In geame text size....

[Roaringhedgehog]

have done a search and seam to be struggling to find a answer to this.. perhaps i have not looked far enuff or its a old andswer to a old question ?

basically is there any way to change chat log text size and or the HP/MP bars in size be it with dat mods or windower gui mods or another program or sumin, cause when i play on widescreen tv in high reso the text and bars are soooo freeking small ( i sit far away on sofa and cant read it its fine if i sit infront of the TV but its not how i wana play).

If i play in 1024x768 i can read the texts/bars resonably fine but when i go to my highest reso 1900x1200 or w/e it is exactly or even 1200x1000 w/e its just too small.

yes i am now using PC on HDTV sat on sofa rather than PC on monitor sat at desk.

i know when i trial played wharhammer they had a GUI chat window which could be made bigger along with dif size text(tho this is much newer than ffxi lol) i wondered if the new windower 4 is possible to do this? or can it be done with 3 and or .dat mods?

thanks for the replys and i expect my answers to be nope tuff shit nothing can be done lol

[Stromgarde]

You want to adjust the "Overlay Resolution". That will make all of the menus, icons, as well as the chat log larger or smaller depending on what you want to do with it.

[SnickySnacks]

To expand on what Stromgarde said, set your overlay resolution lower and regedit your background resolution higher.

overlay: 1024x768
background: 2048x1536

for example will give you nicer graphics and readable text.

[Mabubeezareel]

Right, it's the overlay (sometimes referred to as foreground) resolution that you want to set to be a bit lower. You'll probably want to set it at a 16:9 ratio, like 1280x720. You can then set the background resolution to be a multiple of that resolution, so 2560x1440 should work well. Might have to manually tweak your registry to do that, but there's a few threads on the first page here in this forum with more details on doing that. Lastly, make sure that you set the ingame aspect ratio to be 16:9.

[Nameless]

I have similar question. I have wide screen monitor, and I know to adjust in game aspect ratio to 16:9 to make everything look not fat. So let's say my display resolution is 1600:800 outside of game. Do I set my in game overlay to match 1600:800 or do I set it in a 16:9 ratio such as 1600:900?

I also have small text problem, so in the above example, how much lower in overlay do I go, and background is just double of that right?

Thanks.

[Mabubeezareel]

I have similar question. I have wide screen monitor, and I know to adjust in game aspect ratio to 16:9 to make everything look not fat. So let's say my display resolution is 1600:800 outside of game. Do I set my in game overlay to match 1600:800 or do I set it in a 16:9 ratio such as 1600:900?

I also have small text problem, so in the above example, how much lower in overlay do I go, and background is just double of that right?

Thanks.

Are you using windower and/or running the game in windowed mode? Assuming that you're using windower, setting the overlay resolution to match your desktop's resolution will result in the window occupying your entire screen. Setting the overlay to be less than your desktop's resolution will result in a window that occupies only a portion of your screen, which you can then position freely. You shoud not set your overlay resolution to > display resolution, as that would result in a window that occupies more than the real estate on your desktop.

Your example is a bit flawed, as you shouldn't be running a desktop resolution of 1600x800. It would be something like 1920x1200, 1600x900 or 1280x720 if its aspect ratio is 16:9. If it's a 16:10 aspect ration, it would likely 1680x1050 or 1440x900.

For instance, let's say your desktop resolution is 1680x1050. If you set the overlay resolution to be 1600x900, it would result in a window that does not occupy your entire desktop. In turn, you'd want to set the ingame aspect ratio to be 16:9.

In short, for best results:

1. Set overlay resolution to be < desktop resolution
2. Set ingame aspect ratio to match aspect ratio of overlay resolution
3. Set background resolution to be a multiple of overlay resolution.

[Nameless]

Oh ok, thank you for the help, I think I understand it a bit better now.

So in order to fix the in game text issue, I have to lower the overlay, which makes sense as the overlay determines the text size. However, this means that it will not be running in full screen. Is there a way to play in let's say 1600:900 ratio under full screen and have bigger text size?

