(HELP) Any way to recover CAWs?

[chipmunch]

so I booted up my steam version of 2k19 today to discover that all custom content I had made was randomly deleted. tons of work down the tubes. I had backed up the steam userdata folder for 2k19 since I was told that was where my CAWs were stored but apparently that was incorrect. I do not know much about modding 2k and I had no mods installed.
I bought the game in nov (?) 2019 during a sale and I didn't really update the WLIVE thingy since then. I was glad I didn't because I heard the game's stability was getting progressively worse post-2k20 launch and I don't play online anyway. However when I booted it up today I alt-tabbed to check something else and when I switched back to the window I found it updating without my input. I don't know if I accidentally hit the update button or what, but I suspect that is a big part of why all my CAWs are gone.

I just want to know if there is a way to recover several hundred hours of my work. Is there a file or folder somewhere on my PC that still contains the files?
thanks for any help. If this is in the wrong forum please move it.

Edited August 28, 2020 by chipmunch

[Cave Waverider]

Creation Suite data is saved in the save game. If you have backed up your save, you should be able to restore your save game. If you proper backup of your save game including CAWs, you will be able to restore it by (exactly!) following the linked steps on the Wiki.

[chipmunch]

22 hours ago, Cave Waverider said:

Creation Suite data is saved in the save game. If you have backed up your save, you should be able to restore your save game. If you proper backup of your save game including CAWs, you will be able to restore it by (exactly!) following the linked steps on the Wiki.

Thanks. so, it thankfully turns out that I had backed up the entire steam 2k19 folder on my external hard drive as well as the 817130 userdata folder. didn't even remember that I did that but I'm glad I did. I assume this is all I need to restore my old content.

However, I tried following the steps you linked above (turned steam offline, restored my backed up versions, etc) and yet it still gives me basically a blank slate (all content is re-locked, no custom characters to be found). I'm confused how this is even possible. I literally deleted the current version under steamapps and replaced it with my backed up older version. It can't possibly be that it is reading steam's backed up save since it is offline, what gives?

again, I am not knowledgeable at all about this process. if I missed something obvious please help me as you would a child

 

 

Edited August 29, 2020 by chipmunch

[Cave Waverider]

That's very odd. Could it be that you have more than one Steam directory where save games are located and you've restored the backup in the wrong one?

[chipmunch]

10 minutes ago, Cave Waverider said:

That's very odd. Could it be that you have more than one Steam directory where save games are located and you've restored the backup in the wrong one?

yes. I first had 2k19 on my HDD and then moved it to my smaller SSD boot drive once I started having terrible loading times. however yes I just now realized that my HDD steam userdata still has a folder for the 817130 2k19 data. (which begs the question of why it is reading the save from the HDD instead of the SSD when the game folder is on the SSD??)

so I just backed up the data from the HDD userdata folder and replaced it with the backed up copy. But now when I boot up the game it complains that the save data is corrupted. I hope they are not from two different dates? If that's the case did I screw myself? (the whole time here I thought I only needed to back up the userdata anyway, I only backed up the entire game folder just in case)

Edited August 29, 2020 by chipmunch