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RhiGords's avatar
RhiGords
8 years ago
Solved

A serious error occured while loading...2018

I don't mean to be a burden. Yes I have searched high and low in the forums for solutions and none of them seem to apply to my case so I'm creating a new thread regarding this ancient issue. I was unlucky enough to receive the 'A serious error has occurred while loading ***' message I have tried the name changing with the backup and save files but I noticed that the only thing I have in ALL my saves + backup files are Metadata. I haven't played TS3 since AUG 2017 on this windows user, but on my other one, all the saved games are fine? I don't really care anymore since I don't play the game but it is frustrating since I have literally been dormant on this game and all my years of progress have gone to waste. Any ideas/advice?

pc
technical issues
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    8 years ago

    @RhiGords  That metadata file looks like one of the normal files you'd find in a save folder.  Of course, most of the game data is contained in other files, so the metadata file alone is useless.  I remember reading a post from years ago describing how this file was somehow separated from the others—I think it ended up stored in a separate save folder all by itself.  The affected saves wouldn't load, of course, but the solution was to move the metadata file into the folder that was missing it.

    I can try to find the old thread, and with it, a more thorough explanation.  Of course, this won't help you if you can't track down these other save folders.  But if you're wondering how this could have happened, my wild guess is that at some point, for whatever reason, the metadata files were split from the others.  And then you ran a cleaner app that detected what it thought were duplicate folders and deleted the ones with the rest of your save data.  (Or maybe the OS did so itself, during an update.  Who knows.)

    Unfortunately, though, there's not much you can do about the issue now.  In the future, if you decide to play again, it's always a good idea to back up your saves periodically, and maybe your entire game folder as well.

4 Replies

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    8 years ago

    @RhiGords  You're not burdening anyone by asking a question, especially an unusual one.  The most typical cause of the "serious error" message is having your TS3 folder open when you launch the game, but it sounds like something completely different is happening to you.

    When you say that your saves are metadata, do you mean that you only see files and/or folders with a few kb of data, and no actual game files?  (A typical save folder might run in the hundreds of MB if you travel or have a long-running game.)  Have you updated your OS or transferred these files from elsewhere?  The only thing I can think of is that at some point, you tried to copy or move your data, and only the metadata was preserved.  Perhaps someone else will have more insight.  But if all of those files' data measures in the kb, then yes, unfortunately, your old saves are likely gone for good.

  • RhiGords's avatar
    RhiGords
    8 years ago

    So in these pictures I have highlighted an example of what appears in ALL my save games but this is just a family that I have selected at random. I'm not entirely sure how my games have been corrupted considering I don't play them so it's quite odd.

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    8 years ago

    @RhiGords  That metadata file looks like one of the normal files you'd find in a save folder.  Of course, most of the game data is contained in other files, so the metadata file alone is useless.  I remember reading a post from years ago describing how this file was somehow separated from the others—I think it ended up stored in a separate save folder all by itself.  The affected saves wouldn't load, of course, but the solution was to move the metadata file into the folder that was missing it.

    I can try to find the old thread, and with it, a more thorough explanation.  Of course, this won't help you if you can't track down these other save folders.  But if you're wondering how this could have happened, my wild guess is that at some point, for whatever reason, the metadata files were split from the others.  And then you ran a cleaner app that detected what it thought were duplicate folders and deleted the ones with the rest of your save data.  (Or maybe the OS did so itself, during an update.  Who knows.)

    Unfortunately, though, there's not much you can do about the issue now.  In the future, if you decide to play again, it's always a good idea to back up your saves periodically, and maybe your entire game folder as well.

  • RhiGords's avatar
    RhiGords
    8 years ago

    Yeah if I’m being honest, I’m not entirely bothered because I didn’t play it. Thanks a bunch though for your help! A new one it will be

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