility and click the Disable Visual Themes and Disable Desktop Composition boxes. Huntn Note: This is not within the Steam Application while the game is running. This is within the Steam directory on your hard drive. This worked for me.

  • To Prevent Auto Updating:

Under the Steam Game Library Menu:(while running Steam, before launching the game) right-click Vampire The Masquerade game, select Properties and under the General Tab un-check the box labeled Enable Steam Community In-Game box. Under the Update Tab, under Automatic Updates select Do Not Automatically Update This Game. Huntn Note: I could not get the "disable auto update" selection to stick when I tried it.

  • Error: Failed to find Steam

Launch the Game within Steam. Unverified Second Option: Run Steam as an administrator AND set the Vampire.exe to run as an admin as well. You should also be launching the game from Steam. Always restart Steam after setting to Admin... some users aren't doing this.

  • Error: I'm missing textures!

Bump Mapping: is checked ON under game settings (while game is running. Also, doesn't hurt to restart the game, I know I had missing textures (they appeared as a pink/black chessboard) and I restarted the game with bump mapping on and they restored properly. It is recommended that this game be installed with the official 1.2 patch and then one of the available unofficial patches online. I have installed and used the True5.04AT patch located at Tessmage.com. This site also includes some nice semi-nude model enhancements along with a NPC graphic enhancement patch.

  • Notible links:

-Official 1.2 Patch -FAQ.IGN.com Walkthrough. -Being Intimate with Jeanette Voerman link. (Note: the sexual encounter is an audio experience only that is if you can get it to work as advertised. :)) Nov2011- I believe we are well beyond official links at this point. Info left here for reference only.

  • Vampire Bloodlines GamePlay Tips-

- As a rule refer to the walkthrough. - Your Goul Heather- it's worth your while to save her at the Santa Monica Clinic. She gets you stuff including money, a human snack, and the best armor in the game. To get the gifts a-coming, she appears in Downtown L.A. after you return from the Elizabeth Dane expedition She'll be on the street as you get out of the cab. If you lucky enough to be awarded a haven downtown, she heads there or she'll go to the Santa Monica haven. - Elevator Caution- When getting ready to ride an elevator especially if it's the one in the Santa Monica Asyllum Night Club, be sure to save the game prior to getting on and checking that the elevator light illuminates when exiting on the second floor headed for an encounter with one of the Voerman sisters. The elevator light sometimes will not light up, trapping you on the second floor. If this happens try again because in this circumstance any completed content will be lost when you are forced to revert to a previous game save. _ MMORPG.com- An excellent resource for MMORPG info.

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Game Performance via Boot Camp/WinXP/Vista

Section Needs Update Window XP or Vista- Which for gaming? As it stands right now Nov07, Windows XP is the better choice for running Windows games under Boot Camp. Vista has higher overhead and the Windows community is still trying to get the driver issue corrected. In other words, Vista drivers tend to be slower. The primray appeal of Vista is Direct X 10 which has a higher graphics quality than DX9. However it could be argued that if you have to run your game on low settings what's the point? You might as well get good performance on WinXP.

If you must try Vista, try it on a MacPro or MacBookPro. MacBooks are a "no" to Vista, iMacs are a "?".

Note: When entering a game title, please list your hardware specs with it.

[edit]

13"MacBookPro/MacBook

  • MacBook's were discontinued in 2011, replace by 13" MacBook Pros. I assume performance is equivalent.
  • Obsessable.com link- Macbook as a gaming machine.
  • 'Dracula Origin' runs well on MacBook with x3100 chipset/WinXP. (submitted by Huntn)
  • Half Life 2 Demo worked but had autosave crashes.
  • Medieval Total War 2 does not run.
  • Morrowind runs great.
  • Penumbra: Overture- runs on MacBooks with x3100 chipset or newer. Older MacBooks won't run this game. (available as Mac Native game).
  • The Lost Crown- a ghost hunting adventure runs on a x3100 chipset Macbook under WindowsXP. Title may run on older Macbooks but unverified. (submitted by Huntn)
  • Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War runs great.
[edit]

