So.. my town vanished. Completely gone, for no reason.

[Datura]

Hey all.

The obvious question is: what happened?

And I honestly don't know! On the train this morning I pressed save+continue as I was pulling into my station. 10 minutes later I opened my 3DS and it had bounced to the home-screen. I had to start the game up and the save was gone, the only option was to move in as a new mayor.

Obviously I am sad and annoyed, especially as I got it on release date. But let this be the first record of this happening, in case there is more.

Datura

PS: Do you guys think I should contact Nintendo about this?

 

[Snow]

I can't imagine what happened -- they do say to be careful saving and powering off but even so. I would contact Nintendo before you start a new game - perhaps your data is salvageable somehow? Good luck!!

 

[Sour of Abnaxus]

That's scary
I have no clue what happened, but yes, definitely contact Nintendo about that. Maybe they can patch something or other so it doesn't happen for anyone in the future. Could also be a problem with the hardware, which would be a bigger problem. But who knows what caused it.

 

[Shonnie666]

You probably should have waited until you were fully into your town, Sorry this happened to you.

 

[VonTreece]

Saving in this game is like defusing a bomb.

You just have to be really careful.. Sorry it happened to you though.

I've heard quite a few horror stories about people losing their towns and save data going corrupt.

Also, Nintendo probably won't really be able to help you.
All your data is stored locally on your 3DS so I don't see how they could retrieve it..
Still, it doesn't hurt to try!

 

[........]

There was a rumor floating around that closing your ds while it's still running the game could corrupt your save data. It didnt seem very likely but maybe that's what happened...

Nevertheless, always make sure it finishes saving before you close it. Even if you're only taking a break for a few minutes, shut off the power to prevent anything like that from happening.

I'm very sorry for your loss, if you ever need anything to help you get started again just let me know.

 

[Datura]

You probably should have waited until you were fully into your town, Sorry this happened to you.

A real-life train I was in my town "properly" as I've played since release ^^
Thanks for the condolences though.

Also, the game was stored on a cartridge so I assume the fault must lie there.

Also also, I will contact Nintendo right now then + post any reply here for you all to read.

 

[Cranky Squirrel]

Are you playing the download version, or the retail cart version? If you're playing the download version, maybe you can try removing and re-installing the SD card. It's only a blind guess, but maybe it wasn't reading the card properly and couldn't find the already existing save file?

Not for nothing, but why doesn't this game have a backup option? A lot of the downloadable games have backup options, but not this one.

 

[JellyBeans]

Good luck, i am here to help you with anything you may need (maybe not villagers )

 

[Gizmodo]

That really does suck

 

[Shonnie666]

A real-life train I was in my town "properly" as I've played since release ^^
Thanks for the condolences though

Oh! Haha sorry xD
And man, that sucks, i'm gonna be terrified now! D:

 

[Bambi]

Yikes! This scares me since I am always playing while on the RL train. I use the Save+Continue option all the time specifically so I DON'T lose anything... O,o

 

[Datura]

Good luck, i am here to help you with anything you may need (maybe not villagers )

Thank you but I'll be fine.. my husband and I both play so I can pump the second game for necessary tools/bells/furniture. A big thank you though, very kind to offer!

 

[Hamsterific]

I'm really sorry that happened to you I hope your data is salvageable somehow. Thanks for making us aware and contacting Nintendo about it. If it's a problem that can be patched or prevented then you'll save a lot of towns. ^^

 

[Gingersnap]

Gosh I'm so sorry D:
I'd send Nintendo a quick e-mail

 

[Joey]

Poor you. I'm always closing down my 3ds when it is still in the game. I hope it dosen't happen to me too. I'd contact Nintendo first before starting a new town.

 

[Marceline]

There was a rumor floating around that closing your ds while it's still running the game could corrupt your save data. It didnt seem very likely but maybe that's what happened...

Oooh that's a scary rumor... I close my DS all the time when the game is running o.o *Like right now, eep*

And sorry about your town, Datura. I'd hate to just flip my DS open and not see my save file there :c
If you need any help with fruits or items, you can PM me anytime!

 

[insaneluzer]

Whether playing the download version or the cart version, have you tried taking out your SD card and re-loading everything on it? From what I've heard, when people lose their save files on this game, they see their old save file giving them the option to continue and get an error message wnen actually trying to load up the file. If the save is just not there, it sounds rather like it's not recognizing that there's a save file to begin with. Also, with this game, the save isn't only on the cart, it keeps pieces of your save file on the SD card, so it could be either your card or your system's ability to read the card that's messing up right now. Hopefully your issue will be resolved!

 

[majnin]

Oh my god, that scares me to death! I can't imagine starting again, and I'm on a download version. Apparently they go corrupt all the time. I would honestly cry if it happened to me.

 

[ben_nyc]

Saving in this game is like defusing a bomb.

Major exaggeration, buddy. Maybe 5% of owners are affected? & the rest are user error [read: accidents]. If this was a broad reoccurring issue then we're talking about faulty hardware (how often does any dev ship problematic cartridges/discs?)... if there are notable users that experience actual software Save corruptions (after thoroughly testing the SD card & the 3DS)- a New Leaf patch would have been released.

Some points:

1. Wait for New Leaf to Save before doing ANYTHING.

2. Closing the 3DS (not turning it off) puts it in SLEEP mode- totally safe, that is Unless the user did NOT Save & the 3DS battery drains.

3. Closing the 3DS while it's Saving is probably NOT a good idea.

4. Cartridge owners- no matter how careful you are, should it 'pop' out or eject, you'll lose what progress you had before the last Save.