Save game slots not working at all?

[DeadTaco]

I played for about 2 hours today, built a small cabin, and saved to two different slots and exited. I just started up the game, and there aren't any thumbnail images in the continue game slot menu. If I choose slot 1 or slot 2, nothing happens. It goes to a loading screen for all eternity.

Is this just me or is this a known bug? I'm not seeing much discussion about it.

I found the save game location here:
%userprofile%\AppData\LocalLow\SKS\TheForest\76561197970975131\SinglePlayer

Sometimes when you save, it places three files in a slot:
thumb.png
__RESUME__
info

and sometimes __RESUME__PREV

Other times when you save, it puts a __RESUME__PREV but nothing else, and then that save slot is no longer usable. I've confirmed this happens every time I save. As soon as I exit the game and restart, none of my saves work.

Ideas?

[DeadTaco]

Just confirmed that all of the files in the Slot# directories are erased as soon as you exit back to the main menu. I saved into Slot3, and saw that it placed the save game files in there. As soon as I went back to the main menu, the files disappeared. That's interesting....

If you save, save to every slot every time, and it may keep one or two and only delete a few if you're lucky.

[~*#Ink0gnit0#*~]

same Problem here

[Chocoyote]

well nothing new. they always release patches where half of the stuff doesnt work properly.

[Halls]

It's been working for me so far. Sorry to hear that though.

[BearHugs]

Happening to me as well, so frustrating to start over after all that work...that's early access for ya I gues...

[Octonightmare]

wont let me build raft in multiplayer or house boat

[Hardtimes]

It seems exiting to the main menu blows away two of the save files (info and thumb.jpg) and replaces __RESUME__ with __RESUME__prev, which doesn't preserve the save data. Exiting to Windows doesn't delete the save data and loads the saved game files as expected.

[DeadTaco]

Yep, that seems to be it. As long as you exit straight to Windows and not back to the main menu, the save games stay just fine. Good solution until the fix comes.

[Hardtimes]

Huh. The presence of __RESUME__prev seems to be a death sentence for the save slot. IOW, re-using the same save slot wipes out the original save data on the next game load if __RESUME__prev is present. I suppose you could do round robin save-slot rotation...

[weilah]

Same here... if exiting straight to Windows "fix" this... it's a good workaround while we wait. Going to test it right now!

[TheBear]

Not here oddly enough.
Both save files in slot 1 and 2 are still there.

I usually save, then exit to windows if i have to stop.
I never go back to the main menu first.

[Hardtimes]

Actually, can't trust exiting to Windows either it appears. Any attempt to re-use a save slot seems to annihilate the save data in that slot folder whether __RESUME__prev is in the folder or not. Which means once all the slots have been used, you're SOL.

[LCBlome99]

K, I just made 3 save slots (1,2, and 3) and exited straight to windows and save slot 1 was gone BUT save slots 2 and 3 were still there. So can you just make sure you have 2 save slots before you exit to windows?

[Survivalist]

Originally posted by Hardtimes:

.

Originally posted by TheBear:

Originally posted by weilah:

Originally posted by Hardtimes:

Originally posted by DeadTaco:

Originally posted by Hardtimes:

Originally posted by PackMan:

Originally posted by ich.com sie.net scha.de:

Originally posted by DeadTaco:

What AntiVirus, or other Utilities are you all using? If we can find a common factor betweeen you we might find the issue.

This patch introduced a backup feature which copies the save file to "__RESUME__prev" in case players need a backup for any reason and then writes the save data to __RESUME__.

I think some antivirus might misinterpret this with an attempt to hack/corrupt files and so quaranteens/delete the newly created file.

You can find the PREV File, copy paste it, and rename it to just __RESUME__ and you should have your save back
(Appdata>Locallow>SKS>The Forest)

Afterwards you can try temporarily disabling your antivirus software, or other utilities and see if this has any effect on saves staying, As we've been using this multiple save slot system internally for a while now with no issues on any of the Test Rigs.

[Hardtimes]

No AV products other than Windows Defender. No files quarantined. Game directory and Steam were installed under C:\Program Files for a while, then moved to D:\Games. Can't think of anything else that might be a cause.

EDIT: Just had four files (__RESUME__, __RESUME__prev, info, and thumb.png) in the Slot1 directory after starting a new game, saving, and then exiting to Windows. Loaded the game, chose to continue, cancelled before attempting to load the save, and exited to Windows. __RESUME__prev is the only file left. Seems like the files were deleted at game start or upon selecting Continue.

EDIT 2: Renamed __RESUME__prev to __RESUME__ and attempted to load it without success. Slot1 directory is now empty.