Preparing to build a PC - need YOUR help.

**Muqtar SGT_Clintok** · 01-13-08, 04:21 PM

My Bigdog box is somewhere west of here. It will arrive on Tuesday during the day. I am still on my old Dell.

I am aware of the Nvidia control panel, and will put it to use once the horsepower is present.

**Muqtar SGT_Clintok** · 01-13-08, 04:24 PM

Originally Posted by RhysJD3

If you want to play BF 2142 but not in widescreen, try this

Shortcut target, set to "C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\Battlefield 2142\BF2142.exe" +menu 1 +fullscreen 1 +szx 1280 +szy 1024
Replace the path as appropriate

Start the Nvidia control panel and under display, go to Flat panel scaling and set it to do not scale.

This will give you most of the top/bottom resolution and keep it in the supported 4/3 ratio without stretching it. I personally prefer this for BF 2142.

Wow I did not know this. I can see where one would prefer to do it this way for games which do not support widescreen. I will see how things work, but I had no idea I could just turn it off at will. I tested it and it works great. Now I get my flatscreen and supported resolution with no compromise.

Bad Ass ! Thanks again for spelling out what should be obvious.

**SapiensErus** · 01-13-08, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by Muqtar SGT_Clintok

Originally Posted by RhysJD3

If you want to play BF 2142 but not in widescreen, try this

Shortcut target, set to "C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\Battlefield 2142\BF2142.exe" +menu 1 +fullscreen 1 +szx 1280 +szy 1024
Replace the path as appropriate

Start the Nvidia control panel and under display, go to Flat panel scaling and set it to do not scale.

This will give you most of the top/bottom resolution and keep it in the supported 4/3 ratio without stretching it. I personally prefer this for BF 2142.

Wow I did not know this. I can see where one would prefer to do it this way for games which do not support widescreen. I will see how things work, but I had no idea I could just turn it off at will. I tested it and it works great. Now I get my flatscreen and supported resolution with no compromise.

Bad Ass ! Thanks again for spelling out what should be obvious.

Not entirely true; it chops off the top and bottom of your FOV (Field of View) when you use those commands. in the file "defaultvideo.con" there is a FOV setting. The threads I linked to previously discuss all this in detail.

**RhysJD3** · 01-13-08, 08:15 PM

It retains the ascept ratio so I don't believe it chops anything out of your field of view. If it does, it's so minor as to be of no consequence. It is true though that 1280x1024 isn't really a 4/3 ratio. I thinks it's 5/4. 1280x960 would be 4/3. However, 1280x1024 is pretty much a standard for lcd's.

Anywho....

**SapiensErus** · 01-13-08, 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by RhysJD3

It retains the ascept ratio so I don't believe it chops anything out of your field of view. If it does, it's so minor as to be of no consequence. It is true though that 1280x1024 isn't really a 4/3 ratio. I thinks it's 5/4. 1280x960 would be 4/3. However, 1280x1024 is pretty much a standard for lcd's.

Anywho....

I am pretty sure it chops it. think about it, if you make the image larger to fill in the wider space you lose the top and bottom. But you can adjust the FOV by editing the defaultvideo.con although many articles I read say not to mess with the FOV setting because it can cause crashes.

Here are some discussions including pics of different fixes and it clearly shows the top and bottom being shaved off at corrected widescreen settings.

http://www.widescreengamingforum.com...pic.php?t=1030

http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache...lnk&cd=1&gl=us

http://forums.3dgamers.com/archive/index.php/t-12940

I have read many articles discussing this. Apparently Dice believes that giving an improved aspect ratio to wide screen users offers an unfair advantage. Thus they made it so you will always have the same aspect ratio.

**...bigdog...** · 01-13-08, 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by SoySoldier

Apparently Dice believes that giving an improved aspect ratio to wide screen users offers an unfair advantage.

And rightly so. It would be the same as if someone had multimonitors (2 or 3) and used them as a surround video type thing. Yeah, it's cool.....but is it fair?

I'm on the fence....I say if you have a wide monitor, then you should have a wider playable field of view. But since dice guys, like valve guys I'm sure, are all nutted up on CAL CPL types in their offices......it's about a level playing field, right?

**WileECyte** · 01-14-08, 07:30 AM

Originally Posted by ...bigdog...

I'm on the fence....I say if you have a wide monitor, then you should have a wider playable field of view. But since dice guys, like valve guys I'm sure, are all nutted up on CAL CPL types in their offices......it's about a level playing field, right?

Except Valve has added support for widescreen aspect ratio. DICE is on record as saying they will never support widescreen on the PC. (at least not back-porting to previously released titles. Who knows what happens with Battlefield 3, since it's based on the same engine as Battlefield: Bad Company which is slated for consoles... I would imagine it would have to support widescreen if it's going to be played on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

**Mcstrange** · 01-14-08, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by RhysJD3

If you want to play BF 2142 but not in widescreen, try this

Shortcut target, set to "C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\Battlefield 2142\BF2142.exe" +menu 1 +fullscreen 1 +szx 1280 +szy 1024
Replace the path as appropriate

Start the Nvidia control panel and under display, go to Flat panel scaling and set it to do not scale.

This will give you most of the top/bottom resolution and keep it in the supported 4/3 ratio without stretching it. I personally prefer this for BF 2142.

So you play with the bars? I personally prefer shooting fatties to having bar, but then again 1600x1200 stretches to 1920x1200 really nicely on my Dell 2405.

**SapiensErus** · 01-14-08, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by WileECyte

Originally Posted by ...bigdog...

I'm on the fence....I say if you have a wide monitor, then you should have a wider playable field of view. But since dice guys, like valve guys I'm sure, are all nutted up on CAL CPL types in their offices......it's about a level playing field, right?

Except Valve has added support for widescreen aspect ratio. DICE is on record as saying they will never support widescreen on the PC. (at least not back-porting to previously released titles. Who knows what happens with Battlefield 3, since it's based on the same engine as Battlefield: Bad Company which is slated for consoles... I would imagine it would have to support widescreen if it's going to be played on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Considering that the least expensive monitors these days are wide screen and everyone is getting them, it would be sensible for them to have any new releases support widescreen. I am eager to get a ridiculously large widescreen myself...

on another note...

Originally Posted by RhysJD3

Shortcut target, set to "C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\Battlefield 2142\BF2142.exe" +menu 1 +fullscreen 1 +szx 1280 +szy 1024

Sorry for whining earlier. It just dawned on me that you were using the fullscreen command with a standard resolution. I thought you were telling him to increase the screen to fit without stretching. That is another common method people use to "fix" the issue of widescreens; and in that case you do get the top and bottom chopped off.

**WileECyte** · 01-14-08, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by SoySoldier

Considering that the least expensive monitors these days are wide screen and everyone is getting them, it would be sensible for them to have any new releases support widescreen. I am eager to get a ridiculously large widescreen myself...

Since when has DICE/EA been known to do something sensible?

It would be nice if they did. I've currently got a 20" 4:3 LCD that does 1600x1200. I'd be convinced to buy a widescreen LCD if DICE announced Battlefield 3 was going to have widescreen support.