Sh3 Save System - awful

[Type941]

I like this game, and this is the first 'rant' post I'm making on it. The save system is absolutely stupid. You can't sort the save games. You lose save games due to oder of loading it. It's absolutely dumb.

I've been enjoying a very good and tense harbour hunt. 2 Aux. cruisers, 1 career. I was so excited. I even went and made an all gray skin for the career. There.

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/9895/cara8jk.th.jpg (http://img134.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cara8jk.jpg)

Just so that when I see it in scope, I'd have a nice pic story.... Blah. So I had to go do some things, I get back, load the game - and accidentely fire a torpedo. I immediately quit the game, and want to reload the last save - but oh wait!!! It's bloody gone. I have a choice of useless inbase saves which mean it's all gone, and a save from way back, in previous patrol. Now where's the justice in this?

Either have NO SAVE option, or have one that is actually user friendly.

Now, Let's see:

At the time of patrol I had a lot of fuel left, about 10 torpedos, a completed patrol, 10000t of tonnage completed (thanks to a good move on C3 and another minor merchant earlier north), shoot down 2 planes, and not to mention the HOURS i've spent in navigating through Scapa Flow west entrance!!!! :damn: :damn: :damn:

2 cruisers - 27tons
1 fleet career - 23 tons.
Preivous success - 10tons of other
--------------------------------
60 tons. And I was looking forward to get the switch to Type 7C with more renown, and on a postive not! Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!


:stare: :/\chop :nope:

[SmokinTep]

I just number my saves. Unless I go back to a previous number, which wipes out the latter ones, seems to work fine for me.

[Seminole]

:hmm: ...I like the save system. I can save any part of a patrol in any way I want at any time I want.

I've never had a problems reloading and resuming a saved game.

I don't see what more could one want.

[Duncan Idaho]

Sorry Seminole: I know a good reason reloading an old save shouldn't delete newer ones.

I wanted to show off the game to a friend. Rather than hunting all around looking for something to shoot, I remembered I had a save right as I ran into a convoy. So I rushed and loaded that, pressed that Yes button on the page warning it would delete saves just as I realized I had not yet backed up my career folder, (I usually do that after each patrol). Ended up having to redo the convoy assault because of that. Not so bad a thing, but it's just senseless. I can see no real reason for wanting that delete feature, it doesn't serve any useful function that I can see.

Save features should just save, no monkey business. That's my opinion, anyway. This isn't Final Fantasy. We don't need the save feature to become yet another 'difficulty option'. ;)

Edit: BTW, Type941, you gonna release that skin? It looks great!

[Stymnus]

But isn't there a way to back up the entire save folder, so you can do just what you're suggesting, Duncan Idaho?

Personally I have never saved out at sea due to the fact that weather and the moon reset themselves (which is annoying).

I haven't gotten to the phase yet that I love bad weather, so it's frustrating to have nothing but bad weather early on and for the rest of my patrol...

[Type941]

Well, I just don't understand the system, but from the getgo, i thought it sucked.


I make 6 patrols. I start patrol 7. Under that, I make:

save 1, save 2, save 3, save 4.

I leave. I come back. I load "Save 4". Hit Torpedo accidentally, instead of time acceleration. I'm sure some of you done that at some point. I think, no this is bollocks, I must reload - I exit the game (obviously I don't want to save, becasue that would make the whole thing pointless - i want a save WITH the torpedo).

So I am back at menu, because the patrol ended, with only 10k tonnage. Fine, I'll reload. I go back to Load Career and what do I see?

Patrol 5 - save games
Patrol 6 - aave games.
Patrol 7 (!!) - Home. ??? Where did save 1, 2,3,4 go that I mentioned above? Really, they should stay. But they are gone, so is my progress, so is my long hunt, so is my time!

how is this 'just perfect' is beyond me. :hmm:


PS> yes, I'll release the skin, but not soon, it stil needs some work.

[Duncan Idaho]

But isn't there a way to back up the entire save folder, so you can do just what you're suggesting, Duncan Idaho?

Personally I have never saved out at sea due to the fact that weather and the moon reset themselves (which is annoying).

I haven't gotten to the phase yet that I love bad weather, so it's frustrating to have nothing but bad weather early on and for the rest of my patrol...

Yes, you just copy the captain's Career folder to another location. I alt-Tab out of the game every time I return to port and do that. However, that one time, I forgot. :oops:

I do save at sea, but only in case of a bad event...(the rare crash, or to save myself from my own stupidity, or in case company drops by, etc.). I try never to load at sea saves, as it does seem to mess up weather.

