Tutorial:Save File Recovery

Under some circumstances, the PMDO save file may become unplayable or be lost through multiple means. There are a few ways that save data may be recovered.

Please note that before attempting to recover a save file, a backup of all save-related files (the save, quicksave, and replays) should be made! Save files may be corrupted through several different means, and some methods that fix one save file may break another. At absolute last resort, PMDO's maintainer Audino (who can be reached the easiest through PMDO's Discord) can recover the save file for you, and preserving the save in its most untouched state will make it easier to fix.

Save files that are lost due to storage being full or hardware issues may not be necessarily be retrievable. If you identify this has happened to you but you still have a replay from your save file, please try Restoration from Replays.

Some save files may still not be recoverable through any of these methods, but it cannot be known for sure without testing.

Devmode Warping

This method restores the save file if the issue is that the player's save is stuck on an invalid map.

First, launch the game in Dev Mode. Advance at least past the PMDO logo to ensure your save file (not the debug one) is loaded. You'll see several different tabs - navigate to the Travel one. Pick the zone guildmaster_island, and set Ground to base_camp. Then, press the Enter Ground button. If successful, you should spawn in Base Camp.

Removing Quicksaves

Sometimes the most recent quicksave specifically is corrupted. This will happen if the file corrupted while within a dungeon. Navigate to PMDO\SAVE, and you should see a file called QUICKSAVE.rsqs. Rename this file to something else so that PMDO will ignore it. You want to rename specifically so that if the quicksave wasn't the problem, you'll still have the quicksave.

Note that deleting a quicksave always will result in the exploration being treated as a defeat, which will impose the usual penalties of losing all non-treasure items and money held.

Backup from Updates

When using PMDOSetup to update the game, a backup of the save folder is always made. This folder can be found within the PMDOSetup folder as SAVE.back. If a save file has been backed up, it will be the one called SAVE.rssv within the folder.

This save file may be quite out of date depending on how much progress has been made. If you still have your save's replays, Restoration from Replays may allow access to a more up-to-date version of the save file.

Restoration from Replays

PMDO keeps track of the player's data for records and quicksaves using replays. These replays contain a snapshot of the player's save file.

Launch the game in Dev Mode. From the main menu, navigate to Records, and then to Replays. Begin to play the latest replay nearly to the end. Then, pause the replay and go to the replay menu. There is a "make quicksave" option that will convert the replay into a quicksave. Then outside of Dev mode, load the quicksave and complete the dungeon. Once you do so, save and you should have your save file back.