I Quit! I will not play this game again!

[Chillidog]

I have tried every which way to Sunday to try and "restore" from a "backup" without success. I keep getting the same error message --- "RESTORE_DIALOG:::start_restore - could not create target folder" (sorry the game will not allow me to take a screen shot for this)

it asks select folder (there is only 1 option in the "box" I select this, I type the the route to the folder league when it asks for it. without any success

this is very very very frustrating ---- and it seems that unless you are a "computer nerd" programmer/specalists, us (me) computer idiot can not restore a backed up game. I have no problems with other games, this seems to me to be a MUCH OVER COMPLICATED process.

Unless someone can simplify this process for me, I am finished! will not play this game any more or purchase any future versions, Sorry, but I have invested so much time in this game and now can not retrieve a backup, that it has me totally bummed, frustrated and fed up with this process!

[JMDurron]

Make sure you are restoring to a folder name that is not already taken by an existing league. In my experience, you can't restore your league over an existing league file, which is odd in terms of thinking about backup/restore processes in general.

[mitchkenn]

couple of questions .... did you manually make a back-up (not an auto save from the game)?

where did you save it to and what is it called?

once you locate that file (using "select Folder" when it pops up) you next need to type the new name in the bottom box - which as JMDurron pointed out needs to be a new name. i do not believe you need to type an actual path, as it will put the restored game in same folder. (i'm not at my game computer, so doing this from a foggy memory.....)

then you need to go to load games after your restore, and load the restored game, as it will default to the previous (old game).

key is to have actually made a back-up, and locate where it is and then giving the restore a new name. Good luck.

[Déjà Bru]

It has been a consistent theme in my career to be frustrated with program error messages that may make all the sense in the world to the programmers but are indecipherable by the average user.

In this case, a simple statement such as "Cannot overwrite existing league files - enter new folder name" would be much more helpful than "RESTORE_DIALOG:::start_restore - could not create target folder." I don't know how it would be done, but I am sure that it could be done if programmers gave the time and made the effort.

[RchW]

Step by step

OOTP defaults to the ../data/backups folder. I suggest you have a specific folder for each game then select it. In this case ColFict 2077.

[RchW]

Backup existing game to the chosen backup folder. File name will be the same as saved game name. It would be nice if OOTP would allow file name changes at this step but it's easy to do in any file manager.

[RchW]

Restore from backup

First select your previously created backup folder.

Then rename the file for your restored league.

Then start Restore

[RchW]

By default a restored file is placed in your saved games folder. If you put it somewhere else it probably wont load as OOTP expects the same folder locations as any other saved game.

Load your restored backup just like any other saved game.

[RchW]

An easier way to restore backup files is to rename them with some identifier such as "my league" with"after ST" or "season end" added to the filename. Then use a zip file utility to store on an external drive. To restore these backups, copy the zip file to the saved games folder and unzip it. The backup can be opened like any other saved game if the filename is unique.

FWIW I've never had a backup fail unless it was an already corrupt save game file. Amazingly I've actually made a few backups of what I thought were "bad" files that have restored and worked just fine

Just my experience. YMMV.

[mitchkenn]

RchW - excellent! i've done restores in the past, infrequently but more often than i'd like to admit, and always have to stop and think myself through the steps. i'm bookmarking this thread for future reference (for myself mostly!) Thanks.

[Déjà Bru]

Rich, nice going, thanks.

[The Game]

Got a feeling he doesn't have a back up to restore from.

[Westheim]

... and if I had five dollars for every time I vowed to never play this game again ...

[Lord PichuPal]

I learned the hard way about needing backups as well, after OOTP 17 almost refused to import my save from 16 because of who knows why. Eventually I did manage to get it working with help from the devs, but I quickly learned "Backups are required." So I've started to try and keep one at least before the season begins for my main league I'm running.

[mitchkenn]

Originally Posted by Lord PichuPal

I learned the hard way about needing backups as well, after OOTP 17 almost refused to import my save from 16 because of who knows why. Eventually I did manage to get it working with help from the devs, but I quickly learned "Backups are required." So I've started to try and keep one at least before the season begins for my main league I'm running.

i lost 50 years of mixed fictional/historical/Negro Leagues once due to no backups. Now i back up after each session, and 2 or 3 times a year, i make a zip back-up of my league folder. Overkill? Well, i don't want to be in the sunk boat again! Yes sir, back-ups are essential!

[NoOne]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

It has been a consistent theme in my career to be frustrated with program error messages that may make all the sense in the world to the programmers but are indecipherable by the average user.

In this case, a simple statement such as "Cannot overwrite existing league files - enter new folder name" would be much more helpful than "RESTORE_DIALOG:::start_restore - could not create target folder." I don't know how it would be done, but I am sure that it could be done if programmers gave the time and made the effort.

that's just a cout or whatever - it displays a string of text based on didn't work correctly. it's just feedback. they could have that error read display "one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish" if they wanted to with a simple "find and replace" in the source code -- i'm assuming that specific order of words doesn't occur elsewhere, and if it does needs to be changed there too. (multiple things can cause the same error in some instances). literally a few seconds to edit the code then however long to rebuild parts affected or the whole thing again.

but.... here's how to read it and maybe more clear?

function::error code - it's nice they even mention the function having the problem too instead of "error code:112658" that requires a reference index.

