Game Save Corruption - Failure to Load - Message to Dev's

I've become aware over the last couple of days that there appears to be a large quantity of the fm playing community that have experienced a corrupt save game and subsequently received no other advice for their problem other than to simply start again.

For me, my recent corrupt game save was the first experience of this fault and I feel very strongly that this problem needs attention to be duly paid to it by the developers of Sports Interactive. In any other activity or a job in which someone had invested their own time, it would be unthinkable for the person/organization which maintained/stored the work done by someone to simply turn round and say that they must start again due to a fault which was in no way linked to the actions of the time investor.

Now I know that some people have faults with save games because they in some way interrupted the save mid-operation but in many cases - as in my own - the save is completed without any query and the game exited correctly and still the file will not load upon launch the next day.

In my own experience I have very little time to play the game each day and so for the game to be lost after so much time is invested I feel the assistance given is unacceptable. Now I'm not sure what messages everyone else gets when the file is corrupt but when I first load up the game it informs me that the last_saved_game.xml has a unidentified symbol in the first line which naturally leads me to think that there is a possible solution to the problem that can be countered in the coding. I myself have some experience with coding and am wondering if this has been attempted by anyone in the past and what the outcome was. But finally we arrive at the reason for this post which is directed primarily at the Dev's and it is a request to find out if there is a way one may take the save game file and edit the code, precisely, which application if any could decode the save game file and allow code editing?

All helpers are greatly appreciated and I hope there can finally be a solution found that can help all those whom have lost time put into their games.

Thanks in advance.

I've become aware over the last couple of days that there appears to be a large quantity of the fm playing community that have experienced a corrupt save game and subsequently received no other advice for their problem other than to simply start again.

For me, my recent corrupt game save was the first experience of this fault and I feel very strongly that this problem needs attention to be duly paid to it by the developers of Sports Interactive. In any other activity or a job in which someone had invested their own time, it would be unthinkable for the person/organization which maintained/stored the work done by someone to simply turn round and say that they must start again due to a fault which was in no way linked to the actions of the time investor.

Now I know that some people have faults with save games because they in some way interrupted the save mid-operation but in many cases - as in my own - the save is completed without any query and the game exited correctly and still the file will not load upon launch the next day.

In my own experience I have very little time to play the game each day and so for the game to be lost after so much time is invested I feel the assistance given is unacceptable. Now I'm not sure what messages everyone else gets when the file is corrupt but when I first load up the game it informs me that the last_saved_game.xml has a unidentified symbol in the first line which naturally leads me to think that there is a possible solution to the problem that can be countered in the coding. I myself have some experience with coding and am wondering if this has been attempted by anyone in the past and what the outcome was. But finally we arrive at the reason for this post which is directed primarily at the Dev's and it is a request to find out if there is a way one may take the save game file and edit the code, precisely, which application if any could decode the save game file and allow code editing?

All helpers are greatly appreciated and I hope there can finally be a solution found that can help all those whom have lost time put into their games.

Thanks in advance.

I can imagine that it must be very frustrating for you. You realise that there are rolling autosave options open to you to avoid exactly this issue?

A failure to write properly to the disk is not the fault of the game (the vast majority of users have no issues with this), but rather due to hardware fault or the actions of the user.

Use rolling autosave. Prevention is cheaper than the cure, and all that

I saw no prompt to do a "rolling save" when I started the game and thats still not helping people who have had this problem and want to get their game back.

Does anyone know how to decode the actual save game file itself?

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dismandia:

I saw no prompt to do a "rolling save" when I started the game and thats still not helping people who have had this problem and want to get their game back.

Does anyone know how to decode the actual save game file itself? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The thing is there are any number of reasons that this has happened and "decoding" the game file will more than likely not help.

If, for example, faulty data has been written into the save gamefile, where would you start looking for it?

The saved game contains a massive amount of data and you may still be looking for the resolution when FM09 comes out.

If, on the other hand, no data has been written to an area of the savegame where there should be data, same applies. What data would you put there?

I'm not trying to be harsh, as I understand your frustration, but the reality is, you have no choice but to start again.

Before you do though, I would suggest giving your PC some TLC.

Run RAM and Hard drive diagnostics, check for viruses and malware using a good scanner, defragment your hard drive and make sure no other programs are running at the same time as FM (including peer to peer download programs and anti-virus/malware programs).

