Dual Monitor Interface Modding

How can I mod the interfaces so that prompts appear on one screen or the other ?

from GalCiv2 Forums
Great game guys, you really hit it out of the park on this one. Good work.

I have a new X1800XT and the game runs great at 2560x1024. But I have it spanned across two monitors, and many of the dialogs end up spanning the seam between screens. It's really annoying.

What would be ideal is if you guys could create a checkbox in the options that puts all dialogs off center. But I expect you have bigger bugs to quash than my little problem.

So, I don't mind trying to edit some files - but I've kicked around and it seems pretty hard to mod the interface. But I might be obtuse. Anyway, I need to know:

Does the shareware version of DesktopX 3.1 do everything I am going to need it to do?
Is there a preferred way to handle the new files - should I backup and overwrite the originals, or is there a mods directory I should use ?
Is there some place that has more documentation than the galciv wiki ?
Is anyone else interested in this ?

Thanks, and take care,

TK
modding
2,990 views 5 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
how did you get it to span the two monitors?
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

I usigng the extended desktop, so my desktop resolution is 2560x1024

Then I just tell the game to use that resolution, and it works.

DeskScapes - Bring your desktop background to life.
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Have you checked in your driver options? I know that in the Matrox option there is one for selecting where dialog boxes will be placed. One of the options is "in the display with the mouse cursor".

I don't recall ever seeing those types of options with the Nvidia or ATI software, though. Matrox always has been ahead of the game when it comes to multi-display, too bad they are so lousy with game performance.
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
FYI, Nvidia can do it too (and I assume ATI), I play the same way across two monitors. You merely need to use "horizontal span" mode instead of dual-view mode. And too bad the dialog is not like a windows dialog where it can go on one monitor or the other, its Stardocks GUI and it sits right in the center unfortunately. Its still lovely playing on two screens tho.

I would love it if you could figure out how to change the Desktop-X to make the dialog sit to the side. I poked at it myself but couldnt make heads nor tails or how to modify desktop-X.

Good luck!
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Yep, ATI has thier "Hydravision" utility which will move the OS dialog boxes to one monitor or the other.

But that has no effect in games, so I'm sadly out of luck on that front.

This is a game that could make good use of the dual monitors, so I'm quite eager to make it happen. I've played around with the desktopX stuff and had some success, but I think I'm going to have to wait for 1.2 and a standardized modder folder to do anything really useful.

FWIW, Civ4 has the same problem, although I can move the dialog boxes - they just return to the center the next time they pop up.