Screenshot help

[Zwibble]

To make things as easy as possible for cadets in the Academy, I'm compiling instructions on how to take screenshots in all of the games supported by the Empire. Since a cadet needs to take a screenshot in order to graduate, knowledge of how to take one is crucial so that they can get stationed and become active members in your squadron or company.

I can't seem to find official instructions for how to take screenshots in TIE Fighter (not a big surprise there), X-Wing vs. TIE, X-Wing Alliance, or Force Commander. There's always the old "Prnt Scrn" and paste method, but if there's an in-game option, it's generally easier. If anybody knows how to take screenshots in any of the aforementioned games without having to resort to the Prnt Scrn method, I'd much appreciate it.

I'm also open to suggestions about good screen capture utilities, since that's what people will have to use for TIE Fighter at the least. That brings up another question of mine: We don't get many people who fly the original DOS TIE, but if there is someone who does, does any one know how exactly s/he would take a screenshot in DOS?

[Jagged Fel]

I always used the PrntScrn, (after 3D was enabled). As far as I know, that function doesn't exist in-game (don't know about FC).

[Jacob Jansen]

I use a program called screenprint. I will proivide a link when I get home. It works well except for GB. It would only be a black pic. I think it might be the pic format its going into, but I never messed with it.

[LC La Forge]

I've got a couple screenies from TIE Fighter, and I think I just pushed PrintScreen and it saved them for me. I'll look into it perhaps.

[MCHuskie]

We don't get many people who fly the original DOS TIE, but if there is someone who does, does any one know how exactly s/he would take a screenshot in DOS?

If you're using DOSBox to emulate DOS, one of the function keys (F4?) takes a PNG screenshot... as for the original MS version, I imagine there would be a third-party program to do that somewhere.

[LC La Forge]

Thing is, we want to avoid 3rd party software for simplicity's sake. So if there's an internal method, it would be better (though I doubt this is the case in a DOS version).

Wasn't the Office of Tactical Coordination going to make TIE95 the "offical" TIE platform so we didn't have to deal with these issues?

[Jagged Fel]

You don't need a special program with GB, the PrntScrn key is a built in function that will dump pics into Battlegrounds\Game\Screenshots, and number them sequentially.

[LC La Forge]

That's what I thought. I was trying to help a cadet yesterday, and I told him to do just that. Sadly, I don't think he could find that directory.

[Vortagh]

That's the problem Zwib and I had with Battlegrounds. :P

Other than that, I don't think that function is included in any game that was released before 2000something. Nowadays almost every game takes a screendump into a given directory (usually either right into the game directory or somewhere at mydocuments), but back then? And in DOS? No way.

Back then it would actually *print out* the screen....