Predicament about Resolution

[Terraformer9x]

This is definitely a very trivial thing, but I'm currently having a weird crisis over resolution right now over whether I should play Doom at my native resolution of 2560x1440 or if I should play it at it's original resolution of 320x200. The thing is, I genuinely think some set pieces in Doom look really really good at the original resolution, and playing in a 4:3 resolution means I don't have to worry about using custom 16:9 resources just to fill out the gaps on the side, but higher resolutions are more optimal for precision in gameplay...

 

Has anyone else ever faced this specific issue? :s

[SyntherAugustus]

4k 120hz and never look back! I recently got an LG CX and it's pretty mind blowing. I thought 1080p 144hz was pretty neat back in 2013 (so long ago!)

 

I've been in this boat before and it lead me to trying resolution mods that lower the resolution (Gzdoom seems to do this by default now). I ended up going back to native resolution and have the textures unfiltered and unscaled. It's a decent mix. If I had access to a CRT, I'd play Doom with it again for sure.

[RottingZombie]

I hear you. Even though I only have a 1080p 60hz panel, I still limit myself to 640x400 scale usually. I agree that some things do look 'right', or better, at 320x200. I find 640 a good compromise. I also prefer 4:3 (entirely due to nostalgia I think). I do play zdaemon at a higher resolution though, since i haven't figured out how to make the scoreboard fit at my preferred resolution.

 

I think in the past I worried that switching to 1080p would get me used to it, and then I'd never want to go back to the lower resolution. This isn't the case though, it's easy to go back and readjust to the lower one if you decide to.

 

So what I end up doing nowadays is playing vanilla-style content at 640, and anything developed for GZDoom or with enhanced graphics at my native res.

[zigg1zagg1]

I tend to change it a lot, the Vanilla Essence mod lets you toggle GZdoom to low res and back with a single key press, along with a few other tweaks

[Kokoro Hane]

I kinda go back and forth playing DOOM in either 4:3 and 16:9. If I do 16:9 I never have it at a very high resolution, just the standard like 720. I'm really not for big, fancy screens. 4:3 does bring a sort of nostalgia, I myself still make my own projects in 4:3 from time to time because it has a certain "look" to it, and I quite enjoy DOOM in 4:3. 640 is pretty good for 4:3 because I think any smaller is a bit... too low res for my taste. If a wad is specifically made for 16:9, then I will play it at that because the wad was made for that experience. Otherwise... 4:3 majority of the time. 

[continuum.mid]

Anything above the default 320x200 is fine by me honestly. Right now I use Crispy Doom with hi-res rendering (480p).

[BoxY]

I've messed around with all kinds of resolutions, mostly in 4:3. 640x400 I liked best aesthetically but it still makes my eyes sore in large open maps when I'm constantly trying to figure out if the one red pixel on the other side of the cliff is a revenant, chaingunner, pinky, baron or whatever else before its attack lands on me, and of course it also turns the automap to mush. 320x200 I like now and again when I'm playing classic wads in chocolate. For everyday play or recording I'm using 1600x1200 but I can change my mind any day.

[Noiser]

Why not both? I use high resolution for more detailed maps and low resolution for simple ones.

320x200 looks great on vanilla or 90's wads for me (or anything with very basic architecture). It have that grungy\sp00ky feel and also also make the maps look more complex than it is. I love it! 8D

Edited June 7, 2021 by Noiser

[Doomkid]

I think it's just the fact that I probably need glasses, but I sometimes forcibly crop to 4:3 just to let "less light" in.. My whole vision is filled with DOOM when it fills the entire 16:9 monitor - the black bars require less work/strain from my eyes..

 

As far as what resolution, I couldn't care less - anything from 320x200 to 1920x1080 is just fine in terms of visuals! One I get glasses I'm sure I'll switch back to generally play widescreen though.

[Murdoch]

Just play whatever suits your tastes. There's no right or wrong. I like the crispness high resolution and widescreen brings. 320x200 looks like absolute ass nowadays to me. I tried playing the original executable recently out of curiosity and it actually made my eyes water. Might be better for me if I played it on a smaller monitor. But yeah, just do whatever feels right to you.

[yakfak]

I play in a tiny postage stamp of a window and on minimum gamma <3 I feel too powerful when I have improved visibility and I start firing the rocket launcher care-free, prefer darker more precarious levels and my settings match that

[leodoom85]

On 6/6/2021 at 7:16 AM, Terraformer9x said:

Has anyone else ever faced this specific issue? :s

No.

 

To be fair, I don't mind the resolution.

[Terraformer9x]

Thanks for the replies so far guys.

 

One of the biggest factors that's caused me to worry about resolution a lot has been mostly the fact that most of the graphics for Doom and most of it's mods are designed to fit 4:3 monitors which cause black bars to be present if played on wider monitors. But with the new widescreen functionality of a couple of source ports, I've been on the craze making widescreen assets for a bunch of PWADs but I sometimes wonder to myself if it's better to just suck it up and play with the black bars on those graphics anyway to preserve how they originally are.

 

I'm sorry if this sounds like a ramble but I just needed to put this out here since it's something that's been driving me up a wall.

[rampancy]

do what i do, go back and forth. honestly what would be awesome is if gzdoom could store some user defined presets. maybe it can and i dont know it lol!

 

sometimes i like the look of og 320, after all all the vanilla assets were designed to be displayed at this resolution. sometimes i prefer something that reminds me of the original gl ports from back in the day. sometimes its 4k with some aniso. 

 

there is no best way, or at least i havnt figured it out yet.