Civilization V Mac FAQS, V3

Nov

Civilization V Mac FAQs, V3 [Updated]

Posted by Russ Looney

With the Civilization V Mac release upon us (tomorrow!), we wanted to publish one final Civ V Mac FAQs post to answer any lingering questions about the game. Obviously, the BIG question was about whether or not Civilization V Mac would support SteamPlay. As mentioned before, we’ve been having intense, internal discussions on the matter, and we even opened the subject to comments from any and all fans of Aspyr, GameAgent, and the Civilization series.

We want to take a quick moment to first thank everyone that dropped us a line to let us know your thoughts and expectations. Again, we’ve been absolutely thrilled to have such passionate followers and fans. Many, many of you had excellent, well-written, thought-out posts, and we took all of your comments into consideration when coming to a final decision. To say the least, you guys spoke, and we listened. And with that, I won’t waste any more of your time—let’s get to the FAQs!

So, what’s the deal—is Civilization V Mac supporting SteamPlay or not?

Yes! Civilization V Mac will indeed support SteamPlay, meaning that anyone that purchases the Mac version will also have access to the PC version. This also means if you have already purchased the PC version, you will now have access to the Mac version.

From the comments that poured in, it seemed clear that many of you had purchased the PC version, even though it was the Mac version that you really wanted, and either expected that Civ V Mac would support SteamPlay or that Civ V Mac would not even be released for some time. Obviously there was a lack of communication on our part, and, quite frankly, we don’t want you guys to have to pay for our mistakes. So for those of you to whom we failed to communicate properly, and those hold outs that just waited anyway, PLEASE ENJOY THE GAME! And if you like your Mac version then please consider purchasing Mac DLC when it becomes available!

And keep talking to us. We love it.

Does that mean the game will be sold via Steam, too?

Yes, you will be able to purchase Civilization V Mac from the Steam Store when the game launches, November 23, 2010.

That being said, we want to reiterate that your origin of purchase will not affect the way the game operates and plays. No matter if you buy the game from GameAgent, the MacGameStore, Apple stores, or Steam, digital or disc, it is all the same product. The game will use SteamWorks to manage DRM, achievement tracking, etc, no matter where you purchase the game.

[Update 11/23] What about other retailers? Can I find the game in brick and mortar stores?

The game should also be available at your local brick and mortar retailer that sells Mac software, such as the Apple Store.

Will the Mac version use SteamCloud for saving?

Our dev team is working hard to release a patch that will enable SteamCloud saves soon after the Civilization V Mac release. However, the feature will not be available at launch.

Will these game saves be accessible by the PC version?

Save games won’t be accessible between platforms because of the issues raised with incompatible save game files in the case where the PC version is a later version than the Mac client. The files will need to have different names. This issue is something we are discussing for future patches.

[Update 2/11/11] Will existing DLC for the PC version work with my Mac version?

All available DLC for the PC is now also also available for the Mac. All DLC supports SteamPlay, meaning that those that have already purchased DLC for the PC will be able to get the Mac DLC free of charge. For more details on DLC, please see Civilization V Mac FAQs: DLC Edition.

What about mods? Will there be access to a complete set of SDK tools and/or 100% mod compatibility?

Unfortunately, user-created mods are not a component of the Mac version of Civilization V. User mods would require us to build custom versions of the full application ourselves in order to support a limited number of specific mods and still leave others unsupported. Similarly, modding tools are implemented with Microsoft .NET, and would present a significant porting challenge involving total rewrites. Bottom line: There is no way to create a Mac experience that allows for a good end-user experience for user-created mods. Believe us—we tried.

What about a demo?

As previously mentioned, there are currently no plans to offer a demo for Civilization V Mac. However, we will revisit this issue some time after the New Year.

Okay, so what are the final system requirements?

These are the minimum system requirements for playing the game without experiencing any performance issues:

Operating System: 10.6.4 (Snow Leopard)
CPU Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (Dual-Core)
CPU Speed: 2.4 GHz
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 8 GB
Video Card (ATI): Radeon HD2600
Video Card (NVidia): Geforce 8600
Video Memory (VRam): 256 MB
Media Required: DVD-ROM (Physical, boxed copies only)
Peripherals: Macintosh mouse and keyboard

Other Requirements: Initial installation requires one-time Internet connection for Steam authentication; software installations required (included with the game) include Steam Client.

Internet Connection and acceptance of Steam™ Subscriber Agreement required for activation. See www.steampowered.com/agreement for details.

