Scooping fuel + Steam client restart = ouch it burns, it burns

jacozilla

jacozilla
So there I am ~2k LY from the bubble, on my way back to unload all my data (I hope).

Pit stopping at a friendly G class Chevron station near me, I'm scooping fuel when suddenly my game is forced into alt-tab with steam client telling me something about needing to restart due to an update.

I'm trying to ignore the damn thing and alt-tab my way back into the game - elapsed time thus far, 2-3 seconds

First couple alt-tab tries doesn't work because the modal dialog just switches back and forth between the steam client, the client restart message, and my brain telling me I can smell smoke somewhere.... Finally make my way back in game - elapsed time 6-7 seconds.

My ship is screeching alarms, I'm in emergency crash mode, heat rising to near 200%. I have 2k LY worth of exploration data about to go up in smoke. The last thought I am thinking as I'm trying to line up for the escape vector is a big middle finger to Steam and forced modal dialogs that pop you out of full screen games.

All I can say is the DBX is one tough little ship. I made it out with about 50% hull but most my systems fried to low percentages. My A3 AFM fixed everything but my poor 23% power plant and or course the AFM itself at 30% - I guess physician heal thyself doesn't work with the AFM unless you have another AFM to fix each other.

I would like to say thank you to the designer of the DBX with such fantastic thermal efficiency I did not cook as early thanksgiving. I would also like to say to Steam - you are one rotting pile of garbage for well behaved code design.
 

jacozilla

jacozilla
I wish there was a way to tell how much canopy dmg has been incurred while still out in space vs only seeing that in station repair screen.

I have this paranoia I can hear hissing...2K LY out.
 

tengri

T
You wont be needing steam running to play/launch the game.
Use (or link to) the regular launcher... somewhere like "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Elite Dangerous\EDLaunch.exe"
 

Kzak

Kzak
I usually fuel scoop at max throttle around the chosen star (Asp with 6B fuel scoop, fills the tank in 42 seconds). This has the advantage that if I should get booted from the game, I won't be able to keep correcting the course to maintain fuel scooping and will just travel into space if control is lost.
 

CMDR Weatherwax

C
Go to Steam/settings ingame and deselect steam overlay I think would stop this. Otherwise I think it's quicker to use shift-tab to move between steam overlay and the game.

But yes, that sounds like a right PITA. Hope you make it back safely with your exploration data CMDR :)
 

jacozilla

jacozilla
CMDR Weatherwax said:
Go to Steam/settings ingame and deselect steam overlay I think would stop this. Otherwise I think it's quicker to use shift-tab to move between steam overlay and the game.

But yes, that sounds like a right PITA. Hope you make it back safely with your exploration data CMDR :)
Click to expand...

already disable steam overlay in most gmes including Elite; disabling it doesnt stop the steam client message from forcing a modal chage to the client restart dialog box.

it is basically the 'popup' ad of bad software design. Any dialog can be optional modal, such as background client messages, lr forced modal. Steam chose to go with forced modal for some odd reason.

- - - Updated - - -

tengri said:
You wont be needing steam running to play/launch the game.
Use (or link to) the regular launcher... somewhere like "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Elite Dangerous\EDLaunch.exe"
Click to expand...

Am pretty sure i am already using that edlaunch.exe - and when steam client is closed, it automatically tries to force the elkte process to end. Will recheck though, maybe theres another launcher in the steamapps elite directory i missed

not against steam pushing updates, just using a forced modal dialog design when so many of their top revenue games sold are realtime online games.
 

jacozilla

jacozilla
h347h said:
Never had that issue with any game. I've used Steam since it launched too.
Click to expand...

Then you've had the good fortune of never being online and playing game when steam pushed a client update, and/or not using PC. Perhaps it's different on a mac.

On PC all modal dialogs can be optional - as in background - or forced, as in switching focus. Steam on PC uses forced modal dialog. The only way you'd never see this is if you've never been in a full screen game while steam pushes a client update. Some quick googling and this isn't an uncommon complaint. Minor yes, not game breaking. But annoying and rather odd as I said since Steam derives a big chunk of their revenues from games that are more and more realtime online.
 

Commander Slick

Commander Slick
Hmmmm, my sympathies.

I have to stop playing every Sunday afternoon at 5:00, thanks to Apple's itunes insisting I update - an answer I've answered "NO" to some 42.8 thousand times to date. where's the "genius" behind that process?

seriously, my computer does not belong to me during that time of the week-end.

- Slick
 

jacozilla

jacozilla
Commander Slick said:
Hmmmm, my sympathies.

I have to stop playing every Sunday afternoon at 5:00, thanks to Apple's itunes insisting I update - an answer I've answered "NO" to some 42.8 thousand times to date. where's the "genius" behind that process?

seriously, my computer does not belong to me during that time of the week-end.

- Slick
Click to expand...

the odd thing is steam DOES give a choice to set game updates as optional via the overall property setting or on a per game basis. just no setting for client update to be optional message only.

never thought I would say this, but they could take a page from Microsoft - even MS Windows doesn't force mode change you for system updates via windows update process running in background.
 

Ravenov

Ravenov
AVG antivirus is good for that too, although generally it happens about 5-10 minutes after boot before i get a chance to undock.

As for fuel scooping, always approach to miss the star (use the orbit line/no fly zone circle to guide you) then throttle down to zero once you reach 60-65% heat and you'll never have any problems.
 

Jarsil

J
Adobe Flash is also a nice pile of garbage, luckily for me, on the mac, it can only switch desktop, not alt-tabbing, so it's enough to switch back to the desktop used by the game with no real risks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom