I need instructions on creating and using manual savegame files | Forums

[emitfudd]

So after playing for over 200 hours I was forced to download the patch update and it deleted all my current progress. Now the game wants to start over with no option to continue my current campaign. I contacted tech support and they gave me the canned response to turn off cloud sync, delete my save game file and then start a new game. At this point there is the option to choose to load files locally or from the cloud. This is supposed to restore my current game. IT DID NOT. They told me I should have created manual saves of my game files.

How do I do this? I would assume it is as easy as copying the savegame file to another location. What do I do then? If my current progress is lost again how do I merge the manual save? I am not using Steam. My savegame file is located at C Program files x86 Ubisoft game launcher savegames (string of #s) 1771. Thanks in advance for any help.

[USASgtNickFury]

04-14-2017, 01:00 PM

#1

USASgtNickFury

Member

Join DateApr 2007Posts236

Restoring Lost Game Saves FIX

OK everyone, here is what you can do. Open Windows System Restore, and look for a date before your game was hacked or crashed or lost save. Since ubisoft doesn't use the "User Profile" and instead keeps your saves here.
C:\Program Files (x86)\Ubisoft\Ubisoft Game Launcher\savegames\c6eaee10-2bc4-44cf-89d6-201cb33dd592\1771. So when you do a system restore it will replace the save games you have too.


The next step is very important as you don't want to overwrite the save you just restored. So when you open the "Uplay Launcher" make sure to GO TO SETTINGS AND TURN OFF CLOUD SYNC! Then start the game and you will be able to load your correct save. Close the game, then go to settings and RECHECK CLOUD SYNC. Once you start the game again it will ask you what save you want to load. Pick the local one and then start the game.


Once you do that. Start making a backup of your game saves every few days. This way should something happen again you can just restore your saves.
The easiest way is with a Google Account which gives you online cloud storage for free. Just setup the sync and let it keep them backed up for you .


I would advise anyone who was hacked to go and change your Uplay Account password, along with GRWN and any other ones you have with Ubisoft.

[emitfudd]

04-14-2017, 01:00 PM

#1

USASgtNickFury

Member

Join DateApr 2007Posts236

Restoring Lost Game Saves FIX

OK everyone, here is what you can do. Open Windows System Restore, and look for a date before your game was hacked or crashed or lost save. Since ubisoft doesn't use the "User Profile" and instead keeps your saves here.
C:\Program Files (x86)\Ubisoft\Ubisoft Game Launcher\savegames\c6eaee10-2bc4-44cf-89d6-201cb33dd592\1771. So when you do a system restore it will replace the save games you have too.


The next step is very important as you don't want to overwrite the save you just restored. So when you open the "Uplay Launcher" make sure to GO TO SETTINGS AND TURN OFF CLOUD SYNC! Then start the game and you will be able to load your correct save. Close the game, then go to settings and RECHECK CLOUD SYNC. Once you start the game again it will ask you what save you want to load. Pick the local one and then start the game.


Once you do that. Start making a backup of your game saves every few days. This way should something happen again you can just restore your saves.
The easiest way is with a Google Account which gives you online cloud storage for free. Just setup the sync and let it keep them backed up for you .


I would advise anyone who was hacked to go and change your Uplay Account password, along with GRWN and any other ones you have with Ubisoft.

Using system restore is exactly what I was going to do. However I updated to the windows 10 creators update and Microsoft screwed me. It deleted all of my restore points. My current game will never be restored, but if I am going to play this game again I need to know how to merge a manual savegame file. How exactly do I do this? Do I just paste the manual savegame file into the same location?

[Str0ll1ng]

Just copy the manual save into the original location with cloud sync turned off and start game. I did this plenty of times during the beta. You can also make a batch file to make a manual copy of your saves - I do this with all my game saves.
(note in Nick Furys response above the folder c6eaee10-2bc4-44cf-89d6-201cb33dd592 is his and you will have a different number for folder name)

Example of batch file that copies all ubisoft saves, you can be more specific if you want just one game by specifying one folder eg 1771 as mentioned in previous post above - note that my path will be different to yours (mine on D: drive) -

@echo off

xcopy /d /w /e /h /r /y "D:\Program Files (x86)\Ubisoft\Ubisoft Game Launcher\savegames" "E:\Backup\Ubisoft"

exit

This will only copy if a change is detected. (this is an extract of a larger batch file that copies multiple games)

[emitfudd]

Just copy the manual save into the original location with cloud sync turned off and start game. I did this plenty of times during the beta. You can also make a batch file to make a manual copy of your saves - I do this with all my game saves.
(note in Nick Furys response above the folder c6eaee10-2bc4-44cf-89d6-201cb33dd592 is his and you will have a different number for folder name)

So if my progress was lost is it correct that my savegame files in the cloud AND on my computer were corrupt? That seems strange. I believe this was caused by the patch update but can't figure out why it corrupted my save.

When I create a manual save am I supposed to copy the 1771 file only? Thanks.

[Flanker1Six]

I'm on PC and Win 10 also.

The system I've used (for GRW, FarCry 3 & 4, & WDs 1 & 2) is to create a folder (title it what ever you want) and daily (or what ever interval you want) to copy and paste the Ubi generated save game into the save game folder I've created. You can keep just one save game, or keep a bunch in separate folders so you've got different save points during your progress. If you go with the multiple "daily save" option; put your cursor over them and the date and time of save will display; so you'll have an idea of where in your play through "that" save came from. Obviously; if you only keep one back up copy GRW save game; none of that is an issue.

