[mithral]

Or write to Wizards of the Coast. Whatever.

I like Magic: The Gathering. There, I said it. [/ridicule]

Anyway, Wizards of the Coast is developing Windows and Linux versions of Magic Online, an online-only version of the famous (infamous?) trading card game. The FAQ says that a Mac version might be created if there's a demand.

Basically, it breaks down like this:

• You pay $15 for the CD, and install the client on your Mac.
• You log onto the Wizards network, where your cards are stored and you find opponents a la Bungie.net (RIP, btw).
• You pay $3 for virtual booster packs and trade with other players for cards - only there's no hassle of storing cards, buying little plastic sleeves, <insert other problem with physically having cards>

You can check the whole thing out here.

If you want to see a Mac version (which shouldn't be hard for OSX, since they're already doing Linux, right?), write an email to:
editor@wizards.com.

It can be short, if you like. Just let them know you're interested.

Later.

-mithral

[ 03-01-2002: Message edited by: mithral ]

[ksuther]

I'd love to see this, my only problem with it is the paying part. I'd much rather play IRL than online. I'd rather see something like Apprentice come to the mac, which will probably never happen, and Apprentice hasn't been updated for years, when Wizards took DragonStudios over. *sniffle*

[MindFad]

Though I also agree we're never going to see Apprentice for the Mac, I do think the idea of playing online is very cool—which is why I just e-mailed them. The paying part does make me cringe a bit, but I think I would still pay to play like that. Sounds like a cool idea, though I do HOPE you get more than 15 cards for $3. Anyway, who knows—I just be too busy playing Shadowbane!

[SpeedRacer]

Thanks for heads-up mithral.

Used to play this game way back in the early days and (you're right) it's quite unlike anything that has existed on the Mac platform yet. It would be great to see it added to an increasing diversity of great Mac OS games. Here's my letter below:

Dear WotC...

I would like to express my sincere interest in seeing MtG Online released for Macintosh. As a market with 50 million game-hungry users with an above-average degree of company/brand loyalty it appears quite clear that developers who have ported a great game/product to the Mac have been rewarded by superior customer loyalty and repurchase rates on subsequent titles -witness the explosive popularity of Myth 2, Diablo 2, Age of Empires 2, or even the original Myst series and i think it's easy to see the interest Mac users may have in a title of as much magnitude and fame as MtG. Not to mention the renewed focus on great gaming titles by Apple (apple.com/games).

Moreover, with the standardization on a unix-based OS X alongside WoC's commitment to release MtG online for Linux, the release of a similar product for the Mac market has never been easier.

As a Mac user who played MtG for years and has tried the variants of the stand-alone MtG titles for Windows, i would again like to express my keen interest in seeing this title be released for the Macintosh platform.

Best -