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Ore Factory Squad Save Loads at Ground Zero: Protect It First

Protect a visible progressed save before testing Cloud or local recovery when loading opens at the beginning instead of the listed level and date.

By Ore Factory Guide Team · Updated 2026-09-11

Quick answer

If the save list still shows your progressed factory but loading it starts from the beginning, stop before saving, deleting, renaming, or choosing a Cloud overwrite. Close the game and make a dated copy of the complete local Saves folder first. Then record the listed level/date, the state that actually opens, the current version, and any Steam Cloud prompt. A current player has reported this symptom, but it is not confirmed as a universal bug and no guaranteed restoration method has been published.

Protect the existing save first

  1. Do not save the unexpected ground-zero state.
  2. Close Ore Factory Squad completely.
  3. Follow the Steam Cloud and save backup guide and copy the whole Saves folder to a separate dated location.
  4. Keep the original folder and the dated copy unchanged while you record evidence.
  5. Capture the save-list level/date and the loaded world's actual state.

Do not delete the visible save, create an empty replacement folder, or paste somebody else's save over it. A backup preserves options; it does not prove which copy contains the expected world state.

Separate this symptom from a launch failure

This guide applies when the save is listed and the game loads a world, but that world starts at the beginning. If the game never reaches the menu or freezes while loading, use game will not load after an update. If Steam displays a sync conflict, stay in the Cloud conflict sequence instead of choosing Local or Cloud by habit.

Also record whether the last good session was solo, host, or guest. That context belongs in the report, but it does not establish which system changed the state.

Use the official Cloud boundary carefully

The official v1.0.9 announcement says Steam Cloud was re-enabled, the earlier dig-data storage changed, and the Backup folder is no longer uploaded to Cloud Save. It gives limited guidance: restart after a sync warning and, when a conflict is shown, choose the newest save.

Apply that advice only after making your own dated copy and only when the prompt and timestamps let you identify the newer save. “Newest” is not automatically the same as “contains the wanted factory.” If the visible states conflict or you cannot identify the good copy, stop rather than forcing another sync.

Capture evidence before another test

Record:

Use the bug report and log-files guide to submit the packet. Check the updates and roadmap tracker for any later official save fix. For broader issue routing, return to Troubleshooting.

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