[Update 11/23] Recommended System Requirements

CPU Processor: Intel Quad Core
CPU Speed: 2.6 GHz
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Video Memory (VRam): 512MB

*Apple original CPU’s only, CPU upgrades not supported.

Supported Video Cards:
NVIDIA GeForce® 8600, 8800, 9600M, GT 120, 320M, 330M
ATI Radeon HD 2600, HD 3870, HD 4670, HD 4850, HD 5670, HD 5750

NOTICE: Apple Intel Chipsets only. Power PC Processors (G4 and G5) are not supported.
NOTICE: Intel(r) integrated video chipsets are not supported.
NOTICE: This game is not supported on volumes formatted as Mac OS Extended (Case Sensitive)

Thanks for the system requirements! But I still don’t know if my machine will be able to play Civ V Mac…

Between the near-incomprehensible naming conventions of video cards and other computing parts and the fact that some of you are just missing a minimum requirement, we totally understand that it may still not be clear whether your machine will support the game.

To help out, we are currently in the process of updating our GameAgent application for the Mac. This application will look at all of your system specs and help you determine whether or not you’ll be able to play Civ V Mac on your machine. Though we don’t have a set date for Civ V Mac compatibility, this app works for our other games available on GameAgent.com, so check it out if you haven’t already!

You can also check in with our support folks on their Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/Aspyr_Support.

[Update 11/23] So I got the game installed, but I’m having some technical difficulties. Can I get some help?!?

If you run into any problems with the game running properly, we want to direct you to our excellent support staff. You can open a help ticket at http://support.aspyr.com, or, as mentioned above, you can hit them up on Twitter (@Aspyr_Support).

Anything else?

Just a HUGE thanks to everyone for their patience in waiting for the answers to all these burning questions! If you still have questions, we first want to direct you to our previous two blog entries, Civ V Mac FAQs and Civ V Mac FAQs, V2. If your question still hasn’t been answered, let us know! You can leave a comment, drop a line on our Facebook page, tweet @gameagentstore or @Civ5Mac, or shoot us an email at gameagent@aspyr.com.

Also, don’t forget to pre-order Civilization V Mac, either boxed or digital, from GameAgent.com! Civ V boxes will get FREE shipping. In addition, pre-ordering from GameAgent will enter you into a random drawing for a chance to win a FREE copy of the Civilization V Mac Special Edition signed by Sid Meier himself! Act now–you’ve only got until midnight CST EST!

Finally, thanks again, and have a happy Civilization V Mac Day!

Tags: Civ V, Civilization, Civilization 5, Mac FAQs Posted Aspyr News, Civilization, Classic Posts, Mac FAQs |

Jessica

Thank you so much for deciding to go with SteamPlay.
manycolors

That’s great news! Glad I just picked up the PC version on Amazon’s Black Friday sale for $30
Brent

Awesome! Thanks for this.
http://macnugget.org/ Nugget

Excellent news, thanks for the good communication and attention to customer demand.
Mikel

I am extremely happy I held off on buying Civ V because that means that YOU will get some of my money when I do purchase it. I don’t know how many copies you are going to end up giving away due to Steamplay, but it was a classy decision, and I am happy that I’ll be able to ‘reward’ it with my purchase.
Mack

Fantastic news regarding steamplay! I don’t own a copy of windows, but who knows what the future will bring? I will be sure to buy all DLC as it becomes available so that you can keep porting great titles Mac would otherwise not see. I sure hope those people who bought their licences for the PC make the same choice. A question also: will any of the already launched patches for the PC version be incorperated into the Mac version tomorrow? Again, thanks so much for the hard work, and the open decision making regarding steamplay.
Richard

Let me second Mikel’s comment – I held off on purchasing the PC version so I could properly reward the people doing the Mac port. That said, allowing those early purchases the chance to pick up the Mac version as well will earn you a lot of Kudos – may they turn into $$ in some way.
Lucio

That’s a GREAT news! Thank you Aspyr!
Saku

Well that’s good news, seems the coffee shop of my choice is getting a nice income boost while I sit the evening away playing Civ V on my MBP drinking those latte’s
zzen

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Who cares about iOS 4.2 for my iPad – you, Aspyr just made my day today. I haven’t bought the PC version, so I’ll off to Steam to buy it the minute you release it.

And you made me a very happy and loyal Aspyr customer today – somehow I feel much better about paying my money to a company that listens to what customers want, even if it’s a tough decision.