Hopefully this should reduce the risk of it happening again.

Like I said I received a message saying that the fault was on line 1 of the save game so i guess that would be where I would start. I don't hold an immense amount of hope but it is something to try. Rolling over and giving in to starting a new game will be my last resort because I don't like the prospect of starting from the beginning after getting so far.

Actually, after just re-reading your post, have you tried using the standard load option and not just the Load Last Game option?

If not, try to load your save game this way instead and see if that works.

There HAS to be a solution for this. I've experienced this TWICE. I cannot be bothered to go back to this game now. I spent two weeks on one save game (I got into 2010) and it got corrupt.

F off SI.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by KingJimi:

There HAS to be a solution for this. I've experienced this TWICE. I cannot be bothered to go back to this game now. I spent two weeks on one save game (I got into 2010) and it got corrupt.

F off SI. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

you cannot blame SI for something which they have no control over, it is NOT their fault, it is the computer or user in 999 times out of 1000, SI problems would have been fixed by now in the patch, if you keep the default settings of the monthly 3 file rolling save then you have no problem, it is YOUR choice to remove those settings

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by llama3:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by KingJimi:

There HAS to be a solution for this. I've experienced this TWICE. I cannot be bothered to go back to this game now. I spent two weeks on one save game (I got into 2010) and it got corrupt.

F off SI. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

you cannot blame SI for something which they have no control over, it is NOT their fault, it is the computer or user in 999 times out of 1000, SI problems would have been fixed by now in the patch, if you keep the default settings of the monthly 3 file rolling save then you have no problem, it is YOUR choice to remove those settings </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I've twice had such corruptions, and I'm pretty sure what caused them.

When you close FM, even though you're back to desktop, and the game is no longer in the taskbar, if you look at Task Manager it is still running. Attempting to shut down, or run another memory-intensive task before it has properly closed has been my downfall.

Like other posts say, rolling autosave is essential as it adds peace of mind. Disconnect from the net. Shut down anti-virus (ZoneAlarm can really mess things up) and other non-essential applications that might interfere with the save procedure.

To me FM08 appears to be much more reliable in terms of save-game incorruptibility. In FM07 I never managed to get further than 5 or 6 seasons: very frustrating. Now, in 08, I'm currently 13 seasons into the game with no problems.

I have rolling save on but it doesn't work.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Sweet-Zombie-Jesus:

I have rolling save on but it doesn't work. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

thats for the bugs forum then

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by DJdeMarco:

Actually, after just re-reading your post, have you tried using the standard load option and not just the Load Last Game option?

If not, try to load your save game this way instead and see if that works. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

WHS. I had a crash dump whilst saving (ironically enough, i was away for a real dump at the time. Ahem.) the other day. I'd deleted my autosave files the night before, as i didn't think i'd need them. Anyway, my save was, unsurprisingly, corrupted, so i went into the general load option to load one of my other games and found a file called Dortmund(backup) existed beside my corrupt Dortmund game. The backup was the data from when i'd started playing that day. Dunno if that's specific to crash dumps during saves, but it might be worth a look at least.

In the past years I had around 3-4 corrupted saves. I hate it when it happens, cause it always happens to the really, really good saves.

But it's impossible to actually blame SI for it. If the PC has a hic-up during saving, it can get corrupted. For one of the corruptions, I actually know what happened. My virusscanner started running during the saving of FM. Needless to say it crashed during saving, thus losing the savegame.

Still I don't blame SI for it. It's software, nobody can program to prevent every little aspect that can go wrong. Which is usually what happens when a save gets corrupted, some little aspect that goes wrong.

Well they could start by using an open-source format for coding their game so if they fall short - which they have done so many times - then people like myself who have a hand in coding can fix it.

Microsoft's XML format sucks. It may be easy to edit but it sucks. And as for the saving problem being that of the PC, then consider that maybe the method of saving the game uses is cack. Anyway, I've restarted the game using rolling autosave, but I still can't be bothered. Bye FM 2008 and hello PES 2008 again.

