Widescreen Gaming Forum

Good work Voodooman, that really does work great.

Anyway, I was actually revisiting this thread just to mention that I purchased the recently ported Ninja Blade from Gamersgate. It's developed by ND Games who did Dark Sector as well.

I'm happy to say that this port is very well done in comparison to DS. Lots more graphic options, an in-game fps counter, ability to toggle a locked framerate, shadows, anti-aliasing, vertical sync etc. No stretching issues either, widescreen resolutions appear to be fully supported.

Game is very fun as well, I'd recommend it to anyone who likes hack n slash games.

Good to know their newer port is better, but damn... why can't they make a quick patch for this travesty?

I created an account here just to thank you all for helping me. I run a widescreen setup with 1920X1080 native resolution, and I gave up on Dark Sector a while ago, until I found this thread yesterday.

With the instructions I have received on this thread, plus Theme instructions from Vishal, plus a few of my own trial-and-error adjustments, here is a screenshot -- windowframe almost visually non-existant. Here is a complete How-To!



Sorry for the bad image quality, it's the only site i know of that can host full size pics. Check the properties, this is 1920X1080 so what you see is whats on the screen -- I didnt trim these images. The top bar of the window is cut off because of custom move (check steps 8-9)








So here's how, for those running a 1920x1080 setup (or any 16:9 just plug in your numbers)

One thing to warn you, I use a vista build. If you are using XP or Win7, the process to change the Theme might be easier. If you have a higher Vista Build than "Home" version, you can change to a 3rd party Theme without steps 2 -4.

1. After making a backup (I just copy and paste and rename to "[orig]filename.xxx") open your Editor.cfg and alter the X and Y variables. Here is a copy of my Editor.cfg file

+version=3

[CacheCfg,/Types/CacheCfg]

[MRU,/Types/RecentDatabase]
HistorySize=16
Tables={
{
typeName=Scene
items={
/Levels/Mission01/Scene1Cinematic.scene,
/Levels/Mission02/Market.scene,
/Levels/Mission02/Start.scene,
/Levels/Mission01/Escape.scene,
/Levels/Mission01/Start.scene
}
}
}

[MainDarkitect,/Editor/WinRect]
SizeX=1920
SizeY=1080

[MainGameFullScreen,/Editor/WinRect]
SizeX=1920
SizeY=1080

[MainGameWindowed,/Editor/WinRect]
PosY=17
SizeX=1920
SizeY=1064

[PhysicsDebugRenderOptions,/Types/DebugRenderOptions]

Then save the file in its original location.

2. Similar to step 1, backup DS.cfg, then add the following line above resolution lines

Graphics.FullScreen=0

3. Download Vishal's "Vista Black Theme" here -- http://www.askvg.com/vista-black-theme-for-windows-vista/

4. Follow the instructions for GLAZZ here (easy) http://www.askvg.com/how-to-install-and-use-3rd-party-themes-in-windows-vista/

5. Switch to the black theme. What I did was open up Control Panel -> Personalize -> Theme -> Select "Vista Black" from dropdown menu -> Save As -> save to desktop So anytime I just open that THEME file from my desktop and I can switch around, instead of going to Personalize

6. Set taskbar to autohide and untick the "keep taskbar on top of other windows" item

7. Open Dark Sector, make sure size is good.

8. Right-click top window frame, select "Move"

9. Press arrow keys to adjust frame position so that no visual borders are visible on the laft, right, or bottom

10. Quit Dark Sector


Now you're set! DS should save frame position in Editor.cfg, so there will probably be those extra PosX and PosY lines. But thats fine!This is a one-time thing, you won't have to do all this every time you want to play Dark Sector. However, every time you launch DS, you're gonna have to switch to the Vista Black theme, but since we have a shortcut on the desktop thats no problem.

Again, thanks to everyone on this thread, most of the above instructions were all you guys. I just wanted to kinda wrap it up and help people find the most non-intrusive window as possible... It looks pretty seamless, aside from the window name and max/min/close buttons.

My normal window is black, so with the task bar minimized and the game maximized it looked good enough for me. Thanks for posting a more in-depth guide though, some really cool information.

I will update the DR at some point with the Windowed-mode solution so people don't have to read the whole thread. It's still vert- though, this just removes the stretch.

