Help Index → Working with bases → Use case 22
Add a base-backup record to the currently loaded save context. Restore a Base is an insertion command: it does not search for and replace an older matching base.
Before you start
- Load the intended destination save and verify Main or Expedition.
- Keep a full backup of that destination and locate a trusted single-base .nms_base.json file. Synchronize pending text edits before restoring.
- Before any sync, Pretty Print or structured refresh, copy EACH pending Raw JSON pane’s complete text to a separate external file. Successful tab sync refreshes ALL Raw JSON panes and can erase pending text elsewhere.
Steps
- If several panes contain wanted pending work, preserve ALL before any refresh. If applying it, reapply and verify one non-inventory tab at a time; never simply sync each changed tab. Keep inventory text externally and reproduce supported changes with structured tools instead.
- Open Bases and right-click the top-level array root, not a named base or one of its child fields. (control reference)
- Choose Restore a Base. The file dialog is titled Restore A Base To First Position In Tree. (control reference)
- Select the single-base backup file and open it. Wait for New Base Added To Tree and the refreshed list. (control reference)
- Inspect the newly inserted first base and compare its label and Raw JSON with the record you meant to add. (control reference)
Expected result
- The selected JSON record is inserted at index zero of PersistentPlayerBases in app memory. Previously loaded bases move down one position.
- An existing record with the same name or address remains present. Restoring the same file twice adds it twice; this is not a merge or duplicate-aware recovery.
What changes, and when to save
Changes stay in the loaded app data until File > Save NMS Save File writes the retained live slot and Main or Expedition context. Close No Man’s Sky and confirm that destination before saving; a green synchronization light alone does not mean the game file was saved. A refreshed pane is not proof that pending text survived; compare the intended values with your external copies before authorizing a live write.
Check the result
- Confirm the base count increased by one and that the first record has the expected address and Objects count.
- Review any apparent duplicate before saving; choose deliberately whether either record should be removed.
Important details and recovery
- Use a complete single-base backup, not an inventory backup or full-context export. Successful JSON loading and insertion do not establish game-valid ownership, construction relationships or destination compatibility.