Save Anytime?

PostRe: Save Anytime? by **Extralife** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 2:08 pm

You should be able to save at any time. This doesn't necessarily ruin the difficulty of games since you can always use temporary saves that are deleted when you load them up again - they would just allow to take a break whenever you need to for whatever reason.

PostRe: Save Anytime? by KK » Mon Aug 18, 2008 2:09 pm

Crash Bandicoot has one of the worst save systems ever conceived. Terribly frustrating.

PostRe: Save Anytime? by **jiggles** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 2:33 pm

KKLEIN wrote:Crash Bandicoot has one of the worst save systems ever conceived. Terribly frustrating.

But you can save your game with a pen and paper!

Or, more recently, with your phone!

PostRe: Save Anytime? by **Cropolite** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 3:01 pm

Final Fantasy style wins.

PostRe: Save Anytime? by **Dandy Kong** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 3:35 pm

Cropolite wrote:Final Fantasy style wins.

Which Final Fantasy do you mean? Like FF1, as mentioned in my post above?

I remember playing FFVII (never came past disc 1...) and cursing and swearing every time I wanted to save the game, trying to make my way to a save point and getting into countless battles.

PostRe: Save Anytime? by **Cropolite** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 3:37 pm

Dandy Kong wrote:
Cropolite wrote:Final Fantasy style wins.

Which Final Fantasy do you mean? Like FF1, as mentioned in my post above?

I remember playing FFVII (never came past disc 1...) and cursing and swearing every time I wanted to save the game, trying to make my way to a save point and getting into countless battles.

VII as it was hard.

PostRe: Save Anytime? by **Dr.Clench** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 3:45 pm

I think it changes as you get older and life starts getting "in the way" of your gaming time. I don't have time these days to go hours and hours at a game like I used to be able to in my Speccy and 16-bit console-owning days when save points weren't really an issue. Though I do remember Jurassic Park on the SNES was the royal exception, having the grand total of 0 save points in what was really a huge game at the time! No thank you!

Anyway, put me down for another vote on the "suspend" state - if I had the opportunity to instantly turn off the console and get whatever it is I need done and come back to exactly the same state that would be grand. Games (at least in their usability) need to be more friendly to the needs of the player, rather than artificially forcing the player down paths that aren't furthering the enjoyment of the game - especially now the demographic of gaming as a whole is getting older and more diverse.

PostRe: Save Anytime? by **Psychic** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 3:48 pm

It really depends on the game genre TBH. As stated, Dead Rising and the Resident Evil series suit the just out of reach fixed location saves. I know that one of the best moment of Dead Rising for me was struggling to a nearby save point with little health remaining, dodging the zombies purely on reflex.

I can't really see the point in complaing about saves in RPG's, I imagine very few people tend to play them for short bursts of time.

For the most part, I think it just comes down to developers having common sense. I saw an interview with Cliffy B regarding the infamous "All dat juice" checkpoint screw-up in the original Gears Of War, for which he apologised and claimed that it won't be happening again, so we just need a few more developers using their noggin regarding save placements.

(I realise this sentence is awfully written, but I'm too lazy to change it.)

PostRe: Save Anytime? by **Daniel** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 3:50 pm

No, I much prefer set save points. It can depend on the game but its kinda pointless being able to save anyitme if you ask me

PostRe: Save Anytime? by **Peter Crisp** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 4:06 pm

I prefer a system where you have specific save locations but you can buy something to teleport you to it at any time. The game could make it so that its cheap for the first teleport in each mission then more expensive after that to stop frivolous saving before every encounter.

PostRe: Save Anytime? by **Dandy Kong** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 4:09 pm

Peter Crisp wrote:I prefer a system where you have specific save locations but you can buy something to teleport you to it at any time. The game could make it so that its cheap for the first teleport in each mission then more expensive after that to stop frivolous saving before every encounter.

Zelda games do things more or less in the opposite way of that: you can save at any location but when you continue your game, you are always in a set location: your home in the village, the entry of a dungeon, ...

The effect is the same though.

PostRe: Save Anytime? by **PuppetBoy** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 5:06 pm

Depends on the genre really.

I don't like being able to save anywhere in FPS games though.

PostRe: Save Anytime? by **SEP** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 6:11 pm

In this day and age, with more and more gamers having to spend more of their time doing things other than playing games, the lack of ability to save everywhere is unforgivable. Dead Rising is impossible to play if there is the chance you may need to stop playing at a moment's notice to do something else. The Metroid Prme trilogy is amongst the worst offenders, too.

PostRe: Save Anytime? by **PuppetBoy** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 6:16 pm

It can ruin a game though. For instance, I never really feel tense when playing say BioShock because I never get into the old 'last drop of health with only a pistol' situation - its too easily avoidable if you can just save when you're doing well and load if you get at all hurt. Call it irresponsible gaming if you want, but its not cheating if the devs give you the option to do it. This is why I'd rather checkpoints or limited saves.

PostRe: Save Anytime? by **SEP** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 6:20 pm

Saint's Row had the right idea for the sandbox solution. You could save any time, but it would take you back to the nearest safehouse.

PostRe: Save Anytime? by **void** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 6:33 pm

I remember being opposed to saves altogether during the 8 bit and 16 bit days as we were brought up on 3 credits being enough to finish Ghosts N Goblins and Probotector and saving was for nancy boys who didn't like a challenge.

These days I get angry if a game doesn't have at least a quicksave, never mind well spaced savepoints. FFVII I remember being a particular pain in the arse for save points. I saved before the final battle with Sephiroth without having any recent backup saves and not having levelled up my team enough (didn't have Knights of the round etc.). Must've fought him a hundred times in order to finish it eventually 12 months later.

Save Anytime?

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