Thanks mesaone! :onethumb

But, what happened to step 4? ... :P

I wish they'd just patch this game, as I thought it showed a smidgen of potential :(

_________________
Formerly eZ`

Follow me on twitter: @theg00seberry and find me on Steam

oops! I numbered em wrong. AND i forgot to put in the most important part -- voodooman's "Graphics.FullScreen=0" line to DS.cfg

I will update original post to reflect.

It's still vert- though, this just removes the stretch.

do you mean that some of the game is cut off, vertically? Yeah, but according to my editor.cfg which automatically adjusted my SizeY line after I opened the game, it's only cut off by 16/1080


I havent tried turning Desktop Composition off while running this game in windowed mode, but I have a feeling that it might give a tiny performance boost. As it is though, I have V-Sync on, game runs at 60+FPS, but slows sometimes to as low as 40fps. I will try again with AF turned down/off.... But thats neither here nor there


@eZ, yeah i wish they would to. I've had pretty good success talking to a dev at Aspyr about Dreamkiller, but I think Aspyr is just the publisher of DS and it's been out since... What, March? I have played both 360 and PS3 versions of this, and even with the workarounds it looks alot better -- theres no way I know of to get rid of screen tearing on the consoles. Really it shouldnt be an issue with a newer TV (120 Hz refresh or something like that) but it is.

I just meant the game has a Vert- widescreen method, it has nothing to do with the windowed mode solution. The game cuts off the top and bottom to fit a widescreen image... before it stretched as well, in a window it does not, but is still Vert-.

Still, it looks fine in widescreen and being a console game first it was almost surely designed around 16:9 and then opened up for other resolutions.

Good work Voodooman, that really does work great.

Anyway, I was actually revisiting this thread just to mention that I purchased the recently ported Ninja Blade from Gamersgate. It's developed by ND Games who did Dark Sector as well.

I'm happy to say that this port is very well done in comparison to DS. Lots more graphic options, an in-game fps counter, ability to toggle a locked framerate, shadows, anti-aliasing, vertical sync etc. No stretching issues either, widescreen resolutions appear to be fully supported.

Game is very fun as well, I'd recommend it to anyone who likes hack n slash games.

Few years ago i worked at Nd games and still having comunication with my ex-co-workers and just frineds dispite the fact im working at rival company, and i can tell you for sure - Nd is just a publisher of both games, not developer.
Ninja Blade was developed by From software, and Dark Sector was developed by Digital Extremes, pc port of DS was actualy a big mystery - Aspyr guys keep talking that ND did port, but ND guys keep talking that its port made by Aspyr, but truth is in a middle - most of clues it was just outsource company that did that port for ND, name dont know, or this outsource was Aspyre wich is know for shitty ports and just dont want to lower their reputation by another fucked port.
Funny thing - ND's QA Chief told me that pc porters of Dark Sector are biggest idiots he ever talked (and quallity of port idicate that, lol)
As for Ninja Blade for pc, it was published by ND but again it wasnt ported by ND, didnt asked about that by seems port was performed by From Software (original developers) or some outsource company again.

Problem is - ND never had any console development devision (exept Nintendo one, with lot of blue "Nitro" inside, they developed Nintendo DS games), as well as it does not have it's own development studio. Earlier ND have had Psyhocrafts as insider developer, but those guys didnt worked effective and this studio was terminated/ Since that moment only testing and localisation development is goin on in that office (well some 3 party indie devs going under wing of ND for while and sitting in that office, like that guys who did "The Void" game).

Btw why my fix still not here http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=155379 ?

pc port of DS was actualy a big mystery - Aspyr guys keep talking that ND did port, but ND guys keep talking that its port made by Aspyr, but truth is in a middle - most of clues it was just outsource company that did that port for ND, name dont know, or this outsource was Aspyre wich is know for shitty ports and just dont want to lower their reputation by another fucked port.

Interesting.

I contacted Aspyr support 3 times to complain and ask about whether they'd be fixing the widescreen problem; the first two times they tried to blame the problem on the hardware or the OS like they were doing with everyone else. Then after they could no longer deny that it was a universal problem, they said that they sent the bug report to "1C".

I didn't know what the heck "1C" was until I looked it up. Apparently they're another Russian developer publisher: http://games.1c.ru/
Maybe they're the real developer of Dark Sector? Or maybe Aspyr was just getting their Russian publishers mixed up.

1C is pretty well known, they port a lot of russian games over and in my experience do a MUCH better job than Aspyr. Of course they are probably working with better Russian developed games.