Widescreen Monitor Questions Concerning Games

[Wade]

I just bought a 22" Wide monitor(1680 x1050, 2ms speed, 3000:1 contrast). My previous was a 19" regular flat panel.
I'm new to this aspect. I'm trying to get used to the aspect viewing of it for internet and games.

I have questions and issues and desire some opinions too.

1. Do people generally use the highest resolution available of the monitor for desktop, internet, and games? That is what the monitor recomended in settings setup. Icons and print get quite smaller. There is an option in settings to keep the resolution but add larger icons. I haven't tried it, I'm not sure if it only affects the desktop. Some sites use the standard width still while the sides are just a design or color. This site and similiar others use the wide screen, filling it. But this white window I'm typing the small text into is quite smaller than before wide too, and over to the left side. The entire right side of the screen is just the tan.

2. I'm trynig to finish a single player game of Space Empires IV. The game now appears as a window in the wide screen with all sides around it black, even the top and bottom. This window the game is playing in is even SMALLER then when it filled my regular 19" flat panel monitor! What can I do? The main title screen fills and uses the wide screen with a very slight distortion. Example: The planet circle appears very slightly squashed. The game creation windows are small but the edges are used, filled with stars. Odd...

This slight distortion was also the case for Civilization IV, and a graphic ugliness, until I changed the in game resolution to the 1680 x 1050. But now with Civilization IV also everything is much smaller and most sub SCREENS are now smaller sub WINDOWS with the main map in the background. Some aspects of it are nice in that the in game lists of units and such are filed across so that there is not a list to scroll. Like SpaceEmpires5.com no longer has squashed together thread titles. They file across the wide length. Space Empires V also has similiar negatives and positives of wide screen, but some game elements placement could be better for wide screen.

I suppose that it's just whether the individual games and sites are programed for wide screen. Is that the case? Can I do some thing for Space Empires IV?

3. Also, do you have your monitor raised several inches, such as on a shelf or platform, or do you have it on the desk or table? I can't decide what I like better. If I slouch or lower my chair some I notice a shawdowing effect in the upper inch or two of the monitor. But not the reverse at the bottom if I raise.(Edit: Actualy, on second examination, I do see the shadowing in the bottom too. I suppose eyes level to center would be optimal.)

4. (Edit) Also, I could of gotten the same size monitor with 5ms speed and 1000:1 contrast for much cheaper. How desirable is 2ms speed/ 3000:1 contrast compared to 5ms/ 1000:1? Is there much difference noticed?

-Wade

(Wow..."Preview Post" files the length, all the way to the right. Nice but awkward at first. Is this and issues with games and sites and small stuff just some thing I'll have to accept and get used to?)

[narf poit chez BOOM]

As far as I know, the resolution for SEIV is hardcoded.

[StarShadow]

LCD's look best at their native resolution, which in this case is 1680x1050. It's usually less noticible with graphics, but text will usually look especially bad.

On a side note, are you sure it's 1680, it should be 1600.

4. You got the better of the two. For LCD monitors you always want the lowest(=fastest) response time, and the highest contrast ratio. That said, the contrast ratio always matters, but the response time is more important in 'high speed' games, like FPS's, racing, etc. In TBS games it's a little less important.

[Wade]

Thank you.

Yes it's 1680 x 1050. In properties\settings the next step down is 1600 X 1024.

It's a Samsung, Syncmaster 226BW.

[BlueTemplar]

It is said that you should have your eyes on level with the top of the screen, but it might not work very well with the biggest of monitors, especially LCD's.

As for the small icons and print, if they aren't too small, you'll get used to it. I have a 15" CRT, but instead of 800x600 use 1024x768 with no problems. And most browsers allow you to define a zoom setting.

[AstralWanderer]

Wade said:
1. Do people generally use the highest resolution available of the monitor for desktop, internet, and games?...Icons and print get quite smaller. There is an option in settings to keep the resolution but add larger icons. I haven't tried it, I'm not sure if it only affects the desktop.

This is an issue with large screens generally. There is little real point in running them at lower resolution unless you have a full-screen application that cannot cope (e.g. a 3D game that needs a beefier graphics card). As for general application usage, just resize the window to a more convenient setting. WinSplit Revolution may be of help here as it allows you to split your screen in two.

Wade said:
2. I'm trynig to finish a single player game of Space Empires IV. The game now appears as a window in the wide screen with all sides around it black, even the top and bottom. This window the game is playing in is even SMALLER then when it filled my regular 19" flat panel monitor! What can I do?

Review the *windowed* SE4, running on windows! thread.

Wade said:
This slight distortion was also the case for Civilization IV, and a graphic ugliness, until I changed the in game resolution to the 1680 x 1050. But now with Civilization IV also everything is much smaller and most sub SCREENS are now smaller sub WINDOWS with the main map in the background.

Mmff...I found Civ IV a disappointment. Alpha Centauri (with the Alien Crossfire expansion) is IMHO a better game which Firaxis developed back in 1999 and it runs quite well in widescreen (I'm using 2560x1600) provided you make this adjustment.

Wade said:
I suppose that it's just whether the individual games and sites are programed for wide screen.

Games can (and should) have a UI that adjusts for any supported resolution. There is little excuse for releasing one now that does not, given that some games from 7 or more years ago can work. Some do require persuasion though and the Widescreen Confirmed Solutions forum is a good place to check for any required modifications.

Wade said:
4. (Edit) Also, I could of gotten the same size monitor with 5ms speed and 1000:1 contrast for much cheaper. How desirable is 2ms speed/ 3000:1 contrast compared to 5ms/ 1000:1? Is there much difference noticed?

The only way to tell is to eyeball the two monitors yourself. Response time (which covers grey-to-grey) will actually vary depending on the colours involved so a single figure is subject to "optimistic evaluation" by manufacturers, and people have differing sensitivity to it - anything under 8ms is unlikely to be a problem for most. Contrast ratio is more obvious, but a more important factor for large screens is the extent to which it drops off when viewed from an angle (which becomes important with the edges of larger monitors). See DansData: Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP-HC LCD monitor for more details on such matters.

[Wade]

Okay, thanks. I've found that the best properties\setting for Space Empires IV on this wide screen is 1280 x 768. Nothing is distorted and only the sides are black as if there is not a wide screen. 1024 x 768 some how fills the screen, wich at first glance looks nice, but then I notice the annoing stretch it has to left and right. Web sites use some of the wide screen in 1280 x 768 but they dont look sharp and clear. I'll use the 1680 x 1050 and get used to the small stuff. Then switch to 1280 x 768 for SEIV.

Civilization IV has the in game resolution options which is nice. It looks best in 1680 x 1050 but scrolling the main map screen has some lag. Also, the opening movie does not play; it goes directly to the title screen. Some of the other resolution settings are decent too for Civilization IV; which help lag performance some. I'll test them more.

Edit: For some reason I can't get the Civilization IV opening movies to play any more. I tried switching in game resolutions and Desktop resolutions back and forth.

[Suicide Junkie]

Why not go with your full resolution and my windowed SE4 tool?

NO black border at all, and you get bigger lists to match your higher resolution.