Help! Widescreen monitor & UO questions

[JosephineBaja]

I just got a widescreen 1600 X 900 20-inch monitor.

The size of the game window is fine for me. However, everything is smaller. It's hard to grab pieces of gold, my backpack is tiny and the items in it even smaller. I feel like I'm in a tunnel. Hard to navigate. I can't get immersed in the game.

I get 5 resolution choices. I currently have it on the highest resolution. The other choices stretch and distort the game horribly.

I can magnify the screen, and kicking it up one notch (125%) gets it close to the size I had it on my old monitor. However, the gameplay window ends up larger than the monitor and in-game text becomes distorted and unreadable. I can only magnify by 25% increments.

Changing the screen resolution in-game does nothing. I can change the game play window...but the size of everything remains the same.

Any ideas how to fix it?? Not sure if important - but I'm actually using it as an extended monitor from my small laptop and the laptop has an integrated AMD video card. I tried to see if I could change any settings there but don't see any type of control panel for it.

My old monitor was a big, heavy, 20-inch monster about the size of an old television set. I would really like to get this flat widescreen to work.

Help!!

 

[Petra Fyde]

dunno if it helps, but I have my screen resolution set at 1024 x 768

 

[Old Man of UO]

This is probably the best time to try out the Enhanced Client. People will differ on their preference for the graphics, but there is no question that the EC looks best on a large widescreen monitor. The Classic Client is unplayable for me unless I scale my monitor down by almost half in resolution. With the EC you can use the entire monitor screen for your game window, or scale it down so you have the black bars on the side and bottom or top.

 

[Adol]

This is probably the best time to try out the Enhanced Client. People will differ on their preference for the graphics, but there is no question that the EC looks best on a large widescreen monitor. The Classic Client is unplayable for me unless I scale my monitor down by almost half in resolution. With the EC you can use the entire monitor screen for your game window, or scale it down so you have the black bars on the side and bottom or top.

Seconded on this; I run at 1440x900 in the EC with no problems (although I prefer it windowed so I can see the taskbar for all my other programs)...

 

[Stupid Miner]

Huh, I have 1650 x 1050 and haven't had a problem at all. UO window is the same, but have more than enough black-space on the sides.

 

[Splup]

I have 21" flatscreen and I'v had 0 problems with UO. I gotta say sounds really weird.

 

[Beer_Cayse]

I have a 19" widescreen. For playing UO with the CC I switch resolution to 1024x768 and have no problems.

Also, if you only have 5 resolutions to choose from, have you loaded the drivers for the monitor and/or your video card? I have 15 settings to choose from - 800x600 all the way to 1600x1050.

 

[Old Man of UO]

I have a 19" widescreen. For playing UO with the CC I switch resolution to 1024x768 and have no problems.

Also, if you only have 5 resolutions to choose from, have you loaded the drivers for the monitor and/or your video card? I have 15 settings to choose from - 800x600 all the way to 1600x1050.

He's using an integrated laptop video card, and that's probably the problem here. It's not really meant to drive a widescreen. I missed that part the first time I read his message.

Laptop, monitor and video card models might help track the problem. But as BC says, double check to make sure you have the latest drivers for monitor and video card.

 

[Mapper]

Seconded on this; I run at 1440x900 in the EC with no problems (although I prefer it windowed so I can see the taskbar for all my other programs)...

Agreed.

And I find setting a monitor that can do 1600x900 to 1024x768 results in rather poor quality.

 

[Kiminality]

The whole problem of Classic Client on new monitors relies on two variables:
1.) The resolution the screen's running in.
2.) The physical size of the screen.

The non-black area of the Classic Client is limited to 800x600.
So, if you run your monitor at 800x600, then it will be the same size as the screen resolution, and therefore take up the entire screen (not counting task/title bars in windowed mode)
If you run your monitor at 1600x1200, then it'll be half the height and half the width, and so take up a quarter of the screen.
So, the size of the non-black area of the UO window, in relation to the screen, is a result of the screen resolution.

The size of the monitor... well, if you're going by the second example above, then the non-black area is taking up a quarter of whatever size the monitor it, assuming the same resolution is used.
A 50" screen running at 1600x1200, would have a quarter of its immense size taken up with the non-black area, just the same as a 17" monitor at the same resolution would.

Taking all that into account, just comparing resolutions, or screen sizes and saying it's fine is like comparing "a yellow fruit" to "a yellow fruit" and saying it's fine - without more relevant information, you could easily be talking about widely different things.


