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Opinion - 11/7/2019 4:23:12 AM

tevans

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Just purchased the game this past weekend. Quite honestly I'm disappointed. I prefer III over IV. IV seems clunky and sluggish compared to III. I can't seem to get a view or resolution that I like either. Things are either too small or too big. Maybe I'm wrong but the same exact settings in III seem to work for me. There were some things I liked in IV such as the new combat reports but overall I like III way better. Also seems like there's a bigger and better variety of scenarios for III too. Sadly I uninstalled IV and reinstalled III. I bought this game on sale so I didn't end up paying full price but at this point it still seems like I wasted $28. Especially when III was working fine for me. Am I missing something here? Maybe a couple of settings to fix the lag and resolution problems. I'm not a noob to this game system as I own every single version of TOAW. Sadly IV, which is the latest, works like crap while some of my older versions work just fine.

Post #: 1

RE: Opinion - 11/7/2019 5:57:12 AM

rhinobones

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I had to set my machine to 1440 X 900 resolution in order to get the graphics right. You might try that for a start.

Regards, RhinoBones

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Post #: 2

RE: Opinion - 11/7/2019 12:52:24 PM

tevans

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Joined: 6/16/2016
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Thanks for the response. My native resolution is 1600 x 900. I guess I could lower the resolution to see if that helps. The thing is 1600 x 900 works fine in III but in IV I have a hard time seeing things. The game runs real sluggish too. I realize my system isn't top of the line but a six core cpu with 8 gb of ram should run this game fine. III works great and I'm able to run AAA graphic intensive games just fine. This game for some reason lags and is really sluggish. Like I said it's very hard for me to see things. I have to set it to 2D Huge to read the counters and map. With III I can play 2D Large and see things just fine.

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Post #: 3

RE: Opinion - 11/7/2019 3:38:31 PM

altipueri

Posts: 869
Joined: 11/14/2009
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When I play, which isn't very often and only small scenarios, I am usually on a 1366 x 768 laptop. III is clearer than IV

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Post #: 4

RE: Opinion - 11/7/2019 3:59:29 PM

Curtis Lemay

Posts: 12969
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From: Houston, TX
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quote:

ORIGINAL: tevans

Like I said it's very hard for me to see things.

Do you mean the text is too tiny? Or do you mean it lacks enough contrast to resolve?

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Bob Cross's TOAW Site

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Post #: 5

RE: Opinion - 11/7/2019 8:44:06 PM

Zovs

Posts: 6668
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So I am running an iMac 27 inch with VMWare running my Windows 10.

If I use windows display settings of: 3840 x 2400 and my special "Opart 4 Fonts.ini" (I took the one from Roberbond for 4K monitors and tweaked it to suit me) then all is pretty well (I have to use the Y buttons to increase up or down in 2D Huge mode).

Alternatively if I use windows display settings of: 2880 x 1800 I can use the same "Opart 4 Fonts.ini" and it still works pretty good (I'll make a a tweak to that and save it so that I can reduce the font sizes back down a bit).

Here is the deal, essentially you can tweak this file to make your fonts larger or smaller depending on your monitor size and screen resolution. You'll have to experiment with different fonts and sizes to get the right mix. There most likely is only a few folks (like me) that have a 4K monitor, some folks I know use HDTV's so again they could tweak their "Opart 4 Fonts.ini" file to make it work.

Pretty nifty.

Also I am guessing 75% of the old TOAWs III scenarios (if not more) are ported over to IV and there is no real reason (IMO) of going back to using III. IV is just fine.

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RE: Opinion - 11/7/2019 10:03:04 PM

rhinobones

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For anyone who plays and also intends to do some editing, strongly suggest that you test custom Opart 4 Fonts.ini in both play and edit modes. I tried one custom font and it made the game information bar look really good, but in the edit mode it blew up the text in the Force Editor.

Regards, RhinoBones

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Post #: 7

RE: Opinion - 11/7/2019 11:26:44 PM

tevans

Posts: 73
Joined: 6/16/2016
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay

quote:

ORIGINAL: tevans

Like I said it's very hard for me to see things.

Do you mean the text is too tiny? Or do you mean it lacks enough contrast to resolve?

Map text is fine. It's the text on the counters that I can't see. At 2D Large the counter text is too small. I have to set the unit info counter to Huge just to have an idea of what stats a unit has. It's either that or set the view to 2D Huge but when I do that the game is sluggish and lags. It's a problem that I don't have with III. I can set the view to 2D Large and see the counters on the map just fine and I don't have to change the size of the unit info counter.

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Post #: 8

RE: Opinion - 11/7/2019 11:31:50 PM

tevans

Posts: 73
Joined: 6/16/2016
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Zovs

So I am running an iMac 27 inch with VMWare running my Windows 10.

