# Corruption Rant



## LinDUNguin (Mar 23, 2014)

I'm creating this thread because of how often it seems people are getting their towns corrupted, and I just feel like it's someyhing that shouldn't be happening. I already posted this in response to a thread about someone's town getting corrupted, so I just copy-pasted since I didn't really want to reformat it, being on my phone and all :/

Honestly, the entire notion of a single save corrupting causing you to lose your entire game is ridiculous, especially since it seems to happen so often. Only other time I've experienced corruption of a save is when I was playing a heavily-modded Oblivion and screwing around with the load order too much caused me to corrupt a SINGLE save. But the system implemented allowed me to go back to a previous save state and only lose a nominal amount of data. Why can't Animal Crossing have that? Or all Nintendo games for that matter, since they always over-write a single save so if something happens to it you're done, period. 

I understand with Animal Crossing the idea is to move on one day to the next so having multiple save states you could go back to would be problematic, but what if you were forced to load the most recent one on startup? Then if something got corrupt you'd still have your town data "backed up" so to speak and you'd only lose the amount of time since the 2nd to last time you played. It would just register as you having not played in that time span. 

Someone should create a petition. As much as I love Nintendo's original games and creative IPs, they lack dev support. They never patch their games (even though they have the ability to) and basically what you get out of the box is what you have for the entirety of your playtime with it, bugs and all.


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## Krissi2197 (Mar 23, 2014)

The majority of the corruptions that have been happening lately are the user's faults, though. If you quit while saving/loading the town, pop out your SD card before turning the system off, mess with the data in the SD card on the computer, etc, it's not Nintendo's fault if the game corrupts. 

I agree with the "back-up" thing, and I'm surprised Nintendo hasn't done that yet and I wish they had, but corruption can easily be avoided by taking a few precautions. People who are careless and get their data corrupted is all on them, even if it was an accident.


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## Yui Z (Mar 23, 2014)

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Only human. Humans make mistakes. 

But yeah, most of the time it's the users own fault or human error. Just be careful and it should be possible to avoid.


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## Waluigi (Mar 23, 2014)

Yui Z said:


> I've said it before and I'll say it again. Only human. Humans make mistakes.
> 
> But yeah, most of the time it's the users own fault or human error. Just be careful and it should be possible to avoid.



This. Just, this.


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## LinDUNguin (Mar 23, 2014)

I fully agree that it's pretty easy to avoid corruption if you're careful (I haven't experienced corruption in AC once, even though I think I made it seem though I have) but the thing is human error's a pretty big thing. We've all seen it happen with all of the corruptions that occur on this board. It shouldn't be so simple as powering down early or accidentally popping out the cartridge mid-game. It's actually pretty specific to AC too; I've quit out of pokemon mid-save and popped out the cartridge mid-game when I was younger and I experienced no problems whatsoever.


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## Krissi2197 (Mar 23, 2014)

LinDUNguin said:


> I fully agree that it's pretty easy to avoid corruption if you're careful (I haven't experienced corruption in AC once, even though I think I made it seem though I have) but the thing is human error's a pretty big thing. We've all seen it happen with all of the corruptions that occur on this board. It shouldn't be so simple as powering down early or accidentally popping out the cartridge mid-game. It's actually pretty specific to AC too; I've quit out of pokemon mid-save and popped out the cartridge mid-game when I was younger and I experienced no problems whatsoever.



My sister dropped her DS mid-save in Pokemon Y, and her game corrupted because the game card popped out. It's not just with AC... I think the problem is, that AC saves SO MUCH. It saves the entire town the way you left it. If you turn the game off mid-save, it is torn between the old town before you saved or the new town after you saved, which probably confuses it and causes corruption.


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## captainofcool (Mar 23, 2014)

Really, avoiding corruption is easy. Most of the time it's through careless actions. However, implanting a save data backup thingie would be really nice. I'm not sure how it'd work, because a player could easily duplicate stuff by corrupting one file and going back to an old one.


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## LinDUNguin (Mar 23, 2014)

And it took me HEAVILY modding my Oblivion save to corrupt it; it just seems way to easy to corrupt your save in NL.


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## Krissi2197 (Mar 23, 2014)

captainofcool said:


> I'm not sure how it'd work, because a player could easily duplicate stuff by corrupting one file and going back to an old one.



I'm certain this was the reason that Nintendo doesn't allow back-up files.


