Interface & display¶
1.13's screen and interface settings live in three places:
Ja2.iniin the game root — resolution, windowed mode, tooltip scaling, intro playback. Read by the engine before anything else loads.Data-1.13\Ja2_Options.INI— everything about what the interface shows: tooltips, health bars, hit feedback, load screens, map overlays.- The in-game Options screen — toggles you flip while playing, saved to
Ja2_Settings.iniin your user profile folder.
This page covers all three. For the general layout of the config files and how to edit them safely, start at the configuration overview.
Resolution and window mode (Ja2.ini)¶
Ja2.ini sits next to ja2.exe and holds one [Ja2 Settings] section. The
display-related keys:
| Key | Default | What it does (from the file's comments) |
|---|---|---|
SCREEN_RESOLUTION |
8 |
Game resolution, picked from a numbered list (below). 8 = 1366×768. |
EDITOR_SCREEN_RESOLUTION |
8 |
Same list, but for the Map Editor. |
CUSTOM_SCREEN_RESOLUTION_X / _Y |
800 / 600 |
Your own resolution — "applicable only when set to Custom Resolution (25). Make sure monitor supports the custom resolution if playing in full screen mode." |
SCREEN_MODE_WINDOWED |
0 |
0 = full screen, 1 = windowed mode. Ignored on modern installs — see the cnc-ddraw note below. |
PLAY_INTRO |
1 |
"Should the intro be played after starting a new game?" |
TOOLTIP_SCALE_FACTOR |
100 |
Scales the font size of all in-game tooltips. 100 is baseline; 200 doubles the size; values below 100 have no effect. Very useful at high resolutions. |
The resolution numbers, straight from the file:
| Value | Resolution | Value | Resolution | Value | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 |
640×480 | 9 |
1280×800 | 18 |
1440×1050 |
1 |
960×540 | 10 |
1440×900 | 19 |
1680×1050 |
2 |
800×600 | 11 |
1600×900 | 20 |
1920×1080 |
3 |
1024×600 | 12 |
1280×960 | 21 |
1600×1200 |
4 |
1280×720 | 13 |
1440×960 | 22 |
1920×1200 |
5 |
1024×768 | 14 |
1770×1000 | 23 |
2560×1440 |
6 |
1280×768 | 15 |
1280×1024 | 24 |
2560×1600 |
7 |
1360×768 | 16 |
1360×1024 | 25 |
custom |
8 |
1366×768 | 17 |
1600×1024 |
A few behaviors worth knowing, verified in the current source:
- The game has three interface layouts: 640×480, 800×600 and 1024×768. At any
resolution above 1024×768 the largest layout is used, centered, and the extra
screen space shows more of the tactical map — the UI itself does not grow.
That is why
TOOLTIP_SCALE_FACTORexists: text does not scale with resolution. - Custom resolutions are clamped to a minimum of 640×480, and the interface layout is chosen from the same three tiers based on your custom size.
- If
SCREEN_RESOLUTIONis missing or invalid, the game falls back to 800×600. - In windowed mode the game shaves a little off the window size (16 px width, 70 px height) at 1024×768 and above so the window fits on the desktop.
On modern installs, cnc-ddraw controls the window — not Ja2.ini
Current releases ship the cnc-ddraw wrapper. When its ddraw.dll is
active, the game detects it and ignores SCREEN_MODE_WINDOWED — windowed,
borderless and fullscreen mode, scaling, and the renderer are all set through
cnc-ddraw config.exe (or ddraw.ini) instead. The shipped default is
borderless windowed-fullscreen, and Alt+Enter switches modes on the fly.
See Troubleshooting
for the full cnc-ddraw walkthrough. SCREEN_RESOLUTION still applies — it
sets the resolution the game renders at, which cnc-ddraw then scales.
The old comment in Ja2.ini about switching Windows to 16-bit color for
windowed mode is legacy advice from the pre-cnc-ddraw era.
Two lesser-known extras, both verified in the source:
- Command-line switches override the INI: launching
ja2.exe /WINDOWorja2.exe /FULLSCREENforces the screen mode, and any[Ja2 Settings]key can be overridden asja2.exe /KEY=value. DISABLE_MOUSE_SCROLLING = 1is a hidden[Ja2 Settings]key (not in the shipped file) that turns off edge-of-screen map scrolling in tactical view — handy in windowed mode, where the cursor tends to graze the window edges.
The rest of Ja2.ini (game mode selection via VFS_CONFIG_INI, INI merging,
CD, VFS_NO_UNICODE, USE_WINFONTS) is covered in the
configuration overview.
