Hey gents — looking for some practical feedback from the FGM crowd on something I’ve been thinking about.
I’m not abandoning my Mac CM setup — I’ve actually got things running pretty well right now after some tweaking (display scaling, vsync off, etc.). But I’m starting to think a bit longer term.
I’m running a 2020 27" 5K iMac (Intel i7 / Radeon 5700), and the reality is that the Mac side of CM feels a little uncertain going forward. We’re already seeing the Mac versions lag behind on some of the newer content (especially the Modern titles), and until there’s a really clear path for Apple support long-term, I’d rather be prepared than scrambling later.
The other reason is simple — there are a bunch of Windows-only games the FGM crowd keeps tempting me with that I’d like to try eventually. Things like Field of Glory II, Strategos, and some of the other titles people have been talking about on the forums and on Steam.
So I’m looking at two possible paths:
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Boot Camp — native Windows, reboot required, but probably the most stable and future-proof.
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CrossOver — stay in macOS, no reboot, sounds very convenient if performance and stability hold up.
I’ll probably try the CrossOver trial just to see how it behaves in real CM sessions, but I’m curious what folks here are actually using long-term.
For those who’ve tried both:
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How’s CrossOver for longer CM sessions and big maps?
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Did you stick with it, or eventually move to Boot Camp?
-
Any gotchas I should know about?
Appreciate any experience you can share — just trying to make a smart move going forward without giving up what already works. 🪖
"Si vis pacem, para bellum." — Vegetius
"Do not hurry to the sound of the guns without knowing why they are firing." — British maxim
"In war, the simplest things are difficult." — Clausewitz
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy." — Moltke
"The side that can most quickly exploit success is the side that will win." — Guderian
Some days you’re the hammer, some days you’re the nail. 🪖🎲
Looking for a game? Challenge me here:
Looks like you found your answer over at the BF forum. I am sort of thinking of getting Crossover too.
Let me know how you go with CM, especially CMBS. Will you need a Windows OS to run the programmes/games ? I have a 2019 MacBook Pro intel core i9 and Radeon Pro 5500M and Intel UHD Graphics 630
Thanks
@dontpanic Yeah, the BF thread gave me some good info, but I figured it was worth asking the FGM crowd too.
And no — with CrossOver you don’t actually need to install Windows. It basically creates a Windows environment inside macOS where you install and run the games. That’s part of the appeal for me. Boot Camp would be the full native Windows route.
I’m definitely planning to test CM (including CMBS) once I start playing with it, and I’ll report back on how it behaves during longer sessions and bigger scenarios. I’m tied up for the next few weeks though, so it might be a little while before I get around to trying CrossOver. 🪖
"Si vis pacem, para bellum." — Vegetius
"Do not hurry to the sound of the guns without knowing why they are firing." — British maxim
"In war, the simplest things are difficult." — Clausewitz
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy." — Moltke
"The side that can most quickly exploit success is the side that will win." — Guderian
Some days you’re the hammer, some days you’re the nail. 🪖🎲
Looking for a game? Challenge me here:
Mac CM players — anyone upgraded to macOS Tahoe yet?
I’m running a 2020 27" iMac (Intel i7 / Radeon 5700 / 64GB) and mostly play CM titles — BN, RT, FB, and FI. My setup is stable on Sequoia right now, so I’m cautious about jumping too fast.
Has anyone here upgraded to Tahoe and tested CM?
Any issues with performance, freezes, graphics, or general stability?
Would love to hear real-world experiences before I pull the trigger.
"Si vis pacem, para bellum." — Vegetius
"Do not hurry to the sound of the guns without knowing why they are firing." — British maxim
"In war, the simplest things are difficult." — Clausewitz
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy." — Moltke
"The side that can most quickly exploit success is the side that will win." — Guderian
Some days you’re the hammer, some days you’re the nail. 🪖🎲
Looking for a game? Challenge me here:
Rebooting sucks. I would never run BootCamp.
Mac users don't have access to CMBN version 4.05 and even with using crossover I'll assume I won't be able to patch it to my existing owned OS version...
$150 for the all in bundle argh.... FFS... Just started a pbem and my game just shuts down in replay mode by itself and completely remove the game from the sidebar with no error messages. I did some testing by re loading the match (HUGE) against the AI and no crashes what so ever... I'm thinking there's an issue perhaps if I'm playing with version 4.04 against a 4.05 version and I'm missing the newest battle pack...
Back to the drawing board...
I’m on Mac as well and running v4.05 just fine (see screenshot).
