help Can't Restore ANY of My Backed Up Saves

[CyberOcelot]

Please tell me there is a way to fix this.

I periodically backup my entire game directory, and religiously backup my game save as I learn to install mods.
I had backed up the game directory and game save before attempting to learn how to install Angel Garza so I can experiment with things shown to me (here).
With Steam offline, I delete the existing game directory, and copy/paste in the modded game directory just before I started experimenting. I delete the game save folder and replace with the backed up game save folder. I clear and regen the chunk in cct and run the game,  and I get a message that the "load failed because the game save was corrupted". I'm getting the same message for all of my game save backups no matter how far back I go. 

I'm super upset. But, I'm hoping that since none of my game saves are working, there's something else possibly wrong that might be fixable? Any ideas what my be causing all of my game save backups to fail when they were all fine previously?

Edited January 18, 2021 by CyberOcelot

[B4G.TV]

ctrl-alt-del  Close anything wwe, then close everything steam related, everything. Then replace the folder and try again.

Trust me. Try it twice.

Edited January 18, 2021 by B4G.TV

[Cave Waverider]

That's very odd. Did you follow the instructions on how to restore your backed up save game in the Wiki exactly without leaving out any steps or changing the order?

[CyberOcelot]

1 hour ago, Cave Waverider said:

That's very odd. Did you follow the instructions on how to restore your backed up save game in the Wiki exactly without leaving out any steps or changing the order?

Yes. In fact, that's precisely the guide I used after I got burned a few times prior to make sure this didn't happen again. 

I should note that, I was having difficulty keeping track of all the files that were edited, so I decided on not trying to backup individual files and instead went nuclear by backing up the entire game directory to make sure nothing could be missed or overlooked. 

The only possibility I can think of is that the game save may have some new mods not yet installed in the game directory. It's possible the game directory was backed up one or two mods before the game save. I didn't see mention in the guide that they need to be backed up at the same time. Could that be the source of the issue? It's all I can think of.

 

4 hours ago, B4G.TV said:

ctrl-alt-del  Close anything wwe, then close everything steam related, everything. Then replace the folder and try again.

I'm pretty sure I was thorough on this, but I was also exhausted after experimenting with trying to get Angel Garza installed all night. I'll thoroughly wipe everything this evening and see how it goes. 

I had Steam in offline mode, but I don't think I exited Steam entirely. Could that be a problem even if Steam is in offline mode? 

[Cave Waverider]

The save is independent from the game files. The save file will still load if the .pac files etc. aren't installed (but the game will crash when trying to load the assets from the missing files).

1 hour ago, CyberOcelot said:

I'm pretty sure I was thorough on this, but I was also exhausted after experimenting with trying to get Angel Garza installed all night. I'll thoroughly wipe everything this evening and see how it goes. 

I had Steam in offline mode, but I don't think I exited Steam entirely. Could that be a problem even if Steam is in offline mode? 

That's likely the problem. If you didn't exit Steam whenever the Backup Save wiki guide says to exit Steam, then restoring and sometimes even backing up the save game won't work properly. You can't restore or backup the save file while Steam is running! Please follow the Backup Save guide precisely and step-by-step where applicable and don't skip any steps!


On a side note, if you have installed all your modded .pac files exclusively into your \mods\ folder and it's sub-folders, you'll be able to easily backup only the \mods\ folder, any modded files in the \sounds\ and \movies\ folders without much issue.

[CyberOcelot]

2 hours ago, Cave Waverider said:

The save is independent from the game files. The save file will still load if the .pac files etc. aren't installed (but the game will crash when trying to load the assets from the missing files).

That's likely the problem. If you didn't exit Steam whenever the Backup Save wiki guide says to exit Steam, then restoring and sometimes even backing up the save game won't work properly. You can't restore or backup the save file while Steam is running! Please follow the Backup Save guide precisely and step-by-step where applicable and don't skip any steps!


On a side note, if you have installed all your modded .pac files exclusively into your \mods\ folder and it's sub-folders, you'll be able to easily backup only the \mods\ folder, any modded files in the \sounds\ and \movies\ folders without much issue.

Thanks again, Cave. I feel so dumb! I keep missing the little things! Totally missed this line...

"To backup your save game, ensure that Steam isn't running and copy the entire \Steam\SteamApps\userdata\<YourSteamUserId>\<SteamGameId>"

I'll try restoring after exiting out of Steam, and if that doesn't work, I guess I go back to rebuilding everything. But hey, that's how we learn, right? Hopefully this thread will help someone else as absent minded as I am in the future.

[Cave Waverider]

10 hours ago, CyberOcelot said:

Thanks again, Cave. I feel so dumb! I keep missing the little things! Totally missed this line...

"To backup your save game, ensure that Steam isn't running and copy the entire \Steam\SteamApps\userdata\<YourSteamUserId>\<SteamGameId>"

I'll try restoring after exiting out of Steam, and if that doesn't work, I guess I go back to rebuilding everything. But hey, that's how we learn, right? Hopefully this thread will help someone else as absent minded as I am in the future.

Glad to be of help. I've updated the Wiki page to make it stand out a little better so people hopefully won't miss it in the future. Thank you.