Battlefield 2 Widescreen - Definitive Discussion Thread

buckZor · Post by **buckZor** » 15 Jul 2005, 16:35

I have tried the shortcut change hack to force 1900x1200 and am still only seeing the 1600x1200 option within the game. Will the game not reflect the change? How do I tell for certain what rez I am running?

Post by **Paddy the Wak** » 15 Jul 2005, 16:50

Shouldn't that be 1920x1200 ... ?
The res will not show up in the game but take a screenshot by pressing Printscreen ... you should be able to assign any key to this in your keyboard settings in the game. Alternatively use Fraps ... get it here ... http://www.fraps.com/
The size of the screenshot will tell you the size the game is running at.

hope this helps ... :D

X-ray Doc · Post by **X-ray Doc** » 15 Jul 2005, 16:55

Basically, you can tell easily by the shape of the image. The menu options in game for the resolution won't change. The game will just start in the resolution you specify by +szx XXX +szy YYY. I believe your Dell has a 16:10 aspect ratio screen. If you choose 1600 x 1200 in game or by the hack, I'd expect you to see narrow black bars on both sides. That is what happens when I choose a 4:3 aspect ratio resolution for my 16:9 projector. If I use the hack to specify 16:9, the black bars disappear and I lose some top and bottom of the 3D world (not the HUD). You should also notice that the HUD circles are no longer perfect circles, but now slightly oval.

Now, I suppose it's possible that your 16:10 screen behaves differently. I don't know if Dell always stretches any resolution to fill the screen. If that is the case, perhaps an in game 1600 x 1200 and a hacked 1920 x 1200 would look the same. You might try carefully comparing the tops and bottom of a fixed view at 1600 x 1200 and then at 1920 x 1200. If your display behaves like mine, the 1920 x 1200 will definitely show less at the top and bottom.

buckZor · Post by **buckZor** » 15 Jul 2005, 17:04

ahh apologies, yes, I meant 1920 and is what I specified in the shortcut. I'll take a screenshot and open with irfanview to verify tonight. Thanks!

calibos · Post by **calibos** » 18 Jul 2005, 00:09

With the Dell 2405 all you have to do is press the front panel menu button, ie the third/middle button. Bottom of the menu will simply say 1920x1200 dvi 60hz etc when you are displaying that res. If you are running a game at 1600x1200 say, then there are 2 lines. First says 1600x1200 and underneath it'll say recommended res 1920x1200 or similar.

badkarma · Post by **badkarma** » 19 Jul 2005, 23:20

Did patch 1.02 fix the FOV?

MikSchultzy · Post by **MikSchultzy** » 20 Jul 2005, 02:42

I have added my .02 to the EA Forums.

*crosses fingers*

magik10 · Post by **magik10** » 20 Jul 2005, 22:50

Posted. We're not asking for miracles.

magik10 · Post by **magik10** » 20 Jul 2005, 22:56

Posted. We're not asking for miracles.

shill · Post by **shill** » 21 Jul 2005, 02:08

Imagine going out and buying the latest blockbusting DVD ... you get the widescreen edition for your widescreen TV ... but when you get home you find that in-fact instead of having a wider view the movie has the top and bottom cut off ...

Some movies actually have been released like this, with a 4:3 version containing areas above and below the frame that are not seen in the widescreen version. It's called an "open matte release". However, in movies, an open matte is still considered inferior to a letterbox in some cases, since you see extra things (that wouldn't be present in a video game world), such as boom microphones, or you see something before you're meant to see it (e.g. the shark in Jaws), reducing suspense. Sorry for the lecture, though. :P

ninjaq · Post by **ninjaq** » 23 Jul 2005, 18:55

I found this :

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TheRealOmegaMan · Post by **TheRealOmegaMan** » 16 Aug 2005, 20:48

Wow, how did I miss out on this never ending thread :( Still, with BF2 loaded and the .exe properties line and FOV file edited, any difference??? Maybe it's just me folks, but ...naaaa. I will be upgrading my 9800 Pro to the X850 this weekend, then we'll see. Bottom line, all this rhetoric because a lazy game maker fails to fulfill a consumer need. Wake up EA/DICE. -> I believe this is my 2nd vent on this issue.

CX.Surgeon · Post by **CX.Surgeon** » 16 Aug 2005, 22:33

First of all: Great site, great forums.
I randomly discovered this site a few months ago when I was researching which ws monitor to go for...and have checked it virtually DAILY ever since.

Part of the reason for checking so often has been the vain hope that someone will have found a way of fixing BF2's WS problems.

The FOV 'fix' mentioned above doesnt work.

I've been onto EA...who's support appear totally clueless.

So I'm happy-ish playing the amputated version...

