Using gamepad with Aquaria triggers screensaver

[NeoChaos]

Currently play the Aquaria demo, very nice game. My preferred method of playing is with my Logitech ChillStream gamepad, which uses the same drivers as the Xbox 360 controller. However, I've found that when I use my gamepad, that eventually the OS screensaver will kick in while I'm playing, even when the game is full screen. Is there a way to get the game to disable the screensaver, at least when it's running in fullscreen?

[tiamax]

Turn off your screen saver?    That happens in a lot of games, you'll probably run into it again somewhere. I find it easy enough to just disable it and then re-enable later if necessary.

[Quemaqua]

Any smart active program running in real-time should disable the screensaver, period.  That said, I used a 360 controller  extensively (just to compare it to mouse control) for a good period of time and my screensaver never came on.  It would have had more than enough time to activate... so I wonder why it didn't for me and does for Neo?

[Karn]

I'm using a gamepad as well, and my screensaver's never come on either. I play windowed, though, if that'd make any difference.

[NeoChaos]

Quemaqua: Do you use a gamepad for the whole game, even in the pause/cooking menus, or do you use the mouse at times?

Karn: Doesn't make a difference to me. Windowed or fullscreen, the screensaver pops up while I'm using my gamepad.


And for what it's worth, I'm using Windows Vista (please no suggestions to switch, Vista is working just fine for me), if that has anything to do with it.

[Quemaqua]

It might.  I'm on XP, I don't know about Karn.  I think Vista is a bit of a joke myself, but there's no way to confirm that Vista is at fault for this problem.  It may well be something else, unless we get a huge number of people in here with XP that don't have the problem and some with Vista that do.

And to answer your previous question, when I was using the gamepad I was using it for everything, yeah, including menus and such.  My screensaver comes up very quickly, so if it was going to, it should have.

[NeoChaos]

Ah, it's been awhile since I last posted, but I finally got the money to purchase this game, and the full 1.1.1 version still suffers from the same problem - if I use the gamepad, the screensaver still comes up after using the controller exclusively for awhile. I can't be the only one suffering form this problem over a year and a half after release, can I?

[Zeke]

No, you're not.  I use a Saitek P2500 Rumble Force gamepad for Aquaria, and have the same problem running on XP.  I got into the habit of nudging the mouse every now and then (familiar from watching long YouTube/Hulu videos) or just disabling the screensaver while playing.

It's not as bad as it could be; when the screensaver activates, Aquaria minimizes and action stops.  Using an N64 emulator, I have to try and pause as fast as possible when the screensaver comes on when I forget to get it, or I get friggin' murdelated in Smash.