SUGGESTION: 720p resolution

[xenogia]

I was wondering would it ever by viable to include maybe a 1280x720 resolution?

Currently I am working still on my Jonestown game (FMV game) but wanted to have 720p graphics instead of all the 4:3 choices available.

[GarageGothic]

I strongly second this. Even more so if an implementation of one of my long-time suggestions could accompany it (in brief, variable 4:3 - 16:10 viewport sizing: i.e. letterbox mode where the blank screen areas can be used for GUIs and Overlays) . Cheers.

[Divon]

I also would love the ability to design in a widescreen resolution...but as stated, there would need to be an option to play at 4:3 as well for people without widescreen monitors

[xenogia]

The only other viable option is to create the game in the Wintermute engine, but I don't particularly want to do that.

[subspark]

Well Chris did mention that he was looking to overhaul the resolution system at some point. We'll have to see what turns up on that front.
Any news from yourself Chris?

Cheers,
Paul.

[Pumaman]

AGS supports a couple of 16:10 widescreen resolutions (320x200 and 640x400), but a higher res widescreen resolution is probably overdue now. The problem is finding a standard resolution to support.

The problem with 1280x720 is that it is a 16:9 resolution, which would need to be letterboxed even on most widescreen monitors (which tend to be 16:10).

[subspark]

Well I was thinking more in line with a dynamic resolution system where you can set target resolution/s in the AGS Editor and compile to that. The room & gui editor would need to reflect these resolutions in order to support artwork and layouts for each. Again I imagine this to be a huge overhaul of the way the editor works but its something I think is ultimately going to be necessary.

Cheers,
Sparky.

[xenogia]

Thats a really good idea, or you can go with resolutions like 1280x800 and 1680x1050.

[GarageGothic]

I think letterboxing is unavoidable whatever dimensions you use since there aren't any clear standards (though 16:10 does seem to be more prevalent than 16:9, as CJ says). But I don't see this as a big deal. Most games don't use the full screen for backgrounds anyway but leave room for GUIs or text display fields.

I think it would make the most sense to choose a background resolution based on the smallest height available for that width (in this case 720), and allow the game to display it letterboxed on screens with taller aspect ratios (1280x800, 1280x960). I recently played Runaway: A Twist of Fate which has a native resolution of 1280x720, and I didn't at all mind the small black bars at the top and bottom - much better than messing up the composition of the artwork by cropping the edges of the screen or forcing every room to be scrolling just to see that extra 25% off-screen area.

My personal ideal solution would be simply to allow us to specify a resolution-dependent offset for the Viewport (where to render room background) and pad any remaining screen space with a pre-defined color (black by default). The full screen area should however still be available for GUIs and Overlays, allowing us to design different GUIs (or simply resize/reposition the same one) for different resolutions. For instance to have the full GUI on-screen at all times in 1280x960 but designing a slimmer, or possibly pop-up, GUI for 1280x720.

If the engine allowed a negative offset, it would even be possible to create a 1280x960 background that would fill the screen at all resolutions by simply cropping out the top and bottom - a vertical pan-and-scan so to speak (but since by far the majority of adventure games have horizontally oriented play areas with exits on the left and right sides of the screen, it's much easier to provide padding by showing more of the ceiling or non-interactive foreground objects than it would be to design an aesthetically pleasing background where the sides could be cropped for a 4:3 resolution).

It's currently possible to do something similar by compiling a 640x480 game at a 640x400 resolution and using SetViewport to position the background, but unfortunately running it in the reduced resolution also messes with the GUI coordinates which makes it rather unintuitive.

I don't think any of this would require the huge editor overhaul that subspark mentions, a few simple scripting commands should do the trick.

Pseudo-code example:

Code: ags

function game_start() {
   if (System.ViewportHeight == 800) {
      System.ViewPortOffsetY = -40; //this is the new offset property I suggest, not the same as SetViewPort
      gInterface800.Visible = true;
      }
   else if (System.ViewportHeight == 960) {
      System.ViewPortOffsetY = -120;
      gInterface960.Visible = true;
      }
   else (gInterface720.Visible = true);
   }

[Pumaman]

Interesting point. I'll have a think about these things once 3.2 is released.

[subspark]

Thats some nice thinking GarageGothic. An idea like yours never struck me and now I feel stoopidz.
But seriously, if designing our games for a set of target resolutions at least in the way your describing would be a big step up in the way our games could presented. Cue applause.

Sparky.

[Stacy Davidson]

This is a major issue for me, since I think it's safe to say most people are buying widescreen monitors these days, and although I *highly* applaud the black bars in 3.2 (#1 priority for me is that the artwork be presented as intended, and un-squashed), I would really like to support widescreen and the 640 size is just a bit too blocky and antiquated for my next project.  Right now I'm working in 1024x768, and although the image looks nice, I would much rather work with a widescreen composition since the game is very cinematic in nature.

A smart resolution system like GarageGothic suggested sounds like a dream solution.  I'll also throw in, I would love the option of still having the wide composition "pan & scanned" inside a square resolution viewport, as an alternative to 4:3 players having black bars.  It seems like these kinds of flexible solutions could be built into a smart resolution system like that.

Thanks!
-s

[Kasper Hviid]

I really hope widescreen will be implemented. With 4:3, 16:9 and 16:10 screen resolutions, I think it would be smartest if the designer had text boxes where he could input the width and height.

[subspark]

Well if AGS is to one day port games to iPhone/PSP then custom resolutions would be an extremely valuable feature.

Cheers,
Sparky.