15" MacBook Pro

  • Now that the MacBooks have been discontinued, replaced by the 13" MacBookPro, more distinction is required regarding game performance. Therefore, I have changed this section to 15" MacBookPro.
  • Vampire:The Masquerade-Bloodlines (from 2004)- after installing the latest "unofficial patch" runs the game well on this MBP: 2.2 GHz intel i7, 4GB Ram, Radeon HD 6750M (1GB VRAM), Bootcamp: 64bit W7. See the Game Specific Help page for this game. (added by Huntn Nov11)
  • Star Wars The Old Republic MMO- runs well approx 20-50 fps on this MBP: 2.2 GHz intel i7, 4GB Ram, Radeon HD 6750M (1GB VRAM), Bootcamp: 64bit W7. (added by Huntn Nov11)
  • Elder Scrolls V- Skyrim runs well on this MBP: 2.2 GHz intel i7, 4GB Ram, Radeon HD 6750M (1GB VRAM), Bootcamp: 64bit W7. (added by Huntn Nov11)
  • Dragon Age: Origins runs well, 20-30 fps range, with medium to low settings (2.2 Ghz 15" MBP, Mac OS 10.5, 2GB RAM, Geforce 8600M GT, 128MB VRAM, Boot Camp- 32bit Vista. Submitted by Huntn 11/09) Even on low settings the game looks decent. For Vista, technically my MBP is below offical system specs. Windows XP: Windows XP with SP3, CPU: Intel Core 2 (or equivalent) running at 1.6Ghz or greater, AMD 64 (or equivalent) running at 2.2Ghz or greater, RAM: 1 GB or more, Video: ATI Radeon X850 128MB or greater, NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT 128MB or greater. Windows Vista with SP1: CPU: Intel Core 2 (or equivalent) running at 1.8Ghz or greater, AMD 64 (or equivalent) running at 2.6Ghz or greater, RAM: 1.5 GB or more, Video: ATI Radeon X1550 256MB or greater, NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT 256MB or greater.
  • Assassin's Creed (4/08) Assassins creed runs good on my MBP, albeit on lower res (1300*768) and low-medium detail. (I have a first generation MBP, with a X1600) Although you need to install new drivers, if you are still running Tiger, with the Bootcamp Beta 1.3. (Don't know about the newer leopard bootcamp drivers). The latest Omega Drivers should do the trick, if you are getting crashes on "Memory Block 3", in the game. It crashed every time I tried to get to Acre or Jerusalem, and sometimes at random in Kingdom.

-Additional Notes: Runs on XP, game runs almost 2x as good on the X1600 using Omega Supplied Radeon Drivers.

  • Call of Duty 4 : Modern Warfare : Works great with default settings, no lag whatsoever, able to up the graphics setting a bit without sacrificing gameplay performance (Tested on MBP SantaRosa 2.4GHZ, 2GB Ram, 256MB Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT, OS used : Windows XP)
  • Command & Conquer 3 : works fine under native settings, turned up high.
  • Crysis runs well, 20-50 fps range, with medium to low settings (2.2 Ghz 15" MBP, Mac OS 10.5, 2GB RAM, Geforce 8600M GT, 128MB VRAM, Boot Camp- 32bit Vista (submitted by Huntn 12/07)
  • Crysis Demo: With 169.04 Nvidia beta drivers runs in high 20's at 800x600 on 32bit Vista/DX10 with adjustments to graphic settings. See this thread for specifics. (reported by Huntn 11/05/07)
  • Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind runs well under Vista (should run ok under XP. Reported as running on MacBooks too.) (submitted by Huntn 9/08)
  • Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion runs about about 30 fps with mid range settings on 32bit Vista. More testing needed. (submitted by Huntn 12/07)
  • Enemy Territory : Quake Wars : crashes when joining or making new game (off- and online), but only randomly (might be punkbuster related) - works fine as soon as connection is successful, turned up high. (hardware: MBP w/ 17", X1600 Radeon, 2,33GHz, 2Gb RAM, latest Firmware and updates for OSX 10.4)
  • Fallout 2 : works fine under native settings.
  • Guild Wars2 runs well on this MBP in the range of 15-45fps: 2.2 GHz intel i7, 4GB Ram, Radeon HD 6750M (1GB VRAM), Bootcamp: 64bit W7. (added by Huntn Sept12).
  • Half Life 2- runs well!
  • Hellgate London: runs great. Note: the walls are invisible with model quality set to high. Correct situation by setting model quality to medium.
  • Heroes of Might and Magic V: Runs fine on native settings, turned everything up high.
  • KOTOR II: Runs fine on native settings, turned everything up high.
  • KOTOR 1 & 2: both have rare crashes, so save often, but they work fantastically on a MBP w/ x1600. 2x FSAA + 8x Trilinear Filtering + Soft Shadows (also, it automatically stretches to widescreen, so choose 1280*960 instead of 1280*1024, to prevent extreme stretchiness.) KOTOR 2 has a slightly lower framerate, but still fantastic.
  • Lord Of The Rings - Battle For Middle Earth 2 : works fine under native settings, turned up high.