On the OP's problem. There's lots of things it could be, so I'll run through some thoughts.
If it's an LCD screen (which I'm assuming it is, because it hasn't been stated otherwise), then you'll most likely want to run it in its "native resolution", which I'll guess is 1600x900 from what you've said. Otherwise, you'll run into some nasty distortions from the scaling that has to happen on LCD screens, which is pretty horrible. I doubt that's your problem, though.
If you're running UO fullscreen, then the resolutions for fullscreen UO are 4:3, when your screen is assumedly 16:9, which again is uglyville. Although, again, I don't think that's your problem.
Crunching some numbers, things don't seem like they'd be that much smaller on your new monitor, unless you were running your last screen in a resolution like 1024x768.
Is it possible your monitor's further back on the desk? It sounds daft, but CRTs are deep, so they end up in your face, but a flatscreen isn't so much, so the temptation might be to have it further away, which makes things effectively smaller. Also, it may be a case of you not being used to using an LCD (if it is one). I used to hate LCD screens, until I used one for a bit.

Wall of text, I know :<


When you say "The size of the game window is fine for me", do you mean that it hasn't changed significantly from how it was, or that it has changed but is still a workable size for you?
Because assuming you're not running it in full screen (in which case the transition from 4:3 resolution to a 16:9 monitor would be very distorting), everything in the Classic Client would scale the same. So, if the gameplay area is a little bit smaller, then everything else would be proportionally smaller, too.
Also, if your screen's further away, as a flatscreen would allow, then things would be effectively smaller (at least compared to a CRT in your face, as they are wont to be).
You'll ideally want to run an LCD screen in its "native resolution", which from what you've said, is probably 1600x900. Any lower resolution would be distorted

 

[GarthGrey]

Sorry Josephine, that's pretty much the norm for the Hall. You'll get more " I have the same or bigger than you and I don't have any problems" more than you'll get actual help. I'm playing on an HP laptop with a 20 " screen, and like Petra I play 1024 x 768 and it's fairly normal looking. My settings in the classic client are 800x600 for both Full Screen Res and Game Play Window. Game play window takes up roughly 75% of my screen (sorry didn't do the exact math), and I have a nice size black border to the right and down for Gumps and Icons...and I can still see the task bar....hope this helps.

 

[Fink]

Are you playing in windowed or fullscreen mode?

I only get aspect distortion on very old game clients if it's run fullscreen. I run 1920x1080 screens so Classic Client play area is ludicrously small, less than a quarter the screen size when windowed. Enhanced Client is ideal on modern monitors.

 

[olduofan]

The whole problem of Classic Client on new monitors relies on two variables:
1.) The resolution the screen's running in.
2.) The physical size of the screen.

The non-black area of the Classic Client is limited to 800x600.
So, if you run your monitor at 800x600, then it will be the same size as the screen resolution, and therefore take up the entire screen (not counting task/title bars in windowed mode)
If you run your monitor at 1600x1200, then it'll be half the height and half the width, and so take up a quarter of the screen.
So, the size of the non-black area of the UO window, in relation to the screen, is a result of the screen resolution.

The size of the monitor... well, if you're going by the second example above, then the non-black area is taking up a quarter of whatever size the monitor it, assuming the same resolution is used.
A 50" screen running at 1600x1200, would have a quarter of its immense size taken up with the non-black area, just the same as a 17" monitor at the same resolution would.

Taking all that into account, just comparing resolutions, or screen sizes and saying it's fine is like comparing "a yellow fruit" to "a yellow fruit" and saying it's fine - without more relevant information, you could easily be talking about widely different things.


On the OP's problem. There's lots of things it could be, so I'll run through some thoughts.
If it's an LCD screen (which I'm assuming it is, because it hasn't been stated otherwise), then you'll most likely want to run it in its "native resolution", which I'll guess is 1600x900 from what you've said. Otherwise, you'll run into some nasty distortions from the scaling that has to happen on LCD screens, which is pretty horrible. I doubt that's your problem, though.
If you're running UO fullscreen, then the resolutions for fullscreen UO are 4:3, when your screen is assumedly 16:9, which again is uglyville. Although, again, I don't think that's your problem.
Crunching some numbers, things don't seem like they'd be that much smaller on your new monitor, unless you were running your last screen in a resolution like 1024x768.
Is it possible your monitor's further back on the desk? It sounds daft, but CRTs are deep, so they end up in your face, but a flatscreen isn't so much, so the temptation might be to have it further away, which makes things effectively smaller. Also, it may be a case of you not being used to using an LCD (if it is one). I used to hate LCD screens, until I used one for a bit.

