Widescreen Gaming Forum

==Game Information==

Infiltrate terrorists' positions, acquire critical intelligence by any means necessary, execute with extreme prejudice, and exit without a trace. In Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, you are Sam Fisher, a highly trained secret operative of the NSA's secret arm: Third Echelon. Suit up with the latest classified field operative gear and weapons as you travel through diverse mission objectives. The world's future is in your hands, as cyber terrorism and international tensions are about to explode into WWIII.


==Version==
Retail version with Patch v1.2b applied



==Method==

You need to edit the SplinterCellUser.ini file. The location of this file will depend on operating system. There is a SplinterCellUser.ini located in the install directory as well, but changes to this file, at least in Vista, are ineffective. The Windows Vista file path is as follows.

C:Users*username*AppDataLocalVirtualStoreProgram Files (x86)*if your Vista is 64 bit*Ubi SoftSplinter Cellsystem

The AppData folder is hidden by default. Make sure you set your view options so that hidden and system files are shown.

Open up the SplinterCellUser.ini file and you will see this section near the top.

[Engine.PlayerController]
DesiredFOV=75
DefaultFOV=75

Change both the desired and default FOV values to correspond with the Aspect Ratio you are using. This setting does nothing for gameplay, it only affects engine-rendered cut-scenes.

16:9 - 93
16:10 - 86

These numbers were obtained with FOVCalc and rounded up. Based on a FOV value of 75 for 4:3.

The last section of the file is where you will change the resolution.

[Engine.EPCGameOptions]
Resolution=640x480 <- Set any resolution you want here.


==Screen change==

Gameplay is VERT-, regardless of your FOV setting.

4:3 gameplay screenshot - 1280x960 FOV 75(Default):


16:10 gameplay screenshot - 1680x1050 FOV 90:


16:9 gameplay screenshot - 1360x768 FOV 100:



==Supported resolutions==

All tested widescreen resolutions worked.

List of widescreen resolutions the game successfully ran at:

1280x720
1280x768
1280x800
1360x768
1680x1058

List of widescreen resolutions that were not tested:

1440x900
1920x1080
1920z1200

List of widescreen resolutions the game fails to run at:

None Found


==Singleplayer anomalies==

The mouse pointer does not line up with the numbers on keypad locks.


All 2D screens stretch. Op Sat stretches.


==Multiplayer support==

Splinter Cell is single player only.


==Aspect ratio support==

Full aspect ratio support. 16:9 is Vert- compared to 16:10

16:10 gameplay screenshot:


16:9 gameplay screenshot:


==HUD stretch==

HUD Stretches

Can be seen in existing screenshots.


==Cut-scenes==

Both FMV and engine-rendered cut-scenes are found in Splinter Cell.

FMV cut-scenes are in Bink video format and are diplayed full screen @ 640x480 regardless of in-game or .ini edit resolution setting. This happens in ALL aspect ratios.

4:3 FMV screenshot: 1280x960


16:10 FMV screenshot: 1680x1050


Engine-rendered cut-scenes are Hor+ or Vert- depending on the FOV value you entered. This is the only element I found to be affected by changing the FOV values.

4:3 Rendered cut-scene screenshot: 1280x960 FOV=75


16:10 Rendered cut-scene screenshot: 1680x1050 FOV=86


16:10 Rendered cut-scene screenshot: 1680x1050 FOV=90


16:9 Rendered cut-scene screenshot: 1360x768 FOV=100



==Grading==

Calculated grade: C+

Major unresolved issues: None
Minor unresolved issues: None

Summary of widescreen-related issues:
Vert - gameplay
Keypad UI misalignment bug
.ini solution
HUD stretch
2D screens stretch
Letterboxed cut-scenes run at a fixed 4:3 resolution

Cranky's coverage estimate: 99.5%

It's most odd that FOV affects the cut-scenes, but not the gameplay. One question - of the widescreen resolutions you tested, which ones are *not* supported natively? Or are all of them supported natively? Basically what I'm trying to find out here is if the .ini hack is actually necessary, or if it's only useful for getting the cut-scenes to be hor +.

Also, what is, IYO, the *worst* singleplayer anomaly? And would you say it's major or minor? An example of a major anomaly would be a frequently used gameplay mode or camera angle becoming vert - in a game that is otherwise hor +, or stretched in a game that is normally not stretched. An example of a minor anomaly would be a static 2D screen that doesn't really benefit from correct proportions getting stretched.

No widescreen resolutions were natively supported. Only 4:3 and 5:4 were selectable from the game menu. The .ini resolution hack is required for widescreen, but the FOV setting only changes cut-scenes. I also found this to be very odd, but tested it extensively with consistent results. Nothing I did resulted in hor+ gameplay, but changing FOV works on the cut-scenes.

The worst SP anomaly would be the keypad issue. When in a tight spot, with little time to work with, having to move the mouse around until the button lights up could be fatal. You can see in the screenshot that button 4 is illuminated, and the pointer is far to the left of it, but that is where you would have to click to enter 4 on the keypad.

When in a tight spot, with little time to work with, having to move the mouse around until the button lights up could be fatal.

Yeah, I guess something that's potentially fatal should be classified as "major" (as in something worse than a cosmetic bug). Are these keypads common in the game, or is it more like one or two time appearance? In the meantime, I'll assume they're fairly common, and I'll grade the game as if this is a major anomaly, unless you disagree with this classification. It shouldn't make that big a difference in the game's grade, as the main grade killer is vert - gameplay.

Also, I just noticed something about the cut-scene shots. Your first two cut-scene screenshots are both labeled "FOV=75," but the second one is almost perfectly hor +. Is the FOV in that one actually 86? And the other two screenshots have FOVs that are too high for the aspect ratio.

My last comment before I get to the grading is that I recommend mentioning in the method section that the FOV increasing only affects the cut-scenes, and will not result in hor + gameplay. In fact, I'd also re-iterate it in the screen change section by having the first line say something like:
"Gameplay is VERT-, independent of your FOV"


==Grading==

Calculated grade: C+

Major unresolved issues: None
Minor unresolved issues: None

Summary of widescreen-related issues:
Vert - gameplay
Keypad UI misalignment bug
.ini solution
HUD stretch
2D screens stretch
Letterboxed cut-scenes run at a fixed 4:3 resolution

Cranky's coverage estimate: 99.5%

Yes, I would agree that the keypad misalignment is a major flaw, They're all over the place in the game.

You're right about the cut-scene, it should say FOV=86, not FOV=75. Fixed it. I put in higher numbers for the screens to better demonstrate the change made, but listed the correct numbers in the method.

I'll edit in the grading information and corrections/additions.

I put in higher numbers for the screens to better demonstrate the change made,

For future reference, I would advise not doing that. Showing the effects of FOV settings that are too high doesn't really help readers better understand how the game behaves in widescreen, and could potentially be confusing.

Point taken. I'm still playing the game, I had almost forgotten how good it is. I'll nab some more screens at the correct FOV and fix this report up over the weekend probably.

Updated grading:

==Grading==

Calculated grade: C
Potential grade: C+

Major unresolved issues:
None

Minor unresolved issues:
Are 1440x900, 1920x1080, and 1920x1200 supported?

Summary of widescreen-related issues:
Vert - gameplay
Keypad UI misalignment bug
.ini solution
HUD stretch
2D screens stretch
Letterboxed cut-scenes run at a fixed 4:3 resolution

Cranky's coverage estimate: 99.5%

In XP the "SplinterCellUser.ini" that works is in the *game root*system directory.

All resolutions have been confirmed.

The game is actually Hor + with the DR method but a new profile must be created after the fov changes.