(MBP w/ x1600) Update: I believe wall issue was resolved by running game at lower resolution- Hunt'n.

  • Penumbra: Overture runs without any problems.
  • Planetside 2 runs well on this MBP in the range of 15-35fps: 2.2 GHz intel i7, 4GB Ram, Radeon HD 6750M (1GB VRAM), Bootcamp: 64bit W7. (added by Huntn Sept12).
  • Rome Total War: Runs fine on native settings, turned everything up high.
  • Sword of The Stars 1.4.1 (+Born of Blood Expansion) : works fine under native settings (1600*1050), turned up high.
  • Sacred Gold : works fine under native settings, turned up high. (11/04/07)
  • Silent Hunter III: Runs fine on native settings, turned everything up high.
  • SimCity Societies: very rare crashes. 1400*852 (MBP w/ x1600) (although framerate is rather low, so MBP w/ x1600 is minimum)
  • Star Wars Empire at War: Runs fine on native (1440x900) settings, and everything turned up high.
  • Tabula Rasa runs great on 2.2 Ghz MBP. (submitted by Huntn 11/06)
  • Team Fortress 2
  • The Witcher runs well. (2.2 Ghz 15" MBP, Mac OS 10.5, 4GB RAM, Geforce 8600M GT, 128MB VRAM, Boot Camp- 32bit Vista)
  • Unreal Tournament 3 runs well on the 2.2Ghz MBP depending on settings 30-60 fps on 32bit Vista. (submitted by Huntn 12/07)
  • Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines runs well on a MBP. I'm using 32bit Vista. I assume it will run on XP, no problem (submitted by Huntn 09/08)
[edit]

iMac- 2-2.4 GHz, 2GB RAM, RadeonX1600 256 MB VRAM

- Specific configurations may be listed for specific games.

  • Blazing Angels - Runs very well with most settings maxed. Only terrain texture quality had to be lowered, otherwise one would get black slabs of nothingness. 1280x796.
  • Bloodrayne 2 - Flawless performance with max settings. Strangely enough, there's no gamepad support. Odd. (Something high)
  • Brothers in Arms - Smooth at 1680x1050, everything maxed.
  • Call of Duty 2 - Runs OK at default settings (800x600, everything else at high, textures at extra supadupa).
  • Far Cry - Runs extremely well with max settings at 1280x796 with only one area near the end of the game making it slow down a bit. 32-bit version only.
  • FarCry - Runs like butter at 1024x768 everything maxed. Even runs OK with the 64 bit to 32 bit conversion patch - but some of the textures look a bit screwy. The extra view distance and content is nice though.
  • FIFA 2007 - Runs very well in lower resolution. Slows down significantly on higher ones. One could lower the graphical details, but that makes the players look butt-ugly, and it doesn't seem to help performance gain much.
  • Galactic Civilizations II - Runs perfectly fine at max settings. Not that it is a very demanding game from the start. 1680x1050 (I think)
  • Ghost Recon 1, 2 and 3 - super smooth maxed out at 1680x1050.
  • Half-Life 2 - Runs smooth everything maxed out (except no FSAA)
  • Half-Life 2: Episode one - Runs fine. There's a few minor visual glitches (bump-mapping shininess)
  • Day of Defeat: Source - Runs quite well with good fps and high settings. Some glitches such as tree models appear as blocks. (fps slowdown on smoke, but that happens on many PCs)
  • Lego Star Wars II - Perfoms flawlessly with everything maxed out. (some high resolution 4:3 format, no widescreen support)
  • Max Payne 2 - Perfoms flawlessly with everything maxed out. 1680x1050
  • Pirates! - Runs without a hitch at max settings. (4:3 only, no widescreen support)
  • Prey - Runs very well on high settings with only very rare minor slowdowns in certain spots. 1024x768
  • Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones - Runs perfectly with max settings. Just be sure to deactivate one of your processors for this one. 1280x796
  • Stronghold 2 - Smooth as butter with maximum detail. 1280x796.
  • Stronghold Legacy (Demo) - Same engine as Stronghold 2. Seems to run about the same.
  • Team Fortress 2 (original Intel Core Duo iMac, 1600 card at 256MB of video RAM and 2GB of main RAM 12/07.
  • Titan Quest - Runs pretty well for the most part with some details (i.e. shadows) lowered. 1280x796.
  • Unreal Tournament 3 reported to run at about 20-40 fps running at 1440 x 900 High Settings with VSync off and Post Processing at Intense. (2.4 Ghz 2gig ram w/ HD 2600 Pro Imac running XP Pro SP2). 12/07
  • Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines - Runs perfectly with everything maxed out. 1900x (no widescreen support).
[edit]