For example:

If 1600:900 is the only display resolution my computer offers, and I want to play FFXI in a 16:10 ratio in the best quality possible. I will do:

Overlay 1600:900
BG 3200:1800
In game aspect ratio 16:10 (under config in game)

Is that right? but then the text will be small right? and there is no way to change that unless lowering the overlay, which will result in running under partial screen right?

I run windower btw. Thanks.

[Nameless]

Ok, I just got some detail on my system.

It is running ATI Radeon HD 4350, and I believe (google searched) that the cap on display is 8192:8192. (Correct me is I am wrong about this).

So to play under 1600:900 resolution but 16:10 in game ratio (since 1600:1000 isn't an option for resolution for my computer), I need to set it like this:

Overlay 1600:900
BG 3200:1800 (multiple of 2)
In game aspect ratio 16:10

Is that correct?

Edit: Sorry, nvm, 8192 x 8192 is the cap.

[SnickySnacks]

No, your overlay ought to be in the same resolution ratio as your background. Check what your monitor's native resolution is, it should have a native resolution of something like 1440x900 for 16:10

The cap for the background resolution depends on your video card and how much lag you feel like putting up with, but good values for background at a 1440x900 overlay would be:
1440x900 (x1)
2160x1350 (x1.5)
2880x1800 (x2)

If you post your monitor's model # and manufacturer should be easy to figure out your resolution.

[Nameless]

It is LG 20' widescreen flat panel. And the specification says 16:9 ratio, max resolution 1600:900, which is what I have set (there is one higher when I go to my display, so I am not sure why it says 1600:900 is the highest on the website).

So it seems like I should just let it run 16:9

Also, should I enable Map Bumping? and what really are texture compression and map compression? I have never figured those out. Should I set them as uncompressed for best quality? Thanks.

[Mabubeezareel]

Your ingame aspect ratio should match that of your overlay resolution, and should be an afterthought. You don't want to base your other settings around it - you simply match it up afterwards for proper proportioning.

If you set your overlay to be 1600x900, then set your aspect ratio to be 16:9. Setting it to 16:10 will result in a disproportionate display, though not very noticeable.

Try these settings out for size and see how they look -

Overlay - 1600x900
Background - 1920x1080
Aspect Ratio - 16:9

The above should result in a window that occupies your entire desktop, with proper ingame proportions. Or try this too

Overlay - 1440x900
Background - 1650x1080
Aspect Ratio - 16:10

That setting will give a window that takes up the entire length of your screen, but not width, so you'll have some space on your desktop on the right/left of the window (160 extra "columns" of pixels to be exact).

In both cases, the text shouldn't be so small that it's not readable. If it is, then you might just need corrective spectacles.

[Mabubeezareel]

It is LG 20' widescreen flat panel. And the specification says 16:9 ratio, max resolution 1600:900, which is what I have set (there is one higher when I go to my display, so I am not sure why it says 1600:900 is the highest on the website).

So it seems like I should just let it run 16:9

Also, should I enable Map Bumping? and what really are texture compression and map compression? I have never figured those out. Should I set them as uncompressed for best quality? Thanks.

Disable bump mapping, leave textures/maps uncompressed, and set mipmapping to something other than 0 (I recommend 4).

As the other poster also mentioned, play around with your background resolution and set it as high as your card will limit. I think the max res on a 4830 is 2560x1600, so don't go above that. 2160x1350 should do the trick.

[Nameless]

Got it, thanks alot guys.

[Roaringhedgehog]

wow lol thanks for that info guys :D i didnt expect it to be possible now ill have to spend a lil while messing round and adujsting stuff.. i had already dne teh background regedit but only by a bit, and yes i read those other recent threads on the background part and did that from the responces on them but it was the text which was the most annoying... ;p not being able to see other peoples hp bars could also prove to be fatal too...

i will go have a look around and alter stuff and try grab a screen shot tell you what my settings are

again thanks for the helpful replys :D

[Mabubeezareel]

@Nameless:

Your HD 4350 has different max resolutions for VGA vs. DVI connections (2048x1536 analog to 2560x1600 digital). I think that FF will downscale the background resolution if you set it higher than your card allows, but it would probably better to set it accurately anyway. So, if you're using a VGA connection, set your background resolution to 1920x1200, and if DVI, then use 2400x1350. And then work down from there if you see any performance hit at those high resolutions.

