Twinview and gaming

[PendragonUK]

I have a pair of monitors running off an nvidia 8800GTS card. I have them set up using "Twinview" when I start a game either it spreads over both screens or I get just half the screen on one. I have managed to get ET:QW to run but only in "Windowed" mode.

Is there a known general fix for this? Not just ET:QW but for all games in full screen mode.

[PendragonUK]

Opps forgot the system spec...

Intel E2160
Ram 4Gb
G/Card BFG 8800GTS 512Mb
Ubuntu 9.04

# nvidia-settings: X configuration file generated by nvidia-settings
# nvidia-settings: version 1.0 (buildd@palmer) Sun Feb 1 20:21:04 UTC 2009

# xorg.conf (X.Org X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# Note that some configuration settings that could be done previously
# in this file, now are automatically configured by the server and settings
# here are ignored.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
# sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default Layout"
Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "glx"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
Option "Xinerama" "0"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

# generated from default
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

# generated from default
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "auto"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Configured Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "RTK 17'' LCDMonitor"
HorizSync 31.0 - 81.0
VertRefresh 56.0 - 75.0
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor1"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "AOC LM700"
HorizSync 30.0 - 80.0
VertRefresh 55.0 - 75.0
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Configured Video Device"
Driver "nvidia"
Option "NoLogo" "True"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Device0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
BoardName "GeForce 8800 GTS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Device1"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
BoardName "GeForce 8800 GTS"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
Screen 1
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "Configured Video Device"
Monitor "Configured Monitor"
DefaultDepth 24
EndSection

Section "Screen"

# Removed Option "TwinView" "1"
# Removed Option "metamodes" "CRT-0: 1280x1024_75 +0+0, CRT-1: 1280x1024_75 +1280+0"
# Removed Option "TwinView" "0"
# Removed Option "metamodes" "CRT-0: 1280x1024_75 +0+0"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Device0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "TwinView" "1"
Option "TwinViewXineramaInfoOrder" "CRT-0"
Option "metamodes" "CRT-0: 1280x1024_75 +0+0, CRT-1: 1280x1024_75 +1280+0"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen1"
Device "Device1"
Monitor "Monitor1"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "TwinView" "0"
Option "metamodes" "CRT-1: 1280x1024_75 +0+0"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection

[slave-zeo]

I have the same graphics chipset (8800gts 512MB) and the same problem. I normally disable one monitor via nvidia-settings before gaming. It's not a very pretty solution but it works.

[Vadi]

A) use disper to toggle screen mode: http://willem.engen.nl/projects/disper/
B) Start game in windowed, and use the fullscreen shortcut (can either set it in compiz or gnome) to make the game go fullscreen. This only works for some games, I don't remember if works for etqw.

[chouta]

Ya I think I can help you out here. It has to do with your metamode lines.

This is the line that needs to be modified.
Option "metamodes" "CRT-0: 1280x1024_75 +0+0, CRT-1: 1280x1024_75 +1280+0"

Should be something like
Option "metamodes" "CRT-0: 1280x1024_75 +0+0, CRT-1: 1280x1024_75 +1280+0; CRT-0: 1280x1024_75, CRT-1: NULL"

Notice the NULL, it tells X to blank CRT-1 when you have a game that instructs it to use 1280x1024 fullscreen. Flip the order around or add another mode if you want to play on CRT-1 instead of CRT-0.

Reboot xserver after this change and etqw should work fine in fullscreen mode (if you set it to 1280x1024 resolution fullscreen in-game). If you want to play in diff resolutions, just add more metamodes.

[PendragonUK]

Thank you for you answers, Would this mean that the other screen would be blank? I use the second screen in gaming more than at other times, it's the reason I have two monitors. I put on the other screen all of the server admin stuff along with TeamSpeak and pidgin (GFire plugin running). As a clan admin I find it very useful to see what is happening while I play.

I am working through a long list of things to test to find out if I can completely leave MS Windows behind, and go full time Linux without the duel boot... While still playing and running a clan that insists on playing games for Windows.

[PureLoneWolf]

Hi

I am having the same issue and would also rather not have the 2nd screen turned off if at all possible as I would much prefer to be able to react to messages, emails etc without having to quit the game.

If this is the only option currently available I will of course try it. That said, does the null statement disable the monitor or simply put it into standby?

If it disables, then all of my applications currently running on it will flick over to the primary monitor including panels and screenlets etc...If this is the case I am inclined to think that windowed mode is preferable.

Thanks in advance for any help

[PureLoneWolf]

I tried this out and it works really well. That said, is there no way to utilise the metamodes so that the other monitor stays on? Sometimes I like to game whilst waiting for an email/IM to come in and having to disconnect every few minutes to check for the message is a little annoying.

Thanks - With this option I am almost where I want to be :)

[PureLoneWolf]

hmm

After running this for a couple of days I have noticed some issues. If I have played a game full screen I get erratic behaviour with full screen video that requires a reboot to resolve. I can full screen video all day, but as soon as I play a game, full screen video is jerky and I pretty much lose any ability to select an application on the 2nd monitor.

I suspect it could be that I specified the 2nd monitor in the metamode option (My primary is a widescreen monitor and not all games support widescreen..hence choosing to use the 2nd screen for games)

Am I right to think that going full screen with a movie running in totem on screen 1 will confuse the metamode statement if it has already been used for a game? In which case, I guess I could adjust the refresh rate to be different on screen 2 (they are both 60 currently).

It sounds plausible to me..has anyone experienced this?

Thanks