Do I really have to re-buy all my Paradox games?

[Plushie]

I experienced an...accident with the computer I usually use recently. It was a PC. Now it's just a hunk of plastic and metal.

So, I've started using my old Mac, it's working pretty well. Kind of sad it's so old that it's only about as powerful as my laptop (RIP), but whatever.

Well, one evening I'm bored enough that I want to play some EUIII. I go to Gamersgate with the intention of downloading one of the Paradox games I've already bought.

Lo and behold, I can't. I download an .exe file that the Mac can't make heads nor tails of. I go back to gamersgate and find out there are actually separate versions for Mac and PC.

Do I really have to re-buy all the games I already bought if I want to play them?

I understand it costs money to translate a game from a form Windows will understand to a form Mac OS will understand, but I don't think that justifies charging me full shelf price to buy a game I've already bought.

 

[Brasidas]

Have you tested running any of the games under emulation?

 

[Terran Noble]

I think you are gonna have to buy a new mac version unfortunatly. Because virtual programming and not paradox is the one that made the mac port and they didnt see any of the money you used when you originally bought it I would imagine. Which sucks but I don't think its alot to be done about that.

edit: what brasidas said. bootcamp or whatever its called could be a solution.

 

[Chamboozer]

You can get EU3 complete + HTTT on gamersgate for $45 dollars. Not ideal, but it's far from full shelf price.

 

[Valvinar]

It is technically legal to get an emulated game on your pc for any game you legally own. So I don't see why you couldn't just do that.

 

[Plushie]

What do you guys mean by emulation? I've never been a big Mac user before, so I'm not familiar with all the features and capabilities it has.

 

[AndrewT]

Do I really have to re-buy all the games I already bought if I want to play them?

Sadly, yes, unless you implement Apple's Bootcamp dual-boot system, or get the games to run under Parallels or VMWare Fusion.

I understand it costs money to translate a game from a form Windows will understand to a form Mac OS will understand, but I don't think that justifies charging me full shelf price to buy a game I've already bought.

I understand your dissatisfaction with the situation, but the fact is that the Mac versions of the game are not written by Paradox but Virtual Programming (www.vpltd.com) under license. You have paid Paradox for the game but that doesn't mean that VP should give you a free copy that they wrote/converted.

 

[Plushie]

Sadly, yes, unless you implement Apple's Bootcamp dual-boot system, or get the games to run under Parallels or VMWare Fusion.

I suppose that this is what people mean by emulation?

I understand your dissatisfaction with the situation, but the fact is that the Mac versions of the game are not written by Paradox but Virtual Programming (www.vpltd.com) under license. You have paid Paradox for the game but that doesn't mean that VP should give you a free copy that they wrote/converted.

Oh, no, I understand this perfectly, i just think there should be a 'conversion' cost Gamersgate charges for those who already own the PC or Mac version of a game and want the other. Something lower than the price of the full game but high enough to compensate Virtual Programming for their work. I know Pdox has no control over what Gamersgate does, so consider this just some idle musing.

 

[6354201]

Lo and behold, I can't. I download an .exe file that the Mac can't make heads nor tails of. I go back to gamersgate and find out there are actually separate versions for Mac and PC.

Ah yes, the glory of Macs on display

If you have an old mac emulation might not work very well, if it all, since in order to emulate something you generally need powerful hardware. Your best bet would be to pickup a copy of Windows XP and then install it using bootcamp.

 

[unmerged(115269)]

this happaned to me you have to rebuy the game online

 

[Trin Tragula]

Different operating system = different program I'm afraid :-/
It's kind of how you don't get a discount when buying the console game coresponding to one you have on your pc.

If your mac isn't too old you can run eu3 in bootcamp as other's have said (but this requires it to have an intel processor).

 

[Trebond]

If you got a PS3 and got games for it, and then buy an xbox, then you cant expect to get the games for the xbox for free, just because you brought them for the PS3 first ...

The same whit Windows vs. Mac .. it 2 different systems so you need to buy all your old games for the Mac if you want to play them on the Mac.
If you don't want to buy them: well, then you got to get an windows computer.