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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> The Operational Art of War IV >> Tech Support >> 4K and other Resolution Issues.

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4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/17/2017 2:14:01 PM

ralphtricky

Posts: 6685
Joined: 7/27/2003
From: Colorado Springs
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There are two possible fixes.

Fix #1, Full screen mode with resolution change. This will increase the size of the entire screen, but it may make things a bit fuzzier.

Edit your Documents/My Games/The Operational Art of War IV/Opart 4 file and add the following three lines to the end. 1024 and 768 are just examples, you can put in anything that your monitor supports. You can find those by right-clicking on the desktop and going to Display Settings. There should be a drop down list of supported values.

ChangeScreenResolution=Y
ScreenY=768
ScreenX=1024

Fix #2, change the fonts.

Edit your Documents/My Games/The Operational Art of War IV/Opart 4 Fonts file and replace the contents as a starting point. We'll add some of the best from the community into a patch, and they can, of course, be downloaded from the forums.

There are examples here. I'll try to update this post as better ones become available.
http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4378941

Long term, I'm going to look into an option to 'rightsize' all the dialogs, or probably just the graphics on the dialogs. I don't have an ETA for that, and it may make things blurrier. Rightsizing the graphics will be the first thing I try. I need to fix the 'critical' bugs first.

_____________________________

Ralph Trickey
TOAW IV Programmer
Blog: http://operationalwarfare.com
---
My comments are my own, and do not represent the views of any other person or entity. Nothing that I say should be construed in any way as a promise of anything.

Post #: 1

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/17/2017 2:20:34 PM

zakblood

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might be a good idea to make this a sticky, as over time, it may get more than a few hits etc.

for windows 10 etc, it may also be noted that atm this is some issues with high DPI settings and some higher res used, 4k and above, no fixes or patches out atm but there are work arounds

http://www.ficpa.org/content/News/BizTechNews/TechTips/Fix-Fuzzy-Text.aspx

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2900023/some-desktop-applications-may-appear-blurred-on-high-dpi-displays

started with windows 8 ^^ but same error applies to windows 10 all versions.

not seen in 1920x1080, but higher ones and higher DPI, the problem happens more often, not an game issue, more of a windows one.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-adjust-high-dpi-scaling-in-windows-10/

for me so far, this one link above gives a good reasons why it works and doesn't work and some advice on what can be done so solve or at least get round some of the issues with windows 10 anyway, with a slight alteration and does it in guide format so is easy to follow...

< Message edited by zakblood -- 11/17/2017 2:29:59 PM >

(in reply to ralphtricky)

Post #: 2

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/17/2017 2:24:23 PM

cdcool

Posts: 660
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From: United States
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That's it in a nutshell

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Post #: 3

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/17/2017 2:28:09 PM

cdcool

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From: United States
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Does fix #1 make the fonts larger?

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Post #: 4

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/17/2017 3:11:54 PM

zakblood

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just be glad you didn't buy one of the newer demo'ed 16k monitors running at 15260�8640 using 64x more memory than 1080p

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16K_resolution

enjoy, and laugh, you know you want to

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by zakblood -- 11/17/2017 3:13:41 PM >

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Post #: 5

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/17/2017 3:16:20 PM

cdcool

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Post #: 6

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/17/2017 3:32:20 PM

aperfecturkel

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Joined: 11/17/2017
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quote:

ORIGINAL: cdcool
Does fix #1 make the fonts larger?

It does, in a way - scaling the resolution down and setting ChangeScreenResolution to "Y" will force Windows to change its desktop resolution when the game is launched; this will render a smaller area, but stretch it to the size of your display, inherently bumping the size of everything. It'll also make things blurrier, but for people with 1440p, the drop to 1080p isn't that dramatic.

The thing that was throwing me off is that I expected "full screen" mode to hide the OS elements like the taskbar and Alt menus at the top, but it's more of a way to force an automatic resolution change in Windows when the game is running. I had originally started looking for the FS option not to change res, but just to cover up the taskbar and such for a more immersive experience without having to change any OS settings myself. But that's okay!

As to the DPI scaling issues, they...tend to hit games that use the Windows UI and fonts, like CMANO for example. Unfortunately a whooole lot of grog games with older pedigrees rely on that UI, so Win10's DPI scaling (which, to be fair, is MASSIVELY improved over Win8's) has started becoming a problem for grog gamers with newer rigs.

The CMANO devs, I know, have been working hard to rework their UI to play well with the scaling for higher-DPI displays. I think Ralph's effort to 'rightsize' elements of the UI is a great idea.

< Message edited by aperfecturkel -- 11/17/2017 3:37:15 PM >

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Post #: 7

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/17/2017 3:34:41 PM

cdcool

Posts: 660
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From: United States
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quote:

ORIGINAL: aperfecturkel

quote:

ORIGINAL: cdcool
Does fix #1 make the fonts larger?

