Is there any way to get AA working in Bioshock?

[superbooga]

Originally posted by: nitromullet

It supports widescreen resolutions, but not native widescreen resolutions. The resolutions are native standard resolution and they are cropped to make them fit on a widescreen (which is better then stretching). If there were native widescreen however, they would have to have the sides cropped to fit a standard resolution - just like a movie.

No, you're confusing resolution with what you see (your view or zoom). If widescreen made it so all you could see is the tip of your finger but it was still drawn at 1920x1080/1200, it would STILL be considered a true widescreen resolution. How do you know what the developers had in mind? Perhaps they developed for widescreen and just forgot about non-widescreen?

Anyways, widescreen still delivers a more realistic experience for Bioshock. Think about it from a realism, not gameplay standpoint. Look at the picture Ackmed mentions. Don't you think the 5:4 picture looks unnatural? You shouldn't be able to see that much, especially of the top and bottom. The widescreen shot actually delivers something closer to what your eyes should see.

However, you're more likely to want to puke or get dizzy with a realistic field of view. And it's actually much, much easier to play the game when you can see more of the top and bottom.

My ideal solution would be a compromise between realism and gameplay, while exploiting the advantages of widescreen:

Vertical view: Same regardless of screen aspect ratio. Should be more than what we get currently in 16:10, but less than what we get in 5:4.

Horizontal view: Make current horizontal view represent 4:3. Thus you will see less than what you currently see if you have a 5:4, and more than you currently see with a 16:10.

 

[quattro1]

Originally posted by: n7
nitromullet, i tried adding the -dx9 thing in the shortcut, but i don't have hHancer.

Not only did it not work (still no AA being applied), but my whole system locked up upon attempting to exit the game.

Garbage fix indeed, as it doesn't even work for me, but certainly works for effing things up.

You dont need nhancer to do this. The latest 163.44 driver has this already for Bioshock. If you are running on XP or on Vista without a DX10 card, you dont need the -dx9 option. Think you can turn DX10 off in the game anyway.

Either way, forcing AA from the control panel only works on DX9, not DX10.

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: thilan29

Originally posted by: Ackmed

Originally posted by: thilan29
No widescreen? Are you playing the demo or the full game? I'm playing the full game and it goes up to 1920x1200.

It cuts off the top and bottom, and doesnt add anything to the sides, to give you "widescreen". You lose about 25% of the game, going wide.

Pic of it in a screen shot to illustrate

Really? Nothing is cut off for me. I'll try to get a screenshot tomorrow....right now I gotta sleep.

yes because you got the special version of the game. trust me and the rest of the gaming world when we tell you it is cut off.

 

[nitromullet]

Originally posted by: superbooga

Originally posted by: nitromullet

It supports widescreen resolutions, but not native widescreen resolutions. The resolutions are native standard resolution and they are cropped to make them fit on a widescreen (which is better then stretching). If there were native widescreen however, they would have to have the sides cropped to fit a standard resolution - just like a movie.

No, you're confusing resolution with what you see (your view or zoom). If widescreen made it so all you could see is the tip of your finger but it was still drawn at 1920x1080/1200, it would STILL be considered a true widescreen resolution. How do you know what the developers had in mind? Perhaps they developed for widescreen and just forgot about non-widescreen?

Anyways, widescreen still delivers a more realistic experience for Bioshock. Think about it from a realism, not gameplay standpoint. Look at the picture Ackmed mentions. Don't you think the 5:4 picture looks unnatural? You shouldn't be able to see that much, especially of the top and bottom. The widescreen shot actually delivers something closer to what your eyes should see.

However, you're more likely to want to puke or get dizzy with a realistic field of view. And it's actually much, much easier to play the game when you can see more of the top and bottom.

My ideal solution would be a compromise between realism and gameplay, while exploiting the advantages of widescreen:

Vertical view: Same regardless of screen aspect ratio. Should be more than what we get currently in 16:10, but less than what we get in 5:4.

