Help! can not open my project: Failed to load common event data!

Hey guys,

I have ran into a problem. I cannot seem to open my Project.

When I load RPG Maker VX Ace I get this error:

"Falied to load common event data"

I then click open project, select my project and then I get this error again.

Whats happened :(

EDIT: some quick searching found out taht if I makle a new project and copy the event data over it should fix the issuie. I tried that but now I get a failed to load map data.

I gues my game is gone.

not exactly, it also depends on what happened.


Basically, one or more of the files from your project got damaged - most probably either because of a windwos crash or because the computer was shutdown when the editor was saving.


Replacing the damaged files with files from a new project will allow you to at least save some of the data - depending on how many files were destroyed, this might be worth the few minutes to test it with a copy of the project.


To prevent future cases, I suggest you search the master script list for a so-called "Backup" script - there are half a dozen from different scripters available, and they'll copy all game files whenever you start a playtest. This slows down playtesting, so you might try to make manual backups instead (simply copy the project directory somewhere else)

simply copy that missing thing from your back up. Always have back ups of your project. That's the key.

well its my own stupid fault for not having a back up! haha.

Well spent the last hour or so re-doing the main town (thats all I had made) and so didnt lose too much. The new one looks better :D

Guess the practice for map making is a positive thing!

ok, I must be doing something wrong.

Worked on the new game last night. Backed it up. Turned off the computer.

Come to work on it today after work and i get this error message: "unexpected file format"

What am i doing wrong?

*note: I think i switched my computer off at the switch with out doing an actual shutdown. RPG Maker ACE was already closed.

That is the reason - because cutting power is like playing russian roulette with your files.
To speed up operations, all file data is actually stored in cache (RAM) first, and only slowly transferred physically to the hard drive.


That is the reason for the shutdown time: not only to safely end all programs and make sure that they are no longer operating on the harddrive, but also to transfer the last of the cached data onto the hard drive.


Cutting power means that all data that is still in cache is lost, and that all files who had part of their data in cache get corrupted.


NEVER just "switch off" your computer, always shut it down whenever possible.

ahhh this makes sense. I dont normally just cut the power but I did last night as I was in a rush. Lesson learnt I guess! Thanks for the response and the info :)

My PC freezes every few weeks, forcing me to do a hard reset, and I've never lost anything. But maybe I've just been lucky. It's never happened *immediately* after saving, though.