Only one save file

[Celianna]

What do you guys think about a single save file? Now I don't mean something like Pokemon for example, where you can only start one game.


But more like, the single save file will keep your achievements, medals earned, collectables and whatnot, and from the main menu (not the intro screen) you can choose to continue your game, or erase the entire file. It's kind of the same concept as having the game do something differently once you complete it (like turning on a switch at the end), except here you'd basically keep all of your achievements and such, and when you replay the game (this could be a different story perhaps?) you can earn more achievements that weren't possible before.


So basically, one single save file to keep track of your achievements and collectables, but still be able to replay the game.


Or perhaps something as simple as a character creation. Basically like an MMORPG, where you create a character and play the same game all over again.

 

[taarna23]

I don't think I've ever really liked the idea of one save file... A lot of games have a long intro, and having a save file for immediately after that's over is nice, or maybe a friend wants to give it a try to see if they like it, or maybe you make a choice at the beginning that affects the rest of your playthrough and you want to try another option to see if it would be more fun for you.

 

[TheGamedawg]

Usually I'd prefer multiple save files.  I find there are just too many reasons why you should.  Maybe there are multiple players in the house, perhaps you want to try playing the game different a second time, yet keep your previous save.  Maybe you just want to play it again but keep your 100% file for bragging rights.  For a more niche reasons, I'm a Let's Players and I always enjoy making each recording session it's own save file.


There are reasons for wanting to make a game go off a single save file, but for me, it must be a REALLY good reason.

 

[consolcwby]

But more like, the single save file will keep your achievements, medals earned, collectables and whatnot

If you mean in addition to a normal save system? I'm kinda surprised (being relatively new to RP) it's not already setup this way. Saving game states separate from the extras (and things like 'Trophies' or 'Achievements' are exactly that) not only make sense from a systems analysis pov, but also allows more modular coding - which saves times debugging and whatnot. I can see something like this being an extremely useful plug-in! And I'd say go for it!


If you didn't mean in addition to a normal save system, then:

 

[Yappy Monoxide]

Personally I prefer multiple save files. That way other people can have their own save files on the same system or the player can use multiple save files to go back to certain points to do things differently. (An example would be if said game has choices either optional or story based)

 

[BoredSoul]

That really depends on the game.But personally,I would prefer multiple save files.If I dun goofed and wanted to go back...I wouldn't be able to.From making a bad choice to being stuck in a loophole where you will fail because of that save,it helps to have backups.

 

[Plueschkatze]

Same here, i prefer multiple save slots, but for some games it makes sense to only have one, game where you shouldn't feel to save. For example storybased games with lots of decisions like telltale games or horror games or strategic ones. So you can't make a second save before a big decision to be sure you don't make the wrong decision XD


But generally I always liked having at least 2 saves for 1 game so if an awesome scene came up I could keep the save before that and rewatch the scene... this was especially the case before you could find everything on youtube, haha... childhood memories. I had lots and lots of saves before Final Fantasy Cutscenes so I could rewatch them XD

 

[Schlangan]

I'm more inclined to have many available save files, if many people play on the same computer. But, when you start a new game, after saving, any subsequent saving in that game will be saved in that chosen file. Doing so, each player has its own save file, but you can't multisave to go back if "bad things happened". You can only have a new save file if you start a new game.


Another way of doing it is to have the "hidden autosave file" that keep track of what you're doing without interfering with what you can actually save. I use this in my game to keep an autsave to prevent the player from being stuck. At gameover, the hidden file can be reloaded just by choosing "Give up the mission". I've noticed that Undertale also use this kind of file. When you die, you reload your save, but there was a boss who kept couting how many times he killed you


In any case, with one save file, you must be sure that the player cannot be stuck watever happens, or else it would be a shame to have to start over again. With many files, it however tends to be a bit easier. This is a matter of balancing I guess.

 

[Wavelength]

The way I understand your description, Celianna, you are describing a setup where the player still has multiple save slots where they can save the party's place and progress in a game, and could revisit an earlier part of their adventure (and/or save scum) by loading one of those save slots whenever they choose, but there is also something keeping track of the progress the player (per se) has made at a global level - stuff like achievements and unlocks that might just happen to affect stuff that takes place within the game.  Is this correct?  If so, it seems like a lot of people were misunderstanding what you meant by a single save file.