Mac DLCs? Keep it coming – I’ll definitely buy some just to offset the stupid fact you don’t get money off Windows versions.
http://cerebralgardens.com Dave

Great news. I (and I’m sure tonnes of others here) would be interested to know how the deal works with respect to Steam. Specifically, if someone buys the Windows version, and then later downloads the Mac version through SteamPlay, do you get a fair share of the revenue for that sale? Do you get more, less, the same, zero, compared to if that same person buys the Mac version to start with?

Since I want to support Mac gaming, and the companies involved, I want you to get the same revenue no matter how I purchase the game. But I also usually want the game on release day. If the Mac version isn’t available when the Windows version is released, I’d often be willing to wait if I had to, in order for you to get your fair share. But, I’d rather not wait if I don’t have to.
Brett K

Wow, I wasn’t expecting this at all!
Thank you for offering the game via SteamPlay. This must not have been an easy choice. I hope that you will be rewarded for doing so.
Sami

Thank you, Aspyr for this news!! I still haven’t bought Civ V, because I was waiting for Mac release and now you bring it. Hope the Mac version catch up the Windows with patches, fixes, DLC etc.
Geoff

Thank you for your open communication, Aspyr, and your decision to sell Civ V via Steam. It will be a huge shot in the arm for Mac gaming, I think, and my purchase will be made as soon as it hits the storefront.

As for Mac DLC … bring it on!
Thomas

Great service, great honesty. For the future, it’s worth noting that I *would* have waited for the Mac version, had I known it was a mere 2 months out. As it was, I went so far as to deal with building out a Boot Camp partition just to run Civ5. I’m sure there’s a hit in sales, but sticking up for your customers means a heck of a lot to me. Aspyr’s been around for so long, it’s hard to imagine a mac gaming world without you (actually, there’s truth in that statement).

DLC – yup, I’ll buy some!
Eckod

when the game will be buyable in steam? Thank you!
- http://www.gameagent.com Russ Looney
  
  @Mack – Civ V Mac was ported from the shipped version of the PC release with some additional bug fixes that were released via later PC patches. We are already hard at work at incorporating the latest patches into the release version and hope to be caught up quickly with the PC version.
  
  @Dave – The way SteamPlay works for publishers is certainly interesting. Given how popular Steam as a whole has become, for both PC and Mac gaming, we think it’s important that customers also understand the economics of the service. While we’ll only be able to speak for ourselves, we’re looking to publish an editorial of sorts (here on the NonBlog) in the next couple of weeks to further explain what SteamPlay means to us and to give you guys a little more insight into our thought and decision-making processes, especially in regards to Civ V Mac.
  
  @Eckod – Civ V Mac will be available via the Steam Store on launch day, November 23.
Peter G.

You made the right decision.

I held off purchasing the PC version to see if Civilization V would end up being SteamPlay. Because you listened to us you earned more than my money – you earned my loyalty.

Thank you for listening.
Dann

Well… I am both happy, and a little disappointed. Happy that it is steamplay, but no Modding is a bit sad. Understandable, but frankly, without SteamPlay, that would have been a sale lost to the PC side, as Modding tends to be a major factor in Civ games.

That said, with SteamPlay i’ll happily buy Mac DLC, and enjoy the mac side vanilla, as Modding can certainly wait for later.
http://www.randomthink.net/ Brian Arnold

I’m in the same boat as Thomas – I would have held out, if I’d known it was coming so soon, and I did build out a Boot Camp too. I’m glad to see I wasn’t the only one.

I greatly appreciate that SteamPlay will be supported, and I’ll be certainly buying Mac-based DLC as a means of saying thanks. Heck, if I could use Steam to ‘give’ my PC license away and then buy a Mac-based one (that would still work on the PC side if I so desired, which it sounds like it would), I might do that, just to say thanks.
http://www.coursedescriptionincluded.com/ Jake

Have to say I am very pleased about the support for SteamPlay as well. I held off purchasing to wait for the Mac version, but I’m glad I can use Boot Camp to access the mods without having to re-buy.
Kurt

How best can someone like me, who bought the PC version not expecting a mac version for many months best compensate you for all the work you have done?

I get why everyone wants the mac version for free if they bought the PC version, but it doesn’t seem fair to Aspyr. I want Aspyr to have an incentive to keep making games for the mac and for them to do so, they need to be paid!
- http://www.gameagent.com Russ Looney
  
  Hi, Kurt! First of all, thanks so much for your support! Honestly, the best way you can help us is to simply play and enjoy Civ V Mac. Other than that, tell your friends how much you love the game! We’ve also got some DLC in the pipeline that will be available for purchase. And, really, that’s a win-win for everybody!
Nathan

Great news. Thanks for listening. It’s good to have a company listen to consumers for once and I’ll be sure to try and buy some DLC when I’ve got some extra cash.
James

You guys are one classy company. I loved Aspyr since when Glenda Adams was in charge (is she still in charge?) and seeing you guys respect the wishes of the customer even if it hurts your bottom line, makes me love you guys even more. You guys are a world-class company.

