How to get 1080p resolution and and fix cutscene crashes. ( win 7 x64 )

[Mr. Knob]

Hello all,

So here is a lil' guide for everyone out there that has these 2 problems with this awesome game. DA is one of my favorite SC games and I was so angry that it crashes that I searched for some help and I found a couple of F.A.Q. that helped but not one of them, all of them combined :-S, long story.

Now, for the 1920 x 1080 resolution problem. If u noticed the game doesn't support this type of Full HD resolution which is a lil' sad but searching around I managed to find a workaround. All u gotta do is go to the game folder ( i.e. D:\Steam\SteamApps\common\Splinter Cell - Double Agent\SCDA - Offline\System\ ). In that folder look for the file called "SplinterCell4.ini" . In there press CTRL + F and put "FullscreenViewportX=", find that and replace whatever value is there with 1920. ( i.e. FullscreenViewportX=1920 ). Now under it should be a command called "FullscreenViewportY=" . Replace the value there as well with 1080 so it looks like this: FullscreenViewportY=1080.

Press CTRL + S to save the file or go to file->save, your choice. Now the game should run at the desired resolution of 1920 x 1080. Note: Make sure the graphic setting were set to high before u edit the ".ini" file ( i.e. AA, textures, etc. ) otherwise the game will overide to the old resolution u had so u gotta do the edit again :-/. You can change the video setting in the game itself but be4 u change the file.

Ok now the second problem. When u press to start the game after the intro starts, the game just crashes to desktop with the message : "SplinterCell4.exe has stopped working...." or similar message. To fix that go to the same folder (i.e. D:\Steam\SteamApps\common\Splinter Cell - Double Agent\SCDA - Offline\System\ ) and search for "SplinterCell4.exe" executable. Now, right click on it and go to "Compatibility" tab. There "check" the following 2 boxes: "Disable Visual Themes" and "Disable Desktop Composition". After doing so press "apply" and "ok" and try to launch the game. Everything should work now and u can see the cutscene with audio and everything working ok.

This is how I got my game 2 work. I hope this helps anyone who is interested in playing this nice game, hope it works, have fun :)

***Notes***

1) When u chage the exe file, DO NOT change the " run this program in compatibility mode for: ... ". Leave this unchecked; if u check it, the game will loop and u will not be able to start it again untill u uncheck it :(. Leave it as it is, win 7. )

2) Some sites will tell u to search for this when u wanna edit the resolution to 1080p :

"[WinDrv.WindowsClient]
WindowedViewportX=
WindowedViewportY= "

However these lines do not exist in the steam version ( at least in mine ) so search for the :

"FullscreenViewportX=...
FullscreenViewportY=... "

Like I said :)

AND 3rd: Some sites will also say if u wanna adjust the FOV after editing the ".ini " file:

"[Engine.PlayerController]
DesiredFOV= ...
DefaultFOV= ... "

However this command line also does NOT exist in the steam verion ( again, mine ) so it can not be modified, but it's not required to be modified. The game will adapt to the 1080p resolution after u edit the ".ini' file with the 1920x1080 like I described way above. So no FOV action required.

That's all people. Thank u for reading and I hope u enjoy the game, iz cool :D

[Lumi]

Thanks for posting the guide. This is how it's done.

One more thing in addition: If you want to run the Multiplayer in a "custom resolution" you have to edit a file called "Default.ini" which is located in ...\SCDA - Online\System\

The respective line that you should be looking for here is called " [WinDrv.WindowsClient] ", too.

[supernaiivi]

Thanks for the help!

Also, I think it's worth noting that you should go to Ubisoft's site (http://www.ubi.com/US/Downloads/Info.aspx?dlId=1931) and download the latest patch 'cause apparently Steam doesn't update this game at all.

[pvt nutskin]

thanks!

[Mr. Knob]

You are all welcome . I like this game so much and the story of all Splinter Cells are awesome ( I wish Pandora Tomorrow was on steam as well but I understand that the lighting glitches are a very big problem so people are speculating that this is the reason why it's not on steam. Oh well . ) Haven't played the last splinter cell and I don't think I will though. Personally I loved the talent and work mr. Michael Ironside put into the first 5 games in making us believe everything Sam went through. As much as I read and saw, the new actor is "meh". So I am sorry but I must put a pass on the last installment. Anyways, enjoy the game, it's awesome :)

[Thrice_G]

It seems like the game completely ignores any value I set for the resolution in the SplinterCell4.ini file; however, the version of the game I have is the Retail PC game disk. The only difference is that the directory is different(C:\Program Files (x86)\Ubisoft\Splinter Cell - Double Agent\SCDA - Offline\System\ ). What's wierd is that when I edit the resolution for multiplayer, it works perfectly. Any ideas how I can set my resolution to 1080P in the single player campaign?

