Why no Save game Feature

[HoneyBadger]

I don't think I ever said that I didn't have faith in my own will-power. Unless we're talking fresh pasta with a really snappy sauce, I have plenty of confidence in my personal stoicism. The problem is that saving games for a long time have reminded me of that monkey who's head they wired up so that he could keep on stimulating the pleasure center of his brain for as long as he wanted.
Eventually he starved to death, dying with a big blister on his little monkey finger and a big monkey grin on his little monkey face. If the save game feature is there and easy to use, at some point it's going to be used. Saved games, for me, turn "games" into "further sources of stress I don't need in my life". It's not that I need to use them, it's that I need to exert my will-power not to use them.

Saved games can be recovered and replayed, with some amount of difficulty-and I really like Gandalf's suggestion about restarting random worlds. I'd be up for that, as long as that's where it ended.

I just like the fact that I can play this game through to the end without having the Devil sitting on my shoulder saying "go ahead, monkey, press the button...just...once..."

[Velusion]

HoneyBadger said:
I just like the fact that I can play this game through to the end without having the Devil sitting on my shoulder saying "go ahead, monkey, press the button...just...once..."

So... you say you aren't worried about your will power then you say you say you compare it to a devil on your back? I'm sorry... your post doesn't make sense. You either lack some sort of self control or you don't.

If you won't restore then why do you care?

[HoneyBadger]

Velusion, that's like saying "if you aren't doing anything wrong, then why do you mind if the government installs video-cameras in your home?"

Some things just intrinsically cause stress. They don't necessarily turn you into a crack-head, they just make life a little less enjoyable and a little more pathetic.

[Velusion]

HoneyBadger said:
Some things just intrinsically cause stress. They don't necessarily turn you into a crack-head, they just make life a little less enjoyable and a little more pathetic.

I'm sorry you can't handle the stress of being able to save and restore games. I do hope you work to decrease your stress levels in the future. However, many, many gamers do not stress out about saving and restoring games. To most people it's just a feature to use or to ignore. It seems a shame that because you have "intrinsic stress" which you can't deal with you would seek deny would be a very popular feature to alot of gamers.

If I was rude, say like one of the earlier posters here who felt the need to insult those who would like a save game feature, I might just tell you to "SACK UP".

[Gandalf Parker]

Try to discuss the subject and not each other or this thread will be removed completely.

[Maltrease]

Didn't someone write a tool that automatically saved each turn?

In the same way some might say "just don't use the save" others could say "just save your game manually".

In either case the discussion here is unlikely to make any difference in how the game evolves. The ability to add a save game feature is pretty trivial (since you can basically do it by simply copying and renaming a file) so it must have always been a conscience decision to not do this (nethack anyone?) vs. an oversite where someone forgot to do something.

As I said before I would completely abuse an easy to use save game option if it was available. Civ 1, cool a hut, bah who needs gold, barbians... nah, pottery... nice but, ahh awesome a group of settlers! Perfect. Hmm.. I don't want my militia to lose vs theres... cool I won. Did I mention I could beat Civ 1 every time on the hardest difficulty level! I was awesome in that game and everything always seemed to fall into place for me.

Not having a save makes Dominions a different game. Maybe a game other don't like as much... but personally I prefer it.

Again its not like you can't save your game now. Just play Dominions in a window with the game folder open next to it. Ctrl C, Ctrl V on game file. Thats it, it will automatically rename each one... you will only have to manually rename something when you want to "load" the game back.

[HoneyBadger]

No, you weren't rude. I'm kind of surprised that you seem to think you were. See, you don't actually know a lot about me, and I don't know a lot about you. You're just a line of script to me, so I don't take this...effort at sarcasm? whatever it was, personally. I just think it's a shame that we fail to see eye to eye, but then that's another of the disadvantages of being basically faceless.

Anyway, I still consider Dom3 to be better without a save-game feature, and I still think you should sack up. If you don't understand the reasons behind my feelings, then I really don't mind either way, since I guess you were making some effort to insult me and that probably means we won't be best-of-friends or getting into a hot-tub together any time soon.

[HoneyBadger]

See? you've gotten all personal and now we're in trouble.