Wall of text, I know :<


When you say "The size of the game window is fine for me", do you mean that it hasn't changed significantly from how it was, or that it has changed but is still a workable size for you?
Because assuming you're not running it in full screen (in which case the transition from 4:3 resolution to a 16:9 monitor would be very distorting), everything in the Classic Client would scale the same. So, if the gameplay area is a little bit smaller, then everything else would be proportionally smaller, too.
Also, if your screen's further away, as a flatscreen would allow, then things would be effectively smaller (at least compared to a CRT in your face, as they are wont to be).
You'll ideally want to run an LCD screen in its "native resolution", which from what you've said, is probably 1600x900. Any lower resolution would be distorted

Maybe you can help me Im using a 26" hd widescreen 1920x1200 if i change the settings to 1600x1200 / 1600x900 / 1280x1024 / 1280x960 / 1152x864 /1024x768 it makes the play screen bigger but its seems stretched out and looks strange what setting is the best to keep to the truest game size of the art ? im also using a nvidia GeForce 9600gt which I can change to a better 1 thats 3 or 4 steps up I got 6 months ago and never put in my comp (didn feel it would help uo any ) AND NO I WILL NOT PLAY EC CLIENT i would rather play 2d on my cell phone screen b4 playing that ugly version

 

[Kiminality]

Maybe you can help me Im using a 26" hd widescreen 1920x1200 if i change the settings to 1600x1200 / 1600x900 / 1280x1024 / 1280x960 / 1152x864 /1024x768 it makes the play screen bigger but its seems stretched out and looks strange what setting is the best to keep to the truest game size of the art ? im also using a nvidia GeForce 9600gt which I can change to a better 1 thats 3 or 4 steps up I got 6 months ago and never put in my comp (didn feel it would help uo any ) AND NO I WILL NOT PLAY EC CLIENT i would rather play 2d on my cell phone screen b4 playing that ugly version

1920x1200 is 16:10
The ones you listed are 4:3/16:9/5:4/4:3/4:3/4:3
To step away from standards, and go for common factors, 4:3 wiould be 16:12, and 5:4 would be 16:12.8... basically, because the ratios aren't equal, and it's fitting it to the viewable area, it's stretching it.

Two options would be:
1.) There are a few other 16:10 resolutions - 1024x640 / 1152x720 / 1280x800 / 1440x900 / 1680x1050 - you could use one of them, and it should scale in the correct ratio.
2.) You say HD widescreen, so this may not apply, but at least for the LCD screen of my laptop, the nvidia control panel has a section for "flat panel scaling", which allows various options, including maintaining the proper aspect ratio for non-native resolutions. If such an option is there for you, you could use that, with a non-16:10 resolution. But if your screen doesn't have the scaling shortcomings of an LCD screen, the option mightn't be open to you.

 

[cdavbar]

I play on a 42inch HDTV flatscreen. I have found the gameplay window to be perfect while the larger screen provides enough "black space" to have all my gumps that i like to have open like paperdoll, bags, hotbars etc.

I also find that this is only usefull in the EC and doing anything in the 2d client on screens this large are pointless and distorted no matter what i try to set the screen settings at.

 

[GarthGrey]

I play on a 42inch HDTV flatscreen. I have found the gameplay window to be perfect while the larger screen provides enough "black space" to have all my gumps that i like to have open like paperdoll, bags, hotbars etc.

I also find that this is only usefull in the EC and doing anything in the 2d client on screens this large are pointless and distorted no matter what i try to set the screen settings at.

I have a 36" Visio in my bedroom that I like to hook up to. Looks really good in the classic client but with my ever fading eyesight I damn near have to balance the tv at the foot of the bed.

 

[Beer_Cayse]

Ah! I too missed that. My bad ... but definitely drivers should be checked.

 

[MalagAste]

I play on a 42inch HDTV flatscreen. I have found the gameplay window to be perfect while the larger screen provides enough "black space" to have all my gumps that i like to have open like paperdoll, bags, hotbars etc.

I also find that this is only usefull in the EC and doing anything in the 2d client on screens this large are pointless and distorted no matter what i try to set the screen settings at.

That's exactly what I use. And I love it. It actually has made me not totally HATE the EC... Though I still hate the male paperdoll with a passion.

I have loads of room for all sorts of gumps and things.