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The #*@$@#$@# Save File in Documents

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So I only have 3 saved games to load when I load up the game, but when I look at my save file in documents, there are something like 80 in there! How do I know which ones are safe to remove?

I really wish we could get a better, or clearer way of recognizing the game files in the file folder!

I want to clean it up to make it run better for the new EP, but I am afraid to delete anything in there for fear of messing up my games. I have been playing one save for a very long time.

Does anyone have a guide or tutorial available on how to remove these files safely without ruining the most recent save?

Comments

  • Sim_LucentSim_Lucent Posts: 689 Member
    ^ Can we not delete game files through the game itself?
    Seems kind of unfortunate if not. :(
    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  • fullspiralfullspiral Posts: 14,717 Member
    I don't know what they all mean. ver.1 ver.2 ver.3 all saying the same time. and then there is slot0000001. ver.0, ver.1.ver.2 etc all with the same time.

    I just wish they were named as they are in the game! I have no idea which slot. ver belongs to what. It is confusing.
  • applefeather2applefeather2 Posts: 4,003 Member
    Welp... I cut and pasted this long thing awhile ago, and have no idea what it means as I got lost EASILY half way through... but I kept it. So, do what you will with it. Apparently it's from EA. I don't know for sure.
    ``````````````````````````````````

    Documents > Electronic Arts > Sims 4 > Saves

    Within that folder, you will see a long list of files with names like Slot_000000012.save or Slot_000000012.save.ver1. You will notice that each file number has up to six versions. The one with the .save file extension is the primary version of that save point--the one that would load if you launched the game and continued from where you left off (or used Load Game in the main menu to choose an older save point). The other instances of the file represent older points within that saved game, where the game automatically preserved your progress incrementally. The higher the version number, the older the file (.ver4 is the oldest save point within the series).

    If you find that your game is corrupted as of the latest load, you can easily revert to any older version of that same save point, potentially losing no more than a few Sim hours of progress. Start by identifying the save point you want to use:

    Is it definitely the latest game you've been playing, or do you want to go back by a few days?

    If your folder view is set to show details, you will see your files displayed with date and time information, making it easy to choose the newest set of save points.

    If you want to go back further in an older save, you can match it to your save points in-game via the Load Game menu.

    The in-game save points show date and time information, so you can match them against the set of files in your Saves folder.

    Important: After you have matched your save points in-game to your set of save files, be sure to close the game. Never alter game files while the game is running.

    Once you have chosen the save point you want to return to, select the primary version of it (the one with the .save file extension) and move it to another folder location for safe-keeping (you could instead choose to rename or delete it if you prefer). Now you will have a set of files that all have the file extensions marking them as older versions of that save point. You can choose any one of those to make primary, depending how far back you want to go.

    To revert the smallest amount of time and progress, choose the file with .save.ver0.
    To revert the most time and progress within this save, choose the file with .save.ver4.

    In order to make the file you choose become the new primary save point, simply right-click the file and choose Rename. Delete the part of the file name after .save and hit Enter.

    Example: Slot_000000012.save.ver4 should now be Slot_000000012.save

    Now, launch The Sims 4, and choose Load Game. Select the save point you want to open, and the game will load the file you renamed as the primary for that save point.
  • MightydanMightydan Posts: 2,983 Member
    Yeah that's very annoying and confusing.
  • VanityHighVanityHigh Posts: 1,300 Member
    I did this recently and went into each of my current saves and saved them so the most recent update on them was from the same day.

    Then in the saves folder i filtered the files by most recent date, all the save files that were amended that same day where the ones I saved and just removed the rest.

    To be on the safe side though, just cut the files from the folder and place them in another folder on your desk top, then load up your game to make sure none of your current saves had disappeared :smile:
  • fullspiralfullspiral Posts: 14,717 Member
    Thanks @applefeather2 I still don't understand....

    Untitled_zps0hc01ojo.png

    As you can see, I have these big files all from today ( and there are two more down further with different slot numbers and the same time)

    How can I possibly know which is safe to delete?

    I would really like to be able to manage my files better but can't because I don't know what any of it means.

