A couple of simple ways to make it more friendly

Loren · #1 November 23rd, 2006, 10:47 PM

1) While the AI is thinking the computer doesn't monitor Alt-Tab. I'm playing several AI's on a big map, the turn calculation is long enough that I'm switching away and doing other things while it thinks. If I'm quick I can hit end turn and then Alt-Tab and in a few seconds the game will hide itself, otherwise it won't until the AI calculations are done. Even if I'm fast enough, it still won't release the mouse until after the AI calculations are complete, though. (Note: This mouse problem can only be observed on multi-screen systems.)

2) When the game is simply down on the taskbar, how about changing the title to show if it's calculating or waiting for the player.

CaptainGimpy · #2 November 24th, 2006, 12:32 AM

You could probably make it so that ranged attacks do more damage to the enemy then to yourself

alexti · #3 November 24th, 2006, 01:05 AM

(1) That's weird. I can Alt-Tab back and forth while the turn calculation is being performed without any problem. It sounds more like something in OS scheduler being borked. User-mode application isn't even supposed to be able to totally monopolize computer resources.

UninspiredName · #4 November 24th, 2006, 01:22 AM

I suppose you could tweak the Create a Pretender interface a bit. Needing to start a game to view/delete pretenders is sort of strange...

Folket · #5 November 24th, 2006, 06:18 AM

Loren, the game runs very fine in windowed mode, that way you should not have any problems to switch to other tasks.

Gandalf Parker · #6 November 24th, 2006, 12:39 PM

Windowed mode is one of the reasons why I love this game. It lets me see the clock on the machine. It allows me to quickly switch back and forth to other work windows. And the hosting times remind me to do check other things on the machine (and other things off the machine)

Making Windows mode the default might be a good idea. Im not sure if there is any advantage gained to full mode at all.

Loren · #7 November 24th, 2006, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Folket said:
Loren, the game runs very fine in windowed mode, that way you should not have any problems to switch to other tasks.

I'll try it that way.....

Much better, although in windowed mode the mouse won't scroll the map when it reaches the edge even if it's the true edge of the screen also.

Loren · #8 November 24th, 2006, 05:15 PM

Quote:

alexti said:
(1) That's weird. I can Alt-Tab back and forth while the turn calculation is being performed without any problem. It sounds more like something in OS scheduler being borked. User-mode application isn't even supposed to be able to totally monopolize computer resources.

It's not the OS scheduler--the machine is behaving fine and there is plenty of CPU power available (this is a hyperthread machine, Dominions can only monopolize it's processor, not the whole box.)

You can freely alt-tab back and forth while it's your turn. You can pretty freely alt-tab back and forth during battle resolution. What you can't do is alt-tab back and forth during AI calculation. I'm thinking that perhaps it is only checking the keyboard when it displays a message.

When you do the Alt-Tab Windows sees it fine and switches the task. However, Dominions still has the screen and the mouse is still boxed in. Thus you get the taskbar and any menu you can launch from it--but not any window you might open.

alexti · #9 November 24th, 2006, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Loren said:

Quote:

alexti said:
(1) That's weird. I can Alt-Tab back and forth while the turn calculation is being performed without any problem. It sounds more like something in OS scheduler being borked. User-mode application isn't even supposed to be able to totally monopolize computer resources.

It's not the OS scheduler--the machine is behaving fine and there is plenty of CPU power available (this is a hyperthread machine, Dominions can only monopolize it's processor, not the whole box.)

You can freely alt-tab back and forth while it's your turn. You can pretty freely alt-tab back and forth during battle resolution. What you can't do is alt-tab back and forth during AI calculation. I'm thinking that perhaps it is only checking the keyboard when it displays a message.

Ok, I probably never tried to do it during AI calculation. I haven't actually seen it take any significant amount of time (like 1 sec or more). Alt-tab is not checked by the program, but by the OS. If program is in infinitive loop and doesn't handle keyboard at all, alt-tab still works fine. One needs to make special effort to suppress alt-tab and it's somewhat tricky and Windows-specific. It's unlikely Dom3 does it. It seems strange that 'AI calculations' take so long. You may try to disable hyperthreading - sometimes it creates weird thread locking problems. Maybe OS scheduler and 'AI calculcations' are getting dead-locked on some semaphore (not sure what it might be though...) Sorry, I don't have any other ideas...

Loren · #10 November 25th, 2006, 12:22 AM

Quote:

alexti said:

Quote:

Loren said:

Quote:

alexti said:
(1) That's weird. I can Alt-Tab back and forth while the turn calculation is being performed without any problem. It sounds more like something in OS scheduler being borked. User-mode application isn't even supposed to be able to totally monopolize computer resources.

It's not the OS scheduler--the machine is behaving fine and there is plenty of CPU power available (this is a hyperthread machine, Dominions can only monopolize it's processor, not the whole box.)

You can freely alt-tab back and forth while it's your turn. You can pretty freely alt-tab back and forth during battle resolution. What you can't do is alt-tab back and forth during AI calculation. I'm thinking that perhaps it is only checking the keyboard when it displays a message.

Ok, I probably never tried to do it during AI calculation. I haven't actually seen it take any significant amount of time (like 1 sec or more). Alt-tab is not checked by the program, but by the OS. If program is in infinitive loop and doesn't handle keyboard at all, alt-tab still works fine. One needs to make special effort to suppress alt-tab and it's somewhat tricky and Windows-specific. It's unlikely Dom3 does it. It seems strange that 'AI calculations' take so long. You may try to disable hyperthreading - sometimes it creates weird thread locking problems. Maybe OS scheduler and 'AI calculcations' are getting dead-locked on some semaphore (not sure what it might be though...) Sorry, I don't have any other ideas...

The problem is that Dominions isn't recognizing that it's been switched away and releasing the video. I think it's not monitoring the message queue while it's thinking.

This is a large map with many AI's, the "AI thinking" phase is measured in minutes (this turn, I'd say something like 10 minutes), especially since I got into quite a slugging match with my powerful neighbor. (On the main battlefront he's got at least 500 units in battle or marching towards it.) It wasn't nearly so bad while I was mostly squashing Atlantis but now Atlantis is gone. I've got 5 neighbors. 2 are basically at peace (one keeps throwing spells my way but there's been no other conflict) one has only two provinces of contact and we've never done anything to each other. One is the undead--they've got several hundred units in one square that they've done nothing with--since he's by far the most powerful empire I don't intend to start anything with him. That square is now a minimum of 5 provinces behind the battle line and I have no idea where the rest of his empire might be or how he came to have that pile on the one square. Finally there's the guy I'm fighting. He used to be ranked a bit higher by the game, by now I'm ranked a bit higher. Now that he's marching the big forces up it's gotten very slow and my shambler raids on his flank made it even worse. He's also doing a horrible job of countering the shamblers. There's a long path with low-supply terrain, I think the AI is having a hard time with the pathfinding.