PC Game Pass - Cloud save issue

[Leisurely Luke]

Patch 1.0.5R for PC Game Pass (December 29)

Dear PC Game Pass players,
The Patch 1.0.5R was just released for PC Game Pass, featuring a new cloud save verification system.

Please read the full patch notes here: http://go.eremitegames.com/AtS_Patch105

Please back up the following folders before launching the game:

• %userprofile%\appdata\locallow\Eremite Games
  
• %userprofile%\AppData\Local\Packages\HoodedHorse.AgainsttheStorm_znaey1dw2bdpr\SystemAppData\xgs

You should be able to load them (or our custom save files) with the new simplified method.

Unfortunately, again, we had no indication that the update would erase progress for some (many) of you on PC Game Pass. We hope that with this patch we'll be able to avoid any future progress loss due to Xbox App cloud save synchronization. We are, again, super sorry for this whole situation :(

News (December 24)

Dear PC Game Pass players,
The ongoing Xbox App cloud save issue is unfortunate and upsetting for everyone. For you, because you're losing hours of progress. And for us, because you can't experience the game in a way we intended.

As we shared in some previous announcements, we did receive confirmation from our Microsoft representative that this issue has been affecting other developers as well, and there are reports of other, newly released Game Pass titles affected by this issue, including Wartales.

Against the Storm doesn't have a cloud save feature itself. It saves files locally while the cloud save systems provided by the platform are responsible for storing, synching, and uploading the files. If the cloud save system provided by the platform encounters an error, it might result in data loss.

We reported the issue to a Microsoft representative and we were asked to advise players to submit bug reports with diagnostic data via Microsoft's Feedback Hub[docs.google.com]. This should provide the Microsoft team with more information about the nature of the cloud save issue and hopefully allow them to resolve it soon.

There's nothing we can do on our end to prevent Xbox App cloud save synchronization errors. However, we're now working on a system for the PC Game Pass version of the game that would create an extra layer of local save file backups and verify whether the Xbox App cloud save system worked correctly and loaded the latest files. If not, the game will ignore the files loaded by the Xbox App cloud save system and load local backups instead.

This would be a temporary, makeshift solution until the original cloud save issue is resolved. We're now working on the system and testing its first iterations. We aim to send the build to Microsoft certification within the next few days. Unfortunately, as we're in the middle of the holiday season, we don’t know how long it might take to get the build accepted and released to players.

Any changes to the save file system require extra caution, so we're looking into multiple test case scenarios to prevent further save file loss. We also continue to recommend taking frequent backups of the two folders:

• %userprofile%\appdata\locallow\Eremite Games
  
• %userprofile%\AppData\Local\Packages\HoodedHorse.AgainsttheStorm_znaey1dw2bdpr\SystemAppData\xgs

We will keep informing you about the progress and all other news. In the meantime, we also wish you happy holidays and hope that the cloud save issue won't cause you too much trouble.

News (December 20)

Dear PC Game Pass players,
We released a 1.0.2 Patch for Against the Storm, including a potential fix to the save-resetting issue on PC Game Pass. However, to fix the issue with cloud saves, we were asked to change our save structure.

Unlike on other platforms, on PC Game Pass, your main profile data is now stored in the DefaultProfile folder. While the game should automatically migrate the save files to the new folder, for some users this is blocked by the Xbox App Cloud Saves feature. To fix this manually, you need to ‘trick’ the Xbox App Cloud Saves system into accepting the saves.

Here’s a guide how to do it:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQGxOESeue60jb4PzCgBMFJP-g3Dz6Aj6Vr0ZPhPDPLAz2sqytptgmbEq_fuG4tv5-acX4FExn6bNXj/pub

In the article, we included detailed instructions and optional steps for some edge cases.

If you lost your progress before Patch 1.0.2 and were unable to restore it, we also created several custom save files for you which can help you recreate your progress.

Again, we sincerely apologize for this situation. Losing progress is a particularly frustrating experience and we empathize with all the players who have been affected by this issue. If you need any additional support following the instructions, we're ready to help, so please ask any questions in the ⁠✖⋯pc-game-pass channel on our Discord[discord.gg].

Thank you!

