G1 + Vista = Poor Poor Me (Save my computer!)

Okay, I've had my G1 for awhile now. It's served me well for the most part, but...


With the recent annoucement about StarCraft 2, I want to go back and relive the original experience all over again: AND I CAN'T.

Why? Stupid No FIXED ASPECT RATIO!!! It was a problem I noticed when I first got this computer, but after awhile, I gave up searching for a solution. It was too stressful. I just thought maybe there wasn't a solution at the time, and that one would eventually pop up.

Before everyone start's pointing out the obvious solutions.

No, there is no FIXED ASPECT RATIO option on the Nvidia Control Panel which is somehow implanted in Vista and is almost useless.

Again, NO FIXED ASPECT RATIO option. :-(

It's frustrating to no end. A driver issue?

Well, I tried installing new Vista 32 bit Drivers, but, there's compatibility issue with them. So, I can't install them.

What am I suppose to do? I'm sure there's other G1 owners who's encountered this same problem!

Somebody help. Please... I'd WOULD BE MOST APPRECIATIVE!!

Help save my computer from this stupid annoyance.

 

I'm sorry, I don't have a solution for you - merely another question. What is the problem that requires you to fix the aspect ratio in order to play Starcraft? I'm hoping to get a G1 in some form, and I would like to be able to play games like this too, should the need take me, so it alarms me to hear there may be an issue affecting gameplay there.

 

Alright, starcraft plays on a 640x480 resolution, and G1 is madly in love 1680x1050 resolution...


anything lower than that and it likes to stretch to fit the whole screen while not maintaining the pixel ratio


So, space marine like so who once stood at 6 ft tall .. and had a decent waist build of 36 inches is going to stand something like..... 2 ft tall...with a waist span of like 80 inches. Lol, terrible analogy of saying...

It stretches the graphics, and makes the game look like crap.

 

(Bear with me, I'm no expert, just offering some basic ideas in case they help or spark a train of thought.) Ok, so I'm assuming that it won't let you change the resolution in Windows to 640x480 and that works... What about trying to play it in a windowed mode?

Surely there must be a simple enough answer - I run my current laptop at 1024x768 resolution, and I clearly see that whenever I run games similar to Starcraft that want lower resolutions, the screen simply updates to provide it without distorting the image, then reverts to normal as I close the game...

Are you trying Starcraft in the compatibility mode provided by DOSbox, or whatever that option is? My memory is a bit scattered here, but if you don't know it DOSbox is a little prog that allows you to play older games on newer hardware/versions of Windows that might not otherwise allow the game to work. That along with vdmsound (to fix sound issues where games want interrupts and addresses for soundblaster cards) have been the greatest little programs I think I've ever found online.

 

Stracraft I came out over 5 years ago. That is why it runs in 640x480.

Your assumption that Stracraft II will remain in 640x480 is merely a postulation. The game isn't even released yet. I am sure Blizzard will actually incorporate options to change video resolution as they did in both Diablo II and WarCraft III and World of WarCraft (all games released after StarCraft I).

So your anxiety with a lack of fixed aspect ratio may be all for naught.

 

and a big fat woman will transformed into an old,freaky,fatty alien!
you'll soon had many alien movies at home

 

Hmm go to widescreengamingforum.com and see if some of the guys can help you. We have lots of fixes for this stuff. Im just not familar with notebook card/drivers only desktop or I would have a solution.

Maybe they work the same, but we have fixes up for this stuff. We also have alot of hacks to make games support widescreen.

 

I'm fortunate enough to be running my G1 under XP. With XP, you can set it to use fixed aspect ratio scaling: right click desktop => Properties => Settings => Advanced => GeForce Go 7700 => under Digital Flat Panel Settings select "Fixed aspect ratio scaling".

I don't know about Vista, but I would hope and expect that similar display options exist. Good luck.

 

OP wants to run starcraft with fixed aspect ratio (no stretching).
This ain't a Vista issue, it's a driver issue (and most likely, if you use the same version under xp, you'll have the same problem). I am using 165.01 and vista, and I have fixed aspect ratio. The driver version you are using don't support it. Download one of the latest drivers from www.laptopvideo2go.com and install anyhing from 158.xx and up is ok. Don't forget to download a modded inf. All those drivers work on your G1. If it doesn't, you've done something wrong. There's a guide for installing the drivers on their site. Make sure to read it before you install.

The Drivers at laptopvideo2go are not modded drivers. Instead an inf-file with information on which gpu's are allowed to install that version is changed so they can be installed on all nVidia cards. All nvidia driers are supposed to work on all nvidia cards, but OEMs pressured nVidia to remove the support from the inf-file.

 

No, I was talking about the original version of StarCraft to help "relive" the experience once more.

You are absolutely correct in saying that in runs in 640x480 resolution which is my problem when I don't have an option to FIXIATE THE ASPECT RATIO so it does not stretch the pixels and makes the game look like utter crap.

 

What's OEM? Okay, well, here goes nothing ..

Thanks Fabarati, hopefully this works.

This will make the G1 the ultimate... cheap gaming rig!!

 

Okay, update. I installed the latest driver (I think) 165.01 and well, no black bars.


Frustrating!! See why I gave up?? lol

 

should look ok in fixed aspect strech, it will retain the right porportions and just fit your screen. Thats how I play everything, even on my 37" at home.

but sounds like what you want is 1:1 scaling where it will not strech at all, but it will be a very small picture in the center of your screen with black on all 4 sides that way.

Thanks for the heads up on that website with the drivers. Once I get mine notebook if I have issues and we cant resolve it at WSGF i'll head over there.

 

hmm, be nice if there was an option somewhere to modify aspect ratio settings or whatever...

-sigh-

 

there is... right click on the desktop and select nvidia control panel. Then choose "Flat panel scaling" in the list to the right. There choose the option "Use Nvidia scaling with fixed aspect ration" and press choose (or something like it, that part's in swedish on mine). Voilà, you have fixed aspect ratio scaling.

 

Mr. Fibby guy... You are awesome! It works.


;;hugs his G1;;


I'm so happy.

;;in tears;;

 

You're welcome. And please don't call me fibby:cry: ....