Playing the game in a window.

[Leviticus]

Hi.


Is there any way to play the game in a window rather than full screen?

I just got a new computer loaded with Win XP and when I try to play the game it has screen resolution issues.

[johndmuller]

As far as I know, you can't get the game to run in a standard window, only in the full screen mode. It is possible to access other windows via Alt-Tab and Ctrl-Esc and maybe other magic key combos. If you have 256 meg memory, you can run a reasonable amount of other stuff concurrently, including a browser and email/connectivity software, although some items, such as sound, may be problematic (i.e. available only to SMAC or ...) and instability may be more likely the more resources you are using.

As to the screen resolution, you might want to be more specific about your problem. I believe that SMAC uses either of 2 resoultions, 1024x768 and one lesser, either 800x600 or 640x480 but probably the 800x600. I think that if you are already using one of its supported resolutions, it will go with that, otherwise (I would hope that) it would go with the highest one less than or equal to your current resolution. There is a line that can be entered into the file Alpha Centauri.ini that will specify a resolution. I don't know what that is, but I imagine that you can find it in a readme.txt kind of file or else in another thread on this subject. The .ini entry has definitely been mentioned in this forum, so that knowledge is out there. Of course, you may be talking about something else. . . .

[khawkins98]

from a previouse post

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31266&highlight=window+mode

You Can Play Windowed Mode!!


yep thats right...here is how:

play one game, this will generate the .ini file described in the readme.txt

here is an example:
if your desktop is say 1280x960, you can play the game in a 1152x768 window for instance. to do this add the following two lines to the .ini file:

KeepRes=1
Video Mode=1152

...thats it. it plays civ3 in a 1152x768 window while maintaining a 1600x768 desktop.

[BustaMike]

Also, for whatever reason, I've found that SMAC will keep the windows taskbar on the screen if and only if you are running 1024 x 768. This will usually eliminate the need to run SMAC in a window because pretty much everything is available to you throught the task bar (i.e. the start menu, the desktop quick button, system tray, etc...). I probably would put SMAC in a window otherwise, but there's no reason at this resolution.

P.S. Anyone notice how crazy the game looks if you switch to the desktop. Colors going negative, weird lines, etc... looks pretty cool.

[Main_Brain]

Psychadelic Experience I agrre
Wheew Colours

[Adalbertus]

I have no problems with the sound when I listen to my preferred CD's on the (other) CD drive. The only thing that happens is when you start the game, sometime it jumps to the next track. Otherwise, the left Windoze key is functional, so you can start applications if you wish. It keeps SMAC resolution, however.

[CEO Aaron]

Uhmn... it appears that the quoted post about running SMAC in a window referrs to running Civilization III in a window. No such luck with SMAC, or none when I try it? Anyone ever successfully run windowed SMAC (not SMAX)?

[Adalbertus]

Of course you can play SMAC in a window, but it might get cold in winter. (My god, I'm creative again )