    I hope the sim gurus can do something to make it easier. @SimGuruDrake can you pass this along to the relevant dev?
  • ScobreScobre Posts: 20,665 Member
    Safest way is to delete copy files in game. But yes doesn't hurt to ask about it too.
    “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
  • Ceres_MeirionaCeres_Meiriona Posts: 5,006 Member
    edited November 2015
    Hahahaha I am so with you! I tried to clean them up yesterday, and I thought I was keeping my primary save files safely tucked away on my desktop... but ALAS... when I placed it back in the folder and fired up the game (after deleting what I thought was my old saves I didn't need) it didn't recognize what I had placed back in the folder. My saves were gone. :/

    This isn't such a big deal for me right now, because I keep all of my important families and sims in my Gallery. Before I decided to try this, I made sure my GT family was freshly uploaded into the gallery as well... so I didn't lose anything super important to me... the only thing I lost was the bakery I had started... which is actually a plus for me. LOL For future maintenance, though, I definitely need to do some reading up on this so I don't make the same numb mistakes again. >.<
    tumblr_oesik08PQO1vorh5do6_1280.jpg
  • fullspiralfullspiral Posts: 14,717 Member
    Hahahaha I am so with you! I tried to clean them up yesterday, and I thought I was keeping my primary save files safely tucked away on my desktop... but ALAS... when I placed it back in the folder and fired up the game (after deleting what I thought was my old saves I didn't need) it didn't recognize what I had placed back in the folder. My saves were gone. :/

    This isn't such a big deal for me right now, because I keep all of my important families and sims in my Gallery. Before I decided to try this, I made sure my GT family was freshly uploaded into the gallery as well... so I didn't lose anything super important to me... the only thing I lost was the bakery I had started... which is actually a plus for me. LOL For future maintenance, though, I definitely need to do some reading up on this so I don't make the same numb mistakes again. >.<

    Sorry you lost your games! his is exactly what I fear. I will go through everything and update my library and gallery with sims and lots before I do anything. Thank you for the excellent idea.
  • ScobreScobre Posts: 20,665 Member
    edited November 2015
    Probably always a good idea to backup save files with any Sims game. Especially with what the Sims 3 update is doing to people's saves.
    “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
  • Ceres_MeirionaCeres_Meiriona Posts: 5,006 Member
    Back them up on the gallery and I'm sure you could copy the save folder and store it somewhere else (thumb drive or maybe desktop?) while you hacked and sawed away at the save files folder. Unless I'm missing something crucial, if you mess it up beyond all repair you can always copy the backup you made on a thumb drive or wherever back into the folder to fix it all.

    I didn't particularly care what happened, so I didn't bother with any backups outside of my gallery. Once they implement a good fix for culling, though, my legacy saves will become very important to me again... so I do need to learn how to do this properly without wiping it all. My mistake was I was going by the date and time and only saved the first file extension... I think I was supposed to keep the various versions for that date as well maybe?
    tumblr_oesik08PQO1vorh5do6_1280.jpg
  • fullspiralfullspiral Posts: 14,717 Member
    I don't know, but I started the thread because hopefully we can get some clear answers on it. I'll be back after work to see. :)
  • applefeather2applefeather2 Posts: 4,003 Member
    None of my saves are above 10k, while yours are 38. I assume that's because I only have BG, Spa Day, and the hot tub pack. (Not that you were asking about that, but it's something I noticed).
  • luthienrisingluthienrising Posts: 37,617 Member
    @fullspiral, those .var files are all earlier saves; the date they have in Windows is the date the file was renamed to move it back in the "queue" as it were. So, for example:

    I start a new game and save it as GT Setup at 2:45 pm. Sims 4 names that file "Slot_00000007.save". Half an hour later, at 3:15 pm, I save again. Now I'll have two files: "Slot_00000007.save" which is my new save, and "Slot_00000007.save.var0", which is my earlier version from 2:45 pm but which Windows will tell me is a 3:15 pm file anyway because that's when it renamed it.

    If you don't think you'll need any of those earlier versions of your saves, go ahead and delete them. They're only useful if you want to rename any of them to end just .save and then access that earlier state of your save in-game.
    EA CREATOR NETWORK MEMBER — Want to be notified of patches, new Broken Mods threads, and urgent Sims 4 news? Follow me at https://www.patreon.com/luthienrising.
  • luthienrisingluthienrising Posts: 37,617 Member
    None of my saves are above 10k, while yours are 38. I assume that's because I only have BG, Spa Day, and the hot tub pack. (Not that you were asking about that, but it's something I noticed).

