Got the game to function on my 1024x600 netbook in WinXP

[Cactuschef]

[edit]just rearranging this post a bit

this won't actually raise your screen resolution. what it will do is make the size of your desktop 1280x720, with a 1024x600 section of it being displayed at any given time. moving the mouse to the edge of the screen will scroll the display in that direction. as I said, it's not perfect, but i'll gladly put up with the jerry-rigged solution if it means i can play . besides abysmal loading times, the game actually runs better than I expected on my 1.6ghz atom with integrated intel graphics

the important bit
go to Display Properties>Settings>Advanced>Monitor tab
uncheck "hide modes that this monitor cannot display"
go back to Display Properties>Settings and set the resolution to 1280x720
run FTL in windowed mode

optional but handy: Windowed Borderless Gaming will let you remove the window border and align the window perfectly, basically like fullscreen.

this might work in other OS versions i just have no way to test it. I also take no responsibility if your laptop bursts into flames etc etc.

scroll down or click here for a graphics speed boost

[Cactuschef]

also if anyone figures out a way to run the game "properly" on an acer aspire one in winxp, please let me know :3

[Cactuschef]

this little utility Windowed Borderless Gaming is very handy for this method.

i've actually set up a .bat file that uses the utility qres (described in another method for getting ftl going on a netbook here: http://www.ftlgame.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 522#p14522) and windowedborderlessgaming.exe to streamline the entire process. if anyone more proficient with command line type stuff could compile this into an easy-to-install sort of setup, because i don't really know how to deal with files being in different locations (like the standalone vs steam version of ftl) and so forth.

if anyone wants to copy my method, this is how I did it for the standalone version of FTL (i figure this is best for netbooks since i dont want steam using any of the already meager available processing power);

uncheck the "hide modes that this monitor cannot display" box described in the first post, change to 1280x720
put qres.exe and windowedborderlessgaming.exe in C:\
run windowedborderlessgaming, then FTL, and set it up (1280x720, 0x0y position)
quit both
create a .bat file and edit it to contain the following:

Code: Select all

@ECHO OFF
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
cd C:\
start WindowedBorderlessGaming.exe
c:\qres /x:1280 /y:720
cd "C:\Program Files\FTL\"
start /high ftlgame.exe
pause
taskkill /f /im windowedborderlessgaming.exe
c:\qres /x:1024 /y:600
START %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe
exit

then just run the .bat file. it should swap to the correct resolution, align and remove the border from the ftl window, and kill explorer. then when you're finished with ftl just quit and press any key on the command line window and it'll restart explorer, kill the borderless utility, and change back to the normal resolution

for the steam version the .bat file would be (i believe), although again i have not tested this

Code: Select all

@ECHO OFF
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
cd C:\
start WindowedBorderlessGaming.exe
c:\qres /x:1280 /y:720
start steam://run/212680
pause
taskkill /f /im windowedborderlessgaming.exe
c:\qres /x:1024 /y:600
START %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe
exit

again if anyone wants to clean this up or prepackage the two utilities/.bats into an easier setup, please go right ahead. props to zauron for the original .bat/qres idea, and to the creators of the qres and borderless utility.

[UltraMantis]

Thanks for your posts. Hopefully it will help others who cant manage the min. resolution. Glad you found a solution and can enjoy the game.

[Cactuschef]

A new development; I discovered a neat little utility that will boost the integrated graphics of the Aspire one (and certain other netbooks) without overvolting (or otherwise having to screw with your bios or physical hardware)

WARNING: as with anything related to overclocking there is a risk of overheating or otherwise damaging your hardware. I do not recommend using this unless you consider yourself familiar with overclocking and are willing to take the risks (and precautions)
(also if you already suffer from overheating issues with FTL itself, I recommend skipping this entirely.)

that said, GMAbooster has allowed me to increase my onboard graphics speed by a stated figure of 2.4x, with only a minor temperature increase (i would however definitely recommend you keep an eye on your temps, such as with speedfan). in FTL this has made combat run drastically faster and smoother. as a random aside, i've also been playing the original halo, albeit rather choppily on minumum settings. still, not bad for an ancient netbook

supposedly the way it accomplishes this is that the chipset in question already supports this speed, but is heavily underclocked by default (presumably to increase battery life and reduce temperature) and the utility merely sets the clockspeed to its full capabilities, with minimal impact on lifespan and heat. so far it's worked without issue for me, but again i always recommend caution with anything overclocking-related.