Savegame corruption + unreadable TV/4K settings panel + language reset (v1.2.5.2, reported by @damirecek)

[TheCodingDad-TisonK]

Originally reported by @damirecek on the roadmap thread (#46), moved here so it can be tracked as a proper bug. Reported against v1.2.5.2, singleplayer, on a TV at 1080p/4K.

There are three separate problems in the original report:

1. Savegame corruption (highest priority)

After the UI glitch below occurs, the game can no longer be saved. It loops indefinitely or shows "Game could not be saved." The only recovery was removing the mod entirely and restoring from savegameBackup. The reporter suspects the script gets stuck in a Lua loop during initialization or language verification, which blocks the save engine.

The save hook is wrapped in pcall, so it should not block the base-game save pipeline. If a Lua loop or repeated error is firing during init at the same time as a save attempt, that could still explain it. Needs a full log.txt (all [NPC Favor] lines) from an affected session to reproduce.

2. Tiny / low-contrast settings panel on TV and 4K

The Favor HUD / settings window shows tiny, hard-to-read text with light-gray-on-white contrast that is unreadable on a TV from a distance. favorHudScale sizes the HUD but does not affect the settings panel itself.

Tracked on the roadmap as a short-term item: add a panel scale and/or contrast option. Workaround for the HUD only: raise favorHudScale (try 1.5 to 2.0).

3. Language forced to English despite Czech game setting

The mod ignored the Czech (cs) localization and forced English after updating to v1.2.5.2. Editing <language>cs</language> in the XML did nothing. Czech is supported (translations/lang_cz.xml ships in the mod), so this looks like a v1.2.5.2-specific regression in the language-loading path.

Reportedly addressed in v1.2.5.3. Needs confirmation from an affected user on the current release.

Asks from the reporter

• A text/background contrast option for TV players
• Fix the save-blocking issue

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Status / next steps

• Reproduce and fix the savegame corruption (needs log.txt from an affected session)
• Confirm the language reset is resolved on the current release
• Add a settings-panel scale/contrast option (short-term roadmap item)

[github-actions]

Hey @TheCodingDad-TisonK, welcome to the village! 🏡

Thanks for opening this issue — the neighbors have been notified. @TheCodingDad-TisonK will stop by as soon as possible.

While you wait, please make sure you've included:

• You are running the latest version of NPC Favor (visible in the mod manager)
• Your issue includes the relevant [NPC Favor] lines from log.txt
  • Log location: Documents/My Games/FarmingSimulator2025/log.txt
  • Search for [NPC Favor] and paste the relevant section here
• If this involves a specific NPC (Mia, Hans, etc.) — note their name and what quest or interaction triggered the problem
• You have searched existing issues to avoid duplicates

Note: Issues without a log snippet are difficult to investigate and may be closed. A log is almost always required to reproduce bugs.

[TheCodingDad-TisonK]

Investigation findings (3 sub-issues):

1. Save corruption — Fixed on development. Commit 1db1a8b adds XML escape hardening and pcall-wrapped load (issue Savegame corruption + unreadable TV/4K settings panel + language reset (v1.2.5.2, reported by @damirecek) #63 save fix). Awaiting PR merge to main.

2. TV/4K settings panel readability — NOT YET FIXED. avorHudScale sizes the HUD overlay but the F5 settings panel has no independent scale control. Text is tiny and low-contrast on TV/4K. Needs a panel-scale or contrast option. Tagging @WizardlyPayload for UI design input.

3. Language forced to English — Reportedly resolved in v1.2.5.3. Needs confirmation from affected user on current release.

@Arissani for design input on the TV/4K panel scale option.

[WizardlyPayload]

Wizard (Ash) — UI design input on sub-issue #2 (TV/4K settings panel)

Scoped to readability only (save-corruption fix on development and the language reset are separate and already tracked).

The root cause is that favorHudScale only sizes the HUD overlay; the settings panel has no independent scale and uses light-gray-on-white, which is unreadable on a TV at distance.

Recommended fix:

1. Add a favorPanelScale setting (independent of favorHudScale), default 1.0, range ~0.8–2.0, so TV/4K players can enlarge the panel without bloating the in-world HUD.
2. Add a high-contrast toggle for the panel (dark background + bright text) rather than gray-on-white, so it is legible from a couch distance.
3. Both go through the shared SettingsHub so they persist and sync, and the two strings ship in all 26 languages.

Small, in my UI lane. Holding for Wizard greenlight (and any @Arissani steer on whether contrast should be a toggle or just a fixed higher-contrast default) before building.

-- Wizard (Ash)

[TheCodingDad-TisonK]

Status update on sub-issues:

1. Save corruption (highest priority): FIXED on development. Commit 1db1a8b adds XML escape hardening and pcall-wrapped load. Awaiting PR merge to main.

2. TV/4K settings panel readability: Wizard has provided UI design input. The settings panel needs independent scaling from the HUD overlay. Design input posted above.

3. Language reset: Tracked separately. No status change.

Will update when the save fix PR is merged.

[TheCodingDad-TisonK]

Design decision (Arissani) on sub-issue #2 (TV/4K readability): Fixed higher-contrast default, skip the toggle. Simpler, works for everyone.

New setting: avorPanelScale independent of HUD scale (range 0.8-2.0, default 1.0). This lets TV/4K users enlarge the settings panel without affecting the HUD overlay.

Routing to Wizard for implementation.