Horizontal view: Make current horizontal view represent 4:3. Thus you will see less than what you currently see if you have a 5:4, and more than you currently see with a 16:10.

I'm not confusing anything. I'm talking about NATIVE (this is the distinction here)...

When discussing WS vs. regular you have to consider aspect ratio, resolution, and FOV or the discussion becomes moot.

Obviously the game supports wide screen resolutions, but it chops the image... The only comparison I can make here is between a video game and a movie, which is somewhat difficult because a movie is filmed, while the game is rendered in real time. However, if they crop the cut scenes to make them fit a wide screen format without being stretched then I would not consider it a native wide screen game. Period. Just like when they have chop a movie to fit a standard resolution because it is native wide screen.

If cropping the top and bottom was the way wide screen was supposed to be then they would just call it "short screen". However, the idea is that the vertical view remains the same while the sides gain peripheral vision, hence the name "wide screen".

 

[superbooga]

To quote a post at WSGF: Part of the problem seems to be that some people are defining "wide screen support" based not upon how well the resolution of the screen is employed in support of the artistic and gameplay goals of a game's designers, but instead by a nonsensical comparison of how much stuff you see on the sides compared to a 4:3 display.

On both a 4:3 TV and 16:9 TV, you see what the artist originally envisioned, right? But the 16:9 TV gives you a bigger picture, which is advantageous. On a 4:3 display you would get black bars on the top and bottom.

Read this. Instead of cropping the image for WS, they added unwanted In other words, the stuff you see in the 5:4 shot was NOT INTENDED TO BE SHOWN. It wasn't what the game designers envisioned.

If you think about this, as WS displays become more and more common, developers will actually follow the same approach. Games will be designed for WS, and for non-WS displays they will either choose to add black bars, or add extra (unwanted) vertical view.

Let me ask you this, have you actually tried playing the game in both WS and non-WS resolutions on a WS display? I have. I can tell you that while the game is easier to play when you see more, the atmosphere is clearly more present in WS. In non-WS everything is WAAAYYY too zoomed out. This is what is meant by "how well the resolution of the screen is employed in support of the artistic and gameplay goals". With non-WS, you will be seeing a smaller image of what you are SUPPOSED to see (which is what's in the center of your screen).

 

[superbooga]

Also, I suspect the reason most people think WS is a crop of the non-WS is:

1. Lots of games in the past were not designed for WS, so they cropped the top and bottom for widescreen.

2. Bioshock has a far smaller FOV than most FPS games. It's intentional, but IMO it really does add to the creepiness and atmosphere of the game.

Although what Bioshock does is going to piss a lot of people off, I actually applaud them for taking the risk. Go watch a movie. For an indoor shot, how much of the floor and ceiling do you normally see? Not a whole lot, in any. Bioshock wants you to feel like you're the main character in a movie, and not just playing a game.

 

[CP5670]

It doesn't do a very good job of that. You don't see vibrating corpses due to Havok bugs in movies.

If UE3 is anything like the previous Unreal engines though, I would think that it should be simple to change the FOV with a command line option or in the game's ini file.

 

[dandragonrage]

Native widescreen support means:
-Not pillarboxed
-Not stretched

Nothing more.

 

[nitromullet]

If that is true, and that is the way they intended it to be, then I have no issues with it. I really didn't have any issues with the game per se, but as I said earlier, I don't think that you can really separate the concepts of aspect ratio and FOV when talking about wide screen vs regular.

I wonder if they left the AA ability off with Vista as a game design decision as well..? Maybe it was part of their artistic vision to have jagged edges for the people with the newest (and most expensive) hardware and OS.

 

[thilanliyan]

Originally posted by: toyota

Originally posted by: thilan29

Originally posted by: Ackmed

Originally posted by: thilan29
No widescreen? Are you playing the demo or the full game? I'm playing the full game and it goes up to 1920x1200.

