Implement Professional Resolution Management System

[stphung]

Overview

Continuum currently lacks resolution management capabilities. Players cannot adjust resolution settings, which limits accessibility and user experience across different display configurations.

Current State

• Fixed resolution with no user controls
• No accommodation for different screen sizes or aspect ratios
• Missing window mode options (fullscreen, windowed, borderless)
• No DPI scaling considerations

Requirements

Basic Implementation

• Resolution selection dropdown in settings menu
• Common resolution presets (1920x1080, 1280x720, 2560x1440, etc.)
• Apply/Cancel functionality with confirmation dialog

Advanced Implementation (Godot Best Practices)

Resolution & Display Management

• Dynamic resolution detection based on display capabilities
• Proper aspect ratio handling (16:9, 16:10, 4:3, ultrawide)
• Multiple monitor support with display selection
• Safe resolution fallback for invalid configurations

Window Mode System

• Fullscreen exclusive mode
• Borderless windowed mode
• Windowed mode with resizable option
• Remember last used window state

Scaling & Accessibility

• DPI-aware scaling for high-resolution displays
• UI scaling options (100%, 125%, 150%, 200%)
• Text scaling for readability
• Maintain crisp pixel art rendering regardless of scale

Performance Optimization

• Resolution-based quality presets
• Automatic performance scaling based on target resolution
• Efficient viewport management for different resolutions
• Memory usage optimization for higher resolutions

User Experience

• Real-time preview of resolution changes
• Settings persistence with validation
• Graceful handling of external resolution changes
• "Recommended" resolution detection based on display

Technical Implementation

Godot Architecture Considerations

Project Settings Configuration

# Display settings to configure
- window/size/viewport_width
- window/size/viewport_height  
- window/size/resizable
- window/size/borderless
- window/dpi/allow_hidpi
- rendering/viewport/render_scale

Resolution Manager Singleton

# Core system to implement
extends Node

class_name ResolutionManager

signal resolution_changed(new_size: Vector2i)
signal window_mode_changed(mode: WindowMode)

enum WindowMode { WINDOWED, BORDERLESS, FULLSCREEN }

func get_supported_resolutions() -> Array[Vector2i]
func set_resolution(size: Vector2i, mode: WindowMode) -> bool
func get_recommended_resolution() -> Vector2i
func apply_settings_with_confirmation() -> void

UI Scaling System

# Handle different UI scaling approaches
- Canvas layer scaling for UI elements
- Viewport stretch modes (2d, viewport, disabled)
- Theme scaling for consistent text/UI sizes
- Particle system scaling adjustments

Integration Points

• Settings menu UI implementation
• Save/load settings persistence
• Performance manager integration
• Audio system considerations for different window modes
• Input handling across resolution changes

Testing Requirements

• Resolution switching without crashes
• UI elements remain functional at all supported resolutions
• Performance testing across resolution range
• Multi-monitor configuration testing
• Settings persistence validation
• Edge case handling (invalid resolutions, display disconnection)

Success Criteria

1. Functionality: Players can select and apply different resolutions seamlessly
2. Compatibility: Works correctly across common display configurations
3. Performance: No significant performance impact from resolution management
4. Usability: Intuitive interface with safe fallbacks
5. Quality: Maintains visual fidelity at different scales
6. Persistence: Settings saved and restored correctly

Priority

High Priority: Basic resolution selection (dropdown with common presets)
Medium Priority: Window modes and aspect ratio handling
Low Priority: Advanced scaling and multi-monitor support

Dependencies

• Settings system implementation
• UI framework for settings menu
• Save/load system for persistence

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This feature will significantly improve accessibility and user experience by supporting diverse display configurations and user preferences.