Mac games and Windows

Eichhörnchen · 05-30-18, 04:29 AM

Here's a dummy's question for you: I've only ever had Windows but the other day I picked up an old Mac game for my retro collection. I looked online to find out whether I'd be able to play it on XP and found many giving the answer 'Yes'. One reply said "Of course you can play your Mac games on Windows", the respondent going on to point out that it was a question of your computer's performance, not the platform.

So I popped the DVD into the tray on two different desktops, both running XP. The first just blanked it... showed absolutely nothing in the drive... wouldn't open. The second at least had the kindness to tell me that "Windows cannot read from this disc... it may be corrupted etc. etc."

So... can I play this on XP?

Catfish · 05-30-18, 04:39 AM

You can start a Mac in a kind of PC boot mode, but for the other way round you need at least an emulation program, if this exists at all

aanker · 05-30-18, 03:30 PM

Depending on the game, there are ROM's of Mac games that can be played on an Emulator if you can find the ROM's - there may be a ROM of the retro Mac game that you just got on DVD.

Emulators are fairly easy to find, ROM's (the games) are more difficult because many games are being re-issued for use on 'Smart Phones' iPhones etc.

.... and, as stated above, there may be a Windows Emulator that will play the Mac DVD.

Good luck. I enjoy retro-gaming.

BarracudaUAK · 06-01-18, 01:35 AM

Quote:

...
So I popped the DVD into the tray on two different desktops, both running XP. The first just blanked it... showed absolutely nothing in the drive... wouldn't open. The second at least had the kindness to tell me that "Windows cannot read from this disc... it may be corrupted etc. etc."
...

I'm not sure which file system the game's required Mac OS may be using.

But Mac operating systems are based on UNIX/BSD.
I doubt that XP, even with an emulator, can read the disk.
Unless the emulator has support for the file system, you may have to get it onto the PC using a Linux/BSD "Live" CD/DVD/USB-drive, and then try using an emulator.
("Live" = boots and runs the OS from a "ram drive" and gone after reboot, won't touch the installed XP OS.)

Quote:

...
the respondent going on to point out that it was a question of your computer's performance, not the platform.
...

Assuming an emulator can be found...

An emulators performance is directly related to the total computational power of your PC.

For example, running DOSBOX, a Dos emulator that mimics "REAL MODE" hardware (i.e. the faster the hardware the faster the game plays, not just "More FPS").
If you need to mimic faster hardware, a 486 SX/25 instead of a 386 SX/16 for example, you would have to increase the "cycles" that DOSBOX emulates.
The higher the 'cycles', the faster your machine had to be.
(It even does the 'Adlib' and old 'Sound Blaster' sound cards! New sound cards REALLY screw up old MIDI music.)

My 2500XP (32 bit 1.83ghz) could do just fine "faking" a 386 SX/25 for "EarthSiege", but to mimic a 486 DX/2 66mhz for something like MechWarrior 2, would have my Athlon X2 5600 (dual 2.8ghz) running at a pretty high CPU usage.
As the CPU was "emulating" everything, CPU, OS, Sound, Video, EVERYTHING!

Would be the same with a Mac Emulator.

Barraucda

P.S. By contrast something like "WINE", which allows Windows games in Linux, "redirects" the Windows/DirectX "API calls" to the Linux/OpenGL equivalents, doesn't require the same amount of "oomph" since you aren't "faking hardware".
I'm not sure if such a program exist...

Eichhörnchen · 06-01-18, 02:33 AM

Thanks for that, guys. None of these other answers I found online said anything anout emulators... they implied you simply loaded the disc to play. It's no big deal anyway... not a 'must have' game just "Sid Meier's Pirates!"

Catfish · 06-01-18, 03:10 AM

Sid Meiers's Pirates was good, as was Pirates 'Gold'. But i thought those were all DOS versions, not Mac?

