All the benefits of Windowed & Fullscreen mode combined

[RightDeve]

TL;DR = This thread is for players who want to play in Fullscreen mode without the annoyances & problems typically found in the fullscreen mode. This method simply uses a very simple & lightweight software, called "Borderless Gaming" that can be found in this link:
(https://github.com/Codeusa/Borderless-Gaming/releases)

If you're experienced with using Computers & Windows, you don't need to really read the thread through, just download the small program and I bet you'll know what to do.



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BENEFITS:

1. You'll be running the game in fullscreen mode, fully immersed in a single screen. This is especially beautiful if you run the game on your full desktop resolution (CD version).

2. You won't tax your machine heavily or encounter errors that are so prevalent in "real" fullscreen mode, because technically you're still running the game in Windowed mode. (those errors include some lagging when interacting with the game, high CPU usage, distorted aspect ratio, distorted color palette, etc).

3. No need to mess up basic Windows services, such as killing & restarting "Explorer.exe", or changing your Windows desktop theme, resolution, etc.

4. Smooth scrolling all the way without the need to nitpick your mouse pointer position on the edge of the screen. Some users reported that when in Windowed mode, they have to carefully place the pointer at the edge of screen just to scroll the map. If they move it too fast, the scrolling will stop. Some people experience this, some not (I do), maybe it has something to do with the LCD resolution.

5. Normal screenshot possible, no need to use any hack/tricks. Simply press the Printscreen button and paste your image on programs such as Ms. Paint.

6. Multitasking & Alt-tabbing possible. When you want to temporarily go to Desktop, simply press the Windows button on your keyboard. You can also start other programs after you have launched the game, unlike when you kill Explorer.exe.

7. No screen area being clipped, you'll see the entire game interface perfectly as a whole. Because even in normal Windowed mode, sometimes the bottom game area (where units status are shown such as suppression, damage, etc) is clipped and hidden by the Windows taskbar.



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HOW TO:

1. Simply download "Borderless Gaming" from its official website at:
https://github.com/Codeusa/Borderless-Gaming/releases
No installation necessary if you're using version 7.5 or older, simply extract the zipped file and run the program.

2. Once the program is run, it will reside on the tray area (the small icons area on the lower right corner of Windows taskbar, right next to the Date/Time). Double click the program icon there to open the interface.

3. Launch WinSPMBT in windowed mode, NOT fullscreen mode. (If you're using CD version, better set it to "Desktop resolution").

4. While WinSPMBT is still running, open the Borderless Gaming interface (as described before). There you will see a list of programs currently running in Windows.

Simply select WinSPMBT from the list on the left (Processes), and then click the right-arrow button to move it to the right side (Favorites).

5. You may want to repeat step #4 for WinSPWW2 as well. Or better yet, for the Extended Map Editor too: simply launch the Extended Map Editor (CamoMapEdit) from the game launcher program, and do step #4 again.

6. Now, make sure "Borderless Gaming" is launched automatically when Windows starts, so you don't have to start the program manually when you want to play Steel Panthers. Simply open the program interface again, and check the "Run On Startup" as you can see below:

7. For even more convenience, you may want to disable Windows notifications for Borderless Gaming. Go to Windows Control Panel, and choose Notification Area Settings. Look for "Borderless Gaming" on the list, and change its setting to "Hide icon and notifications". Press OK.

Everything's set up perfectly, you don't need to do the steps anymore. Now whenever you want to play Steel Panthers, just launch the game as usual, and it will automatically transform into fullscreen mode with all the benefits of a windowed mode.



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NOTES:

1. You can now set your "Map Scroll Sensitivity Zone" to a mere 1 Pixel, so you don't waste game screen space at all for scrolling trigger. See screenshot below:

2. The only caveat of this "Borderless Gaming" method is for people who use fullscreen mode as a "zooming" trick (essentially "stretching" a lower resolution to fill the entire screen so the interface looks a lot bigger), because this method simply "removes" the windowed borders and not stretching the resolution whatsoever. So, this method is perfect for CD owners (larger resolutions).

3. Since Andy & Don declared that fullscreen mode is no longer supported officially, maybe incorporating this method as a default fullscreen method in future releases will be a good idea? Maybe collaborating with the developers of "Borderless Gaming" to create an automated setup workflow for Steel Panthers? Just my 2 cents...





RD

[DRG]

Interesting......I'll look into this over the summer and we'll see how others view this

[Suhiir]

I'm currently running fullscreen on Windows 10 (64 bit), DirectX 12, GTX 970 and haven't had a problem myself.

But I know in the past I've had issues.

[Imp]

Originally Posted by Suhiir

I'm currently running fullscreen on Windows 10 (64 bit), DirectX 12, GTX 970 and haven't had a problem myself.

But I know in the past I've had issues.

Yes strange for once I will give Microsoft a thumbs up, windows 10 backwards compatibility is excellent it seems to run most older programs better than the operating system they were designed for!!

[RightDeve]

The only drawback is for people who use fullscreen mode as a "zooming" trick (essentially "stretching" a lower resolution to fill the entire screen so the interface looks a lot bigger), because this method simply "removes" the windowed borders and not stretching the resolution whatsoever. So, this method is perfect for CD owners (larger resolutions).

PS:

-added some info regarding the normal windowed mode area being clipped a little on the bottom by the Windows taskbar (in my case, when Windowed resolution is set to Desktop).

-i've been promoting & complimenting windows 10 myself but never had the will to upgrade .

[Warhero]

Hmm what's a difference between DXWnd and this Borderless?

[RightDeve]

Actually never heard of DXWnd, but upon quick googling it seems DXWnd is used for the opposite of Borderless Gaming, i.e forcing a normally fullscreen game into a windowed mode.

Since you can already run SP in normal windowed mode alright without the need for hacks/tricks, I see no point in using DXWnd.

[DRG]

I can see that anyone who doesn't like having the taskbar showing while playing and normally has trouble with fullscreen mode on there computer for whatever reason would find this very helpful. It seems to do exactly what it sets out to do and the game runs smoothly. Anyone who is having trouble running in fullscreen and prefers it should give this a try

I , on the other hand, want and need access to the rest of my computers programs while the game is running so having the taskbar active is a big plus for me and why I've loved full windowed mode ever since Andy coded it

Don

[RightDeve]

Yes indeed. My primary reason for using this program is because the problem with map scrolling in the Windowed mode (jerkiness, start/stop scrolling), as described in point no. 4 (Benefits section).

As for multitasking, I've made it a habit to utilize Alt + Tab (or even Windows key + Tab), along with pressing the Windows key to go to desktop, so there's little problem for me there.

[zovs66]

Many thanks to RightDeve, this Boardless Gaming app is awesome. I just fired up SPWW2 in normal windows mode and then use the app to make it full screen. It gives my old eyes a nice relief and it looks fantastic being in full screen (fake) mode.

Totally cool!!!