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This is not a request for help, but a helpful tip to those of us that use POL with Arch Linux. I play older games that you can't change the resolution in (StarCraft, WarCraft II,etc). Whenever I use a desktop environment (specifically GNOME3 and Unity), I have problems with the resolution changing mid-game. I also, at times, have problems with the resolution changing AFTER I've exited out of the games and I'm working in my normal desktop. In Enlightenment, my mouse will just suddenly stop moving around the screen. In StarCraft, what happens is the mouse cursor will work normally, then just all of a sudden stop moving. When you move the mouse, you see the scroll arrows, but the mouse cursor WILL NOT move. I've been poking around, trying to figure out how to solve or at least get a workaround for these issues. Today, I was able to play StarCraft for a full campaign episode with no issues. This is how I was able to achieve it: When I reach my login screen I do not log-in, but I switch to a TTY and log-in there. In my install of Arch, I type startx, and I'm greeted with an x-term screen with three windows and x-clock. My default resolution is 1366X768, and if I start POL and run those old games, I'm greeted with a tiny screen in the upper left-hand corner of my screen, regardless of what options I use. To fix that issue, I type in the following command:

$ xrandx --output LVDS1 --mode 640x480

That changes the resolution of my screen to 640X480, the default resolution of the older games that I play. I also don't have the mouse issues that I mentioned earlier when I use Enlightenment. I hope this is helpful to those of you that use Arch Linux and play older games!!!

To change back to your native resolution, type the same command as above, but change the numbers after  --mode to the numbers of your native resolution. You're back to normal!

Edited by horsemanoffaith

I think that you mean:

xrandr --output LVDS1 --mode 640x480

Very good tip, though. :) 

This is also part of the reason that beginner's to Linux should NOT use Arch. haha. I LOVE Arch now, but I am very familiar with Linux. It is so complicated for a beginner to grasp (for most, anyway), but you learn to love it. I run it on my Pi all day. 

Thanks a lot for posting this tip. Not many people realize the power in xrandr until they start using it.  

Ronin,

          Thanks for your correction, you are correct, that IS what I meant, I just missed my error. Thankfully, you did not! 

          Yes, I agree with you about Arch. It's definitely not for beginners. But for people who like to tinker, have the patience to solve problems, and to learn, Arch is an amazing Linux distribution. Because of Arch, I can solve problems in other Linux distros that I never would have figured out when I was an Ubuntu user. I still haven't figured out how to fix the problem in Ubuntu, because when you type in startx, it starts LightDM. If I can figure out how to do a workaround, I will post another topic with Ubuntu in the title.

            I'm learning the power of the Linux command line... it's amazing and can do great things!!!

 

            Wow, it's amazing how many errors I have made in these two posts today!!! Sheesh!

Edited by horsemanoffaith