Jump to content

Recommended Posts

  • 3 weeks later...
On 1/26/2020 at 4:47 PM, IMHO said:

Try a ticket to the tech support.

Yes, do this. They are the ones with the answers.

On 1/26/2020 at 4:47 PM, IMHO said:

AFAIK MacOS CM is not a "native" app developed for MacOS from scratch - it's a rebuild of Windows app using some third-party libs/SW so it may be trickier that it seems.

That is not my impression. Having said that I do not know one way or another - and neither does @IMHO :)  - The game doesn't really use UI widgets from either OS it gets a full screen windows and uses Open GL to render everything - the UI the models and the environment. There would be little need to have a UI compatibility layer to port a Windows app to the Mac. The simplest way to go would be to write a small OS specific shell that can find the files and resources it needs and kicks off the main window and then have the exact same code make the Open GL calls to render the game UI and environment.

But that is only my impression. Perhaps @IMHO recalls a post I missed and can set me straight - please.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/29/2020 at 7:49 PM, IanL said:

But that is only my impression. Perhaps @IMHO recalls a post I missed and can set me straight - please.

  1. Yeah I do remember a post introducing MacOS port and mentioning some third-party libs provider. I had a MacBook Pro back then with a Bootcamp Win partition created solely to run CM. But that was years and years ago so I don't think I'll find it.
  2. A friend of mine wasted well over a grand for eGPU box and a decent video card. Some games can be goaded into working - some are not. But to succeed I'd have decent understanding of MacOS internals :)
Edited by IMHO
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ian directed me to this thread to answer some of the basic questions.

I think IMHO's memory is playing a small trick on him.  The original Mac port was done by a 3rd party developer (i.e. a partner), but it was a ground up MacOS build.  I do not think there is any 3rd party products in Combat Mission at all, just direct support for the OpenGL API.  All UI elements are derived from homegrown code and run through OpenGL's API.

As long as the eGPU works correctly with OpenGL, then Combat Mission should work on it.  However, due to the nature and age of OpenGL and Combat Mission, I'd not be surprised if there are issues with a piece of hardware that hadn't even been conceived of when CM and OpenGL were developed.  Certainly we've done nothing to support eGPU or optimize for any specific OS (Mac or Windows).

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Steve for those clarifications. That is very clear then. 

I think that in practical terms for the Macs it means there is no need to aim for the most bullish eGPU - or also GPU - (then saving some bucks for more CM modules 😃) as from recent test bench I have seen there is not much difference on OpenGL between a say medium eGPU and a high end eGPU that costs twice the price ; that would not be the case if all was built in for the “new” 3D Metal API.

Which by the way makes CM usable on a LOT of machines (and not only the most recent ones) - I am still running it on a 10 year old 15” MacBook Pro ... (and I praise BF team here). May be in a not so distant future I will change it for something a little more powerful but not investing too much on GPU or eGPU then.

Thanks for the quick answer!! And all this fantastic work. Great job 👍

Edited by Albert DuBalay
Typos
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup, I think you can save your money for better things.  I'm not sure how much of a benefit the eGPU provides.  Unless OpenGL is customized to take full advantage of it my guess is there won't be much improvement.  If anybody does wind up using CM on a eGPU I'd love to know how well it works.

Thanks for the thanks!

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Battlefront.com, Steve, thanks for the clarifications!

@Albert DuBalay,

1. I'd be careful with what to expect from big investments into hardware. If you plan to buy eGPU solely for CM then your money will buy more fun if invested in more CM tites. I can compare CM on MacBook Air with integrated Intel graphics at 1440x900, same at 2560x1440, Win7 box with dual NV GTX 690 at 2560x1440 with 4GB VRAM and a Win10 laptop with NV1070 at 1920x1080 with 8Gb VRAM. There's a noticeable difference on MacOS when jumping from 1440x900 to 2560x1440 but the latter is really pushing meagre Air capabilities way way over the limit. And though somewhat slow the game still plays decently at this resolution. There's obviously a difference between MacOs and both Windows machines but there's absolutely no difference between dual GTX 690 and 1070 even though there's a gap of many generations between them.

2. This friend of mine who bought MacBook Pro + eGPU is kind of unhappy with the investment. Not all the games are playable and those that do offer say half the bang that can be expected from fast NV graphics. We were upgrading at more or less the same time - I preferred a MacBook Air for casual use (cheap) and another Win/NV1070 one (expensive back then) for gaming-on-the-go. He bought an expensive MacBook Pro with Radeon and an eGPU box with expensive NV graphics. The verdict is the former is better. If, say, you have a top MacBook Pro then, most probably, you won't see much difference with eGPU. CM titles are really well optimized for relatively slow hardware.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/3/2020 at 10:22 PM, Albert DuBalay said:

Thanks Steve for those clarifications. That is very clear then. 

I think that in practical terms for the Macs it means there is no need to aim for the most bullish eGPU - or also GPU - (then saving some bucks for more CM modules 😃) as from recent test bench I have seen there is not much difference on OpenGL between a say medium eGPU and a high end eGPU that costs twice the price ; that would not be the case if all was built in for the “new” 3D Metal API.

Which by the way makes CM usable on a LOT of machines (and not only the most recent ones) - I am still running it on a 10 year old 15” MacBook Pro ... (and I praise BF team here). May be in a not so distant future I will change it for something a little more powerful but not investing too much on GPU or eGPU then.

Thanks for the quick answer!! And all this fantastic work. Great job 👍

I have performed further searches and I think I have to take back part of what I have mentioned before. Indeed - and on the paper at least - the type of GPU card does matter for OpenGL performances. The test bench results I was mentioning are actually indicating a 40% to 50% gain between a "medium" GPU (Radeon Pro 560X) and a "high end" GPU (Radeon Pro Vega 16 or 20 - nearly same) in favour of the latter. Does it worth +$600 price difference ?? it does not say ...

Also what it does in real life on CM titles and as part of an eGPU mode is another matter I guess for which the web is for now short of answers. As anybody some benchmarks / screen captures with CM products to propose ?

.... and for the guys at BattleFront (Steve ?) would you please share with us what is the best recommended config to enjoy CM at its best for visual performances ? What type of config are you using when game testing ?

 

Thank you

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...