How do I change the default "Save File Location" in VVVVVV on Mac OS X?

Question

Usually, VVVVVV saves the games in my Documents folder. How can I change this? I don't want my saved games appearing in my documents folder – I just don't know how to change the location without corrupting my progress.

Answer

I ended up just moving the saved file to a different folder when I don't want to play VVVVVV, and when I do want to play, I just move it back. There's no error that comes up, and no corruption of the file. It's just a simple drag and click. Not exactly a technical solution, but it works!

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Does Xbox 360 USB controller work out-of-the-box on Windows/Linux/Mac?

Question

I'm planning buying a wired USB Xbox 360 controller, but I would like to know a bit more about it before actually buying.

Most (all?) USB controllers identify themselves as USB HID (Human Interface Device), which allows them to be auto-configured and work right away, without installing any drivers. It also has the advantage that USB HID devices will (or should) work on any operating system.

But how about the Xbox 360 controller?

• Does it identify itself as USB HID?
• Does it work on Windows without the need of special drivers? (or did Microsoft "cheat" a little by shipping the driver together with Windows?)
• Does it work out-of-the-box on Linux and Mac OS X?

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EDIT: Okay, I've bought the controller. Some additional info:

• The controller uses a vendor-specific (0xff) device-class, which means it requires drivers in order to work.
• It works out-of-the-box on Windows 7 and Linux. It requires drivers on Mac OS X and Windows XP. See the answer below for more information.

Answer

In Windows it works out of the box, but if you install this software the Xbox 360 will display a battery indicator on the screen.

In Ubuntu, the Xbox 360 controller works flawlessly with xpad. (I've tried this successfully with a wireless controller)

In Mac, I've found a driver here, but I haven't tried it because I don't own a Mac myself.

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How can I get out of the lava without dying?

Question

In Minecraft beta, I've just blundered into some deep lava and am on fire, but I hit escape to pause the game before I died. What can I do while the game is in this paused state to get out of the lava?

I'm on Mac OSX.

Answer

First of all, backup your world directory so you can try things over and over again. (Although you should remember that you might spent more time trying to rescue yourself than you'd need to get your stuff again)

Then set the difficulty to peaceful which slows your dying (but doesn't prevent it!). Now if you have some blocks in your inventory on a hotkey, after unpausing immediately look down, switch to the blocks and hold SPACE (jump) and hold right click. If you're lucky this is fast enough to build a tower out of the lava (which is hopefully not too deep). You'll still be burning, which doesn't kill you on peaceful, but if you have a bucket of water put that on the side of your tower to get a small waterfall which also obsidianizes the lava below. Good look!

Alternatively you can use a map tool to change the lava pool you're in into water, but that would really be cheating.

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Can I use an Xbox controller with a Mac?

Question

Has anybody got any experience using an Xbox controller with a Mac? I know you can run the firmware on a PC. If not, cheap controller recommendations would be welcome!

Answer

I've never used an Xbox controller with my Mac (I don't even own an Xbox), but TUAW says it works.

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Playing QuakeLive on Mac?

Question

Is there a way to play QuakeLive on a Mac?

Answer

Yes. As the homepage states, Safari 3+ on Mac OS X 10.4+ is supported.

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How do I use my iMac as a "monitor" for my Xbox 360 and my Wii?

Question

I ditched cable a long time ago and have been making do with Netflix, Hulu, and iTunes for my television needs. The displays on the new iMacs these days are big enough and high enough quality that I think they should be perfectly adequate for my gaming purposes, too. I will be upgrading to one of the new iMacs this fall, and I think it could replace my television entirely.

Provided, that is, that I can hook up my Xbox 360 and my Wii, so I can play them on the iMac screen.

Is this possible given the specs of the new iMacs? What hardware and/or software will I need?

Answer

There's no good way to do this. iMacs do not have any sort of Video Input. While you could use an external Video In adapter that connects to Firewire or USB, such as ElGato's EyeTV, the latency introduced makes these devices singularly unsuited for any sort of gameplay.

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How do I use my iMac as a "monitor" for my xbox and my wii?

Question

I ditched cable a long time ago and have been making do with Netflix, Hulu, and iTunes for my television needs. The displays on the new iMacs these days are big enough and high enough quality that I think they should be perfectly adequate for my gaming purposes, too. I will be upgrading to one of the new iMacs this fall, and I think it could replace my television entirely.

Provided, that is, that I can hook up my xbox and my wii, so I can play them on the iMac screen.

Is this possible given the specs of the new iMacs? What hardware and/or software will I need?

Answer

There's no good way to do this. iMacs do not have any sort of Video Input. While you could use an external Video In adapter that connects to Firewire or USB, such as ElGato's EyeTV, the latency introduced makes these devices singularly unsuited for any sort of gameplay.

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Best way to play Defense of the Ancients (Warcraft 3) on a Mac?

Question

I own a Macbook Pro. I want to play a PC game called WarCraft 3 - Defense of the Ancients. I have googled and done some research on how to play DotA on a Mac.

Most of resources I found recommended I buy Warcraft 3 for Mac version (yes, there is warcraft 3 for mac). However, I already own the PC version, and I don't want to waste another $60++ bucks to buy a Mac version (it's an old game as you guys already know).

I also came across some forums suggesting using a virtual machine or using Bootcamp to install Windows and play.

Using bootcamp and installing Windows sounded good for me, but after I did more research, I found that since I don't have experience with using Bootcamp, I might crash or need to reformat my Mac(when partitioning). Apple also recommends doing backups for your Mac when using Bootcamp. I do not want to go through all this troublesome things, thus I will not choose this method.

My last option is to install virtual machine. I used VirtualBox and already installed Windows XP. It runs and works perfectly fine. Now, I am wondering, if I install Warcraft into this virtual machine, and play the game, approximately 5 hours a day, will it crash my Mac?

Okay, to give a summary, following are my questions about running Wacraft 3 on VM Windows XP on MacBook Pro:

1) Will the game lag, the video render okay, etc? 2) Most importantly, will it damage my Mac?

If you have others methods of playing DotA on a Mac other than what I mentioned above, those are welcome too.

Answer

Firs, you should reconsider not buying it. You can have i for 20 USD, available for download at Blizzard site. Furthermore, IIRC you can register you activation key on the new Battle.net site and download the mac version for free.

As for you questions about the VM machine:

• First, it should not damage you mac in any way, that's the point of a virtual machine. It's software computer, using a software hard drive. If it damage your machine, there is something really wrong with the program.

• Warcraft 3 could run on it, but if it require graphic acceleration, don't expect too much. Some VMs have implemented graphics acceleration, but it is mostly experimental. Although, I think it should be OK for Warcraft3.

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Best way to play dota(warcraft3) on mac?

Question

I owned a macbook pro. I want to play a PC game called WarCraft 3, Dota. I have google and done some research on how to play dota on mac.

(S1)Most of them would recommend buy Warcraft 3 for mac version (yes, there is warcraft 3 for mac). However, I already owned a PC version, and I dont want to waste another $60++ bucks to buy a mac version (its an old game as you guys already know).

Thus, I come across some forums suggesting using VM (virtual machine) or using bootcamp to install windows and play.

(S2) Using bootcamp and install windows. Well, it sounds good for me, but after I do another research, if I am not good in, or no experience in bootcamp-ing, I might crash or need to reformat my Mac(when partitioning), and apple also recommend keep doing backup for your mac when using bootcamp, I do not want to go through all this troublesome things, thus I will not choose this method.

Last, my (S3) method is to install virtual machine. I use VirtualBox, and already install a windows xp, running and works perfectly fine. Now, I am wondering, if i install warcraft into this virtual machine, and play game, approximately 5 hours a day, will it crash my Mac? Okay, to give a summary, following are my questions about running Wacraft 3 on VM Windows XP on MacBook Pro:

1) Will the game lag, the video render etc?

2) Most importantly, will it damage my mac?

If you have others methods of playing dota (warcraft3) on mac other than what I mentioned above, please do share with me (or, mac users). Thank you

NOTE: (S) means Suggestion:

Answer

Firs, you should reconsider not buying it. You can have i for 20 USD, available for download at Blizzard site. Furthermore, IIRC you can register you activation key on the new Battle.net site and download the mac version for free.

As for you questions about the VM machine:

• First, it should not damage you mac in any way, that's the point of a virtual machine. It's software computer, using a software hard drive. If it damage your machine, there is something really wrong with the program.

• Warcraft 3 could run on it, but if it require graphic acceleration, don't expect too much. Some VMs have implemented graphics acceleration, but it is mostly experimental. Although, I think it should be OK for Warcraft3.

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What's the best way to run PC games like RCT3 on a Mac?

Question

OK, I've got a PC version of Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 on PC CD-ROM, but I've upgraded to a Mac (MacBook Pro OSX Snow Leopard specifically) and I want to re-install it.

I understand there are a number of options for running PC games/software on a Mac, such as Wine, VirtualBox or BootCamp.

I already have a Windows XP VM in VirtualBox, but that's slow enough without trying to run something like RCT3 in it.

I know there's a Mac port of RCT3 released, but I don't want to spend extra money when I already have a perfectly valid PC version already.

Answer

Boot Camp is your best option, especially because it is unlikely that RCT3 is going to be the only Windows game you decide to play. Newer games will want access to all the hardware they can get, so giving that to them through a regular Windows installation on the MacBook is optimal.

The one and only drawback to Boot Camp is that you must reboot your computer in order to play the game, so it is not as quick as popping the CD in and starting the game.

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Help identifying 90s space computer game

Question

I'm looking for a particular game I used to play in the 90s. It was for the Macintosh, so the era would be mid-to-late 1990s.

