Widescreen Gaming Forum

Hi everyone,

very wonderful patch :p !!!!! Thanks.

A new version 1.1 have been done by xOmicron with a lot of new options.

Could someone make 1.1 compatible with AoE2Wide ?
patch
French informations


Thanks,
NoNo

The latest UserPatch by xOmicron now allows changing to a widescreen resolution in-game, thru the game's options (no more need for multiple .EXEs), and the game interface looks clean too (no stretched parts). Currently playing it at 1366x768. It can detect the resolutions that your videocard supports.

Get the UserPatch at:
http://www.xomicron.com/software/userpatch/

The author can be contacted at http://twitter.com/xOmicron

Also, who should I contact so that this fix will be added here: http://widescreengamingforum.com/dr/age-empires-ii-conquerors-expansion/en ?

I've created a patch that allows you to run AoE2-TC on practically any resolution!

How It Works: It changes the effective resolution of the 1280x1024 (or 1024x768, 800x600) choice to your desktop resolutions (but other options are possible), by changing some of the occurrences of 1280, 1024 and related numbers inside the binary.

It also changes all interface graphics to the right resolution by duplicating some lines and repeating the rightmost pixels.

It writes a new exe and a new version of interfac.drs, both with a different name. The patched exe refers to this new interfac.drs, not to the original one. You can't lose anything.

After running AoE2Wide, you will get a link (batch file) on your desktop that links to the new, hi-res AoE2 !

It works on NoCD versions only, since the original exe's are encrypted and therefore unpatchable. 1.0, 1.0c and 1.0e supported.

.Net 3.5 SP1 is required, but the supplied MSI will install this for you if necessary.

Source Links:
http://www.boekabart.net/aoe2wide/latestpatcher/AoE2WideSetup.msi For latest INSTALLER! [edit: fixed link]
http://www.boekabart.net/aoe2wide For all downloads, sources, screenshots, binary

Donate HERE: http://www.boekabart.net/aoe2wide/donate.html If you're looking to support the past and future development of this patch!

If you install (msi) or download the patcher, make sure you put the files in a subfolder of your AoE2 game directory, or it won't be able to find the right files.

See further in this topic for more details and instructions.

Hi
Made a video of aoe2 running at 1920x1080 works great http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXgF6VdTP84

Hi, when a game is being launched it gameranger, it says launching.. game launches. then when it is launched it does not go to the game room but it goes to the menu of age of empires as it would if you clicked it of the desktop if you get what i mean... is there a fix for this?

I have the exact same problem!!!!

And I had to use .bat to exe to even link the modded game to Gameranger.


Plz, if anyone knows a way around it, do tell!!!!

I've tried both AoE2Wide and UserPatch by xOmicron and UserPatch is much easier to use (user friendier) and fixes even bugs like colors in Windows 7, etc.

updated 6-3-2011 | 21:20 CET
INTRODUCTIONS:

I've combined the widescreen patch for 1920x1080 with the VEG MOD v2.1.3 [22.11.2009] (C) 2006-2009 Evgeny Vrublevsky .

Widescreen patch | 15-feb-2010:
http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=18102
http://www.boekabart.net/aoe2wide/

Veg Mod | v2.1.3 [22.11.2009]:
http://veg.slutsk.net/blog/category/aoe/

This allows for widescreen resolution and the VEG MOD features like being able to play single player campaign and windowed mode.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1 . Extract the files from the archive to the age of empires directory.
ie. C:Program FilesMicrosoft GamesAge of Empires II

2. Edit the [Age of Empires Directory]Widescreen+Vegconfig.xml file to your liking.
- Setting enabled="1" at the "wndmode.dll" line will make the game windowed.
This will eleviate the pink color problem (at least it did for me).
It will not clip the mouse anymore (annoying if you're using a dual-screen setup).

- Setting enabled="0" at the "wndmode.dll" line will keep it fullscreen.
You will need to kill explorer.exe using the taskmanager if
you're using vista/7 to keep the colors from being pink.

