Save Anywhere
Posted by DanielThis is a feature that is often debated among players. Of course most of the debate comes from those who prefer to have the ability to save the game at any time and in any place.
My personal preference is save points which is why you’ll find them in Dawn’s Light. They can be misused but if done properly a save point system will always be better.
A great reminder
If you’re at a big point in the story or in a new and exciting place, often you will forget to save. Save points act as a reminder that you should probably save.
The OCD problem
If you can save anytime then I sometimes feel like I have to and it becomes a habit to save after every tiny thing that happens. This is of course very disruptive to the game experience.
Breaking the game
From a development standpoint, a save anywhere system can be dangerous. There are points in Dawn’s Light where if the player were to save and reload their game, terrible things would happen. One could argue that the save could be disabled temporarily but since I value consistency this is not an option for me.
Extra Features
Save points also give you the option to offer things like health refills before bosses. These work well when they are themed to match the save point. In Dawn’s Light we use books for a save point and golden ink to restore your health and mana.
Conclusion
Often when players start asking for save anywhere, it indicates that the save point system is not working how it should be. Perhaps there aren’t enough save points or the save option isn’t the default.
As long as the save points are generously placed and easy to use, most players won’t even think about the saving system and that’s exactly how it should be.
So what do you think about save points?
It’s just practical to save every where. I think you have put enough savespots in dawn’s light so keep it this way.
Personally, I love the demo I played of Dawn’s Light and how frequent the save points are. You know what it reminds me of? Mother 3. I don’t know if that means anything to you, but I know it means that I’ll be buying the game very soon.
However, I must also note a game that many a gamer spent a good chunk of their lives playing: “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.” There is just something about that save system, which sets you back at frequent checkpoints, that adds something to the game. Silly things like killing yourself to return to your house also has some strange charm (guilty pleasure?). I’m not sure what it is with Zelda’s save system, but even today I find myself enamored with it. I’m not saying it’s better than what you already have, but I have to admit that I’m curious anyway.
That’s an interesting idea, save anywhere but you always load from a set place. Probably not your house but perhaps at set points.
I recently played through Majora’s Mask again which is party why we ended up with so many sidequests. =)
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment had save-anywhere, but when a boss was nearby, the main character’s “spidey sense” woudl tingle making the screen flash.
Thought save points in Dawn’s Light were well done. There were more than what I needed to get through the game. Only got a game over screen once or twice, but it seems like no matter where I was I’d never lose too much progress. There’s definetly been games where I’d think. “Wow, I just died. I don’t want to go through that puzzle/maze/random encounter-fest again to get back to where I was.” power off, then trudge through it later, if ever. Hate that.