I generally like this approach, and I use it for my own game where you globally unlock extra modes, bonus features, and options based on your in-game progress, as well as the opportunity to "stage select" any of the levels you've beaten.  I don't have the global unlocks affect anything in an individual adventure (aside from options that are mostly interface conveniences and aesthetic bonuses), but I think the idea of changing the adventure based on what has been done in the past is a very cool idea.


The one drawback is that if multiple people (e.g. siblings) play the game on the same computer/console, they will not get the "pure" first experience through the game - although, this is not exactly a bad thing.  Look at how popular games like Animal Crossing were to play together with friends and family, specifically because you could enhance each others' experience in the game.  I believe Dark Souls has a similar type of asynchronous co-op feature?


The closest thing I can think of to such a mechanic is Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, if viewed from the perspective that a "Game Over" is the destruction of a save slot.  Undertale also plays around a bit with changing the adventure based on your previous games, in rather cool ways, though this only affects subsequent playthroughs.


Risk: Legacy, a board game, does exactly the kind of thing you are describing, literally changing the rules of the game and the board itself for all future playthroughs when the players take certain actions in a play session!!  I definitely recommend checking it out if you're interested in this "lasting impact" concept.

 

[Celianna]

The way I understand your description, Celianna, you are describing a setup where the player still has multiple save slots where they can save the party's place and progress in a game, and could revisit an earlier part of their adventure (and/or save scum) by loading one of those save slots whenever they choose, but there is also something keeping track of the progress the player (per se) has made at a global level - stuff like achievements and unlocks that might just happen to affect stuff that takes place within the game.  Is this correct?  If so, it seems like a lot of people were misunderstanding what you meant by a single save file.

Pretty much, yup! Wasn't explaining myself correctly since I had no concrete examples to point to.


The 'one save file' means you can start up the game, and any progress you've made is automatically detected, but you can still 'start' and 'save' the game however many times you want. You can still branch off and save multiple copies, but global achievements and collectibles would carry over.


You know how in Zelda The Wind Waker, if you beat the game, you earn the ability to start a new game with Link in his regular clothes. It's an achievement like that, but then for multiple and other various things. For example you could earn a small stamp/avatar for something you did in-game, and this carries over to the other games in the future.


Undertale definitely did the same thing, if you restarted the game, different things would happen. It basically had a single save file!

 

[taarna23]

Oh, I see. More like, you choose one save file and when you save, it saves there each time. That makes sense, and I like it, mostly because it makes it so nobody can save over my danged save file!

 

[Shaz]

Yeah, sounds like you're describing a global achievements thing rather than single save file.  I'm doing that in my game - you'll have to play several times to get all achievements.


I think someone has already made something like this for MV - might be called something like global variables?

 

[Violet]

It sounds to me like the "System Data" file in the Atelier series. I THINK it works like this:


Whenever you save or load, the game saves or loads two different sets of information in two different places. It saves or loads your progress in the game in what we usually think of as a normal savefile. Then, it informs you, it's saving or loading "system data". When you go to the game's main menu, along with New Game, Continue, etc. there's a thing you can go to to view the system data. This contains all the things you've unlocked like the bestiary, world encyclopedia info, bromide art, music tracks, and so on. It's like the "extras" menu on a DVD. It's a shared set for all the savefiles, so any time you get more of this content-- say you fight a new boss you didn't find on your last playthrough, and that unlocks a bestiary entry for them-- that gets added to your System Data set.


I really do like this approach, because if you have gone to any special trouble to unlock something, but you never finish that playthrough and you come back to it later and want to start over, your new save file will retain all the work you did to unlock the thing.


Undertale also keeps accumulated data in a separate file that wouldn't be wiped unless you True Reset, except for the one thing that doesn't wipe. But it was definitely autosaving that separate data more often than when you actually saved your game. (...wait, what? Plot hole?)