[Zarkon]

I actually kind of like having no savegame feature, with one small caveat...I occasionally hit "e" instead of "r" when recruiting units and the only way to go back and finish the turn is to kill the process. Ah well, I think it's worth it for the thematic effect.

[Newthought]

Wow, lots of posts.
Alot of great posts too. Few tards in the swimmingpool, you know you are and you know that I stink too.

And apparantly I'm "Burned" for an opposing opinion and I need to "Sack Up" because my view is irrelevent and again, opposing. Once again, coming to these forums, where you can say anything without consequence, I really didn't except much other then Fanboys. (And in a hypocritical twist, there is irrevency in this very Boo hoo hoo Rant!!! Maybe if your mature, you can ignore it and make any statement you want!!!!)

The typical responses against this are:

1. It ruins the game because it doesn't make it challenging.
A: FYI Challenge is RELATIVE! What's challenging for you is not challenging for me. I can bench well and it's fun for me. If, assuming that you don't go to the gym much, I gave my same weight to you and you got injured, would that be any fun now would it?

2. It corrupts the gamer
Honestly, I can feel for you in an aspect that were all just one giant community. However, define the word "Corrupt" and then find what it's "Corrupting from" and then you'll realize it's just an unintended way of saying "I don't feel comfortable that your playing the game this way", all valid, but comfort was never grounds for action.

3. You can't give Gamers all the features they want

Well under this circumstance, you should be sure to give as MANY features as the gamers want to ensure the maximum amount of people to enjoy it. Features SHOULD be judged depending on the feature in an individual case sceanario. Making D3 have saves is nothing compared to making D3 in 3D. If this feature was unable to be implemented, then leave it at that.

4. It betrays the developer vision
A: The *Publishing* developer Vision extends so far enough to meet the needs of the Consumer. Why do *Publishing* developers publish games? So they can charge money for it! What seperates a good developer vision from a bad one? Their total profit is equal to their expectation. EAnomics have proven this vision true

Note: Emphasis on the word Publish rather then make. A developer could make his own game and he would be the only person on the earth to enjoy it, then it is a sucess. Commercialization is a service toward the people, shine my shoes brown instead of black I'll get my money back, or in this case, sell it on Ebay FTW.

And what if the Gamer wants to ruin his own game? What if the Gamer wants to remove certain spells he doesn't like or what if the Gamer makes Spells more early or what if the Gamer decides that every Ulm Man Woman and Child should have str 30. Wouldn't that truly ruin the game. Yes. Would it be funny? No. It betrays the vision of the game

What if I want to give myself more starting points for my Pretender on a roleplaying aspect or what if I decide to make my game even more difficult by REMOVING Pretender points? Sure. Would it be smart. Ehh no. and it betrays the vision of the game.

What if I decided to create my own side or if I decided to take a Middle Age only side and pull them in the Later age. That surely betrays the vision of the game as well. And it does.

Notice that all three of these circumstances are completly acceptable.

Fourth Scenario:
What if I wanted to be able to Save Games in my own game to make sure that I never lose a battle and cry? What if I wanted to put a Time Constraint in my Multiplayer so people couldn't build up their forces? What if I wanted to be able to set rules that no one can create Oceanic Civilizations? What if I wanted to create new Terrain Pieces, such as Savannahs and Tundras?

Do they all betray the game? Yes. The Developer never put any of those features in (to my almost assurd Knowledge), hence it betrayed his vision.

This magically brings us down to my Save Game Feature. I want a Save Game feature so I can enjoy my game. All of those "complaints" do not constitute a specific reasonable reason.

IE: It ruins the game because it doesn't make it challenging (challenge is relative), It corrupts the gamer (Freedom of use...invalid in Russia) You can't give Gamers all the features they want (You cannot ignore their requests within your capability to accomplish.), and it betrays the Developer vision (When the hands of the game enter the Consumer, it's the consumer's "world". If the Consumer want's the Developer to make it the ability to save games, and if they can accomplish that, then both parties are quite satisified.)

PS: I honestly want this feature implemented because I honestly like the game but cannot devote enough time for it to be fun. (After the fifth time you just conquer your neighbors and lose your army, the repetition gets you done)

PSS: Sack this 1 up yours.