Dwarf Fortress Bug Tracker - Dwarf Fortress
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IDProjectCategoryView StatusDate SubmittedLast Update
0002017Dwarf FortressTechnical -- Saving/Loadingpublic2010-05-21 15:592019-10-07 14:14
ReporterHydrall 
Assigned ToLoci 
PriorityhighSeveritycrashReproducibilityrandom
StatusacknowledgedResolutionopen 
PlatformOSWindows 7OS Version
Product Version0.31.04 
Target VersionFixed in Version 
Summary0002017: Using COMPRESSED_SAVES causes save corruption on some systems
DescriptionI created my fortress, started digging etc, and then saved. As far as I am aware, the saving process didn't encounter any problems and didn't crash. However, whenever I attempt to open the file now, it crashes. My other file in adventurer mode does not crash when opened, and plays just fine.
Steps To Reproduce
Additional Information
Tagscrash, load, save game
Relationships
related to 0002587confirmed lethosor Saving fails silently when folder is not writeable (due to full disk, permissions, etc) 
has duplicate 0002610resolved Footkerchief Crash during game load, runtime error 
has duplicate 0002998resolved Footkerchief Savegame corruption - Compressed file error 
has duplicate 0003699resolved Logical2u Game Save is corrupted 
has duplicate 0004351resolved Footkerchief While trying to start playing on some worlds, or when loading some save games, reproducible crash 
has duplicate 0004538resolved Dwarfu Dwarf Mode save loading crash 
has duplicate 0004933resolved Dwarfu crash on load 
has duplicate 0005795resolved Footkerchief In version 34.05 and 34.06 I have started a fort, saved, and then DF crashes when I try to load the save. 
has duplicate 0006204resolved Footkerchief "One of the compressed files on disk has errors on it". Save directory ("current") blank. 
related to 0002212resolved lethosor Incompatible saves between Intel and PPC Macs-OSX 
related to 0004915resolved Footkerchief Crashing when loading save 
related to 0004863resolved Footkerchief Saved game crashes on unpausing or 'stepping' after loading 
related to 0005036resolved lethosor Save file gets corrupted, doesn't show up in list 
Attached Files
Issue History
Date ModifiedUsernameFieldChange
2010-05-21 15:59HydrallNew Issue
2010-05-21 16:01FootkerchiefNote Added: 0007148
2010-05-21 16:03FootkerchiefNote Edited: 0007148bug_revision_view_page.php?bugnote_id=0007148#r2672
2010-05-28 03:07HydrallNote Added: 0007415
2010-05-28 03:08HydrallTag Attached: crash
2010-05-28 03:08HydrallTag Attached: load
2010-05-28 03:08HydrallTag Attached: save game
2010-05-28 04:51Logical2uNote Added: 0007416
2010-06-01 11:43HydrallNote Added: 0007536
2010-06-01 11:51FootkerchiefNote Added: 0007538
2010-06-03 12:17FootkerchiefNote Added: 0007624
2010-06-03 12:17FootkerchiefTag Attached: AWAITING UPDATE
2010-06-04 12:39HydrallNote Added: 0007668
2010-06-21 12:18FootkerchiefNote Added: 0008898
2010-06-21 12:18FootkerchiefStatusnew => resolved
2010-06-21 12:18FootkerchiefResolutionopen => no change required
2010-06-21 12:18FootkerchiefAssigned To => Footkerchief
2010-06-21 12:19FootkerchiefAssigned ToFootkerchief =>
2010-06-21 12:19FootkerchiefStatusresolved => new
2010-06-21 12:21FootkerchiefSummaryCrashes on startup => Using COMPRESSED_SAVES causes save corruption on 64-bit systems
2010-06-21 12:34MorbsNote Added: 0008904
2010-06-21 15:52FootkerchiefRelationship addedrelated to 0002212
2010-06-28 06:45jaked122Note Added: 0009211
2010-06-28 07:07TelarinNote Added: 0009213
2010-06-28 07:23FootkerchiefSummaryUsing COMPRESSED_SAVES causes save corruption on 64-bit systems => Using COMPRESSED_SAVES causes save corruption on some 64-bit systems
2010-06-29 07:38FootkerchiefCategoryTechnical => Technical -- General
2010-06-29 20:46FootkerchiefCategoryTechnical -- General => Technical -- Saving/Loading
2010-06-29 20:46FootkerchiefTag Detached: AWAITING UPDATE
2010-07-13 23:27FootkerchiefRelationship addedhas duplicate 0002610
2010-08-10 06:05FootkerchiefRelationship addedhas duplicate 0002998
2010-11-20 17:39Logical2uRelationship addedrelated to 0003699
2010-11-20 22:03Logical2uRelationship replacedhas duplicate 0003699
2011-01-11 14:02maluraqNote Added: 0014842
2011-01-24 19:50zilpinNote Added: 0014925
2011-02-06 15:16DwarfuResolutionno change required => open
2011-03-26 23:27FootkerchiefRelationship addedhas duplicate 0004351
2011-04-17 19:28Logical2uRelationship addedrelated to 0004538
2011-10-05 11:26DwarfuRelationship addedrelated to 0004915
2011-10-05 19:18DwarfuRelationship deletedrelated to 0004915
2011-12-11 08:47DwarfuRelationship addedrelated to 0004915
2011-12-11 08:50DwarfuRelationship replacedhas duplicate 0004538
2011-12-11 09:04DwarfuRelationship addedrelated to 0004863
2011-12-15 07:26DwarfuRelationship addedhas duplicate 0004933
2011-12-15 07:27DwarfuNote Added: 0019178
2012-01-30 11:39DwarfuRelationship addedrelated to 0005036
2012-01-30 11:57ninjanomnomNote Added: 0019435
2012-01-30 11:59ninjanomnomNote Edited: 0019435bug_revision_view_page.php?bugnote_id=0019435#r7289
2012-04-11 11:52FootkerchiefRelationship addedhas duplicate 0005795
2012-09-20 08:06FootkerchiefRelationship addedhas duplicate 0006204
2014-01-20 19:06FootkerchiefIssue Monitored: stuntaneous
2014-12-30 20:18FootkerchiefRelationship replacedhas duplicate 0005036
2014-12-30 20:18FootkerchiefIssue Monitored: ninjanomnom
2015-06-29 12:36LociNote Added: 0032821
2015-06-29 13:33lethosorRelationship addedrelated to 0002587
2015-07-06 17:23lethosorNote Edited: 0019178bug_revision_view_page.php?bugnote_id=0019178#r13179
2015-07-06 17:49lethosorRelationship deletedhas duplicate 0005036
2015-07-06 17:54lethosorRelationship addedrelated to 0005036
2015-07-06 18:40lethosorNote Added: 0032853
2015-07-06 18:40lethosorStatusnew => needs feedback
2015-07-06 18:40lethosorSummaryUsing COMPRESSED_SAVES causes save corruption on some 64-bit systems => Using COMPRESSED_SAVES causes save corruption on some systems
2015-07-06 18:41lethosorNote Edited: 0032853bug_revision_view_page.php?bugnote_id=0032853#r13189
2015-07-08 14:30LociNote Added: 0032864
2015-09-02 10:39lethosorReproducibilityalways => random
2015-09-02 10:39lethosorAssigned To => lethosor
2015-09-02 10:39lethosorStatusneeds feedback => new
2018-05-08 08:01lethosorAssigned Tolethosor =>
2019-10-07 14:14LociAssigned To => Loci
2019-10-07 14:14LociStatusnew => acknowledged

