Hi all, I'm new here, trying to decide on a server to settle on. I think what would make this server more appealing is if it had an option for a client with an aspect ratio of 16:9. It really makes a big difference! I appreciate that work has already gone into creating a new client at all, as the increase from 800x600 is greatly appreciated, so thank you for that. I just think 16:9 on old-school MS is so cool. It would help attract more players, especially with streaming being used to advertise other old-school servers which offer 16:9. Don't underestimate first impressions! I know this server is already #1 on a lot of lists, but it might be wise to be mindful of rising competition and adapting to it. Thanks for reading!
We spent a long enough time making a 1024x768 client. I doubt we would have time to make a 16:9 resolution client anytime in the future. We still have yet to update some of the old maps to the new higher res versions.
As much as I do appreciate the 1024x768 client, was the reason why you guys chose to stick to a 4: 3 client instead of a 16:9 client? Was it because of nostalgia? Again, I do appreciate the work but why did you guys decide against a 720p/16:9 client?
I would say mainly for the coding Few things that need to be adjusted to match the new resolution - UI arrangement - Rendering of the view - New background images for every single map that will look natural I don't think the Staff are against any resolution, regardless of 4 to 3 or 16 to 9 ratio, is more of the matter of making it happen and the time needed for this investment
It was a mix of wanting to stay moderately true to the original game's proportions, finding a good fit for the UI, and the work involved with upscaling maps and game assets to a higher resolution (many images simply would not work at a higher resolution without significant modification).
Just seems like a waste because some other servers have that wide aspect ratio and it looks amazing. No need to stretch the client and distort the game/text. Yeah, some maps would have black bars but I'd take those black bars over distortion. And if there an actual way to modify this in the registry edit then I wouldn't complain.
Afaik none of these 16:9 1280x720 servers have true widescreen, it's just upscaled 800x600 or 1024x768 stretched from 4:3 which you can do here as well through GPU scalling. If you take a look at screenshots on websites of these servers you will notice HUD overlay where HP/MP/XP is looks a bit distorted, altough you do get better FoV and thanks to upscalling the image is more sharp unlike if you stretch 800x600 like here. Here's an example of what true widescreen looks like in Warcraft 3 since this is what I mainly play which Blizzard implemented 2 years ago.
No, there are a few servers with a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio. It does not look "ugly, stretched nor distorted". Sure, the UI doesn't completely fit the bottom of the screen but I'll take that over a shitty, 15+ year old resolution. Not everything nostalgia is "good".
