PC Optimistation

[UtopiaV1]

Okay, so as we all know (at least, fellow PC gamers know), console ports are doing everything but forcing us to buy a widescreen monitor. They offer better FOV and un-squashed menus for widescreen users, along with more resolutions for those with 16:9 and 16:10. For myself, with too few pennies in the bank to afford one, this is unacceptable.

I have started using widescreen resolutions with these games, and making them windowed so they aren't contorted and stretched. Unfortunatly, as pretty as Windows 7 is, I don't want to see it in the background while I'm playing OpFlash or Bad Company 2. The question I put forth to you, o innocent internet user, is there any way to completely disable Windows from the background while the app is running, so that it looks like it's in letterbox mode?

If not, can the background at least be temporally disabled? There has to be a way. I have already checked the Application properties in it's folder (disable visual themes, disable desktop composition etc), but all these do is disable Aero. Thanks for your time!

 

[Vrach]

Mmmm would think letterbox mode is the norm when you do a fullscreen? Was for me on my craptop when I played a few games that didn't have (though the opposite kind of letterbox).

Out of interest though, why do you find widescreen monitors too expensive? 17/19" ones are pretty cheap these days and hell my mate is getting himself a 23" one for some 150 euros or so as well. Not really too much for a one time investment that'll last you several years down the line

 

[Continuity]

For myself, with too few pennis in the bank to afford one, this is unacceptable.

Ohh that's an epic typo right there ^^

OT: Well, short of getting some more penis in the bank I really don't think there is much you can do. Have you tried looking at your graphics card settings? graphics cards and some monitors are capable of doing letter boxing.

 

[UtopiaV1]

For myself, with too few pennis in the bank to afford one, this is unacceptable.

Ohh that's an epic typo right there ^^

OT: Well, short of getting some more penis in the bank I really don't think there is much you can do. Have you tried looking at your graphics card settings? graphics cards and some monitors are capable of doing letter boxing.

Lol, thanks for the correction! ¬_¬ Freudian slip or what?

OT: I'll try the graphics card menu, that a good suggestion, thanks! Probs won't help though, I know the new Catalyst menus pretty well, never seen an option like that before...

 

[Wolfram23]

So... why is it that you don't select the proper resolution for your monitor?

 

[Continuity]

Lol, thanks for the correction! ¬_¬ Freudian slip or what?

OT: I'll try the graphics card menu, that a good suggestion, thanks! Probs won't help though, I know the new Catalyst menus pretty well, never seen an option like that before...

Maybe try "maintain aspect ratio" under the monitor attributes with GPU scaling, that sort of sounds like it might be the right thing.

Edit: Or centred timing even, that sounds better.

 

[UtopiaV1]

Lol, thanks for the correction! ¬_¬ Freudian slip or what?

OT: I'll try the graphics card menu, that a good suggestion, thanks! Probs won't help though, I know the new Catalyst menus pretty well, never seen an option like that before...

Maybe try "maintain aspect ratio" under the monitor attributes with GPU scaling, that sort of sounds like it might be the right thing.

Edit: Or centred timing even, that sounds better.

Tried the maintain aspect ratio thingy, it just stretches the image. What's centred timing then? Sounds promising...

 

[Continuity]

Tried the maintain aspect ratio thingy, it just stretches the image. What's centred timing then? Sounds promising...

Dunno exactly, but maybe if you combined it with a 16:9 resolution (that will fit within your monitors native res i.e. a small res in the 16: aspect ratio) it just might letterbox for you.... don't know.

I think you're going to have to play with the resolution anyway. What is your monitors native resolution?

 

[UtopiaV1]

Tried the maintain aspect ratio thingy, it just stretches the image. What's centred timing then? Sounds promising...

Dunno exactly, but maybe if you combined it with a 16:9 resolution (that will fit within your monitors native res i.e. a small res in the 16: aspect ratio) it just might letterbox for you.... don't know.

I think you're going to have to play with the resolution anyway. What is your monitors native resolution?

1400 x 1050. Yeah, it's a laptop-specific (on a desktop computer) native resolution that DX10 & 11 don't fully support, but it's high enough so that you don't see too many jagged edges. I'm using 1366 x 768 on most widescreen-forcing games now, while playing in windowed mode. It's fine, it's just the background on my computer is really distracting.

I could turn it off, but I like having a slideshow when I leave my computer on! I guess I'll just grin and bear it, maybe save up for a proper widescreen with a HDMI port, like the kind I've been promising myself I'll buy for the past year. I just hate how many console ports don't come with .ini files you can edit the FOV in, like Fallout3 and Source-engine games do! I like a nice, normal 80% field-o-vision, 55 (BC2) and 45 (OFDR) is just preposterous. Do games developers think no-one uses their peripheral vision anymore?!?! ¬_¬

 

[gl1koz3]

Are you sure you did...

...this?

EDIT: Nevermind... I noticed you use Catalyst.

 

[Continuity]

Have you tried going full screen with 1366 x 768 or say, 1280 x 800 in-game res? I think in theory if you did that with centred timing it ought to give you a proper letterbox or window box display.

Worth a try anyway.

 

[Zer_]

Okay, so as we all know (at least, fellow PC gamers know), console ports are doing everything but forcing us to buy a widescreen monitor. They offer better FOV and un-squashed menus for widescreen users, along with more resolutions for those with 16:9 and 16:10. For myself, with too few pennies in the bank to afford one, this is unacceptable.

I have started using widescreen resolutions with these games, and making them windowed so they aren't contorted and stretched. Unfortunatly, as pretty as Windows 7 is, I don't want to see it in the background while I'm playing OpFlash or Bad Company 2. The question I put forth to you, o innocent internet user, is there any way to completely disable Windows from the background while the app is running, so that it looks like it's in letterbox mode?

If not, can the background at least be temporally disabled? There has to be a way. I have already checked the Application properties in it's folder (disable visual themes, disable desktop composition etc), but all these do is disable Aero. Thanks for your time!

I really doubt you can do anything about that. Sorry man. Maybe some games have some clever console commands that you could use. I do know that my monitor (It's a 16:9 widescreen) actually supports fullscreen aspect ratios. It's a setting on the monitor that adds two black bars onto the side.

I know of no fullscreen monitors that support a similar feature.

 

[Continuity]

If it doesn't work you might want to try this:

http://forums.amd.com/game/messageview.cfm?catid=279&threadid=125270

Apparently there is, or has been, a bug with scaling in the ATI CCC.

 

[UtopiaV1]

If it doesn't work you might want to try this:

http://forums.amd.com/game/messageview.cfm?catid=279&threadid=125270

Apparently there is, or has been, a bug with scaling in the ATI CCC.

Thanks for the attempt, I appreciate the time and effort it took to find that post, but unfortunately didn't work, as I'm using a VGA cable, and worse, it's going through a switchbox! (so I can use both my PC's on one screen.)

Nope, nothing left for it but to disable my background manually and then run in a windowed 16:9. If I were a better C++ programmer I'd make a quicklaunch program that did both those things when widescreen games were booted up, but oh well! Couldn't code my way out of a cardboard box :S