DDO Mac Beta Client for Live Servers

[Kindoki]

Hello everyone. Been thinking about coming back to the game, and I'm also buying a new desktop at the same time. A Mac mini. My first foray into Apple products. Is the DDO Mac client up to snuff, or do I need to invest in a dual boot setup?

[DeadSpatula]

Hello everyone. Been thinking about coming back to the game, and I'm also buying a new desktop at the same time. A Mac mini. My first foray into Apple products. Is the DDO Mac client up to snuff, or do I need to invest in a dual boot setup?

Its in beta, but (for me) it generally works better then either dual boot or a virtualized copy of windows (ive tried both ways). The system responds better.

The problems you'll run into from my experience:
Damage is not displayed correctly unless you use n+n+n damage format.
I have never been able to see the surface of still water, nor the underwater haze since switching. I've considered this a feature its made some dungeons far more navigable.
Gamma isn't working right, so in dark dungeons you may not be able to see whats in certain corners.
Occationlly in certain dungeons you get a flat green wall between sections of the dungeon. You can't see through it, but you can move through it. Its never killed me, but it got annoying.
Ive had one dungeon where surface textures stopped loading (Clear the air, the trog nest quest in the marketplace). I couldn't see the ramps or walls or floor. I left the quest and never returned, so I do not know if it is an always thing or not. I have seen others say it is.

Overall, I prefer the native experience. I prefer to not have to into windows just to play a game. But it is up to you whether the connivence outweighs the Beta status of the client.

Personally? Worth it.

(PS. Bootcamp is still a part of MAC OS, so if you do go dual boot, all you need is a copy of Windows. It will do all the hard partition setup work for you.)

[Kindoki]

Thanks DS. I appreciate that. I definitely would go the bootcamp route, and I have Windows, but I will give the MAC client a try. Total newb question - I will retain my login and all my previous stuff? There's nothing completely wonky that would make me restart an account?

[Kaytis]

Thanks DS. I appreciate that. I definitely would go the bootcamp route, and I have Windows, but I will give the MAC client a try. Total newb question - I will retain my login and all my previous stuff? There's nothing completely wonky that would make me restart an account?

You can use the same credentials regardless of the client you choose.

[inflames21]

DDO is coming to the Mac! A beta version of the Mac client for the live servers is available to DDO players to try!

To get started with the DDO Mac client, download the installer at this link (UPDATED URL): http://download.ddo.akamai.turbine.c...NDLauncher.dmg

Instructions to Install:

• COPY the installer URL. (We recommend that players not attempt to hand-type the above URL)
• Download the file (this is a full client download for this initial preview, and may take longer than your typical DDO game client downloads on PC do)
• Upon download, open the .dmg file
• Drag the DNDLauncher .app to a place you see fit (Applications folder is the standard place)
• Run the launcher, patch up, and begin to play DDO on your Mac!
• Let us know how DDO runs on your Mac

Please note that this is a beta version of the DDO Mac client, so if you experience any anomalies, please be sure to tell us about it here in the beta forum so our engineers can investigate if necessary!

• Mac-related bug reports should be sent under the “Other” category, and include the word “Mac” in your summary of the issue (that’s the text box entitled “Please provide a brief summary of the bug:*”).
  
  • You can also post feedback in our Mac beta forum.
  
  
• Be sure to review the Mac Known Issues and FAQ below!

Thanks for trying out the DDO Mac client!

Known Issues

• Upon closing, the DDO client will sometimes generate a crash error even though the client did not actually crash.
• Right-click reporting in chat does not generate a ticket properly. Please submit spam and harassment reports via the traditional ticketing system.
• The "gameplay" section of the ticketing system does not generate a ticket properly. If you experience difficulty submitting an in-game ticket, please submit one via our support site at http://support.turbine.com
• The "take screenshot" feature does not work.
• Rainbow-like graphical anomalies appear if Glow Mapping and/or Post-Effects are toggled on.
• Some payment methods in the Store do not work properly, and the "Even more payment methods" does not display properly. If you experience this issue, please include the payment type you were attempting to use in your bug report (e.g. WebMoney, BOKU).

FAQ

What is the DDO Mac client?

The Mac client is a version of the DDO game that runs natively on the Apple Mac operating system, without a requirement for Windows emulation software.

What OSX versions are supported?

At present, the DDO Mac client is supported for players running OSX Lion (10.7) and OSX Mountain Lion (10.8). While some functionality may work on older versions of OSX, only 10.7 and 10.8 are supported.

What are the system requirements?

These system requirements are based on the hardware used during the porting and validation effort. As a result, they reflect the newest hardware available from Apple. While we don’t want to discourage playing DDO on older machines running OSX 10.7 and above, we have not been able to verify the quality of the experience.

