Annoying LCD-screen

[Uxbridge]

I have one of these screens that have what people refers to as "native resolution" or something similar. When I played RtV, I had the game located in the upper right corner of the screen, covering about 1/3 of the total screen surface. After some time I got used to it, but it took a while and I was very happy when it was announced that ToW would support higher resolutions.

Problem now is that when I load up ToW (using the resolution 1680x1050) the picture is crystal sharp. But once I zoom the map, everything turns ... well, blury. It doesn't matter if I try to zoom back to the original level, the blur stays. There is probably nothing wrong with the game; the problem is at my end. I suppose that the graphics driver recalculates something when I zoom and never gets the first set-up back.

This is really disapointing and I am beginning to think in terms of giving up on ToW, cause I can't buy a new screen just because of this. Still I don't know if I can live with this blur for a long PBEM-run. The situation is even more annoying now than it was with RtV with it's limited gaming surface, since the combination of blur and small text makes names and combat values very difficult to make out.

Does anyone, not specifically the developers, know of any trick to solve this? The screen I'm using is a Samsung SyncMaster 226bw.

[Bleck]

Please run ToW, in main menu open console (hit [~] key) type GRAPHIC, hit [enter] (video device specification should appear), exit ToW.
Then paste here content of ConsoleOut.txt file.

Also try this: run ToW in fullscreen mode, when everything turns blury minimize the game and maximize it back.

[Uxbridge]

All right. It says:
 
Device: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 512
Driver: nvd3dum.dll [v7.15.11.6906]
Current Mode: 1680x1050 @60Hz
Max Texture Size: 8192x8192
 
Don't know what you mean by minimize/maximize! [X(] Should I change resolution forth and back?

[Bleck]

In fullscreen mode - hit Alt+Tab, game will minimize to taskbar, then click on it to return to game (or hit Alt+Tab several times)

[Uxbridge]

Oh, you mean that! No, doesn't help. Only thing that returns the sharpness is to restart actual game.
 
Time is 2 hours past midnight here, so I must retire to bed now. I'll be back in 7 hours. [:)]

[Uxbridge]

Bleck, I can't figure out how to post it here. I'll send it to you with Doomie as middle man.

Does anybody else have a problem like mine?

[SlickWilhelm]

When is the last time you updated your video drivers? I would definitely try that first. It could just be an incompatibility between ToW and the particular version of your video drivers. I doubt that it's your LCD monitor causing the problem. 

[Bleck]

Generally, I have no idea what can be the reason, game was tested even on quite old PC and (after few adjustments) everything was fine. So I would say it is driver/DirectX issue.

[Uxbridge]

I think I updated them just a couple of weeks ago, but I have several computers on the same screen, so I will check this again.

[Uxbridge]

Just checked. it's the latest one! [:(]
 

[SlickWilhelm]

Then maybe try an earlier driver. Generally speaking, it's almost always best to have the latest drivers installed. But not always, especially when you're having issues. I'd try an earlier version or two and see if that fixes it.

Also, perhaps a BIOS update is in order.  

[Uxbridge]

BIOS update!?! How do one do that? Seems dangerous. [&:]

Since I have exactly the same problem regardless of which computer I'm using, I think the problem is either graphics driver-, nature of screen- or game-related.

[SlickWilhelm]

You mean the same behavior is exhibited on four different computers while playing ToW, all via the Samsung?

[Uxbridge]

No, not four, but two. The drivers are the same, but the rest differs: new computer, old computer, Vista, XP and so forth. This problem started immediately when I bought the screen. Many games I played then when old over the night: Close Combat, Battles in Normandy, CEAW. The last one I could play by using only the above mentioned 1/3 of the screen, 1024x768 I think it was. Same when RtV came. In ToW it doesn't matter what resolution I have - blurry.

[SlickWilhelm]

Wow, that's weird. What kind of connector is it, DVI or the old analog 15-pin?

Also, if you're using a video switchbox that all the monitors are connected to, remove that out of the picture and try hooking it up to just one PC directly.

[Uxbridge]

No, it's not there the problem lays. I have Napoleon's Campaigns. It was made for 1680x1050 and there was no problem. Latest version of Close Combat works fine too. The issue must be between the game itself and the drivers/screen. Maybe they just don't mix. I've been through most of it before and I'm not buying games that don't support this resolution. ToW does, but possible not in the same way as the others.
 
I'll pin my last hope on Doomtrader, Bleck and the others. Otherwise I have decided to play it as it is. it's just to good to stand down.

[Uxbridge]

Bleck, why isn't there a windowed mode for 1680x1050? Could it have to do with something missing/not right in the GUI_1680x1050.csv or was it designed not to be a windowed mode for this resolution?
 
Also, could my problems above have to do with some numbers not right in the mentioned file?

[Bleck]

Bleck, why isn't there a windowed mode for 1680x1050

If your current desktop resolution is 1680x1050 then game will not allow to run in windowed 1680x1050, because this window simply won't fit entirely  on screen, so what is the point? Only smaller resolutions are allowed for windowed mode by the game. But if you guys really want, I can change it.

Also, could my problems above have to do with some numbers not right in the mentioned file?

I don't think so. I am also working on 1680x1050 and everything is fine. Tell me one more thing - is it only ToW graphic blury? What about other DX games running the same time when blured ToW?

[Uxbridge]

Ok. Forget about windowed mode. I don't use it and didn't really understand its use. The only positive difference I noticed was that in windowed mode I also had a cursor, and that cursor hadn't the delay in moving after me moving the mouse. I could click directly on a counter without having to wait and see where the cartridge went.
 
For your second question: I opened Napoleon's Campaigns and had it run simultaniously with ToW. Once I zoomed in ToW it blured; in NC it didn't. Weird.
 
What is it I have that you don't, or the other way round? Drivers are top notch, I checked; DirectX, latest version.
 
 
 
 

[jimh009]

I had a similar problem when trying to play WiTP on my new widescreen laptop. The problem was that my video card software was "stretching" the display to full screen (where-as WiTP has a default native of 1024x768)...thus making everything blurry. I changed some settings in my video card software for WiTP so that the software scaled the game (instead of stretching it to full-screen) and that solved the problem. Could this be your problem?