Warning - Steam Update Issue for Fallout 4 and Skyrim LE

[Slorm]

There was an update of the Steam software today which for some strange reason creates a new folder in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\0\ and then copies and deletes from \documents\my games\fallout4\ the .fos folders meaning that the saves will no longer load. It does the same for the Skyrim LE .ess files as well.

 

Although this is easily remediated by copying the files back into their respective folders in \documents\my games\ it is an unwelcome error on the part of Steam.

 

Whether it's confined to Fallout 4 and Skyrim LE only I don't know, but it may be worth checking your other games as well just in case.

Edited January 12, 2024 by Slorm
typo

[worik]

😵‍💫

Thanks for the warning. I am pretty sure it would have caught me by surprise

[Slorm]

Thanks should also go to @chooseChaos who first mentioned it. I've added the details as to the locations where the files are moved to and from.

[Kitty Kisara]

I was already wondering where my Fallout NV could be...

 

Thank you for the warning!

[Varithina]

Just came home and found out my client had updated, but it has not moved any of the Fallout 4 or LE saves on my pc, or it may well have been a bug and patched quickly, before too many people updated steam.

[sen4mi]

This sounds like a bug (or malware - since sometimes there's no real difference between bugs and malware).

 

Looking in my steam install, there's only one thing in Steam/userdata/ which is a folder which has a name which is a number which I think is my userid.

 

So ... userid 0 sounds like something that isn't anyone's userid (but is the sort of thing which might arise from a mishandled userid).

 

[Slorm]

38 minutes ago, sen4mi said:

This sounds like a bug (or malware - since sometimes there's no real difference between bugs and malware).

 

Looking in my steam install, there's only one thing in Steam/userdata/ which is a folder which has a name which is a number which I think is my userid.

 

So ... userid 0 sounds like something that isn't anyone's userid (but is the sort of thing which might arise from a mishandled userid).

 

 

I did check in the main numbered folder and found additions for Cyberpunk and X4 Foundations. In X4 there were no saves, in Cyberpunk it had created the save folders structure but had not copied/moved the saves themselves.

 

I'm wondering if this was a bug/glitch or whether it's prep work to rationalise future game save locations and FO4 and Skyrim caused a glitch as they also contain .f4se and .skse files. It would make some sense as at present game saves end up all over the place.

 

Edited January 12, 2024 by Slorm

[Captain Cobra]

I checked to see if I had a \0\ folder but all that's in it is config and save files for Quake and the first Half-Life.  Have been having lots of 15~30kb """""updates""""" for my games though so will have to check again once Fallout 4 gets hit by one.

[BlaçkRaven_]

Confirmed this has happened to my skyrim se and fallout 4 also .It made me wondering where my files were.

[steelmagpie]

Lost my Skyrim files here too...  All 15000 of them (was saving as a legacy thing idea why so many)... Probably too many for Steam to auto fuck over so apparently they are all gone...

 

 I did find several people finding the Skyrim and Fall out files in some strange places within the Steam directories  so keep looking even if they are not in the listed places... If I ever find mine I will edit and post location here...  Until then I and off to steam forums to see if any of the staff have been brave enough to admit to this cock up...  Wish me luck

 

 

FOUND THEM!!

 

Check every folder inside the  C:/programfiles(86) /steam/userdata  folder...  Mine were inside a randomly number folder  inside another folder called /AC then inside the /mygames/ (fallout/skrim) folders ...  It took a lot of digging so keep looking..  

 

Edited January 13, 2024 by steelmagpie

[Vader666]

12 hours ago, Slorm said:

for some strange reason creates a new folder in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\0\ and then copies and deletes from \documents\my games\fallout4\ the .fos folders

 

It also creates files in the standart save game filepaths called "steam_autocloud", so it's most likely related to the cloud save game thing steam does.

[ElaboratePseudonym]

No change to steam/user data or any save files for LE, SE or FO4 for me. However, main steam installation (steam.exe, userdata, steamapps, tenfoot, etc.) has never been in C:\Program Files (x86) and cloud saves are disabled.

 

Edit. Also only play offline, I made backups of all the saves and then went online to check, no change.

Edited January 13, 2024 by ElaboratePseudonym

[mircislav]

Anyone have experience with Playnite?

