Sandustry Save and Mod Recovery: Keep a Known Working Baseline

Define what you need to recover

A recovery plan needs more than a file named backup. You need to know which world it contains, which game version opened it successfully, and which modifications were active at the time. A save copied after a failure may preserve the failure rather than the earlier working state. Keep a clearly identified baseline before updating or changing a mod configuration. Do not overwrite that baseline while investigating an uncertain combination.

This guide describes a general recovery workflow for Sandustry players. It does not claim a universal save directory, a guaranteed downgrade path, or compatibility between particular mods. Obtain platform-specific file locations and installation instructions from the relevant official documentation or current mod author. When a detail is not verified, stop at that boundary instead of guessing a path. The goal is to retain options and produce useful evidence, not to force an unsupported installation to work.

Create a copy while the game is closed

Close the game before copying its save data so that the copy is not taken during an active write. Identify the correct files using documentation for your platform, then store the copy somewhere separate from the working location. Give it a label containing the date, world name, and configuration reference. If several files belong to the documented save format, preserve the required set rather than choosing only the largest file by appearance.

If cloud synchronization is active, establish how it interacts with local copies before restoring anything. A synchronized replacement can propagate an unwanted state or replace the copy you intended to keep. Preserve an untouched copy outside the synchronized working location where appropriate. Do not assume that a platform's cloud feature provides unlimited version history. Confirm the available recovery behavior in its own documentation and keep the original baseline until recovery has actually been verified.

Record the complete configuration

Write down the installed game build, distribution channel, selected branch if any, active mods, dependencies, and any documented launch configuration. Include source links for the modifications rather than only their display names. Similar names do not guarantee the same project or release. Keep this record alongside the backup so that you can reconstruct the conditions under which the world last worked.

Read removal instructions before adding content that changes a world. Some modifications may introduce data that a save subsequently depends on; removing the mod is therefore not automatically equivalent to reversing its effects. Do not assume that an older game version can open a world saved by a newer version. Compatibility needs evidence from the relevant release or author. Where that evidence is absent, a disposable test world is the safer place to learn what happens.

Test one change in a disposable world

Begin from a configuration that launches and opens a test world successfully. Introduce one change, follow its documented setup, and check whether the expected feature appears. Save, close, and reopen the disposable world before trying a valuable one. A successful launch alone does not establish that the saved state will load again. Record each result and preserve the sequence of changes.

If a failure appears after several simultaneous additions, return to the known baseline and introduce them separately. You are trying to distinguish installation failure, missing dependencies, conflicts, and save-specific problems. Do not repeatedly use your only important world as the diagnostic sample. If the feature works in a new world but not an old one, that difference is valuable evidence. It narrows the question without proving which piece of old-world data is responsible.

Restore deliberately and preserve the failed state

When restoring, first retain a separate copy of the current failed state if it may be needed for diagnosis. Then follow the documented procedure to restore the known working files and their matching configuration. Avoid merging unknown pieces from several saves. Mixing files can make it harder to explain what is being tested and may remove the possibility of reproducing the original failure. Keep labels clear throughout the process.

For example, suppose a world opened before a mod change and fails afterward. A sensible test is the earlier copy with the recorded earlier configuration, not a new collection of unrelated fixes. If that baseline opens, you have evidence that recovery is possible under those conditions. If it does not, investigate whether the copy is complete, whether the installed version changed, or whether synchronization replaced the intended files. This is an illustrative decision process, not a promise that every damaged save can be repaired.

Verify reopening and prepare a concise support report

A recovery is not complete when the loading screen disappears. Inspect the relevant area of the world, confirm expected content is present, and test saving and reopening a disposable recovered copy. Keep the untouched baseline until you are satisfied that the restored configuration behaves normally. Avoid immediately reapplying every modification that preceded the problem. Reintroduce changes one at a time only when their compatibility is understood.

If you need assistance, provide the game build, mod versions, source links, the last working configuration, the first failing change, and the shortest steps that reproduce the issue. Where logs exist, include the first relevant error with nearby context. Remove personal paths, account identifiers, credentials, and unrelated private data before sharing. Contact the mod author for mod-specific behavior and official support for the base game. Send website corrections to this wiki only when a published instruction needs review; this fan site cannot guarantee file recovery.

Game references and next steps

Use current primary documentation to check game-specific behavior. The diagnostic methods and hypothetical examples above are editorial guidance.

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