» Fri Nov 26, 2010 3:31 am
THIS GAME NEEDS MULTI-MONITOR SUPPORT!!
I have (2) GTX 580s running nVidia Surround @ 5040x1050 and after playing games this way it is extremely difficult to go back to a single monitor. The immersion just can't be beat. These surround technologies have just begun to go mainstream and the userbase will grow substantially. Especially when you consider the insanely low price of monitors coupled the power you can get from budget/mid-range graphics cards. Before I got a second 580 I used one 580 and a junk graphics card to run Crysis 2 @ 5040x1050, smooth as butter using SoftTH. A buddy of mine did it with a single 570 and a junk graphics card.
Skyrim is THE game that would benefit most using this technology (aside from simulators). In a game that invites you to get lost in it's world for hours on end, creeping through dungeons, exploring grand forests, catching enemies out of the corner of your eye; not implementing multi-monitor support would be a tragedy. It is just so much easier to forget about your surroundings when your peripheral vision is filled with the game world. I am currently playing through Fallout:NV using surround and the experience is exponentially more enjoyable than when I played Fallout 3 on a single large monitor.
Some may complain about the bezels or the extreme edges being slightly distorted. Regarding the bezel, I would rather have more of the game world sitting on each side of my monitor than nothing at all. Ordinarily you would only have the center monitor to view the game world. But with surround you have that same center view and an additional view on each side that is something better to look at than a wall. Regarding the edge distortion or "fish-eye" effect; even with multi-monitor gaming you are supposed to be concentrating on the center monitor and you have the benefit of having your peripheral filled with visual information from the game instead of nothingness. The distortion is not in any way immersion breaking and playing any game at the extreme resolutions surround gaming provides, only serves to enhance the experience and the believability of the world. It should be noted that the distortion happens even with one monitor but your view is usually too narrow to notice it.
It should be a fairly simple matter to allow for multi-monitor resolutions. Unfortunately, in Skyrim's case, I am a little worried about Eyefinity/Surround not being supported due to the game's menu system. As any multi-monitor user can attest, menus and HUDs are often screwed up when running a game at extreme resolutions. This is usually a minor issue and and doesn't hinder the gameplay experience. However, although I have not seen Skyrim's menu system in action, the description of how it works is a little unorthodox and could hinder the game's playability with extremely wide resolutions. I hope this isn't the case but it does concern me.