• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EST 03:58
CET 09:58
KST 17:58
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
Behind the Blue - Team Liquid History Book16Clem wins HomeStory Cup 289HomeStory Cup 28 - Info & Preview13Rongyi Cup S3 - Preview & Info8herO wins SC2 All-Star Invitational14
Community News
ACS replaced by "ASL Season Open" - Starts 21/0222LiuLi Cup: 2025 Grand Finals (Feb 10-16)37Weekly Cups (Feb 2-8): Classic, Solar, MaxPax win2Nexon's StarCraft game could be FPS, led by UMS maker12PIG STY FESTIVAL 7.0! (19 Feb - 1 Mar)15
StarCraft 2
General
Nexon's StarCraft game could be FPS, led by UMS maker Behind the Blue - Team Liquid History Book How do you think the 5.0.15 balance patch (Oct 2025) for StarCraft II has affected the game? Terran Scanner Sweep Weekly Cups (Jan 12-18): herO, MaxPax, Solar win
Tourneys
$5,000 WardiTV Winter Championship 2026 StarCraft Evolution League (SC Evo Biweekly) LiuLi Cup: 2025 Grand Finals (Feb 10-16) SC2 AI Tournament 2026 PIG STY FESTIVAL 7.0! (19 Feb - 1 Mar)
Strategy
Custom Maps
Map Editor closed ? [A] Starcraft Sound Mod
External Content
Mutation # 513 Attrition Warfare The PondCast: SC2 News & Results Mutation # 512 Overclocked Mutation # 511 Temple of Rebirth
Brood War
General
BW General Discussion Which units you wish saw more use in the game? TvZ is the most complete match up Ladder maps - how we can make blizz update them? ACS replaced by "ASL Season Open" - Starts 21/02
Tourneys
[Megathread] Daily Proleagues Escore Tournament StarCraft Season 1 Small VOD Thread 2.0 KCM Race Survival 2026 Season 1
Strategy
Fighting Spirit mining rates Zealot bombing is no longer popular? Simple Questions, Simple Answers Current Meta
Other Games
General Games
Diablo 2 thread Path of Exile ZeroSpace Megathread Nintendo Switch Thread Battle Aces/David Kim RTS Megathread
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread Mafia Game Mode Feedback/Ideas Vanilla Mini Mafia
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Russo-Ukrainian War Thread Ask and answer stupid questions here! Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine European Politico-economics QA Mega-thread
Fan Clubs
The IdrA Fan Club The herO Fan Club!
Media & Entertainment
[Req][Books] Good Fantasy/SciFi books [Manga] One Piece Anime Discussion Thread
Sports
2024 - 2026 Football Thread
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
The Search For Meaning in Vi…
TrAiDoS
My 2025 Magic: The Gathering…
DARKING
Life Update and thoughts.
FuDDx
How do archons sleep?
8882
StarCraft improvement
iopq
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 2601 users

Starcraft on laptop

Blogs > JIJIyO
Post a Reply
Normal
JIJIyO
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
Canada1957 Posts
January 22 2009 20:55 GMT
#1
Hey guys, I was just wondering is there a way to make Starcraft fit the entire screen of my laptop even though there is no resolution option for it? I tried to change the computer resolution, and it would not work. I either have to play Starcraft in a stretched ugly mode, or a 'normal' picture with gigantic black bars on the side. My laptop is a 15" if that matters.

And for a reference pic, I'm going to steal one of Superiorwolf's pics because it is the only picture I remember of SC on a laptop. Like so

KT_Violet
mahnini
Profile Blog Joined October 2005
United States6862 Posts
January 22 2009 20:57 GMT
#2
no, unless your laptop screen is just 800x600 scaled up you have to deal with stretchiness or black bars
the world's a playground. you know that when you're a kid, but somewhere along the way everyone forgets it.
freelander
Profile Blog Joined December 2004
Hungary4707 Posts
January 22 2009 20:59 GMT
#3
personally I play with black bars. I used to stretch it, but it was very strange..
And all is illuminated.
jimminy_kriket
Profile Blog Joined February 2007
Canada5525 Posts
January 22 2009 21:01 GMT
#4
yeah black bars here as well, but most of the time i use an external monitor
life of lively to live to life of full life thx to shield battery
caelym
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
United States6421 Posts
January 22 2009 21:01 GMT
#5
you can use the w-mode plugin on chaoslauncher. imo stretchiness isn't that bad; it's the keyboard that sucks. you can't bash down on the keys
bnet: caelym#1470 | Twitter: @caelym
MasterZilla
Profile Blog Joined November 2003
Sweden234 Posts
January 22 2009 21:01 GMT
#6
I don't play on a laptop, but I have a 24" TFT monitor for my computer, and it has the same effect. Personally, I kind of like it, not sure why

