Troubleshooting
Traffic Architect Undo, Pausing & Refund Limits
In Traffic Architect, Ctrl+Z while paused undoes the last eligible purchase or build. Since 1.0.7, a tag beside the balance shows how much is still refundable; eligible undo also restores cleared trees and their cost. Demolishing or downgrading a road is not the same refund operation: the 1.0.6 notes explicitly say downgrading gives no refund.
On this page
Reverse a mistaken build before resuming
- Pause before making an experimental road or junction change.
- Make one change, then inspect the preview/result and the refund tag beside the balance.
- If that eligible change is wrong, press Ctrl+Z while still paused.
- Check both the restored geometry and the balance/refund state before continuing.
The source describes undoing the last purchase, not selecting any old change from the city’s entire history. A value shown as currently refundable is more useful than assuming every earlier expense can be recovered.
What the published updates say can be undone
| Operation | Documented paused behavior |
|---|---|
| Last eligible purchase/build | Ctrl+Z while paused takes it back, documented in the early Demo updates. |
| Turn lane | 1.0.6 adds turn lanes to paused undo. |
| Roundabout or interchange | 1.0.7 says undo puts the crossing back as it was; one paused Ctrl+Z takes back an interchange placement. |
| Trees cleared by the build | 1.0.7 undo restores the trees and their cost. |
| Convert a road, then convert it back in the same pause | 1.0.7 says the money is returned. |
These are specific published cases. They do not establish every possible deletion, sign change or action as a refundable purchase.
Undo, demolition, downgrade and Reset are different
- Undo reverses the eligible latest paused action.
- Demolition removes a target road using the relevant demolition control. The undo notes do not turn demolition into a universal refund rule.
- Downgrade changes a road to a lower class; 1.0.6 explicitly warns it gives no refund.
- Reset junction changes junction rules and in 1.0.8 also removes its turn bans. It is not a way to retrieve money from a previous build.
Use road editing for deleting, partial upgrading or sweeping Convert; use turn controls for a deliberate rules reset.
If the expected money does not return
- Check that the game is paused and read the current refund tag instead of relying on the original build price.
- Identify the exact action: a downgrade is a documented no-refund case, whereas converting back during the same pause is a documented refund case.
- For an interchange/roundabout, inspect whether the original crossing was restored as well as the money.
- If an eligible documented case still behaves differently, keep a before/after save or screenshot, version, product and operating system for a precise report.
There is no verified instruction here for recovering purchases after the paused undo opportunity has ended. Keep the original save rather than treating a tool reset as save recovery.
The recovery is complete when the intended last change has been reversed and the resulting geometry/balance agrees with the eligible refund shown. If the action was a no-refund downgrade or outside the documented paused case, identify that limit rather than claiming Ctrl+Z guarantees the money back.
Sources & version
Paused last-purchase undo: official 1.0.1–1.0.3 updates. Turn-lane undo and downgrade warning: 1.0.6. Refund tag, trees, conversion and crossing restoration: 1.0.7. Junction reset/bans: 1.0.8. Full original bodies reviewed November 3. This page explains documented tool boundaries, not a session-tested unlimited refund exploit.