I even tried reinstalling the game and installing the patches before attempting to change the resolution for single player...it also didn't work.

[Crabmeat]

Thanks for the protips, man. These helped the game work.

[Lumi]

Originally posted by Thrice_G:

It seems like the game completely ignores any value I set for the resolution in the SplinterCell4.ini file;

i own the retail version. so i can confirm that it is possible to change the resolution in this way.
maybe windows is keeping you from saving your changes to the file. have you gone back and checked if your changes have been reverted?
if so copy the splintercell4.ini to your desktop, change the resolution, save on the desktop, then drop it back into the game folder and overwrite the old version of the file.

[Thrice_G]

Originally posted by --II-- Illuminatus:

Originally posted by Thrice_G:

It seems like the game completely ignores any value I set for the resolution in the SplinterCell4.ini file;

i own the retail version. so i can confirm that it is possible to change the resolution in this way.
maybe windows is keeping you from saving your changes to the file. have you gone back and checked if your changes have been reverted?
if so copy the splintercell4.ini to your desktop, change the resolution, save on the desktop, then drop it back into the game folder and overwrite the old version of the file.

I already checked, the values DO NOT revert. The campaign simply ignores the values. It's really stange because on another computer, changing the values worked. I even imported the SplinterCell4.ini from the other computer, but it still doesn't work. I guess we'll have to chalk this up as a computer mystery. I can't think of a single valid reason why changing those values isn't working for me.

[Mr. Knob]

Sorry to reply after so long guys, have been very busy :( . Hmm, everywhere I looked into, the retail version seems to not comply with the settings. Many ppl tried to find workarounds but what I suspect it might be the version number ( e.g. v1.0 , v2.0 , etc. ) I think steam has the newest possible version so that's why these fixes work. I'm thinking of something though. What if you modify the file like you have been doing and save it ofc but after that try to right click on it and search for the "[ ] Read-Only" box in the proprieties. It should be in one of the tabs. I don't know if it works but in theory it will deny the game to attempt to modify the file in any way includig overwritting the values, just in case. I know it's a long shoot but try it anyways and report back. Might work :) . Good luck.

[frostdiamond]

Originally posted by Thrice_G:

Originally posted by --II-- Illuminatus:

i own the retail version. so i can confirm that it is possible to change the resolution in this way.
maybe windows is keeping you from saving your changes to the file. have you gone back and checked if your changes have been reverted?
if so copy the splintercell4.ini to your desktop, change the resolution, save on the desktop, then drop it back into the game folder and overwrite the old version of the file.

I alredy checked, the values DO NOT revert. The campahn simply ignores the values. It's really stange because on another computer, chaning the values worked. I ven imported the SplinterCell4.ini from the other computer, but it still doesn't work. I guess we'll have to chelk this up as a computer mystery. I can't think of a single valid reason why chaning those values isn't working foor me.

Sorry to revive the post, but did you figure out what happened in the end? I have the UPLAY version of the game, and just like you said, single player ignores the resolution settings.

Any fixes / updates?

[Lumi]

I can't really offer any new tricks sorry.
- Edit the resolution in the SplinterCell4.ini
- Make sure your changes did actually apply by opening the file again before launching the game (edit the file on your desktop if that happens)
- check if the game reverted the changes after you launched and closed it. (in that case set the file to read-only after you edited it yourself)

But how do you guys check what resolution the game launches in after you modified the SplinterCell4.ini? I'm asking because the game cannot display your custom resolution when you go to the settings in-game. It will probably say 1600x1200 in the settings even though it runs in a different resolution.
Obiviously 1600x1200 is a 4:3 ration. So you should see black bars to the left and right on your 16:9 screen.

If the game still ignores your setting in the SplinterCell4.ini you could try some of the following. But I'm not sure if that will do the job.
- Get the latest patch v1.02a and install it manually (http://www.gamershell.com/download_33904.shtml)
Make sure you run the setup as administrator. For it won't actually patch the game if you don't.
- Don't run the game through uplay or steam. Go to the installation folder and directly start the the Launcher or the Splintercell4.exe. Maybe even run them as admin?
- Put your resolution in the windowedviewport section instead of the fullscreenviewport. Maybe your game is confused and thinks it is run in window mode...
- ... And if it isn't, why not force it to run in windowed mode and see what happens.
You can do that with a tool called dxwnd. It's pretty simple to get and use. Look it up on google or youtube.