I’m looking forward to playing Civ 5. I’m salivating already.
- http://www.gameagent.com Russ Looney
  
  Hi, James, thanks for the compliments! As far as Glenda Adams goes, she’s no longer with Aspyr, but she is still in the gaming space! She’s got her own company, Maverick Software, that makes games and other apps for the iOS. We actually recently posted an interview with Glenda–you should definitely check it out if you haven’t already!
James

Nice move guys.. will definitely support you via DLC. Hope the economics work out for you somehow, but to be honest, I don’t think you’ll lose that many sales. Most (if not all) people in the Boot Camp early adopters boat would have avoided buying the Mac copy as it is. Hopefully this way you’ll at least sell a few extra DLC as a result
Sven

That’s excellent news, and yes, a classy thing to do. Thank you!
Cougar

This is pretty great. Thanks, Aspyr. Now I won’t have to worry if Apple’s bad drivers fail me.

BTW, there is currently a $15 price difference at amazon for Civ V between the PC and Mac. You might want to fix that. With SteamPlay there is no incentive to buy the Mac disc unless they are the same price!
http://www.civplayers.com CanuckSoldier

This all sounds good, but does supporting Steamplay mean that MAC MP players can play PC MP players of Civ5? The fact doesn’t seem to address that though it might have been stated before and I just missed it.
- http://www.gameagent.com Russ Looney
  
  Hi, CanuckSoldier, this question was address in a previous Civ V Mac FAQ (V2). However, to answer your question, Mac players will be able to play against PC players, though not at launch. This feature will require an update/patch to match the PC version.
  - WTF
    
    Hi Russ,
    It’s been four months, and Civ V for Mac is at least two patches behind the PC version. That’s pretty seriously terrible. Are we ever going to catch up?
Neolibertarian

Yep, I’ll be buying all the DLC for Macs. All of it.
Adrian

Is there going to be a deluxe edition?
- http://www.gameagent.com Russ Looney
  
  Hey, Adrian, there are currently no plans for a deluxe edition. We do, however, have a limited number of Civilization V Mac Special Editions, all signed by Sid Meier. These Special Editions are identical to the PC Special Edition but come with the Mac version of the game instead of the PC version. Furthermore, these are not available for sale to the public. Instead, we’ll be giving them out as prizes to various fans and customers. For instance, pre-ordering the game from GameAgent will enter you into a random drawing to win a Special Edition (US only). We also have plans to giveaway a copy via Facebook and Twitter over the Thanksgiving holidays, so be sure and follow us on both if you’re not already!
Paul

Will it be able to play LAN or internet multiplayer with PC users or just with other Mac users?
- http://www.gameagent.com Russ Looney
  
  Hi, Paul, while the game will support Mac to PC multiplayer, this will require an upcoming patch/update. Until that time, you will only be able to play other Mac gamers, whether over LAN or TCP/IP.
Antonio

What is DLC? I really want a Mac Version but even if it comes out, it’s so hard to find it in Hong Kong.
- http://www.gameagent.com Russ Looney
  
  Hi, Antonio, DLC refers to extra Downloadable Content that can add new features to an existing game. For instance, on the PC version right now, you can download new content that will give you a civilization to play with. The Mac version will see the same content, though official release dates have not been announced.
eobet

What about updates and patches? Will they be delivered through Steam as well?

Or will you as a user have to learn about updates yourself via Google and try to find the relevant patches on your own?
http://ww.shamanstouch.com Kenn

Already pre-purchased it. Really looking forward to playing soon! Thanks!!!
Cougar

Regarding the collector’s edition, you can just buy the PC version and enter the code on the Mac steam client to grab the mac version.
Xyth

@Russ Looney

Are you saying that the Babylonian and Mongol DLC are not cross platform compatible? From what I can tell they are just XML, graphic and sound changes – all of which should work as is on the Mac version.
http://www.civplayers.com CanuckSoldier

Thanks Russ, that is good news at least we need all the MP players we can get.