If I use windows display settings of: 3840 x 2400 and my special "Opart 4 Fonts.ini" (I took the one from Roberbond for 4K monitors and tweaked it to suit me) then all is pretty well (I have to use the Y buttons to increase up or down in 2D Huge mode).

Alternatively if I use windows display settings of: 2880 x 1800 I can use the same "Opart 4 Fonts.ini" and it still works pretty good (I'll make a a tweak to that and save it so that I can reduce the font sizes back down a bit).

Here is the deal, essentially you can tweak this file to make your fonts larger or smaller depending on your monitor size and screen resolution. You'll have to experiment with different fonts and sizes to get the right mix. There most likely is only a few folks (like me) that have a 4K monitor, some folks I know use HDTV's so again they could tweak their "Opart 4 Fonts.ini" file to make it work.

Pretty nifty.

Also I am guessing 75% of the old TOAWs III scenarios (if not more) are ported over to IV and there is no real reason (IMO) of going back to using III. IV is just fine.

I've messed with the Opart 4 Font.ini to try to fix things. Nothing I do makes the fonts on the counters large enough to read on 2D Large. Setting it to 2D Huge does make counters viewable but it also makes the game lag and seem very sluggish. In the end I reverted back to the original Opart 4 Font.ini. Sadly I ended up uninstalling IV and reinstalling III. I don't have any problems at all with III. Can see everything just fine and no lag or sluggishness.

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Post #: 9

RE: Opinion - 11/7/2019 11:33:26 PM

Curtis Lemay

Posts: 12969
Joined: 9/17/2004
From: Houston, TX
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There shouldn't be any size difference between III and IV:

I'll add that the sizes are set by the sizes of the graphical objects - which are the exact same size in both III and IV.

There is an exception in that some scaling stuff has been added to IV - factors that are set only in the Opart IV.ini file. So, you need to make sure that nothing like that has been accidentally effected. Delete the Opart IV.ini file and let the game regenerate it.

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by Curtis Lemay -- 11/8/2019 12:18:15 AM >

_____________________________

My TOAW web site:

Bob Cross's TOAW Site

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Post #: 10

RE: Opinion - 11/7/2019 11:40:56 PM

Lobster

Posts: 5104
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From: Third rock from the Sun.
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I've not seen the problem he is talking about either. Not on my desktop and not on my laptop. I have a feeling it has more to do with his machine and not the game at all.

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Post #: 11

RE: Opinion - 11/8/2019 2:20:28 AM

tevans

Posts: 73
Joined: 6/16/2016
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How could it be my machine? I run all other kinds of games and programs just fine. I'm certainly not a noob to this stuff. This is the only game I have a problem with and I don't have that problem in previous versions of the game. Please read what I'm saying. At 2D Large in IV, I can't read the counters on the map. One thing I did forget to mention was that I did adjust the contrast which made it a little better but not much. The only way I can play on 2D large is by setting the counter size in the unit info box to huge. I adjusted that through the Opart.ini file. Basically what I'm doing is clicking on the counter and reading the counter in the unit info box to get the info that should be readable from the counters on the map.

My only other alternative has been to play 2D Huge but doing that makes the game lag and seem very sluggish when scrolling around the map. The problem that I'm having doesn't exist for me in III. I can read the counters perfectly at 2D Large and I don't really have to adjust anything. Maybe it's the graphics style or something else but the one thing it definitely isn't is my machine. I can tell a huge difference just in the two pictures posted of III and IV. III is readable for me. IV isn't. I'll go ahead and delete my Opart.ini as suggested and see if that does anything. The only change I made to that file was to the counter size in the info box and that was trying to fix the problem that I continue to have.

< Message edited by tevans -- 11/8/2019 2:23:33 AM >

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Post #: 12

RE: Opinion - 11/8/2019 2:32:35 AM

Lobster

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From: Third rock from the Sun.
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It could be your machine because there are literally millions of different configurations and no game designer on the planet can plan for every possible combination. Look at the forum. How many other people have this exact same problem? Scrolling is indeed slower than in 3, i'll agree with that for certain.

< Message edited by Lobster -- 11/8/2019 2:34:40 AM >

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RE: Opinion - 11/8/2019 2:46:27 AM

Curtis Lemay

Posts: 12969
Joined: 9/17/2004
From: Houston, TX
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: tevans

I can tell a huge difference just in the two pictures posted of III and IV. III is readable for me. IV isn't.

Are you seriously talking about the screen shots I posted of III & IV (Post #10)? In that post, you can read the counters in III, but can't read them in IV?

_____________________________

My TOAW web site:

Bob Cross's TOAW Site

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Post #: 14

RE: Opinion - 11/8/2019 3:47:16 AM

tevans

Posts: 73
Joined: 6/16/2016
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay

quote:

ORIGINAL: tevans

I can tell a huge difference just in the two pictures posted of III and IV. III is readable for me. IV isn't.