General Requirements

• Processor: 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor w/3MB on-chip shared L3 cache
• Note: Power PCs are not supported
• Memory: 2GB of 1333MHz DDR3 memory
• Storage: 500GB (7200 rpm) hard drive – or – 256GB flash storage
• Graphics:
  
  • Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor with 288MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory
  • AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics processor with 512MB of GDDR5 memory
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory
  
  

13-inch MacBook Pro Specifications

• Processor: 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor w/3MB L3 cache
• Memory: 4GB of 1600MHz DDR3 memory
• Storage: 500GB (5400 rpm) hard drive
• Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000; NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory

15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display Specifications

• Processor: 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor w/6MB shared L3 cache
• Memory: 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory
• Storage: 256GB flash storage
• Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000; NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 512MB of GDDR5 memory

Mac Mini Specifications

• Processor: 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor w/3MB on-chip shared L3 cache
• Memory: 2GB of 1333MHz DDR3 memory
• Storage: 500GB flash storage
• Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor with 288MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory

iMac Specifications

• Processor: 2.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with 6MB on-chip shared L3 cache
• Memory: 4GB (two 2GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 memory
• Storage: 500GB (7200 rpm) hard drive
• Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics processor with 512MB of GDDR5 memory

What are the differences between the PC and Mac versions?

• Rendering: The Mac client uses OpenGL for rendering, instead of DirectX. OpenGL renders all DirectX 9 content at ultra-high resolution, however features implemented using DirectX 10 and 11 will not be available in the initial release of the Mac client. Therefore, the following features will not render in the Mac client:
  
  • Shadow maps (instead of shadow volumes)
  • Soft shorelines
  • Soft particles
  • Volumetric sunlight
  • Ambient occlusion (DirectX 11 only)
  • Interactive water (DirectX 11 only)
  
  
• Key-mapping: Some of the default key-mapping for the OSX client will be different than the Windows client. Standard Windows keys and key-mappings for which there are no Mac equivalents include:
  
  • Print screen
  • Hide UI
  • Num-Lock
  • Note: While key-mapping functions correctly, the Mac client Beta UI will erroneously display an ‘Unsupported’ message for all mapped keys. This issue will be resolved in the Mac client Release.
  
  

Is the Mac version the same as, or similar to Wine?

No. The DDO Mac client is a native OSX client that has been built to be run exclusively on OSX. It does not utilize a Windows emulation environment, such as Wine, VMware, or Parallels.

If I'm running on Bootcamp, do I need to reinstall DDO?

Yes. The Mac client is an entirely new and different DDO client, which must be installed separately. The Windows client will not run on the Mac OS.

see thats the problem I have more than powerful enough imac and graphics etc( currently playing rift on max settings using crossover, which in general has way higher needs than ddo for bunch of things. yet why the hell does this need 10.7+? makes no sense i can play wow and other games on max with craptons of addons no issues but this needs 10.7? makes no sense cause i really wanted to play ddo again. but dont want to buy another computer or want to upgrade my imac any further. so what can i do to get into game without need for 10.7?


Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac7,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.8 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz

i bet i can run DDO on max no issues on my 10.6 if they offered it 1 hour wasted downloading this.

[Kindoki]

Ok, I've a new mac mini. I tried to download the mac client and then install, but that was a dead link. So I used the play while installing link. Everything seems to have installed just fine, however now, the only link to DDO I can find, either on my desktop, or on the 'finder', is to the DDO Installer. So, every time I want to log in, the installer starts, and then the installer starts the DDO client. Is there a way to find the actual client on my Mac and create a shortcut just to the client, without the installer? And, please, feel free to use small words.... I'm a total Mac newb.

[Kaytis]

yet why the hell does this need 10.7+?

The launcher, and quite probably the client use system services not present in 10.6. I haven't actually tried the client on it's own in 10.6, but it's an advanced topic using the client without the launcher, and I don't have a 10.6 installation on which to even try it anymore.

I am afraid you will simply have to move up to 10.7 to use it.

As an aside 10.9 went GM a few days ago. I hope Turbine has tried that.

[Kaytis]

Ok, I've a new mac mini. I tried to download the mac client and then install, but that was a dead link. So I used the play while installing link. Everything seems to have installed just fine, however now, the only link to DDO I can find, either on my desktop, or on the 'finder', is to the DDO Installer. So, every time I want to log in, the installer starts, and then the installer starts the DDO client. Is there a way to find the actual client on my Mac and create a shortcut just to the client, without the installer? And, please, feel free to use small words.... I'm a total Mac newb.

Are you perhaps referring to the launcher when you speak of the "Installer"? What is it called?

