KeepRes and VideoMode

[Mercade]

Apologies for the post on something that I know has been discussed before, but without the search facility I cannot seem to find it anywhere.

A long time ago there was a post (I believe by Killer or Yoda) about being able to make a semi-windowed version of Civ3 by juggling around the KeepRes=1 and VideoMode=1024x786 while the actual desktop setting is higher (1280x1024).

I've tried to re-create this situation, but haven't found it to be possible. Does anyone have this working? Or know how to get it working?

 

[Crazy Eddie]

Yeah, I've been able to do that.
Originally I had to use the settings to get civ to use a decent refresh rate, when I later changed the desktop resolution civ stayed the same size. There was no border, the game was just centered in the middle of the screen like wallpaper.

 

[Mercade]

Yeah, I've been able to do that.
Originally I had to use the settings to get civ to use a decent refresh rate, when I later changed the desktop resolution civ stayed the same size. There was no border, the game was just centered in the middle of the screen like wallpaper.

Can you indicate exactly how you did it? Which settings did you use in which order?

 

[Crazy Eddie]

I really can't say where I put the lines in the .ini file, as my old HD broke a few weeks ago and I've lost the settings I used.
Give me a few minutes and I'll see if I can reproduce it.

 

[Comraddict]

resolution should be 1024x768

 

[Crazy Eddie]

Ok, here's what I've got.
Desktop resolution set to 1280 and the following lines in the .ini -

[Conquests]
PlayIntro=0
KeepRes=1
Refresh=85
Video Mode=1152
...

Civ opens in an 1152 video mode aligned to the top left of the screen, the normal desktop is visible outside this area. It works with Video Mode=1024 in the same way.

edit: I've tried it with the desktop at different resolutions and it works the same way, with civ set to a smaller resolution it opens in a "window" aligned to the top left of the normal desktop.

 

[Turner]

And, as I recall, it must be in that order, otherwise it doesn't work.

This is what you were looking for?

 

[Crazy Eddie]

I found out later that the order doesn't matter, it works Ok whichever you put first.
But I'm glad you remembered that thread, reading through it I see that I'd forgotten about the scrolling problems you get.

 

[Turner]

Cool....good to know.

 

[Mercade]

And, as I recall, it must be in that order, otherwise it doesn't work.

This is what you were looking for?

Thanks, Turner 727, this is exactly the thread I was looking for. I remember that I failed to use the setting from Mike B before. The quote by Kring of Mike B's post contains a bug. The post from Crazy Eddie also demonstrates tha it should be Video Mode with a space. The quote by Kring of Mike B's post does not contain this space. With a space, it works like a charm.

 

[KayEss]

Is there any way to set the bit depth?

I can now control the refresh rate (the game defaults to one that blurs on my monitor), but I really don't want it setting the system to 16 bit colour. I need to use 32 bit for other software and hate to change it everytime I load Civ.

 

[Mercade]

Is there any way to set the bit depth?

I can now control the refresh rate (the game defaults to one that blurs on my monitor), but I really don't want it setting the system to 16 bit colour. I need to use 32 bit for other software and hate to change it everytime I load Civ.

Sorry, no idea. If the big thread with explanations doesn't mention such an option, then probably there isn't one.