Instructions for Users with 4k / High DPI issues

[Erik Rutins]

Please install the most recent update (1.01.02 or later).

After that, if your issues are not resolved, please read the next post and the rest of this thread.

[Erik Rutins]

The original 1.00 release had issues on high (4k) resolution systems. It was incorrectly scaling only fonts, which could result in offset text and also low memory crashes.

With 1.00.07 and later, the crashes are resolved as is the offset text. However, in 1.00/1.02 for later Windows 10 systems we were also using System scaling. Without that, while things are sharper, they may look too small on 4k screens.

With 1.01.02, the first iteration of in-application scaling is available to customers.

While we are working to complete the full in-game application scaling, in the meantime there are several options to try to see what gives you the best results.

Currently the game is built with a "DPI aware" manifest, so no override means that windows gives control to the application by default.

Starting with 1.00.04 and later :
1. If the High DPI Scaling Override is unchecked - all scaling is done by application (small but clear and sharp)
2. If the High DPI Scaling Override set to Application - all scaling is done by application (small but clear and sharp)
3. If the High DPI Scaling Override set to System or System (enhanced) - scaling done by OS (big but can be less clear on some systems and monitors)

As of 1.01.02 and later, there is in-application scaling for the map and all the screens to give a "big and clear and sharp" option as well. The application scaling percentage on first launch auto-detects the best setting for your system, but can be adjusted in the in-game preferences.

Your options for adjusting scaling are as follows:

1. Leave the settings at the default for Application control and use the in-game preferences to adjust scaling (We strongly recommend this for 1.01.02 and later updates)


2. Try the "System" or "System (Enhanced)" setting. This gives total control to Windows and as a result you are loosing sharpness, but it gives you bigger fonts/art. You can set this using the following steps to match the image below. We do not recommend this for 1.01.02 and later, but it may be helpful for some, especially with earlier versions (we recommend you update instead though!).

- Open your WITE2 installation folder
- Left click once to select the WarInTheEast2 Application file.
- Right click on the WarInTheEast2 Application file in that folder.
- Select Properties from the pop-up menu
- Left-click once on the Compatibility Tab
- Left-click once on the Change high DPI Settings button (as seen below)
- Change the settings you see to match the below, then click ok to close these windows and launch the game normally.
(If you need to undo this, repeat the steps above, but uncheck the boxes you see checked below before you click ok)



3. Use 3rd party apps, ex. ZoomIt
See the first post for a link to ZoomIt.

We are continuing to work on engine changes to improve player experience on high DPI settings, without any need for OS or 3rd party scaling. You can see this in 1.01.02 and later, but it is not an easy task and not all interface parts are easily adjustable.

We still need to allow the in-application scaling to adjust the right side unit bar and possibly the top button bar. Those will be added to the scaling as time allows. If you try 1.01.02 and later and find the in-application scaling does not work for you, or that having the right bar and top bar unscaled is not acceptable for you, please let us know and use options 2 and 3 above to re-adjust the scaling to your system-controlled scaling preference.

[Erik Rutins]

Reserved

[sandman2575]

This seems to work (although Windows at first gives a warning about not running a 'potentially dangerous' app; says publisher "Unknown")

Am playing on 2560x1440 with DPI at 125%. Previously I was setting DPI to 100% because even with the DPI compatibility override the text was a bit blurry. Using this new .exe, the text appears sharp and clear the way it does on 100% DPI but without having to change from 125% to 100% (and then back again when I was no longer playing WitE). So that's an improvement.

[Helpless]

This seems to work (although Windows at first gives a warning about not running a 'potentially dangerous' app; says publisher "Unknown")

That's because it was signed by installer.

the text appears sharp and clear the way it does on 100% DPI but without having to change from 125% to 100% (and then back again when I was no longer playing WitE).

Great! That was the goal. Thanks for trying.

[Helpless]

6. Ensure your settings on that tab match EXACTLY the screenshot below, then click OK twice to close these properties.

This exe was build with high DPI awareness flag, meaning that Windows by default should give control to application to render art and text. So it should work the same with no check on Override high DPI scaling behavior. The most important it shouldn't stretch text font in application control mode, causing high memory usage with crashes and general instabilities.