@OP:

Are you also using windower? Now that I think about it more, if you are using windower, lowering your overlay resolution will increase text/menus, but will also result in a smaller window. If you're wishing to play in "full screen" (after all, that's the whole point of playing it on a big TV, right?), you'll need to adjust your desktop resolution down a bit, and then set your overlay resolution to be the same. Try using 1280x720 as both your desktop resolution and overlay resolution. That should definitely do the trick for you.

[Nameless]

Yes, I noticed that while digging around a bit more. I am going to get the digital cable after work today. So from the look of it, 2400:1350 seems good.

[Nameless]

Oh, another question lol.

My other computer has a different monitor, and it seems to be 16:10 ratio. 1440:900 as its natural ratio. So do I set the overlay as 1440:900 and BG as 1440:900 as well (this is an older computer, so I am not going to do the 1.5 or 2 multiplier). And in game aspect ratio set to 16:10 when I am in game? Or will setting in game aspect ratio to 16:9 despite being 16:10 otherwise will hurt the performance. Thank you.

[Mabubeezareel]

The ingame aspect ratio won't affect performance at all, but you should set it to match the aspect ratio of your overlay resolution. 1440x900 is indeed a 16:10 aspect ratio, so use that, though you won't notice much difference at 16:9. Characters will be a bit skinny at 16:9 with that resolution, but 16:10 is the correct choice.

[Roaringhedgehog]

@OP:

Are you also using windower? Now that I think about it more, if you are using windower, lowering your overlay resolution will increase text/menus, but will also result in a smaller window. If you're wishing to play in "full screen" (after all, that's the whole point of playing it on a big TV, right?), you'll need to adjust your desktop resolution down a bit, and then set your overlay resolution to be the same. Try using 1280x720 as both your desktop resolution and overlay resolution. That should definitely do the trick for you.

yes i am on windower full screen.. i have a question for you tho... the "overlay" u speak of thats the overlay on windows main gui menu start bit right.. is that teh same as in ffxi config? i notice the ffxi is very limited on options compared to windower tho... but this overlay is that the screen resolution which u can regedit same as the background reso too?

many dif words all kinda meaning the same thing and kinda doing the same thing.. not used to all this faffing round used to just plug and play consoles and or normal small screen monitors lol never had to change mush

i have messed about a little and set the overlay on it windower overlay is 1024x720 i think and background is 2560x1440 set in regedit.. tho my pc reso on desktop as normal is 1440x900 .. when i put the pc on tv it took me ages of messing round and got me kinda pissed off to get it looking half decent in end i just left it at what it is lol my graphics card is a nivida 9800gt it goes up to 1920x1080 in its main menu options for change reso for desktop.

how the game looks now is nice compared to before.. looked nice at highest reso but tiny text at 1024x720 looked ok but nothing special and decent text. i aint a clue what my tv does reso wise off my head without looking on net or for ts booklet/box.. <.< just found it it says it is Resolution 1440 x 900 pixels.

[Mabubeezareel]

OK, try this out and see how it works. When connecting your PC to the TV, leave the PC resolution set at 1440x900. Then, using either the windower GUI or tweaking the registry, set your overlay resolution to be 1440x900, and your background resolution to 2880x1800. Depending on your card, this resolution may/may not be supported, but should be downscaled anyway. Also, set ingame aspect ratio to 16:10.

Then, see if your TV has a "picture size" option, or something similar, and set it to 16:9. This is the exact setup that I'm running right now as I type this using my 40" Samsung TV as my monitor, and the game looks fantastic. Oddly, using a 16:10 resolution across the board on my TV looks infinitely better than 16:9. Everything looked terrible at 1280x720.