Might be worth double-checking version + modules between PBEM opponents — I’ve seen weird replay crashes before when things don’t quite match up.
Hope you get it sorted 👍
"Si vis pacem, para bellum." — Vegetius
"Do not hurry to the sound of the guns without knowing why they are firing." — British maxim
"In war, the simplest things are difficult." — Clausewitz
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy." — Moltke
"The side that can most quickly exploit success is the side that will win." — Guderian
Some days you’re the hammer, some days you’re the nail. 🪖🎲
Looking for a game? Challenge me here:
@panzer-lehr I'm waiting to hear back from my opponent what version he is running...
I hope its the version that's the issue...
@panzer-lehr You got version 4.05 before Battlefront sold I assume? Can you drop box the 4.05 version to me?
hasswerks@gmail.com
That might be my fix till they do the game engine upgrade....
best!
Speaking of a forthcoming CM Engine upgrade we should compile a wish list for the developers of what their paying costumer base would like to see...
🙂
@panzer-lehr Not sure if I can just drop the V 4.05 in the folder and it will work but I think its worth a try...
@thegreatwhitenorth I don’t think just dropping my app into Dropbox will work — the Mac version really needs the proper installer so all the files and structure get set up correctly.
I just heard back from Elvis at BFC ...
Hi Art,
Unfortunately, it's all moot now. I could guide you guys through the installation process but the company we used to activate the games is gone. So, even if everything is installed correctly, they can't activate the games.
The best thing now is to get the Battlefront keys and redeem them for Matrix and Steam keys and figure out the best way to run the Windows versions on the Mac machine.
John
"Si vis pacem, para bellum." — Vegetius
"Do not hurry to the sound of the guns without knowing why they are firing." — British maxim
"In war, the simplest things are difficult." — Clausewitz
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy." — Moltke
"The side that can most quickly exploit success is the side that will win." — Guderian
Some days you’re the hammer, some days you’re the nail. 🪖🎲
Looking for a game? Challenge me here:
@thegreatwhitenorth I don’t think just dropping my app into Dropbox will work — the Mac version really needs the proper installer so all the files and structure get set up correctly.
I just heard back from Elvis at BFC ...
"Hi Art,
Unfortunately, it's all moot now. I could guide you guys through the installation process but the company we used to activate the games is gone. So, even if everything is installed correctly, they can't activate the games.
The best thing now is to get the Battlefront keys and redeem them for Matrix and Steam keys and figure out the best way to run the Windows versions on the Mac machine.
John"
"Si vis pacem, para bellum." — Vegetius
"Do not hurry to the sound of the guns without knowing why they are firing." — British maxim
"In war, the simplest things are difficult." — Clausewitz
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy." — Moltke
"The side that can most quickly exploit success is the side that will win." — Guderian
Some days you’re the hammer, some days you’re the nail. 🪖🎲
Looking for a game? Challenge me here:
Appreciate you looking into it for me! Thank you!
I didn't realize I missed the V 4.05 patch...
@panzer-lehr I'm thinking a patch does not need an activation but I'm just being the devils advocate here... I just wanted to throw it into the folder and see if it sticks...
Basically, the old Mac activation system is gone now, so new installs can’t be activated anymore. The good news is that if you already had the game installed and activated (which you do), that part should still be fine.
Since you mentioned you missed the 4.5 patch back when it was available, the real issue is just getting hold of that standalone Mac 4.5 patch file. I’ve confirmed that if we can find the patch, there’s a good chance it’ll work on your already-activated 4.4 install.
I’ve got someone checking their old files and there’s a possibility I may be able to get the patch for you — so we might still have a path forward here. I’ll update you as soon as I know more 👍
"Si vis pacem, para bellum." — Vegetius
"Do not hurry to the sound of the guns without knowing why they are firing." — British maxim
"In war, the simplest things are difficult." — Clausewitz
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy." — Moltke
"The side that can most quickly exploit success is the side that will win." — Guderian
Some days you’re the hammer, some days you’re the nail. 🪖🎲
Looking for a game? Challenge me here:
You're a prince! Lol I thought you could just make a copy of you Mac version 4.05 and DB me the file...
I just shared it — hope it works for you 🙂👍
"Si vis pacem, para bellum." — Vegetius
"Do not hurry to the sound of the guns without knowing why they are firing." — British maxim
"In war, the simplest things are difficult." — Clausewitz
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy." — Moltke
"The side that can most quickly exploit success is the side that will win." — Guderian
Some days you’re the hammer, some days you’re the nail. 🪖🎲
Looking for a game? Challenge me here: