Monitor brightness TEST
 

I have a little test I'd like to run with you. I haven't asked this in ages

Start the game and set up a rebel battle where both player 1 and 2 have the same nation. Set the battle controls to Human purchase and deploy for both sides and set the battle up to be one where player 2 is defending

When the purchase screen for BOTH sides appears just press done. The deployment screen for the rebel side ( player 2 ) will appear first. Press human deploy. There won't be any troops to deploy but find the Rebel black Victory hex flag then zoom all the way in then out one ( that brings you to the default zoom level.)


Do you see a diagonal line running from the top right corner to the bottom left corner of that Black Victory hex flag ?

I need a dozen or so responses. I just need yes or no

Thanks

Don

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Yes

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Yes

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Yes

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Yes

Re: Test
 

I'll let this run a bit longer because I want more than just three responses but now that I have four Yes's please indicate how distinct the bar looks on this scale....

1/ Very clear and distinct line

2/ Noticeable but not sharply defined.

3/ Barely noticeable. I have to look for it

Then if you are a yes, please tell me what brightness setting you have your monitor set at.


Thanks


Don

Re: Test
 

2/ Noticeable but not sharply defined.

Brightness = 4 of 10 (a tad darker then default)
Contrast = 6 of 10 (A tad higher then default)

Re: Test
 

3/ Barely noticeable. I have to look for it
monitor:
brightness 86 of 100
Contrast 65 of 100
800x600 video settings
Wear glasses but my view is not the best:)

Re: Test
 

yes
2/ Noticeable but not sharply defined
800x600 video setting
80% brightness and contrast

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Yes

2/ Noticeable but not sharply defined.

Brightness 60 of 100

cheers,

Tim

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Yes. This is what I'm seeing.

Re: Test
 

What you are seeing depends entirely on how you have your monitor set up.

The screen shot in post #11 looks, to me, exactly the way I see the game but my answer to this question is NO, I DO NOT see that bar.

When I turn the brightness up on my monitor 25% I can say I can see it as "level 2" but that's not the way I run my monitor normally and it's obvious everyone who's answered back see the game somewhat differently than the guy who's created most of the graphics and photos in the game.

Years back ....( I can say that now because we've been at this 14 years as of the end of last month ) ... I asked the same question after seeing the game displayed on a friends computer and I was, quite frankly, appalled at how the game looked on his monitor. I can say with confidence that if that was how it looked to me in 1998 I would never have bothered developing it further because it looks as washed out, colourless and drab as a desert in the hot sun

The diagonal bar was deliberately put into the rebel flag as a gauge for brightness. It's just been so long since I viewed the game on another computer I forgot this might still be a problem but I had to run some tests on another machine the other day and it was a serious Deja vu moment

The bottom line is you should not be seeing that diagonal bar to be viewing the game "correctly". If you adjust your brightness down to the point it almost blends completely with the pure black background of the flag then give it one or two more clicks lower you are seeing the game the way I see the game.

Now, there's more to this than just viewing it "my way" . All the graphics produced for the game, the colours selected etc etc are based in that adjustment.

The diagonal bar is a deep blue grey. If pure white is colour #1 and pure black is colour 256 that diagonal bar is 242. It's DARK. It should be barely distinguishable from black with a good pair of eyes.

If most of you had said it's "barely noticeable. I have to look for it" you wouldn't be out by much, maybe 5-10% too bright but when you get into "Noticeable but not sharply defined" to me it washes the game out way too much to be even enjoyable to look at and I'm serious when I say if that was the way I saw it day after day there would be no day after that.

HUMOUR ME. Try playing the game with your monitors adjusted as described above. If you think it's too dark then so be it but thats the way the graphics have been set up to be viewed.

My eyes aren't perfect, far from it, but I cannot run any of my programs at the brightness level that would give me "Noticeable but not sharply defined" on those flags so it's not just a game issue

Don

Re: Test
 

If you still need input...
I'm running my monitor at minimal brightness setting and 50 percent contrast(and to be honest it's still too bright for me.) I'll try out another one to see if the result is the same, or if the problem is in my eyes. :)

Re: Monitor brightness TEST
 

The input is useful.

Everyone likes their monitors set up a bit differently and everyones monitors works differently plus there are differences between the types.

If I run the gamma tests available on line to adjust the monitor for the highs and lows that should be visible, I find that's too bright for me and I need to adjust brightness down some otherwise I get a headache after 30 minutes and that's not working with the game, that's everything I use.

I had been running my monitor about 5-10% below where the line is visible.

However, rather that hope everyone is going to adjust their monitors darker I have started increasing my monitor brightness up-wards when working on any graphics for the game as that will ensure they will not be lighter than I intended when most people are playing the game.

That said I still think most players are seeing the game too light and not seeing the colours as rich as they should be and should aim to adjust their monitors so that diagonal line is just barely visible. That diagonal line is a 35 on a brightness scale where pure white is 255


Don

Re: Monitor brightness TEST
 

Hi Don.
As it happens, I reconfigured my monitor because I updated the driver for the video card. I lowered the brightness a lot and my eyes are grateful. I put the brightness to 56%. The game looks great but the photo of start, the picture of the menu, it looks very dark. No impact on the game but is good to see the photo of start of the program clearly

Re: Monitor brightness TEST
 

When you say...."the photo of start, the picture of the menu," do you mean Game Options or the Introduction screen that appears as diferent colour photos in win SPWW2 just before the main game menu ?

You may have the monitor adjusted a wee bit too dark but if it makes your eyes happy that's the main thing

Don

Re: Monitor brightness TEST
 

I mean the photo of the game options. But it is just a detail.
Thanks