Sorry all, I don't think I was clear enough in my original email. Let me try and clarify. Only the seasonal save "saves" the game. If I click on save and exit I am booted out to the main menu however when I attempt to load the game I just saved it is non existant. I can only load from the previous seasonal save. Let me give you an example....
I start a new game, I play through one season and I get a seasonal autosave ("save 1"). I'm mid way through my next season and I need to stop playing. At this point I have two choices
a) keep playing until my next seasonal save
b) click "save and exit" which in reality kicks me out to the main menu and means when I next play I have to load "save 1"
Surely this isn't working as intended?
I think part of the problem is that you're being a little too vague or general for us to really understand what is going on.
You should have a folder somewhere like C:\DFStuff\data\save\region1\
That's your "main" or "working" save.
There's also a C:\DFStuff\data\save\current\ that is pretty much useless.
Seasonal autosaves will get tagged with the year and season, like C:\DFStuff\data\save\region1-aut-2010\
If you load up the \region1\ game, play for a while, and then save - that \region1\ save gets overwritten. There will be no \region2\ or \region1-newsave\ or anything like that. Just plain ol' \region1\ - but it should be updated with all the stuff you did during your last play.
So... Say you open up \region1\ and build a new bridge. Then save. Then load up \region1\ again. Your bridge should be there.
If you open up \region1-aut-2010\ play for a bit, and then save - \region1-aut-2010\ will get overwritten. You don't get a new save. The save you loaded gets overwritten.
If you open up \region1-aut-2010\ and play long enough to get another seasonal autosave, it'll be called \region1-aut-2010-win-2010\ - that season/year tag gets appended to the name of whatever you loaded. Even if it already had a season/year tag. DF doesn't care.
If you open up \region1-aut-2010-win-2010\ and play long enough to get a seasonal autosave it'll be called \region1-aut-2010-win-2010-spr-2011\ - you get the idea.
So... The question is... If you open up \region1\ and build a bridge. Then save. Then open up \region1\ again. Is your bridge there? Or not?