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ThePetitDwarf

4:3 or 16:9? With or without the status bar?

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How do you prefer to play Doom and why?

I play in 16:9 with the status bar enabled -specially when it's a customized bar that comes with the wad like Alien Vendetta and Ancient Aliens.

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4:3 although I don't begrudge anyone who wants to play Doom without big black borders at the sides of their screen

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Over the years I've become accustomed to a lack of status bar...I prefer the view unobstructed! :D Widescreen too because yeee

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Most of the time 4:3 with Crispy's HUD-elements-only fullscreen thingy. Or sometimes PrBoom-Plus in full 16:10 (my monitor is neither 4:3 nor 16:9) with one of its custom HUDs too.

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16:9 and always with no status bar. I generally use the HXRTC Hud for vanilla stuff or GZDoom's alternative hud for something with more custom content. Even in GLBoom+ I enable the hud that displays kill/secrets on the side.

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16:9/16:10 with no status bar. The lack of a HUD really helps to keep you focused purely on instinct.

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Most commonly 16:9 (1920x1080) and 60 fps.

Classic status bar is always on, the game is completely different without it. Doomguy's face is irreplaceable for quickly telling your approximate health amount without looking at the health %. And I like to have an overview of ammo for all weapons and armor levels.
Important to say that I don't stretch the status bar. It always stays in dimensions of 4:3 (think it's some option in ZDoom). When stretched for widescreen resolutions, it distorts Doomguy's head too much.

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I'd use either for whatever reason, but I care not for the status bar as it just takes up room and I wan to see the weapons in their full sprite form.

However if there was ever a HUD which was supposed to represent a helmet then I actually wouldn't mind it if only for the immersion of it.

The last HUD I have used was the minimal BTSX one from the Smooth Doom mod.

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Highest 4:3 resolution this laptop will go (alas, only 800x600), with status bar - purely because some WADs have custom bars and I like to appreciate the work that's gone into them, and play "as intended".

A couple of caveats though: if high-quality music packs are available, I'll go with 'em. Also I'm a sucker for uncapped framerate because 35fps may have looked fluid back in the day, but now it be nasty. Even if totally forgivable when I'm testing in Chocolate Doom because, hell, it is what it is.

I'd have nothing against 16:9 but many vanilla/limit-removing WADs have graphics the aspect ratio is not kind to, even with the status bar removed or minimised in some way.

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16:9 with the classic bar in PrBoom+ (for the amount of fullscreen HUD options it has, not one of them allows seeing all ammo counters), 16:9 with the alternative HUD in ZDoom-derivatives.

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Da Werecat said:

(for the amount of fullscreen HUD options it has, not one of them allows seeing all ammo counters)


Oh yeah, there's this. Pretty important when you use weapons to their strengths and need to keep tabs on your ammo levels (and when no specific approach is needed, will just lay into a fight with whatever has the most ammo in excess). PRBoom+ really needs a decent HUD for this.

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16:9 with the STATBAR, I am a sucker for nice looking custom STATBARs and therefore prefer to have it on in most cases unless it's a mod with a fuck load of weapon/ammo types.

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Doom was meant for 16:10 on a 4:3 aspect ratio.
Everything in-game was made for 320x200 stretched to 320x240

So I do either 800x500 or 960x600 all on a 4:3 ratio, all the old screenshots in the 90's articles had it that way too

Im so glad Prboom and GZdoom understand that resolution and aspect ratio do NOT go hand in hand (and frankly never should, less control on your part if they do). I just wish GZdoom would let you make it look more blocky like chocolate doom

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4:3 has some nice properties useful for finding map shortcuts/exploits, or other optimization.

- the screen edges precisely match the extent of the BFG damage cone
- strafe50 movement direction is towards the screen edge, for lining up jumps
- when flush against a 32-unit gap, the screen edges align with the sides, for lining up glides

This isn't why I still use 4:3 (that's mostly out of habit and being used to it) but it helps.

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16:10 because is most suitable for my screen and no status bar because it distracts me from kicking their as*es...

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how does everyone play with 4:3 ratio?
ive tried setting up the nvidia control panel but it just seems to stretch everything, never gives me just black bars down the sides...

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