FIX: Save Game Problems

[DarkSoroush]

Hi there,

At last I found the problem of the game. (Once again, shame telltale! I was one of your fans)

The problem of game is position of stat file (as lot of people mentioned before in different threads.) Not just changing in place of stat file but also having two different place to save stats at same time.

Lot of people found that there is a "prefs.prop" in "Pack\default" directory at game installation directory. Some others found one in "steamapps". Some people found that there is one in "Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead" (Where it should be actually) and some even found same folder and files in "Public Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead".

I am going to speak about my version of game now (Steam Version Updated with all four episodes),

It seems that in my computer, game use two "prefs.prop" file. One on "Pack\default" and one in "Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead" next to save games.
We must know that the game don't use save games as a way to find out where we are in game. Saving slots and even stats are in "prefs.prop" not in save-games.
So all of our problems such as not knowing save games and not moving decisions between episodes,etc are problems of "prefs.prop" file, not save games.

The problem of game is that it save and read "prefs.prop" in different locations (In my case two place. And i think it must be same for most of peoples). So when it saves "prefs.prop" to one place and later want to read it from another place it read older one. or even worse, if cant read other one because there isn't one (In some particular situations it will make game to show black screen. Otherwise it will create missing file or try other one.).

Here is what game do:
"Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead"
Update when: Saving game (checkpoints)
Read when: Moving decisions to new episode
In other word: Read and write by in-game code

"Pack\default"
Update when: Opening game menu + Ending an episode + Saving options + Closing game
Read when: by menu, from when you open your game to when want to select your save slot and so on until opening of actual game
In other word: Read and write by game menu
If not available: If file was not already there, then it will use "Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead" one. But when game create it for first time then game will use it as first option. This is why we don't have any problem until end of episode one.
What to do in different situations:
According to above description we can guess what to do when a problem occurred. Check below:

S1: No save slot shown (all empty).
A: It happen when you update your game. It seems that it is because of removing "prefs.prop" file from "Pack\default" by setup process. So what you need to do is to copy "prefs.prop" from "Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead" to "Pack\default".

S2: Save slot seems outdated but works.
A: It is outdated because your process in game saved in "Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead" version of "prefs.prop" but menu read it from "Pack\default" (which is saved at ending of your last episode), and of course it works even with that situation because when you click continue it will try to read "prefs.prop" from "Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead". So what you should to do is to copy "prefs.prop" from "Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead" to "Pack\default" folder.

S3: I started new episode before closing game but now it is not available in menu and i cant select to continue!!
A: situation is same as above problem but in other order. You must do same thing. Copy "prefs.prop" from "Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead" to "Pack\default" folder.

S4: Ok I am done with this episode but my decisions wont move to new episode!
A: This is different situation. As i said when you end an episode it will update "prefs.prop" file in "Pack\default", but when it want to read your decisions it read "prefs.prop" file in "Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead". So solution is to copy "prefs.prop" from "Pack\default" to "Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead".

In other word:
Keep "prefs.prop" files sync. When you see a problem with your save-games, try to check and see if they are all sync. Always copy BIGGER file to other locations. Latest file sometimes has more recent modification date and always must be slightly larger in size too. Just copy and replace smaller versions of "prefs.prop".

Not always this folders:
I know that some times stat file may go to "Public Documents" or "steamapps" folder. This is not a big deal. Just sync them no matter where they are. Always replace old ones with new one and you are done.

MAC USERS:
All information posted here is correct for MAC too but folders are diffrent. You must check this two folder: (Replace YOURNAME with your username.)

/Users/YOURNAME/Library/Application Support/Telltale Games/TheWalkingDead/prefs.prop

/Users/YOURNAME/Library/Application Support/Steam/SteamApps/common/the walking dead/TheWalkingDead.app/Contents/Resources/Pack/default/prefs.prop

EASY LIFETIME SOLUTION FOR NTFS USERS: (Only for Win Vista/7/8)
If you use NTFS as filesystem format for your hard partitions then you can run this line of commends in CMD:

Note: If you didn't installed steam in same drive as windows you must change "%PROGRAMFILES%" to "YOURSTEAMDRIVE:\Program Files" and "%PROGRAMFILES(x86)%" to "YOURSTEAMDRIVE:\Program Files (x86)" in below commends.
Note 2: You better take a backup from your save-games at Public Documents and "prefs.prop" at both steamapps folder and Pack\default folder.
Note 3: This commends will not solve your old problems (they may solve but there is no guarantee. Use it when you solved all your problems and everything is correct. Then it can prevent any other problem.) But if you use them correctly they sure prevent any problem in future.

1. FIX your game using older parts. DONT USE THIS PART IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEM YET.
2. Go to "%PROGRAMFILES%\Steam\steamapps\common\the walking dead\Pack\default" and remove "prefs.prop" if any.
3. Go to "%PROGRAMFILES%\Steam\steamapps" and remove "prefs.prop" if any.
4. Go to "%public%\Documents" and create "Telltale Games" directory if there wasn't any. If it was there, Then empty it. (Move contents to someplace safe)
4. Go to "%UserProfile%\Documents\Telltale Games\" and move "GameData" to someplace safe if there was any.
5. Now press WinKey+R and type CMD.
6. Use below commends and type them in CMD window.

