Six years down the drain; ode to backing up your league

Cardinal Rule · 05-02-2005, 05:34 PM

This weekend I was simming out some games in a league I had started from the 1998 season. I was GM'ing the Cards and had made it into June of the 2006 season, having switched to fictional players after '03. In the 7 seasons of play, my Cardinals had never made it to the World Series although they lost in the LCS 4 of those seasons. The '04 and '05 seasons were spent rebuilding a pitching staff that had been decimated by injuries and mediocrity and finally looked poised to make the run in '06. I signed Vicente Padilla in '05, AJ Burnett in '06, and traded for Barry Zito before the '06 season, so I figured with a Big 3 plus a pretty solid offense featuring Mark Sweeney, Albert Pujols (in LF), a matured Ryan Freel (great OBP), a great young fictional draftee 3b, and Scott Podsednik as the lead-off, we were bound to make it a great year - best chance yet to get to the WS. Padilla and Zito were cruising through April and May, Sweeney and Pujols delivering big hits, and the Cards in front by 6 games to end May. I'm stoked, thinking finally it was all going to come together. Then I get a note from the kind folks at ZoneAlarm telling me that an update was available. I of course immediately move to close OOTP and other open programs and start dowloading the update. I finish installing it, click to re-start my system as necessary for the update to finish, and walk away from my PC for a moment to refresh my beverage. I come back just in time to see the dialog box saying Windows was closing OOTP for me. I tried to stop it but was too late. Only then did I realize that instead of closing OOTP, I had only minimized it. Sure enough, upon re-booting I discovered that my league was toast - every stat gone. I went to restore the backup, knowing I had been a little lax in backing up but figuring it was the only thing I could do. Turns out I was more than just a little lax - I had gone through 6 seasons without backing up, so I was back to the beginning of the 2000 season. I just didn't have the heart to continue - I tried and got a few games into the 2000 season and just decided to scrap it.

I've read accounts on this forum about the demise of many a league, but always thought it just wouldn't happen to me. But it can happen to you!

The moral of the story is backup your leagues every chance you get. You never know when you'll need it.

bulldog55 · 05-02-2005, 05:41 PM

I took over the Devil Rays and took them to the World Series in three seasons. In the middle of the World Series, the game crashed and I lost the league. It was the most improbable of playoff runs and my most recent backup was the end of the regular season. I knew odds were well against us of doing that again and it just didn't feel right to continue, so I just scrapped the league.

seth70liz76 · 05-02-2005, 05:44 PM

I've been backing up and burning a copy of the .lg folder onto a CD after each season. This is the first "long-term" league I've tried, and too many horror stories from others have convinced me to be over prepared than under prepared.

Maximus · 05-02-2005, 06:10 PM

Wow amn, that sucks.

jeheinz72 · 05-02-2005, 06:18 PM

I'd also advocating backups, very regularly. I lost a league 24 seasons in. Not that I didn't back up, but I didn't often enough. I had it in 2022 (22 in) but still the thought of losing 2 years I had already done crushed me. I'm at the point now where I backup after the season and AS Break.

thomamon · 05-02-2005, 06:23 PM

Oh man, I felt horrible after losing a league after a season and a half. It's tough, sorry to hear it.

How about a utility that backs up all leagues once a week or so?

Tom

Malleus Dei · 05-02-2005, 06:46 PM

I have said this over and over, I will say it again: if you play OOTP, then BACK UP YOUR LEAGUES EARLY AND OFTEN. Don't even think that it can't happen to you.

These days I even back up to CD's and store a copy elsewhere.

Signed,

A Guy Who Once Lost A League That He Misses A Great Deal

P.S. Oh, and watch the infomercial at http://www.backuptrauma.com/

jazzrack · 05-02-2005, 06:48 PM

crashes are just a good excuse to go onto the next bigger, better idea

jeheinz72 · 05-02-2005, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazzrack

crashes are just a good excuse to go onto the next bigger, better idea

This is very true. I took my fictional universe that I mentioned I lost and was playing on OOTP 5 and just 2 nights ago setup an expanded version (original 24 + 8 new teams) on OOTP6. Talk about a challenge, more teams, plus now I've got it on 1-20 ratings. What a difference....