It does, in a way - scaling the resolution down and setting ChangeScreenResolution to "Y" will force Windows to change its desktop resolution when the game is launched; this will render a smaller area, but stretch it to the size of your display, inherently bumping the size of everything. It'll also make things blurrier, but for people with 1440p, the drop to 1080p isn't that dramatic.

The thing that was throwing me off is that I expected "full screen" mode to hide the OS elements like the taskbar and Alt menus at the top, but it's more of a way to force an automatic resolution change in Windows when the game is running. I had originally started looking for the FS option not to change res, but just to cover up the taskbar and such for a more immersive experience without having to change any OS settings myself. But that's okay!

I don't like the way that sounds

(in reply to aperfecturkel)

Post #: 8

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/17/2017 3:42:29 PM

aperfecturkel

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Joined: 11/17/2017
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Indeed - it works, buuut I wouldn't call it optimal. I saw your up-sized font INI post, and that's I think the better tack to take if it's just the fonts that are too small and not the other UI elements. Though in my experience, if set too large, the fonts in some places - buttons, mainly - start to outgrow the area they're allotted.

I've found a decent up-tick for my 1440p display is a 2pt increase for each font, except for the Huge Map place-names (which I left default). Noticibly larger, without expanding over the borders of their button.

(in reply to cdcool)

Post #: 9

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/17/2017 4:09:31 PM

cdcool

Posts: 660
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From: United States
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quote:

ORIGINAL: aperfecturkel

Indeed - it works, buuut I wouldn't call it optimal. I saw your up-sized font INI post, and that's I think the better tack to take if it's just the fonts that are too small and not the other UI elements. Though in my experience, if set too large, the fonts in some places - buttons, mainly - start to outgrow the area they're allotted.

I've found a decent up-tick for my 1440p display is a 2pt increase for each font, except for the Huge Map place-names (which I left default). Noticibly larger, without expanding over the borders of their button.

yep, the Fonts are a personal preference and can overlap if too large. I have it on two computers with two different 4K monitors, the fonts need to be adjusted a bit for one of them. Also depends on your Windows settings, I have the Display Fonts set larger on one, which may look huge on one and not on the other.

< Message edited by cdcool -- 11/18/2017 4:51:19 AM >

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Post #: 10

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/18/2017 1:25:24 AM

kaliyama

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Is there a link to a post describing what the 4K issues actually are?

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Post #: 11

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/18/2017 2:52:05 AM

ralphtricky

Posts: 6685
Joined: 7/27/2003
From: Colorado Springs
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quote:

ORIGINAL: kaliyama

Is there a link to a post describing what the 4K issues actually are?

Basically, the screen elements aren't scaled to take up 10% percent of the screen or anything similar the way that some engines allow you to do. They are set to exact pixel dimensions and user defined font sizes. If you can read 10 point font on your current monitor you should be fine. It was tested on a 40 inch 4k monitor in the art department and worked fine there

If you have problems you may need to look at using a smaller resolution or increasing the font size. I'm also working on a better solution that will be released 'soon'. I'm not sure yet exactly what that will be, I've got a couple of ideas. If someone has a 109 inch 16k monitor I can borrow, I could get done faster

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Post #: 12

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/18/2017 6:18:19 AM

cdcool

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Needed are definitions of what each setting is associated with and a picture for the Opart 4 Fonts.ini

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Post #: 13

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/18/2017 7:21:13 AM

kaliyama

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Yeah that would be murder on my eyes :( you'll post here when it's fixed?

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Post #: 14

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/18/2017 8:08:52 AM

zakblood

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you can now alter in manually, but yes it's being worked on so if you wish to wait, that's also fine

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Post #: 15

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/18/2017 5:58:48 PM

DanNeely

Posts: 489
Joined: 10/18/2005
Status: offline

Could someone post a few screenshots of what the game looks like in 4k with larger fonts but otherwise native resolution? A 4k screen is going to be my xmas gift for myself, so I'd like to know what game would look like before putting down any money.

_____________________________

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Is not [it] an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius

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Post #: 16

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/18/2017 6:28:12 PM

zakblood

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4k screen is rather a strange one, as size alters a lot, as you can get a 4k screen at 23,8in at 2560x1440 Resolution

but which may not look as good as a 27in at 1920x1080 Resolution for many reasons, the panel, how the screen has been made and designed etc

look for

Contrast Ratio Brightness Response Time Analogue Input DVI-D Input HDMI Input Year On-Site Warranty.

and compare

i use a 32" 1920X1080 IPS WIDESCREEN LED MONITOR plus a 40" 1920X1080 VA FREESYNC CURVED WIDESCREEN LCD and 5 others ranging from 29" to 22" and laptops for testing with 14 and 17" screens.

