Why increase resolution?

Damage Inc · 27 Jun 2007 at 23:22

This is a dumb dumb question im sure, but as a result of discussion with friends I just want to check something.

What do you gain by increasing the resolution that you play a game in? My friends say the only benefit is that the UI shrinks and therefore you get more screen "real estate".

Obviously as res increases framerate decreases and cost of hardware to keep the fram rate high increases exponentially.

Surely you gain something else when you play in 1900x1200 rather than 1024x768??

Maybee im wrong

Markus123 · 27 Jun 2007 at 23:25

The pixels are much smaller so much less jaggies when playing at native res.

Cyber-Mav · 27 Jun 2007 at 23:25

like with digicam photos, more resolution is more detail.

snowdog · 27 Jun 2007 at 23:28

Less Jaggies, more detail overall ( small details on low res are sometimes left out cos not enough pixels to see em, ie. because they'd be smaller as 1 pixel ), (a lot) bigger viewing fields (for example, u get almost double the view on 1900 than 1024 res), sharper textures.

Damage Inc · 27 Jun 2007 at 23:30

So the picture you are actually seeing (or that is being drawn) by the graphics card is identical in every way no matter what the res is (ie you will not see more of a scene in higher res) but simply that more dots are used for example to show a bucket and therefore the bucket will look more like a bucket in high res than low res?

Am I getting this?

So decreased jaggies, same objects looking sharper etc?

Thats yer lot for spending like double to play in 1900x1200?

Damage Inc · 27 Jun 2007 at 23:31

whoa....someone just said a lot bigger viewing field....

that was my argument with my mates but they shot me down in flames.

Anyone got any actual proof that the viewing field goes up?

like screen shots?

snowdog · 27 Jun 2007 at 23:33

Damage Inc said:
whoa....someone just said a lot bigger viewing field....

that was my argument with my mates but they shot me down in flames.

Anyone got any actual proof that the viewing field goes up?

like screen shots?

Check http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/

There you can see the viewing field in games that have hor+ widescreen mode made bigger, ill show you an example one sec...

EDIT:

Here:
http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/wiki/index.php/Image:Farcry-full.jpg
http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/wiki/index.php/Image:Farcry-wide.jpg

Bottom has extra horizontal pixels.

Edit 2:
Another example:
http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/screenshots/cod2.php

Well see for yourself on more games really.

chaparral · 27 Jun 2007 at 23:35

Of cause you get a much bigger viewing field with higher res...
Just compare a game something like C&C3 at 800x600 to 1920x1200

Damage Inc · 27 Jun 2007 at 23:39

Maybee ive confused the issue.

Im not talking about going from 4:3 to widescreen.

Im talking about keeping the aspect ratio the same and increasing the res...so 800x600 to 1024x768 and then up again (i cant remember the next res up...1600x1200?)...

anyone got shots that show that you see more actual game landscape as you increse res but keep aspect the same?

I understand that in widescreen you see more stuff at the edges whilst the top/bottom view remains the same. None of my friends believe me

chaparral · 27 Jun 2007 at 23:44

You get a bigger viewing field going from 1680x1050(16:10 ratio) to 1920x1200(16:10 ratio) etc

The higer the res the more viewing field you will get...(But not for all games)

I try and take some ingame screen shots of C&C3....(Installing it now)

ugly ferret · 27 Jun 2007 at 23:47

Is it really that hard to understand? Come on!

With a higher resolution, you have more pixels so the image is much sharper and more detailed. Like comparing standard def TV to HDTV.

Haven't you got a PC yourself? Play about with different resolutions and see what a big difference it makes to picture quality.

Damage Inc · 27 Jun 2007 at 23:49

can anyone actually prove this with 2 screen shots?

same aspect ratio and an increase in res showing that the screenshot in the higher res contains more actualy 'landscape' rather than the same shot in higher resolution?

mates wont believe a word of this till i prove it with screenies and im currently using a P2 400 which barely runs firefox (long story) so I dont have ability to play anything at moment

Street · 27 Jun 2007 at 23:49

On a CRT, if you upscale the resolution, the same frame is being drawn, its just being drawn with more pixels..

eg. Using a 19" CRT..
800x600 = 480000 pixels to draw the scene,
1920x1200 = 2304000 pixels on the same sized monitor.

