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[element]

So I was reading TXB and I there is a rant about saving in-game, and how people prefer to save.

Majority of the people say that games should support saves anytime and anywhere, which shocks me. Boggles my mind.

Does this mean I'm just an old school gamer, who remember keeping their machines on all night because system (not even games) didn't have saves?

Are people that lazy that they can't finish a level? Are people that bad of gamers they need to be able to save after each enemy?

Am I offbase here? What is your preference?

 

[Error Macro]

Games not as interesting anymore + being spoiled by PC games = I DEMAND SAVE ANYWHERE OPTION FOR ALL CONSOLE GAMES

 

[Kiriku]

Games designed around a "save anywhere" system may result in devs going lazy and giving us mediocre level design with arguments like "you should've saved before opening that door, sucks to be you!! lol". I don't want the kind of freedom that more or less REQUIRES me to save anywhere to get through a game. A save anywhere system is just too easy to abuse and sucks the challenge out of a game anyway, saving before every battle etc.
Sure, one could choose NOT to save, but that's easier in theory than practice.

 

[Firest0rm]

So I was reading TXB and I there is a rant about saving in-game, and how people prefer to save.

Majority of the people say that games should support saves anytime and anywhere, which shocks me. Boggles my mind.

Does this mean I'm just an old school gamer, who remember keeping their machines on all night because system (not even games) didn't have saves?

Are people that lazy that they can't finish a level? Are people that bad of gamers they need to be able to save after each enemy?

Am I offbase here? What is your preference?

You were reading TXB, that should raise a flag

On a serious note, I think it depends on the game. Like racers ofcourse shouldn't have a save during a race, and the samething with fighters. However I think FPS's should have the saving option anywhere and anytime.

 

[golduck342]

I'd like to save after every level or boss. Games nowadays are way too long to attempt to play without saving. Saving anywhere is annoying because there's always that possibilty of saving somewhere you can get stuck.

 

[Tellaerin]

So I was reading TXB and I there is a rant about saving in-game, and how people prefer to save.

Majority of the people say that games should support saves anytime and anywhere, which shocks me. Boggles my mind.

Does this mean I'm just an old school gamer, who remember keeping their machines on all night because system (not even games) didn't have saves?

Are people that lazy that they can't finish a level? Are people that bad of gamers they need to be able to save after each enemy?

Am I offbase here? What is your preference?

My ideal save system for FPS's and action games would give the player end-of-level/checkpoint saves, plus a single 'save-anywhere' slot that would automatically be erased when you resumed your game. That way, you'd have the convenience of being able to pause anywhere and go back to the game later, while preventing the sort of quicksave/reload abuse you see all the time in PC games.

The sad thing is, I think the reason a lot of people want the ability to save and reload anywhere is so they can cheese their way through games. It's a mindset I see a lot, especially in people who are primarily PC gamers. (They're the ones who are still quick to tell you that the inability to save anywhere in console games is due to 'console limitations', even though that's hardly the case today, and who complain bitterly when games ported to the PC retain their 'console-style' checkpoints rather than having a quicksave option tacked on.)

 

[Wario64]

i prefer a "sleep" mode for consoles. much like how you can put a PSP on sleep mode. it'll power down the console but it'll remember where you left off. the next time you power up the console, it'll resume exactly where you left off, but it wont do a hard save

or what Tellaerin just explained about the "save anywhere" save slot deleting itself upon resuming

 

[ArcadeStickMonk]

I prefer a game's saves to be designed into the challenge, and to never have to worry about it.

Quicksave is an absolute crutch, but it'd be easier to stomach not saving in a Doom3 level if they all weren't so damn long. With classic FPS map\level design, quicksave is pretty much a necessity to balance the fun with the challenge.

one good thing that Halo and Far Cry did was design each level around a series of save points. Each save point (ideally) represented one overall challenge, and you never had to worry about saving because the game did it for you. It's one of the small ways that, as a gamer, I scream for discipline.

I want the game to save everything for me, and never be asked and never have to ask. I want the savepoints to be part of the level and part o fthe challenge. I don't want to think about saving, I just want to play.

 

[the year 20XX]

This seems like as good a thread as any, even though it's off topic (it's on, um, theme!)

If you make a game for a console that has more than one memory card slot, ALLOW USE OF ALL MEMORY CARD SLOTS FOR GOD'S SAKE

DON'T JUST SAVE AND LOAD TO THE FIRST ONE

 

[LakeEarth]

I liked Zelda's way. Save anywhere, but you don't start at the exact spot you saved on, thus not having the problem of getting stuck.