Graphics options in Ja2_Options.INI¶
The [Graphics Settings] section of Ja2_Options.INI opens with: "These settings
do not affect gameplay at all, only the visual aspect of the game." Highlights,
with shipped defaults:
| Setting | Default | Effect (per the file's comments) |
|---|---|---|
VERTICAL_SYNC |
FALSE |
V-sync; "if disabled the game will run faster." |
PLAYER_TURN_SPEED_UP_FACTOR (also ENEMY_, CREATURE_, MILITIA_, CIVILIAN_) |
1.0 |
Animation speed per faction in battle: 1.0 = normal, 0 = max speed, fractions allowed. Lower these to fast-forward turns visually. |
SCROLL_SPEED_FACTOR |
1.0 |
Tactical map scroll speed, range 0.5–2.0. |
USE_EXTERNALIZED_LOADSCREENS |
TRUE |
Per-sector load screens from TableData\Map\SectorLoadscreens.xml instead of the vanilla default. |
LOADSCREEN_STRETCH_MODE |
1 |
0 = always stretch, 1 = match height (keeps aspect ratio, may add black bars), 2 = match height for widescreen images only. |
USE_LOADSCREENHINTS |
TRUE |
Show gameplay tips (from TableData\LoadScreenHints.xml) on load screens. |
ADDITIONAL_DELAY_UNTIL_LOADSCREEN_DISPOSAL |
0 |
Extra seconds to keep the load screen up so you can read the hint. |
SMALL_SIZE_PB |
FALSE |
Thin turn-progress bar instead of the default one. |
AUTO_HIDE_PB |
TRUE |
Hide the turn-progress bar when the cursor is on the top row of the map. |
HIDE_EXPLORED_ROOM_ROOF_STRUCTURES |
TRUE |
Hide roof structures (e.g. sandbags) above explored rooms at ground-level view. |
ADDITIONAL_DECALS |
TRUE |
Extra decals (cracked walls, blood spatters); also requires the in-game "Blood & Gore" option. |
RADAR_MAP_MODE_DAY / _NIGHT |
0 / 3 |
Flavor recolor of the radar map: 0 = none, 1 = infrared, 2 = night vision, 3 = dark (the vanilla night look). |
OVERHEAD_MAP_MODE_DAY / _NIGHT |
0 / 0 |
Same recolor options for the overhead sector view (Ins). |
Soldier tooltips¶
Hover over a soldier and press Alt to see a tooltip describing them. The whole
system is configured in [Tactical Tooltip Settings], and tooltips can be switched
on and off in-game with Shift+D or the Options screen ("Show Soldier Tooltips").
SOLDIER_TOOLTIP_DETAIL_LEVEL (default 2) sets the minimum information shown,
as the file describes it:
| Level | Name | Shows |
|---|---|---|
1 |
Limited | Are they wearing any armor (but not where), general type of weapon (no attachments), do they have a gas mask or NVG. |
2 |
Basic | Helmet/vest/pants presence, general weapon type plus visible attachments, gas mask or NVG. |
3 |
Full | Exact armor types, weapon model with all attachments, NVG type. |
4 |
Debug | As Full, plus APs, health "and other info for modders". |
The rest of the family:
DYNAMIC_SOLDIER_TOOLTIPS = TRUE— below Full detail, tooltips only appear on enemies within 13 tiles and in line of sight of the selected merc.ALLOW_DYNAMIC_TOOLTIP_RANGE = TRUEwithDYNAMIC_TOOLTIP_RANGE_MODIFIER = 75— overrides that distance: tooltips work within the given percentage of the merc's visible range.ALLOW_DYNAMIC_TOOLTIP_DETAIL_LEVEL = TRUE— the closer you are, the more detail you get.- A block of 28
SOLDIER_TOOLTIP_DISPLAY_*switches enables individual tooltip lines —_LOCATION,_RANGE_TO_TARGET,_ORDERS,_ATTITUDE,_ACTIONPOINTS,_HEALTH,_MORALE,_SUPPRESSION,_TRAITS, armor slots (_HELMET,_VEST,_LEGGINGS), weapons (_WEAPON,_OFF_HAND), inventory (_BIG_SLOT_1…_BIG_SLOT_7) and more. Per the file, these requireSOLDIER_TOOLTIP_DETAIL_LEVEL = 4. SOLDIER_TOOLTIP_DEBUG_AI = FALSE— debug tooltip with extra AI information.