[frostdiamond]

Originally posted by Illuminatus:

I can't really offer any new tricks sorry.
- Edit the resolution in the SplinterCell4.ini
- Make sure your changes did actually apply by opening the file again before launching the game (edit the file on your desktop if that happens)
- check if the game reverted the changes after you launched and closed it. (in that case set the file to read-only after you edited it yourself)

But how do you guys check what resolution the game launches in after you modified the SplinterCell4.ini? I'm asking because the game cannot display your custom resolution when you go to the settings in-game. It will probably say 1600x1200 in the settings even though it runs in a different resolution.
Obiviously 1600x1200 is a 4:3 ration. So you should see black bars to the left and right on your 16:9 screen.

If the game still ignores your setting in the SplinterCell4.ini you could try some of the following. But I'm not sure if that will do the job.
- Get the latest patch v1.02a and install it manually (http://www.gamershell.com/download_33904.shtml)
Make sure you run the setup as administrator. For it won't actually patch the game if you don't.
- Don't run the game through uplay or steam. Go to the installation folder and directly start the the Launcher or the Splintercell4.exe. Maybe even run them as admin?
- Put your resolution in the windowedviewport section instead of the fullscreenviewport. Maybe your game is confused and thinks it is run in window mode...
- ... And if it isn't, why not force it to run in windowed mode and see what happens.
You can do that with a tool called dxwnd. It's pretty simple to get and use. Look it up on google or youtube.

Friend, to answer your questions

1) I copied SplinterCell4.ini from the game folder to Desktop, edited it, pasted it back to the game folder (overwriting the old file, obviously). Edited file property to ensure it's read-only.

2) I launched the game, immediately realized it's running in 1600 x 1200 as A) it's low resolution and 2) very large black bars on left and right side

3) I quit the game, reviewed the .ini file in the game folder, it says 1920 x 1080!!!

Based on the above, I conclude that the game is essentially ignoring the .ini file.

(unless I'm editing the wrong .ini file, but there is only one .ini file under:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Ubisoft\Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent\SCDA-Offline\System




This evening I'm going to install the V1.02a patch, that is, if the game lets me. I'm running the game straight out of UPLAY. I did try to launch Splintercell4.exe, but it didn't quite work (I don't remember what the error message was).

Will update this evening.

[frostdiamond]

Originally posted by Illuminatus:

I can't really offer any new tricks sorry.
- Edit the resolution in the SplinterCell4.ini
- Make sure your changes did actually apply by opening the file again before launching the game (edit the file on your desktop if that happens)
- check if the game reverted the changes after you launched and closed it. (in that case set the file to read-only after you edited it yourself)

But how do you guys check what resolution the game launches in after you modified the SplinterCell4.ini? I'm asking because the game cannot display your custom resolution when you go to the settings in-game. It will probably say 1600x1200 in the settings even though it runs in a different resolution.
Obiviously 1600x1200 is a 4:3 ration. So you should see black bars to the left and right on your 16:9 screen.

If the game still ignores your setting in the SplinterCell4.ini you could try some of the following. But I'm not sure if that will do the job.
- Get the latest patch v1.02a and install it manually (http://www.gamershell.com/download_33904.shtml)
Make sure you run the setup as administrator. For it won't actually patch the game if you don't.
- Don't run the game through uplay or steam. Go to the installation folder and directly start the the Launcher or the Splintercell4.exe. Maybe even run them as admin?
- Put your resolution in the windowedviewport section instead of the fullscreenviewport. Maybe your game is confused and thinks it is run in window mode...
- ... And if it isn't, why not force it to run in windowed mode and see what happens.
You can do that with a tool called dxwnd. It's pretty simple to get and use. Look it up on google or youtube.

OK, this is really weird.

I installed 1.02a patch. And am able to launch the SP game from desktop using shortcut, bypassing UPLAY altogether.

But the resolution fix still doesn't work! The game simply ignores the .ini file.

NOW HERE'S THE REALLY STRANGE PART.

I performed the same resolution fix to "default.ini" of MP folder. Now MP runs in 1920 x 1080.


????????

LOL I'm at my wit's end!

[DarkCyber87]

I also had the same problem, managed to solve it: Go here C:\Users\(your Username)\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\Ubisoft\Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent\SCDA-Offline\System". Not sure but in my case I had the game istaled the in default folder

You will find the ini there , modify it and the game will accept it, worked for me, hope it helps

[Kevorkian]

thank you A (♥-♥) K. Following your directions I was able to get the game running on my computer (Windows 7 64bit).