CS
CivDad

I’m still left wondering if the NVIDIA GeForce 320M, which is on the Mac Mini is supported. The GameAgent application doesn’t recognize it. For the video card requirement it says “unrecognized (0x08a2). Could you clarify? Thanks.
Cougar

@ CivDad It is. I don’t think they’ve updated the GameAgent app yet.
Stefan

Sorry if I’m being thick here — does this mean that people who bought the PC game but didn’t buy it via Steam (Amazon, in my case) will get access to the Mac version for free? I’m registered on Steam and playing happily, but I’m just about to switch over from PC to Mac, and this would be a huge bonus for me.
8-bitDesigner

I just picked up the Digital Deluxe edition for Mac on Steam, and I gotta say, you guys are champs for doing this. Please do post your editorial on the economics of SteamPlay, because I’d love to know what it takes to get games like this on Steam, and I want to keep supporting you folk.

Thanks and keep up the good work!!
Cougar

Stefan, it doesn’t matter where you bought it.

8-bitDesigner, what are your specs and how well does it run?
8-bitDesigner

I’ve got a brand spanking new MacBook Pro (2.66 ghz i7, with 4 gigs of RAM). And uh… it’s a bit rocky at this point http://dl.dropbox.com/u/271827/Screen%20shot%202010-11-22%20at%2011.55.22%20PM.png

But hey, I’m sure there’s a patch coming along to fix that up.
Craig

Is anyone else STILL waiting to get the email with the serial code and how to download!? V frustrating!
Hugo Wetterberg

Come on, providing support for mods isn’t optional when it comes to Civ. Lua should be portable enough and who cares about the IDE, even if you made it available most people would prefer TextMate anyways.

Civ without mods is crippled, anybody who’s played the IV series can tell you that.
8-bitDesigner

@Hugo: I think .Net refers to the C# language and .Net frameworks, rather than the .Net IDE, in this case. So, not Lua. Gotta love that descriptive naming convention MS has there.
Hugo Wetterberg

Yes, that’s why the actual mods should be pretty portable, as they’re written in Lua. The IDE is a branded version of the Visual Studio IDE, so it’s neither possible nor desirable to get that one running on your mac.
Michael Konstanzer

I love you guys so much right now.
http://erikveland.com Erik K Veland

Appreciate the effort Aspyr, but no mod support makes this a no-starter. I’m glad I purchased the game at launch for running in Boot Camp (and it does spectacularly so on my new 27″ iMac). Already on my third game I realised how essential mods were, for rebalancing and even fixing bugs (I assume a graphics bug to FFTR (fix the f…ing rivers) is underway). The way it is implemented is also incredible, it’s like an in game app-store where you can check and uncheck mods on the fly. Amazing!

Downloaded and launched the game, couldn’t find mods or steam cloud save games. Found this article. Back to BootCamp now to teach that Bismarck a lesson. See you!
Jason Kenney

So… Civ V Mac cannot run mods?

Also, I received an email about my preorder stating that its on backorder. Anyone else get this?
Anonymous

Thanks! Great decision and very good communication! You wrote about your bad communication in the past. This is the perfect opposite! Keep it like that!
Dan

As someone with a very crappy ISP, I need to buy the DVD media to install it. Do any of the Brick-and-Mortar retailers carry the mac version?
ltcommander.data

@Russ Looney: It’s definitely great news about the SteamPlay support, and I’m definitely interested in the upcoming blog explaining Aspyr’s decision making process and most importantly, how you are making money by giving it away to PC version owners.

Hopefully, even if the other DLC will have to be paid, the Mongol pack can still be free for Mac users as it is for PC users.
bkpiet

Wow. Sounds great. It’s so wonderful to get an email on the release date that, even though you ordered weeks ago, Game Agent was selling copies even though they must have known they weren’t going to have enough copies on hand to fulfill and it is now back-ordered. And forget about live customer service for the order. Can’t be bothered and emails will be answered at their convenience, which looks to be never at this point…
Adrian

So, if I still buy the PC Special Edition I will be able to download the Mac version without additional cost, won’t I?

Thanks for such great feedback
- http://www.gameagent.com Russ Looney
  
  @ Adrian: Yep!
Cougar

30, 320m is no longer supported? Disappointing. 13″ MBP is Apple’s most popular mac…
Cougar

Edit: never mind, I see 320m listed as supported. But it’s an integrated card…
Xyth

@Hugo

Lua/XML mods will run, once they let us download them (which happens in the first patch I think). However, like Civ4, there is no support for mods with a custom DLL. The source code for that is not out yet but once it is it’s guaranteed that nearly every major mod will make use of it, rendering it incompatible with the Mac version.

There is also no World Builder as this is not built in like it was in Civ4, rather it is part of the SDK.
Schnapple

Did you guys look into porting the modding tools to Mono? That’s basically along the lines of what Maxis did with The Sims 3.