Related tooltip settings elsewhere:
TOOLTIP_SCALE_FACTORinJa2.iniscales the font of all tooltips (see above).COVER_TOOLTIP_DISPLAY_DETAILED_TILE_PROPERTIES = TRUEin[Tactical Cover System Settings]makes the F cover tooltip list detailed tile properties and values.BACKGROUND_TOOLTIP_DETAILS = TRUEin[Laptop Settings]shows the full details of a merc's background in its tooltip.
On-screen combat feedback¶
[Tactical Interface Settings] controls what the tactical screen tells you about
soldiers and shots. The gameplay-affecting entries (CtH readout, hidden bullet
count, NCTH cursors) are covered in the
Ja2_Options.INI tour; the purely visual ones:
| Setting | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
SHOW_ENEMY_HEALTH |
1 |
Info when hovering over an enemy/creature: 0 = nothing, 1 = health as text, 2 = health bar, 3–6 add AP, shock, morale and breath. |
SHOW_HEALTHBARSOVERHEAD |
1 |
Bars over your own mercs: 0 = nothing, 1 = default health bar, 2 = alternative bar that adds suppression shock and current cover, 3 = alt bar plus AP counter. |
ENEMY_HIT_COUNT / PLAYER_HIT_COUNT |
0 / 0 |
Damage numbers over targets: 0 = exact damage, 1 = just a "?" on a hit, 2 = nothing at all, 3/4 = white/red asterisks in damage brackets. |
SHOW_HIT_INFO |
FALSE |
Additionally show how much damage the armor absorbed. |
SHOW_SUPPRESSION_COUNT (and SHOW_SHOCK_COUNT, SHOW_AP_COUNT, SHOW_MORALE_COUNT, three *_ASTERISK/_ALT variants) |
0/FALSE |
Overlay suppression numbers over soldiers after an attack. Off by default. |
MAXIMUM_MESSAGES_IN_TACTICAL |
36 |
How many log messages can be on screen at once. "Maximum is 36 in 1024x768 resolution... JA2 default is 6 in all resolutions." Adjusted down automatically at lower resolutions. |
IMPROVED_TACTICAL_UI |
TRUE |
"Use color name to show soldier's status" — colors soldier names by status. |
SHOW_ENEMY_WEAPON / SHOW_ENEMY_EXTENDED_INFO |
FALSE / FALSE |
Show enemy weapon name (and armor/head items) directly in tactical, no tooltip needed. |
SHOW_BACKPACK_OWNER |
TRUE |
Show the owner's name on dropped backpacks and in the item-pickup interface. |
SHOW_CAMOUFLAGE_FACES |
TRUE |
Portraits show applied camo, if camo portrait graphics exist. |
TACTICAL_FACE_ICON_STYLE |
0 |
Which of the four icon sets (0–3, PORTRAITICONS_A–D.STI) is used when "Show Face Gear Graphics" is enabled in the Options screen. |
Naming on the tactical map is also configurable in [Tactical Gameplay Settings]:
INDIVIDUAL_ENEMY_NAMES = FALSE (individual names from TableData\EnemyNames.xml),
INDIVIDUAL_ENEMY_RANK = TRUE (ranks from EnemyRank.xml),
INDIVIDUAL_CIVILIAN_NAMES = TRUE and INDIVIDUAL_HIDDEN_PERSON_NAMES = TRUE.
Map screen and overhead map¶
The strategic map's display filters — towns, mines, teams, militia, weather, disease, intel overlays — are toggled with hotkeys on the map screen (W, M, T, Z, R, D, Q), not with INI settings. See the hotkey reference.
INI settings that do affect the strategic side:
KNOWN_NPCS_DIFFERENT_MAPCOLOUR = FALSE([Tactical Gameplay Settings]) — known NPCs get a deep blue name color "so we can find them more easily".STAT_PROGRESS_BARS_RED/GREEN/BLUE = 140/90/20([Strategic Interface Settings]) — RGB color of the stat progress bars on the character panel; the bars themselves "can be turned off completely using the in-game Options Menu".ALLOW_DESCRIPTION_BOX_FOR_ITEMS_IN_SECTOR_INVENTORY = TRUE— item description popups in the sector inventory (only for the currently loaded sector).DISABLE_STRATEGIC_TRANSITION = FALSE— skip the zoom animation when entering tactical from the map screen.[Overhead Map Settings]configures the "Mark Remaining Hostiles" feature: when the last few enemies are hiding, the overhead map marks the area they are in.MARKER_MODE = 2(0off,1rectangles,2hatched rectangles),DAYTIME_PRECISION = 4/NIGHTTIME_PRECISION = 5(how small the marked area is),MAX_SOLDIERS_LEFT = 1(how few enemies must remain). Per the file it "only works on Bigmaps and resolutions above 1650x1080" and is toggled in the in-game preferences.
