[Solved :'( ] Changing resolutions for games targeted at desktop use

ichimitch

  • Posts: 73
- I've read articles on 'scaling' and 'full screen mode' in Stencyl's documentation. I still have questions
- I'm starting work on a game targeted at desktop use.
- The screen size will be set to 16:9 ratio, as that is the current standard for desktop monitors
- If I start by assuming the maximum resolution PC users are  likely to use is 4K UHD and work backwards from a 4x scale of 3840×2160 then my list of scaling sizes looks as follows:

1x = 960 x 540
1.5x = 1440 x 810
2x = 1920 x 1080
3x = 2880 x 1620
4x = 3840×2160


My questions are:

-Assume a user has a desktop resolution of 1280 x 720 or 1366 x 768 (both common resolutions) and is running the game in fullscreen mode. The article on full screen mode says that scaling will 'pick the closest match (rounded down)' So in either of these cases it would choose to use the 1x scale assets at 960 x 540? Is there any way to override that and tell it to use the 1.5x scale assets?

- It's unlikely, but what would happen if the user's desktop resolution was below the 1x scale resolution?

- Can the fullscreen resolution be changed in-game? Or will fullscreen mode always be dependent upon the desktop resolution?

« Last Edit: April 20, 2018, 08:53:24 am by ichimitch »

ichimitch

  • Posts: 73
I guess these are tricky questions, then...

Vaibhav Sangwan

  • Posts: 160
I'm just screwed of trying to understand scaling and resolutions.
I have read stencylpedia,went through several threads.
All I could do is to get confused more and more.
There's not a single post or thread for explaining these resolution problems fully(as far as I know).
Can someone help at these(best resolutions for various platforms, 1x,1.5x,2x,4x, Scaling)?
Currently working on:-
http://www.stencyl.com/game/play/42376
Feedback will be really appreciated

rob1221

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  • Posts: 9473
Quote
The article on full screen mode says that scaling will 'pick the closest match (rounded down)' So in either of these cases it would choose to use the 1x scale assets at 960 x 540?
Yes.  I believe this is to keep the memory usage lower for mobile.

Quote
Is there any way to override that and tell it to use the 1.5x scale assets?
You would have to modify plaf/haxe/lib/stencyl/1,00/Universal.hx.

Quote
- It's unlikely, but what would happen if the user's desktop resolution was below the 1x scale resolution?
It should downscale, but it's not something I've tested.  It's easy to test yourself though by setting your base resolution higher than your own monitor and seeing what happens.

Quote
- Can the fullscreen resolution be changed in-game? Or will fullscreen mode always be dependent upon the desktop resolution?
I'm not sure what you mean by this.  Full screen will always fill the entire screen.

ichimitch

  • Posts: 73
You would have to modify plaf/haxe/lib/stencyl/1,00/Universal.hx.
Thanks!

I'm not sure what you mean by this.  Full screen will always fill the entire screen.

I'll clarify: The question was regarding the resolution of the full screen.

Eg. The user has their MS Windows resolution set to 1920 x 1080. They launch the game in fullscreen mode. The game is now running in a full screen resolution of 1920 x 1080.  However, the user wishes to play the game at a resolution of  3840 x 2160.

Can I provide them with the ability to switch to a different resolution from within the game? Perhaps handled by Game Attributes? (See attached image for example) Or do they have to close the game, change the MS Windows resolution and then relaunch the game?

It really is a standard feature of almost every desktop game ever... So I'm really hoping that Stencyl supports implementing this feature.

« Last Edit: April 20, 2018, 03:48:40 am by ichimitch »

rob1221

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  • Posts: 9473
If the monitor resolution changes, then going back into full screen should use that new size.  If you're talking about making the game look more or less zoomed in, then changing the base resolution should accomplish that.  However, doing any of this currently doesn't work well in 3.4 because scaled images don't reload properly.  It currently works in 3.5 using some code, and I updated my game Isotiles to support changing the window size from the menu.

ichimitch

  • Posts: 73
If the monitor resolution changes, then going back into full screen should use that new size. 

So what (I think) you're saying is that currently there is no way to change the resolution from within the game...
Well that sucks, but at least now I have an answer. Thanks.
Maybe I'll have to use Game Maker Studio 2 instead.

« Last Edit: April 20, 2018, 09:00:09 am by ichimitch »