Not just Alt-tab problem but multiscreen issues too. |
I think I realize why SE5 hangs whenever I forgot not to alt-tab to another app. When I bring up the second video screen on my video card and start SE5, I find that I can't move the mouse outside of the SE5 window to the other screen. I was running ATI TV on the other screen and it slowed SE5 down to half speed or less. I think the two functions are related. SE5 can't let go of the mouse and the alt-tab takes it away by force and SE5 crashes.
I was thinking it might be a Windows app but I'm pretty sure it's just another DOS app carving a notch out of Windows.
I also think I'd like a simpler UI and a program that didn't crash as much.
Also, I left a game alone long enough that SAV kicked in to do a scan. Said goodbye to my SE5 game.
DOS
Um.... Dos is like, so old programs don't even recognize it anymore 
This is 100% a windows app, and I should mention that I've alt-tabbed out of it successfully on many an occasion. Of course, it doesn't run while minimized unless your in windowed mode, so I don't play in full screen anymore....
_______________________
There are 10 types of people in the world:
Those that understand binary, and those that don't.
Still the spectre at the feast
DOS played with every version since MS dos 3.2 still use 5 on some of my rescue computers the versions after 5 where all dodgy and if you have the memory OS2 runs Dos programs better than any version of dos and as I recall there where at least three MS IBM and another one which I don’t recall. Still use it for classic games X-com etal and some applications Paradox DBASE Lotus and the like.
However much Microsoft might claim DOS is dead its still I feel the spectre at the feast with every version of integrated windows, 95 and beyond even as far as XP
True
Yeah, windows does still support dos (even uses the command line prompt in places) but I don't think most high end programs use it.
_______________________
There are 10 types of people in the world:
Those that understand binary, and those that don't.
The minimise button works
The minimize button works quite well (top right hand corner of the screen on the main page of the UI) I managed to run a game from the early hours of the 26th to about two hours ago when one of the instances of IE6 I had running playing BBC Radio 4 fell over and crashed the whole system need less to say I had not saved for about two hours and had lost a great deal (30 turns) of Stellar manipulation (typical).
Alt Tab is something I would never normally do I tend to treat it as a less drastic form of Control Alt Del and I would recommend never running intensive background processes when running a game (power savers screen savers antivirus scans etc) this is not something unique to SEV as I have had this issue with Morrwind X3 which was released with a hideous memory leak (probably now fixed but I have not played it in months) GCII Rome total war and Starfury to name but a few. I know when my antivirus runs and make a point of quitting out of every thing for the duration. I also manually run my maitaince (thank you Peter Norton)so as not to have it interfere with what I a m doing. I feel as a result my Pc/s are less cantankerous than they might be.
I dont however blame SEV for any of that if any ones to blame its Microsoft because they have the resorces to deal with it and have not so far. Aeron is on the other hand a one man band who has writen probably the best E4 game ever again certainly the one with the most potential till SEVI any way