Corrupted and ereased save game?

[MrHero23]

Tried loading up one of my save games recently and it just showed up with an empty galaxy. Not just that, but i was stuck completely zoomed into system view mode, with nothing in the system. Zero resource production across the board, no other empires, no options, no flag, species, literally everything was zero'ed out and blank.

Only thing that stayed the same was galaxy time, which could now move at max speed on x3 as if starting from a brand new game. The galaxy and everything in it just seemed to be gone. Game also took less than a quarter second to load, as if there was nothing to load, like how fast it would load a fresh game.

I didnt download a patch or anything. No alt f4 or crash from last save. I had just played the game 2 hours before and quit normally since I play ironman mode.
Anyone else ran into this bug where it seemingly erases your save game, without actually deleting it? Any way to fix it in the future.

[The Green Bastard]

same thing just happened to me as well

[Steve32]

yes same thing for me really sucks dont want to play knowing this can happen at any time....

[Liquid]

yeah I just lost an iron save to these idiots

[Aadoniel]

Same issue here just a few minutes ago. All saves from my latest game are borked. No issues during game play a couple of hours ago. Exited the game and came back to an empty galaxy, no resources, no government and no planets.

[Nestor Oskar]

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥, same bollocks. ♥♥♥♥ paradox

[Benedictus]

Solution is HERE
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/stellaris-ironman-save-borked-hej-hej-policies-and-empty-galaxy-cepheus-3-4-2-7836.1525675/post-28275190]

• Basically, saved games are ZIP files, but they end with .sav
  
• Fastest way to edit them is to use installed program (free) 7-Zip
  
• You also will need a somewhat sophisticated text editor that can search for something with text before and after line feeds (I use notepad++ )

Here is the flaw - the number is always different, this is an example, but there should be a word or sting of htetters before the equal sign
Normally every instance of below has a variable name before the equals sign '='

flags={
           =64218240
        }

However the broken save game gamestate file has one or more broken flags=, where there is no variable name - so if your text file editor is good enough you can search for flags=(line feed then tab(s) then '='

1. install 7-zip if not already installed (or use your current ZIP type file program)
   
2. Open the saved game
   
3. Drag out of the zip the file named "gamestate"
   
4. Use a text editor on gamestate
   
5. Find a flaw within the gamestate file (which causes the failed load)
   
6. Find them, fix them, save the gamestate file
   
7. Drag and drop that fixed file back into the saved game you have opened in 7-zip
   
8. Then close 7-zip
   
9. Then open THAT repaired save game within stellaris

[Nestor Oskar]

Originally posted by mythic banana:

Solution is HERE
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/stellaris-ironman-save-borked-hej-hej-policies-and-empty-galaxy-cepheus-3-4-2-7836.1525675/post-28275190]

• Basically, saved games are ZIP files, but they end with .sav
  
• Fastest way to edit them is to use installed program (free) 7-Zip
  
• You also will need a somewhat sophisticated text editor that can search for something with text before and after line feeds (I use notepad++ )

Here is the flaw - the number is always different, this is an example, but there should be a word or sting of htetters before the equal sign
Normally every instance of below has a variable name before the equals sign '='

flags={
           =64218240
        }

However the broken save game gamestate file has one or more broken flags=, where there is no variable name - so if your text file editor is good enough you can search for flags=(line feed then tab(s) then '='

1. install 7-zip if not already installed (or use your current ZIP type file program)
   
2. Open the saved game
   
3. Drag out of the zip the file named "gamestate"
   
4. Use a text editor on gamestate
   
5. Find a flaw within the gamestate file (which causes the failed load)
   
6. Find them, fix them, save the gamestate file
   
7. Drag and drop that fixed file back into the saved game you have opened in 7-zip
   
8. Then close 7-zip
   
9. Then open THAT repaired save game within stellaris

Not that I understand much, nor does it help me, since I've already tilted and deleted stellaris, I, however, truly appriciate your comment which also might possibly help some1 else. Bless you, anon.

[Nestor Oskar]

Im ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ stupid, this isn't my topic, whatver

[gvrooyen]

Thanks, mythic_banana! I already lost a ~12h ironman game to this bug, when it again occurred ~25h into the very next game...

Solution worked perfectly. In my vim editor I could just search for a tab followed by an equals sign (/\t=), and make up a reasonable guess to what the original field name would have been. Then rezipped gamestate and meta to ironman.sav

I hope Paradox fixes the underlying bug, though.

[Fetstryk]

Nice solution, can Paradox fix this? I have lost several game files to this annoying bug. Would be fun to actually play a game to the end for once.

[Mrs Eats It]

Originally posted by mythic banana:

Solution is HERE
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/stellaris-ironman-save-borked-hej-hej-policies-and-empty-galaxy-cepheus-3-4-2-7836.1525675/post-28275190]

• Basically, saved games are ZIP files, but they end with .sav
  
• Fastest way to edit them is to use installed program (free) 7-Zip
  
• You also will need a somewhat sophisticated text editor that can search for something with text before and after line feeds (I use notepad++ )

Here is the flaw - the number is always different, this is an example, but there should be a word or sting of htetters before the equal sign
Normally every instance of below has a variable name before the equals sign '='

flags={
           =64218240
        }

However the broken save game gamestate file has one or more broken flags=, where there is no variable name - so if your text file editor is good enough you can search for flags=(line feed then tab(s) then '='

1. install 7-zip if not already installed (or use your current ZIP type file program)
   
2. Open the saved game
   
3. Drag out of the zip the file named "gamestate"
   
4. Use a text editor on gamestate
   
5. Find a flaw within the gamestate file (which causes the failed load)
   
6. Find them, fix them, save the gamestate file
   
7. Drag and drop that fixed file back into the saved game you have opened in 7-zip
   
8. Then close 7-zip
   
9. Then open THAT repaired save game within stellaris

how am i meant to do the whole finding bit, im using notepad ++

[Elitewrecker PT]

ctrl F ?

[Ayzure]

I have same "look-like" error save game recently, and i must repair it manually every time load into game.

The error syntax is "}=" then number(in my case it "}= 100000")
Above it is sr_runic_power = 100000
Under it is something like the 'above',
In the start '={' it said about something 'limit' for some resources.
Just use Notepad++ and ctrl+f and "sakadosh"( find }= ) you find the problem.

I have no idea for the reason why this error always occur every time i save the game.

I hope u all understand, because i dont speak english, lol, and somehow help to solve some problems.

I play Stellaris 3.10.4 with all dlcs and many mods installed.