D&D Game Table not Mac-Compatible at launch

[Hjorimir]

As always, applications are more important that operating systems for what the end user wants at the end of the day. Macs are great (GREAT) machines, but the lack of application support is a killer.

 

[SPoD]

Least useful reply ever.

Well, gee, thanks, that solves all my problems.

Seriously, your response amounts to, "Sucks to be you!". Yes, yes, I know that. But what now? I'm a WOTC customer who wants to support them, but I can't. I am not financially equipped to buy a PC right now AND pay the $120 a year subscription, so they are just going to lose my business. Instead of just writing me off, there are some things that WOULDN'T take a huge amount of effort to implement that could benefit me, such as allowing me to access Insider content piecemeal. As someone mentioned, until today, I thought it was going to be web-based and thus platform neutral. The fact that it isn't means that I can't use it, period, because I don't have the money. Unless you're giving me a loan.

If all you're going to do is berate me for not being able to buy in to this new plan, then you're not helping at all.

 

[Nifft]

Why is it any sort of suprise to anybody that they are focussing efforts on developing the computer based part of the 4e package for the most popular computer platform?

Yeah, and if Blizzard thought that way, they might actually get somewhere in the game industry!

There are lots of excellent cross-platform toolkits which allow you to release clients on Mac, Windows, and Linux simultaneously. Using such can even make it easier to code better for a single platform, so it's not like they'd be losing anything by using a well-tested and developed abstraction layer.

If their goal is to exclude early adopters and tinkerers... well, there goes a LOT of the value found on this board here! If their goal is to get the biggest audience, again I point to the success story named Blizzard.

Cheers, -- N

 

[bloodydrake]

since 2 of the apps( table and character vault) are using a 3d DirectX shader 2.0 engine to function I would seriously not hold your breath for either of those to be ported to Mac Os8+ anytime soon.

IF it was an OpenGL engine sure..DX? Not so much

 

[Mr. Patient]

It is strangely... ironic? that these pretty interfaces are often on Apple products, but that your Apple product is now denying you access because Wizards went with a pretty interface. Sorry

Even more ironic is the fact that I spend 95% of my non-browsing time on my Macs in Terminal windows. I'm fairly sure vi will be compatible with 4e, at least.

 

[Alan Shutko]

It's important to note that non-Windows users are probably overrepresented in the D&D market than in the general population. The geeks who play D&D are more likely to be on alternate platforms, so WotC should be thinking about it from day one. It's a lot easier to develop a software platform from the beginning to be multiplatform than to try to retrofit it later on.

Honestly, just the idea that WotC is planning a client of any sort scares me. They haven't proven themselves very capable with software, and I'd like to see them do easy things (like improve their website) before more difficult things like develop networked clients.

 

[bloodydrake]

since 2 of the apps( table and character vault) are using a 3d DirectX shader 2.0 engine to function I would seriously not hold your breath for either of those to be ported to Mac Os8+ anytime soon.

IF it was an OpenGL engine sure..DX? Not so much

 

[Abisashi]

Even more ironic is the fact that I spend 95% of my non-browsing time on my Macs in Terminal windows. I'm fairly sure vi will be compatible with 4e, at least.

I love terminal windows .

I'd use linux if I didn't play computer games that needed windows.

 

[heruca]

Note that Blizzard is a software shop - that's really all they do, so they're going to be comparatively rich in developer resources. WotC is not primarily a software shop. And RPGs aren't even the biggest moneymaker at WotC - so you're looking at far more limited resources.

That's no excuse. I'm a lone developer with NO development budget, and I've managed to create a cross-platform virtual tabletop program. I see no reason why WotC, with their huge resources, can't do the same.

 

[Alan Shutko]

since 2 of the apps( table and character vault) are using a 3d DirectX shader 2.0 engine to function I would seriously not hold your breath for either of those to be ported to Mac Os8+ anytime soon.

Why on earth does a character builder need so much 3d horsepower?