diff --git a/Aquaria/DSQ.cpp b/Aquaria/DSQ.cpp
index 8fea5e2..6d6cc0e 100644
--- a/Aquaria/DSQ.cpp
+++ b/Aquaria/DSQ.cpp
@@ -805,6 +805,11 @@ void DSQ::init()
 	// steam gets inited in here
 	Core::init();
 
+#ifdef AQUARIA_DEBUG_SHOW_PATHS
+	errorLog("AQUARIA_DEBUG_SHOW_PATHS:\n" + getPathInfoStr());
+#endif
+
+
 	loadStringBank();
 
 	vars = &v;
@@ -848,7 +853,15 @@ void DSQ::init()
 
 
 
-	user.load(false);
+	if(!user.load(false))
+	{
+		errorLog("Failed to load user settings, loading defaults");
+
+		if(!user.loadDefaults(false))
+		{
+			errorLog("Failed to load default user settings (default_usersettings.xml)! Controls may be broken.\n");
+		}
+	}
 
 	particleManager->setSize(user.video.numParticles);
 
diff --git a/BBGE/Base.cpp b/BBGE/Base.cpp
index 6f89763..9c4d0d4 100644
--- a/BBGE/Base.cpp
+++ b/BBGE/Base.cpp
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307, USA.
 #include <assert.h>
 #include "OSFunctions.h"
 
+#if SDL_VERSION_ATLEAST(2,0,0)
+#include "SDL_filesystem.h"
+#endif
+
 #ifdef BBGE_BUILD_VFS
 #  include "ttvfs.h"
 #  ifndef VFS_IGNORE_CASE
@@ -253,10 +257,29 @@ bool exists(const std::string &f, bool makeFatal, bool skipVFS)
 
 
 
+std::string getPathInfoStr()
+{
+	std::ostringstream os;
+	os << "Working dir (expecting game data there):\n" << getWorkingDir() << "\n";
+	if(core)
+	{
+		os << "Preferences folder:\n" << core->getPreferencesFolder() << "\n";
+		os << "User data folder:\n" << core->getUserDataFolder() << "\n";
+		os << "Debug log path:\n" << core->getDebugLogPath() << "\n";
+	}
+#if SDL_VERSION_ATLEAST(2,0,1)
+	char *base = SDL_GetBasePath();
+	os << "SDL_GetBasePath():\n" << base << "\n";
+	SDL_free(base);
+#endif
+	return os.str();
+}
+
 void exit_error(const std::string &message)
 {
-	fprintf(stderr, "FATAL: %s\n", message.c_str());
-	errorLog(message);
+	std::string out = message + "\n\n++ Path info for debugging aid: ++\n" + getPathInfoStr();
+	fprintf(stderr, "FATAL: %s\n", out.c_str());
+	errorLog(out);
 	exit(1);
 }
 
diff --git a/BBGE/Base.h b/BBGE/Base.h
index 01f06f8..2211ccd 100644
--- a/BBGE/Base.h
+++ b/BBGE/Base.h
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ bool isTouchingLine(Vector lineStart, Vector lineEnd, Vector point, int radius=1
 
 void drawCircle(float radius, int steps=1);
 
-
+std::string getPathInfoStr();
 void exit_error(const std::string &message);
 
 unsigned hash(const std::string &string);
diff --git a/BBGE/Core.cpp b/BBGE/Core.cpp
index ab43062..f3e39d4 100644
--- a/BBGE/Core.cpp
+++ b/BBGE/Core.cpp
@@ -412,7 +412,7 @@ void Core::initPlatform(const std::string &filesystem)
 	if (!CFURLGetFileSystemRepresentation(resourcesURL, TRUE, (UInt8 *)path, PATH_MAX))
 	{
 		// error!
-		debugLog("CFURLGetFileSystemRepresentation");
+		errorLog("Core::initPlatform: CFURLGetFileSystemRepresentation error");
 	}
 	CFRelease(resourcesURL);
 	debugLog(path);
@@ -423,13 +423,13 @@ void Core::initPlatform(const std::string &filesystem)
 		if (chdir(filesystem.c_str()) == 0)
 			return;
 		else
-			debugLog("Failed to chdir to filesystem path " + filesystem);
+			errorLog("Core::initPlatform: Failed to chdir to filesystem path " + filesystem);
 	}
 #ifdef BBGE_DATA_PREFIX
 	if (chdir(BBGE_DATA_PREFIX) == 0 && chdir(appName.c_str()) == 0)
 		return;
 	else
-		debugLog("Failed to chdir to filesystem path " BBGE_DATA_PREFIX + appName);
+		errorLog("Core::initPlatform: Failed to chdir to filesystem path " BBGE_DATA_PREFIX + appName);
 #endif
 	char path[PATH_MAX];
 	// always a symlink to this process's binary, on modern Linux systems.
@@ -437,7 +437,7 @@ void Core::initPlatform(const std::string &filesystem)
 	if ( (rc == -1) || (rc >= (ssize_t) sizeof (path)) )
 	{
 		// error!
-		debugLog("readlink");
+		errorLog("Core::initPlatform: readlink error");
 	}
 	else
 	{
@@ -448,7 +448,7 @@ void Core::initPlatform(const std::string &filesystem)
 			*ptr = '\0';
 			debugLog(path);
 			if (chdir(path) != 0)
-				debugLog("Failed to chdir to executable path" + std::string(path));
+				errorLog("Core::initPlatform: Failed to chdir to executable path" + std::string(path));
 		}
 	}
 #endif
@@ -457,7 +457,7 @@ void Core::initPlatform(const std::string &filesystem)
 	{
 		if(_chdir(filesystem.c_str()) != 0)
 		{
-			debugLog("chdir failed: " + filesystem);
+			errorLog("chdir failed: " + filesystem);
 		}
 	}
 	// FIXME: filesystem not handled
@@ -479,6 +479,11 @@ std::string Core::getUserDataFolder()
 	return userDataFolder;
 }
 
