Steam games - how to quit them properly and a couple more things

[Kefka2b]

Hey guys, just started importing my Steam library to Launchbox and tested my only installed game which is FFXIII.

So using the pause menu,first of all the game is not paused, I can still hear the music playing. But most importantly, the quit game option does nothing, the game is sent to the task bar but isn't closed. Is there a way to make it work?

The last thing is when starting up games, is there a way to keep the steam opening process fully hidden by the startup screen?

[skizzosjt]

you don't want to use the Pause Menu, trying to exit the game from the Pause Menu, or stuff like Close Active Window with native PC games. These games already have built in pausing and exiting options so you should use those as intended.

you can have Steam run at OS startup since it will launch silently to the tray. if you try and run a game with it's normal URL (steam://rungameid/<GameID>) and Steam isn't already open it's going to open Steam normally which means the main window and that typical pop up advertisement window will both display and go on top of the front end. That doesn't happen if you already have it minimized to tray. So simply toggling an option in Steam's options is the easiest way to do that.

there is the silent parameter but I don't recommend going this route unless you start getting into using scripts to launch storefront games like Steam. because when you add the silent parameter, LB will not be able to detect if the game is installed anymore and therefore switches the "PLAY" button to "INSTALL", and however they use this info it messes up and no longer launches the game, instead just launching Steam silently. For ex

steam://rungameid/<GameID>" -silent

that lone double quote is there on purpose, it's needed.....looks goofy as hell but works. But like I said, if you put this in the Application Path in LB it's NOT going to work. but if you ran this from a script like AHK or batch file it would work. For ex for AHK

Run, steam://rungameid/<GameID>" -silent

 

here is some additional advice regarding launching Steam at OS startup and leaving it running

 

[cpujunkie]

I just figure out if a key combination like ALT+F4 works to close the game. Then make sure the AHK lunchbox script is good/matches what I figured out. The close active window script works well to.

[Kefka2b]

Thanks both, actually i think it closes fine but FF13 has an additional exit confirmation so I guess that's why it doesn't close well.

[cpujunkie]

Add a keyboard enter press to the game's AHK script 

Edited June 9 by cpujunkie

[Kefka2b]

Any clue what the script would look like please, never done any AHK scripts

I understand this needs to be done on a per game basis for Windows games? I see a global option for setting an AHK for Windows games in the Launchbox top menu.

[neil9000]

6 minutes ago, Kefka2b said:

Any clue what the script would look like please, never done any AHK scripts

I understand this needs to be done on a per game basis for Windows games? I see a global option for setting an AHK for Windows games in the Launchbox top menu.

l wouldnt recommend just killing PC games like that, especially if you value your save games at all, games like programs often do some saving and clean up on exit, and ALT-F4 is not a clean shutdown, it just kills the program. Always use a PC games actual pause and exit options.