Why doesn't Oasis fit my screen?

Owned by Graham Comben (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Jan 30, 2020
3 min read


Screen Resolutions

The Windows operating system allows for various screen resolutions, depending on hardware in use. As time progresses, so do the display capabilities of hardware. When Oasis Version 9 was released, many Windows PCs were using a basic 1280x1024 screen resolution. Many laptops were using 1366x768.


Now, with 4k (and soon 8k) monitors available, it becomes a bit of a minefield. Basically, it works as follows:


720p 1280x1024 – also known as HD (High Definition)
1080p 1920x1080 – also known as FHD (Full High Definition) – also the recommended resolution for Oasis V12
1440p 2560x1440 – Also known as QHD (Quad High Definition)
2160p 3840x2160 – also known as 4K or UHD (Ulta-High Definition)
4320p 7680x4320 – also known as 8K (no fancy name yet)


Coupled to the resolutions are aspect ratios. Some monitors look square and some look wide. Aspect ratios are 4:3 (640×480, 800×600, 960×720, 1024×768, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×1080 , 1600×1200, 1856×1392, 1920×1440, and 2048×1536), 16:10 (1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200 and 2560×1600) and 16:9 (1024×576, 1152×648, 1280×720, 1366×768, 1600×900, 1920×1080, 2560×1440 and 3840×2160). Now we have a can-of-worms. Combining resolutions and aspect ratios gives the modern PC a plethora of options.


Unfortunately, Oasis does not support dynamic screen sizing depending on resolution / aspect ratio. It therefore means that Oasis must make use of screen "modes" to cater for a limited range of resolutions.


Bear in mind, the higher the resolution, the smaller items on the desktop will appear. If you do choose to run QHD or 4K, you may struggle to read text as it will be very small. If you use Windows scaling to increase the text size on any resolution, it will disrupt the way Oasis displays on the screen.

Screen Modes

Oasis will work effectively with some resolutions, using the following screen modes (The mode is set by selecting Preferences, Main Settings, Field #11, ScreenMode).
"00" Screen is centred on whatever screen resolution is in use.
"01" Screen Full – Other – Oasis will fill the whole screen, but will use default window sizing for each function.
"02" 1366x768 – Primarily used for older laptops.
"03" IPhone size – not yet fully developed.
"04" 1440x900 – Primarily used by some newer laptops.
"11"1920x1080 – the recommended Oasis resolution.
"12"1680x1050 – A wide screen derivative not often used.
"13"1600x1200 – a 16:10 aspect ratio option.
"14"1920x1200 – a 16:9 aspect ratio option.


Your PC's Resolution

To find your PC's screen resolution, right click anywhere on your desktop and select the Display Settings option from the menu. In the Display window that will follow, locate the Resolution setting under the Scale and Layout section (Windows 10).

To have Oasis display at its best, try and use 1920 x 1080 and 100% scaling. If you can't use these settings, you will need to experiment with the various options available to see which suits best.

With your screen resolution set at 1920 x 1080, use screen mode 11 in Oasis.

Change screen mode through oasis.ini file

If you are unable to open the application to select Preferences, Main Settings to change the screen mode (you may have tried screen mode 03), you can change the mode directly in the oasis.ini file. You'll find it in your c: drive oasis folder.


Right click the oasis.ini (configuration settings) file and select Edit. Edit the "ScreenMode=xx" setting in the ini file and save the file.