[1.05b15] 5:4 Resolution Error

[Tomn]

So I use a 5:4 monitor. Haven't played in a while and upon firing the game up after patching it to the latest version discovered that the game's display is stretched out further I remember it being in the past. Not a huge issue given that there's the option to set the graphics to 5:4 mode, except you don't have the choice to do that on the main game menu - and critically, the graphics are now so stretched out that it isn't possible to actually finish empire creation because the buttons for decision selection are now off the screen. If I didn't already have saved games I could load up to switch the resolution, I'd have been stuck. Further, it seems that the game defaults to 7:8 resolution every time the game starts up, requiring me to switch out every time I play the game.

Not STRICTLY a bug, and a I realize I'm in the far minority here, but it seemed worth reporting.

[Vic]

What is your desktop screen resolution exactly? in pixels please.

Best wishes,
vic

[Vic]

By the way its always possible to delete your prefs.txt file to restart at default settings.

Best wishes,
Vic

[Tomn]

ORIGINAL: Vic

What is your desktop screen resolution exactly? in pixels please.

Best wishes,
vic

1280:1024. Not sure what you mean about restarting at default settings, by the way - if anything, the issue seems to be that the game keeps reverting to the default 7:8 settings instead of sticking with the 5:4 resolution option.

[Vic]

I don't fully understand whats happening on your screen to be honest. But it sounds like some DPI % in Prefs was flagged. Try deleting the prefs.txt file and restarting the game and see if the problem has gone away?

best wishes,
Vic

[Tomn]

Well, that's interesting. I can't seem to actually FIND a prefs.txt file, which might explain why the resolution keeps snapping back to default. At least, Windows search is telling me it doesn't exist anywhere within the Shadow Empire folder. I did install the game on a hard drive other than C:, might that affect it?

And yeah, I'm probably not explaining myself too clearly so here, a screenshot of the big issue:



You'll notice the buttons to select an option to move on from this screen are cut off on the left, making it impossible to progress. Since there's no way to change your DPI settings from the main menu, if you don't already have a save file you can load to alter the settings from within a game you're screwed. As it is, if I want to start a new game I need to load a save, click the prefs button, change the DPI to 5:4, and then back out to the main menu.

[Vic]

My bad its NOT prefs.txt but editobj.txt . sorry there.
Could you email editobj.txt to vic@vrdesigns.net before trying to delete it?
Thanks for the screeny. It looks to me like your screen resolution is actually 1024x768

best,
Vic

[Tomn]

Ah! That did it - I can no longer pick resolutions above 5:4 now and the resolution is now defaulting to something more workable. Sent you the editobj.txt file regardless. Guess it actually WAS a bug. Thanks!

[Vic]

Glad that fixed it. And I confirm your editobj.txt (prefs) was set to a DPI mode you should not have had access too. Maybe you ran the game on a higher resolution before changing monitor? (only explanation i can think of)

best wishes,
Vic

[Tomn]

Seems unlikely, I've had the same monitor for the past ten years set to 1280:1024, same as it's always been. I did have a recent Windows update, though I don't know if that would change anything. Plus of course patching Shadow Empire to 1.05 and then installing the beta - when when I played it in 1.04 the game was working the way it was supposed to, with higher resolutions locked out.