diff --git a/build/program.zig b/build/program.zig
index bf3fa88..7d31285 100644
--- a/build/program.zig
+++ b/build/program.zig
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ pub const Program = struct {
     allocator: std.mem.Allocator, //  just set this to the build allocator
 
     pub fn setModuleEnabled(self: *@This(), name: []const u8, enabled: bool) void {
-        const r = self.gameModulesMap.getOrPut(self.allocator, name);
+        const r = self.gameModulesMap.getOrPut(self.allocator, name) catch unreachable;
         r.value_ptr.* = enabled;
     }
 
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ pub const Program = struct {
 
         // 1. generate the main launch codeset.
         const lib = b.addLibrary(.{
-            .name = self.name,
+            .name = b.fmt("{s}-mod", .{self.name}),
             .linkage = if (opts.static_build) .static else .dynamic,
             .root_module = b.createModule(.{
                 .target = opts.target,
@@ -145,8 +145,6 @@ pub const Program = struct {
             }),
         });
 
-        lib.root_module.addImport("core", self.buildSystem.nwdep.module("core"));
-
         if (opts.static_build) {
             // b.installArtifact(lib);
         } else {
@@ -185,6 +183,11 @@ pub const Program = struct {
         const gameModule = self.makeGameModule();
         const gameApi = self.makeGameApi();
         gameModule.root_module.addImport("backlog", gameApi);
+        gameModule.root_module.addImport("gamespec", spec);
+
+        if (self.opts.static_build) {
+            exe.root_module.addImport("backlog", gameApi);
+        }
 
         {
             const runArtifact = b.addRunArtifact(exe);
diff --git a/buildgen/generateProgramSpec.zig b/buildgen/generateProgramSpec.zig
index 6b841d7..94cee06 100644
--- a/buildgen/generateProgramSpec.zig
+++ b/buildgen/generateProgramSpec.zig
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ pub fn main() !void {
     );
 
     try writer.print(allocator, ".name = \"{s}\",\n", .{programName});
+    try writer.print(allocator, ".moduleName = \"{s}-mod\",\n", .{programName});
 
     for (modules) |mod| {
         try writer.print(allocator, ".{s} = true,\n", .{mod});
diff --git a/engine/core/src/core.zig b/engine/core/src/core.zig
index 1739f08..448258d 100644
--- a/engine/core/src/core.zig
+++ b/engine/core/src/core.zig
@@ -609,3 +609,7 @@ pub fn itof32(i: anytype) f32 {
 pub fn itof64(i: anytype) f32 {
     return @as(f32, @floatFromInt(i));
 }
+
+pub fn setShutdownModule(shutdownFunction: *const fn () callconv(.c) void) void {
+    getEngine().shutdownModuleFunction = shutdownFunction;
+}
diff --git a/engine/core/src/engine.zig b/engine/core/src/engine.zig
index a196955..01b0830 100644
--- a/engine/core/src/engine.zig
+++ b/engine/core/src/engine.zig
@@ -91,6 +91,8 @@ pub const Engine = struct {
     calibrationPeriod: f64 = 1.0, // in seconds
     first: bool = true,
 
+    shutdownModuleFunction: ?*const fn () callconv(.c) void = null,
+
     pub fn init(allocator: std.mem.Allocator) !@This() {
         const rv = Engine{
             .allocator = allocator,
diff --git a/engine/main2.zig b/engine/main2.zig
index 7f10412..99518fd 100644
--- a/engine/main2.zig
+++ b/engine/main2.zig
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ pub fn startEngine(spec: *core.SpecVariantMap) bool {
     _ = core.createNameRegistry(allocator) catch return false;
     core.maybeInitPackerFs(allocator) catch return false;
 
-    if (core.BuildOption("static_build")) {
+    if (comptime core.BuildOption("static_build")) {
         core.engine_log("static build, using embedded shaders", .{});
         // const loader = @import("staticShaderLoader");
         // loader.installStaticResources() catch return false;
@@ -89,9 +89,16 @@ pub fn startEngine(spec: *core.SpecVariantMap) bool {
 
     core.start_module(spec, args, allocator) catch return false;
 
-    const programName = spec.get("name").?.string;
+    const moduleName = spec.get("moduleName").?.string;
 