Laptop polish lives in [Laptop Settings]: DISABLE_LAPTOP_TRANSITION = TRUE
(skip the laptop open/close animation), FAST_WWW_SITES_LOADING = TRUE (no fake
dial-up page loading), and LAPTOP_MOUSE_CAPTURED = FALSE (whether the mouse is
confined to the laptop screen; Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y toggle it for the current
laptop session).
The in-game Options screen and Ja2_Settings.ini¶
Everything you toggle on the in-game Options screen is saved to
Ja2_Settings.ini — written to your user profile folder
(Profiles\UserProfile_JA2113 for the standard 1.13 game mode), section
[JA2 Game Settings], one TOPTION_* key per toggle, along with the volume
sliders and the last used save slot. You normally never edit this file, but it is
plain INI if you want to.
The display-related toggles, with their exact in-game labels and defaults:
| Options screen label | Key in Ja2_Settings.ini |
Default |
|---|---|---|
| Make Items Glow | TOPTION_GLOW_ITEMS |
on |
| Show Tree Tops | TOPTION_TOGGLE_TREE_TOPS |
on |
| Smart Tree Tops | TOPTION_SMART_TREE_TOPS |
on |
| Show Wireframes | TOPTION_TOGGLE_WIREFRAME |
on |
| Show 3D Cursor | TOPTION_3D_CURSOR |
off |
| Show Item Shadow | TOPTION_SHOW_ITEM_SHADOW |
on |
| Show Weapon Ranges in Tiles | TOPTION_SHOW_WEAPON_RANGE_IN_TILES |
on |
| Show Misses | TOPTION_SHOW_MISSES |
off |
| Show Movement Path | TOPTION_ALWAYS_SHOW_MOVEMENT_PATH |
on |
| Enhanced Description Box | TOPTION_ENHANCED_DESC_BOX |
on |
| Alternate Strategy Map Colors | TOPTION_ALT_MAP_COLOR |
off |
| Alternate Bullet Graphics | TOPTION_ALTERNATE_BULLET_GRAPHICS |
on |
| Tracer Effect for Single Shot | TOPTION_TRACERS_FOR_SINGLE_FIRE |
on |
| Show Merc Ranks | TOPTION_SHOW_MERC_RANKS |
off |
| Show Face Gear Graphics | TOPTION_SHOW_TACTICAL_FACE_GEAR |
on |
| Show Face Gear Icons | TOPTION_SHOW_TACTICAL_FACE_ICONS |
on |
| Show Soldier Tooltips | TOPTION_ALLOW_SOLDIER_TOOLTIPS |
on |
| Show LBE Content | TOPTION_SHOW_LBE_CONTENT |
on |
| Show enemy location | TOPTION_SHOW_ENEMY_LOCATION |
off |
Mark Remaining Hostiles (see [Overhead Map Settings] above) |
TOPTION_SHOW_LAST_ENEMY |
off |
| Animate Smoke | TOPTION_ANIMATE_SMOKE |
on |
| Blood & Gore | TOPTION_BLOOD_N_GORE |
on |
Several of these have tactical hotkeys — T for tree tops, Ctrl+Alt+W for
wireframes, Ctrl+Alt+I for glowing items, Home for the 3D cursor,
Shift+D for soldier tooltips — all listed in the
hotkey reference. The Enhanced
Description Box can additionally be limited to strategic or tactical only with
USE_ENHANCED_DESCRIPTION_BOX in [Tactical Interface Settings] (0 = both).
No INI settings for the team panel
The bottom team panel is not INI-configurable: there are no
TEAMPANEL-style keys in the current Ja2.ini or Ja2_Options.INI to
restyle or resize it.
Sources¶
Ja2.ini(game root) andData-1.13/Ja2_Options.INIfrom the current 1dot13/gamedir repository — key names, defaults and comment text quoted from the files themselves ([Graphics Settings],[Tactical Interface Settings],[Tactical Tooltip Settings],[Tactical Gameplay Settings],[Strategic Interface Settings],[Laptop Settings],[Overhead Map Settings]).- 1dot13/source:
sgp/sgp.cpp(resolution handling, cnc-ddraw detection, command-line switches, tooltip scaling,DISABLE_MOUSE_SCROLLING),Ja2/GameSettings.cpp(Ja2_Settings.inikeys and defaults),i18n/_EnglishText.cpp(Options screen labels),TileEngine/renderworld.cpp(mouse scrolling). vfs_config.JA2113.inifrom gamedir (user profile write location).