Thread:Pamster315/@comment-27093599-20160425032556/@comment-32738051-20160427094909

Hi Pamster!

I started to type you something about this previously but it was rather lengthy and took a really long time and naturally when I clicked reply, it disappeared. So I got discouraged enough to assume maybe I shouldn't have sent it anyway. 😩

But all your friends here keep asking you about and commenting on saving your game progress someway somehow. And something you said in another post somewhere suggested that even though your Android tablet board is dead, perhaps you might still be able to retrieve some of the data on it.

So, I'm going to try posting this again...and this time I'll copy what I have typed before I click reply so I don't lose it all. And I'll try more brevity. 😉

First, if you still have the Android tablet in question, don't get rid of it, not even if you get a replacement. That way at least you'll have it if and when you decide to try and recover any part of the data, including your game progress.

Second, don't try this now. Obviously, you have more than enough going on in RL and all of us here at least will stick by you and wait for you to come back to the game again when you're ready. Plus you've been through more than enough grief with all your device problems and game problems already that you need a break from it. If and when you're ready, I can help you find this post again (I have my ways of finding archived data, even here on this Wiki though, let me tell you, that can be a challenge sometimes 😲).

In the Windows version of the game, which is what I have, there is one file in the game files that holds all of a player's progress and, from everything I have discovered, that is the only file needed to retain one's game progress should one have to reinstall the game. That file is the player.prf file. Also, it appears that file exists, and is most likely accessible, across all platform versions of the game plus it is platform-neutral by which I mean it should be structured the same across all platforms so that, in theory, it is portable between different device types. If that one file can be retrieved from your Android tablet intact and uncorrupted, you may be able to continue playing the game with a new install on a new device without any loss of data, once you replace the new game's player.prf file, which you should make a copy of first, with the old one. If that doesn't work or if the file cannot be retrieved or if it is damaged, there may be two alternatives. (1) Have a friend in the game who is as close to your level as possible, preferably also one who is playing the game on and Android device (just in case my hypothesis is wrong), email you or post in a shared cloud location a copy of their player.prf file...you can use that like you would have your old file, only be sure to change the game name and perhaps also the avatar first thing before continuing play and know there will be some significant differences, particularly in the friends list, because all the data and progress will be your friend's not yours. (2) Same as above except manually edit the file to make it match your own game progress as much as possible before you use the file. I believe this is possible but it is merely conjecture at this point. Someone would have to first learn how to edit the file and you would have to send it to that person to edit it for you. I'm trying to figure this out currently but it might be something only the game developers would be able to do. I wouldn't recommend you try to learn this yourself...it's a bit of a headache for me, imagine what it would be for you. Besides, I already know my own is a lengthy file, pretty much all in computer code of some sort, and I expect altering the file would be quite the undertaking. Consider it a very last resort. I think starting over from scratch is a better option.

All that said, if and when you're ready, there are a couple of references you will find handy and particularly useful. The first is Foss' Backing Up Game article and you'll want to review the Android, Windows and Transferring Game Progress between Platforms sections before getting started. I say the Windows section because that may be the most intuitive platform for finding the player.prf file. However, the Android instructions on Foss' page, plus most of everything else I've researched, make it sound more complicated for finding and copying the player.prf file in Android than perhaps it has to be. So you should probably also check out this article: How To Backup Android Phones. It contains screenshots for a quick and simple way to copy the file.

Again, don't do this now. Wait until you've had a chance to get over this a little more and have taken care of your RL to-dos first. But I hope it helps when you're ready. 😍 🙏