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Some people are still using the 4:3 monitors, so nothing stretched. Only if you use a monitor which is not being 4:3, but rather 16:9 it might get stretched. ;)

And as 16:9 is only getting now, kind of, getting the standard, why shall they have bothered about changing anything before?

For a looooong time ( around 30 years) 4:3 was THE standard on PCs, only in the last 2 years roughly, this has changed ;)

I am and I'm not really fond of the others TBH.

DOS games should always have "fullresolution=desktop" and "aspect=true" in the DOSBox config file for the most faithful graphics. I often have to do this myself with DOS games from GOG and it should be the default.

Nope.

The aspect ratio option the OP is talking about is to do with non-square pixel modes. Even if you have a 4:3 monitor, not using the aspect ratio correction option can result in the game designed for 4:3 playing in 16:10 on your 4:3 monitor.

http://doom.wikia.com/wiki/Aspect_ratio

Pixie dust actually. :D

I've heard that pixie dust is actually the fluff you find at the bottom of your pockets. Any truth to that?

I wouldn't know, I never wear pants.

Sorry, but even the link you provided tells me, that my memory is right, Doom might have been an exception, but otherwise 4:3.

I used 4:3 for over 2/3 of my live;)

Let´s have a look at the standard resolutions at their time:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_display_standard

Especially if you start looking for Hercules and CGA onwards, all 4:3


And I don´t see the OP talking about anything else.....

All the old games were programmed to be played on 4:3, best example SVGA.....also for old gamers the VESA standard......

Most games afterwards stayed with this standard.....

That raises an interesting question in my head: if an older's games source is available, should we expect GOG to make an effort to update the game? I just mention this because some games like Conquest: Frontier Wars have the source available but obviously the game still doesn't work on Win 8.

You either misread or misunderstood the article I linked to. I didn't say the games weren't meant for 4:3, just that they used non-square pixels. You should try doing a little maths to understand. The resolution most commonly used by the games we're talking about was 320x200, those numbers doesn't have a ratio of 4:3 in terms of pixels, but rather 8:5. Don't get me wrong - the game was meant to be displayed at 4:3 but with 'tall' non-square pixels.
Read the Doom article again, it explains the matter perfectly. The standard game resolution back then was 320x200, the 'aspect ratio' option in both DOSBox and ScummVM is for correcting this discrepancy, it's nothing to do with whether you're using a 16:9 monitor or a 4:3 monitor.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and put the misunderstanding down to poor explanation on my part.

Ahhhhhhh.....

If you are talking about 320 * 200 you are correct! ;)

But I understood it more like talking about 640 * 480 onwards ;)

Always hard to second guess sometimes ;)

*scratching my head*

But I can´t think of any 320*200 game on GOG in the moment?

That would mean CGA only??????? Maximum what EGA?

EDIT removed my part of the quote

Really? Most of the DOSBox and ScummVM games use this resolution. Off the top of my head:

Pretty much all the old Sierra adventures
Pretty much all the old Lucas Arts adventures
Beneath a Steel Sky
Lure of the Temptress
Flight of the Amazon Queen
Worms United

Pretty much all DOS games before a certain time used 320x200, I don't think 320x240 was very commonly used (that would give a perfect 4:3 picture with square pixels but I think the extra lines being addressed in that mode limited the colour depth)..

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