Black Bars Issue

[Eilwyn]

Hi All,

So I have an issue that I believe has been asked several times, but through my searches, I can't seem to find a solution that works for me.

I have my game's resolution set at 1248x720 which divided by 48, allows me to show 26x15 tiles on the screen at once.

The issue I'm having however is that, when I use an image through either "Show Picture" at coordinates 0,0 (from top left) or as a "Parallax Background", I get black bars on either side and the screen size is not correct... despite the fact that the images are the correct size.

Here's my resolution (for my game) via "Yanfly's Core Engine" Plugin:

Here's the image I want to display, complete with proof that it IS the same size as my game's resolution:

Here's the image on the map editor (via the "Parallax Background" with the "Show in Editor" option ticked) to show it is indeed still the correct size:

Here's what it looks like when I load my game:

Here's what my computer tells me is the actual screen size, and how it differs from what I originally set it to be:

I've tried readjusting my laptop's resolution, but no matter what I change it to, the black bars stay, they just get bigger or stay the same width.
If I make the image bigger it just gets cut off due to the black bars.

I've tried all kinds of things but can't seem to fix it.

I also need to try and make sure (if possible) that the fix, if any will allow my game to work correctly on other computers, as I plan to make it a commercial release when I'm all done.



Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Andar]

the main cause of the black bars is the problem that your graphic driver (like 99.9% of all graphic drivers) can only work correctly with official windows resolutions and has to fill up your screensize to the next correct resolution.


A few graphic card drivers have option to handle non-standard screensizes differently, but even if you get that to work for your computer it will not be correct on the next player's computer.


In your case,m it looks like the graphic driver is forcing the aspect ratio of the monitor on your display - see how one of the numbers remains the same but the other is cut? That often is an enforces aspect ratio - compare it with your display's physical pixel size...

 

[Eilwyn]

How would I go about finding my display's physical size?  Or do you mean my screens resolution?

 

[Gothic Lolita]

I guess yours must be 1280x720 pixels.
If it's a laptop, it's more likely 1366x768 pixels.

For NVIDIA you can right click on the desktop, then click NVIDIA Systemconfiguration.
After that, click change resolution. Then you see a list of supported resolutions.
It was kinda the same for ATI and INTEL.

With NVIDIA you can change the scaling too, if you click "change desktop size", then chose Fullscreen and the black bars are gone.
But I personaly like "aspect ratio" the most.  (\ô/)

 

[Eilwyn]

Unfortunately, I can't find any of those options .

NVIDIA only lets me change 3D settings and, INTEL doesn't allow me to change anything but the main resolution... and even when I change the resolution to equal my custom size, I still get black bars... plus blurring.

 

[Gothic Lolita]

I still get black bars... plus blurring.

So I guess you have advanced options disabled in NVIDIA.
That's normal, because MV fills screen regions without information with black pixels.
You use F4 to switch to full screen, or?
Try setting your game resolution to 1280x720, it should probably fix the problem. (\ô/)

 

[Eilwyn]

When I try increasing my game's size to 1280x720, I still get the black bars, except, this time it tries to repeat my image for a few pixels.

EDIT: I think I MAY have found the issue... 

My Intel graphics card has an option called "Maintain Display Scaling" that it permanently stuck to ENABLE.
It seems like other people on other sites are complaining about that option screwing with some of their applications.

 

[Gothic Lolita]

Are you playing windowed mode, or fullscreen mode?
When I use the basic windowed mode, I have the black bars left and right too.
But if I press F4 to switch to fullscreen, they disapear. (\ô/)

 

[Eilwyn]

If I change my resolution to 1280x720 and put in the fullscreen I can get rid of the bars.

The reason I chose the resolution 1248x720 is because they both divide into the tile size evenly.  I'll fiddle around with it and see what I can come up with.

Thanks!

EDIT: 

I have a new issue now.  

If I change the image to 1280x720 and increase the width of the map by 1 tile (from 26x15 to 27x15), the player walks equal to the grid on my background... until he gets to the 1/3 of the way across and then the goes off grid and no longer lines up with it.

the reason I'm trying to use it as a Parallax Background is an attempt to make a custom menu where different spots on the grid do various things and the player character just has to walk to those spots on the 'menu' to activate them

 

[Gothic Lolita]

the reason I'm trying to use it as a Parallax Background is an attempt to make a custom menu where different spots on the grid do various things and the player character just has to walk to those spots on the 'menu' to activate them

Don't you have to use a "background bind to map" plugin?
Else it will allways scroll, if you walk to the edge of the screen, that's how the maker is created. (Was that way in VX Ace, but think to have readed the same for MV.)


This is a good tutorial, on what I try to tell.










And I found out, that you can play in windowed mode and press F3 to stretch it to window size.
F4 does it with fullscreen, I think they only changed these options in MV. (\ô/)

 

[Eilwyn]

Oh I eventually found out a simple solution.
If you add ! at the  beginning of the file name of the parallax background before you import it, it will automatically bind without a plugin.

So: instead of 'Sky.png' you'd write, '!Sky.png'

Also, for my black bars problem, I bought a new laptop with a higher default resolution and the problem solved itself.

 

[Gothic Lolita]

Also, for my black bars problem, I bought a new laptop with a higher default resolution and the problem solved itself.

No, because I have a 1080p screen that can be overdrived to 1440p or 4K and still have the black bars left and right.

In windowed mode press "F3" and it stretches and for borderless fullscreen press "F4".
You can also benchmark with "F2" for FPS, a second time will show FrameTime and a third time disables it.
"F5" is the reset function in MV, they changed everything there.

And I'm really glad you fixed the parallax problem for yourself. (\ô/)