24-12-2004 18:44									#1
	Screen resolution in smac/x Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

It is just my recent discovery. Maybe it has been already known to most of persons here, but not for me.

In the readme.txt I found:

ADDITIONAL TWEAKS:

...

DirectDraw=0
Settings this to 0 disables DirectDraw. This disables the automatic window
resolution resizing during program launch.

So I did just that. I expected the game to have some problems with graphics drawing, but it was not so. I use active matrix with resolution 1400x1050, and you know that streatching lower resolutions to higher ones in such cases makes really awfull things to graphics. To my surprise smax started using 1400x1050 resolution. I just see more map now in better detail. Only the "window-control panel" in the lower part is centered but not stretched, so there are like two black squares in left and right corners.

And this is probably also important:
Win XP Home,
DirectX 9

	24-12-2004 22:48									#2
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weird

I don't have that line in my alpha centauri.ini file.

I added that line, but it did nothing.

I don't seem to have anything that can allow me to change the resolution. At least according to what's mentioned in the readme file.

	24-12-2004 23:20									#3
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what patches do you have installed? what dx version? what OS?

	25-12-2004 03:26									#4
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That's excellent. I didn't notice more room on the display, but the game didn't switch display modes in terms of colours, which is most handy.

DX9c on WinXP:SP2 SMAX 4.0

	27-12-2004 05:30									#5
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I have SMAC X intalled, not sure if that makes a difference. I was trying to load the old game, but perhaps I should try to load the new game. The only patch I have is the windos compatibility patch I believe. Maybe I should see if the expansion game is different.

But either way, there was no line for this command in my alpha centauri.ini file.

	27-12-2004 14:33									#6
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Interesting. Seems it has to be put under [Alpha Centauri] not [Preferences] in order to work. But i use 1024x768 anyway.

	28-12-2004 08:01									#7
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Interesting... I got a screenshot of it too (resized smaller of course )

On the other hand, I think I'll stick to 1024x768 because I quickly got a headache with the larger screen size...

In other ideas...
A few image files have 2 versions.... well, actually it's only the moon pic files:
Moon1.pcx, moon1_800.pcx, moon2.pcx, etc.

The "default" ones are the ones used for 1024x768 res...
The _800s are the smaller ones... I wonder if one could create special ones for width 1280 or 1400 or whatever....


Edit: Yes, that's my obsessive condenser style in a spartans game

Notice the black spaces on the lower sides.

Attachment: alphwide.jpg
This has been downloaded 164 time(s).

	28-12-2004 08:32									#8
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I just could never do that. It's just not pleasing to the eye. I like to have a variety of terraforming. I especially like forest. I know it hurts my game some, but I just could never do that.

	29-12-2004 20:04									#9
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quote: Originally posted by Lord Nword Edit: Yes, that's my obsessive condenser style in a spartans game

Wow, have you seen a psychologist for that yet? You really should before you start counting the tiles in a public restroom.


But seriously, nice resolution. What kind of monitor do you have?

	30-12-2004 02:43									#10
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Type of monitor? lol.... It's not new I'll tell you that, at LEAST 4 years old, Samtron 76DF..

And I don't count the tiles half the time. All my base squares are _8,_8 or _3,_3... i.e. 28, 48 or 13, 113

I did take a good amount of time to figure that out AND to determine the proper map sizes so that I could perfectly squeeze bases on the entire map (including perfect wrap around) if there wasn't a limit....

	30-12-2004 03:27									#11
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I was just wondering the size. Before I start making changes and find you have some 23" monster monitor.

	30-12-2004 05:53									#12
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I wish I could figure out how to change my resolution.

	30-12-2004 10:56									#13
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quote: Originally posted by Dissident I wish I could figure out how to change my resolution.

Maybe your present screen resolution is just 1024x768? See on the desktop what it says.

and also as noticed by Blake see if your new line is under [Alpha Centauri] and not under [Preferences] .

	30-12-2004 14:33									#14
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This is great. I am going to re-install SMAC on my ThinkPad (14" 1400x1050) and try this.

Thanks for the tip!

	30-12-2004 21:17									#15
	Remove this text

quote: Originally posted by mart7x5 Maybe your present screen resolution is just 1024x768? See on the desktop what it says. and also as noticed by Blake see if your new line is under [Alpha Centauri] and not under [Preferences] .

that is what my desktop resolution is.

But what is the game resolution? I want to make it higher, but I do not have that line in my alpha centauri.ini file. Adding that line does nothing.

	31-12-2004 02:03									#16
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I think game defaults to your desktop screen resolution if it is 1024x768 or 800x600. If you do not have that line in the ini file, larger resolutions than 1024x... do not work, just game creates the "dx screen" with 1024x768, this is how I understand it. When having the line in the ini turning off the directdraw, you may use the resolution of the screen even if it is larger than 1024, as can be seen from our experiences.

You will have to adjust your monitor resolution from your desktop, remember though that some monitors cannot run some resolutions even if their video drivers allow for it. That depends on technical capablities of your monitor, check it in the manual, there should be something like recommended resolution.

Be careful, though, in extreme cases you might damage some hardware or have problems with the system. Once I changed resolution too much and had too fix things in safe mode.

	31-12-2004 04:03									#17
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Jesus, thats a lot of condensors-and as for City sizes, 69!?

