Why am I having so much trouble with Fireworks tonight?

[got2travel]

Every time I enter a game, I cannot change the shells. I'm pounding on the arrow keys and nothing moves. I rebooted my computer and still nothing. I did manage to get them to change if I hold down the mouse button after I click on a rocket, then hit the arrow key and it will change. Not even sure what is happening there. But no way I can keep up with the game.

It happened one other night, but after I rebooted, all was fine. Anyone else have similar problems?

 

[Califgirl]

Yes! the same thing happens to me pretty frequently. I thought it was my computer. Thanks for posting, now I know it is just a VMK glitch.

 

[goofy4dizney]

Got2travel, that happens all the time on my computer! We gave up hope of ever getting near the top of the charts (and the magic pin), until we finally got a new computer. Then guess what? The same thing happened! Arg!

What we did discover, however, is that if you click the mouse at the very same instant you click the arrow key, it will change to the next symbol. This makes the game much more challenging, because you have to click a whole lot more and you have to be very concentrated, but at least it is possible to actually change the symbols now, where we couldn't before.

I still don't do very well, but my video gamer son can now get on the high score list every time he plays!

So give it a try and let me know if it helps

And yes, every now and again, the older computer will kick in and the game will work perfectly for a while! So it obviously is not about processor speed or anything like that. I don't understand it at all . . .

 

[JeanJoe]

I'll hazzard a guess, but can propose no real solution.

Does it sound like the "focus" of the window is switching away from the fireworks game screen?

Kind of like when you are trying to do a PM, but what you type keeps on getting switched from the PM and into the regular talk box, so you need to keep clicking on the PM window.

I wonder if that would explain why you need to click first on the fireworks game screen before the arrow keys will register.

Have you both submitted this as a bug report? (Even though they've gotten rid of the Comment about the Beta, I've just sent bugs to "None of the above")

 

[cami89]

Does it sound like the "focus" of the window is switching away from the fireworks game screen?

This happens to me as well. Being the multi-tasking sort that I am, I am often playing VMK, in one browser window, and have others open to check email, chat, shop online (yes, I am an eBay addict), yadda yadda.. Anyhoo, when I come back to VMK, I need to click once on the window to "re-focus", as Bezoar would say, the page. Fortunately, I just have to do this the one time.

 

[goofy4dizney]

I'm no computer whiz, JeanJoe, but I don't think that's it. We only have the fireworks screen open when we play, never anything else. So if we did have to "re-focus" for whatever reason, then after that initial re-focusing click, I would assume we wouldn't have to do it anymore, as long as we are clicking in the frame.

The thing is, we have to click the mouse to change the symbol each and every time, even if the firework is right next to the other one on the screen. So it definitely is some kind of weird glitch with the keys.

I will say that we also cannot use our keyboard keys in the pirates game to shoot. We have to use the mouse both to steer and to shoot, which is more than a little haphazard, I must say, if you have been unfortunate enough to play with me! LOL

Now the keys do work with the Jungle Cruise game (which has become my favorite, for that very reason), so it is a very inconsistent problem.

And yes, I did send an initial bug report into the black hole a long time ago, but it was never responded to in the huge explosion of return emails a couple of weeks back...

 

[JeanJoe]

And yes, I did send an initial bug report into the black hole a long time ago, but it was never responded to in the huge explosion of return emails a couple of weeks back...

LOL, yes that barrage of emails was like getting hit in the face by a firehose.

I agree, my suggestion doesn't sound right at all.

Anyone else ever been hit by the MUTE bug, where you log in and mouse clicks ALL work fine, but nothing that uses the keyboard works? I usually wander around waving madly, and sending angry emotes, until I give up (and people are mystified, asking me what's wrong.) Logging out and back in usually fixes it, unlike the fireworks change bug mentioned here.

Seems like they have a bunch of intermittent interface / keyboard bugs to hunt down and exerminate.

 

[got2travel]

Ok, so its not just me, good.

I haven't reported it as a bug just because I wasn't sure if it was a bug or my computer. But since it is happening to others, then there definitely is a problem.

I did try the 're-focus' thing, and that didn't help. And I did learn how to simultaneously use the mouse and the arrow, but I'm not that good at Fireworks to be able to stay in the game very long that way. But maybe if I keep it up, then my computer starts working again, I'll be that much better??

 

[goofy4dizney]

Hey got2travel and anybody else that has been having a problem with the fireworks "arrow" keys!

I read on another board that if you use Intenet Explorer to play VMK, the key problem does not happen. And guess what, it works!! LOL I actually broke 200,000 points today Woot!

Give it a try!