I fully get that there might be some technical reasons this is impossible, but I was just curious.
noisymime

“NOTICE: This game is not supported on volumes formatted as Mac OS Extended (Case Sensitive)”

Is this still correct? It was the same with Civ4 and its a pretty major oversight. Case sensitivity isn’t exactly rocket science, its just sloppy if you can’t get it right.
http://erikveland.com Erik K Veland

Yes, formatting your hard drive to have case insensitivity isn’t rocket science. In fact it has been the defaulted to that for a very good reason for 26 years!
Trevor

Downloaded the game (at least six times now) and steam (six times also) and it’s a no go. I have the minimum specs but the game just will not load. I get a start up screen and then it crashes down to an error message. Been at this for 4.5 hours now. EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED at wasting money on this piece of c*** and very disappointed as I am a long time hard core fan. Extremely disappointed with steam, aspyr and game agent.
Trevor

Downloaded the game (at least six times now) and steam (six times also) and it’s a no go. I have the minimum specs but the game just will not load. I get a start up screen and then it crashes down to an error message. Been at this for 4.5 hours now. EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED at wasting money on this piece of c*** and very disappointed as I am a long time hard core fan. Extremely disappointed with steam, aspyr and game agent.
Pete

Just downloaded and installed via Steam. Game crashes on startup immediately every time – using 9600m video card. Mac users beware of this game…
Tim

Downloaded and installed wia Steam with the exact same requirements as written above. Everything working fine, will still use the Windows version though due to the patches etc.
Oscar

I just read the first few paragraphs of this post, jumped to Steam and started the download. I’m now officially in love with you guys! Thanks for bringing Christmas in early this year.

You didn’t have to do this, yet you did it. It’s an awesome move from a great company. I am looking forward to an excuse to reward you for this!
Trevor

This was my first purchase from Game Agent and it’s my last. Unhelpful comments directing me to Aspyr on another thread (a waste of time and a pathetic deferral of responsibility), 50 dollars for nothing and hours of frustration hoping that at some point the game would just magically decide to work. GARBAGE. I would give this game and this site the most negative reviews I can summon whenever the subject comes up in the future.
Crypt

Hi. I have purchased the game, but can’t find the download link at all. When I go to order history at gameagent.com, there is nothing there!

Please help.
http://www.civplayers.com CanuckSoldier

For any MP MAC players here, you may not know this as Steam is new to you. But Steam uses regional games server lists, NOT a global one. Also even if you change your Steam Downloads/cloud region, steam still will filter your games list to only display low ping games.

So all this combined renders the games list virtually useless to an internationally played game like Civ5.

So we at Civplayers Leagues have created a MP steam chat room for all MPer here

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/civplayers

steam://friends/joinchat/103582791431089902

All MP players are welcome, and you do not have to join Civplayers….though you are certainly welcome too. I hope that this chat will serve to link up/network MAC MPers like it has for PC MPers. And eventually we will all be able to play together, which is good, we need all the MP players we can get

CanuckSolider
Owner Civilization Players Leagues
http://www.civplayers.com CanuckSoldier

One more thing, using the chat room gets around the games list because Steam lets you join a game by clicking on the hosts name in the chat room list and clicking Join Game, and yes this works for MAC users too, I tested it with a new MAC MPer tonight….though of course I goe a version mismatch error :p

CS
Kevin

No mod compatibility or world builder is a complete deal-breaker, I can’t imagine Im the only one who was excited for this but will now definitely not be buying it.
- http://www.aspyr.com Michael
  
  Please read the updates. Some mod support will be there, but unfortunately not all.
John

I have played every Civ game! I also download it from Game Agent and its my last, THe Application Civilization V quit unexpectedly pops up every time I start the game! I just want my money back Game Agent!
John

I have played every Civ game! I also download it from Game Agent and its my last, THe Application Civilization V quit unexpectedly pops up every time I start the game! I just want my money back Game Agent! Anyone have the answer to fix the problem, please let us know!
Jacob

You’re seriously publishing a game now that renders my 2 days old MacBook Air full-spec obsolete? My CPU is 2.1 GHz.
MacMourn

It’s most definitely not Aspyr / GameAgent’s fault. You could buy a brand new, full spec HP 12c calculator and it wouldn’t run Civ V. You could buy a brand new, full spec netbook and it wouldn’t run Civ V. It’s not about how new it is, it’s about meeting the requirements. Apple made it clear that processor performance was not a big issue with the Airs by sticking with old Core 2 Duos. The MacBook Air is about being lightweight, it is about battery life. It is NOT about top notch graphics/processor performance. My barely 1 year old Mac Mini won’t run Civ V and, alas, I won’t upgrade it anytime soon, so no Civ V for me for the foreseeable future. Don’t get me wrong, every piece of tech I own is made by Apple, but when it comes to gaming, most Macs are just sub-par.
Alex

It all depends on the time when you bought it, for Macs. I think all NEW models except the normal MacBooks and Airs will work great with Civ 5. The problem is that if you bought a top-notch computer 2 or 3 years ago it’s not necessarily top-notch anymore. My Late 2008 MacBook Pro barely meets minimum requirements.