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## EmmaFrost (Mar 23, 2014)

I bought Datel Powersaves 3DS to avoid the chance of my save file ever corrupting without the chance of being recovered. It's a USB device where you plug in your 3DS cartridge to your computer and it'll save your save file for any 3DS game to your computer. That way if my data ever did corrupt I could just load the previously saved file and everything would be okay. This is good for favorite villagers unexpectedly moving out, too. It's a good $18.99 to spend on Amazon.


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## Gizmodo (Mar 23, 2014)

Illyana said:


> I bought Datel Powersaves 3DS to avoid the chance of my save file ever corrupting without the chance of being recovered. It's a USB device where you plug in your 3DS cartridge to your computer and it'll save your save file for any 3DS game to your computer. That way if my data ever did corrupt I could just load the previously saved file and everything would be okay. This is good for favorite villagers unexpectedly moving out, too. It's a good $18.99 to spend on Amazon.



Does this work for a physical cartridge then?
I'm still so scared to ever get a digital game


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## LinDUNguin (Mar 23, 2014)

Krissi2197 said:


> I'm certain this was the reason that Nintendo doesn't allow back-up files.



How would that work? If the town datas are separate then there's no way to duplicate anything.


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## Krissi2197 (Mar 23, 2014)

Illyana said:


> I bought Datel Powersaves 3DS to avoid the chance of my save file ever corrupting without the chance of being recovered. It's a USB device where you plug in your 3DS cartridge to your computer and it'll save your save file for any 3DS game to your computer. That way if my data ever did corrupt I could just load the previously saved file and everything would be okay. This is good for favorite villagers unexpectedly moving out, too. It's a good $18.99 to spend on Amazon.



I don't think this works with ACNL... Each time you save, a new code is generated. A "save code" if you want to call it that. If the "save code" doesn't match up with the "save code" when you open the game, it won't work.


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## EmmaFrost (Mar 23, 2014)

Gizmodo said:


> Does this work for a physical cartridge then?
> I'm still so scared to ever get a digital game


Yes, it works only with physical cartridges because you plug them into the USB dongle directly into your computer.
I have two copies of Animal Crossing and I back up my saves for both games on my Powersaves 3DS.

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Krissi2197 said:


> I don't think this works with ACNL... Each time you save, a new code is generated. A "save code" if you want to call it that. If the "save code" doesn't match up with the "save code" when you open the game, it won't work.



I've tested it.


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## captainofcool (Mar 23, 2014)

Item is in data file one. Data file two gets created with the item in it, but becomes corrupted. Data file one is pulled out with the item still in it, creating two of the same item (assuming that the the item was given to another player). Something like that.


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## Fantasyland (Mar 23, 2014)

Nobody's mentioned this, so I thought I would jump in: Just copy files from the SD card into a folder on your computer. This way if anything corrupts, you just copy it back from your computer onto your SD card. I know some people who have corrupted and used this method, and they've been fine. 
I've saved off my SD card many times, and it's never given me any issues. I try to do it once a week, or more if I have villagers I like moving in.
I have never seen a single thread on this forum that hasn't been the fault of the user. Even cartridges popping out- you dropped your 3DS???? That's terrifying to me! People who don't take care of their electronics like that should expect to have issues.


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## Kildor (Mar 23, 2014)

If my town got corrupted ,I won't ever post that I corrupted my game ever. Because I do not want people to pity me. And it would make me look like im just there getting donations.Its my fault and I should face it. Make a new town,start over. I know it will be hard,but thats what ACNL is about. Starting over a new leaf. And ai am sorry. I know people make mistakes,but simple precautions could have made to prevent it. Also,an elder scrolls player?! We should go Multiplayer in my town sometime  Oblivion lagged for me because of all of the bug fix mods and graphical improvements. Zooming into peoples faces during conversation freaked me out.


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## LinDUNguin (Mar 23, 2014)

captainofcool said:


> Item is in data file one. Data file two gets created with the item in it, but becomes corrupted. Data file one is pulled out with the item still in it, creating two of the same item (assuming that the the item was given to another player). Something like that.



Ok, but the item in data file two is lost. The data is specific to each save.

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kildor22 said:


> If my town got corrupted ,I won't ever post that I corrupted my game ever. Because I do not want people to pity me. And it would make me look like im just there getting donations.Its my fault and I should face it. Make a new town,start over. I know it will be hard,but thats what ACNL is about. Starting over a new leaf. And ai am sorry. I know people make mistakes,but simple precautions could have made to prevent it. Also,an elder scrolls player?! We should go Multiplayer in my town sometime  Oblivion lagged for me because of all of the bug fix mods and graphical improvements. Zooming into peoples faces during conversation freaked me out.



