Triple Monitor (using SoftTH) and Evochron Mercenaries

BvP · Post by **BvP** » Sun Jan 29, 2012 8:38 pm

Evochron Mercenary

tested (working) with SoftTH 2.05 and 2.08b (http://www.kegetys.net/SoftTH/)

Put the SoftTH 'd3d9.dll' in your 'evochron mercenary' game directory (for me it's 'D:\\Games\\Steam\\steamapps\\common\\evochron mercenary', I am sure it's different on your system).

Run the game once so it creates the 'config.SoftTHconfig' file (then close the game) and edit that file (using a text editor):
It is important to set the following in the 'config.SoftTHconfig' file:
keepComposition=0
smoothing=0
debugD3D=0
zClear=0

[overrides]
forceResolution=1

Grab 'forceres.txt' and drop it in the 'evochron mercenary' game directory (or add '-forceres' to game launcher).
original thread: http://www.starwraith.com/forum/viewtop ... 2#pid34058
mirror: http://bs.beckament.net/files_pub/evochron/forceres.txt

Open 'C:\\sw3dg\\EvochronMercenary\\sw.cfg' in a text editor and edit the 1st line with the resolution from the 'config.SoftTHconfig' file (NOTE: the 'X' must be capital or it won't work).

Run the game and select 'Options', set the Screen Mode to 'Locked (FS)' with or w/o vsync.

So now it's working on 3 screens but the perspective is off....

Open 'C:\\sw3dg\\EvochronMercenary\\sw.cfg' in a text editor and edit line 17 (it should be a 0 by default). This line is the FOV correction. You will have to experiment for the correct value (5.0 works well for me)

My working config files for reference (only):
http://bs.beckament.net/files_pub/evoch ... ftTHconfig
http://bs.beckament.net/files_pub/evochron/sw.cfg

If the mouse pointer is behaving erratically: close all open windows, turn off any overlay (ie: fraps, steam), and/or start the game by running 'EvochronMercenary.exe' directly (and not through Steam).
EDIT: I think I got the mouse issue fixed, make sure to set forceResolution=1 in the config.SoftTHconfig file.

When I was looking online I could not find all the info in one place so I posted it on the SoftTH forum and figured it would make sense to post it here as well.

[Edited on 2-20-2012 by BvP]

Viper · Post by **Viper** » Sun Jan 29, 2012 8:42 pm

Awesome BvP, I know a lot of people have been asking about this. The screenies look great!
Thanks for figuring it out and posting it here.

TJJ · Post by **TJJ** » Sun Jan 29, 2012 10:46 pm

I'm using eyefinity rather than SoftTH; but thanks for pointing out that FOV correction config property.

Only one problem; it doesn't appear as though the FOV correction scales the horizontal mouse cursor sensitivity. Consequently the mouse is very awkward to use.

Is there a command to scale the mouse horizontal axis sensitivity independently of the vertical axis?
(or could the devs fix the FOV correction property so it correctly scales the horizontal mouse sensitivity automatically)

Post by **Vice** » Sun Jan 29, 2012 10:55 pm

It would be tricky to try and guess automatic calibration for such a wide range of system configurations and screen resolutions/FOV's. But there is a manual adjustment option:

Open the same sw.cfg file and look for the line that reads 'MouseOffset='. Enter a value in that line (start with something low like 0.2 or -0.2) and adjust as needed until you get the horizontal mouse placement offset where you need it.

TJJ · Post by **TJJ** » Sun Jan 29, 2012 11:42 pm

It's not the cursor offset that's the problem, it's the x-axis sensitivity.

@1920x1080 the x&y sensitivity are fine.
@5760x1080 the x&y sensitivity are fine (but the FOV is wrong)
@5760x1080+sw.cfg FOV correction set to 5, the y sensitivity is fine and the fov is fine, but the x sensitivity is wrong (about 1/2 what it should be).

Post by **Vice** » Sun Jan 29, 2012 11:50 pm

Ah ok, I misunderstood then. There isn't currently a way to change the sensitivity of a single axis. The rate of movement is actually linked to the screen position fed to it by the resolution and FOV (so in a way, it's calibrating itself automatically to the new FOV specified, which is reducing its rate of movement to cover the same surface area of the scene, now narrowed by the higher FOV settings). Some gaming mice probably have ways to adjust one axis channel's sensitivity. To do so in the game would require feeding the mouse system a new (false) lower X screen resolution and an offset center. It's possible, but something I'd need some more time to sit down and study.

Edit: By the way, what kind of response did you get by using a value of 0.2 or 0.25 in that offset option? That would indeed scale up the rate of movement horizontally, but it might throw off the click range accuracy the farther away from the center of the screen the cursor got.

[Edited on 1-29-2012 by Vice]

BvP · Post by **BvP** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 9:44 pm

I get the mouse behaving erratically about 1 in 3 times i run the game. The mouse has a spot in the middle of the middle screen where it won't track properly (it literally jumps about 15 % of the screen width so I can not click on parts of the map). I close and restart and usually the mouse works properly.