+std::string Core::getDebugLogPath()
+{
+	return debugLogPath;
+}
+
 Core::~Core()
 {
 	clearActionButtons();
diff --git a/BBGE/Core.h b/BBGE/Core.h
index c332c59..dbd85e3 100644
--- a/BBGE/Core.h
+++ b/BBGE/Core.h
@@ -216,6 +216,7 @@ public:
 
 	std::string getPreferencesFolder();
 	std::string getUserDataFolder();
+	std::string getDebugLogPath();
 
 	void resetCamera();
 
diff --git a/BBGE/OSFunctions.cpp b/BBGE/OSFunctions.cpp
index c5721ad..6db9022 100644
--- a/BBGE/OSFunctions.cpp
+++ b/BBGE/OSFunctions.cpp
@@ -469,3 +469,14 @@ std::string getSystemLocale()
 
 	return localeStr;
 }
+
+std::string getWorkingDir()
+{
+	char buf[1024*2] = {0};
+#ifdef _WIN32
+	GetCurrentDirectoryA(sizeof(buf), buf);
+#else
+	getcwd(buf, sizeof(buf))
+#endif
+	return buf;
+}
diff --git a/BBGE/OSFunctions.h b/BBGE/OSFunctions.h
index a0ab45b..b65dfba 100644
--- a/BBGE/OSFunctions.h
+++ b/BBGE/OSFunctions.h
@@ -13,5 +13,6 @@ bool createDir(const std::string& d);
 void triggerBreakpoint();
 void openURL(const std::string &url);
 std::string getSystemLocale();
+std::string getWorkingDir();
 
 #endif
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 2b79dc4..a68cbd7 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -48,6 +48,9 @@ OPTION(AQUARIA_USE_VFS "Use Virtual File System? Required for some additional fe
 OPTION(AQUARIA_USE_SDL2 "Use SDL2" TRUE)
 OPTION(AQUARIA_USE_GLM "Use GLM for matrix math" TRUE)
 
+OPTION(AQUARIA_DEBUG_SHOW_PATHS "Show important paths upon game start to aid in finding path problems" FALSE)
+mark_as_advanced(AQUARIA_DEBUG_SHOW_PATHS)
+
 ################ Look for external libraries
 
 ### Pick one: SDL 1.2 or SDL2
@@ -95,6 +98,10 @@ if(NOT(AQUARIA_EXTRA_DATA_DIR STREQUAL ""))
     ADD_DEFINITIONS("-DAQUARIA_EXTRA_DATA_DIR=\"${AQUARIA_EXTRA_DATA_DIR}\"")
 endif(NOT(AQUARIA_EXTRA_DATA_DIR STREQUAL ""))
 
+if(AQUARIA_DEBUG_SHOW_PATHS)
+    ADD_DEFINITIONS(-DAQUARIA_DEBUG_SHOW_PATHS)
+endif(AQUARIA_DEBUG_SHOW_PATHS)
+
 # Without #define VFS_ENABLE_C_API this is just stubbed out
 include_directories(ttvfs_cfileapi)
 if(AQUARIA_USE_VFS)
@@ -155,8 +162,8 @@ IF(CMAKE_COMPILER_IS_GNUCC)
     # It doesn't seem to work well, and it adds bulk to the binary.
     CHECK_C_COMPILER_FLAG("-fno-stack-protector" AQUARIA_GCC_HAS_STACKPROT)
     IF(AQUARIA_GCC_HAS_STACKPROT)
-        set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} -Wall -fno-stack-protector")
-        set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS   "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS}   -Wall -fno-stack-protector")
+        set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} -fno-stack-protector")
+        set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS   "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS}   -fno-stack-protector")
     ENDIF(AQUARIA_GCC_HAS_STACKPROT)
 
     # !!! FIXME: probably not safe long-term.