No AGS-Game plays on my DELL-Laptop

[antineff]

Hi everybody!

I have an obviously quite special problem with playing AGS-Games on my Hardware. I can start an AGS game, but the screen stays black. I tried it also in windowed mode. The result is the same. Only if I move the window around, the game becomes visible. But not playable, since it is not possible to get the mouse cursor catched by the game window. And if I stop moving the window, the scene freezes.

I hope now that someone knows that issue with certain hardware. Here is what I have:

Laptop DELL Latitude D610
Intel Pentium M (Centrino) 1,73 GHz
RAM 1 GB, 795 MHz

Graphics:
Mobile Intel 915GM/GMS, 910GML Express Chipset Family
Driver: 6.14.10.4693 (latest, although of 15.09.2006)

OS:
XP-Prof. SP2

If somebody needs more specific information about that computer, please ask!

Thanks for help!

[Khris]

Try updating to latest DirectX, SP3 & latest .NET.

[antineff]

As it sometimes is, promptly after writing the problem down I found out something to give you new information about that issue:

I'm working with that laptop via a docking station using a seperate screen as the main monitor. When I open my laptop and use both screens in dual mode, the games still don't work on the main screen, but they run perfectly on the laptop screen as secondary monitor.

So I'm very glad I found that workaround, but I'm still interested in an explanation, why the games don't run on the main monitor

[antineff]

@KhrisMUC: Well, the problem exists for quite a long time. I guess, there was no SP3 when it occured first, but there were running AGS-Games on other computers (on my home machine as well). But since I needed a laptop for developing my game (with AGS 2.72!) and I had to replace it in 2006 my work stagnated.

So I tried to make a new attempt now and found out by accident, that I can display the games on the native Laptop monitor, which I never used before.

So I guess, the reason for the prob must be buried somewhere else...

[OneDollar]

Can you run games when you're using the laptop off the docking station? What happens if you start a game in windowed mode in dual screens and move it onto the external monitor? I use a D620 on a docking station for work and I can play AGS games fine, though I've never used only the external monitor, always dual screens or just the laptop.

[antineff]

Games work fine on the laptop monitor. As soon as I move them onto the primary (external) monitor the problem occurs. And it is a DELL as well, which makes me think there should be no compatibility issues. Maybe it has something to do with the graphics chipset and how graphics are transmittet to the external monitor. But I don't know how...

[Electroshokker]

I suspect you're trying to play games which are made in a resolution your screen/graphics card doesn't support (hence the black screen).

AGS games are usually made in low-res (320x200, 320x240, 640x400, 640x800), but you can scale the resolution up using the ags setup utility (agssetup.exe) or manually changing the game's configuration file.

I'm not sure from what version the filters are supported, though. (just try the setup exe and set it to different filters, then test the result)