Cider: Frequently Asked Questions

The list below includes several frequently asked questions about Cider. If you have a question that is not listed here, please feel free to contact us at cider@transgaming.com for additional information.

Questions

1) What is Cider?
2) How does Cider work?
3) Who is Cider for?
4) How long will it take to get my game to market?
5) How much does does Cider cost?
6) How do I maintain the source for a Mac game?
7) Who's using Cider?
8) I want to use Cider for my game, how do I get it?

1) What is Cider?
Cider is TransGaming's answer to Mac gaming. Cider is able to run Windows-PC games on the Intel Mac OS X. Cider is a prepackaged technology, which several leading publishers use to enable their game titles on Mac. You don't download Cider as a consumer, but can go to www.gametreeonline.com to buy Mac games (some leverage Cider) or go to an Apple Store (or Mac games retailer) to pick up great games like Command & Conquer and Spore that use the Cider technology.

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2) How does Cider work?
Cider works by directly loading a Windows program into memory on an Intel Mac system and linking it to an optimized version of the Win32 APIs. TransGaming.s Cider implements common multimedia Windows APIs such as Direct3D, DirectInput, DirectSound and many others by mapping them to Mac equivalents. This allows games to run with equivalent game play and performance but without the typical brute force porting effort typically required to bring games to Mac.

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3) Who is Cider for?
Cider has been created for use by game developers and publishers to release Mac versions of their titles. By integrating their games with Cider, developers and publishers will be able to easily provide a Mac version of their game in conjunction with the Windows release. Cider is a business to business application only and is not available to end-users.

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4) How long will it take to get my game to market?
Since Cider encapsulates the original source code to make a game run on the Mac, your game will be ready for market in record time. TransGaming works with the game developers and publishers to optimize the game for the Mac and this process only takes hours to a mere few days as opposed to the traditional months to years. Thus,games currently in production can be ready for a simultaneous PC/Mac release. Cider can also be used to revitalize already released games by offering them to a brand new market, quickly and easily.

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5) How much does does Cider cost?
The business model for Cider is based on a revenue share with the publisher with no upfront fee, no risk and lots of upside potential.

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6) How do I maintain the source for a Mac game?
The great thing about how Cider works is that the same game source is used for both the Mac and Windows versions. You only have one source tree to maintain for both platforms. You get to keep the same copy protection, lobbies, game matching and connectivity as the original. Even patching for both platforms is a breeze since the Windows patch will also support the Mac version of the game

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7) Who's using Cider?
TransGaming currently has signed agreements with top tier publishers for some of the largest gaming franchises in the world. Be sure to check Apple retail stores for the latest Cider powered games.

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8) I want to use Cider for my game, how do I get it?
Contact cider@transgaming.com with your details to get information about enabling your game with Cider.

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