Running SEIV from Hi Resolution Desktop

[Thufir]

I've been playing MP Dom2, and I've enjoyed it so much, that I thought it was time to add another MP addiction SEIV. However, I've encountered one issue in the demo that while not a deal-breaker, is really quite annoying. That is the fact that you need to manually (or perhaps through a batch file) change your resolution to 1024x768 (or lower) in order to have the main window use the full monitor.

Before I go any further, is this issue fixed in the main game w/ latest patch? If so, read no further, I'll just buy the game

If not (as I'd guess, based on what I've read so far), then I could use some help writing a batch file to handle changing the resolution. I found this thread that gives a few clues, but does not supply a full working batch file:


I'm running WindowsXP, in 1600x1200,

I've figured out so far that rundll has become rundll32 and that deskcp16.dll has become deskadp.dll for my OS. According to the post, that would leave me with the something like the following batch file:

rundll32 deskadp.dll,QUICKRES_RUNDLLENTRY 1024x768x24
se4.exe
rundll32 deskadp.dll,QUICKRES_RUNDLLENTRY 1600x1200x24
pause

However, with this batch file I get the following error message:
Error in desadp.dll
Missing entry:QUICKRES_RUNDLLENTRY

Which makes it sound like perhaps there is some other syntax for specifying parameters?

I should mention that I've got 2 goals out of this batch file:
1) Automatically change the resolution back and forth
2) With a manual resolution change I have the side effect of losing 3/4 of my desktop space, since windows squashes all your desktop icons into the 1/4 space that remains. I want to eliminate this side effect.

[rant]
It's #2 that makes this limitation in SEIV so heinous, for those of us that do our work at higher resolutions. Giving up 3/4 of my desktop to SEIV, no matter how great the game, is pretty bogus. All the more so, since changing resolution within the game code is not rocket science.

I have all the reason in the world to believe that SEIV is a great game, but if this limitation has not yet been fixed in a patch, then please do so!!! If it has been fixed, I'm hoping nobody is reading this rant
[/rant]

Back to fixing the problem:
So, if anyone out there can tell me the correct parameters and/or DLLs to get this batch file to work on WindowsXP, I would be most appreciative!

TIA,

Thufir


Edit:
Fixed link to pre-existing thread.

[geoschmo]

Short answer: No it doesn't, and no it won't.

There was a recent patch fix that had to do with the intro screen not fully using the higher resolution window. I don't know if it will do 1600x1200 (sidebar WOW! What kind of monitor you run that on? Big screen HDTV? ) since my own monitor will only go up to 1280x1024. But this has no effect on the actual game itself, only the intro screen.

It's not the simple matter that you suppose to make the game handle the larger screen. If it had been written that way to begin with, perhaps, but all of the visual game elements in Se4 are bitmap files. There are two sets of game screen elements to handle either 800x600 or 1024x768 size desktops. Changing that at this point would require either a extensive rewrite, or creating a whole lot more bitmaps. Neither is going to happen since we have most likely seen the Last patch for SEIV.

SE5 will use 3d rendered graphic elements, and I expect will be coded to handle the larger resolutions.

[Thufir]

geoschmo said:
Short answer: No it doesn't, and no it won't.
...

It's not the simple matter that you suppose to make the game handle the larger screen.
...

That's too bad.

I'm not suggesting that SEIV be extended to support new resolutions, I'm sure that would be a lot of work to add in support for additional resolutions. And, yes what I am suggesting is a simple matter.

What I am suggesting is that the game itself use the user's preference (either 800x600 or 1024x768) and set the video mode on startup. It's been a while since I wrote DirectX/DirectDraw code, but Last I checked this was one line of code (ok, so in the years that have intervened since I Last coded DirectX, maybe complexity has doubled - resulting in all of two lines of code). No new bitmaps, no new resolution support is required.

Anyhow, be that as it may, if anyone out there has successfully implemented the batch files, I'd love to get a pointer on what I've done wrong.

[Thermodyne]

I like to run it from a 1024x768 window on a 1600x1024 desktop.

http://Groups.msn.com/ThermodynesPla...oto&PhotoID=33

[Phoenix-D]

The thing is SE4 doesn't -use- DirectDraw. Or DirectX for that matter..Starfury does, and as you say it supports changing resolution on startup.

[Thufir]

Phoenix-D said:
The thing is SE4 doesn't -use- DirectDraw. Or DirectX for that matter..Starfury does, and as you say it supports changing resolution on startup.

Hard for me to imagine, but obviously must be true. I certainly have noticed that Starfury has the feature I am looking for.

Anyhow FWIW, I've found a batch file that does work on Windows XP, although at least with the demo, it still borks my desktop. The real game should arrive early next week, and I still have hopes I can make it work with the real game, while leaving my desktop clean.

Here's the reference where I found my batch file, it also requires downloading and installing a freeware program called Multires. Multires' purpose in life is to replace the functionality of deskcp16.dll (referenced in the original post), which apparently is only available in some Versions of Windows 9x.

Batch File:
http://jeffwalso.tripod.com/batch.htm
Company that provides Multires:
http://www.entechtaiwan.com

Here's my current Version of "RunSE4.bat":

"C:\Program Files\MultiRes\MultiRes.exe" /1024,768,32 /exit
se4.exe
"C:\Program Files\MultiRes\MultiRes.exe" /restore
pause


Edit:
Added Entech link
Corrected batch script (needs the "pause" at the end)

[AMF]

One possible workaround might be to use two monitors? I have three hooked up to my Xp machine, and each can use different resolutions, I generally have SE4 going on one, and have other stuff on the other two...with an open PCI slot it's quite easy to add a monitor (that is, if you have an extra monitor...)

EDIT: clipped extraneous quotes