Mouse stutter/freeze hotfix for games in Windows 8.1

[ShintaiDK]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2908279


The hotfix only applies to a specific set of games. Here's the list:

• Call of Duty: Black Ops
• Call of Duty: Black Ops - Multiplayer
• Call of Duty: Black Ops II
• Call of Duty: Black Ops II - Multiplayer
• Call of Duty: Black Ops II - Zombies
• Call of Duty: Ghosts - Multiplayer
• Call of Duty: MW2
• Call of Duty: MW2 - Multiplayer
• Call of Duty: MW3
• Call of Duty: MW3 - Multiplayer
• Call of Duty: MW
• Call of Duty: MW - Multiplayer
• Counter Strike: Global Offensive
• Counter Strike: Source
• Deus Ex : Human Revolution
• Deus Ex : Human Revolution Director's Cut
• Hitman Absolution
• Hitman Sniper Challenge
• Half Life 2
• Metro 2033
• Portal
• Tomb Raider

For games outside this list, you have to fumble around in registry to fix it yourself. Same applies for future games. MS didnt want to fix this universaly to remove their overly aggressive powersavings.

 

[AdamantC]

It's almost 2014... How can you screw up mouse support this badly?

 

[lupi]

What's the cause?

 

[ShintaiDK]

What's the cause?

The aggressive power savings for tablets.

 

[Dankk]

Fortunately I've been using Windows 8.1 since release and have had no such problems.

 

[AdamK47]

It fixed Deus Ex HR DC and some source engine mouse problems for me. Used the campat flag to fix other games like Descent 3 and AvP 2.

That page says to use the compat flags under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. I didn't do that. I'd advise against putting it there. I used this instead: HKEY_LOCAL_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers

 

[lupi]

And what does power savings on tablet have to do with mouse operation.

 

[BFG10K]

What's the cause?

Games using undocumented methods to get mouse input, from what I can gather.

 

[ThinClient]

Yet another reason that Win7 > Win8.

 

[destrekor]

Games using undocumented methods to get mouse input, from what I can gather.

So, games that do things right, don't have a problem?


One of the biggest reasons I'm a huge fan of the way DICE approaches PC gaming with the various Battlefield games in the past few years - raw mouse input. I've never had a single problem.

I tried Medal of Honor: Warfighter - the way the game played with mouse, alone, frustrated the hell out of me. I couldn't dial things in to ever feel "right" - I gave up on the game solely because of that. No idea if they ever improved that, never bothered to check. Nothing else about the game sucked me in enough to ever feel like caring.
I've never been more pleased with controls than the Battlefield series. It also probably explains why, gaming on Windows 8.1, I haven't noticed any problems. I might run into something and hopefully I'll remember this fix, but I've had a very short list of games that I've even touched recently.

 

[AdamK47]

Yet another reason that Win7 > Win8.

It's not that hard to put an app compatibility flag on a game in the registry if required. I've had to use the mouse fix a few times already. Descent 3, AvP 2, Dungeon Keeper, and Dungeon Siege 2.

Windows 8.1 is also missing Windows NT from the compatibility list, so I have to also go into the registry to set NT4SP5 to some game executables. Close Combat and Fable - TLC refuse to run otherwise.

These games will run just as good in Windows 8.1 as they did with 7. It just requires a little extra tweaking.