It cuts off the top and bottom, and doesnt add anything to the sides, to give you "widescreen". You lose about 25% of the game, going wide.

Pic of it in a screen shot to illustrate

Really? Nothing is cut off for me. I'll try to get a screenshot tomorrow....right now I gotta sleep.

yes because you got the special version of the game. trust me and the rest of the gaming world when we tell you it is cut off.

Well, I only played like a minute of it and it didn't look messed up or anything so I assumed it was working. So what you're saying is that if you go to a 5:4 resolution you will see more of the picture at the top and bottom?

 

[Polish3d]

Originally posted by: dandragonrage

Originally posted by: Ackmed

Originally posted by: thilan29
No widescreen? Are you playing the demo or the full game? I'm playing the full game and it goes up to 1920x1200.

It cuts off the top and bottom, and doesnt add anything to the sides, to give you "widescreen". You lose about 25% of the game, going wide.

Pic of it in a screen shot to illustrate

Sorry guy, but while your issue does exist, the game DOES support widescreen. Not fake, not lazy, not bugged. You can still take issue with it, though. Courtesy of M-W:

Main Entry: wide-screen
Function: adjective
: of or relating to a projected picture whose aspect ratio is substantially greater than 1.33:1

:roll:

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: thilan29

Originally posted by: toyota

Originally posted by: thilan29

Originally posted by: Ackmed

Originally posted by: thilan29
No widescreen? Are you playing the demo or the full game? I'm playing the full game and it goes up to 1920x1200.

It cuts off the top and bottom, and doesnt add anything to the sides, to give you "widescreen". You lose about 25% of the game, going wide.

Pic of it in a screen shot to illustrate

Really? Nothing is cut off for me. I'll try to get a screenshot tomorrow....right now I gotta sleep.

yes because you got the special version of the game. trust me and the rest of the gaming world when we tell you it is cut off.

Well, I only played like a minute of it and it didn't look messed up or anything so I assumed it was working. So what you're saying is that if you go to a 5:4 resolution you will see more of the picture at the top and bottom?

yes

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: nitromullet
If that is true, and that is the way they intended it to be, then I have no issues with it. I really didn't have any issues with the game per se, but as I said earlier, I don't think that you can really separate the concepts of aspect ratio and FOV when talking about wide screen vs regular.

I wonder if they left the AA ability off with Vista as a game design decision as well..? Maybe it was part of their artistic vision to have jagged edges for the people with the newest (and most expensive) hardware and OS.

Don't be so quick to concede

Someone mentioned in the official thread that this press release is bull sh!t. I think when the game is viewed in widescreen, someone mentioned part of the hand was cut off and only showed the fingers... Someone made the point that no other game has done that previous to this. I would say, logically, that the devs made this bull sh!t up to make it seem like they designed it around widescreen, when it fact they did not. So they claimed it, but didn't realize the trail of evidence they left behind... That seems QUITE likely, IMO... Now, this is NOT first hand knowledge, but I did want to throw this out there...

 

[nitromullet]

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777

Originally posted by: nitromullet
If that is true, and that is the way they intended it to be, then I have no issues with it. I really didn't have any issues with the game per se, but as I said earlier, I don't think that you can really separate the concepts of aspect ratio and FOV when talking about wide screen vs regular.

I wonder if they left the AA ability off with Vista as a game design decision as well..? Maybe it was part of their artistic vision to have jagged edges for the people with the newest (and most expensive) hardware and OS.

Don't be so quick to concede

Someone mentioned in the official thread that this press release is bull sh!t. I think when the game is viewed in widescreen, someone mentioned part of the hand was cut off and only showed the fingers... Someone made the point that no other game has done that previous to this. I would say, logically, that the devs made this bull sh!t up to make it seem like they designed it around widescreen, when it fact they did not. So they claimed it, but didn't realize the trail of evidence they left behind... That seems QUITE likely, IMO... Now, this is NOT first hand knowledge, but I did want to throw this out there...

