Feral Interactive talks about their Legends Series of Mac games
Section: Software + Apps, Games, Mac + Computers, Software, Features, Interviews
Last Thursday, the good folks at Feral Interactive announced they’d be publishing Sid Meier’s Pirates! for the Mac. Having been a huge fan of the game back in its Apple IIGS incarnation, I was both surprised and thrilled with the announcement. What I found most intriguing, however, was the announcement that Sid Meier’s Pirates! was being published as part of the “Feral Legends Series,” of which I’d previously heard no mention. So, immediately after posting the announcement, I got in contact with Brad Gibson at Feral to see if he could tell me a bit more about what this Legends Series entails.
My first question, of course, regarded volume. If your first game in a new series is a Mac version of a PC title updated for release in 2004, I’m immediately leaping all the way back to the 90s for a list of games that never made it our way, but certainly should have. So, does Feral have plenty of games in mind already, or is Pirates! just an experiment to see how well these older titles do?
“The Feral Legends series is a new label for Feral,” Brad replied. “I wouldn’t call it an ‘experiment.’ We do plan on the line being a continuing and growing area. We can’t say now what other titles are coming or exactly how many. What I can say is that we have strong plans for its future.”
Sid Meier’s Pirates! is certainly a strong way to start. Considering this, I wanted to know how this whole project came about. Was the Feral Legends label launched because they had a game like Pirates!, or was it because of the idea for the label that they sought out Pirates!?
“It was more of the former and not the latter,” Brad explained. “We felt that there were a number of titles that fit under an umbrella of ‘classic games.’ These would be games we want to differentiate from newer titles, as they’ve grown an image of popularity and fame.”
Of course, “popularity and fame” translates into “games that sold well,” but that’s always a crap shoot with Mac ports. Games that were huge hits earlier in the decade could well have been products of the time, could now be extremely dated, or could have been bypassed by better games already available on the Mac. So, what other factors came into play? Personal recommendations from the Feral crew (or their porting partners)? Game age? Fan requests? My personal hopes and dreams?
At this question, Brad politely pleaded the Fifth. “I can’t get into the details of what makes a ‘Legend.’ It’s really a balance of a number of factors.”
Not good enough for me, so I pressed on. And although Brad was polite as he continued to deflect my questions about what else we’d be seeing, I could tell even through his e-mails that he was doing so through clenched teeth. So, the conversation ended there, with us knowing only that Sid Meier’s Pirates! will be hitting the Mac this month, but that Feral does have bigger plans for the Feral Legends Series.
That won’t stop me from speculating, though. Just how far back is Feral willing to go? Are they looking solely at PC games, or will they consider porting Mac OS Classic games to OS X? If so, will they look only at their own titles, or other Mac publishers, as well? I guess we’ll have to wait and see, but I’m fine with that. Come late August, I have a feeling I’m going to be fairly distracted, anyway.
Meanwhile, what do you think? Are there any games you’ve been dying to see make it to the Macintosh over the years? Let us know in the comments below.
Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »
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Porting games to the Mac is a tricky business
Section: Software + Apps, GamesRemember back when Apple made the switch to Intel and it suddenly seemed as if all those PC games would be more easily ported to the Mac? So do I, and I’m still wondering where everything is. We saw some big name titles from EA, but after their initial release of four A-list titles (Madden, Need for Speed, etc.), nothing. Companies such as Aspyr and Feral continue to release popular games such as Call of Duty 4 and Tomb Raider Anniversary, but certainly no more so than when Macs were happily chugging away on PowerPC chips. So, what’s been going on? Alex McLarty at The Mac Gamer finds some answers from one of the best sources in Mac gaming: Glenda Adams, Director of Development for Aspyr Media: TMG: We’ve had Intel in our Macs for a few years now. Has how the switch changed game development for the Mac? Glenda: It’s lessened some of the work we have to do, but unfortunately the graphics side of games has just exploded. The amount of shader code and complex rendering is probably 2-3 times as much work as it was for games a couple years ago, so that has more than offset the efficiency gains we had from the Intel switch. TMG: Why hasn’t there been a flood of games for the Mac that some predicted? Glenda: I think there are several reasons - Mac game sales are still fairly constant, and haven’t expanded with Apple’s market share increases over the last two years. So there isn’t loads of money to be made. And the complexity of games has made it more difficult to port them to the Mac. Lastly, the PC market has been really beat up in 2007 and 2008, and there just aren’t as many AAA PC games out there that make sense to bring to the Mac. And if you think that sounds depressing, hold on; it gets worse. TMG: How do you see gaming progressing in the next few years? Glenda: The shift to console is undeniable. There are just so many benefits to working on a stable and well defined hardware platform. This is a shift that has been taking place for some time now. More and more computer games are being released simultaneously with the console counterparts. The result of this is that computer games are being “dumbed down” to the console system(s) for which they’re developed. The days of taking full advantage of the WASD + mouse control system, which for many games is far superior to that of a traditional console gamepad (especially first-person shooters), are disappearing, leaving us with games that feel clunky on computer systems. Plus, with the advent of the Wii Remote + Wii Nunchuck system of the Nintendo Wii, there’s actually a control system out there that’s better than the keyboard/mouse combo of the computer. But the news gets still worse for Mac gamers: TMG: Thoughts on the iPhone? Will you be developing anything for it? Glenda: We’re actively working on several games for the iPhone, and it is a very exciting platform. We can’t wait to get our first apps out and in the store. This is something of which I’ve been hearing a lot from developers: “Exciting.” I take that to mean lucrative, as it’s apparently quite easy to develop for the iPhone, publishers don’t have to worry about packaging and retail space, distribution is easier, and there is (or will be) a much wider audience for iPhone games. I imagine that many Mac developers will soon shift their focus towards the iPhone, leaving us with even fewer options for games that don’t concern girls serving cake to impatient patrons. You can follow the link below for more of The Mac Gamer’s interview with Glenda Adams. Or, like me, you can just go hide yourself in a prolonged gaming session with Neverwinter Nights 2. Try bringing that to the iPhone, Glenda! Read [The Mac Gamer] Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »Macworld - Centrino 2: Coming soon to a Mac near...
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Mac Games: TransGaming has launched GameTree
Section: Software + Apps, Games, Web, OriginalsAlthough I enjoy playing video games, I really don’t get a chance to play them as much as I would like. Priorities such as family, work, and life in general always get in the way. But when I have a chance for some personal time, one of my luxuries is to completely immerse myself in a game. I normally play FPS on my Xbox 360 (Gears of War, Bioshock, and Mass Effect are some of my favorites) and occasionally I’ll play them on my 17” MacBook Pro. I recently heard about a new Mac gaming portal, as TransGaming has recently launched GameTree. There are a lot of Windows based PC gaming websites online, and now GameTree Online is planning to offer similar features for Mac users. We already have Mac gaming websites that offer similar services, but I’m always happy to see more. Mac gamers will have the chance to download Mac games and write reviews about them. Also, Mac gamers will have the chance to check up on the latest gaming news and participate in a variety of promotional activities. GameTree Online states: GameTree Online complements TransGaming’s Cider Portability, a turn-key solution for enabling games for the Mac, such as EVE Online and Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. Let’s hope this encourages more developers and publishers to publish titles for the Mac. Not only will TransGaming be selling games on GameTree Online, they will also be opening up their doors to publishers and developers, giving them a shot to distribute their back catalog of games. That means those titles we’ve never seen on a Mac could be “Ciderized” and distributed digitally at GameTree Online. GameTree Online hopes to replicate digital distribution offerings for Windows-based PC, enabling consumers to purchase and download Mac games, read gaming news, participate in promotional opportunities, and write game reviews. TransGaming plans to continually add new titles from a mix of genres to its online portal. GameTree Online doesn’t have a lot of games at the moment; Puzzle Quest, The Lost Case of Sherlock Holmes, and The Tuttles: Madcap Misadventures are the ones I saw when I logged onto the website. I’ve been wanting to check out The Tuttles so I’ll most likely download it and see if I enjoy the game. I’ll be checking back in a few weeks, and am hoping they’ll have additional games available for Mac gamers. Full Story » | Written by Opal Tribble for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »