Setting lower than native resolution (ETLegacy)

[jEnzi]

Hey gamers!

 

Asking for some advice regarding custom resolution, as I can't seem to be able to do what I'm looking for even with @Drempa's support. 🤯

 

So, I'm mainly playing on my external 2560x1440p 144Hz monitor, plugged into my gaming laptop (2560x1600p, 240Hz, RTX 4060), often browsing forums and discord etc. on the laptop screen while playing on external screen.

 

I've been using the native screen resolution of 2560x1440 in ET, and I'm looking to reduce it to 1920x1080 or possibly even lower if it makes sense, to improve performance.

 

The problem I'm having is that I can't seem to be able to set the resolution below native 1440p while still being able to tab out of the game easily, which is very important for me.

I can't use r_fullscreen 1, since interacting with laptop monitor isn't possible then without the game minimizing.

If I set r_fullscreen 0, along with 1920x1080 custom resolution and r_mode -1, I'm able to "tab out" normally while keeping the game window open, but the game obviously only occupies a part of the main monitor, as the window resolution is lower than the screen's native resolution.

Also tried to play around with some NVIDIA control panel settings, with no luck.

 Not a fan of "permanently" lowering the screen resolution either, since I do so much different stuff all the time. If nothing else, I'll just continue to play with 1440p and fps dips every now and then 😄 

 

Screenshot of my main screen, illustrating what I mean by window being too small when resolution below native: (when settings are the same but resolution 2560x1440, I'm able to tab out easily and no ET Legacy top bar visible)

 

 

Any tips on how to "stretch" the window while being able to tab out easily are greatly appreciated!

[Dest!Ny]

I would consider checking your NVIDEA control panel to let the custom game res override your native res. Don't know if it is possible otherwise

[arneke123]

I've asked chatgpt maybe it helps but not sure what you goals is 😀

 

🎯 Your Goal:

• Run Enemy Territory Legacy at 1920x1080 (or lower) resolution on a 2560x1440 external monitor.

• Be able to tab out easily, with no full minimization of the game.

• Avoid stretching/small windows or permanent resolution changes.

---

✅ Best Option: Borderless Fullscreen Mode

Unfortunately, ET: Legacy doesn't natively support true borderless fullscreen. But here's how to emulate it using a few clever tweaks:

🛠 Workaround: Force a Borderless Window via Custom Res + Upscaling

Step 1: Set ET to Windowed Mode (r_fullscreen 0)

This lets you tab out freely.

Step 2: Set Custom Resolution to Native Monitor Size

So instead of lowering to 1920x1080, set your in-game resolution to 2560x1440, but scale up from a lower internal render resolution. This gives performance gains without shrinking the window.

Example:

Use the game’s internal render scaling settings (if available in mods or configs), or...

Step 3: Try NVIDIA's Integer Scaling / GPU Scaling

In NVIDIA Control Panel:

• Go to Display > Adjust desktop size and position

• Set Scaling Mode to:

  • Aspect Ratio or Full-screen

  • Check Override scaling mode set by games and programs

  • Set Perform scaling on: GPU

• Apply.

Now, even if ET is running at 1920x1080 in a window, you can use GPU scaling to stretch it to fullscreen without it being true fullscreen, allowing easy tabbing.

---

🧪 Alternative (But Clunky) Methods:

Method 1: Use a Third-Party Tool like Borderless Gaming or Windowed Borderless Gaming

These tools can:

• Force a windowed game to behave like fullscreen (borderless, stretched)

• Remember window positions

• Preserve easy tabbing

This is probably your best shot at a consistent, low-hassle solution without touching native monitor resolution.

Method 2: Use ET’s r_customWidth & r_customHeight

Set:

bash

 

r_mode -1 r_customwidth "2560" r_customheight "1440" r_fullscreen "0"

Then try stretching manually with ALT+Drag (with a tool like Sizer or WinSize2), or use above upscaling settings.

---

🧩 TL;DR: What I'd Recommend

1. Use r_fullscreen 0 and custom res 1920x1080

2. Use Borderless Gaming to stretch window across screen (like fake fullscreen)

3. Enable GPU Scaling in NVIDIA Control Panel for smoother visuals

4. Or, consider keeping native 1440p but tweak in-game settings like texture quality, shadows, or enable FPS caps to reduce dips

---

Let me know if you'd like a sample config or step-by-step guide using Borderless Gaming!

[Federicrit]

On 7/8/2025 at 3:07 AM, Dest!Ny said:

I would consider checking your NVIDEA control panel to let the custom game res override your native res. Don't know if it is possible otherwise

 

I agree. I had a simmilar issue back when I was using an external monitor with Intel integrated gpu of a laptop. The problem was indeed the graphics control panel. I had to set it to "keep aspect ratio" or something like that.

 

And you probably need to disable an option in gpu panel that sets the config to the one of the graphics driver, instead of the application (et).

[MarkoPolo11]

Yeah, I’ve been through this exact loop with a similar dual-screen setup (1440p external + laptop screen for Discord/browsing). Total pain when you're trying to balance performance and multitasking.

A few thoughts:

• Instead of r_fullscreen 0, try borderless windowed mode if the game supports it (some engines treat it as fullscreen visually but still let you tab out cleanly).

• You could also try creating a custom 1920x1080 resolution with scaling enabled via NVIDIA Control Panel — under "Adjust desktop size and position" > set scaling mode to "Fullscreen" or "Aspect ratio" and override the scaling mode set by games and programs.

• Some people use tools like Lossless Scaling from Steam to force a game window to upscale without touching the desktop res — might be worth checking out.

Not ideal, but it helped me get smoother FPS without fully dropping down to native res. Let us know what ends up working for you!