Neuro Clicker · NC-POST-004

A damaged backup can reset valid progress.

The game had two save copies, but one broken file could still cause a full progress reset.

Written by · Developer and tester

Priority
P0
Status
Fixed · Automated
Environment
Windows · Steam build
Area
Save recovery
Severity
Critical

What happened

This case concerns a save-recovery defect in Neuro Clicker. The game kept a primary save and a backup, but a damaged copy could cause a progress reset even when the other signed copy was valid. The report checks both primary-to-backup and backup-to-primary recovery.

Precondition

The player has progress. save.dat and save.bak were created by the game and have valid signatures.

Steps to reproduce

  1. Keep one signed save file valid.
  2. Replace the second file with partial data.
  3. Start the game and load progress.
  4. Repeat with the primary and backup files swapped.

Result

Actual

IQ and click progress return to zero. The save is marked as modified.

Expected

The game loads the valid signed copy and rebuilds the damaged file.

Root cause and fix

The loader treated one damaged copy as save tampering, even when the other copy passed its signature check. It now trusts the valid copy, keeps progress and writes a fresh pair of save files.

Verification

  • Valid primary repairs broken backup.
  • Valid backup repairs broken primary.
  • IQ and clicks stay unchanged.
  • Both repaired files load again.

Recorded result

2regression tests
2 → 0failures after fix
49 mstest run
Regression result: Passed

Both recovery paths failed before the code change and passed after it.

Scope of this report

The report records two regression tests for the two recovery paths described below. The recorded 49 ms test run is context for that targeted run, not a loading-time benchmark or a claim of full application coverage. This public summary does not include the original save files or raw test logs.

Published references