Playing FS15 on OS X ...

[W1der]

As I understand it OS X isn´t developed for "gaming".
Would I benefit from playing this game on "Win 10" through "boot camp" on my iMac or would I need to get me some new hardware also?

The reason I am asking is although I have a "high spec" machine I get something that looks like frame drops when I play.
I just tested, starting a map without any mods installed (except the actual map) and it felt/looked a lot smoother.

After just installing som of the "basic mods" like drive control, show time, vehicle group and similar "scripts" it feels as if the game gets "choppy" just from driving around and panning the camera around the vehicle.

The reason I started testing this is after installing a vehicle mod that made this effect "massive" ... It happened just after buying the vehicle and it affected the entire game (just not that specific vehicle). So I wanted to see if there was another mod that also was giving me this problem and found the above ... and now I am not sure how to proceed as the game is so much mor enjoyable without the "chopping".

I find this strange ... as lowering or raising my "settings" wont do any "logic difference" ... I actually found that ... on a lower resolution it actually got worse (!?).

[don_apple]

I doubt that changing from Mac OS X to Windows will actually help with your issue. And based on the fact that many people post all kinds of issues when trying to run FS15 on Windows I more and more doubt that Windows isn't actually developed for "gaming" as well. I guess what I'm trying to say is you might solve some issues switching to Windows but might get other issues as well that you won't get on Max OS X.

But from the description of your issue it sounds like the issue is actually with a mod or a combination of them. First of all please keep in mind that each additional script like you install via mods like driveControl, showtime, etc. requires some resources to run. So the more scripts you install the more resources will be required to run them which then aren't available for other tasks like rendering the graphics. And therefore the FPS can drop the more mods you install.

For vehicle mods it also depends on how well the modder has made the mod if it will have an effect o the frame rate or not. The more polygons, scripts etc. have been included in the mod the more resources it requires, so if the modern for example decided to use lots and lots of polygons for a vehicle to make it look as detailed as possible then this one mod can actually cause huge frame drops because the game needs to spend most of its time to update this one mod and therefore it isn't able to do much else and this then causes the whole game to become choppy.

The reason why it is getting worse on a lower resolution might be that since you haven't run the game extensively on that lower resolution before the game hasn't been able to build up the shader cache for this resolution yet, and therefore it needs to render every detail again instead of just fetching it from the cache.

[W1der]

I doubt that changing from Mac OS X to Windows will actually help with your issue. And based on the fact that many people post all kinds of issues when trying to run FS15 on Windows I more and more doubt that Windows isn't actually developed for "gaming" as well. I guess what I'm trying to say is you might solve some issues switching to Windows but might get other issues as well that you won't get on Max OS X.

But from the description of your issue it sounds like the issue is actually with a mod or a combination of them. First of all please keep in mind that each additional script like you install via mods like driveControl, showtime, etc. requires some resources to run. So the more scripts you install the more resources will be required to run them which then aren't available for other tasks like rendering the graphics. And therefore the FPS can drop the more mods you install.

For vehicle mods it also depends on how well the modder has made the mod if it will have an effect o the frame rate or not. The more polygons, scripts etc. have been included in the mod the more resources it requires, so if the modern for example decided to use lots and lots of polygons for a vehicle to make it look as detailed as possible then this one mod can actually cause huge frame drops because the game needs to spend most of its time to update this one mod and therefore it isn't able to do much else and this then causes the whole game to become choppy.

The reason why it is getting worse on a lower resolution might be that since you haven't run the game extensively on that lower resolution before the game hasn't been able to build up the shader cache for this resolution yet, and therefore it needs to render every detail again instead of just fetching it from the cache.

Wow ... this answer is helpful in so many ways!

Conclusion ...
I will start managing my mod folder in a better way!
Only have the mods that I intend to use on each specific "savegame" in the folder.

Insight ...
I need to learn more about "shader/cache".
Also ... all the test I have been doing with "graphic settings" is useless ...
I found that 2048x1152 works the best ... but this is probably (based on what I just learned) because this is the resolution I have used the most, so far.
Just made a test on Björnholm with no mods and this resolution ... with basically flawless performance (super smooth)!