 

[MarkRyan]

Castlevania on GBA has a great save system. You can save anywhere, but a quick save forces you to quit the game and when you reload your game that save is erased. The only permanent saves are in dedicated save rooms. This allows the developer to balance the level design/difficulty properly and lets players pick up and play whenever without having to re-do stuff (or having to dedicate 20-30 minutes before they reach the next save).

 

[demi]

I'm a sporadic type of gamer, I'll play for a short bit then stop. Pick it up, stop.

So I prefer if I can just save right where I am. Especially for RPGs, that's really helpful.

Lufia: Ruins of Lore has it pretty much perfect, except for the fact that on load it erases your save and if you get fucked over, well, you're fucked over.

 

[Ristamar]

Quicksave is an absolute crutch...

I agree, quicksaves suck. It's generally poor game design, IMO.

 

[Rhindle]

Do a significant number of PS2 or Gamecube games have "save anywhere" systems? I can't think of any. I would imagine it's quite hard to to in most games, since the size of game saves would have to be quite large.

On HD-based systems I generally want a save anywhere system, or at least frequent checkpoints. Absent that, you are forced into an ultra-conservative play style, because the thought of having to restart from a save point 30 minutes ago is too much to bear. There are a few games where forcing conservatism makes for more interesting gameplay (Enclave comes to mind), but for the most part it's an annoyance.

 

[Kevtones]

Games like Ys (PS2) where the savepoints are spaced out but replenish are nice. Helps avoid the "oh shit I'm fucked" point you can reach in some games by not having enough health, ammo, etc.

 

[Ranger X]

Games designed around a "save anywhere" system may result in devs going lazy and giving us mediocre level design with arguments like "you should've saved before opening that door, sucks to be you!! lol". I don't want the kind of freedom that more or less REQUIRES me to save anywhere to get through a game. A save anywhere system is just too easy to abuse and sucks the challenge out of a game anyway, saving before every battle etc.
Sure, one could choose NOT to save, but that's easier in theory than practice.

That's a nice point. I don't like games that are crappy made and makes me save stupidly.
I'd like to save when i need to but i don't want this to the detriment of the game's quality.
By the way, i'm a gamer who's disciplined with his saving. Even in games with "save anywhere anytime" i only save after a while and when it's worth it. Console Jedi honorable saving code.

 

[Minotauro]

I prefer being able to save whereever and whenever I want. Mainly, this is because I absolutely loathe having to replay the same section of a game again. Once I clear something, I shouldn't have to clear it again.

The gameplay should be what makes a game difficult...not some poorly-designed save system.

 

[sprsk]

I like when saving is invisible. Things that just save by themselves int he background.

 

[Ghost]

I really like conkers saving system, it automatically saves whenever you do anything important (without any delay to the player, must do it in the cutscenes i guess), not once did i think "awwww I have to do ALL that again" after dying but it was also intelligent enough so that when i tried to cheese it (like getting back down the bat cave by just falling and dying at the bottom) it sent me back to the top. Similar to Halos system but i think the checkpoints are better placed (and a lot more frequent).


Save anywhere anytime is just a lazy solution imo.

 

[human5892]

I'd like to save after every level or boss. Games nowadays are way too long to attempt to play without saving. Saving anywhere is annoying because there's always that possibilty of saving somewhere you can get stuck.

That's my ideal system. Quicksaving is lame and fosters this weird mentality where people constantly save and reload until they've killed every single enemy without losing any health and using as little bullets as possible.

I also like games like Resident Evil that reward players for not saving as often...it's a good way to increase tension without artificially increasing the challenge by making it mandatory.

 

[Ranger X]

I'm pretty sure most people won't agree but there's a save system i remember liking alot.
It was Tomb Raider 4 saving system if i remember right. You collect save thingnies and use them when you want. It was the exact middle between a game that is "save anywhere/anytime" and a game where you have to manage your saves.
It let's you save whenever you want and prevents saving cowards to save after each god damned enemy. Saving should never replace skill, patience and perseverance in videogames.

 

[Dice]

Save anywhere because I don't play games for hours on end. I kind of play them only when I'm really bored, and I'm not sure when I'll stop playing. If my friends call and want to hang out I won't be like "later guys, I have to find the next save point"

Don't ruin my gaming because you want to be hardcore. If you don't like abusing save anywhere then don't abuse it.