It sucks, I know, but that’s just how it is. I’m in the same boat
Troy

I will not order from Gameagent again either John. I have a 2Mbit connection, but the fastest it would go was like 35Kbs… then it reset 2 times. Tried to get it to go faster and now it says all 10 attempts used up. Now I have wasted 50 dollars and have no game. Customer service does not answer and no one seems to care since they already have my money.

Bottom line – wish I would have bought it on Steam instead.
Ryan

Do not buy from GameAgent if you own a mac. The Civ V app crashes everytime I boot it up and can’t get any tech support.
- http://www.aspyr.com Michael
  
  Please contact our support. They are always here to help. If you have a machine that meets the minimum requirements, we can ALWAYS help. Sometimes, if you’re close, we can give you tips to get it up and running.
  
  We have people ready to help you, if you’ll just reach out to us. Please. Anytime.
Tom

DO NOT USE GAME AGENT for any reason.

They are a horrible company that stole my money. I have never posted a comment on the web before but this company/ website is so horrible I feel compelled. I mistakenly and incorrectly purchased a downloaded-able game as a gift when I wanted to get a boxed version (so I could gift it) I almost immediately realized my error and then immediately emailed them to cancel my order but they refused. I have not downloaded the game and will not.

This company stole my money. DO NOT PATRONIZE THIS BUSINESS.
- http://www.aspyr.com Michael
  
  Please contact our support. If you bought something from us, we will support you, we always have. We are here to help.
  
  We have tech support/customer support people available during the week (US Central time) every day.
  
  We really really want to help and make buying from us a pleasant experience.
robco

I bought the PC version several months ago. I run it on a Mac Pro with quad-core i7, 8GB RAM and a Radeon 4870. I get more eye candy, but it still chugs. The performance isn’t Aspyr’s fault. Civ V is no speed demon under Windows.

That being said, it barely runs on my year-old 15″ MBP (2.66 C2D, 9600M) and I have to turn down all the settings. Pretty sad for a relatively new notebook that starts at $2K. I’m blaming Apple here, not Aspyr, who has done great work bringing games to the Mac for many years. But Apple just won’t keep current with hardware, or at least won’t offer fast graphics at a reasonable price.
Mike

Wait a minute, let me get this straight. I paid $50 for a Mac version of Civ 5 – a higher cost than the PC version – and there’s NO modding capability? Some of the best parts of playing Civ 5 come from being able to play with XML and build new mods. So I can’t do that now?! I’m going back to Civ 4. What a disappointment. All this for being able to use Steam? Gimme a break.
Mike

And I can’t get my money back either.
Jim

So.. is there any ETA on the unifying patch to allow PC-Mac multiplayer?
Andrew

First I’d like to say I have a tremendous amount of respect and appreciation for the work Aspyr has put into bringing Civ V to Mac, and I really truly want to support their efforts. But without modding I won’t be buying Civ V. This is what made Civ IV my all-time favorite game. I hope in the future I’ll be able to enjoy all the features of Civ V, including mods and modding.

In the meantime I’m going to do my best to resist and not get Civ for PC and bootcamp it. Really the blame for a lack of modding on Mac lies with the original developers, not Aspyr. That the original developers used .NET is frankly moronic, where other platforms would have served the same purpose while being cross-platform. Microsoft-centric developers need to wake up and realize that the world of market share is changing, and not only Mac but Linux, Google and others deserve consideration. The XML/Python model in Civ IV is easy proof that platform-ignorant technology is within reach for gaming and modding.
Eric

I purchased the game for download on your site, but there is no download button! I want my money back!
- http://www.gameagent.com Russ Looney
  
  @ Eric – Have you been able to get a hold of our support team? They should be able to help you out, either by providing a download link or giving you a refund if the problem can’t be resolved.
  