Vezna31 · 05-02-2005, 06:53 PM

I backup with every month's progression of a season. If I ever have a crash, the most I would lose out of any of my leagues would be 1 month. I can deal with that. I once lost 1.5 years of a league and now back up regularly. Like MD says, early and often!!!

jazzrack · 05-02-2005, 06:55 PM

i lose all intrest in a league if i have to replay more than a week, so i don't bother backing up.

BUT THAT IS JUST ME! YOUR EXPERIENCE WILL BE DIFFERENT

jtb · 05-02-2005, 07:21 PM

my condolences cardinalsrule. I think most of us that have been playing a while have had similar experiences. I hope your next venture is equally compelling and fun.

Vris · 05-02-2005, 07:24 PM

I'm with you jazzrack. Crashes just lead to better ideas. It's OOTP's way of telling you "That idea sucked and you're going to pay for it!".

I rarely back up. Only because I'm lazy and I can think of other things I want to put on my CDs. I don't need 50 CDs of OOTP leagues laying around that I'll never play.

DaveHorn · 05-02-2005, 07:47 PM

I backup before every sim, its a simple one line batch command and produces files that are between 3 to 7 MBs depending upon the time of the season. I save these files aside as rolling backups all season long and then at the completion of a successful season will save the end of season file as my archive.

Strongly advise anyone to do the same if you don't want to lose all your work and data.

Malleus Dei · 05-02-2005, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveHorn

Strongly advise anyone to do the same if you don't want to lose all your work and data.

Well, clearly there are those who don't have much invested in their leagues and don't mind losing them. However, all of the the rest of you, remember: BACK UP EARLY AND OFTEN.

Comedian2004 · 05-02-2005, 07:56 PM

Tips on backing up:

Create a batch file that will do it for you automatically. Have the batch file switch to the league folder and zip up each folder. Skip on the photos, as they can be backed up on their own. They do not change by the program.

Zip the file up into a different folder. You could even get creative and have it create a folder based on the date and have a different backup every season.

This way, when you close your game, you just double click on the icon on the desktop and watch it work. This is better than the backup built into the program, as the files are zipped up, taking less room to store and or transport.

If someone wants a sample batch file, let me know.

Malleus Dei · 05-02-2005, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Comedian2004

If someone wants a sample batch file, let me know.

Why don't you post one? It might help somebody out.

Eugene Church · 05-03-2005, 01:01 AM

Heartbreaking, Cardinal Rule...sorry to hear you lost it.

This happened to me on a league I spent six months setting up...it involved 4 leagues and 2000 MLB greats all researched and with pretty accurate ratings.

I didn't feel like starting again, but I did...and things worked out even better.

Try it again after a period of grief.

Now I always back up every two to four weeks of a season.

DaveHorn · 05-03-2005, 01:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Malleus Dei

Why don't you post one? It might help somebody out.

Here is mine very simple but gets the job done. Requires winrar which is my preferred zip program.

Save it to a file called ootpbackup.cmd and put it in your OOTP directory and of course change directories and filenames where appropriate.

Code:

set path=%path%;c:\program files\winrar
winrar a -r "Hit For The Cycle%1.zip" @ootpfiles.lst

ootpfiles.lst is nothing more than another file which simply tells winrar what files to archive. Mine simply tells it to store all the dat and txt files, besides boxscores/gamelogs they are the only thing that can not be regenerated. Boxscores and gamelogs can not generally be corrupted AND they take up a ton of space and require a ton of time to archive, so I don't archive them until the completion of a season. Take this file and save it in your ootp directory and of course change the .lg to your own league name.