But like mahnini said, there is no way to get around having to use one of those options.
For Aiur! - If you reach for the stars and miss, you still might end up walking among the clouds.
JIJIyO
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
Canada1957 Posts
January 22 2009 21:05 GMT
#7
Alright, thanks guys. I guess I'll be playing with black bars because stretched mode is really weird. If only laptops had some sort of autoresizing option like my monitor does. And yeah, I agree with you caelym. Playing on a laptop makes me much worse. My macro on a pc is so much better probably because of the keyboard.
KT_Violet
Zapdos_Smithh
Profile Blog Joined October 2008
Canada2620 Posts
January 22 2009 21:06 GMT
#8
Is the pic of Superiorwolf's laptop in stretched mode?

Scorch
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
Austria3371 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-01-22 21:07:32
January 22 2009 21:06 GMT
#9
I play Starcraft on an ancient 800MHz laptop. I used to have huge black bars, which annoyed me to no end because the actual game was about as large as a gameboy display. I was able to change to the screen stretching behavior in BIOS, maybe that works for you too.
Equinox_kr
Profile Blog Joined December 2006
United States7395 Posts
January 22 2009 21:07 GMT
#10
Just play with the black bars, stretched is so fucking ugly and there's no other alternative
^-^
IPS.ZeRo
Profile Joined April 2003
Germany1142 Posts
January 22 2009 21:11 GMT
#11
Well what do you mean with autoresizing? The problem is not that it is a laptop but that it is widescreen. So If you would be able to get another resolution thats "wider" you would see more than anyone who doesn't have a wide screen. Thats probably what will happen with sc2, since its supposed to support widescreen.

And with the keyboard, i have to partly agree. I can't play with my laptop keyboard because it has FN instead of CTRL in the lower left corner. So i always mess i grouping, which is a big deal in starcraft. Besides that i can type very fast on a flat keyboard, so i don't think its too bad.
aka DTF-ZeRo
Ancestral
Profile Blog Joined August 2007
United States3230 Posts
January 22 2009 21:13 GMT
#12
I have an HP 17" laptop, and it has a full sized keyboard ^.^

I play with black bars, stretched feels awkward. And as people have said, the problem is StarCraft, not the laptop.
The Nature and purpose of the martial way are universal; all selfish desires must be roasted in the tempering fires of hard training. - Masutatsu Oyama
hunter3
Profile Blog Joined January 2008
United States155 Posts
January 22 2009 21:15 GMT
#13
I LOVE those black bars. The stretch mode is a monstrosity. There was a time ATI and NVIDIA weren't releasing drivers that supported the black bars and we were forced to play stretched all the time. When we finally got the black bars, I was ecstatic.
Try
Profile Blog Joined August 2007
United States1293 Posts
January 22 2009 21:21 GMT
#14
How do you get the black bars instead of stretch?
Zapdos_Smithh
Profile Blog Joined October 2008
Canada2620 Posts
January 22 2009 21:23 GMT
#15
On January 23 2009 06:21 Try wrote:
How do you get the black bars instead of stretch?


Yeah same question here.
Raithed
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
China7078 Posts
January 22 2009 21:34 GMT
#16
sc is just IN YOUR FACE when youre playing/viewing reps on a laptop. its so god damn annoying imo.
IPS.ZeRo
Profile Joined April 2003
Germany1142 Posts
January 22 2009 21:36 GMT
#17
go to the advanced options of your graphic card and search for something like fixed aspect-ratio. I don't really know if thats a correct translation though, may be called otherwise.
aka DTF-ZeRo
JIJIyO
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
Canada1957 Posts
January 22 2009 21:38 GMT
#18
On January 23 2009 06:06 Resonance wrote:
Is the pic of Superiorwolf's laptop in stretched mode?


