Need Advice running older games on Dual monitor setup

Published on January 27, 2007 By Mumblefratz In Off-Topic

So I have a new PC that I've been setting up for pretty much forever. I have to get everything else that I want on the PC setup and working before I install GalCiv2, because once GalCiv2 goes on it, there's nothing else that will get done with the machine.

Anyway the last couple of things to go on the machine before GalCiv2 are a handful of circa 2000 DirectX 6.1 type games. These don't seem to get along with dual monitors very well.

Currently I have a 1280x1024 and a 1024x768 monitor. I set the 1280x1024 monitor as the primary monitor, but I keep my taskbar and destop icons on the 1024x768 monitor. The idea is that anything full screen I'd like to run on the 1280x1024 monitor while keeping the smaller monitor available to open a broswer or whatever.

One of the older games appears to open properly on the 1280x1024 monitor and plays just fine as long as I never click on anything in the smaller monitor, if I do the game crashes. The other game grays out a 1024x768 area in the top left of the 1280x1024 monitor. If you keep the cursor in this grayed out area of the 1280x1024 monitor the cursor and the game actually appear in the 1024x768 monitor and it appears to play normally. However, if you click anywhere outside the grayed out area on the 1280x1024 monitor, the game minimizes. If you reopen the game it usually crashes.

I assume I could get these to operate correctly by keeping my 1280x1024 monitor as the primary monitor and leaving the taskbar and destop icons also on the 1280x1024 monitor and then if I want to play either of these games I could disable the 1024x768 monitor and the games would probably work as they used to.

I would still like to play GalCiv2 like I first described, as essentially a full screen app in the 1280x1024 monitor with my taskbar and desktop icons on the 1024x768 monitor which would be free to run the Galactopedia or a browser.

First of all, will GalCiv2 work as I'm trying to set it up to do? Second, anyone have a more graceful solution to play my old games? The old games are Axis & Allies and two others that I would prefer not to admit to playing (Hasbro Monoploy and Scrabble).

Comments

DethAdder

on Jan 27, 2007

Not sure about your other games, but I'm playing GC2 how you described. I've got GC2 in my primary and I'm typing this in the secondary. Thing is just run GC2 at your primary monitors resolution in windowed mode. It will work in fullscreen but it won't let you run the mouse over to the sec. monitor. In windowed you can run the mouse right over to the other, just do it kind of quickly so it don't set off the edge scroll. I'm running the system setup in dual view mode by the way. Used to run horizontal span, then I got GC2 widescreen at 2560x1024

Mumblefratz

on Jan 28, 2007

I ended up backing up to a disk image that I had prior to installing the old games and then moving everything to my primary monitor and disabling the secondary. I then installed two of the games and they worked the way I wanted once I re-enabled the secondary monitor, but the third crapped out entirely so I had to can it. It is regretable that forward progress sometimes means you have to give up some old stuff that you still like. Oh well.

I'm finally installing GC2 on my new PC after 6 weeks of not playing the game. I wonder if I still know how to play it.

Evil Stormbringer

on Jan 29, 2007

I'm finally installing GC2 on my new PC after 6 weeks of not playing the game. I wonder if I still know how to play it.

It's about time Mumblefratz! I doubt you'll have a hard time 'remembering' how to play ... but you never know.

Incidentally, I now know what you mean when you said it was taking all this time to get your new computer 'set up'. I should have never started perusing the PCStats website since now I find myself tweaking, tripping, and other various 'ings', my computer. It's almost as much fun as playing... er, almost.

But this topic is of interest to me since I was considering using my second monitor as well. I just haven't got to that point yet.
The irony of this is I just removed my Axis and Allies from my computer last night (I got the new Avalon Hill board game for X-Mas and playing with the pieces is just so much more fun... and even the wife plays, if only every so often. She's not bad either.

Mumblefratz

on Jan 29, 2007

The irony of this is I just removed my Axis and Allies from my computer last night (I got the new Avalon Hill board game for X-Mas and playing with the pieces is just so much more fun... and even the wife plays, if only every so often. She's not bad either.

There was a Milton Bradley version of Axis & Allies that I've had since 1985. Never was able to get my wife interested in it though. It is fun to play with all the little pieces but it makes me feel like a 7 year old playing with my Tonka trunks in the dirt pile. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

The other thing about the board game is that it takes almost as long to set up as to play, eliminating set up time plus the different scenarios make the computer game more fun than the board game. However the AI truly does suck. I wonder if Stardock could do a version of the game. I'd expect they could do it some justice.

I also just started a new game (v1.4x haven't tried DA yet). It's my first one playing as the Yor. I'm finding them to be a very powerful race with their 25% miniaturization bonus. Also the new computer is obviously *way* faster than the old one and I can leave graphics features enabled that I previously had to disable. The close up graphics are indeed cool but really they're just eye candy. If the only part of the game was the zoomed out icon view the game would still be just as great in my opinion.

Evil Stormbringer

on Jan 29, 2007

There was a Milton Bradley version of Axis & Allies that I've had since 1985.

Same here. We also got into the Fortress America and Shogun (which I have) but they never had the same 'feel' as Axis. I can't remember the other one they had, but I believe it was set in the old Rome days.
The sad part is these damn game boards. I totally HATE the way they've chopped them up and made them fold up into a tiny little square. I understand about cutting corners during manufacturing but come on, leave the damn board alone. I find myself contemplating making them all 'permanent' boards, just to get rid of the cheesy feel of them.
As you can well see Mumblefratz, almost all of us seem to have had that 'nerdy' past.

(But I would never admit it!)

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!