Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: BWRaven on September 07, 2019, 01:55:04 PM

Title: Triple Monitors
Post by: BWRaven on September 07, 2019, 01:55:04 PM
I have three monitors running through a dual-video docking station. All three of my monitors are displayed in the account video settings. How do I configure the game to run on all three monitors?
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: Bizman on September 07, 2019, 02:07:11 PM
It's a simple calculation. Just sum the horizontal resolutions and apply that in the video settings of the game. The vertical settings will remain the same.

So if you have three 1920x1080 monitors in horizontal position, it'd be 3x1920=5760 for horizontal and 1080 for vertical, i.e. 5760x1080. Notice that using three monitors will triple the load for your video card! You'd need something like an Nvidia GTX970/1060/2060 or the AMD equivalent at the least, for more eye candy a faster one.

If you can pivot the monitors, i.e. put them on the side, the calculation would be 3x1080=3240x1920. 
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: FLS on September 07, 2019, 02:52:41 PM
I have three monitors running through a dual-video docking station. All three of my monitors are displayed in the account video settings. How do I configure the game to run on all three monitors?

You need the monitors to appear as one monitor to Windows. This generally requires the monitors to all be plugged into one video card that can accommodate a triple display. The game will then see the three monitors as one display, you don't need any special settings in the game.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: FLS on September 07, 2019, 06:25:52 PM
Check the documentation on your docking station . See if you can extend the display over the three monitors so Windows sees it as one big monitor.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: guncrasher on September 07, 2019, 08:26:32 PM
You need the monitors to appear as one monitor to Windows. This generally requires the monitors to all be plugged into one video card that can accommodate a triple display. The game will then see the three monitors as one display, you don't need any special settings in the game.

I had 3 monitors that were connected to 2 different cards in sli mode.


semp
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: FLS on September 07, 2019, 08:54:58 PM
I had 3 monitors that were connected to 2 different cards in sli mode.


semp

That's why I said "generally".  Perhaps your experience with 2 video cards in SLI will help the OP with his video docking station.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: guncrasher on September 07, 2019, 09:18:43 PM
I have three monitors running through a dual-video docking station. All three of my monitors are displayed in the account video settings. How do I configure the game to run on all three monitors?

choose the resolution in the video settings when you first open aces high.  if windows can see 3 monitors so will ah.


semp
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: JimmyC on September 23, 2019, 04:42:43 PM
can you cobble any size monitor together?
I have 2 different size ones, thought it would be fun to see if I could enlarge my view.
1280x1024 and 1920x1080
is it 3200x1024?
cheers
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: TequilaChaser on September 23, 2019, 04:54:59 PM
Nevermind misread the final resolution
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: Bizman on September 24, 2019, 04:36:49 AM
can you cobble any size monitor together?
I have 2 different size ones, thought it would be fun to see if I could enlarge my view.
1280x1024 and 1920x1080
is it 3200x1024?
cheers
Basically yes. If your 1920x1080 monitor has the setting for blacking out the extra pixels instead of stretching them the image might be crisper.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: Chalenge on September 24, 2019, 07:16:39 AM
With Nvidia, at least, all monitors must be set to the same initial resolution before the spanning operation. It (surround) also does not work with SLI.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: FLS on September 24, 2019, 07:30:56 AM
can you cobble any size monitor together?
I have 2 different size ones, thought it would be fun to see if I could enlarge my view.
1280x1024 and 1920x1080
is it 3200x1024?
cheers

Are you planning on the two monitor bezels being next to or splitting the gunsight?  That's the reason we talk about triple monitors but you don't hear much about double monitors for gaming.

Unless you stack the monitors you'd be reducing your frame rate for no real advantage since air combat generally needs more vertical view than horizontal view.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: Chalenge on September 24, 2019, 10:20:42 AM
Uh, reducing frame rate? I don't think so.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: Bizman on September 24, 2019, 10:27:25 AM
Uh, reducing frame rate? I don't think so.
Why not?

If you double the resolution you also double the load to the video card. If the video card barely can keep at 60 fps with one monitor, two similar ones logically would do only 30-ish unless there's some hidden power in the secondary monitor connector I'm not aware of.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: FLS on September 24, 2019, 10:33:21 AM
Uh, reducing frame rate? I don't think so.