[Gukahn]

Thank you for the heads up @Slorm

Would've lost my shit today if it weren't for you 😂

 

Damn even if you don't touch that damn game for days, something breaks.. If I don't break it, Steam does 👀

 

PS:

 

Check your mcm's people, dunno if it's just me or not but many settings got reset to default for me like Creature framework, matchmaker and probably a few more.
 

Edited January 13, 2024 by Gukahn

[MTB]

 

Let me add my thanks as well, was wondering what had happened to my saves...

As I still had the skse co-saves I could search in the steam directory on name to find the actual folder they were in.

(within  the steam/userdata/<somenumber>/... as well.)

 

1 hour ago, Gukahn said:

Check your mcm's people, dunno if it's just me or not but many settings got reset to default for me like Creature framework, matchmaker and probably a few more.

 

Maybe it due to missing skse co-saves?  Those did not get moved along with the ess files. And if you have `auto delete skse without ess on start up' set those may have been deleted; not sure if they can be recovered.

 

[Gukahn]

29 minutes ago, MTB said:

Maybe it due to missing skse co-saves?  Those did not get moved along with the ess files. And if you have `auto delete skse without ess on start up' set those may have been deleted; not sure if they can be recovered.

Good point. Might be it. I started the game without knowing SE saves got moved as well so the auto delete might have happened 🤔 It's not game breaking thankfully, just annoying to redo the settings. As far as I've seen, mostly hotkey and save file related settings (those you have to apply everytime you make a new one) got reseted. So you saying it might related to the co saves seems correct so far ^^

[Slorm]

Update

 

Hmm, the plot thickens...

 

Out of curiosity I restored last weekends disk image backup to see how Steam behaved now, as this bug does not appear to have hit everyone.

 

There was a very brief small update (almost blink and you'll miss it) but no larger update from yesterday. I restarted the pc three times and ran Steam client but that's all that has happened so far, with no changes to save games or additions to \userdata

 

So I'm guessing it's been pulled for now

[Miauzi]

So for me too... my wife was able to solve the problem for me.

What is the reason?

Steam has changed the save path from -> Users\Dark-\Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\Saves

to ->Steam\userdata\0\489830\ac\WinMyDocuments\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\Saves

and moved the save games there because they are no longer in the original directory.

Skyrim still expects the saved games in -> Users\Dark-\Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\Saves

This would have to be changed with a Skyrim/Fallout 4 update.

(Which then means for me, for example, the OFF for my old SE version!)

Solution is the ESS files which are the saves from -> Steam\userdata\0\489830\ac\WinMyDocuments\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\Saves

to -> Users\Dark-\Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\Saves

to move/copy. Then you can find them again in the game when loading.

These skse files in the old save folder are actually backups that the game does not accept as its own save files because it expects ESS.

P.S.

The path information (with "Dark-" etc.) refers to our own installation and is different for all other users

 

Spoiler

Also auch bei mir ... meine Frau hat das Problem gerade für mich lösen können.

 

Was ist die Ursache?

 

Steam hat den Pfad der Spielstände geändert von -> Users\Dark-\Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\Saves

 

zu ->Steam\userdata\0\489830\ac\WinMyDocuments\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\Saves

 

und dabei die Spielstände dahin geschoben da die im orginalen Verzeichnis nicht mehr sind.

 

skyrim erwartet die Spielstände aber immernoch in -> Users\Dark-\Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\Saves

 

Das müsste mit einem Skyrim/Fallout 4 update geändert werden.

(was dann für mich z.B. das AUS für meine alte SE-Version bedeutet!)

 

Lösung ist die ESS Dateien die die Spielstände sind von -> Steam\userdata\0\489830\ac\WinMyDocuments\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\Saves

 

nach -> Users\Dark-\Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\Saves

 

zu verschieben/kopieren. Dann sind die wieder im Spiel beim laden zu finden.

 

Dies skse-Dateien in den alten Save Ordner sind eigentlich Backups die das Spiel aber nicht als eigene Spielstände aktzeptiert da es ESS erwartet.

 

P.S.

Die Pfad-Angaben (mit "Dark-" usw.) beziehen sich auf unsere eigene Installation und sind entsprechend bei allen anderen Usern anders

 

[RitualClarity]

Might have been due to their changes for their game store. They are starting to push it. I watched a video where they want to create tools for their modding (store) so that mod authors can use them (and not other tools) so that they can ban tools that aren't from them.  Haven't verified the story from other sources. Recent updates mentioned from other sites have mentioned that they are doing major changes to Skyrim 2 and it seriously messed up Playstation and possibly xbox modding in the process.

