v0.8.4

• Train network unload modules now default to 100% threshold (always demand) instead of 0%; load modules still default to 0%. This makes train networks work out of the box without configuring sliders.
• Train dispatcher now tiebreaks between equally-good idle trains by picking the one closest to the supply station.
• Mine towers, forestry towers, and logistic zones can now be resized by dragging their edges.
• Improved and standardized area highlights for mine/forestry towers and logistic zones; the entire shape highlights when the cursor is inside it.
• Improved colliders for train tracks, stations, bridges, and roads.
• Improved fluid and loose train wagons 3D models to LOD popping.
• Fixed that two mods both using a config.json file would fail to register.
• Fixed that trains could align at the wrong module or fail to match departure conditions when the station was changed during alignment.
• Fixed that two trains needing the same fuel type at the same fuel station could interfere and neither would receive fuel.
• Fixed that train networks could ignore higher priority jobs in favor of lower priority ones.

• Cargo depot and station modules now show input/output products, and the product search now includes trains.
• Reintroduced network train timeout based on transfer inactivity rather than total time at station, with a notification when a train is forced to depart.
• Terrain inspector tool no longer rounds tile sizes.
• Fixed terrain physics stopping on tiles touched by a recovery save load.
• Fixed terrain physics and disruption not fully recovering after loading a recovery save.
• Fixed config references becoming stale after save/load, which could cause difficulty changes or mod overrides to apply to outdated copies.
• Fixed stacker tower premature warnings.
• Fixed that ramps could be built perpendicular to start ports when port avoidance was enabled, preventing the port from being used.
• Fixed balancing between flipped train stations.
• Fixed unstable pipe start direction when the first segment would be vertical.
• Fixed terrain inspector not showing layers below intermediate bedrock.
• Fixed an error when trains pulled away from a station that required reserving critical sections at the nose.
• Fixed "cannot path" notification briefly appearing at turn-around stations.
• Fixed errors and incomplete loads caused by orphaned train track pillars/poles.
• Fixed tenders not functioning correctly when reversing.
• Fixed cancel job tooltip showing stale product from previous train.
• Fixed a memory leak that prevented the game from releasing memory after returning to the main menu.

New feature: Recovery save system

• Added a new save format intended as a last-resort tool for migrating games when a normal save cannot load due to major version changes or mod incompatibilities.
• Any mod or DLC can be unloaded/ignored when loading a recovery save.
• Recovery save can be created via command 'export_recovery_save' and loaded through the standard load game UI.
• Coverage includes terrain, trees, all static entities, conveyors/pipes including products, storage contents, vehicles, trains, train lines and networks, the research tree, world map state, contracts, and global product statistics.
• After loading, a summary window lists what was loaded successfully and which proto IDs failed to load.
• Not preserved: machine processing state, vehicle and train jobs, ship and fleet state, world map enemy fleets, in-progress repairs and upgrades, per-machine statistics, partially harvested trees, rocks, goals, messages, and camera position.
  • A recovery save should be seen as a foundation to rebuild from, not as a seamless continuation of your game.
• A recovery save must be created from a save that can still be loaded. This feature does not magically restore already incompatible saves on its own.
• Recovery saves are not synced to Steam Cloud.

New feature: Terrain inspector

• Added a terrain inspector tool that shows a vertical cross-section of the ground below the cursor with bars colored by layer, product icons, and height labels.
• Activate it from the Resource Overlay (L) or directly with Shift+L.
• Includes a water level line, ocean indicator, and contour lines that help to read elevation.
• Hold Shift while inspecting to switch to a detail view that always spans 20 tiles below the surface.

Performance

• Simulation and rendering performance improvements resulting in 5-20% FPS gain overall (depending on save size and hardware).
• Optimized state synchronization for vehicles, transports, animations, particles, machine emissions, products, entity icons, train depots, and entity sound groups.
• Optimized rendering of train track overlays, farm crops, and blueprint transports.
• Eliminated multiple sources of stuttering, including truck balancing or particle effects on storages and train stations.

Other changes

• Hold Ctrl and scroll the mouse wheel to switch between T2 and T3 storages during placement.
• Autosaves now show a clock icon on the save row for visual clarity.
• Added a "Visual Weather Override" dropdown to the dolly track editor so timelapse recordings can use a constant sky appearance without disrupting the simulation. The override is purely visual.
• Game speed is now restored when leaving playback mode instead of at natural playback end.
• Added a "hide cursor on play" option to the dolly editor.
• Added '--launch-last-game' startup argument to skip the main menu and load the latest save.
• Added '--exec-command <step> <cmd>' startup argument to schedule console commands to run after a specified number of simulation steps after game initialization (multiple --exec-command can be passed).
• Added named arguments support to the console parser (e.g. 'cmd arg1 name:value'), greatly simplifying commands with multiple optional arguments. Quoted values and Windows paths are preserved.
• Sapphire wafer recipe is now gated behind Electronics IV research.
• Map editor: published map preview images are now capped at 10 to prevent excessively large map files.
• Disabled train honking at level crossings (the noise was getting overwhelming in large saves).

Fixes

• Fixed filesystem errors on CrossOver (Mac) that caused issues with game saves.
• Fixed that the settlement research bonus could overflow when there were more than 400k people.
• Fixed that a settlement housing or decoration square could become permanently undeletable due to a stale attached-modules counter.
• Fixed that settlement decoration squares could be moved to non-grid positions through in-place replacement, leading to errors when later removing them.
• Fixed research state inconsistencies on load that caused error spam and could increment a completed research past its maximum level.
• Fixed wrong emission color on certain entities (multi-mesh and semi-instanced) right after loading a save.
• Fixed that replacing a train with fewer wagons could delete cargo from the leading wagons when removed wagons were of an incompatible type (cargo is now retrieved into the redistribution pool).
• Fixed that newly built or reassigned trains did not pick up their line or network locomotive color until the color setting was re-edited.
• Fixed that a locomotive with wagons on both sides had its push penalty canceled to zero.
• Fixed that adding an under-construction train station to a schedule could cause an error after save/load.
• Fixed transport jitter that could occur when nearby machines were rebuilt.
• Fixed that a machine assigned two recipes producing the same product could stall at high fullness when the output buffer had room for the smaller recipe but not the larger.
• Fixed that thermal storage could get stuck just below capacity (e.g. 59988/60000) and never trigger its 100% alert.
• Fixed that the ore sorter could display wrong product piles when the texture limit was exceeded.
• Fixed that rockets currently being transported showed up in the global search.
• Fixed that network trains could depart partially loaded when the supply was bottlenecked; the train now waits as long as reachable storage still holds the cargo it reserved.
• Fixed phantom cargo ships spawning after a depot upgrade.
• Fixed mine tower trucks delivering to unassigned storages from the sorting branch.
• Fixed that loop animations on Farm IV and the Nuclear Reactor did not resume after being disabled and re-enabled.
• Fixed a memory leak in farm crop rendering and a visual glitch where new crop dryness was not interpolated correctly.
• Fixed missing Lab IV emission lighting and reduced lab emission intensities for consistency.
• Fixed that notifications added and removed on the same tick could remain stuck forever.