Factorio Forums

I'm here to formally request a feature that is very minor and quite easy to add. I find that when I stream or record gameplay I like to play Window mode so I can easily tab in and out of the game. Depending on the recording software it sometimes is also required to play in a Window mode.

Thanks.

Edit: Here is an idea on what to look for: ALLEGRO_FULLSCREEN_WINDOW

Oh, yes please!

I almost always play in a mode that allows for easy alt+tab due to often having some other thing running on the other screen. When game is at fullscreen then doing anything in other usually causes issues or at minimum causes the game to minimize.

Factorio currently uses the ALLEGRO_FULLSCREEN_WINDOW option.

Full-screen is currently fullscreen windowed borderless.

Rseding91 wrote:Factorio currently uses the ALLEGRO_FULLSCREEN_WINDOW option.

Full-screen is currently fullscreen windowed borderless.

Confirmed haha.... I never bothered trying because 99% of the time they don't offer borderless without idk what you call it hardware fullscreen...

I feel like an Idiot for never trying.

fullscreen borderless has some advantages, but also some disadvantages. Because it is window, rather than a fullscreen application, sometimes it forces always on top mode.

This is a super old thread, but why start a new thread on the same subject?

I can't reveal any window that is open beneath factorio. I have to quit the game / crash the client (task manager force quit) to get at windows beneath.

Thanks!

Dune wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2020 8:40 am This is a super old thread, but why start a new thread on the same subject?

I can't reveal any window that is open beneath factorio. I have to quit the game / crash the client (task manager force quit) to get at windows beneath.

Thanks!

I don't have this issue on any computer I have access to, but you can workaround it by enabling "Minimize on focus loss" in graphics settings. That will make alt+tab to work essentially the same as it would with exclusive fullscreen.

Dune wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2020 8:40 am This is a super old thread, but why start a new thread on the same subject?

I can't reveal any window that is open beneath factorio. I have to quit the game / crash the client (task manager force quit) to get at windows beneath.

Thanks!

Is the game in "actual" focus? I've noticed if I alt-tab during certain parts of the game (start-up exactly, I believe), any time I click on something the game pops up again. Turns out the game was never in "full" focus: if I click inside the game screen once, anywhere, then alt-tab, it works.

Honktown wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2020 5:46 am

Dune wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2020 8:40 am This is a super old thread, but why start a new thread on the same subject?

I can't reveal any window that is open beneath factorio. I have to quit the game / crash the client (task manager force quit) to get at windows beneath.

Thanks!

Is the game in "actual" focus? I've noticed if I alt-tab during certain parts of the game (start-up exactly, I believe), any time I click on something the game pops up again. Turns out the game was never in "full" focus: if I click inside the game screen once, anywhere, then alt-tab, it works.

I've had similar issue: viewtopic.php?f=49&t=81429

It's not just Factorio a lot of games have a hard time when going true fullscreen back to windows. But this is the first game I've had the inverse of what I all ways see. A lot of games when unfocused will begin to hang, or unload. Factorio is pretty solid that way aside from the whole zooming in, then pause to deskop if that's still a thing.

But it does have a lot of issues with focus on startup like you said. It gets stuck in the state alwaysontop, and it's because when you alt-tab out the game it is switching to an active window. And since it's in full-screen it forces set-focus and creates a conflict of it being stuck on top because it was unable to switch back automatically (which is proper behaviour, otherwise it'd be like you had a virus or something aha just keeps popping back up at you).

It would be nice if the game could ignore it's startup process in regards to container management and just flash on the taskbar or something when it's loaded.

I've had similar issues, especially when i want to switch to a window behind Factorio during loading.
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=66206

My solution was to set Factorio to window mode and let borderless gaming remove the borders.

I'll check that out thanks Optera!

Edit: with regards to applications with the flag alwaysontop I agree Factorio does not play nice with them at all. Applications often become loaded behind the game regardless of method used to set alwaysontop.

Borderless Gaming works, low memory usage 13mb but the CPU is a bit high 3% average. Is actually running higher then the game itself on the menu at 1.3%.

EDIT: I checked github reported isuses, it is something they're aware of. So I dug into the settings a bit. There are ways to decrease the CPU usage but it causes eradicate app behaviour (will fix the CPU issue for a bit, then just goes nuts and hangs the app). However you can just close the application after it does its job. The set parameters stick.

I think this is something factorio devs can add natively to the game.

EDIT:

There must be a way to script AHK to do without Borderless Gaming. It's just a POS.
@optera above script works for single monitor usage

Thanks for all the responses, yes it's on startup. Sorry, that's when I often am opening the game and at the same time my streaming software (which doesn't play nice and open on my 2nd monitor where I always put it.) Good to know I can do it after the game loads and I've clicked into factorio.