Client window should not grab focus or switch to foreground on zoning or entering world

If you do something like zone or log in from the character select screen, the EQ window takes a moment to load up the new zone. If you bring up another window while the EQ window is loading, the EQ window will eventually grab focus and jump to the foreground when zone is loaded. I would like it if there was a way for that not to happen. Often, I am alt-tabbed into another EQ client window doing something or another while the first window is loading. But then when the first window is done loading, it jumps to the front even if I was in the middle of something in the second window. I would prefer that the EQ background window stay in the background even after loading. I'll alt-tab over to it when I want to go back to that window.

As an example, I might have two EQ clients running. In client 1, I may be zoning. While that zone is loading, I alt-tab over to client 2. In client 2, I might be pressing the up arrow to run forward. When the client 1 is done loading, it jumps to the front and grabs keyboard focus. But my character in client 2 continues running because all it knew was that the up arrow key was pressed down. I then have to quickly alt-tab back to client 2 to stop that character from running off in a straight line. If instead the client 1 just stayed in the background after loading, I could switch over to it when I was done with the character in client 2.

I'm sure some people prefer the current behavior, so I would propose some sort of config value in an .ini file or something which could be set. Something like "WINDOW_SWITCH=FALSE" or whatever. If that value was set to false, then the EQ client would not grab focus or put itself to the foreground.

I have yet to see the game take focus when zoning but when loading... yeah that gets kind of annoying at times. The part of zoning I really can't stand is if you have two clients running and you zone one, you have to do this really quick alt-tab maneuver to avoid having them both lock up until they zone. Doesn't matter if you run them from separate folders or go through the effort required to run them on isolated threads. I can load up ONI or Minecraft next to EQ and not see any of that kind of load-locking behavior, no idea if that's the correct name just what I call it.

Afaik, one program can not steal focus from another running program.

What you are describing is impossible according to a Microsoft developer. It would be a major security risk if it was possible.

I might not be using the correct terms for Windows since I'm not a windows developer. All I know is that the background EQ window pops up to the foreground as soon as it's done zoning.

One additional data point is that I play in windowed mode. Perhaps full screen doesn't have that behavior.

I don't remember this happening, but hopefully they decouple the UI from the rest of the rendering and stuff with the revamp (and add borderless window settings, which window management software can already do just fine). The game doesn't even communicate with Windows itself when zoning, as evidenced by the "Not Responding" in the Task Manager. The window should be able to be moved or defocused while loading, but all other functions halt while zoning, apparently even however the input buffer works considerrrrrrrrrrrrring the long-standing bug if typing while zoning.

The trick is to immediately switch to the other window in the split second between hitting the zone and the game processing it.

Yep, I probably know what you are talking about and also can feel ya.
It feels like you've been hijacked from what you are doing all of sudden.

Windows version X, XX, XX, etc, and what have ya.
Over the years, I can remember the feeling of getting frustrated over the programs at work.

It's probably windows way of processing things.
Old days, I used to love to run the program multiple versions, completely separate.
But not sure when things changed, but things got combined into one program and utilizing tabs.

Foggy memory, gleams of frustration, etc.

Also if desperate Windows Key + Tab to another desktop.

I just remembered an irritating culprit,
The dang "PDF" utilized in programs.

Like the MSwords, when you try to convert the multiple word documents to "pdf", while in process, try to work on some other program, see how it feels like.

You will soon feel like you want to strangle someone due to hijacking kind of feeling you get when the pdf process interrupts you all the time.

EverQuest loading/zoning locks up a lot of Windows processes until it's done... and it's the only program I've ever seen do it. It's this short but huge resource hog and detrimental to the overall system when it occurs.

I do use multiple desktops, but sometimes the EQ client coming to the front will cause that windows to switch to that desktop. I have the EQ clients in desktop #2. If I switch to desktop #1 while an EQ client is zoning, Windows will sometimes flip over to desktop #2 when EQ is done zoning. Or it may raise the taskbar with the "Everquest" icon in the taskbar highlighted (even though I'm in desktop #1 and EQ is in desktop #2). And by desktops, I do mean the Windows-managed virtual desktops where you switch between desktops on a single monitor. It's not two monitors or anything like that.

I tried setting the "Load Screen" display option to none, but that didn't seem to have an effect.


A couple other data points for me is that zoning takes about 15 seconds and I have Silver/Free accounts. Perhaps this is more of an issue with slow loading? Perhaps the "hung" aspect of the Windows client causes Windows to move it to the foreground once it starts accepting events again?

I agree with EQ bringing itself to the front in the one case of the server select screen. That's typically when the client is started up. But after that, I wish the client never brought itself to the foreground.

My Windows is: Windows 10 Pro, Version 21H2, Build 19044.1766. This is not a new issue for me. I've had this behavior for a long time.

And they are windows not full screen? Ouch.

The client also comes to the foreground in the middle of zoning while the zoning art and status are updated. Perhaps there's a window state change after the comments/status is updated or something?

Is there any way to not have the dynamic screens and tips/quips during loading? Perhaps if it was just a static screen it wouldn't come to the foreground. I've tried setting the "Load Screen" option to None, but that doesn't seem to do anything. I still get the loading card with tips/quips no matter what that option is set to.

Its also annoying that they always move the mousepointer to the upper left corner every time you zone.

I can figure out a good reason to do that?

That's odd, is that in full screen or something?

Are you playing more than one toon at a time? I remember having an issue one time like that and I had to set it to None on all accounts, then log them all the way out in order to get the changes to stick.

I did have multiple accounts up at the time I was fiddling with the option, but even a single account doesn't seem to do anything for that option. I tried just having one account running and logging it completely out and then restarting multiple times. The option is always None, but I still see the loading screens as follows:

• Server Select -> ToL card with loading status updates -> Character Select
• Character Select -> "Did you know" card with loading status updates -> In world
• Zone A -> "Did you know" card with loading status updates -> Zone B

The behavior seems to be exactly the same no matter what the option is set to. What is the expected behavior when loading if the "Load Screen" option is set to None?

Did you check the eqclient file? I think the setting should be LoadScreenMode=0.

I don't get any loading screens when zoning. It's just a frozen screen at the point where I zoned, and the "Loading zone files" progress bar at the bottom.

What I have noticed is that EQ does not exactly take away the focus, but instead, does not give it up when you leave it when zoning.

Say for instance, you are on client 1 and then zone with that character and you then alt-tab to any other window, EQ client or app, the EQ client you just left is technically still in focus but, since it is doing background processes while zoning, it makes you think it is not in focus and then once the zoning is done then boom it is back in the primary focus it never left from...

I play in windowed mode, and this is not my experience when playing more than one account on a computer.

After the characters finish zoning, the client that was in the foreground remains in the foreground.

The exception is when I start clicking the clients on the taskbar (I've disabled grouping by program type on the taskbar, if that matters).

Scenario 1: Client 1 is focused when both clients begin zoning. While zoning, I click once on client 2 on the taskbar. Then when the characters finish zoning, client 2 will be in the foreground.

Scenario 2: Client 1 is focused when both clients begin zoning. While zoning, I click once on client 1 (not 2, like scenario 1). Then when the characters finish zoning, client 1 will very briefly show before minimizing. Client 2 will then be at the foreground.

Yes, I play in full screen.