Widescreen Gaming Forum

Well that doesn't look good at all. It might be the game has a large fixed resolution list so let's try that.

First get the game running in a window so you can test without potentially losing your monitor signal.

Near the bottom you have 54 9A 99 99 3F 00 01 01 03.

What you should do is back up the file and change the 03 value in increments and see if it changes the game's resolution. So 04, 05, 06, and the like. Just select it in HxD and type over it. Then save and exit.

But for kicks, try 25 first. That is 1920x1080-32 for my game.


If that is doing nothing you can make a copy of your set file at one resolution and than change the game's resolution and compare the two files in HxD. Just open both at the same time and scroll down one block at a time by clicking on the right the scroll bar where the bar is not at. You should only have to do it two or three times before you reach the end of the file. What you are looking for is anything that changes.

Unfortunately I was not able to run this game in a window. I tried adding "-window", "-windowed", "-safe" etc to the target of the desk top shortcut and the launch options via steam.

I also had no luck when changing the number you specified. Every time I changed it the game reverted back to 800x600x32.


To get .set files with only the res altered I deleted the gta-sa.set file and launched the game. I changed only the resolution exited and cut/pasted the .set file to the desk top.

I did this with 800x600x32 and 1024x768x32. And I used the first instance these resolutions appeared in the game options.. Since they are listed twice in the video options I wanted to make it clear which ones I used.

I also did it twice with 1024x768x32 which resulted in different outcomes...which sort of threw me for a loop.

Results :
First let’s look at 800x600x32 and 1024x768x32.

800x600x32


1024x768x32



Now here are the two 1024x768x32...obtained with the exact same method. Only one change between the two...yet they are the same game settings.

1024x768x32 - The first one as seen above


1024x768x32 - The second one. You can see only one change.


I really do not know what to make of any of this.

Did you try changing the 09 value only? It went from 08 to 09 when you went from 800x600 to 1024x768 so maybe that is the value for you to try.

You could also try a reinstall if you have not already. Other than that... :?

Yeah...the value above that is "09" in the "1024x768x32" picture is the one I tried changing in intervals.

I changed it from 01 to 25 and every time it went back to the default 800x600x32 when I would start up the game after the change.

I have also re installed 3 times so far.

...I think that this is a bust.

Thanks for the help/advice everyone.

....and Happy Thanksgiving. :D

Ok so I pulled an OCD card and and started from scratch.
I deleted all local content and uninstalled steam.
I then pulled a system restore to "out of the box" status.
Updated all of my drivers manually one by one instead of letting windows 7 do it.
Installed steam and then GTA:SA
Ran the game once and then deleted the gta_sa.set file.
Ran the game again, changed nothing.
Downloaded HxD, opened the fresh gta_sa.set file.
I then found the "08" and began from "00" and changed it in increments of one up to "25".....I got a clear record below.

Fresh gta_sa.set file:


Changing of the "08" results:


This still may not change anything...but I thought I would toss it out there.

I hate to say that but what about trying another GTA:SA main executable ?
it seems to be going around in circles here...

I'm not entirely sure of what you mean.

Where would one get another GTA:SA main executable file other than the one provided from steam upon downloading and installing the game.

....or am I showing how little knowledge I have on this matter...because that is very possible. :D

He means to search for a no-cd file and see if it works with your game.

It has occured to me through a basic forum search that none of the GTA III games appear to support triplehead(prove me wrong otherwise). This leads me to the belief that the GTA III games are using a fixed resolution list. So I would give up on the set file method because I think any fixed resolution that is selected but not in the game options causes a revert to 800x600 which I guess is the default.

You could try making the set file read only but it will most likely be the same behavior.

I will look around the GTA III games and see if I can find a resoluton list.

Ok....I fiddled around a little and got 1920x1080.

I found this page:
http://www.widescreengaming.net/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto:_San_Andreas

Under "Supported Resolutions" it states that 1920x1080 can only be achieved with version 1.01.

So, with the no cd fix in mind I hunted down the only version 1.01 crack I could find..."GTA: San Andreas v1.01 [EURO] No-CD/Fixed EXE"

Downloaded, installed, and 1920x1080 was among the available res.

Unfortunately, in order for the game not to lag/chop I had to turn most of the settings down....and the picture seems to be either stretched out or smushed down.

I was even able to add the new .exe file to steam so I can launch it from there.

So...these seem to be my two options...

Version 3.0
Draw Distance - 16/16
Fame Limiter - No
Wide Screen - off
Visual FX Quality - Very High
Mip Mapping - On
Anti Aliasing - 3 (max)
Resolution - 1024x768x16 (4:3)
-The picture is proportional and super smooth

Version 1.01
Draw Distance - 8/16
Fame Limiter - No
Wide Screen - off
Visual FX Quality - Very High
Mip Mapping - On
Anti Aliasing - Off
Resolution - 1920x1080x16 (16:9)
-The picture is stretched and/or smushed and if I adjust one setting up any it starts to lag/chop

Go figure I can run doom 3 at 1080 on high settings smoothly and I have to back off the GTA:SA settings at 1080.

Anyway...

So, there you have it....I guess its s personal preference from here eh?

Maybe someone here knows of something I can do/mod with version 1.01 to get proper proportions (not so smushed) or maybe if you find a resolution list something more can be done with version 3.0.

....I'm going to go eat more turkey :D

Maybe someone here knows of something I can do/mod with version 1.01 to get proper proportions (not so smushed) or maybe if you find a resolution list something more can be done with version 3.0.

I wonder if the 3.0 version is not updated? Sad, but possible.

You can remove the stretching by toggling the widescreen option on. It forces a 16:9 aspect ratio and will remove the stretching in the 3D world.