	31-12-2004 10:15									#18
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oh well. that's fine. I'm happy with the current resolution then. When I go to higher resolutions the words tend to be too small to read easily. puts strain on my eyes.

	31-12-2004 20:28									#19
	Re: Screen resolution in smac/x Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

quote: Originally posted by mart7x5 DirectDraw=0 Settings this to 0 disables DirectDraw. This disables the automatic window resolution resizing during program launch. [/i] So I did just that. I expected the game to have some problems with graphics drawing, but it was not so. I use active matrix with resolution 1400x1050, and you know that streatching lower resolutions to higher ones in such cases makes really awfull things to graphics. To my surprise smax started using 1400x1050 resolution. I just see more map now in better detail.

LUCKY!!! My LCD monitor runs at 1280x1024 but I can't get SMAX to run at that resolution. This Direct Draw setting is already at 0. I also tried setting the Video Mode line to 1280 instead of 1024... what's yours set to?

(I'm using WinXP Pro SP2, DirectX 9.0c, nVidia FX5200)
I'm also using the terranx.exe patch that allows me to run it without the CDs, and the ForceOldVoxelAlgorithm=1 line so I can run it on my P4-2.5GHz.

	31-12-2004 22:38									#20
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Did you try putting the line in the "other" section of the .ini?

quote: Originally posted by GePap Jesus, thats a lot of condensors-and as for City sizes, 69!?

Ehhh? You want me to post the 127 size base in another game?

	31-12-2004 22:50									#21
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I don't have an [other] section. But I tried that, and it still doesn't work.

	31-12-2004 23:17									#22
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I have XP Home, only 3 SP2 fixes, I am not sure they are all, mobility radeon 9000, DX 9.0b

no video mode line in ini:

code:

[PREFERENCES]
ForceOldVoxelAlgorithm=1
[Alpha Centauri]
ds3d=1
eax=1
FastUnitAnim=0
SmoothUnitAnim=0
MainFontSize=16
InterludeFontSize=16
DisableOpeningMovie=1
Prefs Format=12
Difficulty=5
Map Type=3
Top Menu=4
Faction=1
Preferences=111000000010001001111110000111
More Preferences=111110101111011111010100
Semaphore=00000000
Announce=111111111011111111
Rules=1100000111110
Customize=2
Custom World=2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 
Time Controls=1
WindowsFileBox=0
Latest Save=
Faction 1=PEACE
Faction 2=UNIV
Faction 3=MORGAN
Faction 4=HIVE
Faction 5=SPARTANS
Faction 6=USURPER
Faction 7=CARETAKE
Latest Scenario=
Main Volume=127
Voice Volume=85
Music Volume=63
SFX Volume=95
Latest Map=
Gamma Correction=125
Net Session=LukMart
Net Name=Marcin
Custom Map X=40
Custom Map Y=80
WindowsFileBox=1
DirectDraw=0

	01-01-2005 11:57									#23
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Well, there was that one time that I got -127, wanna try and beat that?

	02-01-2005 04:42									#24
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Easy, take a colony pod and use it on a 127 size base. It will automatically revert to -127.

	02-01-2005 11:27									#25
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Really? Does that actually do that? No, that's not what I did though...

My Orbital defenses supposedly failed to destroy the incoming PB, yet my base was still there. The land sunk like it does when a PB hits, all my units were gone, and all the terrain improvements dissappeared, but here was my base, sitting there at -127. I had the cloning vats, and so it "grew" one pop each turn by counting down, or I guess up, to zero...

Man, that was before I even knew about apolyton. I tried to get the same results again on the editor. I couldn't get it to happen with a PB, but somehow I did it by excessive population, no colony pods, sorry.

Anyway, I got SMAX and later downloaded the 2.0 patch for SMAX, so I suppose that will never happen again. I have heard, but never tested, the new limit for base sizes is 250...

	02-01-2005 20:16									#26
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

In regular SMAC, you could just let the base size grow and it would go right from 127 to -127 by itself. SMAX puts a limit at 127 so it doesn't roll over....

	03-01-2005 08:37									#27
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That's what I got it to do in the editor, but that's not what happened, at least I don't think, on my game. Anyway, no city survives a PB and then drops 1000 meters in altitude, so the game's still screwy...

	05-01-2005 08:15									#28
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OHMYGODITWORKEDICANTBELEIVETHISISHAPPENNING

It worked!


Im @ 1280x1024, which is not the same as the thread authors!

Wow, just when i thought I'd be able to give up my smax addiction... thx!

	11-01-2005 21:20									#29
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Thanks guys, I love my SMAC/X and now its even better.

- laurentius@1920x1200

	12-01-2005 10:19									#30
	Increase Your PM Length

Interesting phenomenon -- looks really neat on my 19" monitor at my max res, 1600x1200, but two things to note:

1) WindowsFileBox=1 does not work at all with DirectDraw=0. I had to turn it off to load a game with the "in-game" load windows.

2) All pop-up menus (e.g., base screen, etc.) are not sized either, which can make them *very* difficult to read for old or tired eyes.

I too think I'll stay with 1024x768, easier on the eyes means longer playing hours...

FWIW:

P4 3.2Ghz, WinXP SP2, ATI Radeon X300 PCI16 128M