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Windows: mouse unavailable when task switching

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 2:44 pm
by philo
Hi all,

this bug occurs on Windows XP in both the beta and svn versions:
when task switching from VS to programmes on the desktop, the mouse cursor is frozen in the upper left corner of the screen and will not be released. Hence there is no mouse functionality for other applications like VS star maps and trading aids. In 0.5.0-stable task switching was no problem whatsoever.

On top of the above, I noticed that the game tends to crash with a C++ runtime error (abnormal program termination), if you switch to desktop and then wait for a while. I attached the std files for two such crashes.

I've only been playing Svn for a little more than a week, so I cannot tell what it was like before the windows binaries were updated a couple of revisions ago.

Re: [Beta/SVN] Windows: mouse unavailable when task switchin

Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 8:20 am
by pheonixstorm
That could be from a change in the SDL code or something that got changed in the VS code. Though I really think its the SDL code as SDL handles the mouse work. As for the alt tabbing... its iffy on where that bug is. Could be VS, SDL, or OpenGL. I played in windowed mode under xp all the time so I could keep an eye on other apps such as the debugger and compiler or even a web browser while waiting for my loaded ship to clear a gravity well... Sadly the game isnt as windows friendly as it could be.

Re: [Beta/SVN] Windows: mouse unavailable when task switchin

Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 6:38 pm
by Mr. Fahrenheit
I had a lot of trouble with frequent game crashes before finding the magic of a processor affinity shortcut. After that, I really saw no specific problems in a full-screen game.

I have not tried playing in a window very much, and so I am curious in what respects you find the game not 'windows friendly'. Is it perhaps in so far as things like actually needing to specify processor affinity in windows (I assume you don't have to on other platforms) and these other issues with mouse control? Do those things just not crop up on other platforms?

If non-Windows is more stable, I might try booting into a 'live CD' sort of Linux environment and see how that goes.

Thanks for any insight.

Re: [Beta/SVN] Windows: mouse unavailable when task switchin

Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 8:10 pm
by philo
Thanks for the answer, phoenixstorm.
But the point is: 0.5.0 does not have this problem at all; it is, inasmuch as I can tell, very windows-friendly. You can TAB out of the game, do whatever you like and for as long as you like, then return to the game without having encountered any issue.

It's no big thing for me to run the game on Linux (all of my boxes are multi-booters and Linux is my main OS at home), but shouldn't it be in the interest of the developers of a cross-platform game to not deteriorate over time in the level of support for one of those platforms? If it worked well once, why did it stop to do so now? And the fact that the game actually crashes when running in the background for a little while most likely is an indicator of a bug more serious than just a mouse pointer hi-jack.

SDL rings a bell. I faintly remember problems with the mouse and with fullscreen in another open source game project (Seven Kingdoms) when switching to SDL; but IIRC these problems were caused by their implementation of SDL, not by SDL itself, and they got the issue fixed after a while.

My experience with large subversioned projects is very limited, so the following may sound naive, but shouldn't it be possible to test run the Vegastrike Windows executables in all the revisions between 0.5.0 and 0.5.1beta from the repo, check when the issue first started occurring and then look at the diff in order to get a clue about what might be causing it?
This would be revisions 12390 through 13117 (I already tested 12289, it's fine), a total of 9 vegastrike.exe versions.
If I keep playing around with the subversion tools a while longer I may even be able to assist ....

Re: [Beta/SVN] Windows: mouse unavailable when task switchin

Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 2:52 am
by pheonixstorm
For the most part when it comes to windows work im it. Theres one or two others that run windows but the vast majority who code and play VS on the forums run linux. All the code and libraries are cross platform (or supposed to be) but are as with VS written for the most part in a linux enviorment. Thats why it isnt windows friendly. As of now all i do is try to bug check the code as I see it and compile new binaries. I playtest the new binaries as much as I can but for the most part dont spend as much time on it as I once did.

In any event there are far too few developers currently working on VS especially in the art department. If we could find a few more windows coders we would be in much better shape as far as windows only bugs are concerned.

Re: [Beta/SVN] Windows: mouse unavailable when task switchin

Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 1:52 pm
by philo
I see. Then let me thank you for your time and commitment.

I have a couple more bugs and odd behaviours to report, but as far as I can tell, this was the only Windows-specific one which comes along with a VS runtime error.


@ Mr. Fahrenheit:
I think a live CD Linux environment will not do, because you need to install/compile VS and also need persistent storage. There is a live DVD from linux-gamers.net with most popular Linux games pre-installed and ready to play, but VS does not seem to be among them.
For your purposes, I guess you will do best with a Linux installation on a 4-8 GB pendrive. This website offers lots and lots of advice: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/

Re: [Beta/SVN] Windows: mouse unavailable when task switchin

Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 2:10 pm
by Mr. Fahrenheit
I will check that out, thanks very much.

Re: [Beta/SVN] Windows: mouse unavailable when task switchin

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2011 2:01 am
by pheonixstorm
This issue has been fixed (or appears to be) as of r13218

Re: [Beta/SVN] Windows: mouse unavailable when task switchin

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2011 6:34 pm
by philo
pheonixstorm wrote:This issue has been fixed (or appears to be) as of r13218
Yes, it has indeed. Thanks heaps!

ps:
I'll try to add a [Solved] marker to the OP thread title, but I know the new subject title may not show up in the thread listview unless specified via the moderator control panel.