Mac OS 1.3.2 game crash

[IgniCz]

I am kind of ashamed that Paradox came to this. I am generally PC user with solid machine, but I went out of home for couple weeks and decided to just take my work macbook pro with Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655. I know it's not powerfull GPU, but let's be honest, Paradox games are not exactly GPU heavy, even Stellaris, which is best looking of them all, is still quite low demand on GPU, especially on lower settings. I bought Imperator right after it was released and actually played it on the same Mac, and I was seriously disatisfied by the game. But I told myself, hei, it's Paradox, give them a year and they will make it great. So I took that same laptop now, with knowledge I will have plenty time to spare, and I will be able to play this game after those patches which brought more depth to this game. And then I find out, that I can't actually run it anymore, and you are just saying well it sucks to be you. Not officially supporting Intel cards is just laziness on Paradox's side, as there is no reason they would not be able to run your games, as graphic is not really their domane.
PS: I am also one of those suckers who already spend several hundred euros on your games and DLCs (own everything with stellaris, most of EUIV and CKII + plenty other gmes from your publishing). But lately I find out, that Paradox is not a company it once was.

 

[AndrewT]

Not officially supporting Intel cards is just laziness on Paradox's side, as there is no reason they would not be able to run your games, as graphic is not really their domane.

No PDS game has been supported on Intel video hardware since EU3 at least. It's not laziness, Intel video hardware is not functionally equivalent to proper AMD or nVidia GPUs.

 

[Chaplin]

So, if I understand correctly, you do not plan to fix or make Imperator: Rome playable for Mac Users neither in the near or far future?

 

[IgniCz]

No PDS game has been supported on Intel video hardware since EU3 at least. It's not laziness, Intel video hardware is not functionally equivalent to proper AMD or nVidia GPUs.

That just mean you were lazy for long time Because except for Stellaris maybe, your games have so graphic quality/demand (and that's fine, as that's not why we like them), that even intel cards (especially in last couple years, could easily run them. But sure, keep repeating that mantra, if it makes you (and PDS) sleep better

 

[DesNibelungen]

So, if I understand correctly, you do not plan to fix or make Imperator: Rome playable for Mac Users neither in the near or far future?

You understand correctly. It's clear that PDS needs some competition. They've got a game that has around 1,300 players total (based on Steam data), but they still feel that they can give the finger to whatever percentage of that Mac users represent. A company only acts like that when they know they are the only game (no pun intended) in town.

 

[timeLESSiAM]

Personally I feel (and hope) its just a case of mismanagement on PDX’s part amplified by very poor choice of words and style by their “community” representative here on the forum.

Not officially supporting intel makes sense really especially on newer titles. However the way it’s being communicated is atrocious and I sincerely hope that it’s a personal problem whose responsibility lies with the person tasked to communicate with us, instead of a larger issue within PDX.

At least I understand now the forums aren’t a place to feel part of a pdx community. Rather it feels pretty exclusionary.

 

[Chaplin]

You understand correctly. It's clear that PDS needs some competition. They've got a game that has around 1,300 players total (based on Steam data), but they still feel that they can give the finger to whatever percentage of that Mac users represent. A company only acts like that when they know they are the only game (no pun intended) in town.

Shame really, but it seems like it's the way you say it is.

What I fail to understand is the reason behind this (most of us agree is corporate greed, but bear with me), I mean, if Mr. AndrewT is a reliable source regarding Tech support, and we don't have any reason to believe he isn't, then since EU3 (2007 if memory serves) none of the games produced by Paradox have been Mac compatible... yet Paradox has been listing them as such in any platform you have been able to acquire them (particularly STEAM).

What I am trying to get at is the following: either the game is Mac compatible or it isn't, but it cannot be both. If truly the games are not made with Mac OS and Mac components in mind then do not list them as Mac Compatible in the selling platforms; otherwise you are obliged to provide adequate tech support to your costumers that prefer to game in said platform; because in the end we are not talking about a perfomance issue (we are Mac users, we know what our hardware can and cannot do), we are talking about the inability to literally play a game listed as Mac compatible in its package and the, to be mild, much improvable response offered by said company's tech support representative.

 

[Aubrey]

At least I understand now the forums aren’t a place to feel part of a pdx community. Rather it feels pretty exclusionary.

Sadly, this very much seems to be who Paradox has become. From a company where every staff member was engaged, enthusiastic and friendly, it has become characterized by our “support rep” — arrogant, dismissive and smug. It’s a path I hoped to never see Paradox take, but one well-worn by the likes of BioWare, Bethesda, Maxis and a host of others.

 

[AndrewT]

So, if I understand correctly, you do not plan to fix or make Imperator: Rome playable for Mac Users neither in the near or far future?

The game runs on Macs with supported hardware just fine. Unfortunately something in the 1.3 patch happened to make this game not run on unsupported hardware any more. As i said about it would have been better for all concerned in the game had never run on it since 1.0 !

