First, I could use some help, then below that, I have some knowledge I've gained about TW widescreen.
I modified TW06 to run on a DLP HDTV. Problem is I cannot figure out how to get the game to run at 1080i. (as far as I can tell, tweaking the DLL file can only work with progressive scan resolutions). I think that on my old Radeon 9600 pro, I had an option for "1920x1080 30Hz (Interlaced)" under Display Properties > Settings > Advanced > Adaptor > List all modes. I can't find a 30Hz interlaced option with my new GeForce 7600GS. See, the HDTV has a VGA input, and lists 1080i as a supported mode through this input. Setting the monitor to 1080 (p) of course isn't supported. I can run 1080i if I run the game at 1080 (p i assume) and run it throught the component out, but I get an annoying "flicker" of the screen (well probably half of the horizontal lines I'm guessing "vibrating" if you will a pixel up and down whenever there is movement. Desktop, no mouse movement, looks fine. If _anything_ on the screen moves, flicker.
So, if anyone knows how to hack the game itself, or force the card itself to run 1080i by some advanced setting, please let me know. I'm hoping I didn't lose this option by not upgrading to an ATI card.
OK, now what I've learned.
If you run the game at 1280x720 (aka 720p) there are some pros and cons. A nice "pro" is that the widescreen letterboxing effect during a nice shot is gone. I'm guessing this is a 16:9 thing not exclusive to 720p. IIRC, 16:10 still had a bit of croppage. A quick change of some gamebreaker sound effect (replacing it with a silent WAV of the same format) get's rid of the sound, too.
Another "pro" is of course, it looks very sweet on large HDTV, without needing to render near as many pixels as 1080i.
WARNING: As far as I know (and I could be wrong) only DLP and NONprojection LCD TVs are immune to image burn. MEANING YOU CAN PERMANENTLY BURN IMAGES (most likely white text or a bright logo that tends to stay in one spot for a long time) INTO AN HDTV that is LCD-PROJECTION, PLASMA, CRT HDTV, OR OTHER. A note to the moderators, you might want to point this out in the regitration terms of use and/or make the info more prominent in other areas. USE an HDTV for gaming AT YOUR OWN RISK.
One downside is that the true swing analyzer is slightly cut out of view from the bottom. Unlike the rest of the HUD, this cannot be moved to compensate.
Another downside is (and I'm guessing this is NOT a widescreen problem so don't fear if you're going 1440x900 or higher, but rather simply a vertical resolution less than 800 problem) that the "options" screen during play (ie, after you've clicked tee off but before you've returned to the MAIN menu) has the buttons rendered below your monitors viewport, meaning that as your mouse cannot move below the bottom of the screen, you cannot click them. This means that if you should be unlucky enough to accidentally click options from within the menu HUD button, you will be stuck in that screen and cannot escape out of it. Meaning all progress from the last manual save game, or up to when you were in the MAIN menu, is lost. The only way I could figure to get out of it was hitting the windows key and closing the program on the taskbar, or to Ctrl+Alt+Del out. IIRC, you can view the scorecard (though not some info at the bottom) and then use the ESC key to back out. This is why I'd really like to play at an in card rendered 1080i (instead of a hasitily conversion to interlacing for component out only)
Also, I'd like to point out how (at least my experience so far seems this is the right method) to produce the 4 digit Hex number for manual resolution hacking of the DLL file.
First, pick your width. Lets say 1280. Convert that to hex (windows calculator > view > Scientific > Click DEC circle, enter number, click HEX circle. There's the starting point.
Whatever your number, ad a zero to the end of it. So, for 1280 being hex "500" that results in "5000". Now, simply take the number at the start, and put it at the end: "0005" Now, break up the first two digits from the last to: "00 05" be sure to REPLACE, (not insert) these digits over the right part of the hex file.
So, now we'll height: 720=hex "2D0" -> "2D00" -> "D002" -> "D0 02".
So, 1280 x 720 is "00 05" and "D0 02" minus, of course, the quotes.
Also, if you're creating a character to look like you, and you're menu is 4:3 (which it will be unless you change it) be sure that your monitor isn't strecthing it to fill the screen. If it is stretching it, your character will look too skinny in game, as you will compensate for the menu avatar looking "fatter" than the correctly displayed aspect ratio of the in game widescreen.
As everything I've read so far indicates that 07 is the same as 06 when it comes to widescreen, this information should still be relevant, except perhaps the true swing analyzer thing.
|