ALT-Tabbing is a big problem in SH5

[XenonSurf]

I know SH5 is not stable when you ALT-TAB to Desktop. To check wether your game is screwed-up, the player just has to verify if the watch crew is on deck when you are surfaced - if not then it's time to save/reload.


Problem is: SH5 is a complex game requiring you to ALT-TAB often to consult help files, docs etc.

So, one sure way is: saving game, going to menu and ALT-TAB, then reloading game. But WTF... Isn't there any trick to ALT-TAB without any problems showing up? Even hitting ESC which pauses the game before ALT-Tabbing will not help.


Has anyone some solutions?

Thanks,

[XenonSurf]

By trying around, I think I have found an acceptable solution:


- Go in the Map, and pause the game with the upper icon;
- Hit ESC to show the menu
- ALT-TAB out to desktop.


This seems to work, up to now my game didn't screw-up.

[AP514]

Hum..good to know..but, I have had Zero issues with TAB'n out and back in.

[Deepseadiver]

Tried the windows key?

[XenonSurf]

Originally Posted by Deepseadiver

Tried the windows key?

Thanks, I will try this next. Win_Key+D also goes to desktop without changing to an app. But I think I'll switch on one of my old laptops to read docs etc. while playing

[propbeanie]

... or a tablet in its stand...

[vdr1981]

Originally Posted by XenonSurf

By trying around, I think I have found an acceptable solution:


- Go in the Map, and pause the game with the upper icon;
- Hit ESC to show the menu
- ALT-TAB out to desktop.


This seems to work, up to now my game didn't screw-up.

I wouldn't recommend ALT-Tabbing in any scenario with modded SH5...Certain scripts may stop functioning even if at first sight everything may seem OK. Keep up us posted regarding your current method.

[bstanko6]

I use my iPad when I need to.

[XenonSurf]

Unfortunately, I was too optimistic above with my 3-step system, it doesn't work either, at some point my crew is not on the bridge anymore which means I will get playing anomalies from that point. (I used that method to ALT-Tab out to read the 4-Bearing method and apply it).

So the only secure way to ALT-TAB is the save game and ALT-Tabbing out from main menu, and then reloading the save. Unless someone has another miracle solution

Question now is: Do all smartphones (up to $350) easily allow the viewing of PDF documents? That would indeed be more useful for me

[propbeanie]

A pdf is "universal" for the most part. I've got a J8, and no problem. The wife has an iPhone 4s, no problem, etc. I've also got a cheap android tablet, bstanko6 mentions his iPad, but for me, the fone is too small to see clearly enough. The only problem with most of this "modern" technology is that the screen "blanks" just as you go to reach for it...

I agree with vdr1981 in NOT Alt-Tabbing out at all, no matter what it might look like afterwards. I have tried dual-screen set-ups, and "windowed" game set-ups, and it will still mess up. The game is a single-core, one-thing-at-a-time executable, and basically demands "exclusive" use of the computer resources. When you shell-out to Windows, it (multi-tasking Windows) might change the address of all sorts of data streams the game was using, and when you come back in, the game only pulls invalid data. It is basically not "aware", and does not communicate with Windows the way a 'modern' program would. Remember, at it's base foundation, this is SH3 (with SH4 piled on), plus some edits.