Curious about the MAC version of Fly!II

[Guest]

I am a dedicated user of Fly!II for the PC. Anyway, I noticed that the Final patch includes the first ever patch for the MAC version. I am not thinking of switching over, but am just curious.For those in the know, does the MAC patch bring that version to a parallel level of fuctionality with the PC version? That is to say, does it include all the fixes and improvements that went into the PC version since release? What about add-on aircraft like the PMDG airliners work with it now? Judging by the smaller size of the MAC patch I am guessing it does not, but I was just wondering how the two versions compare after the final patch is applied.ThanksAndrew

[Guest ftessler]

Hi, Andrew.With the final patch, the PC and Mac versions of Fly! II are supposed to have feature parity. However, my understanding is that some add-ons require compilation in order to run on the Mac. Also, for a number of reasons, the Mac version doesn't perform as well as the PC version. Nevertheless, we Mac users are thrilled to be able to run Fly!-Franklin------------------------------Franklin TesslerDP 800Fly! for Mac Co-moderator

[Guest Allan Jones]

Hi Andrew,As Franklin mentioned, the most notable disparity is the lack of dll support. Add-on a/c that do not require them run fine. However, few designers have successfully converted dlls to work on the Mac. ROTW did it for the Socata and it's one of my favorites. They are working with one of our talented guys to convert some others.Some add-on a/c that were released for the PC had separate Mac versions done that simply disabled calls to the dlls, and they work fine. We just lose whatever function the dll enabled. Often, it's just a single non-essential instrument or an opening door, so we can still Fly.The biggest issue we Mac dudes and dudettes face is bus speed. The fastest bus on a Mac desktop is 167mHz. Most other graphics-based programs seem to auto-clock to accommodate the slower Mac bus speed. I can get comparable rates to PCs of the same capability with most programs (45+ fps on Descent III, for example), but not FlyII. My 500mHz G3 should be similar in throughput to an 850-900 PIII, but it struggles with Fly.Am I complaining? Heck no! I'm delighted to have such a nice sim and I've adjusted to the places where performance lags. Add to that this wonderful community and the chance to work with Richard Harvey, and my $50 investment has paid off beyond my wildest dreams!Thanks for asking,

[Guest]

Thanks for the thoughtlful replies. I'm glad you guys can enjoy Fly!II too. Hope hte new patch is working out well for Mac users. You guys have waited a long time for it. Enjoy!Andrew