Start_restore is the function called (assuming the label matches or at least similar). you click Restore and the code jumps to the function that performs those related actions. then you have the error message. "could not create target folder" which is pretty clear where to look for the problem, in my opinion, but each to their own.

what other conclusions are being drawn here? somewhat rhetorical, but i also have alot more experience with computers than others... i could easily overlook something that isn't obvious to others... just struggling to see it here.

i've sat there and been pi#$%ed too, and then bonk myself in the forehead when i realize i didn't type in a name for the backup or something stupid -- in other words 100% user error. everythign is labeled correctly... what else can they do?

there's a manual.. instead of freaking out do a google search or something.
______________

like rich i append the game year that way i also know chronology without loading them up. (and a 01, 02 if multiples in same year for some odd reason - usually only during initial setup, i do it in stages so that when/if i make a mistake i don't have to redo all my changes), you don't need to retain them in perpetuity... i delete all but the 2 most recent ones, which are usually 1 season apart. if i do anything that requires alot of work and effort i will make a backup immediately, too. same with any settings changes.

About corrupt saves and losing entire leagues:

For those constantly needing to restore a backup or running into problems more than once per 2 years or any longer length of time.. have you ever run a "windows optimizer" or something? those stupid programs turn off some features of windows thta prevent loss of data when you turn off your computer... instead of finishing writes from RAM you simply lose it immediately when the computer shuts down faster. by default and for good reason, it will wait upto X seconds (think 20 is default? it's in the registry) before terminating the process to shut down.

that's not the only possibility with those really really stupid "optimizers" LoL... never use one, they are a gimmick and cause problems while doing almost nothing to benefit you. if you have messed with any group policies, registry entries or any basic windows setting regarding your PC shutting down or somehow affect data integrity, you should revert those changes too. -- Write Cache - look into it, make sure the option that does not warn you about data loss is the one choosen. right-click hard drive - properties you'll find it in there.

when something hangs... do not mash on the keyboard or click around on your screen.... what may have been just a delay now becomes a crash at your hands. walk away for 5minutes if neccessary, or longer iwth an older pc, and then if still stuck, you might as well cancel the process and likely lose data from last save, too.

i've had some saved games get corrupted, but i'm fairly certain it was related to my activities, but maybe not too.

if you have a ton of TSRs (oops showing my age doubt they are referred to in this way now, lol)... if you have any "junk" software runing in the background at all times, turn that crap off. AV real-time protection (anti-virus) is only needed if you are going to some shady porn site or something else really stupid without any adblockers and other plugins running on your browser, lol. after that you should go hire a hoo%er and not use a condom whle you are at it. run all that stuff 1/month and forget about it in between. i don't think i've seen a virus on any of my PCs in more than a decade. i try to run it 1/mo. but nowadays it's 2-3 times a year, lol.

not just the invasive AV softweare though... any update crap that constantly runs... instead get in a habit of manually clicking "check update" when you load those programs.

the av stuff is key because it can @#% up read/writes of perfectly normal programs. it's a security blanket that makes people feel safe but is nearly useless in function. so, get all those program icons around your clock to not load when the computer starts or at the least turn all that sh%$# off when you load ootp. you'll have better luck saving and restoring games -- especially if you have an older/slow computer.

[bwburke94]

Should we get a compilation of ragequit threads or something?

[NoOne]

only if they are 30+

not that a 20-something has an excuse, it's just a bit more likely to occur. as you age, there's no excuse for acting like that. everyone can have a bad moment/day too, but if it occurs more than 1/many years ... guess what... it's not a bad moment or day it is you.

takes one to know one... constant struggle. i do it on the golf course too often, lol. i don't quit though.

[One Post Wonder]

Unless someone can simplify this process for me, I am finished! will not play this game any more or purchase any future versions, Sorry, but I have invested so much time in this game and now can not retrieve a backup, that it has me totally bummed, frustrated and fed up with this process!

I've been there more than once, brother. I think this is how I parted ways with every version of OOTP from OOTP 8 (maybe 6.5) to OOTP13. My post history back then was as regular as the tides - a few questions and good discussions about the game, a meltdown after a ruined league, and then I'd disappear. And sometimes it took as long as a year, but I always come back.

To give OOTP its due, I haven't had any leagues shot out from under me in OOTP14 and anything newer. Either I was really unlucky before, really lucky now, or they've improved the code in some way.

OOTP is a great game. You got unlucky. I'm sure you'll be enthusiastic again before too long.

[One Post Wonder]

Regarding backups; for you guys, even if you have a backup from say, the beginning of the year, isn't it completely demoralizing to have to play the past few months over again?

Even if I had a good backup it would take me a long time to suck it up and replay the same stuff again. Is that just me?