A correct installation would have the "Dungeons And Dragons Online" application located in the /Applications folder. This application is called the launcher. Buried deep within it is the client app, i.e, the game itself.

If you can't find the launcher, run it the way you have been running it, but stop at the login screen. Control-click the D&D icon in the dock and use "Options / Show In Finder" to see where it is located. Be careful here, the client shows up in the dock after you start playing. This is not the thing you want to make a short cut to. It is something that the launcher runs after gathering your credentials. You need a shortcut to the launcher itself.

To make a shortcut to the launcher just drag it to the dock. Or if you look at that control-clicked menu one more time, you will see an "Options / Keep In Dock" option which achieves the same thing.

Hope that helps.

[Kindoki]

Thanks Katie, the Finder and shortcut info was exactly what I needed. For some reason, under "Applications", only the DDO Installer was showing, but the ctrl click (right click for me, because I have that enabled) was able to locate the actual launcher file and I pinned it to the dock. Much appreciate the instructions.

[jwelch]

The launcher, and quite probably the client use system services not present in 10.6. I haven't actually tried the client on it's own in 10.6, but it's an advanced topic using the client without the launcher, and I don't have a 10.6 installation on which to even try it anymore.

I am afraid you will simply have to move up to 10.7 to use it.

As an aside 10.9 went GM a few days ago. I hope Turbine has tried that.

Since it's no longer an NDA issue, i've been playing on 10.9 for a while. Works as well as anything else.

in terms of OS support, given how fast Apple revs things, there's no real point in supporting, (and having to test against) 10.6. Wouldn't be surprised if an update dumped 10.7 at some point.

[citman96]

The following disk images couldn't be opened. It is saying there is no mountable file systems. I am trying to download on the MacBook Pro.

[Kaytis]

The following disk images couldn't be opened. It is saying there is no mountable file systems. I am trying to download on the MacBook Pro.

Get Info on the file that was downloaded, It should be about 8 GB in size. Anything less than that failed to download correctly.

[Frobot]

Hi all,

I just bought a new iMac, and I can't get the Mac Client to download. I've tried downloading from the link at the front of this thread, and from the link on the DDO Home Page.

Whenever I hit the download links, it starts, download about 2 megs, then waits as if it's done, leaving the unfinished download on the desktop.

I don't want to use the Happy Cloud stuff, so I'm just trying to download the client.

I've downloaded many large games and programs over the last few days, including Lotro, so it's not a problem with my internet connection.

I put in a support ticket to Turbine but since that may take days, I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts.

Thanks!

[Myranna]

Try downloading it through Steam? I have done that not that long ago just to test if it was any different than direct (it wasn't). The only drawback to that method is having to have Steam running when you play, which I often do anyways just to chat

[Frobot]

If it turns out that's the only way I can get it to download, I may give it a shot, but I really have no interest in using Steam.

[djsjbjcj]

Over the past week when I try to download the MAC BETA client, I get

File not found."

When I click on the link. Some days it starts downloading and always stops around 4Gb. Now it seems to consistently give this error. Tried from several MAC's and PC's???

Any suggestions?

[Cordovan]

Hi all,

I just bought a new iMac, and I can't get the Mac Client to download. I've tried downloading from the link at the front of this thread, and from the link on the DDO Home Page.

Whenever I hit the download links, it starts, download about 2 megs, then waits as if it's done, leaving the unfinished download on the desktop.

I don't want to use the Happy Cloud stuff, so I'm just trying to download the client.

I've downloaded many large games and programs over the last few days, including Lotro, so it's not a problem with my internet connection.

I put in a support ticket to Turbine but since that may take days, I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts.

Thanks!

Over the past week when I try to download the MAC BETA client, I get

File not found."

When I click on the link. Some days it starts downloading and always stops around 4Gb. Now it seems to consistently give this error. Tried from several MAC's and PC's???

Any suggestions?

Looking into it.

[jakeelala]

Looking into it.

While you're looking into it, could you maybe think bout

BRINGING IT OUT OF BETA?!

It's still a buggy mess but it's the only option for us Mac people who can't be bothered to dual boot just for DDO.

[Kaytis]

Looking into it.

It has been doing this for several months by the way. Just in case anyone asks.

[Rhysem]

While you're looking into it, could you maybe think bout

BRINGING IT OUT OF BETA?!

It's still a buggy mess but it's the only option for us Mac people who can't be bothered to dual boot just for DDO.

Consider yourself lucky, vs linux users, who have no option but to reboot.

Well, okay, they sort of do, but it involves running windows, either open source (wine) or closed source (via genuine windows + virtualization and some graphics-card-passthrough-magic)