Warning

Faster Returns is stable when used on its own. Compatibility is not guaranteed with other mods that modify the return desk or tape-handling workflows.

Faster Returns

Quality-of-life mod for the return desk in Retro Rewind - Video Store Simulator.

Version 1.2.2 targets Steam build 23896268 (App ID 3552140), Unreal Engine 5.4.4, and UE4SS build 662df915.

Features

• Replaces the initial-screen tape icon with the number of tapes still waiting in the drop box, without covering the game's original result screens.
• Restores the counter and all automations automatically after each in-place day transition.
• Moves normal and late tapes to the player's hand after vanilla processing.
• Automates tape transfer, door closing, rewinding, extraction, and pickup.
• Reduces rewinding from 2.25 seconds to 0.75 second.
• Reduces door opening to 0.10 second and closing to 0.15 second.
• Keeps the original beginning and ending of the rewinding sound while skipping its unnecessary middle.
• Moves reserved tapes through the player's hand and into a free reserved slot.
• Leaves broken tapes, unsupported conditions, full reserved shelves, employee returns, and unsafe hand states in the vanilla manual workflow.

Fees, classification, XP, statistics, inventory, messages, localization, and save operations continue to use the game's original functions.

Requirements

• UE4SS build 662df915
• Retro Rewind Steam build 23896268

Installation

1. Place zzzzzzzz_FasterReturns_P.pak in RetroRewind/Content/Paks/~mods/.
2. Place the FasterReturns folder in RetroRewind/Binaries/Win64/ue4ss/Mods/.
3. Restart the game completely.

The installed files are:

RetroRewind/Content/Paks/~mods/zzzzzzzz_FasterReturns_P.pak
RetroRewind/Binaries/Win64/ue4ss/Mods/FasterReturns/enabled.txt
RetroRewind/Binaries/Win64/ue4ss/Mods/FasterReturns/Scripts/collection.lua
RetroRewind/Binaries/Win64/ue4ss/Mods/FasterReturns/Scripts/state_registry.lua
RetroRewind/Binaries/Win64/ue4ss/Mods/FasterReturns/Scripts/main.lua

Use fasterreturns in the UE4SS console for runtime status. Use fasterreturns trace to toggle detailed logging.

The gameplay validation procedure is documented in TESTING.md.

Faster Returns registers one permanent game-thread loop. All delayed workflow jobs are kept in a Lua-owned queue, so processing returns does not add or remove UE4SS callback references at runtime.

Compatibility

The PAK overrides Rewinder, sfx_rewinder_rewinding_cue, and the base return screen texture T_UI_Return_Error_D. Mods replacing those assets may conflict.

The scanner asset is intentionally not packed. An experimental scanner override can load an undefined Blueprint opcode when a saved game restores the return station, causing a save-load crash. Scanner behavior in this mod is implemented only through UE4SS hooks.

Development

Extracted assets live under analysis/extracted/; generated overrides live under analysis/mod/. Both are ignored because they are build-specific generated files.

bash tests/run.sh
bash tools/package.sh

tools/build_assets.pl validates hashes and byte offsets before changing an asset, so it refuses to patch another game build accidentally.

Uninstallation

Delete the PAK and the FasterReturns UE4SS folder, then restart the game. The mod does not add data to save files.

Version

1.2.2