2D Client: Anyway to blow up the resolution?

[Larry]

I have a 22 inch monitor playing 2D at the max res possible in the game's options menu.

Is there any trick, be it Windows or UO, to sort of blow up the picture? Its so incredibly small I can barely read text. I don't mean be able to see more of the world at once, just theoretically make every pixel bigger.

Is this possible? *rubs eyes*

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

You can reduce your monitor's resolution down to 1024x768 though I'm guessing you have an LCD monitor (probably widescreen at that size) which will take it well out of its "native" resolution and make everything a blurry (and if widescreen distended) mess.

Other than that, the only other option I can suggest is the KR client which runs in higher resolutions with smooth scaling and a minimum of pixellated mess (only at the closest zoom levels does pixellation even occur).

 

[Larry]

Hmmm.

Isn't there a way in Windows to automatically switch to one resolution when one program is opened, then switch back to default when it is closed?

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

Maybe in full screen mode, but I'm not sure about Windowed. Since I only play in WIndowed mode, I have been unwilling to try and tweak the resolution settings (even less willing after playing around with LCD monitor settings and seeing the outcome).

Game window resolution was one of the big reasons why I went full time 3d client a few years back and why I play the KR client now. The window for 2d is just too tiny on resolutions larger than 1024x768 and lowe resolutions like 1024x768 look like crap on newer higher resolution monitors.

The old 3d client allowed you to scale the game window past 800x600 and zoomed in to make up the difference. This made the game easier to see, but pixellated the environment artwork pretty badly. KR has fixed that about 90% of the way (as stated, the closest zoom settings do pixellate, but not badly).

As of right now, the 2d client simply does not have a high enough resolution to support newer monitors and still look "smooth" (unless you want a tiny game window in a huge program window).

If you play in full screen mode, see how the resolution changes work there, otherwise, not sure what else to tell ya.

 

[Old Man of UO]

Full screen mode on a 22 inch monitor gives you a play window of about 15W x 12H, which includes usable black areas to the side and bottom, leaving a game sized window of approx. 12W x 9H. There will be unusable black bars to each side that you just can't claim. This is the best you can do in 2D.

You can change the monitor resolution, but there are only a couple really usable because of the widescreen. So the 1024x768 resolution doesn't work. Either you will always have unusable areas, or a really funky perspective of the game.

 

[Arch Magus]

I know that either
Alt + Enter
or
Control + Enter

really messes **** up.

Blows everything up and really had me wondering what the hell I did a couple times.

 

[hawkeye_pike]

The upcoming Stygian Abyss client will support higher resolutions. There's no way to change the resolution in the old 2D client. The only thing you can do is "zoom" your screen by changing Windows Display Resolution settings.

 

[Splup]

There is a way, but EA does not support program which does that so I can't tell ya here what it is...

 

[deadite]

I have never understood why EA couldn't add that functionality to the 2D client. I thought it was out of "fairness" for a long time since it might give an advantage to PVPers who could see farther out than others...

But then they went and added the zoom in/out feature to KR, so my only theory as to why was shot out the window.

 

[canary]

I have never understood why EA couldn't add that functionality to the 2D client.

They can, they just choose not to.