2 different tech's, LED and LCD

but other parts are different as well, the price, the response times, the contrast ration etc and the list goes on.

quote:

LCDs allow displays to be much thinner than cathode ray tube (CRT) technology. This is because an LED TV uses light-emitting diodes for back lighting as opposed to the CCFLs of conventional LCD TVs. While in LCD fluorescent lights in an LCD TVs are always behind the screen.

so which one is better? that's a wallet call and depends on your budget, larger is always better than smaller, faster response time is always better than slower, in FPS anyway,...

so to confuse you even more, what do you use now? etc tech and size, and are you going bigger in screen size or just in resolution?

as i've known many people who went from a 27 or 29" monitor to a same size just to get a higher resolution find out it wasn't worth the effort for what they got, so look first and ask yourself, what games do i play, and how many support it?

eg: so if your like me who uses 1920x1080 in 1 or 2 sizes, 32" and 40" and then goto a 27 or 29" just to get 2560x1440 Resolution or bigger 2560X1080 or 3440x1440 or 3840X2160

then expect some serious draw backs unless you pay top end and don't get one with slower or lower Contrast Ratio Brightness Response Time less Analogue Input less DVI-D Input less HDMI Input and a 1 Year On-Site Warranty only.

but hopefully someone will post a 4k screen shot and host it somewhere for you, as the best shot will be too large to host here i'd guess

(in reply to DanNeely)

Post #: 17

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/18/2017 6:29:14 PM

cdcool

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From: United States
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quote:

ORIGINAL: DanNeely

Could someone post a few screenshots of what the game looks like in 4k with larger fonts but otherwise native resolution? A 4k screen is going to be my xmas gift for myself, so I'd like to know what game would look like before putting down any money.

Just get it, I have two 4K monitors, each needs different font settings and the looks great on both.
You may need or want to change some fonts and make them larger.

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Post #: 18

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/18/2017 9:18:34 PM

DanNeely

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I've seen other people complaining that it's still bad; which is why I'm asking for screenshots so I can make my own mind up.

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Post #: 19

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/18/2017 9:35:48 PM

cdcool

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From: United States
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quote:

ORIGINAL: DanNeely

I've seen other people complaining that it's still bad; which is why I'm asking for screenshots so I can make my own mind up.

I posted a screen shot in the other forum, in a related related topic. I don't see anything to complain about.

(in reply to DanNeely)

Post #: 20

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/18/2017 10:31:32 PM

Sniper31

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I am playing TOAW IV on an LG 32" 4k screen at 3840x2160 resolution and the game looks great, and I have not experienced any graphical issues. I did use the in-game option to adjust fonts size to my liking, which was easy enough.

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Post #: 21

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/20/2017 9:17:51 AM

Gudadantza

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From: Basque Country
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I�ve noticed that in resolution 1366x768 the orders panel is slightly cut by the down info panel. For those with the inconvenience I recomend using and app called bordeless gaming, the game will run in windowed full screen and the user gains vertical space fitting better the panels

< Message edited by Gudadantza -- 11/20/2017 9:19:26 AM >

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Post #: 22

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/20/2017 9:22:58 AM

zakblood

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Gudadantza

I�ve noticed that in resolution 1366x768 the orders panel is slightly cut by the down info panel. For those with the inconvenience I recomend using and app called bordeless gaming, the game will run in windowed full screen and the user gains vertical space fitting better the panels

have you tried this, try it and if it doesn't make it any better, revert back to normal

How to disable Desktop Compositions

To disable this feature: on windows 7, (8 and 10) isn't or shouldn't be a issue,...

https://support.lenovo.com/gb/en/solutions/ht071432

Click on Start > Control Panel > System and Security > System.
Click on the "Advanced system settings"
In the System Properties window, go to the Advanced tab and click on the Settings button (Performance section)
Uncheck "Enable desktop composition"

(in reply to Gudadantza)

Post #: 23

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 11/20/2017 3:46:39 PM

ralphtricky

Posts: 6685
Joined: 7/27/2003
From: Colorado Springs
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Gudadantza

I�ve noticed that in resolution 1366x768 the orders panel is slightly cut by the down info panel. For those with the inconvenience I recomend using and app called bordeless gaming, the game will run in windowed full screen and the user gains vertical space fitting better the panels

The patch is going to hide the air warfare panel and move the button panel up if your resolution is 768 high or below. You will also be able to set the scale of the graphics items down slightly. Both of those should help.

_____________________________

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Post #: 24

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 12/10/2017 2:56:00 PM

John T_MatrixForum

Posts: 84
Joined: 8/7/2000
From: Stockholm Sweden
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: ralphtricky

There are two possible fixes.