I have no say or knowledge about future plans, but I can say that no PDS game has been supported on Intel video systems on any OS for something like 10 years, since EU3 at least. That seems unlikely to change right now, it seems to me.

Shame really, but it seems like it's the way you say it is.

What I fail to understand is the reason behind this (most of us agree is corporate greed, but bear with me), I mean, if Mr. AndrewT is a reliable source regarding Tech support, and we don't have any reason to believe he isn't, then since EU3 (2007 if memory serves) none of the games produced by Paradox have been Mac compatible... yet Paradox has been listing them as such in any platform you have been able to acquire them (particularly STEAM).

What I am trying to get at is the following: either the game is Mac compatible or it isn't, but it cannot be both. If truly the games are not made with Mac OS and Mac components in mind then do not list them as Mac Compatible in the selling platforms; otherwise you are obliged to provide adequate tech support to your costumers that prefer to game in said platform; because in the end we are not talking about a perfomance issue (we are Mac users, we know what our hardware can and cannot do), we are talking about the inability to literally play a game listed as Mac compatible in its package and the, to be mild, much improvable response offered by said company's tech support representative.

Your position seems to be that listing a game in Steam as Mac compatible means it must be able to run on any Mac, regardless of hardware; even hardware specifically excluded in the published minimum requirements. If a game does not run on any Mac then we must withdraw it from sale for all Macs. Am I summarising your position correctly?

 

[AndrewT]

I cannot respond to personal criticism of me here. Please contact my manager @TinyWiking to have your complaints heard.

 

[DesNibelungen]

I have no say or knowledge about future plans, but I can say that no PDS game has been supported on Intel video systems on any OS for something like 10 years, since EU3 at least. That seems unlikely to change right now, it seems to me.

Bull. V2's last DLC was in 2013 and was updated years later to accommodate a PDS patch and was supported by a 3rd party developer (how I wish that was still the case). You haven't been around long enough to lecture the rest of us on how things have always been done. I've been playing PDS games since 2002, and now I've been told not to bother anymore.

 

[NPJ]

This is outrageous. You say when you sell it that it works on Mac. I buy it and it works. Then suddenly it doesn’t and all you have to offer is this smarmy, dismissive crap. You’ve taken my money for a frankly sub-standard game, which I hoped to be able to play in future once you’d improved it, but am now arrogantly told will never be fixed. Honestly; what a way to trash your company’s brand. I want my money back and I think you should all be ashamed of yourselves. Paradox has lost its way.

 

[Arheo]

Imperator does not support intel integrated graphics processors. The argument that it would take little work to allow support for this has no merit. If it truly was that simple, we would do it.

The fact that some versions of the game have functioned on unsupported hardware is a happy accident, and these versions of the game are still available to you. I do understand the frustration, but there's very little we can do to specifically target things like this: users run our games on a stupendous number of hardware combinations.

Lastly, our support staff are here to help you. It is not productive or fair to take your frustrations, however valid, out on them.

 

[AndrewT]

Bull. V2's last DLC was in 2013 and was updated years later to accommodate a PDS patch and was supported by a 3rd party developer (how I wish that was still the case). You haven't been around long enough to lecture the rest of us on how things have always been done. I've been playing PDS games since 2002

I haven't been around long enough? I joined here in 2001 (as you can see above), you in 2013. I started with EU2. You might bother to check your facts before making unsubstantiated claims like that.

As for Vic2 requirements:

Video Card: NVIDIA® GeForce 8800 or ATI Radeon® X1900

So no Intel.

now I've been told not to bother anymore.

No you haven't, I don't know how you can possibly characterise anything that's been said here as that. Games played on unsupported hardware may not work, is all we are saying here. That is true from any publisher of any game.

This is outrageous. You say when you sell it that it works on Mac.

No we don't. We say it works on Mac with supported hardware. As we do with every other OS. Again, are you saying your expectation is that we support the game on hardware that does not meet the published minimum requirement?

 

[TinyWiking]

This thread is taking a rather nasty tone and as we've explained this isn't going to change. As Arheo explained:

Imperator does not support intel integrated graphics processors. The argument that it would take little work to allow support for this has no merit. If it truly was that simple, we would do it.

The fact that some versions of the game have functioned on unsupported hardware is a happy accident, and these versions of the game are still available to you. I do understand the frustration, but there's very little we can do to specifically target things like this: users run our games on a stupendous number of hardware combinations.

Lastly, our support staff are here to help you. It is not productive or fair to take your frustrations, however valid, out on them.

I'd also like to point out that our minimum requirements page for Imperator has never changed and has always stated the following as minimum requirements:

Graphics Card: AMD® Radeon™ R9 M380 with 2GB Vram

To summarize: We understand that people are frustrated, I would be as well, but the simple fact is that Intel cards have never been supported and that they worked before was a fluke. Please make sure to always check the minimum requirements.