Welcome to the Crusader Kings II Ironman Backup Tool v0.92



**********CHANGE LOG**********

v0.92 - Moved backups directory from ..\CK2IBT\BACKUPS\ to ..\save games\CK2IBT_BACKUPS\ in order to avoid deleting backups when updating CK2IBT.
	Expanded history functionality.
	Corrected a few bugs introduced by last update.

v0.91 - Various bugfixes.

v0.90 - First public version.



**********CONTENTS**********

- Introduction
- Features
- How to install
- How to use
- Commands
- Compatibility
- Troubleshooting
- Credits
- Terms of use



**********INTRODUCTION**********

Have you ever tried loading your Ironman save after trying out some mod? If you acidentally start up the game with an active mod and load your save, it's gone. Broken. Even if you quit 
immediately without unpausing, the game overwrites your save, and it is forever branded as non-Ironman. There is nothing you can do, you're just out of luck. 

This happened to me - 5 centuries down the drain (I was going for the Persistent Survivor achievement). So I created this tool to prevent if from ever happening again.

The Crusader Kings II Ironman Backup Tool (CK2IBT) is a simple program that helps you take and manage backups of your Ironman saves. This allows you not only to recover a broken game, 
but also to save and load Ironman games as you would any other. So if you'd like to make a backup save before your son comes of age or after you gain a great trait, then this mod is 
also for you.

CK2IBT is strictly speaking not a mod. It does not change any game files. Rather, it can be run independently of CK2. You can start it before launching the game or tab out and fire 
it up when you need it. While playing, you can keep CK2IBT running in the background and tab back and forth as needed. No need to quit the game in order to backup.

*** A quick note on terminology ***
While save/backup and load/restore are pretty much interchangeable, they are taken to mean different things in the context of CK2IBT. Saving and loading is what you do inside the game, 
from the menu. Backup and restoring is what you tell CK2IBT to do to your save files. Likewise, "a save" refers to the actual save file in the save games folder, while "a backup" 
refers to a copy of that save file, located in the BACKUPS folder.



**********FEATURES**********

- Easy to backup/restore your Ironman saves - no more corrupted save files
- Keeps a history of recent backups to help you manage your backups
- Option to delete old backups - prevents your backups from taking up too much space
- Automatic backups every X minutes - you don't have to remember to do it yourself
- Autobackup can be overwritten or saved to a new file
- Cleans up all outdated backups at the press of a button



**********HOW TO INSTALL**********

- Subscribe in the Steam Workshop or download directly from https://www.dropbox.com/s/0y12tmu1a7lsdyv/CK2IBT.zip?dl=0
- Unzip CK2IBT.zip in the ..\Crusader Kings II\mod\ folder (the one in your Documents, not the one in the game folder)
- That's it!

Note that CK2IBT uses Java VM. The vast majority of users already have this installed, but if you don't you can find it here: http://java.com/en/download/manual.jsp



**********HOW TO USE**********

- Run CK2IBT.bat in the ..\Crusader Kings II\mod\CK2IBT\ folder. This will open the tool in a console window.
- Use the 'game' command to tell the tool which game you want to backup. CK2IBT will remember this next time you run it, so it is only necessary when you want to start taking backups 
of a different game.
- To take a backup of your game, first use the in-game menu to save the game. Then tab out to the console window and use the 'backup' command. Tab back in.
- If you want to restore an earlier backup, resign the game and go back to the main menu. Then tab out and use the 'restore' command to select the desired backup. Tab back to the game 
and load your save. It is important that you restore the backup AFTER you return to the main menu, since CK2 overwrites an Ironman save when you click resign.



**********COMMANDS**********

This is a list of available commands and their arguments. Most commands have a shortcut (in parentheses). 'b' and 'r' can be used without arguments as a sort of "quicksave/quickload".

'(g)ame' : 		Used to set which Ironman save file to manage.
	Example:	'game Mongol Empire' will select "Ironman_Mongol_Empire.ck2"
	Note: 		You can set a game which does not exist (yet), although you will be warned if the save file cannot be found.

'(b)ackup' :		Used to save a backup of your selected Ironman save.
	Example:	'b' takes a backup and names it "Ironman_Mongol_Empire(4).ck2" - 4 being a reference id.
			'backup PreWarFrance' takes a backup called "Ironman_Mongol_Empire(8)PreWarFrance.ck2". A descriptive suffix can help you remember which backup is which.
	Note:		The reference id is simply for convenience. It should be chronological in backup-order, but not necessarily in in-game time.

