Widescreen Gaming Forum

Thank you, thank you a thousand times for this wonderful patch !! I didn't believe it was possible !! It works like a charm. Thank you again !

However, I found out that my wallpapers didn't display back after a gaming session : instead desktop is black. Aero does work well on the other hand. I'm using Windows 7 x64.

Hopefully I have a solution by modifying your original batch like this :

C:
cd "C:Program Files (x86)Age of Empires II"
taskkill /F /IM Explorer.exe
"age2_x1_1.0e_1440x900.exe" 1024
Start explorer.exe

By doing this, I'm not using process.exe to kill explorer.exe. Back to Windows, the whole desktop is now displaying correctly. Of course the 2nd and the 4th lines must adapt to each one's installation folder and screen size. This is why I recommend doing my modification only if you encounter the same problem as I've had, after using original batch.

[quote][quote]De bill,

With your program, it's impossible to use alt+tab

explorer.exe is in cause ?

How to switch in another program when we are in game ?

READ!!! As explained above, alt-tab is impossible while using ANY win7 color fix, because explorer.exe is either killed or suspended. Use ctrl-alt-delete to go to the task manager.
Not really true, if you use Windows Classic (not Aero) then you can just right click your desktop, click resolution and start the game with that window open. That way you can have explorer working + proper colors.

Yes, this works too, but requires this "setting" laubor around :). But works!

Thank you, thank you a thousand times for this wonderful patch !! I didn't believe it was possible !! It works like a charm. Thank you again !

However, I found out that my wallpapers didn't display back after a gaming session : instead desktop is black. Aero does work well on the other hand. I'm using Windows 7 x64.

Hopefully I have a solution by modifying your original batch like this :

C:
cd "C:Program Files (x86)Age of Empires II"
taskkill /F /IM Explorer.exe
"age2_x1_1.0e_1440x900.exe" 1024
Start explorer.exe

By doing this, I'm not using process.exe to kill explorer.exe. Back to Windows, the whole desktop is now displaying correctly. Of course the 2nd and the 4th lines must adapt to each one's installation folder and screen size. This is why I recommend doing my modification only if you encounter the same problem as I've had, after using original batch.

... or use my color FIX program instead of batch file :) .. as discussed before, READ!!!. Here is the link for the latest version 1.2:

http://www.ulozto.own.cz/./files/cb93a74cfe1691dbd7e343d1dfbdcaba.zip

Focus to readme file (included) and "suspend delay" option. This corrects black background after game is exited!

With this color FIX, do not use batch file. Just take your own generated age2_x1_AAAAxBBBB.exe from game root folder, rename it back to age2_x1.exe and move or copy to Age2_x1 folder in your game folder.

Yes de Bill, sorry, your solution is really the best - I think - as I have tried it now successfully on several PCs. On my Win7 x64 comp, everything ran OK with a batch file, but on my another laptop with Vista x32, the game was always crashing. Thus I renamed new widescreen exe to age2_x1 and replaced the original one: everything ran perfectly. So, changing widescreen exe's name not only does not seem to have any bad consequences on rendering, but also makes possible to use your nice color fix program altogether.

Well, thanks again to you and to boekabart for such a huge improvement to the king of RTS. The only thing that could be improved is the extended pixels part, I would be glad if I could help graphicwise. Do you think it is possible to open interface screens with modmaker tools and to redesign them on Photoshop ? It would be nice to move the minimap to the right and to extend the center part a little bit. But I really don't know if it is possible.

Yes de Bill, sorry, your solution is really the best - I think - as I have tried it now successfully on several PCs. On my Win7 x64 comp, everything ran OK with a batch file, but on my another laptop with Vista x32, the game was always crashing. Thus I renamed new widescreen exe to age2_x1 and replaced the original one: everything ran perfectly. So, changing widescreen exe's name not only does not seem to have any bad consequences on rendering, but also makes possible to use your nice color fix program altogether.

Well, thanks again to you and to boekabart for such a huge improvement to the king of RTS. The only thing that could be improved is the extended pixels part, I would be glad if I could help graphicwise. Do you think it is possible to open interface screens with modmaker tools and to redesign them on Photoshop ? It would be nice to move the minimap to the right and to extend the center part a little bit. But I really don't know if it is possible.

I think it is. If one was to create a nice version of the GUI for all major high resolutions, encoded as SLP file, the patcher could use those instead of manually creating one by stretching. But this requires quite a lot of effort, which I don't have the time for... (the graphical part, that is - the using them I have to problem with).

Extending the middle part and moving the minimap is no problem - although I don't know how functional the wider middle part will be , must be tested.

Yes de Bill, sorry, your solution is really the best - I think - as I have tried it now successfully on several PCs. On my Win7 x64 comp, everything ran OK with a batch file, but on my another laptop with Vista x32, the game was always crashing. Thus I renamed new widescreen exe to age2_x1 and replaced the original one: everything ran perfectly. So, changing widescreen exe's name not only does not seem to have any bad consequences on rendering, but also makes possible to use your nice color fix program altogether.

Well, thanks again to you and to boekabart for such a huge improvement to the king of RTS. The only thing that could be improved is the extended pixels part, I would be glad if I could help graphicwise. Do you think it is possible to open interface screens with modmaker tools and to redesign them on Photoshop ? It would be nice to move the minimap to the right and to extend the center part a little bit. But I really don't know if it is possible.

Thank You :) , good to hear this, my pleasure ...

i try all this with batch patch, but is only for single player. for game ranger didnt work, second i try rdy exe file from directory but they r 1.0 version, have some solution to play bigger reso;ution in game ranger in 1.0c version .. THANKS

doesn't work for me... i installed AoE2-TC, patched it to 1.0e, ran aoe2wide and executed the created bat-file, but the resolution won't change to 1920x1080. No errors creating the patch with aoe2wide.

To boekabart: Is there any modification of your perfect wide patch simply just for use with basic "AOE 2: Age of Kings" version?

To boekabart: Is there any modification of your perfect wide patch simply just for use with basic "AOE 2: Age of Kings" version?

Yes, but it will require some manual work. You'll have to rename your non-age2x exe to age2_x1_AoK.exe and use the 'createpatches' or so parameter to let the patcher try to create a patch file for that exe. Then you'll have to manually fix/adjust it.

I won't have time or urge to do this, in the near future.

BB