Lol, that does sound freaky. I'd be glad to visit your town sometime


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## vodkasmizmar (Mar 23, 2014)

Fantasyland said:


> Nobody's mentioned this, so I thought I would jump in: Just copy files from the SD card into a folder on your computer. This way if anything corrupts, you just copy it back from your computer onto your SD card. I know some people who have corrupted and used this method, and they've been fine.
> I've saved off my SD card many times, and it's never given me any issues. I try to do it once a week, or more if I have villagers I like moving in.
> I have never seen a single thread on this forum that hasn't been the fault of the user. Even cartridges popping out- you dropped your 3DS???? That's terrifying to me! People who don't take care of their electronics like that should expect to have issues.



I don't know if the SD actually holds much ACNL data. I've turned on my DS and played ACNL while my SD card was out and played perfectly fine - the only difference I noticed was that it said it was unable to do Streetpass. I agree with the rest though - if you're dropping your $200 electronic device or "playing" with the cartridge area while it's saving - maybe a ball would be a better toy.


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## Krissi2197 (Mar 23, 2014)

vodkasmizmar said:


> I don't know if the SD actually holds much ACNL data. I've turned on my DS and played ACNL while my SD card was out and played perfectly fine - the only difference I noticed was that it said it was unable to do Streetpass. I agree with the rest though - if you're dropping your $200 electronic device or "playing" with the cartridge area while it's saving - maybe a ball would be a better toy.



You need to take into consideration that digital copies DO exist.


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## captainofcool (Mar 23, 2014)

LinDUNguin said:


> Ok, but the item in data file two is lost. The data is specific to each save.


Not if the item was given away to somebody before corruption.


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## vodkasmizmar (Mar 23, 2014)

Krissi2197 said:


> You need to take into consideration that digital copies DO exist.



Thanks forgot about them


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## Big Forum User (Mar 23, 2014)

the thread starter said:


> *Someone should create a petition.* As much as I love Nintendo's original games and creative IPs, they lack dev support. They never patch their games (even though they have the ability to) and basically what you get out of the box is what you have for the entirety of your playtime with it, bugs and all.



Why not you?


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## toxapex (Mar 23, 2014)

Krissi2197 said:


> The majority of the corruptions that have been happening lately are the user's faults, though. If you quit while saving/loading the town, pop out your SD card before turning the system off, mess with the data in the SD card on the computer, etc, it's not Nintendo's fault if the game corrupts.



I totally agree. The only reason my old town got corrupted was that I thought there could be a second town on a separate SD card, and tried to create a town for my brother. So, like you said, human error.


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## Michelangelo (Mar 23, 2014)

I know you're supposed to remove the SD card when the system is turned off, but I'm scared to even remove it! I have two copies, and I play mostly on my digital town. I'm afraid of my town becoming corrupted. Will anything happen if I just remove the card so I can import my pictures onto my laptop?


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## Yugi Moto (Mar 23, 2014)

Michelangelo said:


> I know you're supposed to remove the SD card when the system is turned off, but I'm scared to even remove it! I have two copies, and I play mostly on my digital town. I'm afraid of my town becoming corrupted. Will anything happen if I just remove the card so I can import my pictures onto my laptop?



Jk ignore this post


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## LinDUNguin (Mar 23, 2014)

Big Forum User said:


> Why not you?



It's easier to rant about it then do anything :/ I just might though, but I'll look into who to contact first.


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## Zanessa (Mar 23, 2014)

Corruptions will always be a thing. It's just a thing that happens. Something gets messed up in a save file and bam -- things are gone. I understand the frustration (Sims 3 -.-) but being angry about it being a thing won't fix your corrupted save. It's almost pointless in a sense. 




Yui Z said:


> I've said it before and I'll say it again. Only human. Humans make mistakes.
> 
> But yeah, most of the time it's the users own fault or human error. *Just be careful and it should be possible to avoid.*





Krissi2197 said:


> The majority of the corruptions that have been happening lately are the user's faults, though. If you quit while saving/loading the town, pop out your SD card before turning the system off, mess with the data in the SD card on the computer, etc, *it's not Nintendo's fault if the game corrupts.*



I agree with these the most.

You're not supposed to be resetting, you're not supposed to take out your SD card with your system still on, and you're not supposed to move files onto your computer to "back-up" files (because it's not natural.) 

