Mac games: Getting hot n’ sticky with QuakeLive
It’s been years time since Unreal Tournament was last updated and Quake 4 isn’t much younger, so it’s really good to finally have something “new” (and free) to play. But, how are the graphics and can you play Quake on your particular Macintosh? Come on inside for some answers…
Previously Mac Blorge reported that the (PC) system requirements for the QuakeLive were quite modest: 2GHz Intel processor and an nVidia GeForce 7 or better or ATI Radeon X1800 series or better. Since then, although precise Mac system requirements still aren’t listed, the information that is available doesn’t appear to be entirely accurate.
For example, all currently shipping Macs are listed as compatible, though older models, like my 2008 Core 2 Duo MacBook, seem to do well, as well. Further, although both Safari 3.x and OS X 10.4.x (Tiger) are listed on Apple’s Quake Live page as compatible, a fair number of threads on id Software’s official forums pages are dedicated to problems with these versions.
However, OS X 10.5.x Leopard and Safari 4.x users seem to do much better.
Lock n’ loadIt’s easy to get up and running on Quake Live for Mac. Just follow these easy steps:
1. Register at QuakeLive
2. Download the browser plug-in, then quit Safari
3. Install the browser plug-in by dragging it into your internet plug-ins folder
4. Restart Safari, log in at Quake Live and then wait a few minutes for QuakeLive to load/configure itself
• Lastly, click “Play Now”
See also:
— Mac games: Get your LEGO game demos here
— Mac games: 5 great backgammon games for your Mac
— Mac games: Best free solitaire games for Mac OS X
OK, I lied. You’ll also have to choose a character, at least glance at the controls (ie they’re the same as every other FPS I’ve played) and configure game settings (ie sound, effects, physics, etc). Still, these are the steps you’d need to perform before playing just about any shooter.
The more things change
Back when my 1.33GHz (upgraded) G4 PowerMac and an ATI 9200 with 128MB was a hot piece of iron, I wasted played many, many hours of Unreal Tournament and, well, I had lots of fun, though I rather stunk. That said, Quake Live is essentially a rehash of Quake III Arena, a title that came out back in 1999.
If you’re into retro splatter, fragging and gore, Quake Live is the game title for you.
Today, my particular Mac is a Early 2008 MacBook with a 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo, 2.5GB of RAM and Intel X3100 graphics with 64MB shared memory and it provides visually pleasing graphics and reasonably smooth game with no choking or hiccups. Also, my 7Mbps Roadrunner which delivers the advertised is more than adequate to feed to Quake Live
Quake Live looks and plays well, a lot better than I would have guessed coming in. Moreover, as this is a browser-based game, it’s available to Windows and Linux users, too.
Nevertheless, my first person shooter skills still leave much to be desired. So, yes, I fully anticipate spending lots of time playing Quake Live — it’s easy to get started, my Mac handles it well and, perhaps best of all, it’s free. Besides, there will never be any shortage of bots to frag to my heart’s desire…
What’s your take?
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August 24th, 2009
I hav a PC. I will have to check this out. I loved Q3 and played it up to two years ago.
August 25th, 2009
Hello all…
It was really nice article about gaming i really like this…
So i will definitely read the whole……
September 21st, 2009
By applying these steps i am able to play he games in safari browser but i have a problem regarding plugins sometmes the plugins is not working so any help how can i fix this problem??
September 21st, 2009
By applying these steps i am able to play he games in safari browser but i have a problem regarding plug ins sometimes the plug ins is not working so any help how can i fix this problem??
September 21st, 2009
Check for an updated plug-in (there was an incompatibility with Snow Leopard) or if you’ve got the freshest one, try removing the plugin, clearing cookies, restarting then reinstalling the plugin.