# Switching out of game in Fullscreen mode



## dlloyd (Jan 3, 2005)

Hey guys, I wonder how many of you still remember me! ::ha::

Anyway, I am working with someone by testing on my Mac a little Java app he wrote on the PC. It's designed to run along side the game Dungeon Siege, and it seems to work fairly well (apart from looking a little un-Maclike, but that's to be expected, I'm just glad it runs!)
However, the application is almost completely useless if you can't access it as you are playing the game. On the PC they have the Alt+Tab shortcut that will drop you out of fullscreen game playing and into any other currently running app, but Apple+Tab doesn't appear to do this. Using the hidden Windowed option causes the game to hang as it loads, so this is not an option.
What I'm asking here is if anyone of you knows of a way to return to the Finder or another app without quitting the fullscreen game. I assume it isn't only Dungeon Siege that has this problem, so hopefully someone has a solution!  (it'd also be really great for checking email. Having to quit the game to do this is a major PITA)

Thanks!

PS, for those of you who are wondering, I have 99 unread threads, which is a lot less than I would have expected. What the heck have you guys been up to for the last six months?! I don't think I accidentally logged in...
EDIT: that only goes back to Dec. 30. I wonder how many thousands there would be otherwise...


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## Arden (Jan 3, 2005)

You can't use Exposé?

As for the threads, you're limited to 100 per search.  It's been like that for a while now.


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## dlloyd (Jan 3, 2005)

No, it captures the screen, so I can't get anything through to the outside.

And that's too bad!


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## Randman (Jan 3, 2005)

I'd say Expose as well. Have you tried adjusting the Expose settings and seeing if that helps any?


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## dlloyd (Jan 3, 2005)

Well, the problem is that games usually 'capture' the screen, meaning that I can't use Exposé through screen corners. They also take the F keys, so those don't work either. I can't find any way to get input through to anything outside of the game.


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## Arden (Jan 3, 2005)

Is it out of your capabilities to hook up a second monitor?


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## dlloyd (Jan 3, 2005)

No, because the idea is to distribute the software to others, and they won't all have second monitors.


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## Randman (Jan 3, 2005)

This may not help, but with the F10 apps launcher, I have a hot corner and if I go to it, even in the middle of a game, it launches. I can then access Exposé. Might be a start if you can contact the developer.


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## dlloyd (Jan 3, 2005)

Alright, thanks Randman, I'll look into it!


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## dlloyd (Jan 5, 2005)

F10 Launcher doesn't seem to work that way in DS. What I really need to some way to 'uncapture' the screen...


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## dracolich (Jan 11, 2005)

Isn't there a "Switch to a window" command in Dungeon Siege? Just asking, never played the game, but there usually is an in-game command to go back to the desktop.


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## dlloyd (Jan 11, 2005)

Yes, there is. As I said in the initial post, it makes the game freeze up. I just got a reply from Macsoft support, and they know of no way to make it work either. So we're screwed.  Oh well.


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## dracolich (Jan 19, 2005)

> As I said in the initial post, it makes the game freeze up.



Sorry, didn't get it. Did you try something like Snapz Pro?


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