New Wide Screen mod: the next definitive SH3 step!

[Rubini]

Originally Posted by Reece

TBH I don't know what is in the released version, don't know what Rubini has done, I have sent a PM to him, another thing that is not good is that you cannot Alt-Tab out of the game, will crash, this will lead to problems with mods like Anvart's Flags and Pennants mod plus editing/testing will be even slower!

Hi Reece,

I also don´t know what happened with the link...perhaps Seeadler is changing versions, I don´t know.
About Alt+tab, yes, we continues with the same old high resolution mod problems on this matter. Seeadler said me that this is a colateral effect when we use hooks dlls like these ones. So, no dice here. When we shall need to make mods we need then to disable the wide screen mod and we are done. Well, to make mods for the WS mod is another history! lol

And until now i yet didn´t release any file related to this mod here in subsim. By the way, your Nav Map is really great! I just replied also yours PMs. See you!

Some of you that were saying this could be the top pf the cake regarding modding SH3 are completely right! With this major SH5 shooter/RPG disappointment this SH3 + New Interiors mods would definitely save the day.

[codmander]

Originally Posted by Gunnodayak

Some of you that were saying this could be the top pf the cake regarding modding SH3 are completely right! With this major SH5 shooter/RPG disappointment this SH3 + New Interiors mods would definitely save the day.

thats a ...yup playing on widescreen everythings fine except scope and some ships look streched could be my eyes tho...

[maillemaker]

Is there a link to this mod? The links in the past 6 pages of discussion are dead.

I just bought a widescreen monitor last night and SH3 is disappointing when it only uses 2/3 of the screen.

Is this mod available?

Steve

[maillemaker]

I think this is it?

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...?do=file&id=40

Steve

[Hitman]

Again Seeadler did it

It's only a rough guess right now, but I bet it is very easy to actually make use of the extra space. The menu.ini should be easily coaxable to place items there. So far, when you have a slide out item it is just doing that: Sliding out of the visible area, but not actually dissapearing. This is proof that you can actually put things there, so I bet we can do lots of incredible things with the extra space available. The only problem is writing it in, but that's more time consuming that difficult, once you know how it works.

[Fubar2Niner]

POOP !!!

Trust me to have a heavy week at work, when I come home excitedly wanting to download this mod the link is kaput

Best regards.

Fubar2Niner (a.k.a Frustrated )

[maillemaker]

What's wrong with the link I provided?

Steve

[Fubar2Niner]

@maillemaker

look at the date of the upload shipmate, I've a funny feeling this is Rub's original w/s mod.

Best regards.

Fubar2Niner ( a.k.a Frustrated )

[Rubini]

Originally Posted by Hitman

Again Seeadler did it

It's only a rough guess right now, but I bet it is very easy to actually make use of the extra space. The menu.ini should be easily coaxable to place items there. So far, when you have a slide out item it is just doing that: Sliding out of the visible area, but not actually dissapearing. This is proof that you can actually put things there, so I bet we can do lots of incredible things with the extra space available. The only problem is writing it in, but that's more time consuming that difficult, once you know how it works.

Hi Hitman,

I guess that you have saw the videos, now you can put all the TDCs on uzo/peris/attack map on the right side to uncluter the player area on the screen!
We also can design really dragable tools to be used on Nav map. We can add flags table or any other usefull stuff and the new available space. The imagination is our limit now.

On the other side we have found that some things are hardcoded. The Terrain map is mirrored when we use a more than 1024x768 area for the map (that is a real pity). Also the loading screens are stucked (hardcoded) to 1024x768. Well, these are the main (and perhaps unique) limitations to make a total port to WS. Luckely they are all workable limitations.

Me, Reece and JCwolf are working on making a basic "middle ground" complet WS mod. We shall like that you could join us.

[Hitman]

now you can put all the TDCs on uzo/peris/attack map on the right side to uncluter the player area on the screen!
We also can design really dragable tools to be used on Nav map. We can add flags table or any other usefull stuff and the new available space. The imagination is our limit now.

Yes, that pretty much sums it up. We have 1) A correct view of 2D items for widescreen modes, and 2) Some additional space to the right of the screen that can be filled with whatever we want.

The only problem I see when making interface mods is that in any case you will have to decide the size of the new aditional area (Based on a certain X axis dimension). Hence, if you put too big things or too far to the right, they will not show up for people playing with lower resolutions.

One example:

I make a slide out TDC that appears in the new empty space. I have a widescreen monitor with a resolution of 1440x900

I have therefore now an aditional 416 pixels to the right (1440-1024 original screen = 416), so I do my TDC 400 pixels wide, and 600 pixels high.

