Last request(s)
Posted: Sun May 30, 2004 6:11 pm
Hi milo, I cant remember if you've already sent off a gold version of SS, but i have a couple of last minute requests I thought I'd bring up.
My new computer is a laptop with a wide-screen ratio (not true widescreen like a 16x9 tv, but more like a 16x10) and its slightly annoying that SS doesnt seem to work well with this screen. In several other games, if the screen is set to a resolution in a more normal ratio (1024x768 for example) black bars appear to the left and right of the screen, so that there is no distortion from stretching the image across the screen. In SS this doesnt happen (dont know if its a result of the graphics driver not doing something it's supposed to or stemming from the game itself) and there arent any resolutions in a close ratio. This means that normally round objects, like planets, appear ovoid and change shape when I roll, slightly disconcerting to say the least. So, i dont know how hard it is to add supported resolutions, or to add a check-box that tells SS you have a widescreen and to add bars to the left and right edges of the screen (again, if this is actually coming from the game and not the graphics driver).
The other thing relates (sorta) to joystick support. I dont know if anyone else has tried to play SS with a gamepad (i used to play mostly with an actual joystick, but I've gotten a new gamepad that I like (and will like more when the drivers actually work for it (the device-specific drivers actually cause it to cease functioning, while the default windows ones run it, but read the d-pad as a hat, one analog stick as the actual joystick, and the other as the throttle/z-axis)) and I'd sorta like to be able to map controls that are normally buttons (throttle up/down) to a joystick axis. Mapping the throttle to the axis doesnt work well, as when the stick is in it's rest position, throttle is at 50%, not zero. On a related note, it'd be awesome if at some point you could adjust joystick deadzone from within the game (and possibly have a seperate one for each axis?) as it would make trial-and-error adjustment of dead zones so much easer.
Now, some of my issues with the game pad may be able to be cleared up once the driver/profiler software gets working correctly (at least their tech-support seems to repsond to e-mails promptly). Also, as far as configuring joysticks, if there was another tab in the controls screen that listed all detected buttons/axis on the selected joystick and displayed what they were configured for, that would make it much easier, i think, even if you couldnt edit from that screen what button does what.
My new computer is a laptop with a wide-screen ratio (not true widescreen like a 16x9 tv, but more like a 16x10) and its slightly annoying that SS doesnt seem to work well with this screen. In several other games, if the screen is set to a resolution in a more normal ratio (1024x768 for example) black bars appear to the left and right of the screen, so that there is no distortion from stretching the image across the screen. In SS this doesnt happen (dont know if its a result of the graphics driver not doing something it's supposed to or stemming from the game itself) and there arent any resolutions in a close ratio. This means that normally round objects, like planets, appear ovoid and change shape when I roll, slightly disconcerting to say the least. So, i dont know how hard it is to add supported resolutions, or to add a check-box that tells SS you have a widescreen and to add bars to the left and right edges of the screen (again, if this is actually coming from the game and not the graphics driver).
The other thing relates (sorta) to joystick support. I dont know if anyone else has tried to play SS with a gamepad (i used to play mostly with an actual joystick, but I've gotten a new gamepad that I like (and will like more when the drivers actually work for it (the device-specific drivers actually cause it to cease functioning, while the default windows ones run it, but read the d-pad as a hat, one analog stick as the actual joystick, and the other as the throttle/z-axis)) and I'd sorta like to be able to map controls that are normally buttons (throttle up/down) to a joystick axis. Mapping the throttle to the axis doesnt work well, as when the stick is in it's rest position, throttle is at 50%, not zero. On a related note, it'd be awesome if at some point you could adjust joystick deadzone from within the game (and possibly have a seperate one for each axis?) as it would make trial-and-error adjustment of dead zones so much easer.
Now, some of my issues with the game pad may be able to be cleared up once the driver/profiler software gets working correctly (at least their tech-support seems to repsond to e-mails promptly). Also, as far as configuring joysticks, if there was another tab in the controls screen that listed all detected buttons/axis on the selected joystick and displayed what they were configured for, that would make it much easier, i think, even if you couldnt edit from that screen what button does what.
