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More info?)
Peter James <pfjamesAT@clara.co.uk> wrote:
> On Tue, 20 Sep 2005 07:33:10 +0100, Orchid wrote
> (in article <1h371g8.dvndx31vndjzdN%poza@REMOVETHISHEREgol.com>):
>
> > Peter James <pfjamesAT@clara.co.uk> wrote:
> >
> >> I've just purchased a iMac G5 that runs OS X only. No classic.
> >> What are the requirements for me to install and play Diablo II and LOD. Is
> >> there a Mac user on this group who can point me in the right direction.
> >> Many thanks.
> >
> > Blizzard has an OS X installer you can download on their web site. It
> > will do the installation without requiring you to run OS 9. Just insert
> > your discs.
> >
> I'm running a G5 iMac with 1 gig ram and 120 gig HD
> I installed OS 9 and D2 and LOD runs under that. Would there be any
> advantage in down-loading the OS X installer.
If you've already installed it, there probably is no reason to get the
installer unless you're running the game in Classic mode. I've never
installed it into Classic through OS X so I don't know how it installs
when you don't use the OS X installer.
It's a little confusing but I think if you use the installers on the
original CDs, it'll install as an OS 9 application and run in Classic.
In Classic, it is bound to run rather badly as the classic environment
is emulated in OS X.
If you install using the OS X installer, it will install as an OS X
(Carbon) application and not need to run OS 9 to run the game.
It is possible that running any OS X updaters for the game will fix the
need to run in Classic mode but since I never used those updaters
(because I used the OS X installer), I can't say for sure.
If Classic isn't launching when you launch the game, you're probably OK
and don't need the OS X installer.
> > The requirements are pretty much that you have enough RAM and hard disk
> > space (as long as you use that installer) but I'm guessing a new iMac is
> > going to have you more than covered in that regard.
> >
> see above
Your specs are more than adequate.
> > That being said, I would recommend you set the video to the lowest
> > settings (no music, low quality lighting and shadows) and use 2D
> > software rendering instead of 3D (hold down the option key while
> > launching to choose this). The Mac's graphic's controller is poorly used
> > by D2 and LoD and the game is jerky even on a brand new Mac. My
> > 3-year-old eMachine runs D2 better than my brand new Mac Mini despite
> > the Mini's greater speed and greater RAM (and the fact that the eMachine
> > is a low end consumer model PC).
> >
> I'll try the settings you suggest, and see how that goes. I have to say that
> the game is very jerky.
For me, it's almost unbearably so because I never played it under those
conditions before. The game also ran better on my 7-year-old beige Mac
DT/266 with a 500 mhz upgrade under OS 9 than it runs on a 1.42 ghz Mini
with a GB of RAM. The best option would be to be able to boot into OS 9
but, unfortunately, that's not possible on newer Macs. Next year, when
the Intel-based Macs come out, I'm guessing D2 won't run at all on them
in its Mac form (though it may run in its PC form which would be
ironic).
The Carbon version of D2 simply seems to be pretty poor. However, you
can improve it by lowering the demands of the game as much as possible
(turning off music, turning off visual goodies).
> > You may notice some other problems as well such as intermittent crashing
> > and weird screen appearance depending on your monitor size and
> > resolution (mine runs with a black bar across the bottom). All in all,
> > the implementation for OS X is not the best. It could be my computer's
> > configuration that makes it run badly so YMMV.
> >
> The game is very unsatisfactory. It stalls, goes very slowly during
> conflict, and for some reason stalls when trying to exit the game. And then
> after about 1 minute it brings up the normal D2 exit screen to finish off
> normally. At the moment I think that the game is to all intents and purposes
> un-playable. I'll try the suggestions you made a bout altering the video etc
> and see if that makes any difference. If not, I'll junk it. I'm certainly
> not going back to a Windows PC just to be able to run D2.
I've experienced the same problems you describe above though far less
jerkiness in the actual game-playing since changing the settings. In my
case, I have a monitor switcher in place so I can go back and forth
between my Mac and PC. I use the PC for getting T.V. shows (I live in
Japan and have no access to American T.V.) and playing games. I use the
Mac for pretty much everything else. It's the best of both worlds.
Unfortunately, I'm guessing you don't have that option because of the
iMac's built-in monitor.
> > One benefit though is that you can (still) run the game off of disc
> > images as you did in OS 9 so you can put your discs away and mount an
> > image to play from.
> >
>
> Many thanks for your reply.
You're quite welcome. I only wish it was better news.
Shari (Orchid)
). Of course three computers
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