What causes our save data to become corrupted and who or what is to blame?

[Milad Wassouf]

Let’s face it... if you played this game more than a year you have lost your progress atleast once! I’ve been scrolling through the posts trying to find more insight to the problem, but all I see is people advising how to avoid it. So can anyone explain what’s happening from a technical perspective? Is it a problem with the device, the operating system or the game itself?

[debbles smurf]

The problen started years ago long before bongfish came along and tooj over from beeline. The problem was never really found under beeline. Bongfish have been fantastic have been working behind the scenes since they took over. The game is far more stable now than it was under beeline the previous developer

[Milad Wassouf]

Indeed, SV has come a long way since Bongfish took over. It’d be really great if the problem gets fully patched for both the support team who regularly gets crash reports, and players. Especially those who , like me, play mostly offline and don’t have a back up in Game Center at any given moment.

[Spelling Bee]

Let’s face it... if you played this game more than a year you have lost your progress atleast once!

Milad Wassouf While there have been instances in the past where large numbers of players have had some form of corruption (such as the autumn of 2016), it's not entirely accurate to say that everyone who's played for longer than a year has been affected. Generally speaking, it is not something most players will likely ever have to worry about, and shouldn't.

Indeed, SV has come a long way since Bongfish took over.

Yes, it most certainly has. When Bongfish took over developer duties in the fall of 2016, the game's stability and enjoyment were at an all-time low. Many feared for the game's future, and it is safe to say that if they hadn't stepped in, it's highly doubtful we would have been able to continue to play at all.

So can anyone explain what’s happening from a technical perspective? Is it a problem with the device, the operating system or the game itself?

While it would be great to definitively point one thing or another to say this is the root cause, in actuality, it is not quite that simple. For those players who do find themselves affected, the reason can vary depending on several different factors such as the age of the village, items owned/placed, device type, and a whole host of other variables. Production on the game began nearly nine years ago. Since then, it has been worked on by multiple studios and undergone numerous changes. No one could have predicted back then what it would eventually become, and that it would have such longevity.

It’d be really great if the problem gets fully patched for both the support team who regularly gets crash reports, and players.

The one saving grace for us players is that Smurfs' Village is now in the hands of Bongfish, and they have been continually sifting through the code and making improvements on it ever since. The sheer arduous task of fixing what's been broken, and ignored for so long is a massive endeavor that cannot be understated. Lesser Developers would have been overwhelmed and threw in the towel a long time ago. I think Bongfish's determination and willingness to listen to the players have earned them the trust to see things through on their timetable. They have already fixed so many things, but any remaining issues are assuredly on their Roadmap, which means that they will get to them all in due time.

Especially those who , like me, play mostly offline and don’t have a back up in Game Center at any given moment.

It is possible to manually create a Game Center Cloud Save at any point in time, providing you do get access to an internet connection. If you primarily play offline, it would be a good idea to make a routine backup every few days, or weekly. It takes very little time and will give you that added protection if something were to happen to your locally saved data on the device.

To create a backup, enter Smurfs Village on your device and go to the Menu > Settings Tab > My Account > Cloud Save. Make sure you are signed into/logged into your Game Center account (iOS Settings App > Game Center), and then press the Save Button. Confirm that it shows the last save was just made on the current date and time. If it does, then your progress should now be backed up.

[Tamara Abbott]

Awesome response and I totally agree with you Spelling Bee! Thanks Bongfish for your ongoing help and support ????????????????????????????????

[Spelling Bee]

Thank you Tamara Abbott, and yes a big thanks to Bongfish indeed!