Ben

Post by **Gilly** » 16 Aug 2005, 23:30

the lack of WS support in games just shows how keen games developers are to make money without pleasing the consumer, the poor bastards that have to play the thing. from what i have heard BF2 is still horribly buggy and full of crappy glitches, until its sorted i wont get it, and until we get some decent support a lot of people will be buying 4x3's.

i dont mean to offend anyone but the people with the WS monitors are generally more wealthy and/or want the best, and can/ do channel more money into their computer than other users. If anything this market can be targeted as these people are more likely to buy games rather than pirate them, or not get them at all. So the companies are not putting into games bits that cater for the more dedicated/ wealthy gamer, its stupid really. Having seen the pathetic FOV that you get in UT2004 i can justify a widescreen monitor but i cant justify the cost, maybe soon but not yet. FEAR is another example of this, although it is demanding on the gpu, and it is still in demo stage, so there is still hope. Steam games are some of the slowest on the uptake of new technology really, yet they have native WS support in HL2, surely EA (perhaps the largest game developer) can do the same?

Kazak4x4 · Post by **Kazak4x4** » 17 Aug 2005, 13:09

the lack of WS support in games just shows how keen games developers are to make money without pleasing the consumer, the poor bastards that have to play the thing. from what i have heard BF2 is still horribly buggy and full of crappy glitches, until its sorted i wont get it, and until we get some decent support a lot of people will be buying 4x3's.

i dont mean to offend anyone but the people with the WS monitors are generally more wealthy and/or want the best, and can/ do channel more money into their computer than other users. If anything this market can be targeted as these people are more likely to buy games rather than pirate them, or not get them at all. So the companies are not putting into games bits that cater for the more dedicated/ wealthy gamer, its stupid really. Having seen the pathetic FOV that you get in UT2004 i can justify a widescreen monitor but i cant justify the cost, maybe soon but not yet. FEAR is another example of this, although it is demanding on the gpu, and it is still in demo stage, so there is still hope. Steam games are some of the slowest on the uptake of new technology really, yet they have native WS support in HL2, surely EA (perhaps the largest game developer) can do the same?

You are the one that is suffering. WS is a wonderful thing and for folks who do use their comps for other stuff than gaming, it's great and a very welcome change. BF2 doesn't natively support WS, but that is not a reason not to get one. WS is great!

And no, people who own these are not that rich, I work full time and finishing up my full time masters degree now. At the same time I have a family and a kid, a house, a car and all the bills to go along. You just have to be smart about the purchase. I paid $380 for each of my two Dell 2405 monitors, when a regular price is $800. Search for coupons and be patient for a nice sale and you will get this awesome monitor too. http://techbargains.com and http://fatwallet.com are great sites to look for coupons and watch for sales. I use RSS feed from techbargains for up to a minute updates not to miss any sales. Hope you can snatch one or two of these honeys :)

Good Luck.

TheRealOmegaMan · Post by **TheRealOmegaMan** » 17 Aug 2005, 15:49

i donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t mean to offend anyone but the people with the WS monitors are generally more wealthy and/or want the best

Well Gilly, I more than likely fall in the "of want the best". I figured with my nice tax refund and the fact my CRT was over 5 years old, I should invest once on a good LCD. Dell had the best price and best rating (CPU, CGW). Wealthy?? I work for living for sure as a lonely IT Manager and underpaid for what I do, plus, kept my wife home with the little ones and paying for my own health insurance didn't help. No offense taken, but have to ask... Gilly, how much did that 6800 video card set you back?? Why not enjoy the output? Once a 2405 'er never will you go back :lol:

And yes HL2 is WS and for sure was awesome to view and gives us all hope.

Post by **Gilly** » 17 Aug 2005, 18:15

well the cheapest place for a 2405 is ebay and thats about Ã‚Â£650 + shipping at anywhere up to about Ã‚Â£70. I have not seen any coupons that work with UK suppliers, and i also got a decent deal for my 6800GT, it was a lot of money at the time but its fast. I can see the benefit to non gaming applications too, having a web browser open next to your work is far better than having to switch between the two. I just cant justify spending 3x as much as my graphics card cost for a monitor, yes the resolution is insane and will push my card like it was ment to run but the initial cost is really the hurting factor. If i lived in the US and had tax rebates i would purchase one, the same goes for if they are $380. unfortunately they are about 4x the cost of that normally (i have seen them at Ã‚Â£1150) and that is just stupid. They may not be a bad price for what they are but its a shame nowhere local to me can demo me one... ;)

TheRealOmegaMan · Post by **TheRealOmegaMan** » 17 Aug 2005, 18:28

Gilly,

Well, I got my 2405 at http://www.isquaredinc.com for $1000 in the Spring. Now, there around $899 on the website. But being a Brit they may not ship internationally but worth the look nonetheless. I believe that boils down to about Ã‚Â£400 on you side of the ocean. On another note, just because you don't get the WS support, still, with the FILL on the widescreen still looks awesome compared to 4:3 anyday. Plus, I have a WS TV so I'm used to shorter fatter people and things..... :lol:

Post by **Gilly** » 17 Aug 2005, 20:44

i looked on dells site, the 2005fpw is Ã‚Â£390 atm and the 2405 is nearly Ã‚Â£700 :( never mind, i will look on the site now :)

Raxor · Post by **Raxor** » 18 Aug 2005, 22:29

i must have missed something, i ended paying Ã‚Â£800 for my 2405 which arrived on monday. Worth the money though :)

Widescreen Gaming Forum