Are wide screen monitors supported?

[Temple]

Ever since I got a widescreen LCD I have to remember to ask this question [;)].

[Gregor_SSG]

We support 1024x768 or 1280x1024.

Gregor

[Erik Rutins]

FWIW, it looks great on my 1280x800 screen, although it's not running in the native resolution.

Regards,

- Erik

[bink]

Gregor,
 
Does it support 1600x1200?
 
Thanks,
 
wino

[Canuck_jp]

ORIGINAL: Gregor_SSG

We support 1024x768 or 1280x1024.

Gregor

I don't think so

[bink]

I am very surprised if that is the case.  Why would this be so?  I was excited about getting this game, but I want to see a large area of the map.  1280x1024 is very limiting.

[Erik Rutins]

You can set it to 1280x1024 and it should run fine on a 1600x1200 display, but it doesn't support 1600x1200 native. I find the 1280x1024 play area gives you a pretty good view on one screen.

[bink]

Erik,
 
I don't understand how a new game released in 2007 can have a maximum resolution of 1280x1024!  1600x1200 has 46.5% more display area than 1280x1024, and to me, this makes a HUGE difference in the playability of games.
 
Since you are the Director of Product Development, why is this limitation present?

Thanks,
 
bink

[bink]

Erik,
 
Actually, I should clarify that the added display area is probably of the biggest benefit in games with maps (that is, the typical strategy wargame).  You simply see a greater portion of the whole strategic map.
 
Bink

[Erik Rutins]

Bink,

I can respond in general, but SSG would be the one with specifics.

Depending on the engine, implementing support for all possible resolutions can be an entirely non-trivial task. A developer has to decide how to apply their development resources. 1024 x 768 and 1280 x 1024 support the vast majority of CRT and LCD screens. While I agree that supporting other resolutions is a good idea and many of our other titles do that, it's far from mandatory particularly where looking at development bang vs. buck. The number of people running at 1600x1200 is still fairly small as a percentage of the market. As long as one of the existing video modes works fine on such a monitor, the additional development time isn't always justifiable.

Regards,

- Erik

[bink]

Erik,
 
Are you looking at 1600x1200 as current share of monitor market, or share of wargame purchases?  I would point out a couple of things:
 
1.  With widescreen LCDs taking a large share of new purchases (majority of consumer laptops, as well as low cost LCD monitors from 17" up), my opinion is that you are ignoring new users and acquirers of new systems.
2.  I would hazard a guess that wargame buyers have better education and higher incomes than average PC buyers, and would be more likely to have a monitor capable of greater than 1280x1024 resolution (i.e. 1600x1200+ or widescreen).
 
Even Steel Panthers: World War 2 (if purchased) is capable of 1600x1200 support, and the core of that game is at least 10 years old.
 
I have posted on the SSG forums about this issue, but FWIW, I am not buying any games that do not support 1600x1200 at a minimum.  I really don't think this is too much to ask of a game released in 2007.  I am glad that I discovered this on a forum, since the resolution details are not on the Matrix game website.  Can I request that you add the information on supported resolutions to the game titles you sell?
 
Regards,
 
bink

[flintlock]

Just to add to this, I too find it incredibly frustrating that games coming out in this day and age do not support 16:9 aspect ratios. Even with good widescreen scaling capabilities, a stretched 4:3 aspect ratio to a widescreen resolution simply isn't an acceptable solution. The game certainly looks intriguing, though the lack of widescreen support is a deal breaker.

/rant off

Good luck with the game, however -- it does look quite good.

[Froonp]

ORIGINAL: flintlock

Just to add to this, I too find it incredibly frustrating that games coming out in this day and age do not support 16:9 aspect ratios. Even with good widescreen scaling capabilities, a stretched 4:3 aspect ratio to a widescreen resolution simply isn't an acceptable solution. The game certainly looks intriguing, though the lack of widescreen support is a deal breaker.

/rant off

Good luck with the game, however -- it does look quite good.

Why are those games not designed as others Windows applications, where when you expand the window to the full screen, you see more of what is within the window, and not simply have what is within the window stretched to the new full screen size ?
I believe that Matrix World in Flames is being designed as I'm describing, and I thought that it had become common practice here.
Wide screen are becoming more and more common, and allow for a real large view of a map, that we wargamers love to have [:D]

[Temple]

Since I started this thread, I'll put in my 2 cents. I know from other discussions that it's not an easy thing to add additional resolutions depending on the coding. And also it's not true that every game will look good no matter what the resolution, sometimes it becomes very hard to see details at very high resolutions unless you are playing on a huge screen. I do have a couple of games I play that don't support wide screen and so are stretched horizontally about 30%. Forge of Freedom is one. After the initial shock I find I don't have a problem adjusting to it, but that's a personal thing.