 

[dark10x]

Saving anywhere leads to poor game design far too often for me to ever support it.

Halo did it absolutely right. Each checkpoint marked the beginning of a new mini-scenario within a level. When you combine the brilliant shield system with these checkpoints, you end up with a superior structure for designing your levels. One mission actually ends up becoming many smaller levels divided by these checkpoints and, in an almost classic side scrollin' shooter fashion, you must learn each of these mini scenarios. Very satisfying when done well...

 

[Son of Godzilla]

I prefer games that allow me to save anywhere but reset whatever mission I'm currently on and punt me back at a set point. Having to chug around to a save point blows, and saved states make things boring.

 

[Roland Hood]

I like RE4's save and continue system. Worked perfectly for me. Same with Halo.

I thought the save anywhere really hurt Tomb Raider 2, for example - I think the designers used it as an excuse for cheap, trial and error deaths (like walking down a hallway and a boulder falls on your head with no warning).

I wish sports games allowed me to save anywhere. I can't make it through 4 quarters of football or 9 innings of baseball, so I usually end up shortening the game or not playing at all.

 

[Slo]

I would like an autosave in most of my games. I'm an adult, I get to play my games in spurts and when I have to shut it off, I have to shut it off RIGHT NOW. I no longer find it rewarding to play a challenging level over, and over, and over again to finally beat it. When I was 12, I lived for that. Now it's tedious.

 

[Ranger X]

I would like an autosave in most of my games. I'm an adult, I get to play my games in spurts and when I have to shut it off, I have to shut it off RIGHT NOW. I no longer find it rewarding to play a challenging level over, and over, and over again to finally beat it. When I was 12, I lived for that. Now it's tedious.

You can't press "pause" + tap 2 times on D-pad to reach "save" in a menu? If "yes" is your answer, there's real problems in your life. You sound like people that are sooooo tight in their schedule that they have to run in the fucking automated stairs.

 

[Drey1082]

I hate when sports games don't have auto save. Like MVP baseball for instance. I've played a few games of that in a row, and forgot to save after the game. As soon as you exit the game and load back the season menu, it should save.

 

[Slo]

You can't press "pause" + tap 2 times on D-pad to reach "save" in a menu? If "yes" is your answer, there's real problems in your life. You sound like people that are sooooo tight in their schedule that they have to run in the fucking automated stairs.

Who said I couldn't? That sounds like a fine system, but that's not what this thread is about. This thread is about being able to save anywhere vs. having to trudge an indefinete distance to the next checkpoint. I prefer the former, which is exactly what you are discribing.

No need to be a fucking dick.

 

[PhatSaqs]

Really depends on the type of game. I think autosave is best for FPS and Sports games. I really, really, really dislike "save anywhere" infinitely for ANY game as I feel its nothing but a wheelchair. A limited (3 times max per area/stage) "save anywhere" would be ok IMO.

I think the PS generation are more apt be happy with "save anywhere".

 

[Ranger X]

Who said I couldn't? That sounds like a fine system, but that's not what this thread is about. This thread is about being able to save anywhere vs. having to trudge an indefinete distance to the next checkpoint. I prefer the former, which is exactly what you are discribing.

No need to be a fucking dick.

My message was a bit direct maybe. Sorry about that. It's because you talked about "automatic save" like a game that you close and it's saved. If someone NEED an automated save system because they need to quit their game faster there's a problem.
With a normal save system it would take 3-4 seconds more to quite the game wich shouldn't be a problem except if you're kid is getting on fire or something

 

[Slo]

Ok, just a misunderstanding I guess. I just want to be able to save whenever I want. On most days, my kids don't catch on fire ( ) so it's not really an emergency. But I'm a busy guy, I usually like to just shut the system off an run out the door to wherever it is I'm going. I actually shy away from games like MGS, because I don' t know if I'll be able to sit through the long-ass cutscenes before I'm interupted and have to do something else. The last thing I want to do is watch the first half of a MSG cutscene 5 days in a row. :lol

 

[iapetus]

This thread restores my faith in humanity.

My favourite solution is probably well-distributed savepoints with the additional ability to do a load-once-only save at any time. So you can't abuse the game by saving every time you do anything right, but likewise you don't end up having to spend half an hour searching for a savepoint when you want to stop playing.