IMPORTANT [v2.4.0.93/v2.4.0.95] - Save game corruption issue - Advice from a fellow player

Good evening, everyone.

First, let me inform you that I am not associated with Keen Software House. Anything posted here is my own advice and is not associated with them (unless they otherwise say so).

I have seen a few posts where game crashes have corrupted save files. I have also run into this issue myself and submitted a bug about it, including the logs, minidump file, and the saved world. So far, it appears as if I have lost only one world to this issue, and it wasn't a big loss since I had only put around 6 hours into the world.

However, after some thought, I decided that I needed to post something since the patch occurred on a Friday and might impact everyone all weekend before Keen can get to it.

I am recommending the following actions for all players to avoid losing worlds.

1. Back Up Your Save Game Files ASAP and Regularly

Before launching the game, make a backup of the game save files. They can be found in Windows at:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\SpaceEngineers2\AppData\SaveGames

Copy the folder and save it to another location on your PC, perhaps even to another drive, to act as a backup. If the files get corrupted (or you lose your hard drive), you should be able to restore them from your backup by copying the files back into the folder.

For those working on large projects, I would recommend doing that anyway on a regular basis, just in case.

If you are particularly ambitious and have the space, copy the entire SpaceEngineers2 folder to back it up. This should also back up any blueprints that you have saved.

There are a large amount of files, so the backup will take a while.

For example, if you back up your saves once per week, then you'd only lose at most a week's worth of work if something bad happens. If you're putting in a lot of play time, you may want to back up more often.

2. Do NOT Delete Any Worlds or Saves Until Keen Says So

There could be many sources for the problem. I was able to load a game that was originally created under v2.4.0.93, but any saves made under v2.4.0.95 acted as if they were corrupted.

There could be many sources for the issue.

1. The Save process (auto, manual or both) could have created bad data files. Depending on what the issue is, Keen's developers might or might not be able to fix the saves.
2. The Load process itself could be bugged. The saves are producing the correct data files, but the load process isn't properly reading them. There may not actually be anything wrong with the files themselves.

Wait for Keen to investigate and let us know what needs to be done. Hopefully they will be able to patch the issue so we can resume gaming safely.

Worst case is that the corruption can't be fixed, which is why I'm recommending Step 1 above before continuing any game play.

3. If You Have Encountered and Repoted the Issue, Compress Your Wold and Upload It to the Log

If you have already encountered and reported the issue, and if you still have your World, compress it into one or more Zip files and upload them to the support site. Keen may be able to use them to investigate, test, and fix/repair the issue. Having a few samples to work from can help.

If you are just encountering the issue, check the support site first. Keen might post a notice that they have enough samples or may request a few individuals to submit more.

Having multiple examples to work from can help diagnose and flush out the bugs.

4. If You Can't Back Up Your Saves, Temporarily Stop Playing and Wait for the Next Patch

If you absolutely can't back up your saves, and you have a world that you would hate to lose, I would recommend not touching that world until Keen investigates and corrects the problem.

If that is every world, then take a break from the game and do something else for a while. Keep an eye on the Support site, newsletters and Steam release notes for the next patch so you can resume playing once Keen fixes the issue and provides instructions to the players.

Keen is producing an excellent game, and I am looking forward to resuming play once I am comfortable that I won't be fighting this issue anymore.

If you are consumed by the game, consider grabbing some paper and planning out your next project. Maybe build a prototype in the real to serve as a model for when you return to the game.

5. Don't Panic

Take a breath. Calm down. Go burn off any excess energy. Step away from the keyboard before you do anything rash.

Remember, this is an Alpha Release game. It will have bugs. Sometimes those bugs will be bad. Sometimes they will be annoying. And sometimes they'll be downright amusing.

As players, we're helping Keen shake out the bugs and cobwebs to make the game better for everyone down the road. This is all part of the process.

I know. I have been a professional developer for 30 years, and I have been coding for 40. I have seen all kinds of bugs in lots of different systems. I know how frustrating bugs can be. My computers have learned more naughty words than are in the dictionary.

Take a deep breath, and remember: This too shall pass.