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[Kaz]

Two devices using 'Editor' object in 'Rhiannon' are entering the name of a save game and putting a password into Rhiannon's computer during play.

Test playing this afternoon, both of these objects responded with a beep - probably from Windows - for every keypress, and no text could be entered. Alt-tab out, then back in - suddenly both fields were available. Nothing else was changed. The game was still running. 

Unpredictable behaviour - nothing scarier on a computer. Gotta be a bug. 

[Mnemonic]

More info please. It worked before, didn't it? What did you change? Are you talking about the localized versions of the game? What language? What Windows language version? What keyboard layout? Etc. etc.

[Kaz]

Actually, it's not safe to say it worked before. Although on this occasion it was in the German version, it's happened in the English too, not just in XP but in Vista, but seemed to cure itself before we could spot a pattern. This time, the two states appeared in the same playing session, separated only by an Alt-Tab to Windows, then back into the game. Nothing could have been changed during that, because it was a compiled version.

Windows language version in this case is XP SP3 English. Keyboard layout is UK English. Password content not an issue because it doesn't use specifically German characters.

We arrived in the gameplay at the point where the password has to go in. Every entered keystroke got a 'beep' and no text appeared - I don't know where the beep comes from. We called the in-game menu (Exclusive window) and attempted to save - same thing, beeps only, text not accepted. We resumed play, back to the password screen, same thing. So we alt-tabbed to Windows desktop. Then went back into the game. Now, both password field and savegame field would accept text, no beeps anymore.

[Mnemonic]

Can you reproduce it? Can you reproduce it in both windowed and full-screen mode? Do you get the beeping if you press some keys somewhere else in the game (even if there is no input box displayed)?
I can guarantee there's no beeping involved in wme code. It would seem some other application is receiving the keystrokes or the game window is in some indeterminate state or something like that.

[Kaz]

The problem with something that happens and then stops happening is that it obeys the law of Murphy rather than that of physics. Just tried to reproduce it. No luck. But we have recognised the beep as the Windows 'Default Beep' as specified in XP/Control Panel/Sounds.

Could it be that we don't try to trap keyboard input? We have a lot of windows that have no "on Keypress", for example. Could trying to make keyboard input when one of those is running, screw up the keyboard buffer? (I presume there still is such a thing in Windows)

 

[Mnemonic]

Windows XP beeps if some message box or modal dialog is focused and you press keys that are not assigned to any buttons. I do believe it's where your beeps are coming from. Perhaps you activated some accessibility option, or some antivirus window or something like that, and didn't actually see the dialog because the game was running in full screen?