Dear IMG: I wholeheartedly agree with Ross Scott Rubin’s comments on the lack of PC developers creating Macintosh versions of their games. Unfortunately, many companies mistakenly believe that a simple port of their game to the Macintosh is sufficient. Compare the blocky graphics of Sierra On-Line’s Space Quest I to the beautiful graphics of Spaceship Warlock or Prince of Persia and you can see where this leads. To me, I would rather see these companies do nothing than to release a low quality port. If game developers are going to develop Macintosh versions of their PC games, they must rewrite them to take advantage of the applicable Macintosh capabilities (e.g., high quality graphics, stereo sound and networking) or these games will be ignored by Macintosh gamers.
If publishers took the effort to create the highest quality version of their games that was possible, the Macintosh gaming community would respond and their investment would be rewarded. Adam R. Talcott via Internet
Dear IMG: Good job on the Origin article. I think it is the honest truth and something that needed to be said. I do believe that Macs are now finally coming of age in the home (with the advent of entry level models and prices) and most game companies will realize that there are a ton of people out there who have Macs and who want to play their games. The best recent examples of this are 7th Guest from Virgin and Alone in the Dark from •I-Motion. Both are some of the hottest PC games out right now, and both are due on Macs soon. I really think we are about to enter a new Mac gaming era. Bill Leonard via America Online
Dear IMG: I thought the article [ORIGINal Sin] was very well written and voiced the opinions (and frustrations) of many Mac users, myself included, quite well. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’ll do much good. Though I’m sure there are people at the larger game companies who would love to program for the Mac, the marketing departments (or whomever) has decided that there just isn’t enough money in it. I think that’s a pretty idiotic decision: I don’t understand how tiny companies can make money writing good Mac games while big ones can’t. I don’t think many successful corporations take this attitude, certainly not the more successful ones.
Ultimately, though, I agree with your final conclusion: it really doesn’t matter whether the big game companies provide the games. Someone will, and that’s all that really matters to me. If we don’t ever see Wing Commander/Mac, that’s OK - I’m sure we’ll see something as good for the Mac or PowerPC. Actually, judging from the latest crop of Mac games, I’d say we’re apt to see something much, much better.
Antonio Alvarez via America Online
Dear IMG: I have read and agree with the comments in the June issue about Origin leaving the Mac marketplace and not returning, I bought several of their games for the Apple II including the original version of Ultima and will add my name to the list of people writing to them to suggest as strongly as possible that they setup a Mac division ASAP. I would like Wing Commander with Mac graphics as well!
John R. Maltby - Caterham, England
The Trouble with LucasArts
Dear IMG: After reading your cruel April Fools joke, I decided to petition LucasArts Games for a Mac version of X-Wing. Although their response was quick, it was however, disappointing. [The following is a sampling from their letter.]
“I am sorry to say that we are not planning on making X-Wing for the Macintosh. X-Wing uses a programming language called LANDRU which is PC hardware specific and is impossible to port over to the Macintosh system.”
It is interesting to note that they state a direct port of X-Wing would be impossible because it is “PC hardware specific.” While this is true, it does not mean that a Mac version of X-Wing would be ‘impossible.’ It’s sad to think that only those games that can be easily ported from their PC counterparts will appear on the Macintosh. I just hope that pressure from the Mac gaming community will convince LucasArts to commit to writing a ‘ground-up’ version of X-Wing for the Macintosh. Jeff Hegedus - Irvine, California
Multimedia IMG
Dear IMG: I just subscribed, so I’d have to say that I really like your magazine, but if you’re going to make an online mag, why not take full advantage of your medium? I’d love to see audio segments of interviews, or QuickTime movies of new games to accompany reviews. This would certainly give you a way to separate yourselves from the other magazines out there, and I for one would be willing to pay a little more for it. Jeff Lind via Internet
— We’d like nothing more than to go ‘full blown’ with IMG and include lots of sounds and QuickTime movies. But when you say “take advantage of the medium,” you’re talking about a 1.4 MB floppy disk. We could offer a two-disk subscription but then we’d have to raise the subscription prices from one, to two thirds of what they are now just to cover expenses. It is possible we may have a surprise for you in the near future, but it won’t be distributed on a floppy (hint hint). —JB
Double-Speed CD-ROM
Dear IMG: Would a double-speed CD-ROM drive show any drastic improvements in terms of smoother animation and quick loading-times? I am planning to buy a single-speed drive and was wondering when (if ever) the entertainment companies for CD-ROM would produce quality games aimed specifically to take advantage of double-speed drives. Neo via Internet
— Double-speed drives will, as that term implies, perform with roughly twice the access and animation speeds as their older cousins. However, if a game is already geared towards a top frame rate of say 10-12 frames per second, most older CD drives will be more than adequate. Since the installed base of older CD drives is massive in comparison to the newer, double-speed models, don’t expect to see double-speed dependant games reach the market for quite some time. —JB
Letters to IMG. If you have a question, problem, comment, suggestion, tip, or idea, write or e-mail us, please. All letters become property of Inside Mac Games. We reserve the right to edit any letters.
