Autosaves

[DrNorbet]

I just accidentally overwritten my main game with a sandbox game I used to make blueprints. The autosaves are limited to 3 so I couldn't "go back" and reload the game and save it properly. I've lost a good few hours.

Is it possible that when overwriting games with a game that had a different start, can it be programmed to put the overwritten game in the recycle bin, or maybe have an option to increase the count of autosaves so history could be fetched?

Thanks

[Fel]

There is an option to increase the amount of auto saves but it is hidden by default.
I think there is a way to force the ingame menu to show more entries but you can also edit the config.ini by removing the ";" before "autosave-slots=3" then changing the 3 for whatever number you want.

Keep in mind that factorio's save files can become quite big, so having too many of them can fill up your main drive (especially if it's an SSD).

[ShutEye_DK]

Originally posted by Fel:

...
I think there is a way to force the ingame menu to show more entries ...
...

CTRL+ALT-Click on "Settings".

Edit: By doing this, there will be a "The Rest" option under "Settings".

[DrNorbet]

Originally posted by Fel:

There is an option to increase the amount of auto saves but it is hidden by default.
I think there is a way to force the ingame menu to show more entries but you can also edit the config.ini by removing the ";" before "autosave-slots=3" then changing the 3 for whatever number you want.

Keep in mind that factorio's save files can become quite big, so having too many of them can fill up your main drive (especially if it's an SSD).

Thanks I'll try this and keep the consequences in mind. It would be cool if they moved the overwritten game to the recycle bin if it didn't originate from the same start

[Galileus]

Originally posted by DrNorbet:

Originally posted by Fel:

There is an option to increase the amount of auto saves but it is hidden by default.
I think there is a way to force the ingame menu to show more entries but you can also edit the config.ini by removing the ";" before "autosave-slots=3" then changing the 3 for whatever number you want.

Keep in mind that factorio's save files can become quite big, so having too many of them can fill up your main drive (especially if it's an SSD).

Thanks I'll try this and keep the consequences in mind. It would be cool if they moved the overwritten game to the recycle bin if it didn't originate from the same start

That would VERY quickly add a ton of trash volume used up for all other players though.

As much as its a shame you did an oops, you did an oops. No amount of safeproofing will help that.

[DrNorbet]

Originally posted by Somewhat Frontal Admiral:

That would VERY quickly add a ton of trash volume used up for all other players though.

As much as its a shame you did an oops, you did an oops. No amount of safeproofing will help that.

It won't take up as much space as you think, if it is only putting it in the recycling bin when you overwrite a game having a different start. If you were to overwrite and it's the same game, no recycle bin required. Besides, you can always empty the recycling bin

[Galileus]

What if you dont expect to overwrite your save gane and empty the bin? Should Factorio keep a restore point of recycle bin?

Should windows use iterative recycle bins?

Point is, at some point you need to be responsibke for your own actions.

[Chindraba]

The game (or the system, not sure which) does warn you when you give it a new name to save under which is already on disk. That one warning, which requires a decision of continue/cancel or yes/no should be enough of an alert to prevent such mistakes. Alternatively, download .ZIP version and install it in a different place. Use the Steam version for "play" and the new install for "sandbox". The saves will be in different directories and you cannot overwrite either one with the other.

[DrNorbet]

Originally posted by Chindraba:

The game (or the system, not sure which) does warn you when you give it a new name to save under which is already on disk. That one warning, which requires a decision of continue/cancel or yes/no should be enough of an alert to prevent such mistakes. Alternatively, download .ZIP version and install it in a different place. Use the Steam version for "play" and the new install for "sandbox". The saves will be in different directories and you cannot overwrite either one with the other.

Yea, I noticed it did. But I didn't get a prompt this time which makes me wonder if I over written it already

[AlexMBrennan]

That one warning, which requires a decision of continue/cancel or yes/no should be enough of an alert to prevent such mistakes.

Yes, clearly no human has ever made a mistake before...

And yes, game developers try to stop players from screwing themselves over accidentally - that is why Blizzard makes you type in your character's full name when you want to delete the character.

Alternatively, download .ZIP version and install it in a different place. Use the Steam version for "play" and the new install for "sandbox". The saves will be in different directories and you cannot overwrite either one with the other.

Cool, now I just need to take a screenshot of the intersection I build in the sandbox copy and rebuild it exactly in regular Factorio - how very convenient!

[DrNorbet]

Having autosaves per actual save would be an awesome feature.

Originally posted by AlexMBrennan:

Cool, now I just need to take a screenshot of the intersection I build in the sandbox copy and rebuild it exactly in regular Factorio - how very convenient!

You can press the blue plus at the bottom, highlight it, save it to your inventory, press the export to string button, save it somewhere if you want or have it in the clipboard, then press the import string near where the blue plus is in your other game

[ShutEye_DK]

Originally posted by DrNorbet:

Having autosaves per actual save would be an awesome feature.
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That would be nice!

[Chindraba]

Originally posted by ShutEye_DK:

Originally posted by DrNorbet:

Having autosaves per actual save would be an awesome feature.
...

That would be nice!

That would fill up my disk way too fast. I make a new save several times per day when playing long sessions. Some days as many as a dozen. Imagine the disk space for 3 autosaves for 10 saves per day for a week of gaming.

Now the ugly part. For the OP, once he wrote the current testing save over the good games save, it became the good game and from then on the autosave would be writing over the autosaves which were intended to "save" him from the error anyway.

[DrNorbet]

Originally posted by Chindraba:

Originally posted by ShutEye_DK:

That would be nice!

Now the ugly part. For the OP, once he wrote the current testing save over the good games save, it became the good game and from then on the autosave would be writing over the autosaves which were intended to "save" him from the error anyway.

Yes, but if you've only just realised, then you can still have a chance of getting your game back. I still think that when you overwrite, it would be cool if it was put in your recycle bin. I'm sure about you guys but I only overwrite as mistake - I tend to delete old games

[Chindraba]

I've made a few installs and launch the version I need for what I'm doing. The testing and design work can't access the main game saves to overwrite anything. The main game install doesn't have the design mods installed, so I can't even "quickly switch" to a testing game. Set up my own fences and it keeps me from making most such mistakes.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2958621152

[ShutEye_DK]

Originally posted by Chindraba:

Originally posted by ShutEye_DK:

That would be nice!

That would fill up my disk way too fast. I make a new save several times per day when playing long sessions. Some days as many as a dozen. Imagine the disk space for 3 autosaves for 10 saves per day for a week of gaming.

...

Can't as I don't know how big your saves are.

_IF_ they are around 200MB it would amount to something like 42GB a week.
Maybe you are running low on storage (or has much larger saves - those 200MB was just a random guess), but that would not be something I would see as an issue. My current PC has 7+TB of storage - and more comes relatively cheap.

But the behaviour should be configurable, of course.

Originally posted by Chindraba:

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Now the ugly part. For the OP, once he wrote the current testing save over the good games save, it became the good game and from then on the autosave would be writing over the autosaves which were intended to "save" him from the error anyway.

OP could have 10 autosaves with an interval of 30 mins configured.
MAYBE OP would realize before it was too late then.

But in the end you are right. It's better not to ♥♥♥♥ up :)