I setup a dedicated server on my laptop, so I (on a different desktop in the same room) and my friends in other parts of the world can join me. It was working fine for months, and then we stopped playing the game since around Dec last year, but we decided to come back for 0.023. After Hotfix 1 came out, I updated the server with the latest build, and expected to pick up where we left off on the same save on the server. But there has been multiple significant issues since then. 1) when I logged in, my character was gone, I had to create a new character. 2) When I went back to the bases we built, they were all "corrupted", most of the structures/facilities we built were gone, items stored gone, some of the original furniture/objects which we removed came back. 3) I have Container Item respawn turned on, loot scarcity Standard, but many containers were not respawning at all, even after a week and each day we have players on the server for probably round 10hrs real-time. 4) Suspecting the Save file on the server was corrupted, I reset the server, backed up the save file, removed it, to let the server start a new save. The server started a new save properly, I created a new character and played for a few hours, logged off the client, ensure the server is saved via the Admin Console, watched the server command prompt on my server to say the server is saved, and then "Ctrl-C" to shutdown the server (like I always do). A few hours later, I started the server again, I logged back on from my "client" installation on my desktop, and my newly created character is also gone... I had to create yet another character just so I can go back to the new base I built just a few hours ago, and found most of my progress building that base were all gone, the car I left outside the base, and all of the items I left in the car are still there thou! Right now, I have zero confident my progress on my dedicated server would reliable save and afraid to continue playing the game on it.
#Dedicated Server been Disppearing My Character & Reversing Progress since 0.023
verbal rain
heady perch
This is a known issue that started with the big patch from a few weeks back when they rolled back the patch that changed the dedicated server save file location from local to cloud. Dedicated server saves seem to be stuck in a "Groundhog's Day" state where they keep reverting back to a certain point on the server after the server is rebooted. With the latest patch they supposedly fixed an issue where GeForce Now saves were vanishing into the void. Maybe a similar thing is happening with dedicated servers.
cloud topaz
Hmm, unfortunately I’ve never tested that because I’m not really a fan of it. And when a new patch comes, the server gets wiped specifically to prevent things like that. If it’s only small patches, that should be fine, but 0.023 wasn’t exactly a small patch. I can imagine it would only cause problems if the server wasn’t fully wiped at least once.
verbal rain
This is a known issue that started with the big patch from a few weeks back when...
@heady perch @cloud topaz thank you for your replies & pitching in to help. Maybe it is the "groundhog's day" issue you mentioned? As I mentioned above, I had this issue even after I started a new save on the server with Hotfix 1, but before Hotfix 2 & 3. I patched my server with Hotfix 2 & 3 now, and started another new save. Per some discussion on the vein-questions channel, I've also stopped using the Admin Menu manual server save function, to avoid conflict with the server's autosave, so when I'm done for the day, I would just wait for the server to autosave a couple of times, and then I backup the server save (just in case), and then finally Ctrl-C on the server console as usual to shut it down. It's been ok for a day so far, can't say it's a definitive test since I'm still not sure what's the actual cause, so hope like you said HF2 & 3 actually fixed it, and my new steps will also help ensure that... until Dev team get to this post & look into this to confirm of course.
verbal rain
This is still happening after hotfix 4. I'm suspecting it may have to do with the server shutdown prcedure? It seem to happen sometimes when I shutdown the server. I shutdown the server console using "Ctrl-C" which I found with google search as the recommended way to shutdown VEIN server. I do that maybe once a day when I know that no one will be logging on the server, so I don't have to leave the computer on all day (to lower my electricity bill, LOL!) Since this started to happen, I started to regularly backup my server save files (the whole "Vein\Saved" folder & subfolders), and when that happens recently, usually after I did a shutdown and later started up the server again, I would restore the server save with a backup I made before the shutdown, and our characters would be ok, so something must've happened after the save was made. Typically I would make a backup before I shutdown the server, and after a period of time when no one else is logged on, usually have the server did its auto-save quite a few times already. So the only significant event on the server is the shutdown & later starting up again of the server, before we log on again and find our Characters disappeared.
dim trellis
I have a dedicated server, running on a workstation for the past week and today I log in to find the same issue described here.
At log-in I am prompted to create a new character.
Creating a new character with the same name causes no issues that the character already exists... so I log in.
I land in the map and travel to where our base is and I find it with part of the fence I had built is now missing, and inside the building a lot of original furniture from the interior has now reappeared and clipped right over the workbenches and storage I created.
To me it seems the save is corrupt.
Unfortunately, the server doesn't seem to keep and save backups like I set it up to do.
There is only a single file in the Save directory. I find this very odd for an Unreal Engine game.
I normally would find 10-12 sequential backup saves of the map, and separate character files.
verbal rain
I have a dedicated server, running on a workstation for the past week and today ...
did this happen to you after you shutdown and start up the server again? so far for me I observed that seem to be the case, and the only remedy I have is to ensure the server does its autosave (which does not create new save but just overwrite the same save file apparently), and then ensure make a backup of the save files (as mentioned I usually backup the entire "vein\saved" folder and all subfolders (may not be necessary, but may as well backup the config/ini files and logs, etc). After that, if I shutdown/restart the server, and then found out my characters are gone, then I can restore to the backup, which so far has been not corrupted
dim trellis
I update my servers every morning.
I'm guessing the update caused it. But, I don't know this to be the case.
I didn't log in until late afternoon. I have other servers and some real world activities that prevented me from logging in right after updating the Vein server.
dim trellis
No developmental response to this as of yet?
I have, for the moment, taken my server down until some information presents itself. I would like to salvage the save data if possible. If not, at least an explanation of why this happened and how to prevent it from reoccurring.
verbal rain
No developmental response to this as of yet?
I have, for the moment, taken my se...
not that I know of, but based on their message on main menu & various posts, my sense is the single player experience is relatively higher priority for the devs compares to the multiplayer - especially with dedicated server, which I think totally make sense from game development perspective. of course I still hope they'll be able find some bandwidth to address this. Meanwhile, from my experience, I speculate there's some issue with the server shutdown procedure, which include steps to save the server state. And under some circumstance, this results in a corrupted save file. So for now, I'd wait/observe the server does its autosave(s), then (manually) backup the save files, BEFORE I shutdown the server for any reason. But granted the server may freeze/crash, it's better to save regularly even if you don't plan on stopping the server soon.
dim trellis
I'll just leave mine down for the time being.
I have other servers that friends play on, so everyone is happy. Vein was just a test run...
dim trellis
I think I was just surprised by the single save mechanic.
I have run servers for many, many games based on the Unreal Engine and the rotating 10 save system that is commonly use. Without thought, I figured that Vein would be no different. So I was VERY surprised when I looked and noted only one save file.
I thought, "Aw man, this sucks! I should've checked!"
/facepalm
I got lazy...
verbal rain
iirc, multiple autosaves is there for single player, but not for dedicated server