Game Save System

[Murdock]

So, I've been playing and enjoying the game for some time now and recently hit my 50 Days Survived achievement. I died while cooking some venison on the fire, now clue why, just dropped dead in 2 seconds. This really, really pissed me off and has changed the way I feel about the game. Here is what I suggest you implement to keep more players in the game, cause you have nearly lost me and I love the game.

1) Extended Safeguards

So, I noticed when you try to start a fire in the wind, the game tells you that's not possible. Why not take the time to add in a feature that tells you that you can't cook that piece of venison, or boil that water, or harvest those cedar planks or whatever other not death defying feat your about to do by alerting the player "You can't do that because your too cold (or hungry or exhausted or thirsty)" instead of giving just giving us 2 seconds to click cancel. Some of us play for hours and hours and need the ability to sip our cola while we are playing without risk of death.

2) Checkpoints

Allow players to permanently save their game at each of the achievements. This would let players replay from checkpoints if they hit a glitch or even just fall prey to a wolf attack. Nobody like playing the game from the very start every time.

3) Typical Save

Just add save slots. Common sense. Maybe you want to play 2 games in tandem starting on different maps or have a friend that wants to play on the same computer. This is needed.

4) Hacked Save

Publish the freaking method for copying a saved game file for Mac OSX (and Windows).

[bethany]

If you were outside while cooking, it is highly likely you froze to death. Be sure to keep up with your condition before committing yourself to activities outdoors. If you are suffering from hypothermia, your condition will continuously drop until you stop yourself from freezing. If you get to a "freezing" point again while still in the 24 hour recovery period from hypothermia, it will return and continue to damage your overall condition. We don't have notifications in the game to tell you you're too cold/hungry/tired to do something because we already provide all of that information for you in your status screen -- Checking this regularly should become a habit for long-term survival. If you're freezing, exhausted, have a less-than-perfect status, you need to really stop to consider the amount of time you'll be spending by cooking, harvesting, whatever: "In the time it takes to do X, how much will my condition suffer?" You'll need to consider this indoors as well, but you'll obviously have leeway with weather.

As for your #3 suggestion, we are working on a multiple save solution. This would allow more than one game to be running at a time, but not for multiple save slots for a single run. Permadeath, which is a core mechanic, will still exist. The save system we currently have in place (saves every time you rest, have a big change in condition, injure yourself, or enter/exit a building with a loading screen) will likely not alter in a dramatic fashion.

Thanks for your feedback and welcome to the forums. I'm sure you'll get more responses from the community that may help improve practices that promote long-term survival -- Though 50 days is quite impressive as it is.

[odium]

I think that feature is exactly what makes the game so exciting, I'm 400+ days in to this run and still one small mistake like sleeping too long while dehydrated can kill me, and that's what keeps you on your toes.

I'm really glad they are looking at a multiple save system, because the beginning of the game is by far the most exciting part, but now I would be forced to give up this gamesave, that I have put a ton of hours into, in order to start a new game.

[Aduron]

Permadeath, which is a core mechanic, will still exist.

I couldn't agree more. While I understand your frustrations, Murdock, one of the things that makes this game unique is the fact that if you screw up and die, that's it. Reading real-life stories of survival and near-survival, it really does come down to those kinds of decisions. I don't want safeguards to tell me that something is about to really hurt me. I justify the fire one by thinking that it's so windy you can't even keep the tinder to hold still, so you decide to not try building a fire there (not because it won't work, but because you couldn't even try).

To make my point:

Nobody like playing the game from the very start every time.

This is the opposite of my feelings. I LOVE a new game, so full of fear and excitement. When I die, I feel stupid, then really excited to jump back in and try again.

[Murdock]

My issue is that I had just checked my status and was all good, weather was good, temperature was good. I really think this may have just been a bug, or who knows maybe I overlooked some status. Anyway, I've cooled down from my rage quit and would like to thank bethany for the quick response.

In any event, I was finally able to locate the save file on Mac OSX

I personally insist on being able to reload an old save when I want to and still believe that you should consider making this available in some fashion, for example only for those that find the option buried in a settings screen. Or at least during alpha to allow for more advanced user testing.

Since Extended Safeguards are likely not going to be considered.... I would really like to have the UI improved by putting some sort of small icon or status bars on screen, where it's a bit easier to keep track of status (and maybe temperature).

P.S. I really love this game. Dev's are doing great work and I look forward to the final product. Sandbox is nice but I am most excited to try out the Story mode.

[Hallrock]

I'm all for running multiple games at once, if anything to try something that may kill you. As for returning to a save point after dying would just ruin the experience. The fun really lies within the chance of death and having to restart.

I do think the game should give a better advanced warning of extreme conditions. What I mean is now we get a "cold","hungry", or "thirsty" notification just slightly before "freezing","starving", or "dehydrated". I'll check my condition a million times when I'm playing so it doesn't matter too much. I just think its funny you'll get the cold notification maybe 10 steps before you're freezing, come on? I think the "cold" should come halfway down the meter giving you plenty of time to decide to keep on or move toward safety. "Hungry" and "thirsty" around 75% or so?