OS X El Capitan - Mac Client Status

[Moggei]

Were any actual improvements made or just released requirements?

More or less just the requirements. (obsessed with iMacs much SE? =P )

[Reih]

More or less just the requirements. (obsessed with iMacs much SE? =P )

Apperanlty the reason they didn't add macbooks is because of the heat it generates when playing the game. I'm also surprised that you can't at least play the game at 1080p in max settings according to the recommendations.

* While we have confirmed operation of the game is possible on the MacBook Pro, due to extraordinary heat generated during gameplay, we have taken the precautionary measure of not adding the machine to the list of applicable models. Your understanding is appreciated.

[Reih]

I am playing on the recommended settings and I don't really see much of an improvement. I get around 30 to 35 fps sometimes dropping to 4 fps and sometimes spiking with 40+ fps. Very inconsistent. Doesn't matter if I use high, middle or standard settings.

[Avenger]

Sadly it appears that SE is not embracing the metal (metal!) but is still embracing the Cider middleware. Ah well.... at least we can check retainer ventures, market board, etc..

[Blayde]

Yeah this isn't really acceptable if there are no improvements.

[Kaze3434]

I should branch out on these forums, since I only seem to post in Mac threads, but for what it's worth, I just noticed this new client last night. Had to re-download and re-install, but wow, what a difference. Huge leaps over the last time I tried it, which itself was a much better version than we had in June. For me, I'm seeing performance on par with the Windows client, with the only stutters right now when I'm running through a crowded city. But that can happen in Windows too.

For reference, I have a late 2012 iMac 27", 3.2 GHz i5, 24GB RAM, GeForce GTX 680MX (2GB), running 10.11.4.

Yeah this isn't really acceptable if there are no improvements.

really just had to scroll up.

[Random0]

Just gonna chime in with my experience with the december update of mac client so far.

iMac 27-inch, late 2013, 3.5 GHz i7, 16GB RAM, GeForce GTX 780M (4GB), OS X 10.11.3, NVIDIA Web Driver 346.03.05f01

Usually running the game at 2048x1152 because game is pretty, have had youtube or iTunes playing movies on the side while doing content with no issue. Get a slight framerate drop in areas with high numbers of players such as crowded city areas, but that's usually only as I'm passing through. If I stay still for a moment after porting in, things sort out so it feels like the client just loading up everyone's individual appearances.

No issue doing content such as dungeons/raids. Even Void Ark and Seal Rock runs pretty smoothly. Odin fate in the shroud though... yeah. No like. But I understand that happens even to a lot of people on the windows side too.

As for details, between the Nvidia/Transgaming/Cider Mac client and running the game natively in boot camp/win10, graphics are slightly more jagged and pixelated on the Mac OS side, but not so much that it's distracting from my experience.

There are some 'quirks' which are minor annoyances but manageable. I have to unplug and re-plug the receiver for my Logitech F710 controller before launching the client or else it won't see it. Sometimes Command-Tabbing the game forward will bring the window forward but not make it the 'active' application, so a further click in the XIV window is needed to make it active.

Overall I'm surprised at how much better the client is running now vs when they first released it. I haven't run Boot Camp in over a month, and really I have zero reason to at this point now that I can have XIV running while I'm doing actual work. Honestly the next step forward from this point is to ditch the Cider wrapper and code it natively but that's SE's call as to if they're willing to invest into that.

I might start running in the 'recommended' 1600x900 resolution to reclaim more screenspace for other things while playing.

Also, being able to switch audio outputs without third party software or closing game is nice.

[sarahnight]

I would say there have been improvements. I can play for hours now on the Mac side without any weird artifacts or screen corruption. Over all fps seems to be pretty steady, even in dungeons with lots of spell effects, it still feels crisp and responsive. I seem to get better fps windowed but full screen is so lovely i don't mind taking a bit of a hit there. I play on a 27 inch iMac.

I am excited that its going to be back on sale this month!

[Danataru]

I've been playing FFXIV via the Mac client since it was originally released. I got the email about the refund, but I decided to forego it and keep playing. I just love this game too darn much.

For the record, specs:
MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2013)
Processor: 1.7 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory: 8GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5000 1536 MB

I've been running it full screen since I started. Frame rate has been generally pretty bad, but it's gotten better and now floats around 15 fps most of the time. Sometimes I get spikes, but my best sustained rate is around 20 fps.

We also have a new Mac mini that plays it at 1080p admirably (20-25 fps).

[Reih]

Was there any mention about Metal at all? Or we still in the old model and only specs to the most current iMacs were released? Not even a mention of Mac Pros... Makes me wonder under what enviroment and machines did they test the game.