Question ...
Some "chopping" is "normal" ... and basically unavoidable if I want to have mods installed?

[don_apple]

Question ...
Some "chopping" is "normal" ... and basically unavoidable if I want to have mods installed?

Correct!

[W1der]

Question ...
Some "chopping" is "normal" ... and basically unavoidable if I want to have mods installed?

Correct!

I took a look at my log.txt and found this ...
A lot of things that is not supported ... any ideas ?

Render System
Driver: OpenGL
Card Vendor: ATI Technologies Inc.
Renderer: AMD Radeon R9 M295X OpenGL Engine
Version: 4.1 ATI-1.42.6
Shader Version: 4.10
GL_ARB_pixel_buffer_object not supported
GL_NV_texture_compression_vtc not supported
GL_ARB_texture_compression_rgtc not supported
GL_ARB_framebuffer_sRGB not supported
GL_EXT_texture_sRGB not supported
GL_ARB_framebuffer_sRGB not supported
GL_ARB_texture_compression_rgtc not supported
GL_ARB_draw_instanced not supported
GL_ARB_uniform_buffer_object not supported
GL_EXT_framebuffer_object not supported
GL_EXT_framebuffer_blit not supported
GL_ARB_occlusion_query not supported
GL_ARB_fragment_program not supported
GL_ARB_get_program_binary not supported
GL_ATI_texture_float not supported
GL_ARB_texture_float not supported
OpenGL initialization successful

[don_apple]

This is normal on the Mac version of FS. I've been seeing the same in my log.txt since the first version of FS that Giants also released for Mac OS X:

Code: Select all

Render System
  Driver: OpenGL
  Card Vendor: NVIDIA Corporation
  Renderer: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M OpenGL Engine
  Version: 4.1 NVIDIA-10.10.5.2 310.42.25f01
  Shader Version: 4.10
    GL_ARB_pixel_buffer_object not supported
    GL_NV_texture_compression_vtc not supported
    GL_ARB_texture_compression_rgtc not supported
    GL_ARB_framebuffer_sRGB not supported
    GL_EXT_texture_sRGB not supported
    GL_ARB_framebuffer_sRGB not supported
    GL_ARB_texture_compression_rgtc not supported
    GL_ARB_draw_instanced not supported
    GL_ARB_uniform_buffer_object not supported
    GL_EXT_framebuffer_object not supported
    GL_EXT_framebuffer_blit not supported
    GL_ARB_occlusion_query not supported
    GL_ARB_fragment_program not supported
    GL_ARB_get_program_binary not supported
    GL_ATI_texture_float not supported
    GL_ARB_texture_float not supported
    OpenGL initialization successful

But since the game runs without problems I don't worry about them. I'm guessing that these are Windows specific OpenGL functions which don't exist on Mac OS X, and therefore the game or possibly the OS picks some equivalent functions.

[W1der]

This is normal on the Mac version of FS. I've been seeing the same in my log.txt since the first version of FS that Giants also released for Mac OS X:

But since the game runs without problems I don't worry about them. I'm guessing that these are Windows specific OpenGL functions which don't exist on Mac OS X, and therefore the game or possibly the OS picks some equivalent functions.

It is the "frame buffer" parameters that got me "suspicious" ... as my "chopping" is not in big "chunks" as the "lag" looked like when I where playing on the xbox ...
This is more like tiny "micro segments" of "stuttering" ... (do you have this also) ?

[Popeye1957]

I'm going off a little on the topic but I have been looking all over to find an answer to my question maybe one of you can answer it for me the question is can I use a driving wheel, gas and brake pedal, and a shifter on my iMac which is identical to W1der.
Thank you in advance

iMac 27" 5K
4.0 GHz QC i7 with 4.4GHz Turboboost
16GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM
AMD Radeon R9 M295X 4GB GDDR5

[JohnDeere318]

I'm going off a little on the topic but I have been looking all over to find an answer to my question maybe one of you can answer it for me the question is can I use a driving wheel, gas and brake pedal, and a shifter on my iMac which is identical to W1der.
Thank you in advance

iMac 27" 5K
4.0 GHz QC i7 with 4.4GHz Turboboost
16GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM
AMD Radeon R9 M295X 4GB GDDR5

I would start this in a new topic, just to not get things mixed up and cluttered.

