Civ IV

[Komoto]

Except it doesn't support 1280x720, and 1280x768 cuts off UI elements and is unplayable, even in my Sammy's "PC Mode" which eliminates overscan. It cuts off half of the bottom UI, which is crucial to gameplay.

So...we still need a hack. I can ~only~ play in 1024x768, stretched. All other resolutions push info off the screen.

Boo. :evil:

[Komoto]

Nobody else with this problem? Where's the 720p love? :P

[Komoto]

La la la...not SOLVED...la la la.

[skipclarke]

Have you tried editing CivilizationIV.ini in "My DocumentsMy GamesCivilization 4"?

There's this section for custom height&width:

;
ScreenHeight = 0

; Custom Screen Resolution, ex: 1200x1200 - Normal resolutions can be set in-game and will be used when both values are set to 0
ScreenWidth = 0

[Komoto]

Blah, I got lazy and didn't look :shock:

I'll check it when I get home tonight, thanks. The resolution was really my only gripe about the game (ok, maybe the huge terra world isn't as huge as a huge civIII world). Great game.

[sushifx]

Well thanks it workes perfectly fine on my dual dell 2405fpw.
The top and bottom is getting cut off real bad, so i will stick to the standard one monitor widescreen

http://www.sushifx.com/pics/civ_wide.jpg

3820 x 1200

PS Mod Edit: Made the super-wide pic a link. :)

[Renkai]

sushifx how did you get that 3820X1200 res? I have a Dell 2405 and will be picking up Civ IV soon ...

[ShadedNine]

There's no built in support at all for 720p.

Yes, you can specify all sorts of useful and wacky resolutions in the game's config.ini, but there's an unlisted limitation on that: you can't specify a vertical resolution lower than 786. Well, you can, nothing will stop you from editing that text, but the game just ignores it and runs at your last setting.

I did a fair bit of testing...anything above 768 and you're fine (or you're looking at nonsense because you chose something your monitor can't support (I assume there's a horizontal limit too, but who cares). Even 800x600 is impossible.

I'm still on the lookout for some way to run it at 720p. My projector won't display anything higher in 16:9 (even other 16:9 resolutions just get squished into 4:3), and I lack a hardware scaler.

[Komoto]

Yes, you can specify all sorts of useful and wacky resolutions in the game's config.ini, but there's an unlisted limitation on that: you can't specify a vertical resolution lower than 786. Well, you can, nothing will stop you from editing that text, but the game just ignores it and runs at your last setting.

I can confirm this. :evil: Boo Firaxis.

[sushifx]

sushifx how did you get that 3820X1200 res? I have a Dell 2405 and will be picking up Civ IV soon ...

I have 2x the 2405fpw monitor and set up windows to use both as a single monitor
(horizontal stretch) and then editet the .ini to play the game in the 3850x1200 res

[FireHawkX]

yeah nothing for 720p sucks...

i can do 1776x1000 but its WAYYY too small on a 50i tv.... so cant really play a game that needs reading! :P

my "native" 720p is 1152x648 and 648 is lower than 768 so i couldnt find a way to do it... IF anyone find a fix please post it!!!! :)

[Paradigm Shifter]

Well, when I thought to myself, "Civ IV will suck my life away..." I was right. I was merrily dominating the world ;) in the game most of yesterday... until the fecking thing crashed, anyway. :evil:

It's a lot slower than II or III, and it tends to sit and 'think' more... maybe I'm just not playing it on a good enough PC... :(

I do like the new Diplomacy system, though. :D And the redone tech tree...

[Komoto]

I'm getting good at guessing where the buttons are that aren't displayed at the bottom of my 1280x720 display. This game has let me down, big time.

Good game, other than the whole bit about half the UI being hidden.

[Komoto]

Btw, I emailed Take2 support about the lack of 720p support on 11/8, referenced this thread, and have yet to hear back from them (beyond the "Sorry, we're too busy to answer a paying customer" form email).

If it wasn't a great game, it'd be back on EB's shelf.

[Komoto]

Oops, I guess Take2 support won't be seeing this thread after all, lol.

[Komoto]

Hell, looks like they didn't even read my email. Three weeks later, I jsut got this in the email:

Dear Sir/Madam

Thank you for contacting Take 2 Technical Support.
In order to fully troubleshoot the problem that you are having please try
the steps below:

1. Delete all temporary files from your system.
Navigate to C:WindowsTemp and delete all files in this folder.
Navigate to C:Documents and Settings*Your User Name*Local SettingsTemp
and delete all the files in this folder.
You may need to turn on the ability to view hidden files and folders to do
this. To do so, double click My Computer, then click Tools and Options.
Then click View and select the option to view all hidden files.
Then reboot and try the game again.

2. Close down all background tasks.
To do this click Start, then Run, then type MSCONFIG and click OK. From
there click on the tab marked startup.
For Windows XP users click the button marked as Disable All, then click
Apply and Close.
For Non Windows XP users, please remove the ticks from all of the boxes
apart from the below four and then click Apply and close.
LoadPowerProfile
ScanRegistry
SystemTray
TaskMonitor
Once this has been done, please reboot the computer and then try the game
again.

3. Reinstalling the game.
Please uninstall the game, then delete the folder that is left behind. Then
reboot the computer, reinstall the game and reboot again. Then install any
patches that are available for the game, reboot the computer and then try
the game again.

4. Run a thorough Scandisk and Defrag on your computer.
>From the Start menu please select and run a thorough Scandisk of your
computer's hard disk drive. Then run the Defrag option from the same menu.
Then reboot and try the game again.

5. Update your drivers.
Please ensure that you have downloaded and installed the latest drivers for
your video and sound cards available from the website of the card
manufacturer. Then reboot and try the game again.
If all of the above have not resolved your situation then please reply back
to this e-mail attaching the information from the DirectX Diagnostic Tool.
To do this click Start then Run and type DXDIAG then click OK. From there
select the button marked as Save All Information and save the text file it
creates. Then attach that file to the e-mail and send it to us.






Please be sure to delete all previous correspondence when replying. This
will help us to process your response in a more timely and efficient manner.

Kind Regards,
Take 2 Technical Support

Useless garbage tech support. I haven't heard from Firaxis, either, so I assume the official answer on 720p support is "Thanks for the money, sucker."

[Komoto]

(Can a mod remove that crazy wide image and put it in as a link instead? Thanks!)

[Paradigm Shifter]

Done, Komoto. :)

I don't even bother with tech support any longer - unless I need an RMA, at least. Generally, by the time I'm desperate enough to call or e-mail tech support, I've done everything they can suggest, along with a lot of things that the staff wouldn't have a clue about.

I love those automated e-mails, though... :roll:

[Komoto]

Thanks. I'll update this thread if I get any /real/ news on the issue. Looks like I'm screwed for now...but Firaxis is a great dev house, there is some possibility of a response or maybe even a patch.

[Komoto]

Looks like 720p users are officially screwed:

Dear Sir/Madam

Thank you for contacting Take 2 Technical Support.

Custom resolutions are not supported by the game, and can cause unexpected
results if you were to change these settings. My only advice is to use
supported resolutions.




Please be sure to delete all previous correspondence when replying. This
will help us to process your response in a more timely and efficient manner.

Kind Regards,
Take 2 Technical Support

Hey, who needs the UI at the bottom, anyway?