  You can reach them a variety of ways, including the web (http://support.aspyr.com), email (support@aspyr.com), or Twitter (@Aspyr_Support).
Marc

So.. is there any ETA on the unifying patch to allow PC-Mac multiplayer?
job

So.. is there any ETA on the unifying patch to allow PC-Mac multiplayer? This is a HUGE issue.
Jim

There is a patch today.. in about an hour and a half, actually. But there’s been no confirmation that it catches Mac up to yesterday’s PC patch and enables multiplayer.
Anonymous

Any info on the unifying patch to allow PC-Mac multiplayer? I agree this is a huge issue that has yet to be answered!
Jim

Conversation has moved to the “Patch Release” post

Basically, we would have been caught up.. except that PC *just* did another patch. Literally the day before we would have been on the same version, a big PC patch hit. So now we need to wait for that patch to be ported, and hope there’s no other disasters on the PC side requiring additional patches besides.
Devin

I repeatedly get “The application Civilization V quit unexpectedly.” error message everytime I try to boot the game. I’m running Mac OS X Version 10.5.8 with a 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 2GB 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM.

Whats the deal?

Whats the fix?

Please help!
Jim

Guess you didn’t actually read the FAQ

Civ V requires snow leopard (10.6.x). It’s a $30 upgrade from Apple.
Devin

Ahhh… I missed that, thanks for the heads up.

-D
JD

to Jim and Devin:

I have Mac OS X 10.6.5 and I just started receiving “The application Civilization V quit unexpectedly” error myself. I’ve been playing this game for at least a month before I received this error.

Also, at times I play the game in online mode, other times in offline mode. Not sure if this may alter performance.
Benji

So is there any chance of the live tuner coming to mac?
scott

How about some Mac to PC compatibility already. Sheesh.

What reputable company would release patches for one platform and not the other – thus preventing cross-facing?

Gimme a break.
- http://www.gameagent.com Russ Looney
  
  @ scott: The latest patch for Civ V should be out in the next 2-3 weeks at latest and will bring the Mac version up to speed with the PC. This means PC-to-Mac multiplayer will be enabled, and there will also be support for any already-released DLC.
  
  The reason the patches are not currently in sync is because, while the game is the same, the Mac version and the PC version are two separate products with different developers and publishers. The PC version is developed by Firaxis and published by 2K, while the Mac version is ported and published by Aspyr. We simply follow the roadmap laid forth by the PC version when working on patches. While we work furiously to get the game working the same as the PC, there will inevitably be times where the Mac version falls behind the PC version. Patches for the PC version are often worked on all the way until right before release which in turn means we often do not have the necessary information to port the patch to Mac until after the PC version has already been updated. Again, this will mean that there will be times when the Mac version falls out of sync with the PC, especially if there are changes to the multiplayer system.
  - elik
    
    The reason the patches are not currently in sync is because the Mac version and the PC version are TREATED as two separate products.
    
    I don’t believe in magic, and only magic could make synchronous patches work magically. If it is to be achieved, you and Firaxis will have to start talking. And I’m sad to say that since you are the ones lagging behind, you end up taking the blame for it not happening and it hurts your image.
    
    I buy Civ 5, my friend with a mac buys Civ 5, I expect to be able to play with him. If 2k games sees multiplatform multiplayer as a yet to be implemented feature, you have to tell them that most of their clients see that as a yet to be resolved bug that has been around since launch.
    
    Now, that might mean that Firaxis has to hold down its horses, or that more money needs to be invested in porting… you figure it out. As one of my old bosses said:
    
    “Consistency is better than progress”
Jim

Thanks for the update, Russ!

I would still encourage you to ask Firaxis/2K to hold patches until their port is ready, once we are synced up, for the good of the entire Civ community.
Scott

@ Russ

Still waiting on that cross platform compatibility. Seems like your 2 to 3 week timetable was wishful thinking.

I understand there are technical issues at play, but I’m certain developers are compensated to overcome them and release to market a product that isn’t flawed.
Mark

Last week I bought this game and it has been crashing on me non-stop. It actually ends up freezing and I have to restart my computer to get out of it! I have the min requirements and latest update I believe. Well, when I installed it, I assume it DLed the patch right? Really disappointing….
http://www.facebook.com/ferrancullell Ferran Cullell Massallé

can mac players play against pc players?
- elik
  
  Nope, still not! Very briefly, the PC and Mac version came on par, but the mac version added an “a” to the version, in prevision of an upcoming PC update that would have broken multiplatform multiplayer. Since then, PC released 2 version and Mac has yet to release a new one. You can follow mac version from this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization_V
Hawkeye137

Me: This post looks informative. So will there be sdk for Mac?
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Civilization V Mac FAQs, V3 [Updated]

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