Screen Resolution

[neilsmith749]

I've just purchased a new computer with Vista on it, and for the most part Trainz runs well on it.

My question is about the screen resolution I should be using.

My monitor is an MAG2200w, which I'm guessing is a 22 inch widescreen monitor. My video card is a little older - Radeon x700pro.

Now everything seems to run okay, but the screen seems "stretched" and all the locos and cars seem to be about 1/3 too long!

I've got both the game and my sceen resolution set to 1600X1200.

I'm not sure of the "native" resolution of the monitor because the packaging is long gone.

If anyone has any suggestions on how to unstretch my trains, I'd be really grateful.

Thanks in advance.

n

 

[steamdrivre]

I have mine at 16x12 also and you will get used to the 'stretched' look eventually. Wide screens do tend to stretch things a bit. You will fall in love with it as time goes on, though.

Rick

 

[Captain_Collins]

Is the monitor new, and what colour connection to the PC does it have? If it is blue, then there should be a button on the front of the monitor marked "auto" or "adjust" or something similar. Press this, and you may get a box saying "adjusting, recommended resolution **** x ****".

 

[neilsmith749]

Thanks for the responses - the auto adjust is there, but it didn't tell me the native resolution.

I bought the monitor about a year ago, but I think it's out of production.

Anyway, thanks for your help.

n

 

[elgato]

Hi,
After a quick check on a Japanese web site, it appears the native resolution for your MAG 2200w is :1680 x 1050 @ 60hz. The size of the screen is 21.6 inches.
Hope this helps.
Gilles

 

[NICKEL]

A wide screen should have a ratio of 16:10 to get a proper sized picture. Your screen resolution is 4:3 which is designed for normal screens. I have a wide screen and my resolution is 1680 X 1050 which is close. I am using a 21 " wide screen so this is probably your native resolution for your monitor also.

 

[Wessex_Electric_Nutter]

My monitor is an MAG2200w, which I'm guessing is a 22 inch widescreen monitor. My video card is a little older - Radeon x700pro.

Now everything seems to run okay, but the screen seems "stretched" and all the locos and cars seem to be about 1/3 too long!

I've got both the game and my sceen resolution set to 1600X1200.

What version of Trainz are you using? I use TC3 on all my PCs (laptops and desktops) and the latest laptop I got, is an Acer Aspire 9920 (Ok, not a laptop, it has a 20.1" wide screen and it weighs 7.8kg. While no laptop bag known to man or beast actually fits it!) and it has a simliar resolution. Interestingly, my last 3 laptops all are/were widescreen laptops)

You don't mention what version of Trainz you are using and you don't mention if you want a more proportionally correct view, so if you have anything thats TRS2006 or later, it should query the driver to see what resolutions you can use and pick 102x768 by default. You can set it in the options to use 1680 x 1050 (I must try to see how the 8600M GT holds up on my 9920G! 1920x1080 on the Acer Aspire 8920G is nice and smooth though!)


If you have TRS2004 or older, you are going to have a lot of fun, as you need to edit a file.
Find the Drive:\and\path\to\trainz\ (e.g. C:\Program Files\Auran\TRS2004), then open up the file "trainzoptions.txt" in notepad.
Afterwards, add the 2 lines below:

-width=1680
-height=1050

Then save the file (Ctrl + S is the shortcut), close the file and launch Trainz. If that doesn't work, remove the 2 lines. (It should)


You also don't say what video card you are using. Most modern ones allow you to change the resolution, but keep the aspect ratio the same, resulting in black borders with non native resolutions, that might be another one to look at. (Also, these cards may have drivers that allows you to see only a small box on the screen, depending on the resolution.)

 

[neilsmith749]

As usual, the community is a wealth of information. Thank you all very very much for your suggestions.

For the record

I'm using 04, with an older card - Radeon X700 pro.

Thanks to all again.

n

 

[neilsmith749]

Just tried it out, and it worked like a charm!

Thanks again to all!

n