It will be the same size, the same frame will be rendered, it will just be rendered with more pixels so will appear more detailed!

However, when using a TFT, it is best to stick to its native resolution.

Damage Inc · 27 Jun 2007 at 23:51

Guys...im on your side.

My mates and I all understand that you get an increase in detail, clarity, picture, less jaggies etc.

Thats not what they are asking me to prove.

They are saying that if you have a shot at 800x600 it will have exactly the same information as a shot at 1024x768. by that, they mean that if there is half a window at the edge of the screen and then the res is increased you wont now be able to see all the window. It will just be a better looking half a window.

Im struggling to explain myself here

chaparral · 27 Jun 2007 at 23:53

Street said:
On a CRT, if you upscale the resolution, the same frame is being drawn, its just being drawn with more pixels..

eg. Using a 19" CRT..
800x600 = 480000 pixels to draw the scene,
1920x1200 = 2304000 pixels on the same sized monitor.

It will be the same size, the same frame will be rendered, it will just be rendered with more pixels so will appear more detailed!

However, when using a TFT, it is best to stick to its native resolution.

I think your wrong here...

I find out in a minute once my C&C3 finish installing....
Am sure i can see more of the viewable play area as i turn the res up..

Street · 27 Jun 2007 at 23:54

Yeh, if you have a screen shot at 800x600 and another at 1280x1024, the one with more pixels will be bigger.

Street · 27 Jun 2007 at 23:55

chaparral said:
I think your wrong here...

I find out in a minute once my C&C3 finish installing....
Am sure i can see more of the viewable play area as i turn the res up..

Meh, maybe for RTS games..

Not for FPS games though.

ugly ferret · 27 Jun 2007 at 23:56

Damage Inc said:
can anyone actually prove this with 2 screen shots?

same aspect ratio and an increase in res showing that the screenshot in the higher res contains more actualy 'landscape' rather than the same shot in higher resolution?

mates wont believe a word of this till i prove it with screenies and im currently using a P2 400 which barely runs firefox (long story) so I dont have ability to play anything at moment

A higher resolution will show more stuff at the same detail level (dot pitch) than a lower resolution image. Say with a strategy game, at a higher res you can zoom out to show more stuff, but the level of detail will stay the same. Or at the higher res you can leave the camera the same, showing the same amount of stuf but at a higher level of detail.

snowdog · 28 Jun 2007 at 00:00

Damage Inc said:
Maybee ive confused the issue.

Im not talking about going from 4:3 to widescreen.

Im talking about keeping the aspect ratio the same and increasing the res...so 800x600 to 1024x768 and then up again (i cant remember the next res up...1600x1200?)...

anyone got shots that show that you see more actual game landscape as you increse res but keep aspect the same?

I understand that in widescreen you see more stuff at the edges whilst the top/bottom view remains the same. None of my friends believe me

Regardless what aspect ratio, the only thing that counts is pixels, widescreen is comparing a reso of 1440X900 to 1280x960, you get more horizontal pixels, just like you would in any game when you raise resolution, regardless of aspect ratio.

Im saying, ignore that its widescreen, just look @ the resolution, you get extra pixels on the horizontal part ( 1440 instead of 1280), so the field of view expands horizontally, same happens on going from 1280x960 to 1600x1200, except that, in that case, not only the horizontal view expands, but also the vertical view.

EDIT, just noticed, this is not the case in all games, in games where it isnt, the advantages are stuff like its sharper etc..
In otehrs you get more view, the best examples are RTS games, see for example aoe2, red alert 2, etc...

Paracelsus · 28 Jun 2007 at 00:03

I don't have a screenshot but at least in C&C games (Generals, C&C3) you can see more with higher resolution.