You saw my comment about AA and Vista, right? I think it's BS too, but how am I going to argue against what the devs say is their vision? Overall, it's a pretty damn good game, so I can't really complain too much. It is also one of the few games where AA isn't that necessary, as most of the edges are pretty low contrast. It still would look better with AA, but it isn't a complete deal breaker for me like it is on some games.

 

[superbooga]

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777


Don't be so quick to concede

Someone mentioned in the official thread that this press release is bull sh!t. I think when the game is viewed in widescreen, someone mentioned part of the hand was cut off and only showed the fingers... Someone made the point that no other game has done that previous to this. I would say, logically, that the devs made this bull sh!t up to make it seem like they designed it around widescreen, when it fact they did not. So they claimed it, but didn't realize the trail of evidence they left behind... That seems QUITE likely, IMO... Now, this is NOT first hand knowledge, but I did want to throw this out there...

If you just stand there and hold the wrench, your arms and hands will be constantly moving, and you will see your arms, even with WS resolutions.

If you ever tried playing with both WS and non-WS resolutions like I have, I think you will agree with me that you see way too much with non-WS resolutions. It feels like your playing on a monitor rotated 90 degrees.

 

[superbooga]

Originally posted by: nitromullet
If that is true, and that is the way they intended it to be, then I have no issues with it. I really didn't have any issues with the game per se, but as I said earlier, I don't think that you can really separate the concepts of aspect ratio and FOV when talking about wide screen vs regular.

In the past it's been that way, but Bioshock's approach is more like how anamorphic DVD's and widescreen displays work together to give your a bigger image + better resolution.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: tuteja1986
Well AA works for me in Bioshock. I go into ATI control panel and i force AA :! then i start up bioshock and she resist but then she gives up and shows no jaggie line.

That doesn't work. I tried that and see tons of jagged edges.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777

Originally posted by: nitromullet
If that is true, and that is the way they intended it to be, then I have no issues with it. I really didn't have any issues with the game per se, but as I said earlier, I don't think that you can really separate the concepts of aspect ratio and FOV when talking about wide screen vs regular.

I wonder if they left the AA ability off with Vista as a game design decision as well..? Maybe it was part of their artistic vision to have jagged edges for the people with the newest (and most expensive) hardware and OS.

Don't be so quick to concede

Someone mentioned in the official thread that this press release is bull sh!t. I think when the game is viewed in widescreen, someone mentioned part of the hand was cut off and only showed the fingers... Someone made the point that no other game has done that previous to this. I would say, logically, that the devs made this bull sh!t up to make it seem like they designed it around widescreen, when it fact they did not. So they claimed it, but didn't realize the trail of evidence they left behind... That seems QUITE likely, IMO... Now, this is NOT first hand knowledge, but I did want to throw this out there...

The fact is that 2K Games cannot code a PC game for crap. It's that simple. They just don't understand the need for all the graphic options. They do a fine Console game, but they absolutely suck at making a PC game. A game on the PC requires more options than they give.

 

[BroadbandGamer]

So let me see if I've got this right. AA can be forced with DirectX 9 but not with DirectX 10. Is this correct? Is there any way to get AA working on Vista with DirectX 10?

 

[BFG10K]

AA can be forced with DirectX 9 but not with DirectX 10. Is this correct?

Yup.

Is there any way to get AA working on Vista with DirectX 10?

Not that I know of.

 

[1Dark1Sharigan1]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
The fact is that 2K Games cannot code a PC game for crap. It's that simple. They just don't understand the need for all the graphic options. They do a fine Console game, but they absolutely suck at making a PC game. A game on the PC requires more options than they give.

??

This is the first time that Irrational (now of course a part of 2K) has made a game for both consoles and PCs. Before that, they were exclusively PC developers.