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[Japo]

No idea why DOSBox should fall back to windowed mode... O_O

You did right with fullresolution, but you also need to change "scaler": anything but the default "surface" value will fix your problem, pick "overlay". Also change "aspect" to "true".

Originally Posted by Japo

One last tip. When playing in full screen we may see an empty black frame surrounding the game image, which in addition may not be centered. I recommend the following changes to the default configuration. Open it by going to the Windows start menu > DOSBox-x.xx > Options > DOSBox-x.xx Options. You will see a text file, look for "aspect=" and change the rest of the line to "true":

Look also for "output=" and set it to "overlay", and "fullresolution=" to the maximum, native resolution of your monitor (in my case for example, "1920x1080"). Make sure to save the changes and close the notepad.

(If you have a 4:3 monitor the image should fill the whole of it, but if you have a wide screen you'll get black stripes left and right. Don't worry, there's nothing wrong about it, otherwise the image would be distorted; if you wish to learn more, read about "fullresolution" in the configuration file tutorial. However you should never see black space at the top and bottom.)

(I think a FAQ sticky would be a good idea, in addition to the tutorials...)

[TheAnyKey]

Originally Posted by Japo

No idea why DOSBox should fall back to windowed mode... O_O

You did right with fullresolution, but you also need to change "scaler": anything but the default "surface" value will fix your problem, pick "overlay". Also change "aspect" to "true".



(I think a FAQ sticky would be a good idea, in addition to the tutorials...)

I've resetted the options and then tried this.

The image stays in the middle with the rest of the screen black, like in the screenshot I've attached to the original post in this thread.

Furthermore when I set output=overlay the screen goes back to windowed mode again after ~one second.

[Japo]

Changing output is a must, because surface is the only one that doesn't support scaling.

The problem about fullscreen going back to windowed is very strange, perhaps the drivers are responsible. Try every possible option for "output" in case one of them works for you.

Are you sure 1920x1200 is supported by your hardware? Check the desktop display properties.

Also, be aware that if and when this works, you don't really get higher resolution per se (but you do get better scaling). That is, you will see the image as pixelated as originally in an old monitor. This is unless you also change "scaler" to anything but normal2x or normal3x; but this only reduces the pixelation of the edges in exchange for blurring the image, and I can't really recommend it. Obviously, you can't make a high resolution image out of a low resolution one. Playing DOS games isn't about good graphics anyway.

Now I gotta go to sleep...

[TheAnyKey]

Originally Posted by Japo

Changing output is a must, because surface is the only one that doesn't support scaling.

The problem about fullscreen going back to windowed is very strange, perhaps the drivers are responsible. Try every possible option for "output" in case one of them works for you.

Are you sure 1920x1200 is supported by your hardware? Check the desktop display properties.

Also, be aware that if and when this works, you don't really get higher resolution per se (but you do get better scaling). That is, you will see the image as pixelated as originally in an old monitor. This is unless you also change "scaler" to anything but normal2x or normal3x; but this only reduces the pixelation of the edges in exchange for blurring the image, and I can't really recommend it. Obviously, you can't make a high resolution image out of a low resolution one. Playing DOS games isn't about good graphics anyway.

Now I gotta go to sleep...

I have a 28" 16:10 monitor, its resolution is 1920x1200.

Looks like the "going back to windowed mode" problem was caused by the xBox 360 controller I had plugged in an USB port.

Still, the picture remains small in the middle of the black full screen. What do I have to do to make the picture expand across the full screen?

[The Fifth Horseman]

Overlay output doesn't support scaling to anything else than multiples of the original resolution. Switch to ddraw.

[Japo]

Originally Posted by The Fifth Horseman

Overlay output doesn't support scaling to anything else than multiples of the original resolution. Switch to ddraw.

Did you read that somewhere, or did you test it? It doesn't agree with my experience. Besides 1200 is anyway an integer multiple of both 200 (original vertical resolution of the game) and 240 (if aspect-corrected). But I have 1080 pixels of vertical resolution and with output=overlay every game fills the whole height.

But, AnyKey, do experiment with any possible option for output. Also try changing scaler, even to and fro the 2x and 3x--although as far as I know there's a difference between those only when resolution=original... Bear in mind this may be a driver issue, in that land there are lots of particularities and bugs beyond DOSBox's control.

There's a test can make: take a screenshot while fullscreen, but not with DOSBox, rather with Windows (PrnScr). Then paste the image somewhere (MS Paint) and measure the actual resolution of the image finally sent by the graphic card. In case this should not be what you expected (1920x1200), that would really explain this and may point to a cause.

I'm intrigued by this, because graphic scaling is a part of DOSBox at the same time complicated and grossly undocumented and hugely important.

[The Fifth Horseman]

That's how I remember it behaving on my machine. I might be wrong.

Originally Posted by Japo

No idea why DOSBox should fall back to windowed mode... O_O

You did right with fullresolution, but you also need to change "scaler": anything but the default "surface" value will fix your problem, pick "overlay". Also change "aspect" to "true".



(I think a FAQ sticky would be a good idea, in addition to the tutorials...)

I had the exact problem (black screen with little square for game in middle). Your tips did it... I think it was especially changing the display to "overlay", although I have no idea why it got changed or stopped working. All my games were fine before, then suddenly none of them work anymore until I make these small changes. Totally weird, but THANKS!!!