For whatever reason my brain has decided to think about this.
VLC will record the Desktop and Space Rangers but not Transformers: Devastation Though the game screen it captures for is a different size than what is captured with the Desktop while either game is running. Seeing what happens when Transformers runs results in a white screen being recorded while the game window is in focus.
My ancient Radeon graphics card and Windows 7 operating system (don't at me Linux folks, I know I know) has some screen recording stuff build into it. Will record the Desktop just fine, records only a black screen while the game is running and its window is focused for one game but records the other game just fine and at an appropriate size.
For curiosity's sake what would I be looking for as reasons or solutions to this?
Edit:
Running everything as Administrator seems to help in OBS. Who knew? 
OBS seems to play nice with Transformers: Devastation now, lets me draw the bounding box in the Game Source instead of trying to use the Display source.
Still haven't figured out why OBS is being wonky with Space Rangers not recording in "Game Source" but did get a lead on why the size is wonky in the recording of "Display Source". The max resolution for the CD version (the one I've got) is 1024x768 and my monitor is 1920x1080. (Unsure why there's a difference between what I see playing the game and what the software is recording.) And the only resolution patch I've found doesn't work on the CD version... :whomp-whomp:
seconding OBS Studio, it's the best software level solution for screen recording ime. open source too:)
hmmm...
~~Same issues out of the box as with the Radeon screen capture, black screen while the game application is running (though its successfully capturing sound... which is something.~~
(Wonder if I need to learn more about video codecs to figure out some settings somewhere... or just realize that my brave little toaster can only be asked to do so much.)
Okay... so adding "Game Capture" source is a no go. Using just the plain old "Display Capture" source is working for Space Rangers. Have no idea what I've done differently since earlier today when I started playing around with OBS.
Still making a much smaller window for the "game play" than for the "desk top". Aligned to the top left corner of the video playback area with the game a little over half the view area tall and wide with the rest of the area black. None of the transform options do anything.
About the same as VLC but with sound. Something to keep fiddling around with.