Saving system

[Underloper]

I don't know if that has been discussed already - probably - but I just don't understand the saving system of The Long Dark...

Why is there any saving spots? Sometimes I just can't help and Alt-F4 the game to avoid stupid death in my 500 days playthrough. Even though I always feel guilty doing it I end up telling myself: no big deal it's just a game, and reload the game and start from my last building entry or sprain.

My point is: the game "allows" this Alt-F4 behavior, and it shouldn't, because as a player I feel like I have an emergency escape even if ideally I am not supposed to.

The permadeath feature is amazing in The Long Dark but is fully spoiled by the possibility to escape/reload during a deadly wolf struggle or a fatal situation, and that doesn't ultimately encourage an ultimate thoughtful behavior in the long haul! Whatever some white knights might say ("just don't Alt-F4" "this is cheating omg" or whatever nonsense and personnal prideful and fake statement) I just would like very much to have a Minecraft-like saving system - AKA true permadeath: ONLY save by pressing "Quit"and restart at that exact same spot you left the game last time you exit it.

I mean can someone explain to me why that is not even a custom game option?

Unless I am missing a key point I don't see how and why The Long Dark doesn't feature that simple logic "Only Quit=Save" vs the multiple checkpoints produced by entering a building...

Please Hinterland hear my call

[ManicManiac]

1 hour ago, Underloper said:

Why is there any saving spots?  Sometimes I just can't help and Alt-F4 the game to avoid death...

From what I understand (and I acknowledge I can't know for sure... but this is what I've read from Milton Mail Bags and other conversations that Raph and other Admins have posted) there are at least two good reasons that I know of that both just boil down to Intentional Game Design:

1. Events Having Real Consiquences...  I think saving after an injury (and after entering internal structures) goes hand in hand with the concept of permadeath.  That is to say, that mistakes & misfortunes have actual consequences encouraging the player to become more skillful, and to pay more attention to what they are doing during play (rather than being able to just "brute force" success).
2. The Random Loot in Containers... I think it's part of how the loot tables operate.  Specifically, helps to keep folks from being able to exploit the RNG by just reloading and "re-entering" a location for the "first time" again and again until the player brute forces the possible loot they want to appear (saving upon first entry then effectively locks in the RNG rolls for all the containers).

There may be several reasons why the save systems work the way they do, again I don't pretend to know Hinterland's inner workings... it's just what they've shared with us in the past.

The thing is, if a player wants to subvert what seems to be Hinterland's intentions... the player can  choose to "Save Scum" if they they really want to.  Besides, I don't really think Hinterland could stop folks from abruptly crashing the game to interrupt a save process, any more than they could stop a person with a console from hitting the power button in order to cheat death (or a mauling). 

Just because it's possible to Save Scum, doesn't mean the makers of the game have to endorse or encourage it.  Especially when it runs counter to their apparent game design choices and/or creative intention.

Edited December 10, 2020 by ManicManiac

[Underloper]

I guess I can hear all thebargupents and understand them but still if the only savings fame from quitting the game there would be simply no more issues about anything!

The player plays the game, and no matter what he does, when he is done and closes the game the saving happens. Next time the player loads his save to go on with the game he is back where he left. It seems so obvious!

[Dr. S.]

I have never understood why the game does not automatically save on quit, no matter where the player is. It makes no sense. Save-on-quit is by far my #1 quality-of-life request.