Try and close all open windows, turn off any overlay (ie: fraps, steam), or possibly under the 'properties' tab enable 'run as admin'.

TJJ · Post by **TJJ** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 10:58 pm

From post: 127727, Topic: tid=8682, author=BvP wrote:I get the mouse behaving erratically about 1 in 3 times i run the game. The mouse has a spot in the middle of the middle screen where it won't track properly (it literally jumps about 15 % of the screen width so I can not click on parts of the map). I close and restart and usually the mouse works properly.

Try and close all open windows, turn off any overlay (ie: fraps, steam), or possibly under the 'properties' tab enable 'run as admin'.

That sounds like a SoftTH related problem. I'm certainly not encountering it when using Eyefinity to do the spanning.

My issue is simply that the x-axis sensitivity is being scaled down incorrectly when the fov is increased. (by adjusting line 17 of the sw.cfg as you suggested)

I've still yet to find a 3rd party program so as to work around the problem by scaling the x&y axes independently of one-another in Windows itself.

Incidentally someone on the Steam forum mentioned another config file; swscreen.txt.
Apparently if you create this file - Line 1 will control antialiasing(2/4/8/etc), Line 2 controls 'multimonitor mode' (0/1).

Though I've tried it, and it seems to be even more broken than the sw.cfg method.

Btw, why aren't you using property files for your configs? ^_^
These unlabelled txt files are completely unintelligable!

[Edited on 1-30-2012 by TJJ]

BvP · Post by **BvP** » Tue Jan 31, 2012 8:42 pm

From post: 127749, Topic: tid=8682, author=TJJ wrote:That sounds like a SoftTH related problem. I'm certainly not encountering it when using Eyefinity to do the spanning.

I think I fixed it, I added a novideo.txt file to my game directory and I have not had the mouse issue since I did.

Incidentally someone on the Steam forum mentioned another config file; swscreen.txt.
Apparently if you create this file - Line 1 will control antialiasing(2/4/8/etc), Line 2 controls 'multimonitor mode' (0/1).

I was doing the antialiasing through the nVidia panel, I tried swscreen.txt and it works great! I have the multimonitor mode set to 0 and it works fine that way for me.

These unlabelled txt files are completely unintelligable!

It was a quick mash-up for the SoftTH forum, but you are right.

TJJ · Post by **TJJ** » Wed Feb 01, 2012 12:30 am

From post: 127952, Topic: tid=8682, author=BvP wrote:
These unlabelled txt files are completely unintelligable!
It was a quick mash-up for the SoftTH forum, but you are right.

That comment was aimed @ the devs rather than you, but glad you agree

Zplintz · Post by **Zplintz** » Tue May 01, 2012 8:12 am

Sorry to bump an old thread but what resolution are your 3 monitors running at (4660 doesnt divide by 3).

Are your monitors running at different resolutions?

TJJ · Post by **TJJ** » Tue May 01, 2012 7:55 pm

From post: 136293, Topic: tid=8682, author=Zplintz wrote:Sorry to bump an old thread but what resolution are your 3 monitors running at (4660 doesnt divide by 3).

Are your monitors running at different resolutions?

Could be bezel compensation.

Zplintz · Post by **Zplintz** » Thu May 03, 2012 8:40 am

From post: 136358, Topic: tid=8682, author=TJJ wrote:
From post: 136293, Topic: tid=8682, author=Zplintz wrote:Sorry to bump an old thread but what resolution are your 3 monitors running at (4660 doesnt divide by 3).

Are your monitors running at different resolutions?
Could be bezel compensation.

Aye that's what I was wondering (and of course the screen cap doesnt show the monitors at all).

BvP · Post by **BvP** » Wed Jan 09, 2013 11:57 pm

From post: 136532, Topic: tid=8682, author=Zplintz wrote:
From post: 136358, Topic: tid=8682, author=TJJ wrote:
From post: 136293, Topic: tid=8682, author=Zplintz wrote:Sorry to bump an old thread but what resolution are your 3 monitors running at (4660 doesnt divide by 3).

Are your monitors running at different resolutions?
Could be bezel compensation.
Aye that's what I was wondering (and of course the screen cap doesnt show the monitors at all).

It was 1440x900 1600x900 1440x900 with bezel correction.

Garoad · Post by **Garoad** » Sat May 25, 2013 10:31 pm

From post: 155209, Topic: tid=8682, author=BvP wrote:
It was 1440x900 1600x900 1440x900 with bezel correction.

Does this cut off anything from the HUD or does it all stay in the center monitor? I always had problems with the HUD being too wide and spilling over onto the side monitors, and of course bezel correction made the whole thing useless at that point...

Maarschalk · Post by **Maarschalk** » Sun May 26, 2013 12:07 am

I wonder what this would look like using 3d glasses and 3d capable graphics card and using track IR.....

:P

Garoad · Post by **Garoad** » Sun May 26, 2013 1:14 am

Would probably need a change of underwear.

Maarschalk · Post by **Maarschalk** » Mon May 27, 2013 2:29 am

LOL.....

:P