Enable Timelapse
v1.8.0Re-enables the game's own timelapse-capture system with a full manager UI, live thumbnail previews, and an on-screen REC indicator.
- Source code
- No source provided
Captain of Industry already has a complete, save-compatible timelapse system built in - but the only way a player could reach it, the timelapseStartAtCurrentCameraPose console command, always failed with 'Timelapse feature is currently not available due to rendering optimizations. Please check on it later.' On top of that, even a successfully-started timelapse never actually captured an image - the periodic capture handler never called the screenshot system at all.
This mod fixes both gaps via Harmony patches, without touching or reimplementing any of the game's own logic, and adds a full manager button next to the speed controls (Pause/Play/FF/FFF) in the top HUD bar:
- A live list of every active timelapse (name, resolution, interval, format, images captured so far, disk space used) with Open Folder and Stop buttons each - run as many at once as you want, each from a different camera view.
- A real thumbnail preview strip per timelapse: the last 5 captures spaced 20 frames apart, so you can actually see the timelapse's progress at a glance instead of just a number. Click any thumbnail to open that exact image full-size.
- A 'new timelapse' form covering every real option the capture system supports: name, a custom output folder (leave blank for the default Screenshots location), capture interval (10 seconds to 1 week), resolution (480p to 8K), PNG or JPG with quality presets, super-sampling, and which HUD elements to hide during capture (weather, icons, zone overlays, terrain grid, highlights, resource bars, fog) plus extra anti-aliasing.
- A red '● REC' indicator appears right on the HUD whenever a timelapse is capturing, so it's obvious it's actually running - click it to stop everything at once without opening the manager.
CONSOLE COMMANDS (still available, e.g. for scripting): timelapseStartAtCurrentCameraPose <name> <intervalInGameSeconds> [width] [height] [superSize] [saveAsJpg] timelapseList timelapseStop <name>
Either way, the camera pose is fixed at the moment you start the timelapse (wherever your camera is right then) - moving the camera afterward doesn't affect future captures. Images save to Screenshots/Timelapse_<name>/ in the game's data folder, same place manual screenshots go. The core timelapse (interval/resolution/format) is saved with your game; the extra visual capture options are a per-session preference and reset to defaults after a reload.
Purely additive - no vanilla proto or save data format is changed.
No announcements yet.
2026-09-17 - v1.8.0
- Removed the custom output folder option and the "Open folder" / click- to-open-image buttons. Timelapses now always save to the default Screenshots location, same as manual screenshots. This shrinks the mod's footprint to just what the feature actually needs: no external processes are launched, and no files are ever written outside the game's own Screenshots folder. - Clarified: a running timelapse is real save data and survives saving, reloading, and fully restarting the game - it does not require keeping the game open continuously. 2026-09-16 - v1.7.0 - Documentation and release packaging cleanup. No functional changes. 2026-09-16 - v1.6.0 - Added a thumbnail preview strip to each active timelapse in the manager: the last 5 captures spaced 20 frames apart, so progress is visible at a glance instead of just a captured-count number. Loads the real image files off disk - click any thumbnail to open that exact frame full-size. - Added an "Open folder" button per active timelapse. - The active list now also shows total disk space used per timelapse and its full output path. - Added a "Refresh" button to update the list and thumbnails without closing and reopening the manager. 2026-09-16 - v1.5.0 - Added a custom output folder field to the new-timelapse form - leave it blank for the default Screenshots location, or choose any folder. - Added a recording indicator on the HUD whenever a timelapse is actively capturing, doubling as a one-click "stop all" shortcut. - The active-timelapse list now shows the output folder for any timelapse using a custom one. 2026-09-16 - v1.4.0 - Replaced the floating panel with a proper window: it now centers itself on screen, stays open until closed with its own title-bar button, and can be dragged to a remembered position - matching every other management window in the game. 2026-09-16 - v1.3.1 - Fixed the manager panel opening anchored to the HUD button and spilling off the edge of the screen on longer forms. 2026-09-15 - v1.3.0 - Expanded the HUD panel into a full timelapse manager: a live list of every active timelapse (not just one slot) with its own Stop button, interval presets from 10 seconds to 1 week, resolution presets from 480p to 8K, PNG/JPG format with quality presets, toggles for which HUD elements to hide during capture, and a proper name field. 2026-09-15 - v1.2.0 - Replaced the single-click toggle button with an options panel: interval, resolution, super-sampling and format toggles, a live status line, and a Start/Stop button. 2026-09-15 - v1.1.0 - Added a one-click timelapse start/stop button to the HUD, next to the speed controls. Starts a timelapse from the camera's current position with default settings; the console command remains available for custom name/interval/resolution. 2026-09-15 - v1.0.0 - Initial release. Re-enables the game's own timelapse-capture system: the console command that starts a timelapse was a dead stub that always failed, and even a successfully-registered timelapse never actually captured anything, since the periodic capture handler never called the screenshot system at all. Both are fixed with two small Harmony patches - no vanilla logic is reimplemented or duplicated.
This mod has no dependencies.
No other mods depend on this mod yet.