Notes
(0007148)
Footkerchief   
2010-05-21 16:01   
(edited on: 2010-05-21 16:03)
Where's the game installed? If you installed it in Program Files, that causes problems on Windows 7 and Vista. Install it somewhere else instead.
(0007415)
Hydrall   
2010-05-28 03:07   
I did not install it in program files, I did it in Documents. And if I can't save it there, where else can it go?
(0007416)
Logical2u   
2010-05-28 04:51   
Documents should be fine as long as you have administrator write access to the folder.

Does your error log have anything useful in it after attempting to load the game?
(0007536)
Hydrall   
2010-06-01 11:43   
No, the error log is completely unchanged.
(0007538)
Footkerchief   
2010-06-01 11:51   
Are you on a 64-bit OS? If so, you should try disabling COMPRESSED_SAVES in init.txt. For some reason, save compression frequently results in corruption on 64-bit systems.
(0007624)
Footkerchief   
2010-06-03 12:17   
Any updates?
(0007668)
Hydrall   
2010-06-04 12:39   
It appears to be working! Thank you very much!
(0008898)
Footkerchief   
2010-06-21 12:18   
Cool. Wish we knew why save compression causes crashes on 64-bit.
(0008904)
Morbs   
2010-06-21 12:34   
I am using Win 7 64 bit. Have had no issues with save compression.
(0009211)
jaked122   
2010-06-28 06:45   
I am using mac os x snow leopard 64bit and no issues with save compression.
(0009213)
Telarin   
2010-06-28 07:07   
Win XP Pro, 64-bit. Also no problems with save compression.
(0014842)
maluraq   
2011-01-11 14:02   
I've just had the same thing happen myself. I wish I had known in advance to avoid it. Fedora Linux 64-bit here.
(0014925)
zilpin   
2011-01-24 19:50   
WORKAROUND:
For Windows users.
In your INI, disable compressed saves.
Then in Explorer right click on the «save» folder.
Select «Properties».
Click «Advanced».
Check «Compress contents to save disk space».

This will let Windows compress the save games for you.
In addition to the game not corrupting it is faster to save and load than when DF does compression itself. Windows can typical compress my saves to 20% of their uncompressed size with no risk of corruption.

For GNU/Linux users who have ReiserFS a similar workaround may work for you.
(0019178)
Dwarfu   
2011-12-15 07:27   
(edited on: 2015-07-06 17:23)
Phazorx has a save from 0004933:

[file removed]
(0019435)
ninjanomnom   
2012-01-30 11:57   
(edited on: 2012-01-30 11:59)
I might have something like this but i can't even see my save in the loading screen...

EDIT
oops sorry for necro
(0032821)
Loci   
2015-06-29 12:36   
This may be related to 0002587. Compressing with x64 may increase the chance of a "non-fatal" i/o exception, which Dwarf Fortress blithely ignores, leading to the corruption.

I received this error on a (consistently working) x64 machine when disk space was critically low.
(0032853)
lethosor   
2015-07-06 18:40   
(edited on: 2015-07-06 18:41)
There are a few instances of corruption occurring on 32-bit systems (e.g. 0002610:0010218). In addition, none of the saves I could track down in this report actually exhibit corruption caused by compression. In some cases, the data that is actually compressed is corrupted, but it can be decompressed without issues (i.e. it was most likely corrupted during serialization, before it was compressed). Others, like the save from 0002610, are truncated but otherwise valid, which could be due to 0002587. I'm not sure what caused these issues, but I don't see how any of these saves can be linked to faulty compression.
(0032864)
Loci   
2015-07-08 14:30   
It's unclear what feedback you are hoping for here. The issue remains that *enabling* compression seems to cause corruption (and, conversely, *disabling* compression prevents it). Though the compression itself may not be at fault, the corruption is a problem that needs to be tracked and fixed.