Forums » Bugs

Window interruptions..

Oct 14, 2005 Cunjo link
does this belong in the bugs forum... because it's something I want fixed?

whenever another window opens in the background (system message, email notification, IM, etc...), VO is made inactive and minimized as if I'd pressed Alt+Tab. Murphy defines the times at which this happens as "the times when you're in a frantic combat situation with an exotic ship" ...or something like that. Needless to say, it's very irritating to have this happen.

Furthermore, when I finally manage to return to the VO UI, any keystrokes I was pressing when I was pulled away are locked down (I once had the boost locked down, and was headed - helplessly - straight for a large roid... I issued)

Is it possible to get something changed with the game so that it won't allow other windows to jump in front of it? VO is the only application which jumps to the back regardless of the priority of the other window.
Oct 14, 2005 Forum Moderator link
Hmmm...could be here, or in Bugs, or possibly even Suggestions. Let's keep it here for now.
Oct 16, 2005 Cunjo link
you think it'll get read here?
Oct 16, 2005 Forum Moderator link
*I* read it, but I'll move it to Bugs in a day or two.
Oct 16, 2005 Cunjo link
heh, well that's your job isn't it? =P
Oct 17, 2005 Forum Moderator link
Yes, and a dirty one at that.

[moved]
Oct 17, 2005 roguelazer link
I get this problem in VO, bzflag, Homeworld, Earth: 2150, Darwinia, and a bunch of other full-screen games. Windows' focus model just sucks, generally.
Oct 19, 2005 JestatisBess link
I get the problem in almost every game. When WINDOWS Wants to show you a window it will. I doubt the devs can do anything about it.
Oct 20, 2005 Spellcast link
actually it IS possible to prevent windows from stealing focus from a window, I know several games that do it.
UNFORTUNATELY those games crash if the user attempts to minimize the window or look at something else in windows while playing. NOT a good solution.
I just turn off AIM/weatherbug/mcaffee(i leave the virus protection running, just disable the automatic updates) when i play vendetta.
Oct 20, 2005 Cunjo link
I've never had the problem like this in other full-screen games I play... Halo, Half-Life and EVN always remained to the front when windows did something in the background, and could still be minimized via alt+tab if I wanted to change something elsewhere (mediaplyer tracks, chats, etc..)

Now, I'll agree that windows' focus model sucks, but I won't conclude it can't be done...