WHY does this ALWAYS HAPPEN!!!

[Salvadoreno]

I save a game.. Turn it off. Come back.. AND ITS GONE!!! NO SAVED GAMES!! ARG i worked so HARD on the campaign too!!! What is the problem? It keeps happening too.

[Gizzmoe]

Well, sh!t happens. I make a backup of mydocuments\sh3 after every game and keep always the two last backups. If something happens only a few game hours are gone.

I offer you, again, to repair the campaign. Or at least I´ll try... The broken campaign you´ve sent me two weeks ago didn´t come through.

Pack it with 7zip, use "ultra compression" and "solid archive". Please tell me the archive size before you send it.

[Jail]

Yesterday Ive found out that if i use a number before characters then the save is screwed.
Like
1choice = bad save
conv1 = ok

I haven't tested it more to see if it is like that allways

[Gizzmoe]

I´ve tried it with "1test", the save was ok.

[The Avon Lady]

I save a game.. Turn it off. Come back.. AND ITS GONE!!! NO SAVED GAMES!! ARG i worked so HARD on the campaign too!!! What is the problem? It keeps happening too.
Go into folder \My Documents\SH3\data\cfg\Careers\. Do you still see your career folder in there? If so, chances are something else is preventing you from seeing this career in SH3.

Browse file \My Documents\SH3\data\cfg\Careers\yourCareerName\Care ers_0.cfg. There is final info here for all of your patrols.

In the file, find the last patrol entry that starts with [CAREER nnn] (where "nnn" is the patrol offset number). Find the following statements in that section and tell us what they're set to:

OffDead=
PODead=
SeamenDead=

Finished=
WarOver=

EDIT: One more thing. There are certain save bugs in the game but the way I've never experienced them. Here's what I always do before saving and quitting SH3:

1. While in patrol, press ESC and click on SAVE. Give the save point an appropriate name.

2. Go back into the patrol for a second.

3. Immediately hit ESC again and click on SAVE AND EXIT. Give this save point the name DELETE so that you'll know not to start from there next time you play SH3.

This has always worked for me. Not once have I encountered a save bug.

BTW, I assume you're patched up to a recent version.

[Salvadoreno]

hey gizzmoe ill definately send it this time. But when i press compress i only get zip and RAR files in the "archive format". im going to have to dl the 7zip.. Or can i just send you a regular zip file

[Salvadoreno]

I save a game.. Turn it off. Come back.. AND ITS GONE!!! NO SAVED GAMES!! ARG i worked so HARD on the campaign too!!! What is the problem? It keeps happening too.
Go into folder \My Documents\SH3\data\cfg\Careers\. Do you still see your career folder in there? If so, chances are something else is preventing you from seeing this career in SH3.

Browse file \My Documents\SH3\data\cfg\Careers\yourCareerName\Care ers_0.cfg. There is final info here for all of your patrols.

In the file, find the last patrol entry that starts with [CAREER nnn] (where "nnn" is the patrol offset number). Find the following statements in that section and tell us what they're set to:

OffDead=
PODead=
SeamenDead=

Finished=
WarOver=

EDIT: One more thing. There are certain save bugs in the game but the way I've never experienced them. Here's what I always do before saving and quitting SH3:

1. While in patrol, press ESC and click on SAVE. Give the save point an appropriate name.

2. Go back into the patrol for a second.

3. Immediately hit ESC again and click on SAVE AND EXIT. Give this save point the name DELETE so that you'll know not to start from there next time you play SH3.

This has always worked for me. Not once have I encountered a save bug.

BTW, I assume you're patched up to a recent version.

offdead=4
POdead=9
seamendead=14
warover=false
finished=true

yes everything is patched up

and i think i found the problem.. finished=true to finished=false

[The Avon Lady]

Too many dead men also. :dead:

Maybe the number of deaths triggered the Finished=True condition. :hmm:

[Salvadoreno]

ok it didnt work

[Gizzmoe]

hey gizzmoe ill definately send it this time. But when i press compress i only get zip and RAR files in the "archive format". im going to have to dl the 7zip.. Or can i just send you a regular zip file

No Zip, please, the archive will probably be too big. RAR is ok as long as you use its "Solid archive" feature. But before you send it to me try everything Avon said.

[Jail]

I´ve tried it with "1test", the save was ok.

I remmeber that first time I tried to save I used a name that I allready have. Then i've got a Game save error from tha game.
Not a question to overwrite. Could this be the problem ?

Typed another name "1choice" and saved no error at the time.
Next gameplay i've tried to load the save and it was corrupt.I even got a strange name in the list of saved games.

Am I fishing ? :P

[_alphaBeta_]

The main problem is the "save and exit" command. As the Avon Lady pointed out, loading a game saved this way yields bad results. I advise you to follow that procedure.

If you're on the surface and not detected you can take it a step farther. Save the game using the normal save function. From there go to the "return to base" option. Once you're back in base go out of your career and then back in. Remove the "in base before/after mission" autosaves so you won't be confused later.

This bypasses the "save and exit" entirely. I only use it (with the Avon Lady's suggestion) if I'm submerged and something comes up that I have to exit.

[dize]

im using savenames like "1111" or "2222". i also never overwrite a savegame. i have encountered the a savegame bug only once, since im using this technique.

[FAdmiral]

I never keep more than 3 saved games in the numbered
folder. (0=1st Patrol, 1=2nd Patrol, etc.) I always name
my saved games "Patrol 1A, Patrol 1B,- Patrol 5F, Patrol 5G"
and use the save & exit command. I have never had a problem.


JIM

PS I always delete the old patrol folders too.

[Salvadoreno]

i have found my saved games. Its located in the C:\Documents and Settings\Tristan Murcia\My Documents\SH3\data\cfg. So they arent exactlly lost. But i just dont know wut to do with em.


::add:: Hey GIzzmoe. I compressed the file into 198KB in a WINRAR archive called "Sh3". So if you can give me the e-mail i send it.

[Gizzmoe]

Is that the entire mydocuments\sh3 folder or only one file? I need everything. Send it to gizzmoe [at] gmx.de.

[Salvadoreno]

i sent it via the mail program that was provided when i click "compress and mail" and im not sure if it even worked because i did all the configurations from the mail place. ANyway. tell me if it worked

[Gizzmoe]

I bet it doesn´t work, because it also didn´t work two weeks ago... :) Why don´t you just Rar the folder, then open your usual email program and attach the file to the email?

[Salvadoreno]

errr now i added to archive and its HUGE! its a winrar file too. arg! i used solid archive feature. See if this sounds reasonable 419,000 KB..If so ill send it rightaway

[Gizzmoe]

419MB compressed???????? How many save games and careers do you have? 5000? :) Have you accidently compressed the entire mydocuments folder instead of only mydocuments\sh3? Please check.

[Salvadoreno]

listen gizzmoe apparently my comp is racked with viruses since i tried everything and it doesnt allow me to send because the file is "corrupt/virus/bla bla" and hotmail cannot help. Thanks for everything tho.