Doubling the resolution doesn't reduce frame rate?  You know his specs?

Granted if it's over 60 he'll see the same fps but it likely won't be the same performance.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: JimmyC on September 24, 2019, 08:26:13 PM
thanks guys, weirdly it works in the lobby, the screen is spread across both monitors, but when game launches its only in 1.
Any ideas why?
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: FLS on September 24, 2019, 08:31:09 PM
Did you set the new spanned resolution in video settings?
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: Chalenge on September 25, 2019, 01:07:24 AM
Doubling the resolution doesn't reduce frame rate?  You know his specs?

Granted if it's over 60 he'll see the same fps but it likely won't be the same performance.

Well, it depends. And, then it depends. In some cases frame rate could be limited, and in others not. In order to know the real affect we would have to ask HiTech how offscreen objects affect frame rates (frustum culling), versus something called occlusion culling. If objects are still calculated even though they are outside of the current camera, then no, changing the number of monitors will have a minimal affect upon frame rates. Then it also is affected by the system limitations of a particular user. If every possible view you might have from your cockpit is continuously calculated, then the only affect upon frame rates that adding additional monitors will have is actual hardware draw times, which is to say nearly zero difference.

My bet is that HiTech is taken great pains to reduce the load upon your system to such a degree that the changes are as minimal as possible, and that you would have to have fairly weak hardware to see much difference.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: JimmyC on September 25, 2019, 01:42:06 AM
Did you set the new spanned resolution in video settings?

it does not go up to 3200x1024    Length both screens added together
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: Bizman on September 25, 2019, 01:44:11 AM
Offscreen objects don't affect frame rates, or at least they shouldn't. There was an issue with that loooooong ago when the game calculated the train routes outside the monitor but that was soon fixed.

Chalenge, could you please explain how objects could be outside the camera if they are visible on the combined screen? My brain isn't capable of understanding your previous explanation.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: Bizman on September 25, 2019, 01:48:22 AM
it does not go up to 3200x1024    Length both screens added together
Have you set Windows to use both screens as one (Expanded, not clone)? And have you set your resolution in Windows for the 1080p screen to 1920x1024 to match the height of the smaller monitor? And further, are the screens placed in the right order so the view is continuous?

If all that is done, the in-game settings should enable 3200x1024.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: JimmyC on September 25, 2019, 02:04:31 AM
thanks for the help,
1. Yes expand
2.yes.. I can set it to 1600x1024, other one being 1280x1024
they are on a preset sliding scale
3.yes screens in right order..
then I go to video settings video resolution,,1920x1080 is the highest res offered..
will post this then restart machine, see if that helps.
shrugs..I dunno

did not help, in officersmess/lobby on both screens, game kicks in ..only 1 screen
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: Chalenge on September 25, 2019, 04:20:31 AM
Offscreen objects don't affect frame rates, or at least they shouldn't. There was an issue with that loooooong ago when the game calculated the train routes outside the monitor but that was soon fixed.

Chalenge, could you please explain how objects could be outside the camera if they are visible on the combined screen? My brain isn't capable of understanding your previous explanation.

Offscreen has two meanings in this case; 1) not visible even if the camera is pointed directly at an object because of overlapping objects at different ranges, and 2) outside of the field of view. Obviously offscreen objects are still in memory and include textures, etc., however since they still take up memory they must affect frame rates to some degree. I contend that the frame rate doesn't change because whether it is offscreen or not the affect upon frame rate is constant. So, while changing resolutions on a single screen will certainly change how hard the card has to work, that effort should be (more or less) constant no matter how many screens you add up to the limit of hardware (three in the case of Surround). The point being that the additional screens are available in memory whether they are displayed or not. The only real additional load is the data movement from one part of memory to the screen, which is the whole purpose of the hardware to begin with. Remember that the real burden is not resolution, but in memory size. So, AA and AF have a much greater effect in the overall picture.

A much greater hit upon FPS can be seen by leaving a streaming video paused on one screen (particularly using Microsoft Edge) while playing on a second monitor. Don't ever do that.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: FLS on September 25, 2019, 08:23:17 AM
it does not go up to 3200x1024    Length both screens added together

Windows display setting will tell you what resolution you have, use that setting in AH.