3. Run Age of Empires 2 using the new executable ([Age of Empires Directory]Widescreen+Vegaoc.exe)
and enjoy you're well-earned fun.


REMARKS


All I did was combine 2 patches into a for me perfect setup.

[Age of Empires Directory]Data19201080.drs is created by boekabart (the original poster of this thread). If you already installed the widescreen patch using the setup, you don't need the one from my archive (it's the same).

DOWNLOADS
Widescreen+Vegmod Standalone
http://www.sendspace.com/file/tryka1
Use this version if you haven't installed the widescreen patch from the original poster yet. This includes the 19201080.drs file from that.

Widescreen+Vegmod Addon Edition (for if you have already installed the widescreen patch from the first post)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/a7oepz

Hi boekabart,
Some years ago I discovered this thread, applied the fix and have ever since been able to fully play AOE 2 on a nice 1920*1080 monitor.
I'd like to say thanks for that!

Times change, though.
Months ago while doing upgrades to my PC, setup etc I bought 2 extra Full HD monitors and set them up with the AMD Eyefinity technology which enables Windows to recognize my 3 screens as one big whole screen.
That means my screen resolution is now 5936*1080 (three 1920*1080 monitors with some bezel correction).

Since then I've been trying now and then to get AOE2 working with the widescreen patch. Unfortunately, it's still not working. Sorry to dissappoint the people who are jumping to see Eyefinity screenshots!

After not seeing any solution anywhere in this thread, I've decided to make an account and post exactly what happened.

Before recording everything that happened below, I've already installed the latest version of the patch like 5 times already because I was out of options (had no clue what else I could try).
That means we're absolutely sure I have everything up to date. I'm even using the age2_x1.exe from your site (http://www.boekabart.net/aoe2wide/age2_x1.exe).
I've also deleted all files and batch files that were generated before, leaving just the age2_x1.exe file (and the other standard AOE2 files of course :P).

Here are my other system specs: Windows 7 x64 bit, Intel Core i7-2600, AMD Radeon HD 6770, 3 Full HD monitors. Not saying those are extremely important because it worked well before on 1 monitor.

First I launched the generated batch file under completely normal circumstances. I just double clicked the batch file; no compatibility mode, no administrator, nothing special.
This showed up:



The triple menu might confuse you, but I can assure you that's really normal for games. The menu will always be in 800*600 resolution, and it's NOT uncommon for games to duplicate their image multiple times so it fills the other area's (screens in this case).

This does not mean that Eyefinity is not working correctly. Windows and all programs still recognize it as a whole single screen, but games usually fill up other space with the same image when your set resolution is way too 'stretched' in comparison to the aspect ratio (I mean, 5936*1080, it's almost 6:1).
I might be wrong here for some cases, but you know what I mean. ;)

The same happens when I'm in this menu. Still nothing wrong.



Things changed when I finally clicked the Start Game button (yes I didn't take a PrintScreen, live with it :P).



I restarted the game, again using the batch file and nothing else that's special.
When going into the map editor it still has the menu resolution and looks like this:



But the game still crashes when testing the map.

So I relaunched the batch file with Compatibility Mode set on Windows XP (Service Pack 2) on all files.

When trying to play a match, the game doesn't crash anymore, but is still unplayable as it shows really weird graphically glitched results like this:



Another thing I tried is launching the game directly from the executable file, NOT the batch file. In this case the Compatibility Mode really doesn't make a difference, apart from the intro video.

The game is now a little bit playable, but of course still heavily glitched. It fills the '1280*1024 part' of my screens but the actual game seems to have place in the upperleft 800*600 area.



When going in the map editor, it also uses the 1280*1024 resolution instead of standard menu resolution (800*600 which only happened when launching from the batch file).
Obviously it also has glitched colours, but I'll only care about them when I finally fixed this whole issue. :/



I hope this thread isn't too old/inactive.. Any advice/help is welcome!

