Multi-Display Functionality

Transorb · April 2014

In a new day and age, many of us use multi-display configurations. It is common now for many people to use two, if not three (or more) displays for their home PCs. I personally have two displays, which I constantly struggle with since the official launch of EOS.

There is no selecting which monitor to display the game on. To select which monitor the game appears on, you must select which monitor you would like as the default display - within the windows display settings. This is for Windows 7 users. I cannot verify this with other operating systems. This often times is a daunting process when wanting to switch to my larger display at night time when I would like to sit far back in a relaxed position.

Another issue I notice, perhaps but not confirmed to be related, is that the game client is unable to minimize. To reach the desktop, the user must have the "desktop" icon in pinned to their start menu. This also could be a minor bug, easily worked out with a few added lines of code.

Also, when moving the mouse from one display to the next, it appears there is some sort of control error where the mouse becomes locked in free mouse mode, and the character can only walk but not look in the direction of choosing. Only after tabbing between windows and re-selecting the EOS client, does the mouse "unlock" itself from free mouse look.

It ultimately makes me ponder why their are NO dual screen functions available at all for this game; when in a new day and age multi-display systems are a common household item. I propose a new in-game feature, allowing the user to place the map, journal, character, or any other menus available - on to the secondary display; To be able to select and move the EOS client between displays easily as all other windows applications allow; To be able to additionally minimize the EOS client to have quick and easy access to the desktop.

I understand this is a new game, I just wish to share some thoughts and feedback from a control/display perspective. I believe these enhancements would greatly improve the quality of the game.

-Matt

YgolohcysP · April 2014

Im not sure I understand your problems.

I use a multi display setup with 2 monitors.

I always use the same monitor as my primary but if I decided to switch to my other monitor it takes all of 10 seconds to open nvidia control panel and switch the primary.

I have no problems getting to the desktop even with the game open and while playing. Alt+Tab makes the game "fullscreen minimized" where you can still see it, but you have access to the taskbar and everything else. ESO isnt even true fullscreen so if you want to get to your desktop just move your mouse to the edge of the screen towards your other monitor an OIULA! you are on the desktop. (In case you were unware in Win 7 you can click the little vertical bar all the way to the right of the taskbar which is the "show desktop" button.

ESO is NOT currently available in true fullscreen mode only maximized windowed which is why you cant fully minimize it. I agree this is a feature that I would like to see but for different purposes than you. I want fullscreen for the performance enhancements.

So Im not understanding the dilemna with regards to multi monitor setups and ESO.

Transorb · April 2014

I am not sure in what regard you do not understand. There is no multi screen functionality. You cannot place the map, chat, skills, journal, or any other menu onto the secondary display. Nor can you fully minimize the game.

I also understand within the windows 7 display settings, it is there that you would select the default display and this would allow you to select the display to launch the client on, however if you are operating with EXTENDED display, this still leaves one side of the screen open to drag the mouse to. Many times the mouse wanders to the alternate display. and ultimately not sending commands to the game client. I have learned I have to disable the extended display due to this issue, and it is because there is no extended display feature, which is exactly what i propose.

Being able to extend the client onto BOTH displays, enabling you to keep the map or chat or multiple menus open on one monitor while holding gameplay on the other.

I am not sure I can be more clear in my suggestion.

YgolohcysP · April 2014

There is no multi display functionality in the VAST majority of games available for PC today. Why would you expect a brand new release of just a few days to have it?

Extending the client to both displays is never going to happen. Off the top of my head i cannot recall any games that actually offer what you speak of. Please let me know which games you have been able to drag windows from the in game UI onto your desktop to make use of multiple displays in that fashion.

I 100% concur and agree about the mouse accidentally going to display #2 and not sending commands to the game client. Its a huge pain in the ass but should be fixed when true fullscreen is available.

Zxaxz · April 2014

I believe what he means is:

I have 4 Monitors (3 - 1920 x 1080 27" Horizontally set up to play at 5760x1080. He would like to place the mini maps on the side screens (within the game environment), he can do that with UI Addons; But, not with in game adjustments; And, a fourth TV/Media above.

