Game window minimizing, mouse locked on Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty

[jdwisew]

I just bought the suite of games for Linux. Install ran smoothly and I began playing the game. A couple of minutes in, and the game window minimizes (i.e. so I can see my desktop, as if I'd clicked a 'restore window' at the top right of any normal window). I tried a couple of keyboard shortcuts to minimize the window to taskbar, restore the window size, close the window, start up a terminal, etc, but no set of keyboard inputs worked in or out of game. Also, mouse was frozen in the game window; sometimes I could move it in game and sometimes not, but I couldn't move the mouse to my desktop. I couldn't figure out a solution and had to do a hard restart. This has happened to me several times, each time a couple of minutes into gameplay. Any help would be appreciated.
-JD

[bajatar]

I just bought the suite of games for Linux. Install ran smoothly and I began playing the game. A couple of minutes in, and the game window minimizes (i.e. so I can see my desktop, as if I'd clicked a 'restore window' at the top right of any normal window). I tried a couple of keyboard shortcuts to minimize the window to taskbar, restore the window size, close the window, start up a terminal, etc, but no set of keyboard inputs worked in or out of game. Also, mouse was frozen in the game window; sometimes I could move it in game and sometimes not, but I couldn't move the mouse to my desktop. I couldn't figure out a solution and had to do a hard restart. This has happened to me several times, each time a couple of minutes into gameplay. Any help would be appreciated.
-JD

Same here. After a few minutes the game switches to windowed mode, meaning the desktop task and menu bars appear and the game runs in a window. I cannot do anything. The mouse is locked and no keyboard input (Alt+Tab, Alt+F4, etc.) does anything.

You can kill Penumbra if you log into a text console (Strg+Alt+F2) and kill its process with signal 9 (15 doesn't seem to work), e.g. sudo top > k > process id > 9. After that switch back to the desktop (Strg+Alt+F7).

As this happens a few minutes into the game every time, there's no way to really play as save spots are rare and I have to do everything over and over again. All the atmosphere is gone and suspense is replaced by frustration =\

[Urkle]

this looks like some application is stealing focus away from penumbra, like the screen saver..

Try disabling the screensaver.
Are you running Compiz? Try disabling that.

Also, the game "should" (or at least does for me on Fedora 9 and 10) pop back into full screen mode once it regains focus.

[bajatar]

Try disabling the screensaver.

Ah yes, that appears to be the culprit. Strange, considering I was actually playing when the screensaver tried to activate. I turned it off and the game ran for an hour without any problems. Thank you.

[LordFoom]

I'm having exactly the same problems, except that my screen goes into windows mode upon startup, then, if I move the mouse around drastically, I get a few seconds of fullsize mode then it goes back to windowed.

I'm running Ubuntu 8.04 - any help?

[belgianmadcow]

I run Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty - no Compiz installed, had the same switch to window size (from fullscreen) and locked mouse a couple minutes into the game.

The solution was indeed to disable the screensaver - you can do so running gconf-editor in a terminal, or right-click the menu, choose "edit Menu", pick the system category, and enable "Configuration Editor" - then you can find the editor under Applications - System.

Once in the editor, choose apps category and gnome-screensaver - in the settings, now uncheck "idle_activation_enabled".

found that at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=278693
regards
bmc

[lolp12]

this looks like some application is stealing focus away from penumbra, like the screen saver..

Try disabling the screensaver.
Are you running Compiz? Try disabling that.

Also, the game "should" (or at least does for me on Fedora 9 and 10) pop back into full screen mode once it regains focus.

thanks man i find your advice on google
your advice was the best from all people how i was ask for help
becouse every one said to me reinstall display drivers that think fuked my system once
no one alse was even think on idea like yours tnx man really
i have been use linux ubuntu for last month thay are call me newbie but its better then stupit vista and the new windows 7 in everything except games.....
but crossover on ubuntu run almost everything
please keep lets keep on contact
msn:beatrise28@hotmail.com
(i am a guy just didnt find other name to put)
email:nir2010@gmail.com
my name is nir