Are you seriously talking about the screen shots I posted of III & IV (Post #10)? In that post, you can read the counters in III, but can't read them in IV?

That's what I'm saying. One thing I tried to fix the problem was reinstall from Steam then I deleted Opart.ini and Opart Font.ini as suggested and let the game regenerate them. I can see things a lot better now. Even so I can still see things in III much better than I can in IV. Maybe it's not my machine or the game. Maybe it's me. All I know is the counters on the map are much clearer for me in III than in IV. Thanks for the help too. I really appreciate it.

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Post #: 15

RE: Opinion - 11/8/2019 3:54:44 AM

tevans

Posts: 73
Joined: 6/16/2016
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Lobster

It could be your machine because there are literally millions of different configurations and no game designer on the planet can plan for every possible combination. Look at the forum. How many other people have this exact same problem? Scrolling is indeed slower than in 3, i'll agree with that for certain.

I realize that it could be but it's not likely. After all III runs fine and IV is problematic. It's not like IV was a total rewrite. My point is that compared to AAA graphics intensive titles that I play this game should have no problem running on my machine. Apologies for getting snippy with you. All too often when somebody has a problem it gets attributed to their machine and/or a lack of computer skills. I surely don't know everything about computers but I know my way around enough to troubleshoot hardware and software problems. Been doing it for almost 40 years.

< Message edited by tevans -- 11/8/2019 3:57:18 AM >

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Post #: 16

RE: Opinion - 11/8/2019 3:57:03 AM

Curtis Lemay

Posts: 12969
Joined: 9/17/2004
From: Houston, TX
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: tevans

quote:

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay

quote:

ORIGINAL: tevans

I can tell a huge difference just in the two pictures posted of III and IV. III is readable for me. IV isn't.

Are you seriously talking about the screen shots I posted of III & IV (Post #10)? In that post, you can read the counters in III, but can't read them in IV?

That's what I'm saying. One thing I tried to fix the problem was reinstall from Steam then I deleted Opart.ini and Opart Font.ini as suggested and let the game regenerate them. I can see things a lot better now. Even so I can still see things in III much better than I can in IV. Maybe it's not my machine or the game. Maybe it's me. All I know is the counters on the map are much clearer for me in III than in IV. Thanks for the help too. I really appreciate it.

Do you have any sort of color-blindness? (Take my word for it: there is no material difference between those two screen shots for anyone with normal vision).

_____________________________

My TOAW web site:

Bob Cross's TOAW Site

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Post #: 17

RE: Opinion - 11/8/2019 4:02:57 AM

tevans

Posts: 73
Joined: 6/16/2016
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay

quote:

ORIGINAL: tevans

quote:

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay

quote:

ORIGINAL: tevans

I can tell a huge difference just in the two pictures posted of III and IV. III is readable for me. IV isn't.

Are you seriously talking about the screen shots I posted of III & IV (Post #10)? In that post, you can read the counters in III, but can't read them in IV?

That's what I'm saying. One thing I tried to fix the problem was reinstall from Steam then I deleted Opart.ini and Opart Font.ini as suggested and let the game regenerate them. I can see things a lot better now. Even so I can still see things in III much better than I can in IV. Maybe it's not my machine or the game. Maybe it's me. All I know is the counters on the map are much clearer for me in III than in IV. Thanks for the help too. I really appreciate it.

Do you have any sort of color-blindness? (Take my word for it: there is no material difference between those two screen shots for anyone with normal vision).

None I'm aware of. I know it sounds goofy or strange but trust me, I can see III's graphics and counters a lot better than IV's. Like I said it may not be the game and most likely isn't my machine. It could be me. Since having the .ini's regenerated I can see things a lot better. Good enough to play without setting it to 2D Huge. I'm happy. Thanks again and thanks for keeping this game going. Kudos to Ralph too.

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Post #: 18

RE: Opinion - 11/8/2019 11:49:23 AM

sPzAbt653

Posts: 9511
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From: east coast, usa
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quote:

doing that makes the game lag and seem very sluggish when scrolling around the map.

The ones in Blue can have an effect on that, maybe try tinkering there if you hadn't.

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by sPzAbt653 -- 11/23/2019 11:23:59 AM >

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Post #: 19

RE: Opinion - 11/8/2019 4:18:55 PM

larryfulkerson

Posts: 39932
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From: Tucson, AZ
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I'm running WIN10 and I've noticed that running TOAW as if it was WIN8 solved the lag problem for me. Try that. I'm talking about using the compatability mode of course.

< Message edited by larryfulkerson -- 11/8/2019 4:19:29 PM >

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Post #: 20