Sorry for the wait
This patch took far too long.
The "time doesn't progress" bug was reported months ago, and I couldn't get a fix out until now. Thanks to everyone who described the issue in detail in the comments. Without those clues — especially the accounting period and the train crash — I would never have found the cause.
Here it is.
The game freezing
Fixed the main issue: when a modifier round came up, the game paused while waiting for a card selection window that was never shown. Time never resumed, and the only way out was to restart the game. That window now exists and works properly: you get three cards showing their rarity and effects, with the option to reroll for a fee.
Added a safety net: if a save ends up paused on an event that cannot be resolved — for example, an old save pointing to an event that no longer exists — the game now detects it, discards the invalid event, and resumes time automatically, leaving a note in the log.
The game loop no longer dies when a tick throws an error. Previously, a single internal error could stop the clock forever even though the interface continued responding.
Minimising the window at high speed for an extended period no longer causes a long catch-up freeze when you return.
A rendering error in one window can no longer take down the entire session.
New interface
The map is now the centre of the game: full screen, with no page scrolling.
Panels (trains, routes, infrastructure, stock market, etc.) now open as windows on top of the map. Drag them by their header, close them with Escape, the X, or by pressing their icon again. The icon bar remains accessible while a window is open.
A top bar keeps your cash, reputation, resources, and time controls visible at all times, with the minimap available from a dropdown.
The map legend and active events have been moved to a corner so they no longer cover your railway network.
Trains and performance
Trains are now rendered at your screen's native resolution. They previously looked pixelated once the map became larger.
Fixed trains stuttering and spinning in place. Their animation was being reset on every game tick.
Tutorial
Rebuilt for the new interface: each step now opens the appropriate window or closes it to show you the map. The pointers can also find their targets even when they are off screen.
Updated all tutorial texts in all nine languages.
If anything looks off, especially with older saves, please let me know in the comments.
I read every single one.