Misc Reports

[edit]

Game Video on Intel Macs

[edit]

Known Issues

[edit]

ATI/AMD- Upgrading ATI/AMD Graphic Card Drivers

Upgrading the ATI/AMD Graphic Card Drivers. Find ATI/AMD software here. 

* Uninstall the Ati Control Panel or the Catalyst Control Center from add/remove applications
* Uninstall the Ati drivers from add/remove applications
* Reboot in safe mode (keep pressing F8 at boot)
* Use Driver Cleaner to remove everything ATI (optional but useful)
* Reboot in standard mode
* Stop the "new hardware found" wizard
* Install the new drivers set (in case you are going to install the official Ati Catalyst suite remember to choose the "custom" installation if you don't like the bloated Catalyst Control Center)
* Reboot and test everything
[edit]

Boot Camp

[edit]

Unable to boot back into MacOS after booting into Windows

  • Apple Discussions.
  • Possible Solution: Boot to the OS X System Disk and repair disk permissions using Disk Utility.
[edit]

After Boot Camp Install can't see Windows Partition

On a Santa Rosa MacBook (X3100 chipset) after I installed BootCamp everything appeared to go well (selecting FAT as Windows file format) until I did a reboot holding down the Option button so I could choose my Windows partition. The Windows partition did not appear as a choice. Apple Care was not familiar with the problem and suggested I reinstall Windows. I did but this time selected NTFS. The second time it worked. I'm not absolutely sure if it was the reinstall or selecting NTFS that worked, but I can now select my Windows partition and boot into it. See this Apple Discussion for more info. I assume Apple is now aware of the problem and at some point in the future, the issue will be resolved.Nov07 -Hunt'n

[edit]

DXDIAG file causes Windows XP to Crash

  • When applying for beta testing, many PC game developers ask for a DXDIAG file, along the lines of an Apple Profile report to verify that a computer has the ability to run a new game. One of our readers has discovered that trying to generate a DXDIAG file (Start menu -> Run -> DXDIAG) with Windows XP on his Intel Mac causes Windows XP to crash and does not generate the required file.
  • Update- the good news is that i got this to work eventually. the process crashed a couple of times, but then started asking me if i wanted to skip the part of the profile that was causing it to crash! it had something to do with a specific component of DX9 that relates to profiling the hardware and which is tied to some MS database online. skipped that small part and the rest of the report came out fine.
[edit]

Internet Connect Times Out

  • After Sitting Idle, can't connect to Net.
  • Try opening the Control Panel called Network Connections, and click on a connection listed. On the left side of the window a list of tasks pops up. Select "Repair This Connection". You may no longer have a valid IP address and need to renew it, no reboot required.
[edit]

Keyboard & Mouse Dies when using Windows

There is a problem with Windows drivers that cause the Mac's keyboard and/or mouse to randomly stop responding when using WinXP. The current solution is to unplug and plug the key board and mouse back in. Update: Possible solution is to install the Apple keyboard update.