'(r)estore' :		Used to replace the current save file with an earlier backup.
	Example:	'r' restores the last backup you took.
			'restore 13' restores the backup called "Ironman_Mongol_Empire(13).ck2"
			'r 19 Imprison' restores the backup called "Ironman_Mongol_Empire(19)Imprison.ck2"
	Note:		CK2IBT remembers the name of the last backup you took next time it is run. However, if you use the 'game' command to change game, this info is deleted.

'(a)uto' :		Used to take automatic backups periodically.
	Example:	'a n 20' takes a backup every 20 minutes until you stop it by pressing ENTER. A new backup file is saved every time.
			'a o 5' takes a backup every 5 minutes until you stop it by pressing ENTER. The same backup file is overwritten every time.
	Note:		CK2 autosaves Ironman games every 6 months, and it will be this save that is backed up unless you save your game manually.

'(s)et' :		Used to change the settings of the tool.
	Example:	'set delold 1' enables the deleteold option, deleting backups that are not in the history. Set to 0 or 'false' to turn off. Default setting is disabled.
			's hsize 20' sets the historysize to 20. This means that the last 20 backups you take will be stored in the history.
	Note:		If deleteold is enabled, any backups that are pushed out of the history will be deleted. If deleteold is disabled, the history can still be used to list the backups for 
			convenience, so you don't have to look in the BACKUPS folder to find out which suffix you gave them, for example.

'settings' :		Used to display the current settings.
	Example:	'settings' displays the current settings including the history.
	Note:		The 'settings' command has no shortcut.

'(c)lean' :		Used to clean up old backups that you no longer need.
	Example:	'c all' deletes all but the latest backup taken of each Ironman game.
			'clean Ostlandet' deletes all backups taken of Ironman_Ostlandet.ck2, except the latest one. 
	Note:		The 'clean all' command leaves one backup of each Ironman game and deletes all others. It does not delete from subfolders however, so if you want to save some backups, 
			you can create a new folder and put them there.

'(hist)ory' :		Used to display the current history of backups.
	Example:	'hist' displays the history.
			'history wipe' erases the history.
	Note:		Wiping the history will not delete any files. You can use 'hist wipe' to save the backups in the history from being deleted by the deleteold setting.

'(h)elp' :		Used to display the list of commands, along with some helpful tips.
	Example:	'h' displays the help text in the console.
	Note:		Alternatively, you can display the help text by running the .jar with command line argument '-help'.
	
'(q)uit' :		Self-explanatory.
	Example:	'q' stops the program and closes the console window.
	Note:		When CK2IBT is shut down, the settings are saved in CK2IBT_settings.txt. These settings are loaded again automatically next time you run CK2IBT.



**********COMPATIBILITY**********

- Needless to say, CK2IBT is Ironman compatible.
- Will most likely work with any game version and any DLC. This version is tested with 2.4.5 (NFUF) (without Horse Lords DLC). Please let me know if you experience any issues.
- There should be absolutely NO compatibility issues with ANY mod, since CK2IBT changes no game files. Unless you have a mod that does something weird like moving your save games folder, 
if that is even possible.



**********TROUBLESHOOTING**********

- If you need instructions on how to use CK2IBT, the 'help' command is your friend (just press 'h').
- If CK2IBT complains about it's location, make sure that CK2IronmanBackupTool.jar is located in <Documents>\Paradox Interactive\Crusader Kings II\mod\CK2IBT\.
- Some players experience occationally that CK2 crashes when they try to tab into the game in full-screen mode. This is not caused by CK2IBT, it is a known bug. However, it is not a big 
problem since you have just saved your game and can just relaunch the game and load the save.
- CK2IBT is currently restricted to work with save files that adhere to the default naming scheme, i.e. "Ironman_<Primary_Title>.ck2". If many people dislike this, I will consider removing 
this restriction.
- If your backups folder becomes too big, just delete old backups that you no longer need. Alternatively, you can set the tool to delete older backups, either with the 'clean' command 
or with the deleteold option. Then it will keep a certain number of backups and delete the oldest. For help with these settings, use the 'help' command.
- If CK2 says that the backups taken by CK2IBT are broken, don't worry. This is because they have been moved and renamed. They will work fine once they are restored.
- If you get repeated error messages or the tool does not behave as expected, please let me know by dropping a comment in CK2IBT's mod page in Steam Workshop.
- CK2IBT has only been tested with Windows, so while the functions should be widely cross-platform, I cannot guarantee that it works as intended with other platforms. If you experience 
problems or if you'd like to test it for me with another OS, please leave a comment as well.



**********CREDITS**********

Cynther - programming & testing



**********TERMS OF USE**********

You are free to modify and redistribute CK2IBT in any way you see fit, but if you incorporate my work, whole or in part, into another mod, please notify me and mention me in the credits.


Enjoy!