All the benefits of Windowed & Fullscreen mode combined

[RightDeve]

TL;DR = This thread is for players who want to play in Fullscreen mode without the annoyances & problems typically found in the fullscreen mode. This method simply uses a very simple & lightweight software, called "Borderless Gaming" that can be found in this link:
(https://github.com/Codeusa/Borderless-Gaming/releases)

If you're experienced with using Computers & Windows, you don't need to really read the thread through, just download the small program and I bet you'll know what to do.



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BENEFITS:

1. You'll be running the game in fullscreen mode, fully immersed in a single screen. This is especially beautiful if you run the game on your full desktop resolution (CD version).

2. You won't tax your machine heavily or encounter errors that are so prevalent in "real" fullscreen mode, because technically you're still running the game in Windowed mode. (those errors include some lagging when interacting with the game, high CPU usage, distorted aspect ratio, distorted color palette, etc).

3. No need to mess up basic Windows services, such as killing & restarting "Explorer.exe", or changing your Windows desktop theme, resolution, etc.

4. Smooth scrolling all the way without the need to nitpick your mouse pointer position on the edge of the screen. Some users reported that when in Windowed mode, they have to carefully place the pointer at the edge of screen just to scroll the map. If they move it too fast, the scrolling will stop. Some people experience this, some not (I do), maybe it has something to do with the LCD resolution.

5. Normal screenshot possible, no need to use any hack/tricks. Simply press the Printscreen button and paste your image on programs such as Ms. Paint.

6. Multitasking & Alt-tabbing possible. When you want to temporarily go to Desktop, simply press the Windows button on your keyboard. You can also start other programs after you have launched the game, unlike when you kill Explorer.exe.

7. No screen area being clipped, you'll see the entire game interface perfectly as a whole. Because even in normal Windowed mode, sometimes the bottom game area (where units status are shown such as suppression, damage, etc) is clipped and hidden by the Windows taskbar.



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HOW TO:

1. Simply download "Borderless Gaming" from its official website at:
https://github.com/Codeusa/Borderless-Gaming/releases
No installation necessary if you're using version 7.5 or older, simply extract the zipped file and run the program.

2. Once the program is run, it will reside on the tray area (the small icons area on the lower right corner of Windows taskbar, right next to the Date/Time). Double click the program icon there to open the interface.

3. Launch WinSPMBT in windowed mode, NOT fullscreen mode. (If you're using CD version, better set it to "Desktop resolution").

4. While WinSPMBT is still running, open the Borderless Gaming interface (as described before). There you will see a list of programs currently running in Windows.

Simply select WinSPMBT from the list on the left (Processes), and then click the right-arrow button to move it to the right side (Favorites).

5. You may want to repeat step #4 for WinSPWW2 as well. Or better yet, for the Extended Map Editor too: simply launch the Extended Map Editor (CamoMapEdit) from the game launcher program, and do step #4 again.

6. Now, make sure "Borderless Gaming" is launched automatically when Windows starts, so you don't have to start the program manually when you want to play Steel Panthers. Simply open the program interface again, and check the "Run On Startup" as you can see below:

7. For even more convenience, you may want to disable Windows notifications for Borderless Gaming. Go to Windows Control Panel, and choose Notification Area Settings. Look for "Borderless Gaming" on the list, and change its setting to "Hide icon and notifications". Press OK.

Everything's set up perfectly, you don't need to do the steps anymore. Now whenever you want to play Steel Panthers, just launch the game as usual, and it will automatically transform into fullscreen mode with all the benefits of a windowed mode.



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NOTES:

1. You can now set your "Map Scroll Sensitivity Zone" to a mere 1 Pixel, so you don't waste game screen space at all for scrolling trigger. See screenshot below:

2. The only caveat of this "Borderless Gaming" method is for people who use fullscreen mode as a "zooming" trick (essentially "stretching" a lower resolution to fill the entire screen so the interface looks a lot bigger), because this method simply "removes" the windowed borders and not stretching the resolution whatsoever. So, this method is perfect for CD owners (larger resolutions).

3. Since Andy & Don declared that fullscreen mode is no longer supported officially, maybe incorporating this method as a default fullscreen method in future releases will be a good idea? Maybe collaborating with the developers of "Borderless Gaming" to create an automated setup workflow for Steel Panthers? Just my 2 cents...





RD