Poll of the Day > Favorite type of save points

(+) Yeah! (+)

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The Pokemon save system is my favorite.
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Autosave because if there is no autosave it's guaranteed at some point I'll go through a stretch where I forget to save and the game fucking crashes or something happens.
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Saving anywhere please. It's the best option for trying out different routes or options and also convenient.

For example, when you're playing a game with saving points on a tight schedule (say in between classes) you have to estimate if you have enough time to get to the next point or not, and usually gotta stop earlier. With that said, I don't mind saving points if the game has a suspend save feature so I can stop at any time.
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Toss-up between autosave and save anywhere. I like systems which have both but, if I had to pick one, I'd probably do save anywhere for most games.
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Zeus posted...

autosave and save anywhere. I like systems which have both

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I like games that autosave during the story if choice isn't a fundamental factor. If choice is a fundamental factor, I would prefer the game to let you save anywhere. Of course, if games have both of these, it's a win.

Forced Autosave, actually, if the game is designed for that to not just ruin everything. Ironman XCOM is one of the few times I really felt good pressure from a save system. I'm also the sort who kinda sometimes takes save scumming too far when I get frustrated... I should not be trusted with such power.

But I also really liked what they did in They Bleed Pixels. You got "style points" for your kills if you did them quickly and didn't spam, and after enough you could plop down a checkpoint. It's really neat that you don't just keep trying to make it to the next checkpoint, which encourages skipping past and ignoring obstacles (Dark Souls is a huge offender). Instead you're encouraged to keep trying until you do enough awesome shit. That's just fun. Plus, putting down your own checkpoint right in front of an area you're having trouble with is a neat way to manage your own difficulty with clever play.

I think Ori and the Blind Forest does something similar, but has the style points also used for other things too. Haven't played it though.
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Mead posted...

Zeus posted...

autosave and save anywhere. I like systems which have both

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Save anywhere-I'll choose what data I keep, thankyou very much. If I forget to save a bunch of progress, that's on me.
Notable mention, save points with regular autosave (per new area/story milestone) to a separate file.
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Syntheticon posted...

Save anywhere-I'll choose what data I keep, thankyou very much. If I forget to save a bunch of progress, that's on me.
Notable mention, save points with regular autosave (per new area/story milestone) to a separate file.

This.

Save points can be ok if they're frequent / not much distance between each, but the above is preferred.

I hate autosave only. Passwords is an outdated method. No saving is a complete non-starter unless the game's so short it's unnecessary.

Also, needing Yorda in order to save in ICO was freaking amazing, especially when she's not easily available. I've never cared more about getting an NPC back than when I had to go it alone in ICO.
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I voted Save anywhere because it's the most convenient and can be suitable for most players. I like save points, too. I don't like autosave because I mess up a lot, and sometimes need to start from an earlier point. Passwords are too much hassle.

Having no saves ruins the game's fun. First of all, it's discouraging if players can't get past a certain point of a game, and has to keep starting over and repeating the same boring stuff. It is also hard for people who can't play for long periods of time.
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Save anywhere, with an autosave when entering a different zone.
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Autosave or save points

With save anywhere, I tend to go for areas that would likely be a save point, like Pokemon Centers or Inns
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It really depends on the game. I prefer there being sections or large areas where you can save anywhere that also autosaves. But then I'd want there to be sections of the game where you have actual save points.

I think in general I prefer save points though.
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trodi_911 posted...

Mead posted...

Zeus posted...

autosave and save anywhere. I like systems which have both

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I like autosave as an emergency backup, but dislike it when it's the only option because the game is trying to prevent you from save scumming.

Save anywhere, anywhen, with no penalties is best, especially with the average age of gamers aging into the 30s at this point - adults with adult lives and adult responsibilities tend to need to be able to save at a moment's notice because you never really know when you're going to have to rush off for some reason, and having to backtrack 20+ minutes of play because of a shitty autosave can make the difference between continuing play or losing all interest in that game and never playing it again out of pissed off annoyance.

As much as a certain (repugnant) sub-class of gamers feel like any concession towards "casual play" is somehow an unforgivable sin, games in general SHOULD allow players to play at their own level and enjoy at their own pace, rather than acting like a forced babysitter who won't "allow" a player to save because they don't "deserve" it yet.

That goes hand-in-hand with having multiple save files, though (which is another reason why I dislike autosave-only games). Because if losing 20+ minutes of progress to a lack of saves is frustratingly annoying, potentially having to start your whole game over because you saved in a game-breaking location is an abomination.


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Autosave with save points.
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ParanoidObsessive posted...

As much as a certain (repugnant) sub-class of gamers feel like any concession towards "casual play" is somehow an unforgivable sin, games in general SHOULD allow players to play at their own level and enjoy at their own pace, rather than acting like a forced babysitter who won't "allow" a player to save because they don't "deserve" it yet.

While I do agree that it can be a good thing. Some gameplay elements just work better with a less forgivable save system. If you make your game with that kind of save system in place, then it could throw off some sort of challenge (whatever that challenge could be) to allow people to save at any time they want.

That's why I don't play a game where I'm going to need to play it for some sort of extended time. Like 1+ hour. I understand that you never know what's going to come up in life, but can people really not know when they're going to have a few hours available for gaming? A few hours where it's very not likely they're going to be bothered?
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Save points. Sick of a certain repugnant sub group of gamer ruining the design for everyone who wants to play because they can't make a 5 minute concession in their schedule to revert to the last checkpoint the dev balanced around.

Two can play that game if you want to sling mud and it damn well accomplishes nothing productive.
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Save anywhere and auto save in a different file. Like what FFXV has.

You would not BELIEVE how many times I would be playing a game as a kid and my mom or dad would say I had to do something and I'd say "wait until I find a save point" only to not find one for like 30 minutes.

Save points, I sometimes save scum :P and sometimes you wanna make a different choice but can't because of autosave.

but really it depends on the game, like Fallout 3 you could save every couple minutes because of choices or not for long stretches/dungeons and whatnot, but things like Fire Emblem: Awakening you could save every move.
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Save scumming is a sin.
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I used to like checkpoints, but after years of being forced to do the same thing over and over again, or being drained of resources with no way to replenish, or just general glitches which make them difficult to use, I prefer save anywhere.

I do think they should still have automatic saves at certain points as a backup. A lot of late 90's/early 2000's FPS games did that and it was perfect in my opinion.

Also never NEVER do checkpoints in a stealth game. NEVER!!! FUCKING NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Save anywhere. I like auto-save as long as it doesn't save on a different file every damn time.
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I mean, I "want" save anywhere. but I do appreciate save points too. depends on the game but all or most of our power in video games comes from our ability to time-travel using the save system and we barely pay any attention to it. save points mean that the dev has actually taken that into account and designed the game at least partially around the concept, which is ostensibly better, but who knows what the best solution is. I guess it depends on the type of game, too.
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Being able to save anywhere is great before going up against a difficult boss or when playing on tougher difficulty levels.
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Veedrock- posted...

Save scumming is a sin.

I agree with this...on first play throughs only.
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