Hi All
Just an idea I thought I'd throw out there...
... how about making it possible to play simutrans over multiple monitors, with (most logicaly) the mini-map as a floating window that can be on one screen (filling it) whilst the playing window occupies the other?
No idea if it can be done of course, but for those of us with dual monitors, or in my case, laptop plus external monitor, it would I'm sure be very cool!
I have only ma laptop's screen but sure it would be cool :D
As a workaround you could start ST 2 times. In server (start parameter "-server") and in client mode and then let the client connect to the server.
So you have the same game running on 2 ST.
I support also the idea for multiple monitor support.
Simutrans should work on multiple monitors, as it essentiall only copies bitmaps to a window. Just make the window over the two screen should work. (Maybe only works in GDI version?)
It does... but only if you have equal sized monitors - since I run a 1900x1200 laptop and a 1280x1024 monitor above it, I have an "L" shaped array... which means I lose an enormous chunk of map (not to mention some of the toolbar buttons or the "x" in the corner!)
Also, annoyingly, the yellow "mini-map" square, highlighting what I'm looking at, reflects the whole window, not just the display on the 'main' monitor, if you do that.
That's interesting. Is this server/client functionality in the game currently then? How do I do the client connection - where is the interface / menu?
A great idea would be to have the possibility of executing the mini-map in an independent window from the Simutrans one. Anyway, I guess the multiple monitor support is strongly related with
the performance in high resolution modes issue (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=4978.0), isn't it?
The multiplayer feature was enabled in nightlies some time ago. Check
this tutorial (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=4198.0) about how to activate it.
This would be VERY interesting. Specially if you could choose wheter to "dock" it in the game OR ti run it as a separate window.
Even better, a general possibility of running pages such as map, depots, finances, line management, etc... in separate windows.
ST windowing system (and, generally, UI) has a great margin for improvement :)
I'm not prissi or Dwachs, but in my opinion it's a wrong step, right now. Currently Simutrans can use a number of different libraries to draw on screen. Multiple libraries usable = better chance of compiling on many platforms = good. But none of these support multiple windows! The path of least resistance seems to be waiting for SDL 2.0 and then dropping Allegro, which would leave GDI as the other backend (and remove BeOS as target).
I think VS is right.
Cross-platform stability/compatibility should be a higher priority than "Ooo, neat" features.
IMHO 2 monitor support is already possible under Windows.
Just adjust the desktop for 2 monitor support.
Start Simutrans and, as long it is running in a small window, stretch manualy the window over the 2 monitors horizontaly.
Works OK, only the centering on an object is not 100%.
AvG