Hm........maybe it isn't now that you bring that up. I'm not quite sure now.......

And to get black bars this is what I did for my laptop, but I'm not sure if it will apply to everyone.


Display settings->Intel graphics accelerator drive for mobile->graphics properties->display settings->aspect ratio options->choose maintain aspect ratio

KT_Violet
freelander
Profile Blog Joined December 2004
Hungary4707 Posts
January 22 2009 21:39 GMT
#19
On January 23 2009 06:23 Resonance wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 23 2009 06:21 Try wrote:
How do you get the black bars instead of stretch?


Yeah same question here.


well i have an acer aspire laptop with windows xp.

right click on desktop, properties menu.
here you have to go on the options tab, there the special options button.
after that intel graphics accelerator options, here graphical properties
then display options --> set ratio

Most likely you have to look for it in the options of your graphics card driver.
And all is illuminated.
freelander
Profile Blog Joined December 2004
Hungary4707 Posts
January 22 2009 21:40 GMT
#20
On January 23 2009 06:34 Raithed wrote:
sc is just IN YOUR FACE when youre playing/viewing reps on a laptop. its so god damn annoying imo.


well, i use external keyboard
it's okay that way
And all is illuminated.
sperY
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
Serbia444 Posts
January 22 2009 21:46 GMT
#21
On January 23 2009 06:13 Ancestral wrote:
I have an HP 17" laptop, and it has a full sized keyboard ^.^

I play with black bars, stretched feels awkward. And as people have said, the problem is StarCraft, not the laptop.

Same here.
Black bars rule~
disciple
Profile Blog Joined January 2008
9070 Posts
January 22 2009 22:44 GMT
#22
I'm playing on 12" ASUS
Administrator"I'm a big deal." - ixmike88
liosama
Profile Blog Joined October 2007
843 Posts
January 22 2009 23:29 GMT
#23
On January 23 2009 05:57 mahnini wrote:
no, unless your laptop screen is just 800x600 scaled up you have to deal with stretchiness or black bars

SC is 640x480
freelander
Profile Blog Joined December 2004
Hungary4707 Posts
January 22 2009 23:43 GMT
#24
On January 23 2009 08:29 liosama wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 23 2009 05:57 mahnini wrote:
no, unless your laptop screen is just 800x600 scaled up you have to deal with stretchiness or black bars

SC is 640x480


but 800x600 is the same ratio as 640x480
And all is illuminated.
Jonoman92
Profile Blog Joined September 2006
United States9107 Posts
January 22 2009 23:54 GMT
#25
I have a 22" widescreen monitor and I like the black bars on the sides (I had to change the vid card settings to get it that way). Other wise it filled the whole screen but it was distorted a bit. I don't think there is a way to get it full screen on a widescreen monitor without distorting it.
AcrossFiveJulys
Profile Blog Joined September 2005
United States3612 Posts
January 23 2009 00:01 GMT
#26
So you know that you have the option of 1) stretched to fit the screen or 2) fit 800x600 into the screen but black everywhere else.... and you are asking if there's anything else? Wtf man? Are you expecting the computer gods to stretch your laptop screen's height to make the scale correct?
EsX_Raptor
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
United States2802 Posts
January 23 2009 00:29 GMT
#27
Why don't you just simply connect an external monitor or something?
liosama
Profile Blog Joined October 2007
843 Posts
January 23 2009 10:08 GMT
#28
On January 23 2009 08:43 freelander wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 23 2009 08:29 liosama wrote:
On January 23 2009 05:57 mahnini wrote:
no, unless your laptop screen is just 800x600 scaled up you have to deal with stretchiness or black bars

SC is 640x480


but 800x600 is the same ratio as 640x480



ohh is that what he meant kk
GHOSTCLAW
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
United States17042 Posts
January 23 2009 10:13 GMT
#29
On January 23 2009 09:01 AcrossFiveJulys wrote:
So you know that you have the option of 1) stretched to fit the screen or 2) fit 800x600 into the screen but black everywhere else.... and you are asking if there's anything else? Wtf man? Are you expecting the computer gods to stretch your laptop screen's height to make the scale correct?