With out a UI addon my chat is on the left out of my field of view. When I open a quest it opens on screen 3, but the except button is on monitor 1. The crafting window is on window 3, the actions are on monitor 2. All by default.

Also if I use esc to access menu's my cursor can move to the 4th monitor (Above the other 3) and then I am outside of the game environment and can not do anything but ALT-Tab back into the game. When the game is active the fourth screen should be locked out, except for using alt/tab.

Issues like these should be part of a game that in their own settings offer support for people with 5760x1080; Now if they did not Natively (sp) offer this resolution, i would be less perplexed by the lack of thought that went into it's implementation.

YgolohcysP · April 2014

Your 3 monitor setup is something completely different. You are running either Nvidia surround or Eyefinity. Its not that your in game UI windows are no longer in the client its that your client extends to all 3 displays.

Totally different beast than multi-monitor NON surround display technology

Seerah · April 2014

http://www.esoui.com/downloads/info144-EyefinitySupport.html

Transorb · April 2014

Thank you guys for the replies.

I am most certainly thinking of Ultima online mostly, which now that you mention, I realize my mistake in how I have worded this. Perhaps I should have worded it more as a question.

I had not realized this many addons are already available for this game. I actually have three monitors - the center being the default display, extended in both directions to the monitor left and right of the center display. In past games, such as UO - due to the fact that Razor and UOAM were addons - I was able to make one screen a map, one screen the game window, and the other screen the IRC chat.

I realize now my mistake in wording. I should have worded it as a question, as I had not realized there were addons that addressed my issue of being restricted to a single display. I am not looking at the Eyefinity and hope to get it up and running.

Sorry for any confusion, and thank you guys for the input.

Transorb · April 2014

Are there no addons that make the map, chat, and inventory free floating to drag to another screen? This is what I am searching for, and this appears to only extend the main display across all three of my monitors - which it doesnt even work.

There is no instruction, no guidance, no information. Just install and stare at it not working? Can anybody provide any insight as to how to configure your displays to accomodate the Eyefinity addon?

Or even any other UI addons that might allow the map, chat, and inventory to be displayed on a secondary monitor?

Thanks

YgolohcysP · April 2014

I cant personally help you with Eyefinity or the Eyefinity ESO addon, but you can register an account on ESOUI and post a comment for the dev of the mod or others to respond do.

Look at the tabs on the top of the main page for that particular mod and you will see a changelog/comments/etc....thats where you post.

As far as a mod that allows you to drag in game UI items outside of the client to a different monitor that doesnt exist and ive never seen it in any game that i can recall.....ever.

UO was different because those programs that you had on a different screen were not part of the client, and werent even addons. They were standalone programs that did their own thing and just obtained data/info from the UO client.

Sorry dude what you are looking to accomplish just doesnt exist, or if it does ive never seen it or heard of it and Ive been online gaming for 17 years, gaming in general since the very first Commodore "computer" was new, and am a computer geek type who enjoys taking em apart, tweaking them, and doing all kinds of stupid nonsense with them.

Sorry

BlackTinuviel · April 2014

I made the eyefinity addon.

Basically, when you setup eyefinity, it makes all 3 of your monitors into one giant monitor. This only works if you have a gpu that supports it, and 3 monitors that are the exact same resolution.

The addon actually does kind of the opposite of what you want. What it does is constrain the default UI elements to the center monitor. When you have an eyefinity setup, you focus on the main monitor and the sides basically become periphery vision. While a draggable UI is perferred, this addon just makes it bareable for us eyefinity users until a better UI is created.

As for what you want to do: It's really not possible even with addons without having eyefinity, then even at that point you need another UI mod to do it. ESO addons, and WoW addons, have no way of rendering off of the area the game is currently rendering on. This would only work if Zenimax added some support for this in the actual game at the engine level.

Seerah · April 2014

In WoW, users would span their display across all screens and then set up a viewport. This viewport resized the world screen (WorldFrame), causing the rendered area to change. (Think watching a widescreen movie on a 4:3 TV, or vice versa.) They would make the viewport cover one screen, causing it to be all black, then use a mod like MoveAnything to put things on the other screen.

