Updating a published game.

[Ultraya]

Hello all!

My game release plan is to release the game by Chapters, so for example I have already released the prologue and am just about to add the first chapter.

Is there a way that current players can download the new version but keep their old save file?

I want to release it as a DLC system so the first two chapters are free but then it’ll be a small payment for every part after that. However I don’t want to make them have to restart the entire game from the beginning each time. I tried looking up some other threads and they say that you can do it as long as you don’t add any new plugins, but they don’t actually say HOW you do it.

Any help/advice would be much appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[ATT_Turan]

they say that you can do it as long as you don’t add any new plugins, but they don’t actually say HOW you do it.

How are you releasing the game in the first place? You just put the newer version there as a newer version.

 

[Andar]

they say that you can do it as long as you don’t add any new plugins,

yes and no - there are a few more specifications and rules.

adding a plugin that changes the savefiles (due to storing its own data) makes older savefiles incompatible and requires starting a new game.
If a plugin does not have its own data to store it would remain save-compatible, but only very small plugins would fulfill the conditions.
But if you tell everyone they need to start new games, then you can add plugins.

second restriction is to not delete any database content - you can add entries, and partially modify existing entries, but more extreme changes or deleting will also cause incompatibility.

third problem is the current map of the savefile. The current map is stored and only updated if the player leaves and returns to the map. If for example you add a new map and the transfer is on the map where the player saved, then the transfer will only appear after the player has gone elsewhere and returned to that map later.
That is a problem if your game mechanic has linear maps and someone already played to the end.

 

[ATT_Turan]

third problem is the current map of the savefile. The current map is stored and only updated if the player leaves and returns to the map.

That's actually no longer the case with the newer engines.

MV and MZ have a check when loading from a save file that reloads the map from the database. You can do a quick test by saving a game, adding a little NPC event onto the map and loading the save - you'll see the NPC appear.

 

[Andar]

@ATT_Turan as far as I know that check only happens through the editor-playtest.

and if it were to happen with a deployed game that would cause other problems like messing up partially completed move routes. you simply cannot have both options at the same time, you'll have either an updated map with a full event reset or the current event status without map updates.

which choice would be the better one depends on the map and the game itself, but you cannot have an updated map and the correct old event status at the same time.

So this is still a case where everyone needs to doublecheck the effects.

 

[ATT_Turan]

@Andar I didn't test with both engines, but it definitely works in deployment with MZ - I'd assume they're both the same.

 

[Andar]

OK, but then they made an (in my opinion) bad decision.
If you reload a map, then you reset the event status - which can cause other problems.

just consider a puzzle map that is reset while the player is somewhere in the middle instead of at the beginning. That can break the game as well

 

[Winshifter]

Well, Echo607 has a video "tutorial" of sorts where she explains how she made DLC content for her game on steam, but also explains how it can be done without steam releases. Her game is in MV, so some of the plugins mentioned are for that version, though some might have an MZ version.

Basically you have to have all the maps, all the database entries and all info on the save file to be basically already there.

Here is the video if you want to take a look

 

[Ultraya]

How are you releasing the game in the first place? You just put the newer version there as a newer version.

So I’ve released a prologue on itch.io; I plan to add a free extension onto this prologue so that players can see the routes and playable characters.

After this, I plan to use itch.io’s bundle and discount systems. For example

Chapter 1 = £1
Chapter 2 = £2
> -£1 if Chapter 1 is owned
Chapter 3 = £3
> -£2 if Ch 1 and 2 are owned
> -£1 if Ch 1 is owned
> -£1 if Ch 2 is owned

etc etc.

I just don’t want to be getting to Ch 3 and players having their progress from 1 + 2 be lost.

 

[ATT_Turan]

You can't do this if you're releasing the chapters as separate games.

(unless you have the coding proficiency to write a program that will convert saves from one RPG Maker game to another, in which case you wouldn't be needing to ask the question )

A save can only be loaded by the game it was made by. So this can only work if you have one game and you're adding material to make it larger and updating it.