If you want to stretch your window and make everything bigger (and blurry) you can Override high DPI and set it to System/System(Enhanced).

[Numdydar]

Text is better so thank you for the effort.

However the text is still hard for me to read as the text in the popup screens is still too small for me. It may have something to do with the white on red backgrounds when playing as Russia and my eyes.

Any chance of UI scaling for the text boxes?

[sandman2575]

This is a nice work-around for small text:

https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4991070

[Helpless]

However the text is still hard for me to read as the text in the popup screens is still too small for me. It may have something to do with the white on red backgrounds when playing as Russia and my eyes

It was not meant to make text bigger, in opposite it makes text sharper and smaller. To make it bigger you can override high DPI to let System scale it or use 3rd party solutions. I understand what UX responsive design is, but there is no easy way to implement it. It possible to make scalable fonts in some areas, but in most cases it comes with complete redesign of layout with extra art high resolution art.

Any chance of UI scaling for the text boxes?

Is there any particular boxes you are talking about? Some of them could be scaled easier than others.

[Numdydar]

ORIGINAL: Helpless


Is there any particular boxes you are talking about? Some of them could be scaled easier than others.

The pop up terrain boxes were the main ones along with the box that appears when the ADs are being gone through are the two worst ones for me. The rest of the system, menus, etc. are servable in the current state.

[theWombat]

ORIGINAL: Helpless

It possible to make scalable fonts in some areas, but in most cases it comes with complete redesign of layout with extra art high resolution art.

The text that is the most difficult to see is the actual text stuff, not the text on counters or other art elements. Pretty much no games have issues with this any more because they either use an off the shelf engine like Unity (which is used in 2D games quite a lot and quite effectively) or they use Scaleform or other middleware to handle UI display. The problem with this and similar games (usually low-volume wargames by small teams) is that they are home-grown idiosyncratic kludges, to be blunt. Not to take away from the immense effort and skill it takes to make a beast like this at all, but we're at the point in game development history when even indie games from two person teams are selling games that are functionally as robust as AAA titles.

Except in wargaming. Wargaming is still mired in the 8-bit era almost. 32bit apps? No middleware? Rube Goldberg game engines? I've been playing computer games since I pilfered a login for a mainframe in the late 1970s at Georgia Tech. Sometimes I wonder whether I'm stuck in a freakin' time loop.

[Nix77]

In WitE1 I had an issue with Nvidia GFX cards, the text in game was blurry. I'm not 100% certain but I might have had that with WitE2 too when I installed it.

Fix for that was to disable FXAA on the WitE executable from Nvidia Control Panel.

[Helpless]

Fix for that was to disable FXAA on the WitE executable from Nvidia Control Panel.

Afaik, Antialiasing - FXAA is off by default. Enabling it indeed makes all text very blurry. Good point. Thanks.

[Tyrfinn]

Seems to be more fluid and stable so far.

I reported the problem regarding the game not running smoothly.

[sandman2575]

Will this hotfix be included in the first update? It's not mentioned in the announcement of the 01.00.02 Beta - ?

[Helpless]

Will this hotfix be included in the first update? It's not mentioned in the announcement of the 01.00.02 Beta - ?

No, but first update is in this hotfix. Feel free to use it as 1.00.02 Beta + DPI fix.

[sandman2575]

Sorry, guess I'm a little confused. Doesn't that mean that when 1.00.02 goes live and I update WitE2, the DPI-fix .exe will get overwritten by the 'default' .exe for 1.00.02?

[Helpless]

Yes it will overwrite, but since this is exe-only update, you shouldn't really install it if you are using 1.00.03_DPI fix.

[Erik Rutins]

ORIGINAL: sandman2575
Sorry, guess I'm a little confused. Doesn't that mean that when 1.00.02 goes live and I update WitE2, the DPI-fix .exe will get overwritten by the 'default' .exe for 1.00.02?

1.02 is a beta update. By the time it goes official, it will likely be 1.03 and incorporate this fix. At the moment, if you are using the DPI hotfix you already have everything in the 1.02 beta as well.

[sandman2575]

OK, excellent. Thank you for clarifying.