999 times out of 1000 being the fault of the user or PC? Please, get a grip. I would have to back to the days of the 386 before I can recall getting corrupt save games despite closing down and following the right procedures.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Microsoft's XML format( </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes, MICROSOFT's XML format...

i have a weekly auto save on. Mainly because i often stand on the plug. but i also find that even though my save game hasnt corrupt FM says not responding, yet it still loads and afterwards plays and responds. Same happens when saving.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by KingJimi:

999 times out of 1000 being the fault of the user or PC? Please, get a grip. I would have to back to the days of the 386 before I can recall getting corrupt save games despite closing down and following the right procedures. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The simple fact is that most of the time, the problem is related to either hardware issues (failing RAM/Hard drives) or malware/software related.

I have not had a corrupt save game personally since FM 2005. That corruption was caused by bad sectors on my failing hard drive.

Malware or poorly written software on a users PC can be one of the biggest problems of all. These things are either designed to mess with your system in order for you to be extorted of $39.95 to fix the problem (causing programs to run slow or crash) or are just very poorly written and can have memory leaks which are able to overwrite an area of memory in use by FM causing the save game to be corrupted.

The halcyon days of the 386 are sadly behind us and what is left is usually a mess of an operating system that has many bugs itself leading to security holes. These holes are then exploited by wannabe programmers who obtain the source code of the original (badly written) malware program and edit it with their own particular brand of poor programming which is then spread around the globe infecting most family PC's.

This spread becomes further exacerbated by the apparent need for certain family members to use peer to peer networks and share their infected files worldwide.

I don't know a single person who experienced a problem with their 386 or 486 PC's running DOS with no internet access. At present, I see 30-odd PC's a week that are infected with malware and many issues with failing RAM (usually unbranded from the cheap PC market) and hard drives.

In my experience, as PC's have become faster, more widespread and are able to do many more things at the same time, there are far more possibilities for failures to occur than ever before. Add to that the fact that the cost of budget home PC's have dropped dramatically (increasing the number of them in the home and used by non-IT people) by using inferior components and you have an amazing amount of reasons for things to fail.

Now if FM2009 would run in DOS there would be a lot less circumstances where this could occur.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by KingJimi:

Yes, MICROSOFT's XML format... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Actually, it's w3c's XML format if we are getting pedantic.

There is also the possibility that your machine could no longer load the game because the save was too large for the machine to load.

The other thing to try is to run scandisk and defrag on your computer. Sometimes it helps.

The more data that is put into a save (through added features and more leagues), the bigger the chance of a corruption. It is possible the checksum failed and that's why they claim a failure on line one.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by DJdeMarco

The simple fact is that most of the time, the problem is related to either hardware issues (failing RAM/Hard drives) or malware/software related.

I have not had a corrupt save game personally since FM 2005. That corruption was caused by bad sectors on my failing hard drive.

Malware or poorly written software on a users PC can be one of the biggest problems of all. These things are either designed to mess with your system in order for you to be extorted of $39.95 to fix the problem (causing programs to run slow or crash) or are just very poorly written and can have memory leaks which are able to overwrite an area of memory in use by FM causing the save game to be corrupted.

The halcyon days of the 386 are sadly behind us and what is left is usually a mess of an operating system that has many bugs itself leading to security holes. These holes are then exploited by wannabe programmers who obtain the source code of the original (badly written) malware program and edit it with their own particular brand of poor programming which is then spread around the globe infecting most family PC's.

This spread becomes further exacerbated by the apparent need for certain family members to use peer to peer networks and share their infected files worldwide.

I don't know a single person who experienced a problem with their 386 or 486 PC's running DOS with no internet access. At present, I see 30-odd PC's a week that are infected with malware and many issues with failing RAM (usually unbranded from the cheap PC market) and hard drives.

In my experience, as PC's have become faster, more widespread and are able to do many more things at the same time, there are far more possibilities for failures to occur than ever before. Add to that the fact that the cost of budget home PC's have dropped dramatically (increasing the number of them in the home and used by non-IT people) by using inferior components and you have an amazing amount of reasons for things to fail.

Now if FM2009 would run in DOS there would be a lot less circumstances where this could occur. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Your failing hard drive is in your experience, for many others, including myself, that is very hard to come by - I built my PC just last December!! The point I'm trying to make is that there are other ways of coding this game, especially when all it is a huge interactive database. I bought this game just two weeks ago, and despite playing the demo and being quite impressed, it's starting to feel pointless. Well, £20 doesn't really hurt does it?

And yes, if you DO want to be "pedantic", XML is by W3C. But Microsoft have been trying to make it their own, first through Office, and by Internet Explorer 7. So there.