If your Ubi save game ever get s borked, as you've described in your OP:
1. Disconnect from the net
2. Go to your Uplay GRW save game file and delete your borked GRW save game
3. Copy and paste the GRW save game of your choice from your save game folder into the Ubi GRW save game folder
4. Start Uplay in Offline Mode; your copy and pasted back up save game should continue the game for you
5. At some point you'll have to reconnect to the net, and restart Uplay in On Line Mode
6. If and when Uplay tells you your cloud and local save games arent' synchronized PICK YOUR LOCAL GRW SAVE GAME TO OVERWRITE THE CLOUD SAVE (which is presumably the borked save that started the whole mess).

It's a pain, and tedious but this system has saved my *** on more than one occasion, and avoids the Windows restore points "issues" you've brought up.

Be sure and say a prayer of thanks to Ubi for such a GREAT save game system! Or feel free to direct some Unchristianly thoughts towards them as I do.

Hope this helped!

[emitfudd]

I'm on PC and Win 10 also.

The system I've used (for GRW, FarCry 3 & 4, & WDs 1 & 2) is to create a folder (title it what ever you want) and daily (or what ever interval you want) to copy and paste the Ubi generated save game into the save game folder I've created. You can keep just one save game, or keep a bunch in separate folders so you've got different save points during your progress. If you go with multiple save games; you can't really rename them as they have to retain their original Ubi alpha-numeric designation. Put your cursor over them and the date and time of save will display; so you'll have an idea of where in your play through "that" save came from. Obviously; if you only keep one back up copy GRW save game; none of that is an issue.

If your Ubi save game ever get s borked, as you've described in your OP:
1. Disconnect from the net
2. Go to your Uplay GRW save game file and delete your borked GRW save game
3. Copy and paste the GRW save game of your choice from your save game folder into the Ubi GRW save game folder
4. Start Uplay in Offline Mode; your copy and pasted back up save game should continue the game for you
5. At some point you'll have to reconnect to the net, and restart Uplay in On Line Mode
6. If and when Uplay tells you your cloud and local save games arent' synchronized PICK YOUR LOCAL GRW SAVE GAME TO OVERWRITE THE CLOUD SAVE (which is presumably the borked save that started the whole mess).

It's a pain, and tedious but this system has saved my *** on more than one occasion, and avoids the Windows restore points "issues" you've brought up.

Be sure and say a prayer of thanks to Ubi for such a GREAT save game system! Or feel free to direct some Unchristianly thoughts towards them as I do.

Hope this helped!

Everyone who answered has given me 100 times more help than Ubisoft's tech support did. THANK YOU!

Trust me I have a long series of chat sessions with tech support and they know exactly how I feel about their lack of competence.

After the recent patch update I am finding it impossible at times to play solo in offline mode. Is it now required to be online to play?

[Str0ll1ng]

So if my progress was lost is it correct that my savegame files in the cloud AND on my computer were corrupt? That seems strange. I believe this was caused by the patch update but can't figure out why it corrupted my save.

When I create a manual save am I supposed to copy the 1771 file only? Thanks.

So, did you delete your local save? That would cause you to run the cloud save. Not sure which save was corrupted but you could have tried both. Firstly by running in off line mode (or turn cloud sync off) to see if local save ok. If it was corrupt then you could have deleted it and let cloud sync use the online save. If both corrupted then you have lost both.
As to the future, I always back up all game saves as I dont trust computers. I save to a different physical drive to game save location by using a batch file as mentioned in edited post above. You just run the batch file and it does the checking and copying for you.

[emitfudd]

So, did you delete your local save? That would cause you to run the cloud save. Not sure which save was corrupted but you could have tried both. Firstly by running in off line mode (or turn cloud sync off) to see if local save ok. If it was corrupt then you could have deleted it and let cloud sync use the online save. If both corrupted then you have lost both.
As to the future, I always back up all game saves as I dont trust computers. I save to a different physical drive to game save location by using a batch file as mentioned in edited post above. You just run the batch file and it does the checking and copying for you.

The instruction I was given by tech support:

1. Disable Cloud Sync in Uplay
2. Delete save folder
3. Start game and create new character.
4. Do some stuff, get auto saved and quit the game
5. Enable sync in Uplay again
6. Start the game, It will prompt you with a choice between the local savegame and the cloud save game from the sync.
7. Choose local savegame.
8. You can now continue playing without having to create a new character again

I have seen this "solution" was given to other people by tech support and it seems to be their only answer. If this doesn't work they tell you your game is lost and too bad for you.

It seems to me that this is bad advice because if the cloud was corrupt and my local copy was good they essentially just told me to delete the only possible good save??

After I followed their instructions it prompted me to choose either the local save or the cloud save. I chose the local save. Now that I think about it this could never work because I deleted my save folder (per their instruction). This only has the possibility of opening the new game I just started (which is exactly what happened).

[emitfudd]

One more question just to clarify.

When I go to savegame there is the long alpha numeric file which then opens the 1771 file which contains the 4 individual files.

When I copy my savegame should I copy the alpha numeric file or the 1771 file?