Project SummaryProject Type: Game Software Utility Parent Games: Any idTech 3 Engine Game Source Code: Visual Basic 6 Last Released: 2005 |
Requirements-idTech 3 Engine Game (Q3, SoF2, JK2, etc) -Quake 3 capable Windows PC -Windows ME or above |
Q3E Minimizer Overview
The Quake 3 Engine Minimizer is a small utility designed to let players temporarily exit out of an active fullscreen game of Quake 3 and return to their desktop, allowing them to immediately return to the game when they want to. To achieve this, the program actively searches for current instances of any Quake 3 game, and when it finds one, it locks on and allows the player to forcibly minimize it with a hotkey combination bound to their keyboard. In addition, it also features an option to automatically restore the user's default desktop resolution when they minimize the game as well as having it activate automatically on Windows boot-up.
The idea/need for Q3E Minimizer came around as result of the fact that all of the Quake 3 Engine games automatically disable alt-tab, which means it's normally quite tricky to exit out of the game and return to one's own desktop quickly. With online messaging programs like MSN and ICQ, this can sometimes be quite an annoying thing. Q3E Minimizer tries to get around this problem by giving the user the ability to forcibly minimize the window at the touch of a hotkey.
Features
Minimize Q3 Games Quickly
At the touch of a button of your choosing, you can minimize any of the main Quake 3 Engine games!
When you do this, the entire game window will disappear and the only sign of it will be a small icon in your Windows system tray. Upon pressing another the correct keys,
the game will re-appear, maximize to your screen and input control will be returned to you.
An amusing side effect to this is that it's possible to be playing a game and then immediately hide it if you do not wish people to know you are playing it.
NB: The dudes of UberGames do not condone using any of their software to get away with playing computer games in school class, despite the fact that the developer himself
often used it to do just that!
Support for many Quake 3 Games
Q3E Minimizer has built-in support for the following idTech 3 (ie Quake 3) engine games:
| Supports the following games: | |||
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-Quake III Arena -Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force (SP) -Elite Force Holomatch (MP) -Star Trek: Elite Force II -Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (SP) -Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (MP) -Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (SP) -Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (MP) -Return to Castle Wolfenstein (SP + MP) -Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix (SP) -Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix (MP) -Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory |
-Call of Duty (SP) -Call of Duty (MP) -Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K² -Call of Duty: United Offensive (SP) -Call of Duty: United Offensive (MP) -American McGee's Alice -Game Over in Machinimation -Medal of Honor Allied Assault -Medal of Honor Allied Assault Spearhead -Medal of Honor Allied Assault Breakthrough -Doom 3ˆ -Quake 4ˆ |
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Dynamic Screen Resolution Modifier
A common problem between switching between a game and one's own desktop is if you're playing the game at a lower resolution, when you leave it, it will remain at that lower resolution.
Q3E Minimizer tries to account for this using a feature called the Dynamic Screen Resolution Modifier (DSRM). When the DSRM is active, and you minimize out of a game, Q3E Minimizer will restore your resolution
to what it was before you started the game. When you minimize back, it will change the resolution back to the game's resolution.
The screen resolution change on both counts is registered as 'temporary' to Windows, so if you restart your PC or the game crashes, the resolution will default back to what it was originally!
Requirements
-Windows ME or higher
-Any of the above idTech 3 games
-A Windows PC capable of running said game
NB: This program was originally developed on Windows ME and in subsequent versions, on Windows XP. As such, it is recommended that this program be run on Windows XP for 100% guranteed functioning.
Project Credits
| Author | |
| Timothy 'TiM' Oliver | Program Designer/Main Coder/Graphic Artist |
| Feedback Credit/Thanks | |
| DeathWish | For coming up with the awesome concept of minimizers! |
| Oomjan | For taking the time and effort to send me the info and files I needed to integrate those new games in. :) |
| Flying Fool | For giving me the details so I could integrate Call of Duty. |
| coffee | For also sending in info so that I may integrate RTCW: Enemy Territory. I may not have needed them at the time, but thanks anyway d00d! |
| Carben | For beta testing that this program actually does minimize SoF2. Thanks! |
| Kong | Providing details to incorporate the MoHAA series. |
| goodoldalex | Providing the details for Alice and GoIM |
| Szico VII | For being the most annoyingly persistent nagger I have ever met. ;P |
| Brian, Brad, Jon and Frenchie | For your suggestions about the resolution changer and game detector. |
| Phenix | For helping me with some of my pretty stupid questions and providing feedback |
| Owen S. | For sending me the info needed to add CoD: UO |
| Jeremy D | For sending me the window name for Doom 3 |
| Pickerd | For bringing up the issue about the Screen DPI messing up the minimizer's interface. |
| Buddha | For sending me all of the files I needed to add CoD: UO and for suggesting some interesting ideas for the minimizer. :) |
| BorgKiller | If you hadn't started messaging me while I was ingame, I probably never would have finished this program. XD |
| Source Code Credit | |
| Imran Zaheer | Creator of the Hotkeys Code |
| MSDN Database | Referenced the code to show/hide programs |
| Experts-Exchange | Helped me create a hot keys interface. Helped me obtain a function where I could obtain/adjust the program's DPI setting. |
| Microsoft VB resource | Showed me how to make programs appear in the system tray |
| Brian Yule | Created the code to make the window's edges transparent |
| FreeVBCode.com | For creating the code to adjust screen resolutions |
| Garrett Sever (aka "The Hand") |
For creating the nifty code to make the Dynamic Screen Resolution checkbox transparent around the edges |
| manavo11 | For creating a snippet of code that lets the program open upon system boot-up |
