An update can change the game you play and the files it expects. Before replacing an early build, keep enough information to answer two questions: which version last worked, and which copy of your progress belongs to it? A small amount of preparation makes those answers much easier to recover.
Family Time Game is still being developed. The public sources reviewed for this article do not establish an exact save-folder path, a save-format compatibility policy, or Steam Cloud support. This is a general preparation workflow for players who have an official build, not a verified recovery procedure for a particular version.
1. Separate the game, the save, and the notes
The downloaded game files let you run a version. A save, if that version supports one, records progress. Release notes explain how that version should be installed or used. Keeping only the download does not prove that you have preserved your colony.
Likewise, a folder named “backup” is only useful if you know what it contains. Give a backup folder a meaningful label outside the game’s active data directory, such as FamilyTime-before-update-2026-10-01, and place a short text note beside the copied files. Record the original location, build label, and date. Keep the files inside unchanged unless the developer explicitly instructs otherwise.
Do not guess a save location from the engine name or from another game. If the developer has not documented one, ask through the project’s official support channel before moving or replacing data. Copying an unrelated settings directory will not protect a save stored elsewhere.
2. Use a decision-based update checklist
Start with the instructions attached to the exact build you intend to install. A recent announcement may describe a feature without providing migration instructions. Our development index helps identify posts; the build’s own notes should determine the installation procedure.
- Identify both versions. Record the version you have and the one you are getting. Keep the source post or download instructions with your notes.
- Read compatibility guidance. Look for a required new game, changed save format, or special installation order. If the notes say to start fresh, preserve the old files rather than forcing them into the new version.
- Close the game normally. If saving is supported, use the documented save method and let it complete before exiting. Avoid copying files while the game may still be writing them.
- Copy the confirmed save data. Follow the developer’s file-location guidance and copy the complete documented set to a separate folder. Do not move or delete the originals. Check that the copy contains the expected filenames and non-empty files where applicable.
- Keep a recoverable reference. Where the distribution method permits it, retain the original download and instructions. A retained build is useful context, but it does not guarantee that an updated save can be opened by an older version.
- Test before a long session. Follow the new build’s instructions and check that the intended progress is present. Preserve the untouched backup until you have confidence in the result.
If the save location or compatibility is unknown, the checklist has reached a decision point: resolve that question before experimenting with valuable progress. Do not label an unverified copy as a tested backup. Successfully restoring and opening it, under supported instructions, is stronger evidence than simply seeing files in a folder.
3. Treat cloud synchronisation as a separate feature
Valve’s documentation explains that developers must configure which files Steam Cloud manages. It also describes explicit configuration for sharing cloud storage between separate applications, such as a demo and a full release. A Steam listing alone therefore does not establish cloud saving or demo-to-release progress transfer.
For Family Time Game, check a current developer statement and the features available in your installed build. Do not assume an independently downloaded early build participates in Steam synchronisation.
If a future supported version presents a cloud conflict, stop before selecting a file to overwrite. Record both candidates’ timestamps and the device on which you last played. Seek the relevant support instructions if you cannot identify the intended progress. A newer timestamp is a clue; it is not proof that the file contains the colony you want.
4. Report the smallest repeatable problem
A developer can act on a short sequence more easily than on a general complaint. Describe what you expected, what appeared instead, and the minimum actions that reproduce it. Separate an issue that happened once from one you have reproduced consistently.
A report template to fill in
- Build and source: version label and official download post.
- System: operating system; GPU and memory if the issue concerns graphics or performance.
- Starting state: new game or existing save; previous build if recently updated.
- Steps: a numbered sequence, using the control names shown by this version.
- Expected / observed: one concrete sentence for each.
- Frequency: how many attempts reproduced it; write “once” when that is all you know.
- Evidence: exact error text or a short recording of the relevant action.
Use the support route specified by the developer. Check screenshots and logs for personal paths, account details, or unrelated desktop content before sharing them. Supply a save file only when requested through an appropriate channel, and send a copy rather than your only working version.
5. If an old save will not load
Preserve the original save and the error message before trying further changes. Repeatedly editing, renaming, or resaving the same files can make it harder to identify the original failure. Avoid applying recovery instructions written for a different game simply because the engine or folder name looks similar.
If the current build offers a separate new-game slot, and using it will not overwrite existing progress, a fresh session can help narrow the problem: does the build launch at all, or does the failure appear only when loading the older data? Report that distinction without concluding that it proves corruption.
Follow a documented migration or recovery procedure when one exists. Otherwise, keep the evidence and ask for version-specific guidance. The purpose of preparation is to preserve options and make the problem understandable; no generic checklist can guarantee recovery from every format change.