[W1der]

I'm going off a little on the topic but I have been looking all over to find an answer to my question maybe one of you can answer it for me the question is can I use a driving wheel, gas and brake pedal, and a shifter on my iMac which is identical to W1der.
Thank you in advance

iMac 27" 5K
4.0 GHz QC i7 with 4.4GHz Turboboost
16GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM
AMD Radeon R9 M295X 4GB GDDR5

I don´t mind this question in this topic ... as I already got the main question answered ...
We can make this in to a OS X topic in general.

To (try to) answer your question.
As I understand it the support for the Saitek wheel comes with FS15 ... At the moment I have no other games installed to try it out with.
According to Mad Catz the Wheel is actually designed to work with a PC.
But I think your question is if another "wheel" would work with FS15 on an iMac.
I am no expert on the matter but you would probably have to find an additional software to get it working, just as if you want to use an xbox controller on your mac.
OS X itself has probably no built in support for any wheel and pedal that is on the market today.
Looking at apple store there is basically only one hand held controller that they offer.
I started out playing the game with the Logitech Extreme 3d Pro joystick and this worked straight out of the box, except that I had to map all the axis and buttons in the control settings for FS15. Also I had to set the "dead zone" to the maximum setting to avoid drifting ... So there is controllers that will work even if the manufacturer does not claim to have OS X support for them.

The thing I like most with the Saitek wheel is that it comes with the extra sticks on the actual wheel, basically giving you the same features that a hand held controller would give you in addition to the wheel and pedals. This is great for when you are moving around outside a vehicle and you can also use the sticks as "double sticks" for operating forestry equipment like the Scorpion King and the Buffalo. However I do like the performance of the joystick on the side panel very much so I use it together with the left stick on the wheel for this.
My suggestion is to invest in the Saitek wheel and pedals, and if you have the extra cash, go with the side panel also ...

[don_apple]

@Popeye1957: A while ago I've experimented with getting a Logitech Driving Force GT wheel to work with FS15/Mac. You can find some info about the results in viewtopic.php?f=857&t=80269#p625869

The results will most likely be similar for other wheels, except for the Saitek wheel as W1der already mentioned, since most wheel require special drivers and configuration software to be able to use al functionality. Unfortunately almost all gaming well Manufacturers only provided the drivers and config software for Windows

[JohnDeere318]

Unfortunately almost all gaming well Manufacturers only provided the drivers and config software for Windows

YAY Windows! haha Just kidding.

[W1der]

Unfortunately almost all gaming well Manufacturers only provided the drivers and config software for Windows

YAY Windows! haha Just kidding.

Yea ... windows ... the biggest joke ever ...
Masters of "practical jokes" (aka "virus").

Jokes besides ... OS X used to have better support for gaming controls in previous editions if I am not mistaking?
Not sure why apple decided to go in this direction ...

[JohnDeere318]

Unfortunately almost all gaming well Manufacturers only provided the drivers and config software for Windows

YAY Windows! haha Just kidding.

Yea ... windows ... the biggest joke ever ...
Masters of "practical jokes" (aka "virus").

Jokes besides ... OS X used to have better support for gaming controls in previous editions if I am not mistaking?
Not sure why apple decided to go in this direction ...

If Apple weren't so gosh darn expensive and you do the same customization as with Windows, then I would buy a Mac for sure. For me, Windows for life, sorry, just not a big Mac user.

[W1der]

Question ...
Some "chopping" is "normal" ... and basically unavoidable if I want to have mods installed?

Correct!

I have been looking in to this a bit further, trying to understand more about playing games on my iMac.

When playing in windowed mode ... Dr Cleaner (an app that keeps track of memory and CPU usage) says that only about 5GB of ram and around 15% of the CPU is used.
This makes no sense to me ... why isn´t the machine using more to give me better performance in the game?

The 5K retina screen has no proper resolution settings ... so my problem could be caused from it not scaling it right!?