Save files are corrupted

[Nova_E]

Sry but this game is a rpg open world shooter and they said we have all the freedom to do how we want and i think we can choose how we want to play. But this "limitation" makes the game major description obsolete.

I want to make craftings as much as i want and play as long as i want before my playthrough is done. And how should ng+ work with this issue? Its not any bug that can take time. This is the gamebreaking reason for me to refund this game. I understood every bug. I love the game so far and its loot everywhere. You can pick every weapon from the ground ane even in toilets are loot. I mean how did they come to the point to limit a safegame? I hope they will fix this Problem asap. At leadt over the holidays many people want to play the game and take their time and if they will get this error i dpnt want to know what then happens. Cd pr is not in a point to "might" raise the limitation. I would understand they will go for it asap but migh raise the size and telling me how to play my 60 Euro game.... this is .. i have no words for it. I love cdpr witcher 3 is a good game. I am still hope full with them and i know its hard and frustrating after all this shitstorm but the amount of features and dlcs they will release and the gear and builds we can make should not get limited to a safegame. I want to play like i want and use every aspect of the game.

Pls CD PR. this is a major gamebreaking issue. Fix this. At leadt next yeat but fix this entirely.

 

[CarebearsInc]

I came here looking for a reason why my save won't load.

• I used no glitches or anything of the sort.
• I did make a crafting focused build
• I'm nowhere near finishing the game

I read through this topic a bit, check my save file, and sure enough, it's 8MB in size.

Is this how the game will go into the holidays? Suddenly unplayable after putting hours into a save?

I've been refusing to jump on the hate bandwagon, and despite the glitches, have been enjoying the game on PC, but this is just ridiculous. If anything merits an urgent hotfix, it's this issue.

Being able to save the game despite the number of objects you picked up / crafted is just basic, maybe the most basic, it's not some new AI trick that's failing for crying out loud.

 

[Azulath]

I came here looking for a reason why my save won't load.

• I used no glitches or anything of the sort.
• I did make a crafting focused build
• I'm nowhere near finishing the game

I read through this topic a bit, check my save file, and sure enough, it's 8MB in size.

Is this how the game will go into the holidays? Suddenly unplayable after putting hours into a save?

I've been refusing to jump on the hate bandwagon, and despite the glitches, have been enjoying the game on PC, but this is just ridiculous. If anything merits an urgent hotfix, it's this issue.

Being able to save the game despite the number of objects you picked up / crafted is just basic, maybe the most basic, it's not some new AI trick that's failing for crying out loud.

As mentioned above, please report it here:

Error "Saved data is damaged and cannot be loaded." — Cyberpunk 2077 | Technical Support — CD PROJEKT RED

Welcome to CD PROJEKT RED Technical Support! Here you will find help regarding our games and services, as well as answers to frequently asked questions.

support.cdprojektred.com

Don't forget to provide your savefiles.

 

[Cyberkak]

Then, there's no need for you to follow it. Go ahead, and keep on loading saved games as you will. If the bug is occurring during the loading process, as opposed to the saving process, then you'll eventually corrupt all of your saved games and have absolutely no backups to return to, ensuring all of your progress is lost. That is entirely your choice.

Secondly, this is not official CDPR Tech Support. This is a community board where players can come to check on known issues or try to troubleshoot problems on their own. If that's not working out, then let me repeat, yet again:

Technical Support — CD PROJEKT RED

Welcome to CD PROJEKT RED Technical Support! Here you will find help regarding our games and services, as well as answers to frequently asked questions.

support.cdprojektred.com

Please, read the appropriate FAQ section to the end, ensuring all suggestions have been followed. If the problems persist, you can use the "Contact Us" link to send in a ticket.

Be sure to include your system (including specs if on PC), a brief description of the issue, and the steps taken to reproduce it (if applicable).








Right -- now here's a reality of the way that inventory systems work sometimes. (TW3 has a similar sort of limitation.) Whenever you create an item in the inventory, it creates an ItemID. For every new instance of that item (like if the number of that item changes...or I pick up two of the same type of gun) the game will need to assign a unique ItemID for it in order for the program to be able to tell the two different items apart or record the change to the stack, and that number, for each successive instance, will obviously get bigger.

So, if I am rapidly adding / removing items from my inventory, I may inadvertently increase that ID number to something that the engine no longer recognizes. Or a number that conflicts with some other function of the inventory. Or save system. Or loading system. Whatever. Something doesn't like it. That's where the bug must live.