Well, it depends. And, then it depends. In some cases frame rate could be limited, and in others not. ...

You aren't talking about doubling the resolution, which is what I referred to.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: Chalenge on September 25, 2019, 06:44:27 PM
. . . The point being that the additional screens are available in memory whether they are displayed or not. The only real additional load is the data movement from one part of memory to the screen, which is the whole purpose of the hardware to begin with. Remember that the real burden is not resolution, but in memory size. So, AA and AF have a much greater effect in the overall picture.
. . .

Yes I am, FLS. What I am NOT talking about is superfluous frame rate above the refresh rate of your monitors.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: FLS on September 25, 2019, 10:03:24 PM
Yes I am, FLS. What I am NOT talking about is superfluous frame rate above the refresh rate of your monitors.

That's a possibility as I mentioned but in this case it's just speculation unless you know his hardware and settings.

... in officersmess/lobby on both screens, game kicks in ..only 1 screen


You haven't combined the screens in Windows. You need to combine the screens to make one bigger screen. You do that in your video card software. Then you set that resolution in Aces High.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: JimmyC on September 26, 2019, 02:12:58 AM

You haven't combined the screens in Windows. You need to combine the screens to make one bigger screen. You do that in your video card software. Then you set that resolution in Aces High.

Winner winner chicken dinner!!!
many thanks for the IT help fellers <S>

sorry for Hijack BWRaven
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: Chalenge on September 26, 2019, 02:48:30 AM
That's a possibility as I mentioned but in this case it's just speculation unless you know his hardware and settings.

As is everything you have said, unless you know his hardware and settings. This is why I mentioned the problems that come about with varying hardware and settings.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: FLS on September 26, 2019, 06:12:50 AM
Winner winner chicken dinner!!!
many thanks for the IT help fellers <S>

sorry for Hijack BWRaven

Glad you got it working.  :aok

As is everything you have said, unless you know his hardware and settings. This is why I mentioned the problems that come about with varying hardware and settings.

That's not correct. Doubling the resolution decreases the max frame rate. The fact that the monitor can't display it doesn't change that fact.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: guncrasher on September 27, 2019, 04:06:27 PM
just gonna say you wont be able to play on 2 monitors the gunsight will be in the middle, i tried it and it sucks.  you need to play on 3 or 1.


semp
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: Bizman on September 28, 2019, 01:25:28 AM
just gonna say you wont be able to play on 2 monitors the gunsight will be in the middle, i tried it and it sucks.  you need to play on 3 or 1.


semp
Not necessarily if one is 16/9 and the other is 4/3.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: JimmyC on September 28, 2019, 04:38:58 PM
just gonna say you wont be able to play on 2 monitors the gunsight will be in the middle, i tried it and it sucks.  you need to play on 3 or 1.


semp

Thanks, I found that out, so annoying. I thought because 1 monitor was wider the sights would be 1/3 in on that but no.. right on the join..unplayable.
I might look out for another small one and have 3, 2 small windows eitherside of the big one...people get rid of old monitors quite a bit now so might be worth it for shiz & gigglez..
cheers tho
<S> Jimmy
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: Bizman on September 29, 2019, 01:47:43 AM
Thanks for that information, JimmyC. I thought similarly but now I stand corrected. I still can't understand why since the centre point should be right in the middle of any screen, combined or not.
Title: Re: Triple Monitors
Post by: guncrasher on September 29, 2019, 08:06:12 AM
Thanks, I found that out, so annoying. I thought because 1 monitor was wider the sights would be 1/3 in on that but no.. right on the join..unplayable.
I might look out for another small one and have 3, 2 small windows eitherside of the big one...people get rid of old monitors quite a bit now so might be worth it for shiz & gigglez..
cheers tho
<S> Jimmy

when I used to play with 3 monitors it was cool, I could see wingtip to wingtip. but my monitors were the same size but different manufacturers so I used magazines to prop them up to the highest of the three.  I ended up giving away all 3 and bought a 29 screen monitor, think that's the size, anyway, paid almost 800 bucks for it.  somebody posted on the pig's website about a 32 in monitor selling for about 250.  now that is a steal.


semp