-    core.loadModule(programName, true) catch return false;
+    if (comptime core.BuildOption("static_build")) {
+        const modlaunch = @import("modulelaunch.zig");
+        var modargs = core.externModule.getModuleLoaderArgs(true);
+        var modalloc = allocator;
+        _ = modlaunch.startup_module(&modalloc, &modargs);
+    } else {
+        core.loadModule(moduleName, true) catch return false;
+    }
 
     // load the shared object and call startup()
     // core.beginLoading("");
@@ -101,6 +108,10 @@ pub fn startEngine(spec: *core.SpecVariantMap) bool {
 
     run() catch return false;
 
+    if (core.getEngine().shutdownModuleFunction) |f| {
+        f();
+    }
+
     core.shutdown_module(allocator);
 
     return true;
diff --git a/engine/modulelaunch.zig b/engine/modulelaunch.zig
index 245c4cc..c7a0d7c 100644
--- a/engine/modulelaunch.zig
+++ b/engine/modulelaunch.zig
@@ -1,16 +1,76 @@
+pub const NwArgs = struct {
+    useGPA: bool = false, // slower zig based memory allocator, provides detailed tracking of leaks and memory violations
+    vulkanValidation: bool = true,
+    fastTest: bool = false,
+    dmt: bool = false, // detailed memory tracking, implements a timeline for tracking all memory allocations
+    fatDump: bool = false, // takes a full fat minidump on crash, very large files are produced
+};
+
+pub fn getArgs() !NwArgs {
+    const a = try core.ParseArgs(NwArgs);
+
+    return a;
+}
+
+var shutdownList: std.ArrayListUnmanaged(*const fn (std.mem.Allocator) void) = .{};
+var shutdownModuleNames: std.ArrayListUnmanaged([]const u8) = .{};
+
+var gAllocator: std.mem.Allocator = undefined;
+
 pub export fn startup_module(p_allocator: *anyopaque, p_a: ?*anyopaque) bool {
     const allocator = core.modulePreamble(p_allocator, p_a) catch return false;
-    _ = allocator;
+    gAllocator = allocator;
+
     core.engine_log("module started {s}", .{backlog.moduleName});
 
+    const spec = gamespec.getSpec() catch return false;
+
     for (backlog.moduleList) |li| {
         core.engine_log("mod: {s}", .{li});
     }
 
+    const args = getArgs() catch NwArgs{};
+
+    inline for (backlog.moduleList) |feature| {
+        if (@hasDecl(backlog, feature) and !std.mem.eql(u8, "core", feature)) {
+            const Struct = @field(backlog, feature);
+            if (core.isModuleEnabled(Struct.Module, spec)) {
+                var z1 = core.tracy.ZoneN(@src(), @ptrCast("Initializing Module"));
+                defer z1.End();
+                core.tracy.Message(Struct.Module.name);
+                Struct.start_module(spec, args, allocator) catch return false;
+
+                if (core.MemoryTracker.MTGet()) |_| {
+                    core.MemoryTracker.MTPrintStatsDelta();
+                }
+
+                shutdownList.append(allocator, Struct.shutdown_module) catch return false;
+                shutdownModuleNames.append(allocator, feature) catch return false;
+
+                core.engine_logs("module started >>>> " ++ feature ++ " <<<<");
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    core.setShutdownModule(shutdown_module);
+
     return true;
 }
 
-pub export fn shutdown_module() void {}
+pub export fn shutdown_module() void {
+    var i: usize = shutdownList.items.len;
+    while (i > 0) {
+        const j = i - 1;
+        shutdownList.items[j](gAllocator);
+        i -= 1;
+    }
+
+    shutdownList.deinit(gAllocator);
+    shutdownModuleNames.deinit(gAllocator);
+}
+
+const gamespec = @import("gamespec");
 
 const backlog = @import("backlog");
 const core = backlog.core;
+const std = @import("std");
diff --git a/projects/build.zig b/projects/build.zig
index 646fffd..03b190e 100644
--- a/projects/build.zig
+++ b/projects/build.zig
@@ -15,5 +15,10 @@ pub fn build(b: *std.Build) void {
         "coreTest",
     );
     coreTest.setIconPath("projects/content/icons/icon.ico");
+    coreTest.setModuleEnabled("audio", true);
+    coreTest.setModuleEnabled("imgui", true);
+    coreTest.setModuleEnabled("net", true);
+    coreTest.setModuleEnabled("physics", true);
+    coreTest.setModuleEnabled("ui", true);
     _ = coreTest.compileInstall();
 }