BUT -- considering that CP2077 probably works similarly to TW3, Bethesda games, Bioware titles, etc. -- this also happens to your inventory whenever you save --> reload a game. First, the game reads your save file. It loads an "active" version of your inventory into RAM, and assigns new ItemIDs to every single piece of your inventory from top to bottom. It re-saves those larger numbers for every new save / quicksave, and they become the new default. This is how a program can correctly load older savegames. It compares the newer numbers with the older ones, and chooses the older, smaller number instead. (Computers can't "think", and items in your inventory are not "guns" and "medkits" to the computer. They're collections of data that it needs to be able to tell apart from one another using a numerical expression.)

Not all games are designed for unlimited, endless play. Not all games are designed for NG++++ etc. CP2077, as of now, seems to have been designed with upper limits in place (likely to avoid issues elsewhere in the engine, just like TW3).

The workaround for now?

Don't do it. Play the game until the end, then start a new game. Don't continue saving and reloading the same character for too long. Don't craft thousands of items at once.

Is that ideal? No. And hopefully it can be worked out in the future. Although...maybe not. No game that CDPR has ever created has ever been designed for ongoing, unlimited play. (NG+ was added into TW3 after its release; it was never intended. It was extremely difficult to get working without major issues, is capped at level 100, still gets wildly weird at higher levels, and there is no NG++. It can only be done once per playthrough.) CDPR designs their games with a finite structure: with a beginning, a middle, and an end. They are not meant to be played on and on like Dark Souls, GTA, or an MMO. They're meant to be restarted from the beginning with a new character and played differently. Love it or loathe it, that's the design.

So, for right now, the best step is not to put the game in this sort of situation. It's the nature of the machine. Or, more classically:

Patient: "Doctor! Doctor! It really hurts when I breath!"

Doctor: "Then, don't do that."

Now, the treatment can begin.

Patient: "Doctor! Doctor! It really hurts when I breath!"
Doctor: "Then, don't do that."

 

[BornK1ll]

Hi, all. I've been been following this thread for a while now and thought I'll share my experience - although my save game is not corrupt (yet) I have 100h clocked in so far and I just about finished Act 2, and my save file currently sits at ~5.38MB.

It may sound "not bad" but since I was aware of the possible issue I was monitoring the size of save file as I progress.

Now a quick backstory:

• Level 35 (and a half), Street Cred. 50
• I have not crafted a singe thing
• Only upgraded 2 weapons (about 4-5 times each - my tech ability as well as crafting is capped at lvl 4)
• I have dismantled quite some common stuff when store/drop box was far from my position - mostly weapons and clothing (hence craft lvl 4)
• I was picking up a lot of stuff... not everything but some may say a lot (it is still money after all that can bring my character closer to buying new stuff)
• I have roamed around entire map hence it all should be discovered already
• I had some farming exp sessions a.k.a. killing every goon I could find - mostly in Pacifica killing Voodoo Boys' netrunners for a chance at epic quickhacks
• did MANY side missions and gigs

Now as I mentioned my save file is currently at ~5.38MB... but it was 5.1MB before l did:

1. Map Tann Pelen
2. I Walk The Line
3. Transmission
4. Never Fade Away
5. Tapeworm

And did not pick up a single thing (aside from quest required) this time while playing!

So 5 story missions and I'm 280KB up
May again not seem like much, but I still have A LOT of side missions to do - which also increase the save size - as well as other Gigs (again increases size) and other stuff to do... not to mention all the new missions/side mission that just unlocked.

To be honest, I am currently wondering whether should I even continue playing, if I want to do as many side missions as possible?
If that means I may lose my entire progress.... also there supposed to be a DLC, so it may lock me out of that as well?
If that's so.... then I'm not sure I want to continue...

And in case my save corrupts and I'd like to have this particular character I would have to repeat all that again?
Great

 

[Eqaton]

Save size doesn't grow in a linear fashion, that's why I wanted examples of people who actually reached the limit by doing quests and looting to study and interview.

 

[UK_SPAWN_UK]

So i have spent a while selling and using a lot of crap in my inventory and the file size does not go down? any ideas how to reduce a save file size?

If its related to having too much stuff then getting rid of said stuff should lower the file size no?

 

[Safaraix]

do you have black screen for several seconds before every loading ?
it's a sign that your save is getting bigger

Post automatically merged: Dec 22, 2020

for now there's nothing to reduce significantly the size of any saved files
and we tried a lot of things

 

[UK_SPAWN_UK]

then they have made a massive mistake in the way save files work. cant believe all the amature dumb stuff i keep hearing about this and excuses "oh its not meant to be..." shut up and go and fix it!

"but that will require a deep dive into the core code and is very complex..." well, better get on with it soon then instead of making excuses or itll take even longer...