Fix #1, Full screen mode with resolution change. This will increase the size of the entire screen, but it may make things a bit fuzzier.

Edit your Documents/My Games/The Operational Art of War IV/Opart 4 file and add the following three lines to the end. 1024 and 768 are just examples, you can put in anything that your monitor supports. You can find those by right-clicking on the desktop and going to Display Settings. There should be a drop down list of supported values.

ChangeScreenResolution=Y
ScreenY=768
ScreenX=1024

I got a 3840 2160 Laptop windows 10 and the menues did simply not work, esp the scenario editor.
I had to use a real looking glass and put my nose int the screen to read the force editor.
The font was too small for me (and I do build 1250 scale shipmodels as another hobby

)

But What i now present might well be what people here already linked to or expected everyone to know.
(I thouht I had read the other posts in this tread but must have missed it)

1. set up the ini fil as per Ralph post.

2.
select the game icon on desktop, rightclick and choose properties.

3.
Go to the compatibility tab

Check the box "Override high DPI scaling behaviour.
and "select Scaling performed by:"
System(enhanced)

Now the edit force window scales properly for me.

Cheers

_____________________________

/John T

(in reply to ralphtricky)

Post #: 25

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 12/10/2017 4:01:31 PM

elxaime

Posts: 304
Joined: 11/3/2004
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It would be great if all these issues can be arranged to be handled automatically "under the hood" the first time someone boots the game before this gets put on Steam. A LOT of people use larger monitors. The last thing you want a new Steam customer to do once they buy something is to have to go to a lengthy forum thread debating various work-around fixes. This may have worked in 1996 when there were not a lot of other options. But a ton of games are out there that don't require customers to fix the product after they buy it. The old Grognards will manage, but our numbers are dwindling and you don't attract the younger set this way.

(in reply to John T_MatrixForum)

Post #: 26

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 12/10/2017 4:05:53 PM

Meyer1

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Joined: 2/9/2010
Status: offline

FYI, this was posted before the release of the first beta patch, which helped a lot in this regard:

quote:

- Added a Graphics entry under the [Scaling] section fo the Opart 4 Fonts.ini file
This upscales many of the graphics. Values greater than one make things bigger, values less than one make things smaller. This should be used with larger or smaller fonts.

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4385645

< Message edited by Meyer1 -- 12/10/2017 4:06:18 PM >

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Post #: 27

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 12/10/2017 4:43:10 PM

John T_MatrixForum

Posts: 84
Joined: 8/7/2000
From: Stockholm Sweden
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Meyer1

FYI, this was posted before the release of the first beta patch, which helped a lot in this regard:

quote:

- Added a Graphics entry under the [Scaling] section fo the Opart 4 Fonts.ini file
This upscales many of the graphics. Values greater than one make things bigger, values less than one make things smaller. This should be used with larger or smaller fonts.

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4385645

Could you please show a screen shot of the Scenario editors "Edit force screen" with a usable Fonts.ini
and explain to me that you consider that usable on a 3840 2160 screen ?

Kind regards
/John

(in reply to Meyer1)

Post #: 28

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 12/10/2017 4:55:14 PM

Meyer1

Posts: 899
Joined: 2/9/2010
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: John T_MatrixForum

quote:

ORIGINAL: Meyer1

FYI, this was posted before the release of the first beta patch, which helped a lot in this regard:

quote:

- Added a Graphics entry under the [Scaling] section fo the Opart 4 Fonts.ini file
This upscales many of the graphics. Values greater than one make things bigger, values less than one make things smaller. This should be used with larger or smaller fonts.

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4385645

Could you please show a screen shot of the Scenario editors "Edit force screen" with a usable Fonts.ini
and explain to me that you consider that usable on a 3840 2160 screen ?

Kind regards
/John

Sorry, I'm on a 27 inch 2560x1440 screen...
I edited some fonts and using the "[Scaling] Graphics=1.30" in the Opart 4 Fonts.ini file, and works great... in game. Just tried in the editor and the "edit forces" screen doesn't change with the scaling option.

Edit: let me check which is the font that the edit forces screen is using.

< Message edited by Meyer1 -- 12/10/2017 4:56:37 PM >

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Post #: 29

RE: 4K and other Resolution Issues. - 12/10/2017 5:07:47 PM

Meyer1

Posts: 899
Joined: 2/9/2010
Status: offline

Well, not looking good in the editor. If I use bigger fonts the bigger words are escaping the windows. At least in my case.
I understand a new editor is in the works and the current one is (really) old code so... maybe the only option for the editor for 4k screen users is using a custom resolution for now.
If I'm wrong, I'm all ears.
The good thing is that things are working great in game with the scaling option.

(in reply to Meyer1)

Post #: 30