'FixResMode' is it really needed?

[manson976]

Could we not have it as an option if needed rather than being built into the modules itself??



as you can see from this example it breaks bezels in some and shrinks the screen in others..



without it it works perfect
It would take a great amount of time and confusion for new users to go through the
process of editing each and every module.

It would suggest it as an option like full-screen bezel is..

Just an idea..

 

[bleasby]

fixresmode should be forced for any emulator that does not resize the gameplay area when you resize its window.
It is the only way to have bezel support for these emus.
It makes no sense that this option cohexists with any other bezel mode on the same module, so it will never be a module option.
Basically the rule when building bezel support is: check if the emu resizes its window, and if it does if resizes the gameplay area. In that case use the normal bezel mode, and if not, use the fixresmode.

It is possible that some emus, after some update, surpass that resize limitation.
If that is the case the module should be updated to use the normal bezel mode instead (that is always preferable when is allowed).

The correct way to handle that is to the user create a new thread, showing that the emulator now supports window resize and provide an updated module for using the normal bezel mode, or ask for help on building the normal bezel mode.

 

[manson976]

Cheers for the info bleasby i find that with some emus the bezel actually sizes to the size of the window,
meaning you have a shrunken bezel in the center wrapped around the window not the other way round as intended....

So just as it seems were on this subject DOSBOX does resize...
Thanks dude

 

[bleasby]

I don't have DosBox setup and never worked on anything on the module.
I believe that brolly was the one that did it (or maybe it was djvj, I don't know).
You would need to wait for one of them to reply why they had to use the fixresmode on it instead of the normal mode, and to check if they could change it to use the bezel normal mode instead.

 

[brolly]

Thing with DOSBox is that depending on the Output and Scaler you choose the emulator window might be resizable or not, so it's not that straight forward. This would need some testing to see which ones allow resizing so it can be treated properly in the module.
If this isn't simple (as in depends on multiple combinations of the settings above) a new setting for this might actually be the best option.

 

[manson976]

Yeah I had big problems with dosbox some games worked fine bezel-ed others like 11th hour shrank into the corner of the bezel final got it working aint perfect but pretty dam close...



What a nightmare to get right...lol

Fellowship of the Ring however with the same settings attached...



Notice the bottom line of the screen nothing I try can fix it,
least it works

 

[brolly]

You'll probably need to disable aspect correction besides deleting the fixedresmode from the module. Problem is that aspect ratio varies from game to game, by removing aspect correction you should be able to make the window resize properly, but image will get a bit distorted of course. On some cases it can be even worse as resolution will change between the title screen and the actual game so you'll probably be screwed on those.

 

[djvj]

Bezels on any pc game, this includes dosbox, will always be problematic as there's no way to know what res the game will want to try to force. I suggest not using them for these systems if you come across many games that cause you issues.

 

[manson976]

My Settings..
ddraw make this difference
and hardware 3x
That's the trick and it never resizes during the menu for a mass majority of games.

 

[bleasby]

Thing with DOSBox is that depending on the Output and Scaler you choose the emulator window might be resizable or not, so it's not that straight forward. This would need some testing to see which ones allow resizing so it can be treated properly in the module.
If this isn't simple (as in depends on multiple combinations of the settings above) a new setting for this might actually be the best option.

OK, on this case maybe it makes some sense to have fixResMode and normal bezel mode as per game options.
I was thinking on terms of a normal emulator and not something like PC games that behave differently for each of them.

I see that on the module there is a windowed_Resolution option. It is possible to define the resolution of the games on dosbox prior to the game launch?
If the answer is yes, there is no need for the fixResMode at all as you could simply use the bezelScreenWidth and bezelScreenHeight variables on the module to define the game resolution prior to the game launch and use the normal bezel mode always (like it is done on many modules already like on eduke32, SuperModel,... for example).

 

[manson976]

OK, on this case maybe it makes some sense to have fixResMode and normal bezel mode as per game options.
I was thinking on terms of a normal emulator and not something like PC games that behave differently for each of them.

I see that on the module there is a windowed_Resolution option. It is possible to define the resolution of the games on dosbox prior to the game launch?
If the answer is yes, there is no need for the fixResMode at all as you could simply use the bezelScreenWidth and bezelScreenHeight variables on the module to define the game resolution prior to the game launch and use the normal bezel mode always (like it is done on many modules already like on eduke32, SuperModel,... for example).

Don't know is helpfull Brolly maybe know more..
In the DOSBOX config
fullresolution=desktop
windowresolution=1280x1024
So you can have different resolution per game..

 

[brolly]

I see that on the module there is a windowed_Resolution option. It is possible to define the resolution of the games on dosbox prior to the game launch?
If the answer is yes, there is no need for the fixResMode at all as you could simply use the bezelScreenWidth and bezelScreenHeight variables on the module to define the game resolution prior to the game launch and use the normal bezel mode always (like it is done on many modules already like on eduke32, SuperModel,... for example).

Yes, this is possible, but one problem I can already see is if the user chooses 'original' as the windowed resolution then this solution wouldn't work as you have no idea about what resolution will be used. Also there's the problem with some games where the resolution will actually change from menu to in-game.
I'll have to try and play around a bit more with the module and check manson's settings above to see if we can come up with a solution that will work for most cases. If resizing works properly all the times your solution could indeed be the better one except for the above mentioned pitfalls.

 

[bleasby]

About the original, I don't see that as a problem.
Basically, when bezel is enabled we would overwrite any user choice for that variable and replace it with the bezel calculated screen area. It doesn't need any user input for that.

The problem of the game changing res in the middle of it is indeed a problem.
A possible solution could be to add an option in those games to check the game res inside a timer, and if the window res changes we could call a bezel function to update the bezel. There would be a small delay on the bezel update because of the timer, but I don't see other alternative for this.

Anyway, as you said, we would need first if the res definition variable works for all games.

Sent from my XT1068 using Tapatalk