A warning to any new players playing in high resolutions

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A warning to any new players playing in high resolutions

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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> The Operational Art of War IV >> A warning to any new players playing in high resolutions

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A warning to any new players playing in high resolutions - 2/23/2018 5:29:24 PM

darkhelix

Posts: 61
Joined: 3/26/2016
Status: offline

Quick disclaimer - I love turn based strategy games.

I game on a 27 inch GSync monitor with a resolution of 2560x1440.
The display looks blurry at anything but native resolution.

I was really looking forward to TOAW IV and, while I know that the series has a lot of fans, I am massively disappointed and cannot play simply because of scaling problems with the UI. I have tried all different kinds of font sizes, scaling, tricks and tips to make it playable and none have worked.

This new UI feels like a 'quick fix' bolted on to an old engine. Elements don't scale properly, there is no reference for what font you are editing, the list goes on and on.

This is such a shame and a lesson for me to be much more careful with my money. I was so looking forward to playing scenarios but I will stick with Order of Battle and Panzer Corps, which both scale and work fine on my monitor.

Post #: 1

RE: A warning to any new players playing in high resolu... - 2/23/2018 6:05:45 PM

dox44

Posts: 668
Joined: 5/7/2000
From: the woodlands, texas
Status: offline

i run at 3840 2160 and its very clear. just tried it at 2560x1440 and very clear also.

(in reply to darkhelix)

Post #: 2

RE: A warning to any new players playing in high resolu... - 2/23/2018 6:11:27 PM

RealChuckB

Posts: 284
Joined: 9/29/2003
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: dox44

i run at 3840 2160 and its very clear. just tried it at 2560x1440 and very clear also.

I think darkhelix' point was NOT that it's not clear but that the UI doesn't scale (well). While it doesn't prevent me from playing (same size screen here and same resolution), I agree that the scaling could be much better. Example: you have this huge screen available (and maps look great) but the combat planner window is TINY and therefore hard to read.
I have no experience in UI programming and therefore don't say (or know) it's an easy fix but it would be great if it could be improved.

< Message edited by RealChuckB -- 2/23/2018 6:13:20 PM >

(in reply to dox44)

Post #: 3

RE: A warning to any new players playing in high resolu... - 2/23/2018 6:34:20 PM

darkhelix

Posts: 61
Joined: 3/26/2016
Status: offline

Sorry, I didn't explain it very well..
I run a default resolution of 2560x1440, everything is sharp but the pop up windows and text in them are tiny.
If I scale the UI using the new [Scaling] Graphics=1.00 option found at the end of Opart 4 Fonts.ini, the UI does not scale uniformly or sharply, it is comparable to digital zoom vs optical zoom.
Yes, it's larger but it's not sharper.
If I manually edit font sizes, the fonts don't fit the tabs/windows/buttons any more and buttons and tabs don't scale.
I think that I was just expecting a very modern UI from this new version and the videos that I watched, to research before I bought, from Agrippa and co on YouTube must have been running at a much lower resolution.
I also have this problem with CMANO but that scales better if I drop the screen resolution.

(in reply to RealChuckB)

Post #: 4

RE: A warning to any new players playing in high resolu... - 2/23/2018 7:35:03 PM

Lobster

Posts: 5104
Joined: 8/8/2013
From: Third rock from the Sun.
Status: offline

Try putting the lines AFTER circleColorCurrentUnit=...etc into your .ini file and change the resolution from there. I don't think the placement of the lines matter but that's where I put them. Don't know if it will help you but it's worth a shot. Be sure to make ChangeScreenResolution=Y

circleColorCurrentUnit=0xFFFFFF
ChangeScreenResolution=N
ScreenY=600
ScreenX=800

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(in reply to darkhelix)

Post #: 5

RE: A warning to any new players playing in high resolu... - 2/23/2018 7:54:44 PM

darkhelix

Posts: 61
Joined: 3/26/2016
Status: offline

Thanks for your help Lobster.
It does not matter where those lines are, ChangeScreenResolution=Y does matter though :)
I think my OCD just has an issue with the bad scaling of fonts and windows in the UI.
Maybe there will be a patch to change this one day.

(in reply to Lobster)

Post #: 6

RE: A warning to any new players playing in high resolu... - 2/24/2018 2:30:25 AM

dox44

Posts: 668
Joined: 5/7/2000
From: the woodlands, texas
Status: offline

i'm old and nearly blind but the combat planner is more than 1/4 my screen (is that small?) and its not too small for me. i don't have small pop ups and the units at the highest mag are nearly too big for me to use. it all looks clear...idk what else to say but good luck.

Attachment (1)

(in reply to darkhelix)

Post #: 7

RE: A warning to any new players playing in high resolu... - 2/24/2018 2:31:18 AM

dox44

Posts: 668
Joined: 5/7/2000
From: the woodlands, texas
Status: offline

though it looks blurry as hell up there. its not that way on my monitor so maybe i'm crazy. its also larger than what's on my screen. which proves i'm terrible with attachments.

< Message edited by dox44 -- 2/24/2018 2:32:46 AM >

(in reply to dox44)

Post #: 8

RE: A warning to any new players playing in high resolu... - 2/24/2018 5:24:30 AM

sPzAbt653

Posts: 9511
Joined: 5/3/2007
From: east coast, usa
Status: offline

quote:

which proves i'm terrible with attachments.

Probably not, because it seems that when they get posted here they get enlarged a bit, making them fuzzy. I usually Resize screen shots [making them a little smaller] before posting. In Paint.Net it is 'Image > Resize'.

(in reply to dox44)

Post #: 9

RE: A warning to any new players playing in high resolu... - 2/24/2018 8:16:16 AM

darkhelix

Posts: 61
Joined: 3/26/2016
Status: offline

The Counters and the map are fine, it's the other elements that make it hard for me to enjoy playing.
I think perhaps unless you have a high resolution, i.e. 2560x1440 and above, it does not matter, as I believe this game was designed for 1920x1080 screens.

It's just a small example but when I use the graphic scaling option, the bitmap elements of the UI (unit icons in combat planner and arrows for example) pixelate and become blocky.
And even when the window is maximised, the task bar area is still left unused.

I know I should look beyond these visual problems and just play the game but it's hard for me to relax with a game if I don't feel comfortable with the UI.

I have it running in 1920x1080 at the moment and will now stop complaining and just play the game..

< Message edited by darkhelix -- 2/24/2018 8:20:24 AM >

(in reply to sPzAbt653)

Post #: 10

RE: A warning to any new players playing in high resolu... - 2/24/2018 6:49:07 PM

Lobster

Posts: 5104
Joined: 8/8/2013
From: Third rock from the Sun.
Status: offline

Nothing wrong with letting someone know that you would like to see a change. Monitors are getting larger with higher pixel counts. Might even be your vid card and not the monitor at all. Who knows.