🎮 Fixed crash when loading a saved run on Steam Deck (and other controller-based setups)
We tracked down a crash that would happen at the 20% loading screen when resuming a saved game using a gamepad or the Steam Deck's built-in controls. Here's what was going on:
When you'd use the analog stick to scroll to "Resume Run" and press A to select it, the game would remember that the stick was being held in a direction. While the loading screen was doing its thing, the game kept trying to send those stick inputs to the menu buttons behind the scenes — even as those menu buttons were being removed to make room for the actual game world. The game was essentially trying to talk to something that no longer existed, which caused it to crash every time.
If you happened to use a mouse click instead of the controller to start the load, the crash wouldn't happen — because mouse clicks don't trigger that same repeating input behavior. That's why some players could work around it by enabling mouse controls on the Steam Deck's trackpad.
What we fixed:
The game now properly stops all menu input and controller stick navigation the moment you hit "Resume Run" or "New Game," so nothing is firing off in the background during loading.
The controller system now knows when a scene transition is happening and won't try to send inputs to buttons that are being cleaned up.
Fixed a related issue where certain background timers (used to keep controller focus on the right button) could fire after the menu was already gone, which could also cause instability.
Improved save file loading to be smoother on lower-powered hardware — the loading bar now animates properly during save restoration instead of appearing frozen.
These fixes apply to both Earth and Moon saved runs.