Matrix Games Forums

I run my computer at 1280x1024 resolution with 32 bit colour quality from a Radeon X600 series graphics card. Forge of Freedom, like many other games, is run at a lower resolution than this and there is no problem when the game code switches the display to it and then back out of it when the game is 'gracefuly' exited.

The problem arises when background processes impinge. The first and most obvious is when the game is left and the screen saver kicks in. On moveing the mouse or hitting a key to get back to the game I'm faced with my native 1280x1024 screen with the game display stuck in the top left, using its lower resolution pixel count. The game is not locked, but I have found no way of getting it back to full screen, and usually have to exit and start again. This can be very annoying if Iwas winning something. [:@][:@][:@] The same thing happens if a background process starts up, such as a security or update run.

I've played WITP for some years and never had this problem. Not a bug then, maybe forgetfullness?[&:]

greetings, same happen to me sometimes, you arise a interesting question, hope some can make a brigth of light to this question, to see the turn of the computer opponent in some games or can not leave for some time the game without problems is annoying, not only it is relative to this game, i think, and i do not know as i do not have make a test of it if offset the screensaver can help or it can get hurt my monitor, i are going to await an answer to all this as you, i think, with regards and thanks in advance for any and all help,
 
murat30.

Try turning off your screen-savers and other background processes that are not necessary -- I've seen this problem before, and it happened when another process took over control of the DirectX settings by killing the DirectX handles that FOF had open.

Thanks for the response ericbabe, but it doesn't answer. My screen savers and background processes ARE necessary. As good as this game is, why should I dick around changeing settings when the code should take care of it for me, as lesser games do? I never had this problem with War in the Pacific (WITP)' so why is there a problem with this game?
 

I've just spent some hours playing WITP and had to leave it mid-turn. The screen-saver did not kick in, so there must be something in the code which inhibits this. Also, I note that background processes are just that, they work in the background and do not affect WITP in any way. Why is FoF different, especially since its from the same stable as WITP?
 
Murat30 is having the same problems, and I'm sure he is not the only one. There must be many out there whose gameplay is disrupted by this. Your suggestion that the DirectX handles opened by FOF are taken over/destroyed by background processes is the most likely reason and can be easily solved by intercepting/redirecting calls on those handles. I look forward to a solution in the next update. Should I post this in the Wish-List thread?

"Lesser products" may not be using the same DirectX protocols that we are; there are different ways of programming similar things.  I've had many other applications which I've had to modify my screen saver, virus checker, sound drivers, firewall, and resident debugger settings in order to get them to run properly (including products, like Civilization, Unreal Tournament, and Shogun: Total War), so it's not entirely unusual for one application to interfere with the successful running of another application: indeed, it's probably easier for "lesser" applications to run with other applications as they require fewer system resources.

I'm not sure how easily to intercept/redirect calls in other processes' DirectX threads; do you have a particular programming recommendation in mind?

It may be possible to reinstantiate DirectX when the user restores the application, but I don't think that would be an easy fix to make -- it would involve reinstantiating many of the graphics buffers, I fear.

Also, just to clarify, Forge of Freedom is not from the "same stable" as WITP:  Matrix Games is a publisher (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publisher); WCS and 2x3 are different software developers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_developer).  FOF and WITP don't have one scrap of code in common.

ericbabe
Thanks for the informative response. On reflection, my tone in previous postings was a bit 'Grumpy'. When you reach my age, being a 'Grumpy Old Man' is one of the pleasures in life. Wait 'til you get there, you will know. Apologies. Also, mea culpa, I had not checked out the programming provenance of FoF vis-a-vis WITP.
 
No, I don't have any insight into the interception of calls on DirectX handles or threads. When I wrote it can be easily solved, I meant it should be easily solvable. But obviously not!
 
I hope to find a 'workaround' for this problem which will answer old idiots like me, as well as Newbies finding their way.

FoF is hardwired at 1024x768 resolution. When the game is launched the code switches the display mode to this, no matter if your Desktop was set higher (or lower?). If your Desktop was set at a higher resolution you are going to have a problem if a background process starts up which wants to use the higher resolution by default. The most obvious one of these is the screen saver, but there are many others such as - security updates, security warnings, Windows updates, Internet checks etc. etc..  Most of us will not want to cancel or change our settings just to play FoF, so there is a problem.
 
In my experience, if a 'background' process kicks in (most particularly, the screen-saver) there is no way to return the game to full screen. After some experimentation, it seems the only way around this is to set the Desktop resolution to 1024x768 before launching the game and, if required, resetting it to what you want after exiting.
 
This seems to work after a few tests.

To change the display resolution via the Control panel-Display-Settings..  - route is a pain. Much better to install graphics card control software, whereby you can switch display settings instantly via an icon in the Taskbar notification area (at the right-hand-side of the blue strip at the bottom of the display). I'm sure most card manufactures supply this sort of software.
 
For Radeon cards, get the 'Catalyst Software Suite'  (http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html).
 
Murat30, I hope this helps. It seems we are both on a steep learning curve.

 
Actually, this has happened to me, but you are taking the long way to the Display Settings... Next time it happens, just < right-click > anywhere on the screen outside of the game area. A pop-up box will appear and if you pick "Properties" at the bottom, you will instantly be at the Display Properties window. Choose 1024 by 768 and voila, the FoF game is full screen again. You might have to move the mouse somewhat to get it to resync in.

The only negative to this, is of course, when you exit the game, you will have to manually do the above step again to revert back to your normal resolution, but it's a lot quicker than menuing thru the Start>Control Panel route.

edit: BTW, my normal resolution is 1400 x 1050, so the above steps come in very handy for several other 1024 x 768 games which I have. One other small negative I forgot to mention is that depending on how your icons are sorted, they may get resorted upon exiting "manually" above. You can solve that by placing the "icons" in the upper left area of your native resolution, that shows when you switch to 1024 x768.