WOW - I just read all these messages to my post about GW2 and the Mac. Yea, my head is spinning 'round and 'round. I spent hours reading posts on the GW2 forum. Didn’t understand any of it. Someone did mention on GW2 forums as well as under my post here that boot camp can be set up.
Then I remembered that EQ2 was on boot camp. I still have windows 8.1. I used that and Windows 7 for EQ2, WoW, and Rift. I also remembered many problems with stuff on Windows, so I only had games on it and nothing else. But still had problems. I had my geek friend on speed dial. LOL
When I began GW2, I sooooo got rid of this bootcamp and windows since GW2 had Mac Client. My geek friend left the area, so I finally found another IT person. He serviced my Mac three years ago but since then it’s been great - no problems.
I just called him. Thank goodness he remembered my place and me after only being here once. Anyway, he’s coming to set me up a week from thursday. So maybe, just maybe I can still play GW2. I hope, I hope, I hope… got my fingers crossed that GW2 still works on either Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. Does any one know?
Out of curiosity, didn’t the change occur because Apple is changing their chip architecture? I know next to absolutely nothing about Macs, but I remember hearing that any x86 architecture was being dropped. If that’s correct in any measure, this may have been what caused the drastic change in support of the game on that platform.
the 1M chip may have something to do with that, but that wasn’t the main focus. For years, Apple use 32bit, then went to 64 bit processors and transitioned to Intell which was since 2005. This allows Mac users to play both 32 and 64 bit games. Apple changed their OS to 10 or OS X. Updated technologies like Metal all require 64bit. Eventually the long and very slow timeline in the industry has gone to strictly 64 bit. Mojave Version OS 10.14.6 is the last OS that will support 32 bit programs including a ton of games and other smaller apps.
If you don’t run Catalina the OS version 10.15, it will not recognize 32 bit. Catalina is the OS that is moving toward acceptance of Metal processor which cannot run 32 bit.
It’s very expensive for any game or any app to change up their program for acceptance of Catalina. Some have, some haven’t. Catalina sill uses the intel processor. Catalina offers many features not available under prior OS with 32 bit such as using iPad as a second monitor previously only available with Thunderbolt monitor. It will be a while before iMetal aka iM Mac machines will be used by general public and businesses.
GW2 and I’ve also noticed other gaming companies had not updated their games or just a few to carry only 64 bit. Players to want to go to Catalina can no long play GW2 as their client was only for 32 bit, not 64. They weighed the pros and cons and decided more Mac players would use other means including evoking the bootcamp to continue playing under Windows O/S because Windows still supports 32 as well as 64 bit through Windows 10. Eventually Microsoft will change to 64 bit only due to the problems running both operating systems that disable 64 bit.
Then GW2 and other games will need to make changes in order to keep their games viable. When that will happen? No one really knows. Apple was the first to do so after taking a 15 plus year road to the change. And it’s all due to ongoing changes in technology. And that will take as fast as how developers and computer uses re updating and changing.
Apple is the first to push to the new technology so the total transition is coming - some year…
The only thing we can count on happening is change…
I’m playing my iMac with Mojave and using bootcamp for Windows 10 32 bit.