I think I have seen mention of someone in the process of writing a MoveAnything type addon. I am not sure if we have the "frame" name for the world screen in ESO - I at least have not looked into it, to create a viewport.

Discrete_God · April 2014

http://www.esoui.com/downloads/info199-Azurah-InterfaceEnhanced.html

This addon will allow you to move the default UI's, that's about as close to a fix that is currently available right now.

Ignotus · October 2014

Yes, I know this topic is over 6 months old, however, the discussion is about exactly what I'm looking for. There is already some comments here, so I figured I'd just bump this and start the discussion again rather than creating a whole new thread.

I'm wondering if anyone ever made any progress on this? I saw an addon called Wykkyd's Multi-Screen over at ESOUI, but I have no idea if it allows modifying the viewport. I asked there, but I only asked a few minutes ago so no responses yet.

Basically, I want to do some of what the OP is proposing. I did this in WoW without too much trouble and WoW does not support this on its own. I want to restrict the client to displaying the actual "world" on the primary display. I want empty or black space on the second display. On the second display, I can have the minimap addon open and sized pretty large and also have my chat window on the second monitor. I use Wykkyd's quest tracker, so I could move that to the second monitor too. For me, the stuff that isn't movable by default is fine to have on the primary monitor overlapping the game world (action bar, compass, attribute bars, xp bar, etc.). I just want to move the chat, minimap, and quest tracker off to the side.

The addon that I used for WoW is called Sunn Viewport Art. Maybe someone can look at that and figure something out. Perhaps the api for ESO won't allow it, but maybe they can add it in later. Or, maybe, someone has already solved this and I just need to know how to set it up.

Wykkyd · October 2014

Wykkyd's Multi-Screen forces the default gui onto a single screen. It wouldn't let you move things off of that screen because it would try to move them back when you reloaded... due to the way it works.

The biggest impact of the addon is on character windows, inventories and chat so they don't go splaying across several screens all funky.

Any addon that anchors itself to the gui and prevent you from dragging them offscreen would be stuck inside whatever monitor you pushed your gui onto.

Blackout_STi · December 2014

@Wykkyd - Is there any way to exclude certain UI elements from the constraints your addon applies to the GUI ("...forces the default GUI onto a single screen.")?

So essentially, your addon would take ALL gui elements EXCEPT elements that users could select in some sort of 'addon settings > Wykkyd's Multi-Screen > Excluded UI Elements' or something like that?

I'm trying your addon now. Wish I knew the language you guys write these addons with... Would be a fun project to attempt making an addon to accomplish what the OP is asking for. But I would think you of all people could state whether or not it is possible to achieve.

So, could it be done? I understand your 'Multi-Screen' addon doesn't currently support these behaviors, but could it in the future? If not, is it the API that prevents this configuration, or ???

Thanks in advance!

(And thanks for the amazing addons!)

Syntse · December 2014

Blackout_STi wrote: »

I'm trying your addon now. Wish I knew the language you guys write these addons with... Would be a fun project to attempt making an addon to accomplish what the OP is asking for. But I would think you of all people could state whether or not it is possible to achieve.

It's Lua.
Link 1
Link 2

Wykkyd · December 2014

Blackout_STi wrote: »

@Wykkyd - Is there any way to exclude certain UI elements from the constraints your addon applies to the GUI ("...forces the default GUI onto a single screen.")?

So essentially, your addon would take ALL gui elements EXCEPT elements that users could select in some sort of 'addon settings > Wykkyd's Multi-Screen > Excluded UI Elements' or something like that?

I'm trying your addon now. Wish I knew the language you guys write these addons with... Would be a fun project to attempt making an addon to accomplish what the OP is asking for. But I would think you of all people could state whether or not it is possible to achieve.

So, could it be done? I understand your 'Multi-Screen' addon doesn't currently support these behaviors, but could it in the future? If not, is it the API that prevents this configuration, or ???

Thanks in advance! (And thanks for the amazing addons!)

Check out WykkydGaming.com for some Lua tips & tricks, etc. Yes an exclusion list would be possible it would just take some effort and a lot of testing, and it's the testing I can't do (I can't currently span my game across screens).