 

TL DR

Bethesda is fucking with their games, both old and new. Fuck Bugthesda. No reason to do that.

[Vader666]

8 hours ago, Gukahn said:

As far as I've seen, mostly hotkey and save file related settings

 

I'm not 100% sure but i think some variables used by skse papyrus functions are stored in the co-save.

If that is the case loading a save without the data of the skse co-save might screw up some scripts since they get "none" instead of what they were looking for.

 

 

6 minutes ago, RitualClarity said:

Might have been due to their changes for their game store.

They want to push their game store by doing cloud saves on steam ?

It's a steam thing, not a bethesda thing.

Edited January 13, 2024 by Vader666

[RitualClarity]

2 hours ago, Vader666 said:

 

 

 

They want to push their game store by doing cloud saves on steam ?

It's a steam thing, not a bethesda thing.

Major changes to the game code, very reasonably would require changes to the game that might effect Steam. Imagine that Steam is informed that there is some changes to the code and they have to make a few changes to be able to continue to work. Someone does work on their part and in doing so changes the location to the default location or such and updates not realizing what they just did.  There are lots of moving parts and when someone changes shit, it means others have to change that shit.

Since it was reported and only a few people had that happen to them, it is very likely that it was a mistake on Steam's part. Now if it was due to the changes that was done to the game or what who know. They will never tell us. But it was a very fast bug effectiing only a few which would point (IMO) to someone making accomidations and making a mistake at Steam. Why would they change shit if it isn't needed? Where the saves are doesn't matter. If it did... then not a few people would have been effected for a short time, everyone would have been.

 

I just can't see Steam fucking around with that unless they needed to go back to that game and make changes due to changes done to the game by the producer.

[KoolHndLuke]

Steam update actually borked a few of my games about a month ago by changing settings and downloading updates I didn't want. Couldn't fix one and had to uninstall it. Haven't checked all my other installed games yet. This is/was purely Steam I think and not Beth.

 

Edited January 13, 2024 by KoolHndLuke

[ghostwalkr]

I'm curious as to which version of Steam you noticed this happening - beta or public release?

 

I haven't seen any updates and I'm still running 

 

Steam Version:  1702079146
Steam Client Build Date:  Thu, Dec 7 7:36 PM UTC -08:00
Steam Web Build Date:  Fri, Dec 8 6:30 PM UTC -08:00
Steam API Version:  SteamClient021

 

 

[Slorm]

13 hours ago, ghostwalkr said:

I'm curious as to which version of Steam you noticed this happening - beta or public release?

 

I haven't seen any updates and I'm still running 

 

Steam Version:  1702079146
Steam Client Build Date:  Thu, Dec 7 7:36 PM UTC -08:00
Steam Web Build Date:  Fri, Dec 8 6:30 PM UTC -08:00
Steam API Version:  SteamClient021

 

 

 

Unfortunately I can't say, for as I mentioned above I rolled back to a previous backup and everything worked correctly after a very brief update, so I assume Steam corrected the bug in the interim.

 

FWIW this is what mine shows now:

 

Steam Beta Branch:  Stable Client
Steam Version:  1705108172
Steam Client Build Date:  Sat, Jan 13 12:54 AM UTC -08:00
Steam Web Build Date:  Fri, Jan 12 5:02 PM UTC -08:00
Steam API Version:  SteamClient021

 

Edited January 14, 2024 by Slorm

[ghostwalkr]

4 hours ago, Slorm said:

 

Unfortunately I can't say, for as I mentioned above I rolled back to a previous backup and everything worked correctly after a very brief update, so I assume Steam corrected the bug in the interim.

 

FWIW this is what mine shows now:

 

Steam Beta Branch:  Stable Client
Steam Version:  1705108172
Steam Client Build Date:  Sat, Jan 13 12:54 AM UTC -08:00
Steam Web Build Date:  Fri, Jan 12 5:02 PM UTC -08:00
Steam API Version:  SteamClient021

 

Thanks for the follow-up. 

I'm going to pay closer attention to the next time that my client gets updated.