It was a space game with 3D graphics on a 2D background. You start out as a small cargo ship, and the point is to eventually become rich. It's very open-world (or open-galaxy); you could become a pirate, buy a fleet of ships (escorts), ferry passengers, deliver goods, and whatnot.

The whole game is real-time, not turn-based.

You could upgrade your ship, buy mini-fighters (if your ship was large enough), automatic defenses, cloaking, and more powerful shields.

You had to use the directional keys to accelerate, decelerate, turn, and even land on planets and space stations.

You could pick up many different types of missions.

There was a Star Wars version of the same game that was much easier to play, though I don't know if it was an official or fan-made game.

I hope this description is enough.

Answer

Sounds quite a bit like Escape Velocity by (still in existence!) Ambrosia Software.

You may still be able to play the sequel, EV Nova, as it is available for a somewhat recent version of OSX and Windows.

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Why would a non-network issue like an inadequate video card cause me to lag out of Starcraft II games

Question

I keep lagging out of Starcraft II games, even though I am (moderately) certain my network is just fine, I'm on a university campus.

I am however lacking in system specs, specifically my graphics card. I'm not sure how or why this would affect my game connection. My motive is two fold, I'm curious as to how this works and also I would really love to play some freaking Starcraft.

Some details: Macbook pro. 2.16GHz intel core 2 duo. 3GB DDR2 ram. ATY Radeon X1600 128mb

EDIT: I thought about posting this on Superuser but their FAQ told me not to post a question about video games so hopefully this was the right place to come

Answer

POTENTIAL REASONING:

In my experience with Modern Warfare 2, the program behind the game waits for certain conditions to be met before it sends off a packet across the network. For example, if your graphics card is taking too long to draw a frame, the program may wait for that frame to be finished before it sends or reads the next network packet. In addition, some drivers may choose to offload processing to the CPU if it detects that it is too much to finish in the allotted time.

I would ask: Are you the only one experiencing the lag or do others see you lag as well?

When my external harddisk takes a long time to write data, my network card stops transmitting until the other synchronized processes are finished.

This is best explained if you consider the case in which you are the host: as host, it is your responsibility to synchronize all the other players. However, if you are taking a long time to finish the computation processes, you will create lag even though your network connection is not being overloaded.

Ping is calculated not by the congestion on the network, but by how long it takes for you to respond to a packet. While the most noticeable source of intermittent delay is network congestion (bad connection), in your case it is probably processing delay, that is, your computer just can't keep up with the frequency of messages.

Hope this helps.

POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS:

If you are playing the native version of Starcraft II, I would suggest that you make sure your OSX is at version 10.6.3 (roll back or update as necessary) and try playing on the minimum settings. If you are playing on bootcamp with the PC version, I would suggest looking into overclocking your gfx card or updating the drivers. Bootcamp is known to underclock gpu's in order to maximize battery life.

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Temporary download folder for Steam on Mac

Question

I want to know this, because I deleted some ncf/gcf files for portal 2, because the updating was stuck. And now it wants to download it all (11GB) again, so it would be nice if I could copy the content to the download location, without Steam noticing.

Answer

I would let Steam download whatever it wants to right now and reach a stable point.

(or you could rollback from your Time Machine backup).

When you have something that works, then consider asking Steam to back up your files to external media so you have working files next time you want to restore something.

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Will “Alice Madness Returns” run on a 2010 MacBook Pro?

Question

Does any of you have experience with "Alice Madness Returns" on a 2010 MacBook Pro (Windows7 running)? I look forward to buying this game, but are not sure if it will run.

related: How is the look and feel (especially the controlling) of the XBox360 version?

Answer

I don't have any experience with Macs, so I can't say if Bootcamp / etc makes games not work as well as on a non-Mac, but looking at the hardware, your CPU and RAM are more than sufficient.

The bottleneck in your machine will be the graphics card. According to Notebookcheck, its roughly equivalent to a Quadro FX 3500M, which I have in a laptop of mine, and is definitely better than a desktop GeForce 7600, which is the minimum requirement of the game.

Basically, provided your drivers are up to date, the game should run, but you'll probably have to lower some settings to keep it smooth and playable.

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Battlefield 2142: Playable on Recent Macbook Air?

Question

Is it possible to play Battlefield 2142 (Mac version) on the most current version of the Macbook Air? Ideally, I would prefer to play on osX, i.e., not through windows.

Answer

It should be possible. The main factor to consider would be the graphics performance, which, given that the Air has a Geforce 320M should be fine.

The tech specs for Battlefield 2142, according to Apple's downloads page are:

Mac OS X 10.4.9 or later
Intel Core Duo processor or higher
512MB of RAM (1GB recommended)
ATI X1600, NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT, or higher video card (Intel GMA950 chipset not supported)

The tech specs for the Macbook Air:

Minimum 2GB RAM,
Minimum 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor,
NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory (meaning it'll deduct the VRAM is needs from your system RAM, which is 2GB minimum)

Should be OK!

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