 

[FlorettaV]

So i have spent a while selling and using a lot of crap in my inventory and the file size does not go down? any ideas how to reduce a save file size?

If its related to having too much stuff then getting rid of said stuff should lower the file size no?

There is none. That is the problem.

 

[alekthefirst]

i

do you have black screen for several seconds before every loading ?
it's a sign that your save is getting bigger

Post automatically merged: Dec 22, 2020

for now there's nothing to reduce significantly the size of any saved files
and we tried a lot of things

im trying to figure out the save file structure. Saving twice in a row generates identical sav.dat files as one'd expect, but letting even a single second pass in game changed thousands of lines so its gonna take me a while to figure out some constant points of reference.

 

[XanderP]

As mentioned above, please report it here:

Error "Saved data is damaged and cannot be loaded." — Cyberpunk 2077 | Technical Support — CD PROJEKT RED

Welcome to CD PROJEKT RED Technical Support! Here you will find help regarding our games and services, as well as answers to frequently asked questions.

support.cdprojektred.com

Don't forget to provide your savefiles.

I heard about this game breaking bug yesterday and I am flabbergasted. This shouldn't be possible. In an open world game with lots of loot (yes, I am a hoarder in game) and a large need for components to get 'money' and upgrade your gear. I am between 35%-40% of the side missions and I am looting all I can see or find. Not planning to finish the main quest before I gained my aimed for build and want to enjoy the open world to the fullest. That is my play style and that won't change. For me gameplay includes; looting, scraping and creating the best possible items and buying the best I can find. If this is not the intended play style, I doubt if the ones that made this design decision understand what the player base wants and likes. This is a major design error if it was intended this way. So if it is intended and will not be fixed I have to classify this game as broken and unfixable. I regret to say this, because I enjoyed the game and had/have a lot of fun. This enjoyment is larger then the occasionally encounter I have with weird things, bugs and flaws. Fix this CDPR it is a game breaking bug for me personally!

 

[UK_SPAWN_UK]

ok so is crafting/hording the cause have you figured out?

I can understand it saving what you have done or what gigs and quests etc... but if making/hording items increases size but getting rid of them doesn't reduce size then what data is it holding onto that isnt really neccesary?!

Or is it nothing to do with crafting?

Also who thought this was ok? its baffling and just another nail in the coffin... jeez

Im having a great time in the game but some of these things make it seem like its sabotaged deliberatly...

 

[Gen_Liu]

I heard about this game breaking bug yesterday and I am flabbergasted. This shouldn't be possible. In an open world game with lots of loot (yes, I am a hoarder in game) and a large need for components to get 'money' and upgrade your gear. I am between 35%-40% of the side missions and I am looting all I can see or find. Not planning to finish the main quest before I gained my aimed for build and want to enjoy the open world to the fullest. That is my play style and that won't change. For me gameplay includes; looting, scraping and creating the best possible items and buying the best I can find. If this is not the intended play style, I doubt if the ones that made this design decision understand what the player base wants and likes. This is a major design error if it was intended this way. So if it is intended and will not be fixed I have to classify this game as broken and unfixable. I regret to say this, because I enjoyed the game and had/have a lot of fun. This enjoyment is larger then the occasionally encounter I have with weird things, bugs and flaws. Fix this CDPR it is a game breaking bug for me personally!

This is not intended.

ok so is crafting/hording the cause have you figured out?

I can understand it saving what you have done or what gigs and quests etc... but if making/hording items increases size but getting rid of them doesn't reduce size then what data is it holding onto that isnt really neccesary?!

Or is it nothing to do with crafting?

Also who thought this was ok? its baffling and just another nail in the coffin... jeez

Im having a great time in the game but some of these things make it seem like its sabotaged deliberatly...

-Crafting is a problem for sure, in fact upgrading may be too (but probably not to the same extend). Hoarding also seem to cause the savefile to bloat but maybe not to the same scale.
-Actually, getting rid of the items you pick up does reduce the size but not fully. After selling/dismantling something, it's advised to use the "pass time" feature in your inventory and skip 24 hours twice in a row to cause the game to purge part of the memory.
You won't get rid of everything though, there's still something that will remain, hence the bloating phenomenon.
-Nobody said it's okay.

 

[FlorettaV]

ok so is crafting/hording the cause have you figured out?

I can understand it saving what you have done or what gigs and quests etc... but if making/hording items increases size but getting rid of them doesn't reduce size then what data is it holding onto that isnt really neccesary?!

Or is it nothing to do with crafting?