Win Vista/7/8 32 Bit:

mklink "%PROGRAMFILES%\Steam\steamapps\common\the walking dead\Pack\default\prefs.prop" "%UserProfile%\Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead\prefs.prop"

mklink "%PROGRAMFILES%\Steam\steamapps\prefs.prop" "%UserProfile%\Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead\prefs.prop"

mklink /D "%public%\Documents\Telltale Games\the walking dead" "%UserProfile%\Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead"

mklink /D "%public%\Documents\Telltale Games\GameData" "%UserProfile%\Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead"

mklink /D "%UserProfile%\Documents\Telltale Games\GameData" "%UserProfile%\Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead"

Win Vista/7/8 64 Bit:

mklink "%PROGRAMFILES(X86)%\Steam\steamapps\common\th e walking dead\Pack\default\prefs.prop" "%UserProfile%\Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead\prefs.prop"

mklink "%PROGRAMFILES(X86)%\Steam\steamapps\prefs.pro p" "%UserProfile%\Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead\prefs.prop"

mklink /D "%public%\Documents\Telltale Games\the walking dead" "%UserProfile%\Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead"

mklink /D "%public%\Documents\Telltale Games\GameData" "%UserProfile%\Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead"

mklink /D "%UserProfile%\Documents\Telltale Games\GameData" "%UserProfile%\Documents\Telltale Games\The Walking Dead"

This will solve your problem. You don't need to do any thing. Just play and Windows will force game to save pref.prop in same place always.

Tell me about any miss-information or new investigation results.
Hope this one solve your saving problems.

P.S: It seems that "corrupt file", "black screen" and other problems are not related to location of "prefs.prop" but to validation (and integrity) of data saved in it and save-games. I don't know how to fix them but always try to keep a copy from your save game via ingame menu (Play on slot 1 for example and copy to slot 2 after finishing an episode each time). I can confirm that a problem in one slot wont effect other slots until whole "prefs.prop" become corrupt which is unlikely.

P.S2: You better keep a backup of "prefs.prop" every time you change it.

[mcmikeymike11]

Thanks mate, dont know why it had to take a customer to work out a sollution

[jogalleciez]

What if there is no prefs.prop file in the Pack/default folder to begin with?

[DarkSoroush]

Finish first episode (Watch until end of credits) then it will be created. If it wast there even after that. Then search your computer and see where it is. (Except one in My Document)
It may be on "steamapps" folder.

You can test your luck by copying from My Document to Pack/default and see if problem solved. Otherwise you need to locate second "prefs.prop" by searching.

[DarkSoroush]

An other solution added for NTFS users.

[Brids17]

"S2: Save slot seems outdated but works."

Thank you for this. Was stuck repeating episode 2 and when I would stay in the game to try to and finish it and go to episode 3, it would revere all my settings to default and tell me that none of the others were available to play yet. Following this worked. Sad that a player had to figure this out rather than TellTale doing their job but it's much appreciated none the less.

[JordyLicht]

Will this work on OS X as well?

[ClavoARG]

It works, prefs.prop in both folders must be sync all time and problem solved. Thanks!

[DarkSoroush]

Originally Posted by JordyLicht

Will this work on OS X as well?

Sure it must. But you need to locate all file locations. They may be different with what we wrote here.

I don't know if OSX support symbolic link too or not but if it can then you can use NTFS solution too. (Linux support that but i am not sure about mac)

* EDIT: Read Mac part in my first post.

[jnp08]

You are a life-saver good sir. If it weren't for you, I would have never figured the save files and prefs.php switch and would never found the save files. You saved me headaches and not having to redo Ep. 2 and 3. ^O^ b

[toecutter1978]

is there a way to do this that a person that is not good at computers can accomplish? I mean, trying to make and search for folders. Should not this have already been with the game in the first place, kind of download and play?

[ClavoARG]

Hey Toe... is easy.

Do a search in windows for prefs.prop two folders will appear, you has to be sure that the two are the same file (identical time).
Do a backup of the two, and replace one for the other if this doesnt work revert the process and try replacing the files the other way.
Do this everytime you enter the game.

[toecutter1978]

Ok, I did a search and only one file showed up, not two. Should I try something else?

[DarkSoroush]

And where is that one file?!

Do you played an episode completely?! Before ending one episode you should not have any problem. What is your problem currently?

[rg2]

Thank you man, thank you very much!

Worked for me, I am playing on a Mac OS X.

[toecutter1978]

The save file thing shows up in the document TWD file, not the game file on the c drive. i haven't played the whole episode 1 yet, can not devote a lot of time and stopped playing sense i can only play the same part over and over again.

[Rink]

"Keep "prefs.prop" files sync. When you see a problem with your save-games, try to check and see if they are all sync. Always copy latest file to other locations."

Actually it made one file "newer" when just opening the game and closing it after I saw that the savegames cannot be right and it still was the one with the old savegame information. So I suggest what ClavoARG said.

Thanks for your post. My problem was solved with it.

[DarkSoroush]

Yeah opening and closing the game will update "pref" file in "data" directory. But checking for bigger file will always work.

@toecutter1978: If there is only one file so you must have no problem. (What is your problem with save games now?) If you have any, try to copy it to other place and see if any thing changed. Not likely but.

[thedarkwarrior]

Copied prefs.prop and indeed the entire save files to every single possible location, does nothing for me

Up yours Telltale.

[slough]

Beautiful post, bumping to the top for usefulness.