Nvidia-settings/dual monitors/resolution fix

gokusan_ · 01-13-2009, 07:56 PM

Hello fellow Linux gamers,

I've been toiling for a couple of days to solve an annoying video/monitor issue, and have come up with a workaround fix. First, the problem:

I have one 1440x900 LCD screen and one 1024x768 LCD projector. Both are connected to my Ubuntu Linux box to a dual head NVidia 7600 GS Video card.

I had the monitors cloned to each other so that I could use one or the other without messing around with display settings or using side by side monitors. I do this because even with the settings done perfectly, I have trouble with menu bars and windows (lock screen?) popping up on the projector when it is turned off.

Recently, I decided to wipe my 32 bit Ubuntu 8.04 install and move to 8.04 64 bit, which is what my box supports natively. I installed 32 bit a couple of years ago as I didn't yet have confidence in package and library support for 64 bit.

So, what was happening after the new 64 bit install was that I could clone the screens, run regnum on either screen in native resolution for that monitor, but when I played a movie, it would default to 1440x900 and overflow the sides of the 1024x768 screen (showing me only part of the image). I tried so many settings and combination for many hours, including different command line and gui options with nvidia-settings, nvidia-xconfi, nvidia-xconfig --twinview, etc., and was having no luck.

Finally, I happened upon the answer.

What you want to do in this situation of 2 different monitors of different aspect ratios (assuming you watch 16x9 movies and want to play regnum on your widescreen flat panel sometimes) is the following:

1. sudo nvidia-settings
2. click on "X Server Display Configuration"
3. click on your 4x3 monitor.
4. Click the tiny box "Make this the primary display for the X screen"
5. Under "Position", select "Clones"
6. Save to xorg.conf
7. click "Apply"
Your screens will refresh, and now 16x9 movies will show as letterboxed on your 4x3 screen and at native resolution on your widescreen display.

I tested this by moving back to separate displays in nvidia-settings, clicking apply, and running the RO client. The settings for 1440x900 were gone after going back to this configuration. After setting back to the clones configuration, the settings returned.

I saw a thread in this forum where someone else was having this issue and was recommended to tweak xinerama settings in xorg.conf. Don't bother as the the nvidia-settings gui does the job just fine.

I also saw a recommendation for changing the game.cfg file to the resolution you want. I changed the file in /regnum /regnum/live and also changed .rolauncher, but it would always reset back to 4x3 resolutions and didn't include my flat panel resolutions after I ran the client again. I am not sure where the settings are pulled from, but it is apparent to me that if you have 2 monitors of mismatched resolution, you cannot simply edit the config files to fix the problem.

One more thing - it would be nice if a developer could tell me where the RO client pulls the X screen/resolution data from so that: 1. I can know what is going on and why, 2. I can have the option of separate screens (nice for checking out forums, etc. while your are playing instead of going to windowed mode on one screen.

I hope this is of help to some of you - I'd hate for all of my pain and anguish over this issue to have gone in vain

Happy gaming.

---

I will make a sig later

Syd_Vicious · 01-13-2009, 08:57 PM

When you first sign on there is an options screen on the top left near the exit button. Your resolution and game play setting are there, as well as the ability to run the game windowed. Otherwise you can just hit alt-enter to window the game.

gokusan_ · 01-13-2009, 09:43 PM

Thanks for your reply.

I am aware of the settings area and how to run the client in windowed mode. I'd much rather use XVideo for full screen acceleration, and that option is available (but only if I clone the monitors instead of running them separately). Changing the panel in my projector could be done (to make the aspect ratios the same), but that would cost me at least $400, so I'd rather find another way.

When I set the nvidia-settings configuration to use separate monitors (as opposed to cloned), the resolution settings for the DFP are not available under the options setting in the game client. Switching the configuration back to cloned makes them immediately available again (I don't have to restart X) in the game client options window. This leads me to believe that the game client is confused about which monitor to use, or is only pulling limited information about the display configuration.

I'd like a developer to help me understand where the RO client pulls the resolution information so that maybe I can hack a settings file or at least understand better how the client works; i.e. which line of xorg.conf the client looks at to set resolutions, etc.
I'm not asking for source code, just information.

Thanks, and keep the replies coming. I can't be the only one having this issue.

Syd_Vicious · 01-14-2009, 10:39 PM

Unfortunately I am just running SLI without a second monitor, but I am used to trouble shooting things. Part of that bad thing about this though is that the OpenGL information hasn't been updated on their website.

What does you xconf look like? Because depending on what your default screen is the movie application likely looks for that screens resolution and defaults to it. Showing the xconf would help a lot tho.