    I have everything but Spooky Stuff and my saves aren't that big! Those are really big saves. Lots of collectibles and lots of gardening, maybe? We've seen bloated saves like that cause major gameplay lag and crashes, though. Just not enough of them to figure out what's bloating them :/
    EA CREATOR NETWORK MEMBER — Want to be notified of patches, new Broken Mods threads, and urgent Sims 4 news? Follow me at https://www.patreon.com/luthienrising.
  • snowdustmelodysnowdustmelody Posts: 385 Member
    Maybe you can just delete the files with older dates.
    tumblr_mfgza8NCk51qfwt9io1_500.gif

  • MDianaSimsMDianaSims Posts: 4,175 Member
    edited November 2015
    I regularly back-up my saves and delete the obsolete ones out of the saves folder the game uses (I still have the back-up though). I think what I'm going to tell you has already been said in one way or another, but maybe listing it step by step is helpful.
    1. Launch the game and open the "load game" menu.
    2. Write down (on a piece of paper) the names of all saves and the time and date they were last saved (in your case, do this for the ones you'd like to keep).
    3. Exit the game.
    4. Open the "saves" folder (Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > saves)
    5. Open notepad or Word (or use the paper you wrote on already - but it is useful to have this on your computer).
    6. Check which slot has what time and date and compare with the names of the saves you wrote down. When a save's time and date matches with that of a slot - write down in which slot it is.
    7. Once you found all saves you want to keep, make a back-up of the entire save folder to an external HDD or something (maybe in your case single out the ones you'd like to keep, since there are many). Add the .txt or .doc(x) file to that folder - so you know which save is which (which is why I do this for all saves - but I never have more than 10 at a time).
    8. In the "saves" folder in the "The Sims 4" folder, delete all files except, the relevant slots' .save files - those you need to play. Autosave is always in slot 1 - you can delete this one if you want.

    Hope this helps :) Feel free to ask for further explanation, or even screenshots (although you'd have to wait until tomorrow before I can make those, it's almost bed-time here ;))
    Gallery ID: MDianaSims | Simblr
  • Ceres_MeirionaCeres_Meiriona Posts: 5,006 Member
    edited November 2015
    Sweet, thank you Luthien and MDiana! That's a big help, and I appreciate it a lot. <3 That is what I "thought" I was doing, but for some reason the game wouldn't recognize the save file I left in there. I must have mucked something up. Bookmarking this for later, though, because it's a great reference!
    tumblr_oesik08PQO1vorh5do6_1280.jpg
  • jimmysnanjimmysnan Posts: 8,303 Member
    edited November 2015
    For some reason my game only saves 2 saves and the scratch file. It never saves anymore and I do not have the file Serial GUID So I am not sure why there are so few files in mine and so many in yours. My game plays fine, and I play rotational and there is no progress lost. Now I feel like I am doing something wrong!

    2015-11-17_zpsae3hv8qb.png


    It never changes it always looks like this. Should it?
  • luthienrisingluthienrising Posts: 37,617 Member
    Unless you save your game under a new name with Save As, what you see is exactly what you should see: the autosave and its previous versions plus your save and its previous versions. You're fine :)
    EA CREATOR NETWORK MEMBER — Want to be notified of patches, new Broken Mods threads, and urgent Sims 4 news? Follow me at https://www.patreon.com/luthienrising.
  • jimmysnanjimmysnan Posts: 8,303 Member
    Then why is the OP getting the Serial GUID thing? It is nowhere on mine.
  • SimGuruModSquadSimGuruModSquad Posts: 597 Member
    @jimmysnan : The "SeiralGUID" directory is no longer generated by the game, so don't worry about not having it.
  • applefeather2applefeather2 Posts: 4,003 Member
    It shouldn't be this complicated. Why is it?
  • PHOEBESMOM601PHOEBESMOM601 Posts: 14,595 Member
    @SimGuruM0dSquad So talk to me like I'm 3. What is safe to delete to keep size in check?
    "People really love to explore 'failure states. In fact, the failure states are really much more interesting than the success states." ~ Will Wright
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