EDIT: The post was updated on December 20.

[GrandTowhee]

Progress Reset :(

Took a break from playing and when I came back all of my progress was gone and it started me at the tutorial. Anything I can do? Playing on GamePass.

[el Darkness]

Perhaps after you finish the tutorial you will still have your Citadel upgrades?

[GrandTowhee]

Originally posted by el Darkness:

Perhaps after you finish the tutorial you will still have your Citadel upgrades?

Nope unfortunately I skipped through the tutorial and nothing carried over. It was my first playthrough so I'm not sure what carries over, but all the deeds and upgrades had been reset.

[mostly willing]

did you play on a different computer before?

[GrandTowhee]

Originally posted by a mostly willing son:

did you play on a different computer before?

Nope..just the one. It had worked fine before this when coming back to my saved game. I don't know if my original progress is overwritten now because I only have the option to "save and quit"

[mostly willing]

you can write to eremite, they are usually pretty quick to respond. though I wouldn't count on them getting back to you before Monday

[GrandTowhee]

Originally posted by a mostly willing son:

you can write to eremite, they are usually pretty quick to respond. though I wouldn't count on them getting back to you before Monday

Cool thanks 😊

[GrandTowhee]

I restarted the PC and it's back, hooray!

[Anro]

Same happened to me. Unfortunately I wasn't as lucky: resetting my PC didn't help. And if you uninstall and then install the game again that wipes the save folder clean. Maybe it's Game Pass related, or maybe steam users will get lucky too eventually. Devs should definitely investigate.

[Flickenpiet]

Same happend to me. Also on Game Pass. Damn. :-/

[CPT Chthonbeard the Pirate]

Were you previously playing on experimental? Experimental specifically had a different save version that didn't carry over to the normal game. Experimental is gone now.

[jagholin]

The gamepass version is a little bit confused where it should look for saved games. Probably your save is still fine, the game just cant find it
There are 2 locations that you should check: %userprofile%\AppData\Local\Packages\HoodedHorse.AgainsttheStorm_znaey1dw2bdpr\SystemAppData\xgs
and
%userprofile%\appdata\locallow\Eremite Games\Against the Storm

Look at the timestamps of the files to figure out which save is which, and copy the one you need to the other location. (dont forget to make a backup as well of course). This might require some fiddling if the cloud storage decides being uncooperative.

[Sarek]

Originally posted by jagholin:

The gamepass version is a little bit confused where it should look for saved games. Probably your save is still fine, the game just cant find it
There are 2 locations that you should check: %userprofile%\AppData\Local\Packages\HoodedHorse.AgainsttheStorm_znaey1dw2bdpr\SystemAppData\xgs
and
%userprofile%\appdata\locallow\Eremite Games\Against the Storm

Look at the timestamps of the files to figure out which save is which, and copy the one you need to the other location. (dont forget to make a backup as well of course). This might require some fiddling if the cloud storage decides being uncooperative.

Thank you soo much ! I had the progress reset bug too and found my correct progress save in %userprofile%\AppData\Local\Packages\HoodedHorse.AgainsttheStorm_znaey1dw2bdpr\SystemAppData\xgs then I copy/paste it in %userprofile%\appdata\locallow\Eremite Games\Against the Storm and get my progress back.

Never had that problem before my last run where I saved&quit on the map before embark, perhaps it's safer to save on a colony for now ?

[walterneto]

Same happend to me. On Game Pass as well.

[Leisurely Luke]

Hey everyone! I created a new thread with more information about the issue and how to resolve it and merged the existing PC Game Pass threads into it to keep you all updated.

Originally posted by Leisurely Luke:

We received reports that some PC Game Pass players encountered a cloud save sync error where the cloud saves didn't load. If you launch the game and find that your recent progress is lost, please follow the solution below.

Solution: Please restart your PC. It will trigger the Xbox App cloud sync. After restarting the PC, you should be able to continue playing where you left off before opening the game with 0 progress.

We apologize for the trouble and we’ll work with our partners to make sure this can be avoided. We'll keep you updated in this thread.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience. We reached out to Microsoft support and we'll work on making sure this issue can be avoided. Thank you for your patience as we look into this!