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General discussion (archive)Aspect Ratio(46 posts)(46 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted June 17, 2013
When playing PC games, what aspect ratio do you use? I only use 4:3 because I can't stand anything else. Every other aspect ratio makes the characters in the games look like skinny martians with giraffe necks.
Posted June 17, 2013
I usually play 4:3 on old games, because that was the way they were maked, but if I install graphic mods and so on I play them on 16:9 (because my screen is 16:9, no 16:10).
Posted June 17, 2013
16:10 when it's available as an option. I've developed the ability to completely ignore the martian giraffes. I just love having my entire screen filled with game.
Posted June 17, 2013
Depends on the resolution. E.g. with 1920x1080, I use 16:9 aspect ratio. With 1024x768, I feel 4:3 is probably the bestest. With 1280x1024, 5:4 works the best.
Posted June 17, 2013
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langurmonkey: When playing PC games, what aspect ratio do you use? I only use 4:3 because I can't stand anything else. Every other aspect ratio makes the characters in the games look like skinny martians with giraffe necks.
Um, you realize that depends both on your monitor and on the game, right? Many older games only support 4:3.

I have a 1920x1080 monitor, so if a game properly supports 16:9, I choose 16:9.
Posted June 17, 2013
In ScummVM and DosBox I always set aspect=true.
Posted June 17, 2013
I usually use the ratio of the game at the time. This means 4:3 for many of the games on GOG.

Incidently, I feel like an idiot because I spent A LOT of time messing with dosbox config files to get games running in 4:3 so it wouldn't stretch. After about 2 years on GOG, I finally realised that a setting on my MONITOR was stretching the image NOT Dosbox.

I was so excited that I needed to tell someone. I chose to tell my wife, because, well, she was the only person near me. I might was well have told the wall. All she did was give me a deer in headlights look. It's a look that I see whenever I try to "geek out" on her.
Posted June 17, 2013
My screen is 16:9, so if it is possible I will play it in this aspect ratio. If 16:9 is not available, then it is 4:3 with black borders.
Posted June 17, 2013
I tend to stick with the aspect ratio a game was designed for. It generally gives a good experience and gets me started with a new game more quickly. If however, I become obsessed with a game, I'll be willing to spend more time tweaking it to perfection.
Posted June 17, 2013
If the game offers a choice, the AR of my monitor [4:3 of 5:4]. Sadly many modern games are optimized for widescreens and large monitors, resulting in black bars on the top and bottom and/or small fonts and/or FOV issues.
Posted June 17, 2013
16:9 usually. Sometimes, I go 4:3 with borders.
Posted June 17, 2013
The visual differences resizing causes between aspects ratio that are close like 4:3 and 16:10 mostly elude me.

I tend to play full screen whenever possible and not worry too much about it... I'm afraid I'm not the target audience for games that finickle on minute graphical details. It goes right over my head.

However, I think it's good practice for modern games to make their display adjust to the user's screen dimensions whenever possible.

For web development, this practice in incorporated into the Responsive Web Design philosophy.
Post edited June 17, 2013 by Magnitus
Posted June 17, 2013
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Magnitus: The visual differences resizing causes between aspects ratio that are close like 4:3 and 16:10 mostly elude me.

I tend to play full screen whenever possible and not worry too much about it... I'm afraid I'm not the target audience for games that finickle on minute graphical details. It goes right over my head.
People who want to play a game at the proper aspect ratio are being "finickle on minute graphical details"? Whatever you say.

I don't really understand how aspect ratio, which affects the proportion of every single thing in an old game, transforming squares into rectangles, circles into ovals, skinny people into overweight people, overweight people into obese people, etc., can be considered a "minute graphical detail". But to each their own, I guess.
Posted June 17, 2013
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Magnitus: The visual differences resizing causes between aspects ratio that are close like 4:3 and 16:10 mostly elude me.

I tend to play full screen whenever possible and not worry too much about it... I'm afraid I'm not the target audience for games that finickle on minute graphical details. It goes right over my head.
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doady: People who want to play a game at the proper aspect ratio are being "finickle on minute graphical details"? Whatever you say.

I don't really understand how aspect ratio, which affects the proportion of every single thing in an old game, transforming squares into rectangles, circles into ovals, skinny people into overweight people, overweight people into obese people, etc., can be considered a "minute graphical detail". But to each their own, I guess.
You don't find too many perfect squares or circles in games and in the case of squares, you probably wouldn't notice unless they told you it's supposed to be a square (circles would be more self-evident and harder to hide).

Either way, I've played my fair share of older games full screen and was oblivious to the "difference".

It could just be that they were smarter about it than just stretching/skewing everything to fit the screen (that would be my guess, we didn't really have to worry too much about screen ratio when programming graphics with openGL for example... screen size mostly mattered when defining the view port), but I've never found myself worrying about this as a gamer.

I don't ever recall playing a game and noticing "Boy, the dimensions are way off!". I recall thinking that when visiting some websites in which pictures were re-sized beyond recognition, but not when playing games.
Post edited June 17, 2013 by Magnitus
Posted June 17, 2013
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Magnitus: You don't find too many perfect squares or circles in games and in the case of squares, you probably wouldn't notice unless they told you it's supposed to be a square (circles would be more self-evident and harder to hide).
There are plenty of circles in games. Anything that has vehicles in it, for example, because of wheels on cars. Many buttons in games are circles. Targets in target practice. Sometimes the HUD itself has a circle for the crosshair, and sniper scopes. Scenery, too (e.g. clocks), and background images (such as the sun and moon).

Some more: Fans in ducts (a staple of the FPS genre) and by their very nature, all ball games.
Post edited June 17, 2013 by korell
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussion (archive)Aspect Ratio(46 posts)(46 posts)
(46 posts)