  • Update: Plugging the keyboard into a USB 2.0 hub corrected the problem.
[edit]

MacBook- Is it for gaming?

Late 2008 Update- MacBooks are continually being improved and are now much more viable for gaming. See this Obsessable.com link for MacBook gaming performance via bootcamp.

Older Macbooks were much more limited for Windows gaming (via Bootcamp). For PC games on older MacBooks, the Intel Link shows a list of games and their performance using the Intel 945GM Express Chipset Family. Officially the MacBook uses an Intel 950, but I believe the 945 list can be used for reference.

  • Hardware Software Issues at ElderScrolls.com- There is mention of integrated graphics and making changes to .ini files to increase performance playing Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. (link expired)
  • Intel Link describing performance of games on its 945GM Express Chipset family.
  • Boot Camp Apple Discussions Games on Bootcamp- Integrated graphics are mentioned here along with general Boot Camp issues.
  • Barefeats.com- Macbook vs MacbookPro vs 15"Powerbook vs 20"iBook game performance.
[edit]

Resolution Adjustment for Windows (iMac)

(from Pegasus at IMG) Windows may stretch resolutions in iMacs that should be a 4:3 ratio.

One needs to go to ATI Display Settings which should open up the Advanced portion where one has to go to the Displays panel and click on the Panel button on the active display. All one has to do then is to switch from Expand to full panel size to Expand while maintaining aspect ratio. This solves the stretching problems and places the black bars on the sides instead.

It is unknown if NVIDIA cards or integrated Intel chips include the same settings.

[edit]

Speaker Sound

When using a headset, computer speakers don't mute. Updated: It has been reported that the latest version of Boot Camp (1.1 or 1.1.1) has corrected this problem.

[edit]

Windows Airport Networking

(from Teflon at IMG) How to make Windows see your airport with WEP or WPA2 enabled:

1. In MacOS, Open Airport Utility and go to configure the required base station 2. change wireless security to not enabled 3. update your base station 4. Reboot into Windows 5. Open the windows version of Airport Utility, found either on your included airport CD, or here on the apple website. 6. re-enable the password you had previously.

Alternatively, you can completely remove the password and rely entirely on the MAC (not to be confused with the computer) address system that all wireless cards and routers have, thus locking out all computers that you have not personally enabled.

Note: MAC addresses are like a kind of serial number. Its just a way of totally securing your network from people hacking into it, mainly because they cant even see it. for more info on what they are look at the wikipedia page.

To find your MAC address, open up System Preferences in OSX, go to the Network preference pane, select Airport and click on 'Configure...'. Your computer's MAC address should appear labelled as Airport ID and appear in the form:

00:29:85:3a:c7:5d

This info is also available in Windows XP, and should correspond to that which you find in OSX, however you will have to consult the Help provided with the Windows version of the Airport Admin Utility in order to find this.

In order to add the computer you are using to the Access Control list in Airport Admin Utility, click on the + next to the list and then there should also be a button labelled 'This Computer'. (I cannot confirm this for the Windows version, but it is there in OSX)

IMPORTANT: If a computer's MAC address is not in the Access Control list, then it will NOT be able to see the network, and will NOT be able to connect. That computer's MAC address must be added using a computer in that list, or the base Station must be reset.

[edit]

Windows Keeps Dropping My Internet Connection

On cable modem connection, this can happen if PC remains idle for a period of time.

Try:

  • Select Start in Taskbar- Open Control Panel
  • Select Network Connection
  • One at a time select each of the Connections displayed. On the left side of the window under Network Tasks, a choice will appear "Repair This Connection".
  • Cross your fingers and say a prayer. A message will appear that the connection has been repaired. This method works for me most of the time. If not, I restart the computer, maybe several times to get my connection back.
  • Notice: You don't have to do this with OSX. :)
[edit]

World of Warcraft Slow on OSX with Windows Installed

-When Windows was uninstalled, frame rates in WoW (natively on OSX) improved substantially. -Waiting for a solution.


[edit]

Continue to Windows Gaming on a Mac FAQ Part 2

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