Here is an idea. TRY IT FIRST.
As for "stretching" there isn't any. It just adapts the positioning from 16:9 to 5:4, it doesn't actually "distort" any of the graphics used to fit within the specified spaces, just offsets the coordinates given to determine placement.
Again, trying it out first is probably a good idea. I've run my own layout through:
16:9
1280x720
1366x768
1920x1080
8:5
1280x800
1440x900
1680x1050
5:4
1280x1024 <-- On this one, messages still take place above the head.ani and the Comms menu isn't over as left as I would like.
#Gauge Config
$Base: (1440, 900)
$Required Aspect: Wide Screen
$Min: (1280, 720)
$Max: (1920, 1080)
$Gauges:
;Messages
+Messages:
Position: (183, 5)
+Training Messages:
Position: (265, 90)
+Talking Head:
Position: (10, 5)
;Comm Menu
+Squad Message:
Position: (1020, 5)
;Objectives
+Escort View:
Position: (1263, 325)
+Directives:
Position: (10, 145)
+Objective Notify:
Position: (640, 225)
;Reticle
+Center Reticle:
Position: (700, 438)
+Threat Indicator:
Position: (847, 317)
+Target Brackets:
+Lead Indicator:
+Lock Indicator:
+Offscreen Indicator:
+Hostile Triangle:
Position: (720, 450)
+Missile Triangles:
Position: (720, 450)
+Target Triangle:
Position: (720, 450)
+Orientation Tee:
Position: (720, 450)
;Slider Elements
+Throttle:
Position: (490, 317)
+Afterburner Energy:
Position: (428, 470)
+Weapon Energy:
Position: (925, 470)
;Target
+Target Monitor:
Position: (10, 707)
+Extra Target Data:
Position: (10, 656)
+Target Shields:
Position: (505, 785)
+Mini Target Shields:
Position: (704, 559)
;Player Status
+Damage:
Position: (645, 70)
+Player Shields:
Position: (825, 785)
+Kills:
Position: (1240, 742)
;ETS
+ETS Weapons:
Position: (1240, 772)
+ETS Engines:
Position: (1265, 772)
+ETS Shields:
Position: (1291, 772)
;Wingmen & Support
+Wingman Status:
Position: (1327, 170)
+Support:
Position: (670, 625)
;Radar & Targeting
+Radar:
Position: (615, 695)
;+Radar Orb:
; Position: (615, 695)
+Auto Target:
Position: (1355, 772)
+Auto Speed:
Position: (1355, 802)
;Weapons
+Weapons:
Position: (1240, 615)
+Countermeasures:
Position: (1350, 742)
;Warnings
+Text Warnings:
Position: (720, 500)
+Text Warnings:
Position: (720, 400)
+Supernova:
Position: (240, 180)
;Mission Info
+Mission Time:
Position: (1365, 840)
;Multiplayer
+Multiplayer Messages:
Position: (11, 253)
+Voice Status:
Position: (7, 174)
+Ping:
Position: (1260, 5)
+Lag:
Position: (881, 558)
$End Gauges
#End
As I tend to run Debug builds almost exclusively, a few things are moved ever so slightly from "retail". The Comms Menu is a little left so that it will clear the VRAM usage section. The Mission Directives is elevated to go below FPS and above the -show_mem_usage output. Wessages are to the right of the head.ani spot.
Centered around the Reticle (or aligned with the center of it) is the damage indicator, Objective notification, mini-enemy shield icon, radar and Support ship notifier. ETS, Auto Speed/Target, mission timer and the like are all nicely grouped together.
I'm also trying to determine, for the purposes of the MediaVPs, if the elements should be "spread out" to their respective (per-resolution) locations (like ETS/etc on the bottom right corner, target data on the bottom left) , or constraining it to maintaining the same aspect in terms of related distance from each other towards the center of the screen instead.