Imho the best of those older games was 'Sea legends' though, it kind of revolutionised this genre wih its Voxel engine while still running on DOS, and had a real plot and story.. though you did not need to follow it.

You start your career as a young navy captain on an english frigate, being deployed to the caribbean sea. However there is a betrayal and a trap, and you will be sunk by an overwhelming spanish fleet. This is how it was supposed to work to let the story unfold... i would not accept that though, reloaded some thirty times and finally managed to get through with my ship being shot up to 4 percent hull integrity, but making it.
You can equip your ship(s), trade with them, throw things overboard when you get stuck on a sand bank.. you learn a bit about sailing and the advantages of schooner type ships.. one of the best PC games i ever played.

You can read about and download it (and others) here:
http://www.old-games.com/download/5542/sea-legends
Also a hint how to run those older games on new PCs..

05-30-18, 04:29 AM	#1
Eichhörnchen Starte das Auto Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: The Fens Posts: 15,747 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Mac games and Windows Here's a dummy's question for you: I've only ever had Windows but the other day I picked up an old Mac game for my retro collection. I looked online to find out whether I'd be able to play it on XP and found many giving the answer 'Yes'. One reply said "Of course you can play your Mac games on Windows", the respondent going on to point out that it was a question of your computer's performance, not the platform. So I popped the DVD into the tray on two different desktops, both running XP. The first just blanked it... showed absolutely nothing in the drive... wouldn't open. The second at least had the kindness to tell me that "Windows cannot read from this disc... it may be corrupted etc. etc." So... can I play this on XP? __________________

05-30-18, 04:39 AM	#2
Catfish Dipped Squirrel Operative Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: ..where the ocean meets the sky Posts: 16,897 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	You can start a Mac in a kind of PC boot mode, but for the other way round you need at least an emulation program, if this exists at all __________________ >^..^<*)))>{ All generalizations are wrong.

06-01-18, 02:33 AM	#5
Eichhörnchen Starte das Auto Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: The Fens Posts: 15,747 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Thanks for that, guys. None of these other answers I found online said anything anout emulators... they implied you simply loaded the disc to play. It's no big deal anyway... not a 'must have' game just "Sid Meier's Pirates!" __________________

06-01-18, 03:10 AM	#6
Catfish Dipped Squirrel Operative Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: ..where the ocean meets the sky Posts: 16,897 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	Sid Meiers's Pirates was good, as was Pirates 'Gold'. But i thought those were all DOS versions, not Mac? Imho the best of those older games was 'Sea legends' though, it kind of revolutionised this genre wih its Voxel engine while still running on DOS, and had a real plot and story.. though you did not need to follow it. You start your career as a young navy captain on an english frigate, being deployed to the caribbean sea. However there is a betrayal and a trap, and you will be sunk by an overwhelming spanish fleet. This is how it was supposed to work to let the story unfold... i would not accept that though, reloaded some thirty times and finally managed to get through with my ship being shot up to 4 percent hull integrity, but making it. You can equip your ship(s), trade with them, throw things overboard when you get stuck on a sand bank.. you learn a bit about sailing and the advantages of schooner type ships.. one of the best PC games i ever played. You can read about and download it (and others) here: http://www.old-games.com/download/5542/sea-legends Also a hint how to run those older games on new PCs.. __________________ >^..^<)))>{ All generalizations are wrong. Last edited by Catfish; 06-01-18 at 03:23 AM.*

05-30-18, 03:30 PM	#3
aanker Pacific Thunder Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Yellow Sea Posts: 1,896 Downloads: 236 Uploads: 14	Depending on the game, there are ROM's of Mac games that can be played on an Emulator if you can find the ROM's - there may be a ROM of the retro Mac game that you just got on DVD. Emulators are fairly easy to find, ROM's (the games) are more difficult because many games are being re-issued for use on 'Smart Phones' iPhones etc. .... and, as stated above, there may be a Windows Emulator that will play the Mac DVD. Good luck. I enjoy retro-gaming.