Dual monitor support for multi-tasking

[zod (DayZ) 0]

I would like the ability to have DayZ playing on my main monitor and have whatever open on my second monitor (email, chat, whatever) and keep the game up and active when I go to the secondary monitor. Right now DayZ minimizes or if I put it in a window when I click to the 2nd monitor the game screen freezes until I make it the active window again. In a game like DayZ where you might have plenty of sitting time on your hands it would be nice to take care of other business while waiting on a friend in a town, waiting to snipe someone, etc.

[bioned 36]

that probably wont happen for a while

 

why dont you get two separate computers running

[fulipes 15]

...it would be nice to take care of other business while waiting on a friend in a town, waiting to snipe someone, etc.

[zod (DayZ) 0]

Ceiling cat done seen meh wee-wee!

[zod (DayZ) 0]

that probably wont happen for a while

 

why dont you get two separate computers running

I don't really want another computer...I got enough crap in my office. Just throwing it out there to be seen though, it's on my wishlist for sure.

[crimsonbzd 247]

I don't really want another computer...I got enough crap in my office. Just throwing it out there to be seen though, it's on my wishlist for sure.

 

Simply use alt+enter to force the game into a windowed mode.

 

alternatively, access whatever you need to do in the steam overlay browser

[Valadain 270]

It is actually kind of interesting, but at least in Arma II, the freaking windows cursor doesn't get disabled. So every once in a while, if I have something like my steam friends list on the other monitor, I get hover popups and have to "roll" the mouse back to the left to put it back on the other monitor.

[zod (DayZ) 0]

Simply use alt+enter to force the game into a windowed mode.

 

alternatively, access whatever you need to do in the steam overlay browser

 

Getting to windowed mode is not the issue, that's easy. The game screen will still freeze when you move out of it to do something else. That's no good when you still need to be watching your surroundings. Need the game to stay active.

[glemmar 88]

I would like the ability to have DayZ playing on my main monitor and have whatever open on my second monitor (email, chat, whatever) and keep the game up and active when I go to the secondary monitor. Right now DayZ minimizes or if I put it in a window when I click to the 2nd monitor the game screen freezes until I make it the active window again. In a game like DayZ where you might have plenty of sitting time on your hands it would be nice to take care of other business while waiting on a friend in a town, waiting to snipe someone, etc.

Go to Steam and right click the DayZ in your Library, then select Properties and under the General tab there should be SET LAUNCH OPTIONS..., add -noPause in there then press OK. Now the game won't pause if you alt+tab out or if you have it in the windowed mode and click on your other monitor.

Also if you want to have the game in a sort of borderless windowed mode, you can mess around with the config files.

EDIT: Also if you make any changes in the config file, I don't take any resposibility if something goes wrong.

Go to C:\Users\[YOUR USERNAME]\Documents\DayZ

Make a backup copy of the DayZ.cfg

Now open the original DayZ.cfg with notepad.

Scroll down until you find the following:

winX=0;

winY=0;

winW=1920;

winH=1050;

winDefW=1920;

winDefH=1050;

Most likely you have different numbers in these than I have. Set the winX and winY to zero.

Rest of them you can to your monitor resolution. I have the winH and winDefH slightly lower than my actual resolution because sometimes the DayZ window clips behind the Windows taskbar, which is pretty annoying.

After that find the following two lines.

Render_W=1920;

Render_H=1050;

Set them to the same resolution with the rest.

After this save the file and then set it to Read only since sometimes DayZ can change these back to default values on its own.

Also note that if you set this file as Read only then you will not be able to make any permanent changes in the ingame options menu since it will not be able to save them to this file after each session.

I hope this will help you.

Edited February 27, 2014 by Klemingway

[zod (DayZ) 0]

Thanks Klemingway, I'll test that -noPause parameter out and see if it works for me...and report back.

 

The borderless windowed mode thing I screwed around with a bit and could never get it totally right. Tried using a few apps to manage that also but I have a problem where the resolution gets set low once you're in the game so everything is fuzzy. If you go into the video settings and fix the resolution I click save it still goes back to the lower res. I read where people have this problem so I figured getting yourself setup borderless in SA just isn't doable? Maybe it's also a problem depending on your screen res, mine is 1920x1200.

[zod (DayZ) 0]

Hey Klemingway that worked LAMFB! One thing, when I move away from DayZ to work in something else I do lose my in-game sound. Is there a way to not have that happen that you know of? Beans to you bro!

[glemmar 88]

Thanks Klemingway, I'll test that -noPause parameter out and see if it works for me...and report back.

 

The borderless windowed mode thing I screwed around with a bit and could never get it totally right. Tried using a few apps to manage that also but I have a problem where the resolution gets set low once you're in the game so everything is fuzzy. If you go into the video settings and fix the resolution I click save it still goes back to the lower res. I read where people have this problem so I figured getting yourself setup borderless in SA just isn't doable? Maybe it's also a problem depending on your screen res, mine is 1920x1200.

I had exactly same problem for a while, but I cannot remember how I fixed it though. I'm guessing the fuzziness has something to do with the Render_W and Render_H.

Still I wouldn't go as far as "not doable" since I am currently running my DayZ with those settings and I don't have any problems, but like I told you I can't remember how I fixed it.

 

Hey Klemingway that worked LAMFB! One thing, when I move away from DayZ to work in something else I do lose my in-game sound. Is there a way to not have that happen that you know of? Beans to you bro!

Unfortunately I don't know.

Anyway I'm glad that I could help you. :)

[Mos1ey 6301]

Getting to windowed mode is not the issue, that's easy. The game screen will still freeze when you move out of it to do something else. That's no good when you still need to be watching your surroundings. Need the game to stay active.

 

The launch option -nopause should fix this.

[entspeak 374]

The launch option -nopause should work, too. ;)

[zod (DayZ) 0]

So if anybody knows how to keep sounds in-game sound active when you move into another window drop the knowledge bombs!

[Zer0HD2 (DayZ) 40]

It is actually kind of interesting, but at least in Arma II, the freaking windows cursor doesn't get disabled. So every once in a while, if I have something like my steam friends list on the other monitor, I get hover popups and have to "roll" the mouse back to the left to put it back on the other monitor.

 

Cursorlock. It's a tool that lets you create shortcuts to a program which, when started through that shortcut, will not allow your cursor to move off of the screen you're running the application on. You can still alt-tab and move to other screens when DayZ isn't the active window, but as soon as you tab back in, your cursor will be locked to that monitor. Awesome program if you're running 3 screens, I was constantly searching for where my cursor had fucked off to while I was in game...