==================================================================================================== == Skyrim - Unstretched Windowed Fullscreen Mode (SkyrimUWFM) == == version 1.2.0 == == by _DTG_ == ==================================================================================================== -------------------------------------------------- * Introduction -------------------------------------------------- First of all, I apologize for my English, so I will be short here. Skyrim - Unstretched Windowed Fullscreen Mode (SkyrimUWFM) is a plugin, which aligns the rendering area of the game window to the center of the screen horizontally and vertically, without stretching, and fills all the remaining parts of the screen with black color to give a fullscreen mode effect. SkyrimUWFM is fully customizable. In the 'SkyirmUWFM.ini' file you can: control auto-sizing/positioning behavior, enable Taskbar-visible fullscreen mode, change the Skyrim window alignment on the screen, or specify sizing/positioning parameters manually. *** When might this plugin be useful? Well, here is my story as an example. I have 1920x1080 resolution LCD display, and the game lags at this resolution. For a more or less smooth game I run Skyrim at 1280x1024 resolution, when I run it in the native fullscreen mode it stretches the image and everything looks too ugly. If I run the game in the fullscreen and in 16:9 proportion at 1280x720, the image looks blurry. Running the game in windowed mode is a solution, but I don't want to see background icons, windows, desktop, etc... So, I decided to write this plugin. If you having the same problems, I hope this plugin will help you. -------------------------------------------------- * Requirements -------------------------------------------------- + Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package(x86) http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=5555 + Optionally: SKSE - Skyrim Script Extender (theoretically, version doesn't matter) http://skse.silverlock.org/ -------------------------------------------------- * Installation and Usage -------------------------------------------------- + If you have installed popular Skyrim mods such as SkyUI or TESV Acceleration Layer, probably you're using SKSE launcher, then I'd recommend you to use my plugin as a SKSE plugin. This will free you from performing additional actions after launching the game. You just start Skyrim using the SKSE launcher, and if the game is running in windowed mode, then SkyrimUWFM will do its job, but if the game is running in the native fullscreen mode, nothing will be changed. OK, so just put the 'SkyrimUWFM.dll' and 'SkyrimUWFM.ini' files into your '[Installed Skyrim Directory]\Data\SKSE\Plugins\'. In my case [Installed Skyrim Directory] is 'D:\Games\The Elder Scrolls V - Skyrim' and the full path looks like this: 'D:\Games\The Elder Scrolls V - Skyrim\Data\SKSE\Plugins\'. + If you don't have SKSE mod, the plugin can be launched using MS Window's 'Rundll32.exe' module, just unpack the 'SkyrimUWFM' package wherever you want. Run the game in windowed mode, when the Skyrim Main window is shown up, double click the 'SkyrimUWFM.bat' file. -------------------------------------------------- * Updating -------------------------------------------------- + Just overwrite old SkyrimUWFM files. -------------------------------------------------- * Uninstallation -------------------------------------------------- + Refer to the 'Installation and Usage' section above, and delete all the previously copied files. -------------------------------------------------- * 'SkyrimUWFM.ini' file parameters -------------------------------------------------- Rendering Area properties: + AlignmentX - a horizontal alignment of the rendering area. The PosX property must be 0 (zero). Possible values: 0 = left, 1 = center, 2 = right. Default value is 1 (center). + AlignmentY - a vertical alignment of the rendering area. The PosY property must be 0 (zero). Possible values: 0 = top, 1 = center, 2 = bottom. Default value is 1 (center). + PosX - a horizontal position (in pixels) of the rendering area. If PosX is not 0 (zero), then the AlignmentX property is ignored. Default value is 0 (zero). + PosY - a vertical position (in pixels) of the rendering area. If PosY is not 0 (zero), then the AlignmentY property is ignored. Default value is 0 (zero). + AutoSizeMode - this property allows setting a custom rendering area resolution, or using the Skyrim resolution which specified in the game settings. Possible values: 0 = custom (uses Width and Height parameters), 1 = default. + Width, Height - width and height (in pixels) of the rendering area, these properties doesn't change the internal game resolution. Before using this parameter, make sure that the AutoSizeMode is 0 (zero) = custom mode. Please note! If you set these parameters higher than the internal game resolution, the output image will look pixelated. Outer Area (Skyrim base window) properties: + oaAutoSizeMode - this property controls the outer area sizing/positioning behavior. Possible values: 0 = custom (uses oaWidth and oaHeight parameters), 1 = fullscreen mode, and 2 = taskbar mode (fullscreen with visible taskbar). Default value is 1 (fullscreen). + oaAlignmentX and oaAlignmentY - a horizontal and vertical alignment of the outer area on the screen. These properties will not work unless the oaAutoSizeMode, oaPosX, oaPosY parameters are not 0 (zero). Possible values: 0 = left/top, 1 = center, 2 = right/bottom. Default value is 1 (center). + oaPosX, oaPosY - a horizontal and vertical coordinates (in pixels) of the outer area on the screen. These parameters will be ignored if the oaAutoSizeMode is not 0 (zero) = custom mode. If oaPosX is not 0, then oaAlignmentX parameter is ignored, and oaPosY affects the oaAlignmentY parameter in the same way. + oaWidth and oaHeight - width and height of the outer area. aoAutoSizeMode must be 0 (zero) = custom mode. Miscellaneous properties: + InitDelayInSecs - a delay in seconds before SkyrimUWFM starts trying to make a fullscreen mode. This property is used only, if the 'SkyrimUWFM.dll' is loaded as a SKSE plugin, otherwise it is ignored. Default value is 0 (zero). Use this only if SkyrimUWFM isn't working properly, try to set this property to 15, 30, etc... -------------------------------------------------- * Known issues -------------------------------------------------- + The Brightness slider in the game settings does not work when Skyrim is running in Windowed mode. Note that, this issue is NOT caused by my plugin, this happens in windowed mode. Fortunately, my LCD display has brightness presets, which fixes the problem. NVIDIA users can adjust brightness from the NVIDIA Control Panel. + "Skyrim is not responding" window pop-ups while the load screen. This is neither caused by my plugin, hope Bethesda will fix this in 1.4 patch. As far as I noticed this issue appears after switching between windows using ALT+TAB keys. When the window pop-ups I just wait 10-20 seconds, and it usually disappears. -------------------------------------------------- * Version history (Last update: 23.Dec.2012) -------------------------------------------------- 1.2.0 - Fixed 'InitDelayInSecs' property not working properly. - Improved Windowed-mode detection algorithm. 1.1.0 - Added new auto/manual sizing/positioning parameters to the INI file which allows stretching the rendering area, make Taskbar-visible fullscreen mode. - Fixed some potential bugs. 1.0.0 - First release. -------------------------------------------------- * License -------------------------------------------------- Everyone is free to do whatever s/he likes with the plugin; it's completely free. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. -------------------------------------------------- * From the Author -------------------------------------------------- If you found a bug or have suggestions on improving SkyrimUWFM plugin, post your feedbacks at Skyrim Nexus. I'll try to help. Enjoy!!! _DTG_