Code:

"Hit For The Cycle.lg\*.dat"
"Hit For The Cycle.lg\*.txt"

So that is it. You modify and put these two files in you OOTP directory. Open a DOS box go to your OOTP directory and type

Code:

ootpbackup 20050502

And away it goes. "20050502" is nothing more than a descriptor that can be whatever you want it to be.

asamford · 05-03-2005, 03:28 AM

I never backup... but then, I don't let fear dictate my life.

05-02-2005, 05:34 PM	#1
Cardinal Rule All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Omaha Posts: 1,199	Six years down the drain; ode to backing up your league This weekend I was simming out some games in a league I had started from the 1998 season. I was GM'ing the Cards and had made it into June of the 2006 season, having switched to fictional players after '03. In the 7 seasons of play, my Cardinals had never made it to the World Series although they lost in the LCS 4 of those seasons. The '04 and '05 seasons were spent rebuilding a pitching staff that had been decimated by injuries and mediocrity and finally looked poised to make the run in '06. I signed Vicente Padilla in '05, AJ Burnett in '06, and traded for Barry Zito before the '06 season, so I figured with a Big 3 plus a pretty solid offense featuring Mark Sweeney, Albert Pujols (in LF), a matured Ryan Freel (great OBP), a great young fictional draftee 3b, and Scott Podsednik as the lead-off, we were bound to make it a great year - best chance yet to get to the WS. Padilla and Zito were cruising through April and May, Sweeney and Pujols delivering big hits, and the Cards in front by 6 games to end May. I'm stoked, thinking finally it was all going to come together. Then I get a note from the kind folks at ZoneAlarm telling me that an update was available. I of course immediately move to close OOTP and other open programs and start dowloading the update. I finish installing it, click to re-start my system as necessary for the update to finish, and walk away from my PC for a moment to refresh my beverage. I come back just in time to see the dialog box saying Windows was closing OOTP for me. I tried to stop it but was too late. Only then did I realize that instead of closing OOTP, I had only minimized it. Sure enough, upon re-booting I discovered that my league was toast - every stat gone. I went to restore the backup, knowing I had been a little lax in backing up but figuring it was the only thing I could do. Turns out I was more than just a little lax - I had gone through 6 seasons without backing up, so I was back to the beginning of the 2000 season. I just didn't have the heart to continue - I tried and got a few games into the 2000 season and just decided to scrap it. I've read accounts on this forum about the demise of many a league, but always thought it just wouldn't happen to me. But it can happen to you! The moral of the story is backup your leagues every chance you get. You never know when you'll need it. __________________ "Go Crazy Folks!" Jack Buck Last edited by Cardinal Rule; 05-02-2005 at 05:36 PM.

05-02-2005, 05:41 PM	#2
bulldog55 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: California's Canada Warnings: 17 Posts: 2,481	I took over the Devil Rays and took them to the World Series in three seasons. In the middle of the World Series, the game crashed and I lost the league. It was the most improbable of playoff runs and my most recent backup was the end of the regular season. I knew odds were well against us of doing that again and it just didn't feel right to continue, so I just scrapped the league. __________________ Commissioner, Trans-Continental Base Ball Association Owner/GM, Los Angeles Electrics (TCBA), Beaverton Rangers (OTBL), Portland Mavericks (Union League), and Los Angeles Superbas (Century League) Being smart, don't always make you popular.

05-02-2005, 05:44 PM	#3
seth70liz76 All Star Starter Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 1,634	I've been backing up and burning a copy of the .lg folder onto a CD after each season. This is the first "long-term" league I've tried, and too many horror stories from others have convinced me to be over prepared than under prepared. __________________ It was a mistake to come back.

05-02-2005, 06:18 PM	#5
jeheinz72 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Fresno, CA Posts: 2,164	I'd also advocating backups, very regularly. I lost a league 24 seasons in. Not that I didn't back up, but I didn't often enough. I had it in 2022 (22 in) but still the thought of losing 2 years I had already done crushed me. I'm at the point now where I backup after the season and AS Break. __________________ Join The Dugout!

