Missing save files

I can use CC3 just fine, including saving files and later opening them. The problem is that if I try to find those files with windows explorer, they're not listed. They're listed and useable with CC3 but windows can't find them. I'm using windows 7. I've tried Save As with all the file types, and I've tried Show Hidden Files in windows, but windows still can't find any of my save files. Is there some special way of exporting files? I want to save my maps as .jpg or something else, then email them.

Comments

  • It sounds like they are not being saved where you think they are being saved.
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    Did you save the files inside the main CC3 directory (or anywhere else inside the "Program Files" directory? If you did, you have run across one of the new features from Windows Vista. It seemingly allows you to save inside the Program Files, and from inside the program, all looks ok, but in reality, these files are located somewhere in your user profile directory instead (c:\users\your_username\). To avoid this problem, the best cause of action is to NOT save inside the CC3 directory, but rather in your "My Documents" directory, or another location outside Program Files dedicated to data files.
  • Wow! It's amazing that Windows now lies to us about the location of our files. You were totally right, and now that I save the files outside the CC3 directory they actually go where they're supposed to. Thanks!
  • 12 months later
  • edited August 2011
    I resurrecting this topic as I have a similar but seemingly more severe issue with missing files. I just joined the community to post this so I apologize for any faux pas, redundancy or miss judgment in the placement of this post.

    I was plodding away on my very large and complected map when I zoom out and the work area of CC3 shrinks. So, I save the file and restart CC3. CC3 crashes on start up, repeatedly. Since CC3 autoloads your last save, I decided to load different map by clicking on the map file from windows, which proceeded normally. Loading the crashing map from the now functioning cc3 causes a crash. More over, I found several of my maps caused crashes, something new.

    Then I realized only a handful of my maps were shown in windows.Those missing included the one I was working on and the Autosave file. Like the above posts, I suspected some vista-rerouting issue, but my user folder does not contain any of these files. I searched manually and with the search utility, which picked up the AUTOSAVE shortcut. Unfortunately the file it shortcutted was missing from the vary place it should have been, in the cc3 folder. Apparently even windows was baffled where the file was, if anywhere.

    Loading any of the missing files results in a crash. Oddly enough CC3 will generate a preview image of the missing files.

    Normally I would think the files were misplaced, however this all happened while I was editing the files in cc3. They were there before. I used to load cc3 by clicking on the map file in the folder...

    Here are some pics of my frustration:
    http://i.imgur.com/zpfiK.jpg
    http://i.imgur.com/K9HMb.jpg
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    Because of the way Windows now handles the Program Files directory, I highly recommend that people should not save their maps inside the CC3 directory, but rather in My Documents or some other personal storage directory.

    If the file dialog in CC3 shows you the files, they should be somewhere on your system though, since this dialog only shows you what windows tells CC3 is there. CC3 does not keep an internal file list (With exception of the recent list in the File menu, but that has no bearing on the file dialog contents).
    The auto save shortcut is also created by windows (it creates shortcuts for recently used files for ease of access), so I am starting to consider the possibility that something has happened to your user directory in windows if the files are truly gone, but then they should be gone from the file dialog as well, which does make me very uncertain what really happened here.

    Since File Open dialogs under windows behaves like normal explorer windows, you can try to copy your file to another location using this dialog. Just select one of the "missing" map files in CC3's map dialog, press ctrl+C to copy it, use the dialog to browse to my documents, then hit ctrl+v to paste the file at the new location. You should now see this file if you use the regular windows explorer to examine that location, and you can try to open it from there.
  • JimPJimP 🖼️ 280 images Departed Legend - Rest in Peace
    I installed CC3 in c:\Profantasy\ and have no problem savng my maps into that flder.
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    Maybe not, but it is still a good idea to keep your data files separated from your program binaries, unless you have a very special use-case.
  • Can you post the map here? Maybe one of us will see what's wrong. Failing that, try contacting PF technical support -- help might be a little delayed since i know some of them are at GenCon.

    Steve
  • edited August 2011
    Thanks for the responses. I was not expecting this many. Your idea worked Monsen, so I expect it was a pathing issue and IE me being a dufus, I suppose that's a good thing :D On the other hand, the original file still causes crashes, but thank god for the AUTOSAVE which works just fine.

    When this all happened I had speculated that cc3 might have some sort of terrain feature limit that I exceeded. Being that is not the case here, does it have one anyway?
  • If you haven't been able to find and recover all of the files your missing browse to your Users folder on your hard drive's folder and use the search documents box in the explorer browser window to serach for the files.
    Windows will hide the files if you just try searching using "Search programs & files" in the start menu due to the way it stores data.
    I've had to search like this for several programs to find files that got placed not in the location they normaly would go.

    As was suggested by several people make a seperate folder not in the CC3 directory to store your maps.
  • JimPJimP 🖼️ 280 images Departed Legend - Rest in Peace
    Posted By: MonsenMaybe not, but it is still a good idea to keep your data files separated from your program binaries, unless you have a very special use-case.
    lots of folders under CC3 is what I do.

    c:\Profantasy\CC3\Crestar etc.
  • Posted By: Jay_NOLAIf you haven't been able to find and recover all of the files your missing browse to your Users folder on your hard drive's folder and use the search documents box in the explorer browser window to serach for the files.
    Windows will hide the files if you just try searching using "Search programs & files" in the start menu due to the way it stores data.
    Yeah that's what I did, oddly enough it could only find shortcuts that lead nowhere. Perhaps I just missed it.
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