If your 3DS died while you were saving, I would think you'd learn your lesson on "saving while dying". If you can't get to your charger, just let it die. That way, you won't lose your town; just your progress for that day. 
Losing the Day's Progress > Losing the Town. 

Nintendo can probably try a back-up save, but back-ups don't always work. I'd like it if they restricted it so you can only back up files once a day or something; to avoid duplication.. even though you can just use the 3DS time.. well, some people don't like using that clock; therefore it would stop a lot of duplication.. if that helps that problem. I had a back-up file for another game, and when my file corrupted, I tried to load the back-up, but it didn't load and that corrupted later on.

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Michelangelo said:


> I know you're supposed to remove the SD card when the system is turned off, but I'm scared to even remove it! I have two copies, and I play mostly on my digital town. I'm afraid of my town becoming corrupted. Will anything happen if I just remove the card so I can import my pictures onto my laptop?



I don't think anything will happen if you just move the pictures. But you can email the pictures to yourself to avoid removing the SD card if it scares you that much..


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## HelloAnna (Mar 23, 2014)

I'm not too worried, it's virtual, doesn't affect me. But I do understand others pains ~ ​


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## Dev (Mar 23, 2014)

Michelangelo said:


> I know you're supposed to remove the SD card when the system is turned off, but I'm scared to even remove it! I have two copies, and I play mostly on my digital town. I'm afraid of my town becoming corrupted. Will anything happen if I just remove the card so I can import my pictures onto my laptop?


You could also put your pics on Miiverse, though it can be tedious/time-consuming waiting for it to start up. But I prefer it to messing around with my SD card. 



Krissi2197 said:


> The majority of the corruptions that have been happening lately are the user's faults, though. If you quit while saving/loading the town, pop out your SD card before turning the system off, mess with the data in the SD card on the computer, etc, it's not Nintendo's fault if the game corrupts.
> 
> I agree with the "back-up" thing, and I'm surprised Nintendo hasn't done that yet and I wish they had, but corruption can easily be avoided by taking a few precautions. People who are careless and get their data corrupted is all on them, even if it was an accident.



It’s actually pretty comforting to know this. Since my main file is on a digital copy, data corruption is like the boogeyman, but since I’m pretty careful with my DS and don’t mess around with my SD card or anything, I’m glad I can worry about it less. 

I don’t think Nintendo would pay too much attention to a petition, honestly. (Would it make much difference that the petition would be mostly not-Japan based, and the games are made in Japan? I know there’s NOA but I don’t  know that much about the production process itself, lol)

That said, it would be nice if there were bugfixes or patches applied to NL. Pokemon X/Y had a few patches made — forget what they were for specifically, but I think they were related to online play and preventing hacks/something of that nature. It would definitely be nice to see Nintendo develop something to prevent theft / destruction of towns as a patch. (Would just be a switch to prevent visitors from taking flowers/messing with trees and bushes, saw it suggested in a thread a while back.) But then again, there probably isn’t much monetary incentive to make said patches, since the game is selling quite well out of the box. Though I would certainly hand them my money for some DLC’s. 

Other than the glitch where you can walk on top of things, are there any really dangerous/game-breaking glitches in NL?


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## Blizzard (Mar 24, 2014)

All I know is anytime there is a SD card involved, something will go wrong. I've lost many camera photos due to changes on the card. It's not a matter of "if" but "when" will it happen.  Even the most careful person can lose valued info. Those dang cards don't like being removed, or info taken from them. The DS is set up that way, but I don't like it and never remove my card from main games.


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## Piroshi (Mar 24, 2014)

It's not Nintendo's responsibility if people's save data is corrupted, whether it be from carelessness or a legitimate accident, and it's not like it's exclusive to this game either. That's why it says right on screen not to turn the game off while saving. My first (and only) save data corruption was years ago on a PS2 game because I panicked and shut the game off when I accidentally saved over a file, and I've never done it again because I've learned from my mistake.


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## dreamysnowx (Mar 24, 2014)

Yui Z said:


> I've said it before and I'll say it again. Only human. Humans make mistakes.
> 
> But yeah, most of the time it's the users own fault or human error. Just be careful and it should be possible to avoid.


this! ~

This is basically the reason why I made a small guide to avoid data corruptions, just to raise awareness to other players who don't know about how easily datas can be corrupted if they are not being careful. All humans make mistakes! but mistakes is something you can avoid as long as you know what and how to avoid it and play safely.


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