[Spaxspore]

This is how i do it-

Whenever i save the game i do it twice in any given patrol
And i always name it like-

U-110 P23
U110 P23

and so on and so forth
and if i mess up (accidently firin a torp for instance)
I name it NO
Which tells me to load the save just before that

[Duncan Idaho]

I do that when I mess up too, only instead of naming it 'No' I usually use an expletive. :lol:

[SteamWake]

I got to agree here. This has got to be the most conviluted save system I have ever seen... period.

First off why place them in such an obscure place as /My documents.

Secondly, sequential saves are fine but... why delete all folowing saves ? If I wanted to overwrite them I would.

Lastly why does it totally destroy a carrier if I want to delete an old obselete un-used and un-wanted save file ?

[Duncan Idaho]

Lastly why does it totally destroy a carrier if I want to delete an old obselete un-used and un-wanted save file ?

Yeah that last one bites! I remember I decided to 'weed out' all the old unneeded saves to make the list smaller when I first got the game, and ended up deleting a whole patrol. I was pretty mad at the time as I recall.

[Ula Jolly]

The save system is an enormous turn-off, and without practise it's really hard to understand how to end one's first patrol when docking. I sat for an hour trying out two docks in Wilhelmshaven.
Now THERE is something that needs modification, not clouds or effects. :know:

[Gunfighter34]

I agree, the save system is the one major weakness of the game. I do kind of like Spaxspore, except I use a slightly different system. I use PatrolNumber-PatrolGrid. For example, if it's the fifth patrol and my assigned grid is CF84, I'd name my save 05CF84, then just name it the same and overwrite if I had to resave for some reason. I also tend to use expletives if I have to create a "wasted" save. :)

I really hope if they ever release an expansion or something that they'll improve this feature!

[Spaxspore]

I agree, the save system is the one major weakness of the game. I do kind of like Spaxspore, except I use a slightly different system. I use PatrolNumber-PatrolGrid. For example, if it's the fifth patrol and my assigned grid is CF84, I'd name my save 05CF84, then just name it the same and overwrite if I had to resave for some reason. I also tend to use expletives if I have to create a "wasted" save. :)

I really hope if they ever release an expansion or something that they'll improve this feature!

Kinda off topic but, welcome IXB bro, hows U151 doin.

[Type941]

To add insult to injury, the file save name is rediculously short, which forces you to come up TLAs all the time. I want to write out the whole thing, not the 10 character file savename that Enigma would be proud of. In the end, my save names look like dfsdfhskdf and ldfjskldjfskldf and I just go by date. Back to my original mission I had to replay it, and I DID do what I wanted - got into Scapa, sunk the cruisers with 2 torpedos, and the Aircraft career with 3 more. A few duds of course made the career harder work, but I'm quite happy with blowing up a cruiser with 1 torpedo - all that practice range training paid off.

[mr darcy]

I just name my saves "p1s1", "p1s2" etc. p1 means patrol 1, s1 means save 1.

So if my crew lasted long enough (not likely with my luck) to get to patrol 21 i'd have something like p21s3 and so forth.

edit: i might save something with "not save" if i'm messing about and doing something like sneaking into Gib horbour and surfacing in the docks just to watch the fun.

[Sawdust]

Spaxspore: Your signature image is too wide for the screen and stretches the text in all of the posts off of the screen. Could you narrow it?

[gdogghenrikson]

the save system is ok

[Gunfighter34]

Hey Spaxspore,

Doing alright. Just joined Wolves at War recently and have done two war patrols with them, one in late '40 and the other spring of '41, and I'm still alive. :) Previously I was playing at about 50% realism and now I've got everything checked off except manual TDC and WO assistance, so it's been a big adjustment. Got just under 28k tons total after my first two patrols and have survived a couple of close encounters, so I'm enjoying it. Getting used to the big boat at the same time as getting used to near-full realism is a lot to cover, though. I love the big torpedo load out and huge combat radius but the thing maneuvers like a crippled water buffalo. :)

[Spaxspore]

Hey Spaxspore,

love the big torpedo load out and huge combat radius but the thing maneuvers like a crippled water buffalo. :)

its sure does, and it dives so slow compared to the Type 7, but the extra range and fire power r worth it to me. JUst got to keep an eye out for aircraft :ping:

[Spaxspore]

Hey Spaxspore,

Doing alright. Just joined Wolves at War recently and have done two war patrols with them, one in late '40 and the other spring of '41, and I'm still alive. :) Previously I was playing at about 50% realism and now I've got everything checked off except manual TDC and WO assistance, so it's been a big adjustment. Got just under 28k tons total after my first two patrols and have survived a couple of close encounters, so I'm enjoying it. Getting used to the big boat at the same time as getting used to near-full realism is a lot to cover, though. I love the big torpedo load out and huge combat radius but the thing maneuvers like a crippled water buffalo. :)

LOL, in real life your boat was a school boat, am gald for you that this is not the case
http://uboat.net/boats/u151.htm