Game appears too zoomed in, new monitor

[WhiteCoco]

Hey everyone. Long time reader, first time poster.

I've got an issue with my new monitor, Viewsonic 19 inch widescreen model Q19wb where the game appears zoomed in too close. The screen runs at a resolution of 1440x900 and I've tested on all the other resolutions for any differences but to no avail. I don't quite understand what the issue is: none of the graphical options are turned off, the 3D camera is on, etc. Nothing has changed except the screen.

My previous screen was a Samsung 14 inch 1024x768, 153v model, non-widescreen. It ran the game at a good distance in terms of viewing the battlefield.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. I'll produce a screenshot of how the game looks with my new screen.

[GroundZero]

I await a screenshot, on this computer, I am using a 22" Widescreen TFT, so we can roughly compare images.

[WhiteCoco]

Here's a picture of the game. It feels like its zoomed by 1/2 too much than it used to be. I could fit more buildings in my view screen unlike now.



http://www.cadrequietus.com/gallery/data/500/medium/relic00000.jpg

[ÜberJumper]

You have the 3d camera option turned on and you've zoomed out all the way?

It looks like that's widescreen, so the changed aspect ratio may be making you think you have less real estate, but you actually have more (or should anyway).

[WhiteCoco]

Yeah I was thinking that with widescreen, you'd probably get more visibility of your units and real estate as you say. However my friends, who keep bugging me to play when they come over, noticed the same thing as I did and complain about how the new screen is too zoomed in.

I wouldn't have an issue if the game wouldn't be so zoomed in at 1024x768 but the same problem remains. If I have the time, I'll post screenshots of other resolutions.


P.S. Thanks for answering Uberjumper, I remember how helpful you were during the Dawn of War beta.

[GroundZero]

Just to further back up, it looks the same ratio as mine, welcome to widescreen!
http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/3568/relic00002qb2.th.jpg (http://img359.imageshack.us/my.php?image=relic00002qb2.jpg)

[WhiteCoco]

Darn, I was hoping for some way to zoom out further or set it back to the way it used to be. Its a change that I don't particularily like. Are there any mods that will forcefully allow me to pull back? Or is there something in the Relic pipeline to, so to speak, fix this?

And thank you, I'm relishing being in widescreen right now.

[ÜberJumper]

To confirm you're seeing/not seeing more data try doing this.

Add the -window command line switch and run the game in 1024x768. Take a screenshot.

Then with the -window command line switch, run it in the same resolution you are right now, take a screenshot of the same thing.

Then go and look at both shots and see if you're actually seeing more.

I would expect you to actually be seeing more to either side but the same amount vertically.

Now, we do know that the visual range is set to ensure performance, so it *might* be that the zoom range is somehow tied to the pixel count of your view.

[WhiteCoco]

Here are both pics. Sorry if they are too big but they help make a good comparison.

The first one is of 1440x900 resolution.


http://www.cadrequietus.com/gallery/data/500/medium/relic00001.jpg



The second one is of 1024x768 resolution.

http://www.cadrequietus.com/gallery/data/500/medium/relic00002.jpg


It is obvious that the first picture appears more compact than the second and that the second has more on screen too.

However, the second screenshot of the 1024x768 resolution feels titled when playing but generally speaking, the second one is far better for some reason. I don't understand why widescreen gives off an inferior image that is compact.

[ÜberJumper]

At first glance Relic's got the SAME issue that Battlefield 2 does. Instead of giving you MORE viewable area for a widescreen resolution they're giving LESS by chopping off the top and bottom of the viewable area instead of widening the sides.

It'd be interesting if you could download the Company of Heroes demo and try the same thing.

[WhiteCoco]

I'll download it and post an image. You'll have to tell me whether it does the same thing.

[GroundZero]

I was reading a Professional article a month ago when I was perusing the next generation of Widescreen TFT's, and they mentioned something along the lines that games are being produced presently that could severely lag up systems if the screen was the actual game size to an appropriate scale. So the producers and designers made the games so that the Widescreen image looked presentable, with the least deformation possible of the image, however with no extra visibility acquired on the playing screen.

If you have dabbled in NeverWinterNights2, you will experience precisely this - in widescreen resolutions, 3-5 Frames per Second, whereas in regular resolutions you can achieve 20-60 Frames per Second.

[WhiteCoco]

Hmm that makes sense Groundzero. A larger area on your screen would mean more units to process and more lag. However, it would be good if the developers allowed people to make the choice for themselves by having an option for regular resolution on widescreens.

The demo will take awhile to download, I'll have the screenshot up asap.

[GroundZero]

Yes, depending on the monitor, you can actually run certain resolutions with black bands down the sides to even out the images.

[WhiteCoco]

Well, I can't run Company of Heroes because I don't have 1 gig of RAM. It won't even let me try to play it, it immediately says I don't have sufficient RAM to play it.

Well, it appears that nothing on my end can be done about the zoomed in view except to put the game in 1024x768 resolution and play it like that. If Relic does come out with some type of optionality to make widescreen look less stretched, that would be great.

Thanks for your help, Uberjumper and Groundzero.