05-02-2005, 06:23 PM	#6
thomamon Global Moderator Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NJ Posts: 5,274	Oh man, I felt horrible after losing a league after a season and a half. It's tough, sorry to hear it. How about a utility that backs up all leagues once a week or so? Tom __________________ Thomas A. Montalto Please check out my Stupid Little Blog - http://www.stupidlittleblog.com

05-02-2005, 06:10 PM	#4
Maximus Major Leagues Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 417	Wow amn, that sucks.

05-02-2005, 06:48 PM	#8
jazzrack Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: still kicking Posts: 3,229	crashes are just a good excuse to go onto the next bigger, better idea __________________ . "Never confuse composure for ease" Was once Head Cheese of Corporate League Baseball

05-02-2005, 06:53 PM	#10
Vezna31 All Star Starter Join Date: May 2004 Location: Wherever My VPN says Posts: 1,989	I backup with every month's progression of a season. If I ever have a crash, the most I would lose out of any of my leagues would be 1 month. I can deal with that. I once lost 1.5 years of a league and now back up regularly. Like MD says, early and often!!! __________________ Owner/Operator - Vezna Financial Services - Accounting and taxes.

05-02-2005, 06:55 PM	#11
jazzrack Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: still kicking Posts: 3,229	i lose all intrest in a league if i have to replay more than a week, so i don't bother backing up. BUT THAT IS JUST ME! YOUR EXPERIENCE WILL BE DIFFERENT __________________ . "Never confuse composure for ease" Was once Head Cheese of Corporate League Baseball

05-02-2005, 07:21 PM	#12
jtb All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 595	my condolences cardinalsrule. I think most of us that have been playing a while have had similar experiences. I hope your next venture is equally compelling and fun.

05-02-2005, 07:24 PM	#13
Vris Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: somewhere where I don't know where I am Posts: 3,251	I'm with you jazzrack. Crashes just lead to better ideas. It's OOTP's way of telling you "That idea sucked and you're going to pay for it!". I rarely back up. Only because I'm lazy and I can think of other things I want to put on my CDs. I don't need 50 CDs of OOTP leagues laying around that I'll never play. __________________ None Blog it.

05-02-2005, 07:47 PM	#14
DaveHorn All Star Starter Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 1,146	I backup before every sim, its a simple one line batch command and produces files that are between 3 to 7 MBs depending upon the time of the season. I save these files aside as rolling backups all season long and then at the completion of a successful season will save the end of season file as my archive. Strongly advise anyone to do the same if you don't want to lose all your work and data. __________________ Dave HFTC Commish

05-02-2005, 07:56 PM	#16
Comedian2004 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: In a house in Saint Cloud, Florida. Posts: 7,085	Tips on backing up: Create a batch file that will do it for you automatically. Have the batch file switch to the league folder and zip up each folder. Skip on the photos, as they can be backed up on their own. They do not change by the program. Zip the file up into a different folder. You could even get creative and have it create a folder based on the date and have a different backup every season. This way, when you close your game, you just double click on the icon on the desktop and watch it work. This is better than the backup built into the program, as the files are zipped up, taking less room to store and or transport. If someone wants a sample batch file, let me know. __________________ Like BLUES? Visit www.smokestacklightnin.com, you will LOVE it! New show every Monday!! New Blues HOF![/COLOR][/FONT]

05-03-2005, 01:01 AM	#18
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 36,205	Heartbreaking, Cardinal Rule...sorry to hear you lost it. This happened to me on a league I spent six months setting up...it involved 4 leagues and 2000 MLB greats all researched and with pretty accurate ratings. I didn't feel like starting again, but I did...and things worked out even better. Try it again after a period of grief. Now I always back up every two to four weeks of a season.

05-03-2005, 03:28 AM	#20
asamford Banned Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Snellville, Georgia Posts: 1,769	I never backup... but then, I don't let fear dictate my life.