I do think bink has a good suggestion that the game product listing include supported resolutions.

As a true grognard I do reserve the right to complain about this, but like a good trooper I'll soldier on with my widescreen till I can figure out how I can talk my wife into letting me buy a second, non-wide screen monitor [;)].

[DBeves]

Hello ...

I too am disappointed at the lack of resolution support in the game (especially widescreen) ... however, what I dont understand is the somewhat bizarre response it provokes in some people ... sure I can be disappointed but to NOT buy the game because of it (when it doesn't in anyway make it remotely unplayable ) is just silly. I suspect some people have pet issues and just come here to complain about them... then go on to make grandiose statements about not buying the game when they do anyway. I have a laptop - and yes its wide screen and I play DB at 1024 x 768 ... sure it doesn't look as good as it does on my 19 inch monitor at 1024 x 1280 but doesn't look Sooo... bad I would play it .... come on is this really that important that you wont buy the game .... we are Wargamers after all ... what would you do if monitors suddenly support 9000x8000 pixels - do you arbitrarily raise your minimum resolution game buying standards just because it can ? - would you not buy games at all ?

As far as the reasons go .... what most people forget about programming is that it is an art form ... some pieces are better then others... if you look at the program you can see it does not sit in a native windows window like say an HPS title does ... obviously the original game was coded in a way (this may be a skill thing or may not be) that made switching resolutions more of an issue than say an HPS title.. the decision was obviously taken that to support all those different resolutions would - because of the coding method used for the application - be too much of an issue to resolve....

I think SSG might quiet people down if they just gave a straight technical answer as to why resolution was an issue with THIS game ...

Beyond this - a bit of perspective on what the issue actually is should be maintained - and I cant see that the game not running in 1600 x 1200 resolution means its broken is being particularly rational..[&:]

[Marc von Martial]

Just for the record, you guys do not have to end up with "strechted looks" on your widescreens. You can always set your panel to keep the original aspect ratio (you will have a letterbox left and right then; or top and bottom like you would have on a 4:3 TV running a 16:9 movie) or you can set this for you graphic cards drivers. Consult your monitors / panels manual or the settings of your graphic card drivers.

While not using the full width of your screen you definetly get a better look since the monitor now only has to interpolate in a given aspect ratio.

I do this for all my widescreen panels. Even for my LCD-TV when the respective TV channel is sending a 4:3 signal. Way less artifacting going on.

[Marc von Martial]

ORIGINAL: Temple
....but like a good trooper I'll soldier on with my widescreen till I can figure out how I can talk my wife into letting me buy a second, non-wide screen monitor [;)].

There is no need for another monitor, read my reply above.

[Txema]

Is "Battlefront" using DX9??

I am asking it because I recall that other excellent game (Silent Hunter 3) had a similar problem: it used a fixed resolution (1024 X 768), but one modder released an utility that allowed the player to run the game at the desired resolution (even with 16:9 aspect ratio !!!!). However I recall that to make that utility work it was necessary to have a game programmed for DX9.

Is that the case for "Battlefront"??


Txema

[Temple]

ORIGINAL: Marc Schwanebeck

Just for the record, you guys do not have to end up with "strechted looks" on your widescreens. You can always set your panel to keep the original aspect ratio (you will have a letterbox left and right then; or top and bottom like you would have on a 4:3 TV running a 16:9 movie) or you can set this for you graphic cards drivers. Consult your monitors / panels manual or the settings of your graphic card drivers.

While not using the full width of your screen you definetly get a better look since the monitor now only has to interpolate in a given aspect ratio.

I do this for all my widescreen panels. Even for my LCD-TV when the respective TV channel is sending a 4:3 signal. Way less artifacting going on.

Sadly my ATI Radeon doesn't support altering the aspect ratio, only Nvidia cards have this in their control options. And my cheap but rather nice KDS LCD 22' monitor also doesn't do aspect ratio reseting. We had a nice long discussion about this on another forum (not Matrix). However, I'm ok with this, I didn't even know it was possible before I got my widescreen.

[flintlock]

ORIGINAL: Temple
...figure out how I can talk my wife into letting me buy a second, non-wide screen monitor [;)].

With Valentines around the corner, now's your chance to really get on her good side.