Save file editing question (mission broken) (solved - new game started)

[Caleb!]

Can you set a mission as completed by editing the save file? I have a mission i cannot complete and have already come to the conclusion that the issue is not fixable so i'm wondering if i can set it as complete some how so i can continue the game?

The mission is the last HAT mission about handing in the contract to someone

[conrado.lacerda]

Originally posted by Caleb!:

The mission is the last HAT mission about handing in the contract to someone

What happened?

[Caleb!]

The station the guy was on got destroyed and they've rebuilt the station after 24 hours of seta but he has not returned and my guidance doesn't lead anywhere new

[Caleb!]

If anyone has any methods of fixing it i would really appreciate it :)

[🎮 PalkoVvodets 🔑]

Probably you haven't discovered station where plot npc is in yet. Try to make mission active (if it isn't) and communicate nearby ship captains to ask guidance.

[Caleb!]

I have tried that but you cannot ask for guidance. nothing comes up.

making it an active mission doesn't work

and it doesn't ask me to find a certain sector when active, there's just 0 guidance

[🎮 PalkoVvodets 🔑]

Originally posted by Caleb!:

I have tried that but you cannot ask for guidance. nothing comes up.

making it an active mission doesn't work

Without mission being active asking for guidance is senseless as dialogue script doesn't know what info it should provide for.

Originally posted by Caleb!:

making it an active mission doesn't work

and it doesn't ask me to find a certain sector when active, there's just 0 guidance

You said you can't make the mission active and then you mentioned that active mission doesn't provide guidance. Can you clarify that part?

[Caleb!]

Sorry, I can make the mission active and it comes up with the orange text at the bottom left "Give (weird guys long name) encrypted contract" but no directions to the place appear next to it like "Find (this sector)" etc

and when i comm someone they don't offer guidance to the mission when the mission is set to active.

The original station i met him on was destroyed and because it was off the edges of a hex it has now disappeared from the map so i can't even find go back and double check, i am assuming it hasn't been rebuilt due to the guidance not coming up at all.

This is after using seta for a full 24 hour period to try to make the game fix itself, haha

hopefully that makes sense, let me know if it doesn't, thank you for trying to help I really appreciate it.

[🎮 PalkoVvodets 🔑]

Its still hard to tell without deeper investigation of all details but it seems station indeed not yet rebuilt.
I don't know if it will lead to something, but you can try to look through your save file data for the:

Originally posted by Caleb!:

(weird guys long name)

Save file is an archive (is you have save compression turned on). You may unpack it with any archiver like free 7-zip or simply turn off compressing and make a save again.
I do recall similar story long ago when one of Egosoft staff dived deep into player's save file and found where person currently is. It was empty station plot. Player delivered construction materials and eventually got their meeting.

[Caleb!]

Well i have found 3 mentions of his name within the save file but i can't make sense of quite what is going on...

<objective step="2" type="deliver" text="Encrypted Contract to Mustris Gisnos Yolious II" active="1"/>
</briefing>
<objective step="2" type="deliver" text="Encrypted Contract to Mustris Gisnos Yolious II"/>


then in a completely different place i have this


<ref id="5662" string="Encrypted Contract to Mustris Gisnos Yolious II"/>

[Caleb!]

<mission id="622955" active="1" priority="34" time="528366.674" name="The Hand-Off" description="We're approaching the moment of truth where Scale Plate must hold up their end of the bargain. So far, all of Dal's advice has borne fruit and we will continue to rely on his insights in these final stages." icon="briefing_reen_omara_01" caption="Reen Omara" faction="hatikvah" type="plot" level="easy" abortable="0">

[Caleb!]

The mission ID comes up with 20 options but none seem to give any more information

[Caleb!]

I think my only option might be to use the custom new game to place my current money making station and everything else and then use the story selection bit to skip to the same story location

[🎮 PalkoVvodets 🔑]

look also for surrounding tags if any. Something like:

<object ID=...>
    <ref id="5662" string="Encrypted Contract to Mustris Gisnos Yolious II"/>
</object>

or something.

Its not like I know what to search. Just saying what I would have looked for as well.

Originally posted by Caleb!:

I think my only option might be to use the custom new game to place my current money making station and everything else and then use the story selection bit to skip to the same story location

If you don't worry about *modified* - yes, that is an option. As I doubt you've met enough thresholds to put that stuff in a new game via "budgeted start".

[Caleb!]

Im now playing on my new save but I wanted to drop back into this discussion and just say thank you for your help! I tried the egosoft forum and you were by far the most helpful so one last time thank you.