Also who thought this was ok? its baffling and just another nail in the coffin... jeez

Im having a great time in the game but some of these things make it seem like its sabotaged deliberatly...

We've done a lot of testing. All items gathered will take up data that either doesn't fully get purged or doesn't get purged at all. Now items themselves don't take up that much space, but if you craft enough your save is going to fill itself up.

I made a summary post a while ago and have been updating it with all tests I did after making the summary post (mainly because I used that post as a reference point in my ticket)

Read it if you're interested

https://forums.cdprojektred.com/index.php?threads/save-files-are-corrupted.11052596/post-12484967

Post automatically merged: Dec 22, 2020

Just a minor update on the Xbox saves (and maybe Playstation, we haven't got a lot of proven data on playstation).

I was digging through some actions the executable is doing and was looking through some files and found that there are options to restrict the maximum amount of manual saves. At this point in time we haven't found anything to manually override those settings, but there are definitely hardcoded settings available in the game files:

NumAutoSaveSlots
NumQuickSaveSlots
NumManualSaveSlots
NumPointOfNoReturnSaveSlots
NumEndGameSaveSlots

We had user confirmation, but it's good to know it's just basic settings across platforms.

 

[Safaraix]

I made a test too a while ago, it was quite simple, I sold nearly everything that I don't use to make money, I think money is floating the files too, I sold 20K mat of every types (except legendaries), make 500K money before I realized that the file size didn't reduce at all.
In fact it has grown quite a bit 0.3mb, then I bought vehicules to try something but the size stayed nearly the same
I started to care when my saved where 5.8, now i'm 6.3 mb.
I still play like I was before, i'm not at the limit, and the only thing, that's annoying me for now is the black screen, so many time lost during loading

 

[Papabaloo]

Ok, this problem is a deal-breaker for me. I've put in an insane amount of time into this game already (100+ hours) completing all the side jobs (fortunately doing little crafting) and my save file is already close to the limit - EVEN THOUGH I HAVEN"T FINISHED THE MAIN CAMPAIGN YET.

It is absurd to release an open world of this magnitude and then have the gall to suggest that this save file corruption problem is not a bug, but working as intended.

It is insane to suggest that if I partake in all the content and game systems that YOU PEOPLE PUT INTO IT I will inevitably corrupt my file progress and lose all of it - and straight-up say that the solution is "Just suck it up. Start another file that you will corrupt eventually as well if you continue playing it".

I feel for the programmers and artists of this beautiful game, and I understand that the game is in this sorry state due to the poor decision making of executives that pushed out a - let's just all be honest - a broken, incomplete, rushed product that could have been so much more, given a bit more time.

This is beyond Bethesda levels of incompetence, and EA levels of anti-consumer decision-making and communication - stuff I never ever thought I'd say in regards to CDPR.

Sigh, time I asked for a refund. If for nothing else, to make it clear that this issue and a response like this, are unacceptable.

 

[Snezko]

Jup no joke, 40 pages already on this thread, truly this is one bug that cannot be ignored & must be fixed before ya'll dip & go on holidays (i've had nothing but praises for this game despite it's bugs), but if this bug get's ignored till after holidays or even longer i cannot say i'm gonna be able to say "i love this game no matter what" anymore as i won't even be able to play it & if you think it's okay to tell ppl when your save is corrupt make a new character you're dead wrong & the hate you receive will actually be justified & reasonable.

Devs if you care as much as we all believe or most of us believe, give us an official response & for the love of god say you're gonna fix it before holidays, don't shit on the few of us who're left loyal to you after everything that went down :/ (and yes i still believe that the failed release full of bugs is not devs fault but the idiots who promote lies & that won't change my mind unless a serious actually game breaking bug as this is ignored...)

 

[Buginfested]

Just finished a 90 hr completionist run on my first playthrough, was lucky I found this news at the last minute as my save file was 5.85 mb.

I did a test as I have a crafting build with 18 technical and legendary perk, just went to Vs apartment and made a whole bunch of components and ammo. And walla, save file bloated to 6mb within a few minutes of non stop crafting. So yeah, definitely a problem.

I have tons of loot and finished every single quest in the game including NCPD dispatches, so it seems isolated to just crafting at least from my end.

I love this game and I never encountered any game breakers until now, still going to play it just a shame have to avoid crafting for now.

 

[s0u1Fir3]

Hmm...You do know you might have HW issues?

Well, yes, I see the implication there, but the dump I posted is pretty much useless as it is. I'd be inclined to believe that were the case if DxDiag had anything else to add, or if the hardware had problems with any other game... which it doesn't. Is there other diagnostic software for nVidia cards that might verify this assumption?