Consensus on display width/height
Hi, I'd just like to get some sort of general consensus regarding your preferences when playing/creating DirectX games in terms of the display width and height. Some games have a hardcoded width/height like 800x600, 1024x768, etc, others let you choose your resolution, and others use the current resolution of your monitor. In my project, I'm using the latter option. What are you guys doing in your projects?
Thanks.
In a game using 2D sprites, a fixed resolution is usually the preferred option - you may not be able to handle larger display modes which would allow players to see more of the game map at the native sprite resolution.
In a 3D game however, the most professional method is to initally run the game in a "safe" resolution such as 1024x768 or 800x600. In windowed mode you should always check the desktop resolution and not exceed it. A dialog can then be used to alter the display resolution within the limits of the device.
In a 3D game however, the most professional method is to initally run the game in a "safe" resolution such as 1024x768 or 800x600. In windowed mode you should always check the desktop resolution and not exceed it. A dialog can then be used to alter the display resolution within the limits of the device.
I generally just give the user a choice but in my samples I use a display size of 800x600 as I feel most people would be able to cope with that. 640x480 might also be a good choice for sample/tutorial code.
I prefer to use a 640x480 display size in all my games, but I also give the option to go in fullscreen. 640x480 is pretty good for a 2D game because it allows the game to be played on less powerful machines. If you are making a 3D game 800x600 is probably better though.
The reason I posted this topic is because I noticed my 3D game runs a bit slower on 1280x1024 then it does on say, 1024x768 or 800x600. This is to be expected, but I like fast frame rates, so I might just have a hardcoded res of 1024x768 or 800x600 for my game :)
My next question is, does this bother you if you can't chance the screen res of a game? It really doesn't bother me that much....
My next question is, does this bother you if you can't chance the screen res of a game? It really doesn't bother me that much....
Quote:Original post by mcguile25
The reason I posted this topic is because I noticed my 3D game runs a bit slower on 1280x1024 then it does on say, 1024x768 or 800x600. This is to be expected, but I like fast frame rates, so I might just have a hardcoded res of 1024x768 or 800x600 for my game :)
And ruin it for those who run much higher resolutions, with the hardware to back it up? You have to make a decision: are you making this game for yourself (in which case you don't need this thread) or for your users?
Go with Source's advice. It's the right way to treat your users.
Quote:My next question is, does this bother you if you can't chance the screen res of a game? It really doesn't bother me that much....
If the res is too low - or too high - for my monitor, it will bug me, and I won't play. Then again, I don't play many games on my PC anyway, and the ones that I do are usually indie games that are hungry for an audience and thus can't afford to lock me out due to their own laziness.
Quote:Original post by OluseyiQuote:Original post by mcguile25
The reason I posted this topic is because I noticed my 3D game runs a bit slower on 1280x1024 then it does on say, 1024x768 or 800x600. This is to be expected, but I like fast frame rates, so I might just have a hardcoded res of 1024x768 or 800x600 for my game :)
And ruin it for those who run much higher resolutions, with the hardware to back it up? You have to make a decision: are you making this game for yourself (in which case you don't need this thread) or for your users?
Go with Source's advice. It's the right way to treat your users.Quote:My next question is, does this bother you if you can't chance the screen res of a game? It really doesn't bother me that much....
If the res is too low - or too high - for my monitor, it will bug me, and I won't play. Then again, I don't play many games on my PC anyway, and the ones that I do are usually indie games that are hungry for an audience and thus can't afford to lock me out due to their own laziness.
Oluseyi, you've made a great point. I'm going to implement a Resolution chooser dialog to once and for all end all my resolution worries :)
Quote:Original post by mcguile25Quote:Original post by OluseyiQuote:Original post by mcguile25
The reason I posted this topic is because I noticed my 3D game runs a bit slower on 1280x1024 then it does on say, 1024x768 or 800x600. This is to be expected, but I like fast frame rates, so I might just have a hardcoded res of 1024x768 or 800x600 for my game :)
And ruin it for those who run much higher resolutions, with the hardware to back it up? You have to make a decision: are you making this game for yourself (in which case you don't need this thread) or for your users?
Go with Source's advice. It's the right way to treat your users.Quote:My next question is, does this bother you if you can't chance the screen res of a game? It really doesn't bother me that much....
If the res is too low - or too high - for my monitor, it will bug me, and I won't play. Then again, I don't play many games on my PC anyway, and the ones that I do are usually indie games that are hungry for an audience and thus can't afford to lock me out due to their own laziness.
Oluseyi, you've made a great point. I'm going to implement a Resolution chooser dialog to once and for all end all my resolution worries :)
Side note: some people use laptops or LCD monitors. The preferred resolution is the native resolution of the display device in these cases and might be 16:10 or 16:9. If you use a fixed resolution, your program might look bad on such displays - make sure to include the display modes supported by the 3d device and not just the "common" ones (e.g. 4:3 modes).
Personally, I prefer things that run in a windowed mode to begin with. My main gaming computer has a high end 21 inch workstation monitor attached as the primary display which doesn't support low resolutions (it does 1280x1024 as a minimum) and it's always annoying when I'm unable to run a game or application without switching to the secondary monitor and changing the resolution first. If windowed mode isn't an option, I like when there's an external configuration program that accompanies the game which allows resolution changes. My biggest problem is with games that force either 800x600 or 1024x768 and don't offer anything higher.
Quote:In a game using 2D sprites, a fixed resolution is usually the preferred option - you may not be able to handle larger display modes which would allow players to see more of the game map at the native sprite resolution.
This shouldn't be a problem. You just have to do some scaling. Though it works much better using 3D APIs and hardware.
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