How to play Desert Commander on Mac

Game summary

The player's force consists of nine different types of units and one headquarters unit (which is a unit by itself and also can be used to attack). Each scenario gives a different set number of units to use, which the player can mix and match between the different typese without going over that limit. When in a one-player game, the second controller can be used to modify the CPU forces. When playing against the CPU, the computer will be given a different ratio of units to command than the player. On the easiest scenario both the player and the CPU have the same amount of units, on all others the CPU will have more than the player. There is no variance in artificial intelligence, so the only thing that makes the later maps harder is the larger number of units the CPU has. The game is turn-based with no time limit. The object of the game is to destroy the enemy's headquarters unit. The player that does so first wins. Units have different mobility range, which varies according to the unit type and (except for aircraft) the terrain. They also have different shooting range, though this is fixed and not depends of the terrain. All unit types have limited ammunition and fuel. In order to replenish them the player must land them at the appropiate buildings; for example, all aircraft must stop at an airport in order to recharge their fuel and ammo supply. A certain unit is particularly strong or weak against a particular opponent, performing average against every other unit types.
First released: Apr 1988

Play Desert Commander on Mac with Parallels (virtualized)

The easiest way to play Desert Commander on a Mac is through Parallels, which allows you to virtualize a Windows machine on Macs. The setup is very easy and it works for Apple Silicon Macs as well as for older Intel-based Macs.

Parallels supports the latest version of DirectX and OpenGL, allowing you to play the latest PC games on any Mac. The latest version of DirectX is up to 20% faster.

Our favorite feature of Parallels Desktop is that when you turn off your virtual machine, all the unused disk space gets returned to your main OS, thus minimizing resource waste (which used to be a problem with virtualization).

Desert Commander installation steps for Mac

Step 1
Go to Parallels.com and download the latest version of the software.
Step 2
Follow the installation process and make sure you allow Parallels in your Mac’s security preferences (it will prompt you to do so).
Step 3
When prompted, download and install Windows 10. The download is around 5.7GB. Make sure you give it all the permissions that it asks for.
Step 4
Once Windows is done installing, you are ready to go. All that’s left to do is install Desert Commander like you would on any PC.
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