01-13-2009, 07:56 PM	#1
gokusan_ Pledge Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Horus Posts: 7	Nvidia-settings/dual monitors/resolution fix Hello fellow Linux gamers, I've been toiling for a couple of days to solve an annoying video/monitor issue, and have come up with a workaround fix. First, the problem: I have one 1440x900 LCD screen and one 1024x768 LCD projector. Both are connected to my Ubuntu Linux box to a dual head NVidia 7600 GS Video card. I had the monitors cloned to each other so that I could use one or the other without messing around with display settings or using side by side monitors. I do this because even with the settings done perfectly, I have trouble with menu bars and windows (lock screen?) popping up on the projector when it is turned off. Recently, I decided to wipe my 32 bit Ubuntu 8.04 install and move to 8.04 64 bit, which is what my box supports natively. I installed 32 bit a couple of years ago as I didn't yet have confidence in package and library support for 64 bit. So, what was happening after the new 64 bit install was that I could clone the screens, run regnum on either screen in native resolution for that monitor, but when I played a movie, it would default to 1440x900 and overflow the sides of the 1024x768 screen (showing me only part of the image). I tried so many settings and combination for many hours, including different command line and gui options with nvidia-settings, nvidia-xconfi, nvidia-xconfig --twinview, etc., and was having no luck. Finally, I happened upon the answer. What you want to do in this situation of 2 different monitors of different aspect ratios (assuming you watch 16x9 movies and want to play regnum on your widescreen flat panel sometimes) is the following: 1. sudo nvidia-settings 2. click on "X Server Display Configuration" 3. click on your 4x3 monitor. 4. Click the tiny box "Make this the primary display for the X screen" 5. Under "Position", select "Clones" 6. Save to xorg.conf 7. click "Apply" Your screens will refresh, and now 16x9 movies will show as letterboxed on your 4x3 screen and at native resolution on your widescreen display. I tested this by moving back to separate displays in nvidia-settings, clicking apply, and running the RO client. The settings for 1440x900 were gone after going back to this configuration. After setting back to the clones configuration, the settings returned. I saw a thread in this forum where someone else was having this issue and was recommended to tweak xinerama settings in xorg.conf. Don't bother as the the nvidia-settings gui does the job just fine. I also saw a recommendation for changing the game.cfg file to the resolution you want. I changed the file in /regnum /regnum/live and also changed .rolauncher, but it would always reset back to 4x3 resolutions and didn't include my flat panel resolutions after I ran the client again. I am not sure where the settings are pulled from, but it is apparent to me that if you have 2 monitors of mismatched resolution, you cannot simply edit the config files to fix the problem. One more thing - it would be nice if a developer could tell me where the RO client pulls the X screen/resolution data from so that: 1. I can know what is going on and why, 2. I can have the option of separate screens (nice for checking out forums, etc. while your are playing instead of going to windowed mode on one screen. I hope this is of help to some of you - I'd hate for all of my pain and anguish over this issue to have gone in vain Happy gaming. --- I will make a sig later

01-13-2009, 08:57 PM	#2
Syd_Vicious Initiate Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: The Desert, The Mountains, The Sky Posts: 152	When you first sign on there is an options screen on the top left near the exit button. Your resolution and game play setting are there, as well as the ability to run the game windowed. Otherwise you can just hit alt-enter to window the game.

01-13-2009, 09:43 PM	#3
gokusan_ Pledge Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Horus Posts: 7	Thanks for your reply. I am aware of the settings area and how to run the client in windowed mode. I'd much rather use XVideo for full screen acceleration, and that option is available (but only if I clone the monitors instead of running them separately). Changing the panel in my projector could be done (to make the aspect ratios the same), but that would cost me at least $400, so I'd rather find another way. When I set the nvidia-settings configuration to use separate monitors (as opposed to cloned), the resolution settings for the DFP are not available under the options setting in the game client. Switching the configuration back to cloned makes them immediately available again (I don't have to restart X) in the game client options window. This leads me to believe that the game client is confused about which monitor to use, or is only pulling limited information about the display configuration. I'd like a developer to help me understand where the RO client pulls the resolution information so that maybe I can hack a settings file or at least understand better how the client works; i.e. which line of xorg.conf the client looks at to set resolutions, etc. I'm not asking for source code, just information. Thanks, and keep the replies coming. I can't be the only one having this issue.

01-14-2009, 10:39 PM	#4
Syd_Vicious Initiate Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: The Desert, The Mountains, The Sky Posts: 152	Unfortunately I am just running SLI without a second monitor, but I am used to trouble shooting things. Part of that bad thing about this though is that the OpenGL information hasn't been updated on their website. What does you xconf look like? Because depending on what your default screen is the movie application likely looks for that screens resolution and defaults to it. Showing the xconf would help a lot tho.