DCS not remaining as active window

[Beau1969]

Hi all,

Checking to see whether others may be having the same problem as I am not sure whether it is caused by the latest beta release or due to adding the Buttkicker Pro/HaptiConnect to my system, as they happened concurrently. The issue mentioned below does happen (now) even if I do not run HaptiConnect (but then, of course, the BK-PRO does not work.)

The issue is whether DCS remains the active window. This was not a problem with the previous build (@openbeta). While flying, occasionally, I will go to activate a control input (joystick, MFD, PTO2, etc. -- I have a Winwing cockpit) and find that there is no response from the sim as it is no longer the active window. I have not been able to troubleshoot what is happening; I think it is either a Windows notification (which is silent and unseen) or a registered click outside the viewport. For reference, I have attached a picture of my cockpit.

While running DCS, I am running the following apps (which before now have not been a problem -- with the exception, perhaps, of HaptiConnect from BK):

• Malwarebytes and Windows Security
• SimAppPro (WinWing)
• AimXYZ (head tracking)
• HaptiConnect

I also run DCS UFC to create the IFEI, and I notice a window open that I believe is created by Export.lua on start-up.

Whether a bug or not, I would also appreciate any guidance 'out there' on keeping DCS as the "active window"; I see quite a bit posted on VR but not much when using 2D.

Thank you!

Chris

[silverdevil]

2 hours ago, Beau1969 said:

Hi all,

Checking to see whether others may be having the same problem as I am not sure whether it is caused by the latest beta release or due to adding the Buttkicker Pro/HaptiConnect to my system, as they happened concurrently. The issue mentioned below does happen (now) even if I do not run HaptiConnect (but then, of course, the BK-PRO does not work.)

The issue is whether DCS remains the active window. This was not a problem with the previous build (@openbeta). While flying, occasionally, I will go to activate a control input (joystick, MFD, PTO2, etc. -- I have a Winwing cockpit) and find that there is no response from the sim as it is no longer the active window. I have not been able to troubleshoot what is happening; I think it is either a Windows notification (which is silent and unseen) or a registered click outside the viewport. For reference, I have attached a picture of my cockpit.

While running DCS, I am running the following apps (which before now have not been a problem -- with the exception, perhaps, of HaptiConnect from BK):

• Malwarebytes and Windows Security
• SimAppPro (WinWing)
• AimXYZ (head tracking)
• HaptiConnect

I also run DCS UFC to create the IFEI, and I notice a window open that I believe is created by Export.lua on start-up.

Whether a bug or not, I would also appreciate any guidance 'out there' on keeping DCS as the "active window"; I see quite a bit posted on VR but not much when using 2D.

Thank you!

Chris

carrying the wine out to the admiral eh?  another program is trying to come to the forefront. may not be DCS issue. only thing i can think of is, do you have full screen in options checked? it may be one of the programs you mentioned doing it. another idea is to make sure they are minimized before starting DCS. can you share your DCS.LOG? it will show information about controllers. maybe a clue.

[Beau1969]

LOL, yes, the admiral would surely be happy to have those boxes on deployment (my wife works in the wine industry -- lucky me!)

It's been a busy week, so I have not had much time to troubleshoot, but I will experiment further with full screen - I did go back and forth but will try a more systematic approach. I will also share my DCS.LOG as well. I have also looked into ensuring that the other programs run minimized (per Windows/Settings/Apps); I will test to see if that makes a difference.

Thank you.

[Beau1969]

I just ran a bit of testing; I selected Fullscreen mode and was able to see that the BK-PRO Hapti-Connect (due to DCS being minimized) is what pulled the DCS out of the active window. I believe it is because I had selected the DCS configuration screen within the app (rather than staying at the main window), and the file was trying to write to the Export.lua file. Moving away from that screen seems to have solved the problem.

I have also attached the DCS.LOG.

dcs.log.old

[Beau1969]

It's not as simple as I had hoped -- HaptiConnect still pulls DCS out of being the active window (much more apparent when running in Fullscreen, in windowed mode; it is a loss of controls that you notice, which can take longer.) So, I went back to looking for solutions and am now using the same solution as for VR.

DCS VR Focus Guard (digitalcombatsimulator.com)

Focus Guard apparently works well to solve this problem and the VR issue.

I do believe the problem is related to HaptiConnect, but not certain whether recently introduced by the latest patch or it has always been a problem with the BK-PRO software...

[silverdevil]

6 hours ago, Beau1969 said:

It's not as simple as I had hoped -- HaptiConnect still pulls DCS out of being the active window (much more apparent when running in Fullscreen, in windowed mode; it is a loss of controls that you notice, which can take longer.) So, I went back to looking for solutions and am now using the same solution as for VR.

DCS VR Focus Guard (digitalcombatsimulator.com)

Focus Guard apparently works well to solve this problem and the VR issue.

I do believe the problem is related to HaptiConnect, but not certain whether recently introduced by the latest patch or it has always been a problem with the BK-PRO software...

you may want to unmark your "solved" topic. people see the checkbox as a positive place to look for fixes to their similar problems.

back in the early days of online gaming we started using outside apps to do voice. invariably the voice app (or some other app message) would pop up and minimize the game. i personally do not have a bunch of DCS side apps running so i do not experience the issue. i think if you zone in on those apps, maybe try without any, then enable one at a time, you will find the culprit.

[Beau1969]

Another solution is to use AutoHotKey and the following script:

---

SetTitleMatchMode, 2

Loop
{
    if GetKeyState("Control") && GetKeyState("Space")
        break
    
    WinActivate, Digital Combat Simulator
    Sleep, 200  ; Adjust the sleep time (in milliseconds) as needed
}

---

Note 2: if you use this or the solution above (VR Focus Guard), it is best to run DCS with FullScreen* unchecked, or else you may see screen stuttering.

Note 3: The script is attached as a script file and an EXE, but you must install AutoHotKey on your PC.

Note 4: To stop the script loop, press the Ctrl and Space keys at the same time (or right-click the H icon on the taskbar and exit or pause the script.)

 

KeepAppActiveLoop.ahk KeepAppActiveLoop.exe

Edited December 21, 2023 by Beau1969

[Beau1969]

I developed the AutoHotKey script with the help of Fusionchat.ai. This is its take on expected impact on FPS; I have not had a chance to test it yet.

--

The impact on FPS (frames per second) when running the AutoHotkey script to continuously activate the Digital Combat Simulator (DCS) window should be minimal or negligible.

AutoHotkey is a lightweight scripting language, and the script itself only performs a simple action of activating the specified window. This action does not involve heavy processing or interact directly with the game engine.

The sleep time between window activations (200 milliseconds in your case) is also relatively short and shouldn't significantly affect game performance. However, it's worth noting that the impact, if any, may vary depending on the specific hardware and software configuration of your system.

To ensure an optimal performance impact, you can experiment with different sleep times (e.g., 100 milliseconds) to find a balance that suits your needs and minimizes any potential impact on FPS. Monitoring your DCS game performance while running the script can help assess any noticeable changes in FPS.

If you notice any significant impact on performance, you can consider adjusting the sleep time or exploring alternative methods to keep DCS as the active window.

Remember that performance can also depend on various factors such as system resources, background processes, and the overall load on your computer.

Edited December 21, 2023 by Beau1969

[Beau1969]

After some testing, I can confirm that the performance impact of the script is negligible, and framerates are the same or better than before.