Whats best pb_ss resolution ?

[buttscratcher]

Had it set to default , but pic size was so small . Bumped it up to 640v420 w/ a sample rate of 2 .

The size of shot is better , but detail like writing is skewed .

[imported_DaMaster]

Re: Whats best pb_ss resolution ?

Why would you use PB SS for screenshots? Why not Fraps or XFire or the ingame screenshot system (its not pbss is it?).

[SiLeNtScOpE296]

Re: Whats best pb_ss resolution ?

You should ask that question on pbbans forums, you will get a answer there.

[buttscratcher]

Re: Whats best pb_ss resolution ?

^ I've no intrest in searching out another forum for a question that can be answered here , but thanks . I know its not as exciting as baur v voss , or another stupid thread , but should get some useful feedback from those that have experience in what I am asking about .

And perhaps in the answer to my question here , that in turn will help someone else understand/learn something new as well ... as in DaMaster who may be thinking I am only taking a generic SS .

[Dan2k3k4]

Re: Whats best pb_ss resolution ?

I haven't looked into why leagues don't use different settings for the pb_ss - but my guess is because if you start requesting screenshots that are 100% size (instead of 50) and that have more sample rates etc. etc. - you'll end up with a bigger screenshot size, this 'size' is taken from the client you are screenshotting, so you will cause them to upload a larger file - therefore causing them to lag with higher ping.

It's not advised to use larger values, especially if you are using auto SS settings, but if you really needed to take a screenshot off someone with a higher capture size/resolution etc. then I suggest only doing it once in a blue moon, however I could be wrong...

[buttscratcher]

Re: Whats best pb_ss resolution ?

The reason I wanted to mess w/ the default settings was that my initial batch of captures were woefully small , as in , a very limited amount the users viewable screen shown . I doubled the default value so I could see more of what "they were seeing" . I am more satisfied with the size of the pic , but it is a bit fuzzy at times . In a tutorial I read , it suggested a sample rate of 2 , but perhaps I should try leaving the sample rate at the default level ???

[Skates]

Re: Whats best pb_ss resolution ?

The size of the SS is limited to the amount of 82,000 pixels. The higher the sample rate, the smaller the SS will be because of the larger number of pixels involved. A sample rate of 2 will cause some things like names to be grainy, but is still good enough to be able to see what you need to. Sample rates of 3 and 4 are worthless because they leave so much out, unless it is something like a no fog, black sky, or chams hack. You can go back to the sample rate of 1, but the actual size of the SS will be much smaller.

As for the size you set it to take, you can make that much larger. You could set it to 1024x768 if you want. It won't capture an image that big, it will just scale it down to the largest size it can handle. Also, the graphics settings of the person you are taking a SS of affect it as well. The higher their graphics, the more detail you are taking a SS of, so the smaller the size of the pic will be because of the limit on to total pixels in the pic.

PB had released an update that allowed you to take much bigger pics, but it was causing lag when the servers tried to process te larger files so they reverted back to the old system.

[buttscratcher]

Re: Whats best pb_ss resolution ?

You can go back to the sample rate of 1, but the actual size of the SS will be much smaller.

When you say "smaller" , is it still the screen size I am asking for just compressed ? or , is it reducing the SS back closer to the default size ?

What I want is a SS that includes their mini map (if possible) , but is still viewable/clear .

Oh ... And Dan , I missed something in your post . I am not using the auto ss . I only take them when I feel the need to .

[Wizrdwarts]

Re: Whats best pb_ss resolution ?

Take part of the minimap with the crosshairs in the lower left corner at normal resolution (no shrinking), that's what I've seen on most PBSSes.

[buttscratcher]

Re: Whats best pb_ss resolution ?

Take part of the minimap with the crosshairs in the lower left corner at normal resolution (no shrinking), that's what I've seen on most PBSSes.

That sounds like a winner ... Do you know which command lines need to be modified to achieve that ?

[Wizrdwarts]

Re: Whats best pb_ss resolution ?

No idea, never ran a server before.

[Shoxie]

Re: Whats best pb_ss resolution ?

That sounds like a winner ... Do you know which command lines need to be modified to achieve that ?

The Box: The Area of the Screen to be Captured

Given the restriction on the total number of pixels that can be returned, you can deduce that the limitation has the following practical effect (all terms are in pixels):

The width of the captured area of the screen is determined by the PB_SV_SsWidth setting and the height is likewise set by the PB_SV_SsHeight setting. By default, these values are 320 and 240 respectively, resulting in a total number of pixels captured of 76,800.
These measurements create a screenshot in the 4:3 aspect ratio, which is normal for standard-sized monitors (as opposed to wide-screen monitors). When creating a box in the 4:3 aspect ratio, the settings for height and width must fit into the following formulas:

and

It is not required to use a box that conforms to the 4:3 aspect ratio, however this is common practice. You can use any measurements you want to create a box of whatever size you want, so long as the total number of pixels does not exceed 82,000.

Sample Rate

It doesn't take too long to realize that being limited to only 82,000 pixels severely limits your ability to capture large areas of a player's screen. A player who has an 800x600 screen resolution is using 480,000 pixels, which is over five times greater than the limit. A player that has a 1024x768 resolution is using 786,432 pixels, which is more than nine times the limit. How is one supposed to capture a meaningfully-large area of player screens like this?
The answer is by taking advantage of the option to change the sample rate, which is defined using the PB_SV_SsSRate setting. The default sample rate is 1. What this means is that all of the pixels in the area to be captured (the box) will be captured. There are two other options for this setting, 2 and 4. If the the sample rate is set to two, every second row and column of pixels will be skipped, which has the effect of cutting the number of pixels captured to a fourth of the original amount. When the sample rate is set to four, three rows and columns of pixels are skipped, which has the effect of cutting the number of captured pixels to a sixteenth of the original amount.
To help you visualize this, look at the examples below. Each box on the checkerboard pattern represents one pixel (you're looking at a zoomed-in perspective of the capture area).

Sample Rate = 1 Sample Rate = 2 Sample Rate = 4 (All of the pixels are captured.) (1/4 of the pixels are captured.) (1/16 of the pixels are captured.)

By choosing to exclude certain pixels, you can increase the size of the box, however this comes at the cost of the loss of sharpness and clarity in the image. For the screenshot review process here at PunksBusted, a sample rate of four is considered to be too blurry to be used, so the options you have are either one or two.
Therefore, the formula for determining the size of the box you can use is:

which is the same as:

Assuming a sample rate of 2, the original 320x240 box can be doubled in size to 640x480 and still return the same number of pixels, 76,800. Remember that if you exceed the 82,000 pixel limit, the system will automatically resize your box to the nearest fit (given the proportion of the original width and height).

Placement of The Box on the Player's Screen

Now that you have figured out the size of the box and the sample rate you want to use, now you must decide what area of the screen will be captured. This is accomplished by positioning the box on a location on the player's screen. To accomplish this, there are two settings: PB_SV_SsXPct, which determines where the center point of the box will be placed on the horizontal axis (in percent), and PB_SV_SsYPct, which determines where the center point of the box will be placed on the vertical axis (in percent). The default value for both of these settings is 50, meaning that the center of the box will be halfway across both horizontal and vertical axes, making the box centered on the player's screen.

The top-left corner of the player's screen is the zero point on both the horizontal (X) and vertical (Y) axes. As you can see from the picture, when you move to the right, the X value increases, and when you move down, the Y value increases. These two values put together determine the center point of the box (which is shown as a blue dot in the above picture). It is important to remember that these values are percentages and NOT pixels. This ensures that the relative area of the screen to be captured will be placed in the same area of the screen, regardless of the screen resolution the player is using.
The box (the red rectangle) will always stay fully within the boundaries of the player's screen (the black rectangle), even if the center point is placed in an area where normally you would expect part of the box to go off the end of the screen. For example, using values of 100 for both settings places the box at the bottom-right corner of the player's screen. Even though the expected center point would be at the exact bottom-right pixel of the screen, this would cause most of the box to fall off the screen. The effect is that the bottom-right corner of the box will match up with the bottom-right corner of the screen, and the true center point will end up being somewhere further away from the defined position.
There is also a special value for these settings: -1. When set to -1, a random position on the axis will be chosen each time a screenshot is taken. You can use the -1 value on one or both of the axes to achieve the randomization of the box placement that you may desire.

you welcome, please read carefully

[Skates]

Re: Whats best pb_ss resolution ?

The short answer would be using a sample rate of 2 and then the following settings.

pb_sv_SsXpct 80 //[Percentage across screen for remote screenshots]
pb_sv_SsYpct 20 //[Percentage down screen for remote screenshots]

[buttscratcher]

Re: Whats best pb_ss resolution ?

OK ... I'll go poke around and see what I can come up with . I'll post later on my progress .

[Shoxie]

Re: Whats best pb_ss resolution ?

The short answer would be using a sample rate of 2 and then the following settings.

Skates, Ive been looking for the exact numbers for getting not only the players corsshairs but also the minimap too. Judging by how that looks that should be it right? If so thanks for posting it.