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cmasterbe
You may want to use the latest v1.1 Userpatch. Any resolution is now selectable without stretching in-game.
If you have problems with CD/iso detection or other things, use this exe (after installing 1.1).

cmasterbe
You may want to use the latest v1.1 Userpatch. Any resolution is now selectable without stretching in-game.
If you have problems with CD/iso detection or other things, use this exe (after installing 1.1).

Thanks for the reply, but

1) The maximum resolution I can set in that game is 1920x1080, which is no problem to play with, but I'd really like to test out AOE2 on my 3 monitors at 5940x1080. Is there any way to launch the game in this mode? Because if I apply the Widescreen Fix on the 1.1 executable, it still generates the 1.0, 1.0c and 1.0e version (which are not 1.1 anymore and don't work with 5940x1080).

2) Even if the above issue is solved, can I play online with other people that have 1.0 and/or 1.0c and/or 1.0e?

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1) The maximum resolution I can set in that game is 1920x1080, which is no problem to play with, but I'd really like to test out AOE2 on my 3 monitors at 5940x1080. Is there any way to launch the game in this mode? Because if I apply the Widescreen Fix on the 1.1 executable, it still generates the 1.0, 1.0c and 1.0e version (which are not 1.1 anymore and don't work with 5940x1080).

Are you sure that the system detects your screen resolution as 5940x1080? Games which support custom resolutions (including our aoc 1.1) are aware only of resolutions that videocard driver tells them. I'm not sure if extending the screen with multiple monitors extends the resolution as well, so you should check the list of available resolutions for you (right click on desktop - Screen Resolution; on win 7). If 5940x1080 isn't present there, then there's nothing you can do about it, I think. Except if there's a super-hax driver that makes the 3 monitors as one single screen resolution. I really, don't know about this... And if there is 5940x1080, then 1.1 doesn't support it (but I'm sure that it would, as the author said - _any_ resolution should be selectable). And there aren't really monitors of more than 1920 in width. So mostly developers don't care about it

2) Even if the above issue is solved, can I play online with other people that have 1.0 and/or 1.0c and/or 1.0e?

no... they will need the 1.1 patch. it's better for all of them to install - it also gives good features and fixes, not only widescreen and a smooth windowed 24-bit mode.

Thanks for the reply,
but I'll first explain what Eyefinity does. ;)

Are you sure that the system detects your screen resolution as 5940x1080? Games which support custom resolutions (including our aoc 1.1) are aware only of resolutions that videocard driver tells them. I'm not sure if extending the screen with multiple monitors extends the resolution as well, so you should check the list of available resolutions for you (right click on desktop - Screen Resolution; on win 7). If 5940x1080 isn't present there, then there's nothing you can do about it, I think. Except if there's a super-hax driver that makes the 3 monitors as one single screen resolution.

That super-hax driver is called AMD Eyefinity, it's a technology that enables you to let Windows and all its programs detect your 3 monitors as 1 whole big screen. It's made for full-screen applications, such as games, so you can enjoy them across all your monitors.

The games don't know there are 3 separate monitors. They genuinely think there is one big 5940*1080 monitor.
So yes, in the Screen Resolution window I do see 1 big virtual monitor with 5940*1080 as resolution.

The problem is, though: Most games do NOT have the 5940*1080 option in the options in-game, but normally I CAN set the resolution somewhere in the INI files.
Currently I don't see any INI file or other options file present in the game directory, so I have to depend on the in-game options menu but I don't see 5940*1080 there either.

So, my question is: Is there any way to manually modify the screen resolution outside the game? If not, how can I fix the game crashing when trying to play a match with the wide-screen fix for 5940*1080?

Here is a photo of someone playing AOE2 at 3840*1080, but even that resolution fails for me, so I'm pretty sure something can be fixed here:
http://globalgeeknews.com/2011/02/10/how-to-play-age-of-empires-ii-in-high-res-or-with-2-monitors/

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