diff --git a/game/btl4main.cpp b/game/btl4main.cpp
index 8f40bcd..c677ce0 100644
--- a/game/btl4main.cpp
+++ b/game/btl4main.cpp
@@ -197,6 +197,17 @@ int WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance, LPSTR lpCmdLine
 			? (std::ios::out | std::ios::app) : std::ios::out);
 	std::cout.rdbuf(logfile.rdbuf());
 
+	// FIRST-BREATH line, flushed IMMEDIATELY (field 2026-07-23: a player's
+	// exe died repeatedly with a 0-byte join.log -- indistinguishable from
+	// "never ran").  After this line, an empty log can only mean the exe was
+	// killed before WinMain (antivirus / loader) -- an external cause, not
+	// ours.  Cheap forensics: version, PID, args, generation markers.
+	std::cout << "[boot] btl4 " << BT_VERSION_STRING << " pid="
+		<< (unsigned)GetCurrentProcessId()
+		<< " args='" << (lpCmdLine ? lpCmdLine : "") << "'"
+		<< (getenv("BT_FE_LOOP") ? " (relaunched generation)" : " (first process)")
+		<< std::endl << std::flush;
+
 	// BT_JOYCONFIG=1: the generic-joystick capture wizard (flight sticks /
 	// HOTAS / pedals -- L4JOY.h).  Console prompts detect which device/axis
 	// the player moves for each pod control and write the joystick section
diff --git a/players/join.bat b/players/join.bat
index 9147767..91f531a 100644
--- a/players/join.bat
+++ b/players/join.bat
@@ -9,7 +9,11 @@ set BT_PLATFORM=glass
 if not exist "build\Release\btl4.exe" goto badpath
 if not exist "content\OPERATOR.EGG" goto badpath
 set BT_RELAY=107.202.218.169:1500
+rem one fresh log per bat run; the menu->game relaunch chain APPENDS
+rem so every generation's lines survive (0-byte logs = killed pre-start)
+if exist content\join.log del content\join.log
 set BT_LOG=join.log
+set BT_LOG_APPEND=1
 set BT_START_INSIDE=1
 set BT_DEV_GAUGES=1
 cd content
diff --git a/players/join_lan.bat b/players/join_lan.bat
index 9a5e1e7..0b4e245 100644
--- a/players/join_lan.bat
+++ b/players/join_lan.bat
@@ -12,7 +12,11 @@ set BT_PLATFORM=glass
 if not exist "build\Release\btl4.exe" goto badpath
 if not exist "content\OPERATOR.EGG" goto badpath
 set BT_RELAY=10.0.0.46:1500
+rem one fresh log per bat run; the menu->game relaunch chain APPENDS
+rem so every generation's lines survive (0-byte logs = killed pre-start)
+if exist content\join.log del content\join.log
 set BT_LOG=join.log
+set BT_LOG_APPEND=1
 set BT_START_INSIDE=1
 set BT_DEV_GAUGES=1
 cd content
diff --git a/players/joyconfig.bat b/players/joyconfig.bat
index f104838..d1719f1 100644
--- a/players/joyconfig.bat
+++ b/players/joyconfig.bat
@@ -13,7 +13,11 @@ if not exist "content\OPERATOR.EGG" goto badpath
 set BT_JOYCONFIG=1
 set BT_START_INSIDE=1
 set BT_DEV_GAUGES=1
+rem one fresh log per bat run; the menu->game relaunch chain APPENDS
+rem so every generation's lines survive (0-byte logs = killed pre-start)
+if exist content\join.log del content\join.log
 set BT_LOG=join.log
+set BT_LOG_APPEND=1
 set BT_FE_SOLO=1
 cd content
 ..\build\Release\btl4.exe
diff --git a/players/play_solo.bat b/players/play_solo.bat
index 8a9e58c..1a09300 100644
--- a/players/play_solo.bat
+++ b/players/play_solo.bat
@@ -12,7 +12,11 @@ if not exist "build\Release\btl4.exe" goto badpath
 if not exist "content\OPERATOR.EGG" goto badpath
 set BT_START_INSIDE=1
 set BT_DEV_GAUGES=1
+rem one fresh log per bat run; the menu->game relaunch chain APPENDS
+rem so every generation's lines survive (0-byte logs = killed pre-start)
+if exist content\join.log del content\join.log
 set BT_LOG=join.log
+set BT_LOG_APPEND=1
 set BT_FE_SOLO=1
 cd content
 ..\build\Release\btl4.exe
diff --git a/players/play_steam.bat b/players/play_steam.bat
index 5d915f8..6223714 100644
--- a/players/play_steam.bat
+++ b/players/play_steam.bat
@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@ if not exist "build\Release\btl4.exe" goto badpath
 if not exist "content\BTL4.RES" goto badpath
 set BT_PLATFORM=glass
 set BT_STEAM_NET=1
+if exist content\steam.log del content\steam.log
 set BT_LOG=steam.log
+set BT_LOG_APPEND=1
 rem Cockpit view + MFD gauges -- the same client flags the join bats set
 rem (field report: players booted 3rd-person without them).  Inherited by
 rem the menu's mission relaunch.