Problem: Any guy using 1360x768 will NOT see the full TDC because he has ONLY 342 pixels in the empty space on the right. Likewise, any guy using a much higher resolution will have lots of additional empty space around, not filled by my new TDC (This last one is not a big problem, of course)

So I guess we will need to find a compromise and make mods for that compromise resolution. Even if that makes them not so good for guys using higher resolutions, and unusable for those using the lowest of all resolutions (They will upgrade sooner or later, I asume)

The big question is then: What resolution will we work with?

My suggestion would be either 1440x900 (Good because it is a moderately high one) or 1366x768 (Less desirable because will get outdated soon)

Looking to the future, something even higher than 1440x900 could be even better, but I suppose it will rule out most of the people who are interested in playing SH3 (i.e. those with older rigs).

[Rubini]

Originally Posted by Hitman

Yes, that pretty much sums it up. We have 1) A correct view of 2D items for widescreen modes, and 2) Some additional space to the right of the screen that can be filled with whatever we want.

The only problem I see when making interface mods is that in any case you will have to decide the size of the new aditional area (Based on a certain X axis dimension). Hence, if you put too big things or too far to the right, they will not show up for people playing with lower resolutions.

One example:

I make a slide out TDC that appears in the new empty space. I have a widescreen monitor with a resolution of 1440x900

I have therefore now an aditional 416 pixels to the right (1440-1024 original screen = 416), so I do my TDC 400 pixels wide, and 600 pixels high.

Problem: Any guy using 1360x768 will NOT see the full TDC because he has ONLY 342 pixels in the empty space on the right. Likewise, any guy using a much higher resolution will have lots of additional empty space around, not filled by my new TDC (This last one is not a big problem, of course)

So I guess we will need to find a compromise and make mods for that compromise resolution. Even if that makes them not so good for guys using higher resolutions, and unusable for those using the lowest of all resolutions (They will upgrade sooner or later, I asume)

The big question is then: What resolution will we work with?

My suggestion would be either 1440x900 (Good because it is a moderately high one) or 1366x768 (Less desirable because will get outdated soon)

Looking to the future, something even higher than 1440x900 could be even better, but I suppose it will rule out most of the people who are interested in playing SH3 (i.e. those with older rigs).

Yes, this is the most challenge in the work to port Sh3 to WS. We are, at first, working with 1360x768 because the obivious "768" "already the same dimension" as the original, what make things a lot easier and quickly. Also we need to think on the laptops that some have only 1280x800(or768). So, we need to find a middle ground.

I was thinking that If we work with a small WS resolution (1280 or 1360x768) then any monitor will just rescale to it's full area and we are done. OK, perhaps small loss in quality but it is so noticiable?

Another approach could be a more difficult one: we can write a readme showing where to adjust (a given numbers from the modders) your own menu_1024 to fit any different resolution than the released one, and so on.

Well, isn't an easy decision...

[Nico71]

Originally Posted by Rubini

Another approach could be a more difficult one: we can write a readme showing where to adjust (a given numbers from the modders) your own menu_1024 to fit any different resolution than the released one, and so on.

Well, isn't an easy decision...

Or different versions of the mod to cater different resolutions. The user has to pick the desired res and activate it JSGME. The benefit: larger resolutions can then display larger, more detailed and crisper graphics. And doing the gfx stuff in a higher resolution from scratch makes it easier too. As I have already said, downsizing the gfx is no problem, but fiddling with the menu.ini is. In fact, that's my usual workflow. I use 2x or 4x the desired final res and then downscale it. The only difference here is that there are a series of final image dimensions.

[Rubini]

Originally Posted by Nico71

Or different versions of the mod to cater different resolutions. The user has to pick the desired res and activate it JSGME. The benefit: larger resolutions can then display larger, more detailed and crisper graphics. And doing the gfx stuff in a higher resolution from scratch makes it easier too. As I have already said, downsizing the gfx is no problem, but fiddling with the menu.ini is. In fact, that's my usual workflow. I use 2x or 4x the desired final res and then downscale it. The only difference here is that there are a series of final image dimensions.

That is ok (I agree totally) but I guess that we will need a team then. And also don't forget that we are speaking about GUIs...so what to make? The basic stuff? This or that modder GUi ?(they all will have for sure different menu_1024 and also different tgas in use...)

It's not really an easy decision...

[maillemaker]

Is there anything I can do to help?

Steve