apparently anyway. I guess he's looking for some sort of super secret hidden widescreen option on a ten year old game.
PhotographerLiquipedia. Drop me a pm if you've got questions/need help.
Funnytoss
Profile Blog Joined August 2007
Taiwan1471 Posts
January 25 2009 10:04 GMT
#30
Ironically, I'm so used to the stretching on my laptop monitor that I have a hard time playing when using other monitors - it just seems so "thin".
AIV_Funnytoss and sGs.Funnytoss on iCCup
freelander
Profile Blog Joined December 2004
Hungary4707 Posts
January 25 2009 17:14 GMT
#31
On January 25 2009 19:04 Funnytoss wrote:
Ironically, I'm so used to the stretching on my laptop monitor that I have a hard time playing when using other monitors - it just seems so "thin".


lol
fat zerglings!
And all is illuminated.
EtherealDeath
Profile Blog Joined July 2007
United States8366 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-09-30 18:34:13
September 30 2009 18:20 GMT
#32
Anyone know how to get fixed aspect ratio using a Radeon 3100 (laptop)? I don't see the option anywhere in Catalyst for fixed aspect ratio. I'd use my desktop monitor to work around it, except it's too big for comfortable starcrafting.

eidt: Forgot to mention that the instructions provided in the help index can only be accessed when using multiple monitors.
Normal
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Next event in 2m
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
ProTech135
StarCraft: Brood War
Sea 1171
Bisu 181
ToSsGirL 152
Shinee 96
Sharp 45
Hm[arnc] 29
Noble 20
NotJumperer 1
Dota 2
XaKoH 424
NeuroSwarm137
League of Legends
JimRising 646
Counter-Strike
olofmeister2346
kRYSTAL_31
Super Smash Bros
Mew2King108
Other Games
summit1g7994
C9.Mang0704
ceh9367
Happy183
crisheroes125
Organizations
Counter-Strike
PGL12225
Other Games
gamesdonequick843
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 13 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• Sammyuel 28
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
• sooper7s
StarCraft: Brood War
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
League of Legends
• Stunt1044
• HappyZerGling118
Upcoming Events
Replay Cast
2m
Wardi Open
3h 2m
Monday Night Weeklies
8h 2m
OSC
15h 2m
WardiTV Winter Champion…
1d 3h
PiGosaur Cup
1d 16h
Replay Cast
2 days
WardiTV Winter Champion…
2 days
Replay Cast
2 days
PiG Sty Festival
3 days
[ Show More ]
The PondCast
3 days
KCM Race Survival
3 days
WardiTV Winter Champion…
3 days
Replay Cast
3 days
PiG Sty Festival
4 days
Epic.LAN
4 days
Replay Cast
4 days
PiG Sty Festival
5 days
CranKy Ducklings
5 days
Epic.LAN
5 days
Replay Cast
5 days
PiG Sty Festival
6 days
Sparkling Tuna Cup
6 days
Replay Cast
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

Proleague 2026-02-14
LiuLi Cup: 2025 Grand Finals
Underdog Cup #3

Ongoing

KCM Race Survival 2026 Season 1
Nations Cup 2026
PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026
IEM Kraków 2026
BLAST Bounty Winter 2026
BLAST Bounty Winter Qual
eXTREMESLAND 2025
SL Budapest Major 2025

Upcoming

Escore Tournament S1: King of Kings
[S:21] ASL SEASON OPEN 1st Round
[S:21] ASL SEASON OPEN 1st Round Qualifier
[S:21] ASL SEASON OPEN 2nd Round
[S:21] ASL SEASON OPEN 2nd Round Qualifier
Acropolis #4
IPSL Spring 2026
HSC XXIX
uThermal 2v2 2026 Main Event
Bellum Gens Elite Stara Zagora 2026
RSL Revival: Season 4
WardiTV Winter 2026
BLAST Rivals Spring 2026
CCT Season 3 Global Finals
FISSURE Playground #3
IEM Rio 2026
PGL Bucharest 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 1
BLAST Open Spring 2026
ESL Pro League Season 23
ESL Pro League Season 23
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2026 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.